Remember When From the Past--Peerless Cleaners

Remember When
Thursday, July 03,  2008
Kenna Holm

PEERLESS CLEANERS

    I remember thinking about the old Peerless Cleaners we had here in town.  I called Shirlene (Peery) Wood to ask her what she remembered about it because she was best friends with Gerry (Lunt) Snyder whose parents owned it.  She in turn called Gerry in Kanab and then Gerry called me.
We had such a fun time talking about the “good old days.’
    VerDel and Laska Lunt moved here from Cedar City where Del was a manager of a large laundry and cleaners.  They bought the business that was on about 165 West Utah Avenue from a Mr. and Mrs. Tiegen in 1941.
    The Lunt’s had three children who all helped with the business. They were Melvin, Patty, and Gerry.  Melvin lives in Levan and Patty who was married to LaVell Gasser has been deceased for many years.
    At that time, there was only one other cleaners in Payson and that was Hill’s Cleaners on Main Street.  The Lunts lived in the west side of the business. They had a kitchen, living room, and one bedroom upstairs and two downstairs.  In the basement was a room with the furnace in it and Del would have to go down and throw coal in so they would have steam for the cleaners.  There was also a room for the coal.
    The reception area was in the little front part on the east side.  The back room held two presses and the spotting table.  He built a shed out back that held the washers.
    Gerry said when she was in about the sixth grade (and I won’t say how long ago that was) they had a fire and all of the neighbors were running and helping them get the clothes out.  It only burned the downstairs but all of the clothes smelled like smoke.  Del did get burned in that fire.
Gerry remembers pants only costing 55 cents to clean (boy that would be nice now) and her dad used to pick up and deliver cleaning all over Santaquin, Eureka, Salem, and Payson. (Couldn’t  afford that these days with the price of gas)

    In 1953 they sold the business to Ronal and Zella Crump.  They had an office on the north side of the building and the cleaners on the East.  Zella always had geraniums in the windows.
    Zella and Ronal worked together with her doing the repairs and him doing the cleaning.  They had big irons they used to press with.
    In those days, it seemed like pleated skirts were all the rage and I guess they were not easy to press.  Ronnie remembers that often one of his sisters skirts would have to be repressed.
    They loved the business and made a sufficient livingwith it for nine years after which Ronal began working as a bookkeeper of Page’s in Spanish Fork.. He later worked for Payson City as the city recorder.  Zella worked and retired from First Security Bank.
    The shed that the Lunts had built out back had always held all of the old heavy equipment and other junk.  One year the police decided to render other services to the community that was above and beyond the call of duty.  They supported the beautification program in the city.  They launched a program to rid the town of old abandoned automobiles and such. They could get a whole whopping $5.00 for each car and different prices for other junk.  Money from these sales went
toward building a new police building.
    At that time, the Crumps had given up the cleaning business because of all the coin operated dry cleaning and wash and wear clothing that was becoming popular.   So the building and the contents were removed from the premises.
Now the Lunts and the Crumps are gone but isn’t it fun to remember when?

REMEMBER WHEN FROM THE PAST--PAYSON COCA COLA BOTTLING PLANT

Remember When...
June 26, 2008
by Kenna Holm

THE PAYSON COCA-COLA BOTTLING PLANT

    Thanks to you readers for all the kind comments on last week’s story on Sherm Loveless. He was certainly everyone’s friend. A few called and said they were maybe some of those people who still owed Sherm and forgot to pay him. I didn’t mean to make anyone feel guilty but I guess some consciences were touched.   Anyway--thanks for the compliments.
    This week I thought about the old Coca Cola Plant that used to be in Payson. Maybe some didn’t know we had a bottling plant here in Payson at one time. It was at 63 South 300 West, across the street from Jack Provstgaard’s. That’s were I remember it first. Harry Webster was the manager and I think owner of the plant.

    I called Roger Jensen to pick his brain because I knew his dad, Karl, had worked for so many years at the plant and he gave me some fun history of it.
I didn’t realize they had so many workers at the plant but Roger told me of several. There was, Monte Taylor and his brother Dick, Glade Taylor, Paul Bigler, Irvin Reynolds and his son Darrell, Jack Walker, and Bernell Evans. Now there were probably others but that is a few workers Roger could remember.
    He said Paul Bigler was one who sold and delivered, Bernell Evans (Payson former Mayor) used to load trucks and he had a route he drove. Most of them worked in the plant bottling the products.

   In 1955 they moved a Quonset hut in from Orem.  It was a big Yellow building. They used to laugh and say You wonder where the yellow went-- (remember that old Pepsodent toothpaste advertisement --You wonder where the yellow went--when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent) well, they said--the yellow went to Payson. It was painted after a while.
    The Coca Cola Plant also produced Big Chief orange soda, cream soda and root beer along with Cokes. They were a nickel a bottle or if you bought a full case of 24 it was one dollar. (now you can’t buy one for much less that a dollar) The bottles were small, I think they were 6 or 8 oz. The bottles were different shapes and they had a worker sort the bottles into shapes and of course they were glass bottles, plastic bottles and cans were unheard of. There was a man who they called the soaker who would place the bottles upside down in a washer and the bottles would be washed and sterilized. They would then go on to be put on a belt and filled with the product and capped. Workers would pull 4 at a time, two in each hand, and place them in a box that was tilted and made it so the inspector could make sure there was nothing foreign in the bottle before it was placed in the shell, as the case was called then.
    The cases were stacked and workers would load the truck and then they were delivered all over Utah and Juab Counties..
    Roger said he remembered how they would use lots of sugar, water, coke syrup and caramel color for the Cokes and they would put dry ice in the tanks with a lid on for the carbonation in the drinks.
    The old plant on 300 west was sold to Arnold Kallbacka for his sign business and the plant was moved to 500 east and 100 North, just west of the Peteetneet.
Harry Webster was killed in a tragic car accident in 1963 and it left his widow, Arvella, who was a RN at the Payson Hospital, to run the business. She finally sold the plant and it ended the life of the Payson Coca Cola Plant.
    The building went on to house the Bedowin Boat Plant where they built boats and was owned by Stan Peck and now is an Auto Supply and repair store.
I’m sure there are lots of people who have memories of the old Coke Plant and it has been fun to look back and remember when....

FOOTNOTE:
 The following is quoted from “Peteetneet–A History of Payson, Utah” by
Madoline Cloward Dixon, p 131.

“The Eagle Bottling Works was established in1912 by Roe Manwill and a Mr. Messner.  It was located at 325 North Third East in a building constructed in the 1860's as the Curtis School House.  Twenty-four cases of soda pop could be filled every four minutes. Delivery was made to communities in Utah and Juab Counties.
The Payson Bottling Works was established in 1917 in the old Taylor school house, but shortly moved to 98 West Utah Avenue, then, about 1920, to a new building located at 63 South Third West by owners , L. Roy Barnett, and his brothers, Owen L. and George Barnett.
They sold to David C. Forsey and his brothers who operated the plant until 1938 when they sold to Southern Utah Coca-Cola company.  In 1951 Coca-Cola moved its offices from Richfield to Payson and Harry Webster purchased the plant.”

