Place · United States
The history of Ogden
Assembled from 3 dug tiles · 38 sourced records · 1811–1988 · last reviewed 20 September 2026
Ogden, Utah, grew from an 1844-organized city into a railroad and commercial hub, holding brick apartment blocks, a historic tabernacle site and the United States Post Office and Courthouse. On April 22, 1974, a robbery at a nearby Hi-Fi Shop turned into one of the state's worst mass murders.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Ogden — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Ogden
The night the drain cleaner didn't kill fast enoughA robbery at a hi-fi shop half a mile from here became a torture and a triple murder in 1974. Helms Apartments
1841–1974 The night a stereo shop errand became a massacre
A quiet electronics store a mile from where you stand became the site of one of Utah's most brutal crimes.
1811–1974 A stereo shop robbery became a night of torture and murder
You stand a few streets from the storefront where a routine burglary turned into one of Utah's worst mass murders. United States Post Office and Courthouse
1850–1988
Ogden in layers
1869
Ezra T. Benson, an early leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died in Ogden in 1869. Wikidata via cast records
1898
Richard Ballantyne, who started the Sunday School program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died in Ogden in 1898. Wikidata via cast records
1909
Lorin Farr, who became Ogden's first mayor and helped found the town under Brigham Young's direction, died in Ogden in 1909. Wikidata via cast records
from 1841
A little over half a kilometer away, Ogden's municipal cemetery has been receiving burials since 1841, three years before the city itself was formally organized. FamilySearch
from 1841
Less than half a mile away, Ogden City Cemetery has received the town's dead since 1841, making it the oldest recorded ground nearby. FamilySearch
1890
Pat Desmond, an American lawman and gunman, died in Ogden in 1890. Wikidata via cast records
1844
The settlement around this spot became the incorporated city of Ogden in 1844, making it one of the oldest continuously governed towns in Utah. FamilySearch
1850
In 1850 a settler named Urban Stewart fired at random into his own cornfield and killed Terikee, chief of the Weber band of Shoshones, setting off a cycle of retaliatory violence around Ogden. Ogden City Information Packet
1850s-1971
Built by Latter-day Saints in the 1850s about a kilometer away, the Weber Stake Tabernacle stood for over 100 years until it was torn down in 1971 to make room for the Ogden Utah Temple. Wikipedia
1854-1855
After Terikee's killing, fearful Ogden settlers abandoned their scattered farms and in 1854-55 built Bingham Fort, ringed by a wall nine feet high, near present-day Five Points. Ogden City Information Packet
February 1912
Herman Bang, a well-known Danish writer, died in Ogden in 1912 while touring, and photographs of his coffin there survive in Danish archives. Europeana / Royal Library of Denmark
1875
About three-quarters of a kilometer away, this church went up in 1875, one of the older surviving buildings in Ogden, and joined the National Register in 1973. Wikipedia
1890–1935
The Ogden Electric Railway carried streetcar riders through the city for 45 years before it was pulled up in 1935. OpenHistoricalMap
1890-1935
From 1890 to 1935 an electric streetcar line, the Ogden Electric Railway, operated about a kilometer north before being demolished. OpenHistoricalMap
1892
About 600 meters away, this school building went up in 1892 and was placed on the National Register in 1982. Wikipedia
built 1892
Roughly a kilometer south, Madison Elementary School was built in 1892 and later placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Wikipedia
1907
The commercial building recorded on this exact lot at 298 24th Street went up in 1907, and county records still carry it as a commercial parcel of nearly 61,000 square feet. Utah county assessor via UGRC parcel layer
1909
The county's record shows a small residential lot here, its 468-square-foot house built in 1909 and sold on afterward to a private household. Utah county assessor via UGRC parcel layer
1909
About a kilometer away, English immigrant and dry-goods executive Heber Scowcroft built his two-story house in 1909, the same year the lot at 2036 Monroe was developed. Wikipedia
1913
Designed in the Chicago school style by Leslie S. Hodgson, this steel-framed office building went up in 1913 and became a downtown landmark. Wikipedia
1916–1919
At 2248-Jefferson Avenue, this two-and-a-half-story brick building was called one of the smallest but most visually interesting pre-Depression apartment buildings in the city, and was listed on the National Register in 1987. Wikipedia
1916-1919
Around 650 meters off, the Helms Apartments went up between 1916 and 1919 as a compact but visually distinctive brick apartment block. Wikipedia
opened 1924
This Egyptian-revival movie palace, added to the National Register in 1978, still stands about 780 meters from here. Wikipedia
1925
A short walk south, this ornate brick apartment building went up in 1925 and has been on the National Register since 1987. Wikipedia
Questions about Ogden
What is Ogden known for historically?
Ogden is known, among other things, for the Hi-Fi Shop murders of April 22, 1974, when a robbery turned into hostages being forced to drink drain cleaner and three being shot in a basement. It is also home to older civic and residential buildings, including the Helms Apartments, built 1916-1919, and the United States Post Office and Courthouse grounds nearby.
What happened at Ogden in 1974?
On April 22, 1974, gunmen took hostages at the Hi-Fi Shop, forcing five people to drink Drano in the basement and shooting them. Carol Naisbitt, Stanley Walker and Sherry Michelle Ansley were killed; Cortney Naisbitt and Orren Walker survived. Dale Selby Pierre and William Andrews were later executed for the killings.
What stands near the site of the Hi-Fi murders?
The United States Post Office and Courthouse stands a few streets from the former Hi-Fi Shop storefront. The Helms Apartments, a brick building built between 1916 and 1919 by contractor Charles J. Humphris, stand a short walk away at 2248-Jefferson Avenue.
Who was convicted in the Hi-Fi murders?
Dale Selby Pierre and William Andrews were convicted and later executed for the killings of Carol Naisbitt, Stanley Walker and Sherry Michelle Ansley during the 1974 robbery at the Hi-Fi Shop in Ogden.
How old is the Helms Apartments building near the murder site?
The Helms Apartments were built between 1916 and 1919 by contractor Charles J. Humphris, predating the 1974 Hi-Fi Shop murders that took place a short walk away.