Did you know Magna Utah started as Pleasant Green? In 1868 pioneers settled at the base of the Oquirrh Mountains. They named their farming community Pleasant Green. Around 1900 only about twenty families lived there. One early pioneer Abraham Coon established a ranch called Coonville. Coon Creek flows from Coon Canyon through Magna to the Great Salt Lake. The Pleasant Green Cemetery dates back to 1883. A school was built in 1890.
Then copper mining transformed Magna. Daniel C Jackling established the Utah Copper Company. It later became Kennecott Copper Corp. In 1906 the company built the Magna Mill. Jackling named it Magna meaning “great” or “superior” in Latin. A large influx of Greek immigrants arrived in 1903. They created a thriving Greektown. Another mill was built by Boston Consolidated Copper in 1909. It was later renamed Arthur Mill. Workers lived in Ragtown a temporary settlement. Some farmers traded their plows for steady jobs at the mills.
Magna’s Main Street became a center of activity. It included churches saloons fraternal halls and stores. Small neighborhoods formed like Greektown Japantown Snaketown and Little Italy. Many residents were immigrants. In 1914 the Pleasant Green post office became Magna. By 1909 the Hawthorne School was built. It is no longer standing. The Webster School was built in 1908. It was destroyed by fire in 2004. The first Cyprus High School building was completed in 1924. Workers mostly walked to the mills.
During the Great Depression the mills closed. Workers were laid off. Around 1940 copper demand increased. Growth continued after World War II. By the 1960s Magna started to become suburban. Hercules Powder Co began producing rocket motors. This increased job opportunities. Magna’s population shifted southward. Automobile commuting became common. Main Street began to deteriorate. Some businesses moved to other areas.
Kennecott Land plans major development around Magna. Historic Main Street was remodeled in 2006. Main Street became a popular filming location. Movies and TV shows including Disney’s Andi Mack were filmed there. The Empress Theatre a historically significant building opened its doors around the same time. On March 18 2020 a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Magna. It caused some damage to historic buildings. Magna became a city on May 1 2024. Today Magna’s history is rich and multifaceted a testament to its transformation from a farming community to an industrial center and finally to a modern city.