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS Part 27–Henry Erlandson–25th Mayor

HIGHWAY 91 CHANGED TO FIRST WEST

    “In 1933,  Henry Erlandson was again elected as the 25th  mayor, taking office January, 1934. He had previously served as the 19th mayor  in 1918.  Seeing the necessity of a larger storage space for culinary water, Mayor Erlandson designed and supervised, with W.P.A. help, the construction of an additional covered tank or reservoir at the intake of the City Water works at the mouth of Payson Canyon.
    A sidewalk was paved on the east side of Main Street from Memorial Park to the High School on 6th South. The park was enlarged to include the square on the east. This piece of ground belonged to the city. A swimming pool was constructed in this area.
    Because Main Street was so narrow, it was thought advisable to make Highway 91 through Payson on First West starting at First North. The contract for this highway was accepted April 13, 1935, and work commenced immediately.” *

*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 23,  published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950

Historic Payson Photso--Candle and Carol Services

THE CANDLE AND CAROL SERVICES

The first Candle and Carol Services was presented in December 1932 in the gym of the Payson Junior High School School that was located on South Main across the street from Payson Memorial Park.  All of the students, teachers, and building personnel participated.  The colorful presentation was staged annually until 1969, when the junior high classes were moved to the old high school building at 600 South Main.
The gym was decorated for the religious holiday.  Between number sung by the students there were numerous religious tableaus were presented as part of the production.  Many of our older generation look back fondly on those simpler times in our history.  Sad to say, with the political correctness the world seems to be stressing today,  these times could never come to pass it todays world.

REMEMBER WHEN FROM THE PAST--SHERM'S MENS APPERAL

Remember When
Thursday, June 19 2008
Kenna Holm 

SHERMS’ MEN’S APPAREL—SHERM LOVELESS

    Today I was thinking about Sherm Loveless andhis wonderful Men’s Store he had on Main Street. I called his daughter, Pat Hill, and we had some good laughs about her dad and his friends.
    Sherm worked at Coray and Pickering Furniture Store for a long time and then he bought the building that housed the Lant and Persson Clothiers and it became Sherm’s Mens Apparel.
    Sherm had his own band and he played at all the school dances so he was best buddies with all the high school kids. They loved coming in and just shooting the breeze with him.
He played the saxophone in his band along with a lot of other talented guys. Ardella Burdick (mother of Brent Burdick, former City Councilman) sang with the band. She had a beautiful voice. Sherm’s wife would go and set on the sidelines while Sherm and the band played. She was a good woman and always supported Sherm.
    Sherm had a table set up in his back room at the store where he and his old buddies, Selby Dixon, Dutch Draper, Roy Bills, Monte Taylor, Dick Peery would play dominoes everyday.
One day Monte and Dick played ajokeon Shermby sneaking in his back door while he was busy with a customer and lifted his cash register and took it in the back room and hid it in some boxes. Poor Sherm was frantic when he couldn't find his moneyand ofcourse everyone looked innocent. He called the police and then finally Monte and Dick confessed they had played the joke on him and of course Sherm just laughed right along with them.
    His son Brent told one story about how he had been down to the library on Utah Ave and Main (the old old library) and he was on his bike and came up to his dad’s store and put the bike against the window and the window broke. Boy,  Brent thought he had had it but his dad didn t say a thing. Brent said He was just a kind-kind man What a tribute to his dad.
    Sherm used to let Brent and his friends climb up on the roof to watch the parade on Onion Days.
    When Pat would go up to help her dad when her kids were little, he had a play pen in the back  room  for her so she could take the babies and they had somewhere to play and sleep.
 I don t know how many remember old Roy Kitchen but he used to come by everyday to Sherm s and Sherm would give him 50 cents to go buy a drink or what ever. He was so kind to everyone and especially those who had problems.
    Les Bennett use to do all of Sherm’s deliveries and one day he had little packs of peanuts that he stuffed in between the pants and shirts and when Sherm went to show someone some of the merchandise, there were the peanuts. I m not sure how long it took him to find all of them but I m sure he laughed as loud and hard as anyone he told the story to.
    Sherm belonged to the Fire Department and it was his passion. At that time, (before beepers) he had a fire phone in his store and when someone would call in about a fire, he would just run out the back door over to the station. It didn t matter if there were people in thereorwhat.He never locked a doorbut Lynn Page was good to watch the front of the store when he heard the siren go off. (Wouldn t it be fun to have that kind of trust now days)
    In 1971, he sold the store to Dr. Dutson and he remodeled it and his son in law, Charlie Ringger managed it and it was called Charles IV.
    Sherm went to work as a bailiff for the county after he closed the store and loved it.
Pat told me that after her father died, her brother Brent was going over the old books from Sherm’s Mens Apparel and there were thousands of dollars out on the books that was never collected. Sherm would never send a bill, he just trusted everyone.
Oh how much fun to look back and remember when..

Historic Payson Photos--Payson Co-operative Mercantile

The Payson C0-operative Mercantile was located at 103 North Main where we find the Wagon Wheel Park today.  "Holiness to the Lord" was printed over the doorway in a semi-circle around the "all-seeing eye." The Union Hall was located to the rear.  To the left is the post office and the Tin Shop.

Remember When From the Past--Old Payson Junior High School

Remember When
Thursday, June 12,  2008
Kenna Holm  


OLD PAYSON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

    I keep thinking about the old Payson Jr High/Middle School and them tearing it down to make way for a new church building and I keep remembering all the fun times we had there way back when.
    To me, it will always be the old Jr. High. The first time I went there, I was in the 5th Grade and they put two 5th grades in the north end of the building. Apparently there was not room at the Taylor School for us. I don’t remember the reason. But we did stay in our part of the building and was not allowed to go up in the other area where the mighty Jr. High students were.
    Then when we got to be 7th graders, boy we thought we were something now. We were old enough to have several teachers and change classes every hour. That was a big change for us, after staying in one class with one teacher all day in grade school.
    I remember my first home room teacher was Dean Simmons. Our Principal was Reed Jones. Helen Scott was the secretary of the school. (but that was before she was married)
    In the school was the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. We had a nice library and Miss Page was the librarian. The teachers I recall were: Dean Simmons, Huish Moore, Heber Curtis, Crista Olson Amos, Howard Holladay, Miss Jewell (who taught homemaking I believe) Miss Taylor (who taught P.E. and Health), Vernon Finch, John Olson, Myrl Lindsay Anderson and probably more I can’t recall.
    There weren’t too many class rooms like there are today in the schools. We did not have seminary like they do now in junior high. We had a rather small gymnasium with a balcony all around three sides. We had the Wilson Theater in the north end of the upstairs where we put on plays and had some activities.
    Miss Jewell taught Homemaking and our first object we made was always an apron. Whoopee!  Then later on we ventured to other things. As I recall we had a Mother/Daughter Tea and fashion show. And of course there was the famous Candle and Carol Services at Christmas time. Those just seemed to set the mood for the Christmas Holiday. It s to bad they stopped having those. They were very memorable.

