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George Goates and the Sugar Beets — A Story About What Lehi Is Made Of

Lara Bangerter
1 min read
From: Keeping the Memory of Lehi Alive — Lara Bangerter on the Lehi Historical Society

In October 1918, during the Spanish flu epidemic, George Goates of Lehi lost four family members in one week. He made multiple trips to Ogden to bring family members home for burial, built the coffins himself, and helped prepare burial clothes. At week's end, he and his surviving son went to the sugar beet field — and found that their neighbors had already harvested every last beet, anonymously, without being asked. It was the first time George cried all week.

In October of 1918, during the height of the Spanish flu epidemic, George Goates of Lehi lost four family members in a single week. His son in Ogden called to say one of his children had died and asked him to come bring her back for burial. George may have made as many as three trips to Ogden. He built the coffins himself. He helped prepare the burial clothes. And at the end of that devastating week, he turned to his surviving son and said: we need to go check on the sugar beet field. When they arrived, they found that their neighbors — unnamed, unannounced — had already harvested every last beet. The account says that was the first time George cried all week. He fell to the ground and thanked God for the men of the area. A historical marker now stands at the Goates farm site. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cited this story in General Conference.

Key Lessons

  • • True community service is often done without asking and without recognition
  • • Grief and crisis reveal who a community actually is
  • • A single act of anonymous kindness can become the defining story of a place for over a century

Community Connections

Stories, people, and ideas that connect across the archive — ranked by shared themes, guests, places, and topics.

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