Linda King Newell History of Piute County Even before World War I the automobile signaled the birth of a new industry—tourism. Residents of [Utah] had known the splendor of Bryce Canyon for decades, but the roads to the canyon were little more than wagon trails, and sight-seeing trips were not an option in the work-a-day world of most residents. But …
From War to War
Thomas G. Alexander Utah, the Right Place Condensed by Brittany Nelson Utah men, to prove their loyalty to the nation, were particularly active in volunteering for both World War I and World War II. When World War I started, Utah’s citizens responded to the call for men and more than 21,000 were enlisted in the land troops and almost 3,500 …
The Development of Zion National Park
Wayne K. HintonUtah Historical Quarterly 68 (fall 2000) At the turn of the nineteenth century, a desire to protect areas of scenic grandeur from the ravages of commercial exploitation and a belief that scenic areas benefited the health and well-being of mankind led to a movement for a United States parks system. In 1900 Congressman John F. Lacey of Iowa …
Sheep Fueled 1920s Economy
Miriam B. Murphy History Blazer July 1996 During the 1920s Sanpete County’s sheep herds were the largest in Utah, and woolgrowers were the kings of the local economy. Quality as well as quantity brought economic rewards. In 1918 John H. Seely of Mount Pleasant had sold a two-year-old ram for a record $6,200 at the National Ram Sale in Salt …
Arches National Monument
Richard A. Firmage History of Grand County Aside from the hoped-for oil gusher or other major economic stimulus, there was one thing that farsighted boosters began to promote as a growth industry [in 1930]—tourism. The area’s scenic attractions were unparalleled, and in the decades just past they had begun to be more appreciated by Grand County residents and others in …
Children in the 1930s Hoped to Become Nurses & Pilots
W. Paul Reeve, Yvette D. Ison History Blazer, February 1995 The 1929 Stock Market Crash that plummeted the United States into the Great Depression also affected Utah quickly and severely. By 1932 farm income had declined from $69 million to $29 million. More than a third of Utah’s work force was unemployed at the depth of the depression, and in …
Reed Smoot & America’s Natural Resources, 1903-33
Thomas G. Alexander Many Utahns remember Reed Smoot for his service as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or for his thirty years as a United States Senator (1903-33). They might remember him for his early battle to keep his senate seat against strong anti-Mormon opposition or for …
Reed Smoot and the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, 1930
Jeffrey D. Nichols History Blazer, April 1995 During the 1930s the economies of all of the industrialized nations suffered dramatic declines in production, trade, and employment levels. Already weakened by the human and economic toll of World War I, war debt repayment, and trade imbalances with the United States, foreign nations were confronted in 1930 with the highest tariff barriers …
The Fathers of Capitol Reef National Park
Charles Kelly History Blazer, September 1995 Two men deserve credit for the preliminary work that led to the creation of Capitol Reef National Monument (later Park)—Ephraim P. Pectol and Joseph S. Hickman. Pectol was born May 16, 1875, in Glenwood, Sevier County. In 1888 his family moved to Cainesville. In 1910 he bought some land at Grover and that same …
“Even the Grasshoppers Were Starving” during the 1934 Drought
W. Paul Reeve History Blazer, March 1995 Like rubbing salt in a wound, the nationwide drought of 1934 dramatically increased suffering among many Americans already left destitute by the Great Depression. The Great Plains states were hit especially hard, and following the terrible windstorms that created the Dust Bowl many farmers left their land in search of a better life. …