   We didn’t have a lunchroom in the school. We had to go over to the other building to the south of the school. That was the old, old, Central School. The band room was in the upstairs where those who took band went and the down stairs was the lunch room. In those days, every kid took hot lunch. But in those days, it was homemade food, not this frozen and sent in things they have now. I remember the wonderful hot rolls and cakes and all the good things they had. My favorite was probably chile because my mom never made it and I loved it.
    We had those beautiful (?) green one piece gym suits. They were so ugly and never fit decent. We would pull the legs down and tuck them under so theywould at least look like we had some kind of shape.
    In those days, we never had field trips like they do today. We played games outside on the grass and down the hill. There was a staircase outside the gym room we would run down and out onto the field.
    Everyone used to laugh at Mr. Curtis because he would go to sleep in class. Miss Olson (Crista Amos) would hum and skip around the room. She was a hoot. I took art from her and I loved her. Miss Taylor taught gym and she was so pretty. She got engaged while she taught there.
I’m sad to think of them tearing that building down but it s fun to remember when...

TAYLOR AND PETEETNEET MEMORIES

Remember When
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Kenna Holm

TAYLOR AND PETEETNEET MEMORIES
 

  I’ve been thinking about when I was in grade school. As you can see from the pictures, we just had group pictures, no individual ones. There were only 2 elementary schools here in town, Taylor and Peteetneet. Now, these two schools were bitter rivals, kind of like Payson and Spanish Fork.
    I never went into Peteetneet while I was in grade school so I had to call someone who had.  I chose to call Duane Haskell who Iwent to Jr. High and High School after he got out of Peteetneet. (Smart guy. I always sat behind him in all our classes in Jr High and High School because they would set us alphabetically and he being Haskell and me Heaps, we sat by each other in a lot of classes)

   At that time there was no addition to the north of the Peteetneet. It was just dirt, rocks, weeds, and sage. Their playground was the vast square . They played marbles, baseball, hop scotch, jump the rope and all sports on the square . There was rows of trees that was the east and south boundaries. There was a little bit of grass along those sides. There was no bowl and grass like there is today.
    Duane remembers Garth Olson was the principal and also taught 6th grade. Those were the days when they did double duty, principal and teach.
    In the school, the lunch room was in the basement next to the furnace room. Any programs or assemblies were held in the center of the school where there is 4 stair cases. The mighty 6th graders would get to set on chairs in the hall way and the kindergarten kids sat on the floor and the other grades would set on the stairs to watch the programs. FUN.
 

  Now the Taylor School was really neat. (As I remember it). We had a grassy play area, besides we could go across the street and play on the old Hospital lawn (which is now the City Center). We had a nice baseball diamond to the west of the school and I remember when I was in the sixth grade challenging the Peteetneet sixth grade girls to a baseball game. I don t remember who won but it was fun. I played first base and Jeri Taylor (Brimhall) played pitch, and I can’t remember who else but we had a good team. I do remember Sharon Elmer (Lindley), Linda Peery (Spencer), Ann Staheli and a few others that were on Peteetneet’s team and they were also good.
We also ate lunch in the basement of the building. I think we paid either 10 or 15 cents for our lunch and I loved hot lunch. And when we got to the sixth grade we got to take turns helping in the kitchen.
    We had a lot of good times at that school and of course this was all before they added on in 1949 and then tore it down a few years ago to make the new Taylor Elementary School.
Some of the teachers we had then were, Mr. Wall, Mrs. Jeppson, Mrs. Hill, Mr. Davis, Mrs. McCellan, Mrs. Cloward, and Martha Tanner substituted at both schools.
    Peteetneet had Mr. Olson, Miss. Loveless Mrs. Spackman (later Warner). That's the ones we remember.
    It feels like just yesterday we were there but now we have great grandkids who went  there but it is so fun to remember when...

Payson--The First 100 Years-Dr. Asa L. Curtis--24th Mayor

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Part 26–Dr. Asa L Curtis–24th Mayor
Payson Historical Society

DRY LAKE RESERVOIR BUILT — SCHOOL LUNCHES STARTED

    “Dr. Asa L. Curtis took oath of office as the 24th Mayor of the city on January 4, 1932. The State Bank of Payson closed its doors the day before, January 3. This left Payson without a bank and the people with very little money.
    The Goosenest Reservoir being under construction, Mayor Curtis and the council went on with it and completed the project. The McClellan, Box and Big Reservoirs were improved and enlarged. This tripled their storage capacity. Dry Lake was made into a reservoir. The supply of water was increased in the storage tank for culinary water.
    With the aid of the C. C. C. the canyon road was improved. A road was built up right hand fork. A recreational area was built. Stoves and tables were built at Camp sites. This increased the usability of the canyon for picnics and camping.
    The gathering of dry garbage was started. It was gathered once a month from March until November. This proved so successful that a wet garbage route was commenced.
    Through the Lady Lions and W. P. A. the school lunches were started. They were at first prepared in the basement of the I.O.O.F. Building and then taken to the different schools and distributed at noon. The lunches are now prepared at the school, the school district in charge. A small amount is charged for the students.
    December 1932 the Junior High presented the first Candle and Carol Service.  From that time until now it has become an annual event. The entire student body all faculty members, the janitor, engineers participated, making it an outstanding Christmas production. Through song and tableaus the birth of the Savior is portrayed.
    According to the minutes of the City Council the tennis courts at the west side park were lighted July 17, 1933. The ball park and race track were improved, some lights were installed and more bleachers erected.’*

*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 22-23,  published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950

REMEMBER WHEN FROM THE PAST--TURF CAFE-POLAR QUEEN--CARTER SERVICE

Remember When
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Kenna Holm
 
TURF CAFE–POLAR QUEEN–CARTER’S SERVICE

    Okay--to start of with, I realize I put the wrong address on the Stake house last week. I put it at 800 South and 500 West and it should have been 800 West and 500 South. My husband picked that up right away. I could say I did it on purpose to see if anyone was alert enough to catch it, but no--I made another mistake.
    I've wanted to write about the old Turf Cafe, Service Station and Polar Queen Drive In for some time. I couldn't find a picture of it and today I got lucky. I called LaVee Curtis. She and her husband had owned it at one time and she didn't have a picture but suggested I call Wayne Carter's son in Palmyra and BINGO he had a picture. I was so excited. That building has been gone for a lot of years but at one time was a super busy place. It stood where Little Caesar's Pizza and Mt. High Credit Union is now.
    I think Jess Bachman built the place and ran it for awhile and then By and Delsa Staheli ran the restaurant . Now everyone knows what a great cook and restauranteur he was. He had the very best fish and chips you could ever imagine and they cost all of 49 cents for an order. His menu was great.
    On the South side of the restaurant was the service station. Wayne Carter ran it. It had gas pumps and a bay where he worked on cars. Wayne was a fun guy and so friendly with everyone.
On the North side of the restaurant was the Polar Queen. (The Polar Queen that is up on the hill now was not in existence yet) It was really small and Jess and Wanda Bachman ran it. They lived directly behind where the Polar Queen is today.
    I began working there when I was a Junior in High School. I think my wages was 35 cents an hour. I thought I was real lucky to have a job. I worked there for a long time even after I was married.
    I remember the school lunch rush. We would put rows of hamburgers on to fry and they would be done about the time the kids came for lunch. That way they didn't have to wait to long. Those large hamburgers were served with a big handful of french fries put in the bottom of the sack and it was sold for 25 cents. If you wanted cheese it was 35 cents. The french fries were fresh, no frozen ones in those days. We had to peel the potatoes and then we precooked them in the french fryer so they wouldn't take so long to fry for orders.
    Malts were probably more popular than shakes in those days and they sold for 25 cents also. Drinks were 5 and 10 cents- and those were I think 12 and 16 oz. drinks. I think we had Coke, Orange, Root Beer and I can't remember if there were any other flavors or not. It wasn't a big selection. We had hamburgers and hot dogs, french fries, (10 cent and 25 cent orders) Those orders were huge compared to todays orders. The ice cream cones were 5 and 10 cents.
Those prices seem unreal now but then as you can see, we didn't make big wages so it was comparable.
    I'm not sure when they everything moved. I know the new Polar Queen opened and the Turf quit selling food and went to a bar for a number of years. Wayne run the service station and also opened one down town where Leo Daley used to have the Chevron. Eventually he closed it.
    They had a huge fire in the cafe and it was burned down
Does this take you back a ways to remember when.....

