Frederick M. Huchel History of Box Elder County When the railroad came through in 1869, the two rival companies, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific, built their tracks around the north end of Great Salt Lake, because the lake was in a high cycle, and technology was not up to the task of bridging the lake. In 1898 Edward …
Explosion of Pleasant Valley Coal Company
Ronald G. Watt History of Carbon County Roof collapses and falling rock were the leading cause of single injuries and death in the coal mines of Carbon County. In April 1898 coal and rock struck a young unnamed man in the Castle Gate Mine. On 3 October 1900 John Marriotti was killed in the mine at Castle Gate; he left …
Jobs in 1900
Miriam B. Murphy History Blazer, February 1996 Census data for 1900 tell us that in Utah 73,840 men and 10,764 women were gainfully employed. For men the most important job categories were agriculture, manufacturing and mechanical pursuits, and trade and transportation. For women the top three were domestic and personal service, manufacturing and mechanical pursuits, and professional services. But what …
A Look at Working Women in the Early 20th Century
Miriam B. Murphy History Blazer, November 1995 The 20th century produced dramatic changes and opportunities for women. The events leading up to statehood brought to an official end at least the practice of polygamy, and the state constitution restored women’s right to vote and guaranteed other equal rights. Laws passed in 1911 and 1913 set maximum hours and minimum wages …
The Myths and Legends of Butch Cassidy
Linda King Newell & Vivian Linford Talbot The History of Garfield County So many myths and legends surround the life and demise of Butch Cassidy that it is difficult to sort fact from fiction. Charles Kelly related the story of sixteen-year-old Harry Ogden from Escalante, who spent his savings to purchase a good horse and a sixty-dollar saddle. When out …
A Soldier’s Life at Fort Douglas in the Early 1900s
Miriam B. Murphy History Blazer, October 1995 On a frosty morning in 1902 a U. S. Army troop train stopped in Salt Lake City where the 1st Battalion and regimental headquarters of the 12th Infantry detrained. After three years in the Philippines they had been reassigned to regular Army posts in the States. Some units drew Fort Duchesne in the …
Boxing Fans Take the Plunge at Saltair
Yvette D. Ison History Blazer, February 1995 For some fans, boxing was not the only excitement at Saltair on the evening of May 12, 1910. As the match between Pete Sullivan and “Cyclone” Johnny Thompson came to an end at 11 o’clock, several hundred of the 3,000 fans rushed to the exit to catch the next train from the famous …
Saltair Village Was a Unique Place to Live
Becky Bartholomew History Blazer, February 1996 At the turn of the century a dozen companies mined salt on Great Salt Lake’s south shore. The Royal Crystal plant stood a mile east and a little south of Saltair Beach Resort. The plant, previously owned by both the Intermountain Salt and Inland Crystal companies, was later acquired by Morton Salt. Before automobiles …
A Brewer-Sportsman’s Prairie Style Home in Ogden
Miriam B. Murphy History Blazer, March 1996 Gustav Lorenz Becker, a leading businessman in the Intermountain West, was a well-known brewer both locally and nationally as well as one of the world’s best trapshooters. The home he built for his family at 2408 Van Buren Avenue in Ogden remains an outstanding example of the Prairie Style in residential architecture in …
Electrifying Utah—Engineer Lucien L. Nunn
History Blazer, May 1996 In the early 1900s an engineer and contractor by the name of Lucien L. Nunn was a major figure in bringing electric power to the Intermountain West. He is best remembered for the Ames power plant near Telluride, Colorado, and the Olmsted hydroelectric plant in Provo Canyon, Utah. But he also entrepreneured many smaller plants, some …