Friday, September 18, 2015

Payson First 100 Years--Part 17--Joseph Reece--15th Mayor

Tolhurst Roller Mill Built — Celebrated Payson's Sixtieth Birthday

            Joseph Reece was the Fifteenth Mayor taking office in 1908.
            Two men from Delta, Colorado started a moving picture theatre in Payson, called the Gayety Theatre about 1907 or 08. It was in a building where Don's Cafe is now. They run a few months then sold it to George H. Done in 1908. He still called it the Gayety until he sold it April 1921. These first pictures were silent. Between shows, illustrated songs were sung, colored slide pictures told the story of the song while a singer sang the words.
            After the grist mill burned down in 1901 there had  been no mill here to make flour. Mr. Thomas F. Tolhurst came to Payson to see the advisability of starting a Roller Mill here. He had been running a mill in Spanish Fork. Conditions being favorable he
built one in 1909 on the same site as the old one. It had a capacity of seventy-five barrels of flour daily. It was equipped with the most modern and latest improved machinery and manufactured flour of the highest grade.
            The cement side walks were extended to the Tabernacle and to the churches. A cement fence was placed around the Tabernacle grounds.
            The Payson Silver Band went to Salt Lake in August 1909 to play for the G. A. R. Encampment. It was almost continuous playing. Being very hot, the older members became exhausted and had to quit. There was a humorous incident connected with this engagement. The Ohio Society was having an outing at Salt Air on the third day. The president asked the Payson band to join them. Getting permission from J. J. McClellan, he being in charge of the band while in Salt Lake, they went along and enjoyed the day. It was much cooler out there. In next morning's Salt Lake Tribune an artcle was published stating that the Payson band had been kidnapped. After this engagement the band disolved, because some of the members were too old to carry on.
            Payson being settled for sixty years, a celebration was held Oct. 20, 1910.   J. Frank Pickeri

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