REMEMBER WHEN FROM THE PAST--OLD NEBO STAKE

Remember When
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Kenna Holm

OLD NEBO STAKE

    As I think how fast Payson is growingit blows my mind. It seems like just yesterday we were a little town with four LDS wards and one stake that also included Benjamin, Spring Lake and I can t remember who else. Now we just got our sixth stake and I don’t know how many wards just in Payson area.
    I used to know every Bishopric and every boundary of every ward, now I can t keep up with my own ward let alone any other ward.

   At one time there was just one ward. They built a building to house that ward. It is the building that houses the Park Ward now. It is the oldest ward house in Payson. When they divided the one ward and made two, what was known as the First Ward built a ward house.

 It was the building that the Catholic Church is housed in now on third East and first North, and the old building that had the original ward was known as the second ward and was housed in what is known as the Green Church now

    In 1930, they separated the First Ward and made the First and Fourth Ward from the members of the old  first ward. A new building was built up on 200 South and 400 East. (where the First Ward Building is now). And also about the same time they built the Third Ward chapel on 200 North Main.

    Now the Third Ward had half of West Mountain in their ward and the Second Ward had the other half of West Mountain. The First Ward had all of Haskellville (that is now Elk Ridge.)  The West Mountain Ward was created a little later to include the area west of Payson.
The dividing lines of the wards was Main Street and Utah Avenue. Payson was divided into four areas and each area was a ward. Spring Lake had their own ward, Park Ward was created in 1946, then came Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and so on.
    We only had one stake and it was called Nebo Stake. The old Stake Tabernacle stood where
the Central Bank is now. It was a lovely old building.
    Time marches on and Payson grew a little bit more and Fifth and Sixth Wards were created. Fifth Ward was created in 1952 and Sixth Ward was created in 1961.Then came Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and so on.
    My husband and I had been living in Third Ward, where I had lived most of my life even after our marriage and now we were to be in Sixth Ward. For three years the Sixth Ward and Third Ward shared the Third Ward building. In the year of 1964 the new Stake Center at 800 South and 500 West was built. Gee it was nice to have that beautiful new stake center. The Sixth Ward would hold their meetings in there. A lot of man hours went into that building. Those were the days when we had building missionaries and the members of the stake volunteered their time to help build it. I know every time we go into that building, we think of the good times we had helping build that building.
    In 1974, Nebo Stake was divided and two stakes were created. (Oh no! How would we ever have enough people to have two stakes) They would now be known as the Payson Utah Stake and the Payson Utah East Stake. The East Stake took in everybody East of Main Street and Payson Stake took in the West side of Main Street.
    Now wehave six stakes and I could’ t begin to tell you what wards each one takes in. I know we have the Payson Utah Stake, The Payson West Stake, The Mountain View Stake, The Payson East Stake, The Payson South Stake and I don t know what the new stake that they just organized a week ago will be called.
    My how little Payson has grown and things have certainly changed, but isn t it fun to remember when....

Payson First 100 Years--Dr. L. D. Stewart--23rd Mayor

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Part 25–Dr. L. D. Stewart–23rd Mayor
Payson Historical Society

STARTED ONION DAYS AND HOME COMING — BUILT RACE TRACK

    Dr. L. D. Stewart took over as the 23rd Mayor of Payson January 1928.
    Early in the summer of 1928, Former Paysonian's Club representatives, Dr. Louis N. Ellsworth and Dr. Potter from Salt Lake City met with Mayor Stewart and suggested that Payson sponsor a home coming celebration.
    Dr. Stewart called together the heads of all civic and church organizations, city officials, and civic leaders at a banquet held at Arrowhead Resort in Benjamin where he presented the proposal.
    Everyone  received the idea enthusiastically. The idea was introduced to build a suitable place to conduct a sports program to feature the celebration. They decided a race track would be a good drawing card.
    The Depression had begun, money was scarce.
    Dr. L. D. Stewart Ralph Done, a former Payson resident, offered to donate a large sum of money if the athletic and sports field be called Done Field as a memorial to the Done family. With this and local help through contribution in cash and labor, in less than a month this field was ready. The north end provided space for track and football activities of the high school. The south end is arranged for softball, baseball, etc. A race track for horse racing surrounded  the area with stables and a large grandstand.
    In 1929,  at the request of Utah County authorities, who at that time, asked each town in the county to sponsor a celebration to advertise one certain product grown or produced in the county, Payson adopted the Golden Onion. This was the beginning of the Home Coming and Onion Days celebration held each year the last of August and the first of Sept. The last day is always on Labor Day.
    The Nebo School District erected the Junior High School on the grounds of the City Hall on man Street across from Memorial Park. It was built the summer of 1928 and was dedicated in October. Lewis Bates was the first Principal.
    The Daughters of Pioneers, in honor of the first settlers, placed a pioneer cabin, furnished complete with relics in Memorial Park. It was dedicated and presented to the City July 24, 1928.
    Under the management of C. E. Huish who had purchased the old Gayety Theater  from George H. Done, remodeled it and renamed it to Star Theater, the first talking pictures were shown in Payson July 14, 1929.
    The Cultus Club undertook the project of building a tennis court, in west side park. This was completed Sept. 20, 1929. This had been needed for a long time.
    In 1930 the Utah Poultry association built a poultry plant here. Floyd Harmer of Springville was put in as manager. This provided a place that the farmers could buy feed and also furnished a market for eggs and poultry.
    To commemorate the arrival of the first settlers of Payson, Oct. 20, 1850, a committee from Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers presented a bonfire program where the settlers first camped.
    On Oct. 31, 1930, a pageant, written by Kathryn Betts who was also the reader, was given. The original settlers were represented in the pageant by members of their respective families.
    On Aug. 4, 1931, the Alexander Keele monument built in Memorial Park was dedicated in connection with the Black Hawk encampment. The erection was sponsored by the three camps of Daughters of Utah Pioneers and Payson City. The erection was directed by the history committee, Ann J. Loveless, Ethel T. Page, Aurora N. Wilson and Annie L. Curtis, assisted by Henry Erlandson and John Gardner. It was to honor Alexander Keele who was shot by an Indian while standing guard at the beginning of the Walker War. A marker placed at each corner of the fort were also dedicated at this time and one marking the spot the settlers camped for the first night.”   *




*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 21-22, published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950

REMEMBER WHEN FROM THE PAST--A WALK AROUND OLD DOWNTOWN PAYSON

Remember When
Thursday, 01 May 2008
Kenna Holm 

WALK AROUND OLD DOWNTOWN PAYSON

    I have so appreciated all the wonderful comments I have received about my Remember When column, even from people who have not lived here all their lives. One sweet lady in my ward, Thelma Langdon, told me the other day that she just wishes she could see a map of how it used to be so she could get it in her mind exactly where I was talking about. That gave me an idea I hope all of you will enjoy.
    Not long ago Ivan Haskell brought me in some pictures and in it was a drawing of down town in about Payson in 1945. I thought maybe I would number each block and jog your memory a little and also give those who were not raised in Payson a chance to see how it was MANY years ago. Block 1..Where it says tabernacle--that was our Nebo Stake Tabernacle for all of Payson at one time. It is now Central Bank Next door South: A home is there..at one time it was a Dr. Tilson  On the Corner: It says Ed Vance Garage...it went on to become Duke Page’s Garage and the building burned down in 1963. Bradshaw Auto Parts built a new building there in about 1974. It is now Payson Sports and Trophy.
    To the East, was Don’s Cafe owned by Don Cloward--it went on to be Bob’s Cafe owned by Bob Wilson--Then the Mi Ranchireto Cafe and now it is a Mexican Market
    Next door east of that was Dixon s Market owned by Doug Dixon. I have written about it earlier. It has been torn down and now on the corner is Rich s Conoco Service Station and market. The Highway that runs from Salem past the hospital and on down to Main street and makes the big turn to go south up by Smith s Food was the old Highway 91.
    It is actually First North and goes around turn to the South and that is First West.
    Block 2...The Third Ward church is still across from Central Bank. It used to have the old tithing house on the place where the parking lot is now. Also there were a couple of homes there on the south of the ward building.  The Old Fairbank’s home was located in what is now the south part of the parking lot of the church.  The home was moved and renovated at the This Is The Place State Park in Salt Lake City.
    On the corner where the little park is now was the Oldsmobile dealership. The Snyder’s owned it and Franz Suter was their head mechanic.  Later, Painter Motor from Nephi bought it and operated a car dealership there for a short time.  It was torn down and a few years ago they made the little park.
    West of the car dealership was Strawberry Water Users then it went to a movie rental place. I m not sure anything is in it now.  The Strawberry Highline Canal office is in the basement.
    Next to it,  Ivan has Eckersley Apartments (I wrote about them). It was torn down and now the Car Wash is there but also between the car wash and the building where the Strawberry Water Office is  the Mexican Restaurant, which used to be Jolley Mortuary. (that s a story for another day). Block 3...As you can see, the old Orem train depot and tracks I wrote about is there. It is now Crest with Daley Freez to the East of it and then Zions Bank on the corner.
To the South of the bank was and still is Apartments and on the Corner was the old Opera House that turned into the Utah Poultry warehouse and is now the beautiful Mi Ranchireto Restaurant.
Going down Main Street in #3. there was By’s Café which was operated by By Staheli. Several other business were there for a number of years before it became the location of the Petal Pantry Florist and is now Karen s Calligraphy. The post office (I wrote about it early on) was where Doug’s Auto was (or part of Doug’s. The Post Office was small), JoAnn s Head Shed is in there now also. Then there was an alleyway. That was bought by Don McCoy for his Western Auto Store (I wrote about that) and Sterl Taylor for his barber shop. It is still a barber shop.
    Then came Daniels Drug Store that is now Memory Lane Photography and on the Corner was another drug store that was the Huish Drug and then it was City Drug run by Bill Hansen (not the attorney) and is now Behling Insurance.
    Block 4.. Starting at Wells Fargo Bank that was Commercial Bank and then First Security Bank and now Wells Fargo. Next to it was Farmers Merc (I’ve written about it also) On Ivan’s map, it does not show that Farmers Merc ran around and took the back half of bank. (you can see now where the brick is different. That was also Farmers Merc.) It went from Farmers Merc to Bradshaw Auto Parts and then was torn down for the Bank s drive thru banking.
    Next to that was DTR (Dixon Taylor Russell) Furniture Store. It then went to Spencer s Furniture owned by Bus Spencer and now is Get Away Furniture.
    Next door is was a small food drive in.. It was operated by Hart Brown It then became the S&W Root Beer. We recognize it today as The Wee Blu Inn.   Next door south was the two story Douglas Building.  It was torn down several years ago.  The old Douglas Building on the corner of Main and Utah Avenue hosed  several different businesses. It was Dal Adams Appliance at one time.  The Building was torn down and then City Drug moved from across the street to the south part of the new building.  The shop to the  north was the State Liquor store for a number of years.  When the City Drug closed several business, Color Mountain Paint and then Jones Book Store that sold LDS books occupied the former drug store.  It is now a Mexican market and eating establishment.
    West of that going down Utah Ave., was the old fire station until 1954 and then it was the Old Firehouse Restaurant and then it was a women s dress shop and is now the liquor store. Next door west was Boots Billiards owned by Gordon “Boots” Barnett and then Tom Brown owned it. It is now Down Hill Cyclery owned by Troy Lerwill.   Next came a small building that was once a restaurant operated by Bus Spencer. It later became the Bamboo Club.  Then there was a small dress shop.  Moving on down the street we come to the Star Theater, then  It was owned by a Mr. Huish. It is now the parking lot.
    Then came Naylor’s Market that was then sold to Harold Chipman and was called Chipman’s (I’ve written about that one too). Then there was a big vacant lot that later in 1949, Mr. Huish built the Huish Theatre along with all the little shops to the east of it. Around the corner to the north, there was a home and then an alley and then Snyder Apartments where One Man Band is now. The Poultry Plant was behind that where the parking lot of the Bank is now. I ve written about those places in the past..
    That is 4 blocks of Payson and next week I ll do 4 more. Hopefullyit will give you an idea of where things were and are now and boy is it fun to stretch the old memory and remember when..

Payson First 100 Years--Thomas F. Tolhurst--22nd Mayor

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Part 24–Thomas F. Tolhurst–22nd Mayor
Payson Historical Society

FIRST FIRE ENGINES AND SIREN BOUGHT
    “At the November election Thomas F. Tol- hurst was elected Mayor. He took his office January 1926.
    The "White Way" was extended to include the front of Memorial Park. Six lights were installed.
    June 24, 1926 the Nebo Scnool board bought the City Hall property intending to erect a School House.
    The Payson Seminary was dedicated in February 1926. A program was given at 10 a.m. at which Dr. Asa L. Curtis gave the dedicatory prayer. A stake reunion was held in the evening at the tabernacle. After the program refreshments were served. The "Prodigal Son" and "The Gift" were presented by the stake recreational Committee.
    May 4, 1927 a Foamite-Childs 500 gal "Thorobred" firetruck was bought.  A fire siren was also purchased at that time. The siren was first placed on top of the Telephone Office on the corner of Utah Avenue and Main Street.  In case of fire the telephone girl rang the siren.  The siren was later moved to the top of the Exchange Bank building across the street.  This building was bought by the City in 1927 and was used as a Library and City offices.” *

*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 21, published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950

Remember When From the Past--Number Please

Remember When
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Kenna Holm

NUMBER PLEASE

    Remember the days of Number Please . I ve been thinking about the old telephone office and the telephone system we had here in Payson.  The telephone office was on the corner where Willow Creek Boutique is now on Utah Avenue and Main Street. I always wondered how the operators knew which hole to plug the wires in.
    We never had a phone until we moved into town and I thought that was the neatest invention there ever was.  In those days, you would pick up the receiver and wait for the telephone operator to say, “Number Please?”  and you would give them the number you wanted. She would say just one moment or the line is busy .
    Sometimes when you picked up the phone to call someone, there would be someone else talking already. We all had party lines. Some places like the West Mountain had as high as 14 homes on one line. (I ll bet it took forever to call anyone).  I remember we had 4 on our line but the only one I remember that was on it was Hill s. (Rae Ann Page s family) Our number was 94-J then. It seemed all the numbers had a letter with it. When we got married our number was 310-R. Seems funny now but that was how it was. If we had an emergency and our line was busy, we would have to ask them to hang up so we could call in the doctor or fire or whatever we needed. It wasn’t easy and kind of hard on the nerves.
    Erma Barnett Fech was the head operator forever it seemed.  She was the mother of Dale Barnett and Ruth Ann Burton. She was such a talented woman. She could do anything (like her daughter Ruth Ann). She actually started in 1927 and then was promoted to manager later on.  Ruth Ann told me her father died when he was only 35, leaving Erma to raise the two children alone. She would work in the office with the girls on the switchboard and then at night she would take all the calls. Ruth Ann says she was always so tired and such a hard worker.
    On Sundays, they would go to Erma’s sister’s house.  Her sister,  Marian Loveless (Pat Hill s mom) would watch the kids play and Erma would sleep. Because Erma worked all night, they moved into the back of the telephone office in a little apartment and rented out their home on North Main to Don Fuller who was a school teacher.
    Erma was such a talented lady. She was great cook, she could do flower arranging, she wrote road shows and directed plays, she would go around and speak on gems, she sang in the ward choir and as
 Ruth Ann said, she made life interesting.

    Everyone that worked there at the telephone office loved her. She was easy to work for and very fair. There were a lot of different women that worked in the office over the years. Shirlene (Peery) Wood, Marianne (Hillman) Evans, Joann (Richard)Ellsworth, LuDene (Menlove) Perry, Gloria (Smith) Barnett, Maxine Wilson, Margaret Peery, Orpha Curtis and I m sure many more.
    Gloria Barnett told me she was working the night the old Curtis Hospital burned down and how frightening it was to be alone on the switch board.  They would also take the calls for the fire department and set the siren off. The fireman would have to call in so the operator could tell them where the fire was. The had to have code words so the telephone operators knew which ones were really fireman and not just someone being curious where the fire was.
    Remember when the first phones were big boxes on the wall?I do. My grandmother had one of those. You would wind a little handle on the side to get the operator and then hold the earpiece to your ear and speak into the mouth piece on the box. Fun. I loved to pull up a chair and reach the phone. Then came the tall skinny phones with rotary dials. Then the desk square and round phones and so on. We ve come a long way since then.
    It used to cost to call Spanish Fork. In 1950 they no long charged for those calls but it was a long distance call any where else. I remember calling my husband at his work in Provo and it would be like 20 cents for the call when it came out on the phone bill. I m not sure what year they changed and made free calling in all of Utah County.
    We went from the operators making the call for us to the dial system inNovember1960.  We then had the 465 prefix and 801 area code. At first wecould just dial 5 and the number and it would ring but later we had to put the 465 and then the number. Now before long we will have to dial the area code, prefix and number to just make a local call. (so much work).
    Now we have cell phones. I think every man, woman and child has one. You see them plastered against everyone s head. They reach anywhere in the world you want to talk. And I guess you’re not with it if you don t have one but isn’t it fun to remember back when...

Payson First 100 Years--Charles H. White 21st Mayor

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Part 23–Charles H.  White–21st Mayor
Payson Historical Society


    Charles H.  White became Twenty-first Mayor of the city in January, 1922.  On September 25, 1922 the property east of Memorial Park was bought from John Staheli.  It was used for awhile as a tourist park, then later converted into a playground.
    May 17, 1923, the Payson Hotel, formerly the Craven Hotel was destroyed by fire.  The Spanish Fork Fire department was called to help put out the blaze.  A Mr.  Houston of Salt Lake had bought the hotel two weeks before.  It was a total loss.
    Dr.  A.  L.  Curtis bought the John Huish residence on First East and Utah Avenue and opened a hospital with a nine bed capacity.  It wasn't long until the hospital was remodeled to accomodate fifteen beds.  This hospital was operated with the Payson doctors cooperating until the city hospital was built in the late 1930s.
    The Lions Club was organized in 1924 with Dr.  Grover Christensen as the first president and about twenty-five charter members ever since.  This organization has proved very beneficial both socially and civically .
    A "no parking" sign and an electric light was placed in front of the fire station on Utah Avenue.
    The "White Way" as it was called was installed in 1925 by Frank Coombs.  New poles and lights were placed on each side of Main Street from Second North to Second South.  It was completed in December. *

*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 20, published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950

Remember When From the Past-Lady Firemen

Remember When
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Kenna Holm  

LADY FIREMAN

    Since I wrote about the Fireman last week, I thought maybe I would write about the Fireman Auxiliary this week. Just to let you know a little bit about the women in that organization.  It was actually organized in 1942, a long time after the men were organized into a department. It’s so fun to look back in the history book and read about all the things they used to do. My how times have changed.
    As I read the first constitution and by laws of the Payson Lady Fireman I couldn’t help but smile at how different it is today.  The first by laws were: Dues and Finance: each person becoming a member of this organization shall pay the sum of $1.00 a year, payable in January. (Our dues are still due in January but are $20.00 a year now) Members failing to have all dues paid before the first of February shall be notified by the secretary and those not paying before the first meeting of March shall forfeit all rights to membership and their names shall be taken from the roll. (We have certainly become lax on that.)
    An additional 10 cents per member to be paid at each monthly meeting, whether member is present or is not.(I love that--it would take forever to get anything built up nowadays at 10 cents) this money is to be known as our Building Fund (Now I’m not sure what the building fund was, whether it was to go towards a building or just a savings account)
    Each member shall entertain in alphabetical order. (they held the meetings in their homes) Limit of refreshments to one thing and a drink. We shall have 3 annual parties per year entertaining our partners. (now we have 2--a summer party and a Christmas party. Before we got a full time Fire Marshall, Scott Spencer, we had an Installation Banquet in January to install the new Chief  and other officers)
    The sum of $2.00 to be paid for flowers at the death of a mother or father of each side of member and also children of member. The sum of $5.00 to be for flowers at the death of a member or the husband of a member (Now you couldn’t get one single flower for that price.) The sum of fifty cents to be paid for flowers for member who is ill. Don t you love it.
    They were really serious about these by-laws. Mamie Chapple was the first President of the Auxiliary. Anyone remembering Mamie knows how she had to have everything proper. She d turn over in her grave if she saw how we elect officers now. She believed in Roberts Rules and she made you stick to then. We loved that lady. She was great.
    They did a lot of great things in those early days. They did things for the Red Cross, sewing things for them. They had quilt raffles and the tickets were 10 cents each and the proceeds from the sale of the tickets was used to buy war bonds. In 1953 they had a Dance Review that was sponsored by the Lady Fireman and they gave the proceeds to the new swimming pool and to the Jr Library. They gave $50.00 to the Swimming Pool and $30.00 to the Jr. Library. (how far would that go now?) In 1959 they helped furnish the new Fire Station with dishes and silverware and tables.  Over the years the ladies have done a lot of worthwhile things. They donated money in 1963 for Cemetery beautification. The money went for trees and concrete benches.

Now  we concentrate more on the Burn Center. We have made quilts and had raffles at State Fireman Convention and turned the money into the center. This year we donated $500.00 to the Burn Center. It is such a worthwhile cause.
    Years ago, the ladies and men loved to play bingo (and some still do). They would hold their parties in the old American Legion Hall or at Don’s Cafe. Now we hold our parties in the City Center or the Park.  It seems all the ladies are so busy nowadays that we only have meetings every quarter and we have the two parties with the men.

   The city sends 10 couples to State Fireman Convention where the ladies attend meetings alone and some with the men. At convention they give out service awards to the men serving10-25-and 50 years. They also have some very inspiring speakers and the men have training sessions.
    I’m really proud to be a member of the Lady Fireman Auxiliary. It s a great group of women and fun to work with. We have new officers this year. Maxine McCoy is our President with Marilyn Spencer as Vice President and Tanya Thatcher as Secretary. I have the privilege of being the Historian, a job I have held since 1995. (They won t let me out.)
When I think of all the changes that have been made over the last 66 years it is amazing and so fun to remember when...

Payson--The First 100 Years--J. C. Ellsworth--20th Mayor

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Part 22–J. C. Ellsworth–20th  Mayor
Payson Historical Society

GRADER AND LEVEL PURCHASES BY THE CITY

    J. C. Ellsworth became the 20th Mayor of Payson on January 5, 1920.   On January 26th  it was voted for the City to buy a grader and level in order  to have better roads in the city.
    The Orem Railroad paved between their rails also a distance of two feet on each side of the track where it run on along today’s 100 North.
    Now that Pavson had a new park located on South Main, some of the trees in the old park on today’s West Utah Avenue  were removed and a ball park was made with a ball diamond and a grand stand.

    To have a fair distribution of culinary water, water meters were put in.  The citizens then paid for the amount of water that they used.
    The Taylor School was built in 1919  with school starting in January 1920.  It was named after a pioneer educator, Jesse Taylor.   A little adobe school house, also known as the  Taylor School  was torn down in order to make way for this new building.
    Two drinking fountains were placed on Main Street.  One on the east side of First South, one on the west side of First North.  One was placed  on Utah Avenue near the Star Theater.
    On April 27, 1921, the Relief Society, Farm Bureau and Payson City cleaned up the Payson Cemetery.  The lunch served at noon was furnished by the city. *

*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 20, published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950

Remember When From the Past--The Payson Fire Department

Remember When 
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Kenna Holm  

Payson Fire Department
    This week I’m going to write about something that is dear to my heart and that’s the Payson Fire Department. My husband Frank has belonged to that department since 1961. That’s a long time. To go back - the fire department was actually organized in 1892 and that was only after the city had had several big fires. ( That was a little before my time.) They started out with a hand-operated fire engine with hose and then they bought a light man-drawn horse cart. Then the men could get the hose to the fires. That cart is on display at the fire station now. We have taken it to a few firemen conventions.

   When the department was organized, they set up a few rules. They seem funny now because so much has changed. At first, it was required to have 20 men in the department (there are now 30 active members). They were furnished with hat, a red flannel shirt and a belt. (I wonder why they left the pants out. You d think that would have been part of the supplied clothing. Oh well, they had a belt.) They also were given a pick axe, a speaking trumpet and two lanterns. Today, the men are outfitted with turnouts, which consist of a heavy coat and pants and a hard hat. It s a law for firemen to wear these items even if it is summer and hot. They are also outfitted with sweats and T-shirts.
    In the past, they fought the fires with bucket brigades. I d hate to see that now.  When I first remember the department, the truck and equipment were in the old Douglas building where the liquor store is now. The big siren was on the old library roof. When there was a call, people would call the telephone operator (located on the corner of Utah Avenue and Main where Willow Creek is now) and the telephone operator would then ring the siren. The men would hear the siren and respond to the station.
    In 1958, the citizens of Payson approved a bond that made it possible to build a new fire station. The building was built and dedicated in December 1958. Dale Barnett was fire chief at that time.  The building housed the fire trucks and was also a place for the city council to hold their meetings. The firemen and the firemen s auxiliary held their meetings there also.
    They have added on to the building to house other fire trucks. We now have a 1945 Mack that pumps 500 gallons per minute, the Boardman and the FMC that pumps 1,000 gallons per minute, a 1994 Smeal that pumps 1,500 gallons and the new ladder truck that pumps 2,000 gallons per minute. We have two tenders and three brush trucks. This is quite a change from when they started.

When they moved to the fire station, the siren was moved to the station and placed on the roof. It was very loud and had to be because the men had to hear it from wherever they were. Poor Mildred Warner hated that siren. She lived too close and it really echoed in her home.
    They always seemed to have several people who liked to go see where the fire was which was a hazard sometimes. People were warned not to follow the fire trucks but to no avail. I remember Arnold Kallbacka loved to race to the fire.
    For many years, the first firemen to the station drove the truck and some of the firemen just drove their cars because they could not all fit on the truck.  When the siren would sound the firemen would call in to the telephone operator and get the address of the fire. They finally had to have a password so the operators knew which ones were really firemen and that had to be changed often.
    Like I said, some loved to follow the truck and sometimes the firemen would set up a fake call just to catch those who followed the fire trucks. It didn’t matter how many times they did it, Arnold Kallbacka was always right there. I think they gave out many tickets and I think Kal got his share. He was such a fun guy.
    Things have really changed over the years. The firemen now have pagers that go off when a call comes in for a fire. They all go to the station and man the trucks to go to the fire.
It seems like every year West Mountain catches on fire and the dump usually has several. There have been some serious fires in Payson and surrounding areas.The firemen go to car accidents and get cats off of poles (yes, they have even been called out for that, believe it or not).
    The fire department has so many good, dedicated men. Theron Hill has been there about 47 years and Frank (my husband) has been there for about 46 years. They are the two oldest active firemen and probably the oldest in age, also. There is now a paid fire marshal, Scott Spencer, and two assistants, Dean McCoy and Marc Carter.
    We've lost a lot of good men from the department, including Nyle Thatcher, Duane Patten, Don Patten, Reed Brimhall, Bud and Dick Harmer, Sherm Loveless and more. We miss them. Sometimes we don’t appreciate the firemen until we need them for a fire. Those men jump the minute their pagers go off, no matter where they are, and race to the station. If ever you see a car with its hazard lights flashing, move over; it s probably a fireman rushing to save someone s property or a EMT going to save someone s life.
The fire department has changed over the years and it s so fun to look back and remember when....

Remember When From the Past--Payson's Historic Apartments

Remember When
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Kenna Holm  



Payson’s Historic Apartment Houses

    Today I was thinking about some of the old apartment buildings we used to have in Payson. Two of the most popular ones were The Snyder Apartments and Eckersley Apartments. 
The Snyder Apartments were owned by Bill and Marti Snyder. Bill worked with his dad in the car business (Snyder Motors) on the corner of Main and First North where the little park is now. (at the light by the bank)  They had 4 apartments in the building if I remember right.  This apartment building was on the corner where One Man Band is now. It sat back in off the highway and it had a circular driveway into it, so you could drive in from the West side or the North side. It had grass and flowers in the center of the lot between the highway curve and the circular driveway. On the South of the apartments was the little driveway into the Poultry Plant.

   We had a lot of friends that lived thereat one time or another. The first one I remember going to visit was Cliff and Beth (Cope) Cartwright. Jerry and Loraine (Jones) Mortensen, Cliff and Beth and my husband, Frank and I used to get together and play games. We had all been married about the same time and all lived in the Third Ward.  Next, Jerry and Diane (Beddoes) Hansen lived there. We used to get together and have parties and dinners. Blain and Colleen Wilson lived in one of the apartments and later on Dr. Robert Hogan had his first office in the back apartment.

   Another apartment building that was very nice was Eckersleys. It sat where the car wash is on the big turn on First North (next to the Mexican Restaurant).  At first it was the old Strawberry Hotel. I remember a photographer lived there by the name of Bill Pons. He took our family s picture.windows in front on the bottom level.
    Also they had a little cafe called the High Hat in there. It as also the depot for the Greyhound Buses and also the Continental Bus Line.(That s stretching the old memory)

   In 1943 George and Elsie Eckersley (Carolyn Shepherd’s parents) bought the building and then added on and remodeled the East part. Their apartment was a large beautiful one with big windows. 
    Upstairs, Cora Page (she worked at the high school as librarian) lived in the East apartment and Emma Wilson (Allen Wilson’s grandmother) lived in the West apartment.  Mrs. Wilson was one of my favorite people. She had lived in half of our house and rented it from my folks. She made the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted. My mother didn’t like chocolate so she never made chocolate chip cookies and when Mrs. Wilson baked, she would bring me over some. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
    Ramona Smith (Gloria Barnett’s mom) and her daughter Connie lived in the bottom apartment.  In the back, behind the Eckersleys there was several small houses that were small apartments. Martha Ann McDonald and her daughter Jeannette lived in the front one and Bud and Dessie Nielsen lived in the back apartment after they were married. Later on Duane and Janice Patten lived in that back apartment when they were first married.
    The Eckersley s sold the building in the 70s to Vernile Gasser.  Later it was torn down and a car wash was built in the place where the Eckersley Apartments stood.  That has since been converted into a car dealership.

   Another place was the old Payson Hotel. It was on Utah Avenue. When I first remember it, Merrill and Bertie Smith run it. They made a lot of changes to the building and modernized it. I’m not sure how long they ran it as a hotel. Merrill was a Utah County Sheriff.  Bertie made the best taffy of anyone I know. She gave me her recipe but mine was never as good as hers.
    I’m sure there are many more things about these buildings but these are the things I remember. Can you remember when?

Remember When From the Past--Dew Drop Inn

Remember When
Thursday, 03 April 2008
Kenna Holm

Dew Drop Inn
    Do you remember the little cafe called Dew Drop Inn? It was a little cafe that sat on the place where the American Beauty Academy parking lot is now across from Dalton’s Restaurant.  It was built and run by Joe and Grace Brereton.  I’m not sure of the year it was built but it was a fun little hang-out for all ages.   Joe Brereton was one of the most friendly men you would ever meet.  He was a friend to all and so kind to everyone.  He was often doing kind things for those less fortunate.
    The cafe wasn’t to large.  It had a few tables and maybe a couple of booths and of course the counter you could sit up to.   Grace was a wonderful cook and they also had Della Baum who cooked there.   Their daughter Colleen (Thomas) and Faye Carter (Larry’s mom) worked there.   Joe loved the school kids and no matter how many were there, he never minded and they always felt welcomed.  They served great french fries and the drinks were served in cone shaped paper cups that was placed in a little metal holder.

   They had the old time punch boards, remember? There were two kinds.  The spindle that was jammed packed with tickets that you could pull out one at a time and the board that had little dots.You would take a little metal straight key (kind of like the ones on the cans of Spam before the pull tops).  You would poke it in the hole and poke out a little tiny folded up piece of paper that said if you were a winner.  Or it would have a number on it and then you put you name on a paper by the number you had gotten.  When the board had all been poked out, the name on the winning number won the big prize.  With the spindle, you would pull out a ticket to see if you had won a prize.  I don’t remember how much each try cost but we thought it was fun.  Some of the prizes were boxes of candy.  Of course this was all when it wasn’t against the law to gamble and the punch board would be one way they would call gambling now.

    Brereton’s had a little fresh fruit and vegetable stand to the side of the cafe called Brereton’s Market.  The kids helped out in the fruit stand.  Joe always liked to truck drive and he hauled fresh produce a lot.  He grew a lot of vegetables and fruit and had an orchard.
    Joe and Grace had a large family of 10 children so it kept them busy keeping food on the table and clothes on their backs but Joe always had a job.  He worked for Burdick Lumber Co.   He worked at the old Del Monte pea vinery (that s a good story for later).   He peddled fruit, worked in the mines and at Geneva and of course the cafe.
    It s fun to look at the picture of the cafe.  You can see the market that was to the south of the cafe and on the north was a service station.  I believe it was run by the Barnett s.  That building was torn down and Dutch Wightman built a new Chevron station there.   It was run a few years later by Leo Daley.   It is now an insurance office.  You can see the trees and fence that stood where the old Huish Theater stands now on the corner.
    Old Highway 91 ran in front of the Inn, which was the main thoroughfare that people traveled to go to Provo or  points south .  There were a lot of trees around then.
    Joe died at the early age of 47 in 1955 of a massive heart attack.  He and Grace had been married 25 years.  He left a big void in their lives.  Grace tried to run the cafe but rented it out for a while.  She met a man by the name of Carl Crippen at the Dew Drop Inn and later they were married and had one child.  In the early 60's,  Safeway bought them out so they could build their new big Safeway Market.  The Dew Drop Inn and the building to the south was then torn down and there went another old landmark of Payson but isn t it fun to remember back when