PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS–William R. Heaton–The Sixteenth Mayor

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS–William R. Heaton–The Sixteenth Mayor

SUGAR FACTORY BUILT–PAYSON CITY WATER WORKS BEGAN
by L. Dee Stevenson–Payson Historical Society

    *William R. Heaton took over the office of mayor in 1912 and became the sixteenth mayor of the city.. Payson for sometime had been working toward new industries and improvements for the betterment of the community. The years 1912 and 13 saw the starting of some improvements and the completion of others.
    School was held in the new high school during the school year 1912-13. The building was dedicated in January, 1913. Previous to this the Central School had served as the high school. Melvin Wilson was the first principal.  Heber A. Curtis was the first student body president. Eight graduates received diplomas at the first commencement exercises.
    A very new and flourishing industry was the Pay- son Eagle Bottling Works under the management of  Mr. Messner and Roe Manwill. They converted the old adobe school house in the fourth ward into a bottling works. The plant was very modern. Two dozen cases could be filled every four minutes. The products were root beer, ginger ale, and soda water of all fruit flavors. They sold to Utah and Juab counties.
    A 500 ton sugar factory went into production the fall of 1913. It was built west of Payson. Because of insufficient beet supply it was dismantled in 1940.
    Payson was handicapped by its method of obtaining culinary water. Those who could, dug wells, but this water wasn't always pure. In Payson canyon were many springs of good pure water just waiting to be utilized. Beginning this year a reservoir was built at the mouth of the canyon, the water from the springs piped into it, then piped on down to the homes in the city.
    Payson was fast becoming known as a fruit growing center. Some of its prominent fruit growers joined the Utah Fruit Growers Association. This gave them a market for their fruit.
    During the summer,  a fly killing contest and clean up days were sponsored. It proved to be such a success that it was decided to make it an annual event.” *

*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 17, published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950

Remember When From the Past--Payson Lumber Yards

Remember When
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Kenna Holm  

Payson Lumberyards

    I’ve made a list of things I'd like to write about and a lot of people have given me suggestions. Hopefully,  I can get to all of them. This week as Iwas driving north and coming around the big turn by One Man Band, I looked over at the corner where Burdick Lumber Co. used to be. It is now an art and frame store and recently was a Baptist Church.   It got me to thinking how I miss that old place.
    The Burdick’s were in the same neighborhood as I grew up in.  Quince and Nettie (the parents of Don and Bob) lived a block north of the store and he with his two sons run the store.  They carried all kinds of building supplies, paint, hardware, lumber and so on. I always remember Quince with a big cigar in is mouth. He and Nettie were nice people. She was a real classy lady.
Their oldest son was Don, who is deceased now, Don and  his wife Cleo built a home two doors from where I grew up on 400 West. They had 2 little girls , Pat and Rebecca,when they moved there and   I tended them a lot. I just loved those  little girls. I even named two of my daughters Pat and Rebecca. They later on had a son, Brad who lives here in town now.  My mom and dad were good friends with the Burdicks.
    Bob was the younger son of Quince and Nettie and he and his wife Ardella lived around the corner from us when their kids were little. They had three children also, Barbara, Brent (one of our former city councilman), and Gloria.  Ardella was a very talented lady. She sang beautifully and also played the piano. She accompanied the trio I sang with many times.  Later, they bought the Erlandson  home on 300 East and restored it to it’s former glory.
    Quince and the boys worked at the store and Cleo did their bookkeeping. Bob later went on to construct motels and later the grandsons took over.  All the sons of Quince and Nettie have all passed away.   But their daughter-in-law, Cleo is still as beautiful as she always was.  Of course all the grandchildren are still around. I miss that store.
    I think I remember a lumber yard being where Dalton s Restaurant is now. It was called Tri-State Lumber. Later the building was sold  to Frank Beckstrom and he established his pharmacy and drug store in the building.  When he retired, the building was sold the Morganson brothers and Sandy Huff to build the Dalton’s Restaurant.
 

  I remember Chase Lumber on First East and Utah Ave. (across from Mi Rancherito Mexican Restaurant). It faced north. As I remember, George Chase had sold the store in the building on East Utah Avenue in the early 30's to Reed Money Sr. and his brother.  This was before my time.  Even after he sold to the Money’s, Mr. Chase kept an office in the building.  Reed Sr. bought his brother out and his son, Reed Jr. managed the store in later years.  Reed Sr. was the president of Nebo Stake for many years.
    Mr. Chase and his wife  lived down on 500 West Utah Ave on the corner by where Jim and Carol Sue Mortensen live now.
    In the 70's, the Money’s tore down the old lumber yard and built a small strip mall facing west. They had their store in the south part of the building and there was a Market call Self’s Food Mart in the north half of the building.
     The stores along Main Street then fixed up the back of their stores and a lot of them put in rear entrances like Forsey”s, Sherm”s, Roe”s Bakery etc. The parking lot was put in between the backs of the stores and in front of Money’s and Self’s.  Money s for a long time had building supplies and all kinds of hardware.
 

  

And then there was Schwartz Lumber out on 900 East. (there’s storage sheds on the property  now). They also carried a line of building supplies. Joe Schwartz had two sons that took
over after he died. Within a few short years the sons died and two of the son-in-laws whho took over. There was Darwin Haskell who was married to Nora (parents of JoAnn Stevenson) and Dorman Seeley who was married to Eleene.(she worked in the fabric department at Christensen for many years).  They carried such a big line of lumber and paint and such.   They ran the lumber company for several years and then sold out to Dennis Gay. He kept the name Schwartz Lumber. It was well known.
    In about 1980 the company had 3 fires in one week and totally destroyed the place. All 3 fires were set by an arsonist. They never found out who it was and the mystery still remains although some had their suspicions but it was never proven.
    I wasn’t much of a builder,  but I did go into those places for paint and such but it s kind of fun to remember the old places and you know--just remember when...

Remember When From the Past--Gambles-Western Auto

Remember When
Thursday, March 6 2008
Kenna Holm

Gambles and Western Auto

    I’ve been thinking about the old Gamble’s Store that used to be in Payson. Does anyone remember that?  It was on the corner of First South and Main Street on the east side of the road. Don McCoy (Dean’s dad and also Betty Jean Oberg’s dad) run the store. I don’t remember what was there first because it was before my time.
    Don McCoy was from Minnesota and started working with Gamble Stores in 1926. In 1927 he was transferred by the companyto Wisconsin. While in Wisconsin he met his future wife, Gertrude, and they were married in 1928.

Don and Gert in 1939 when they arrived in Payson







    In 1939 he came to Payson to manage the Gambles store here.  When they first moved here they lived in the home where Gene and Charlotte Colvin lives on West Utah  Avenue. They later built the home across the street from where they were living and moved into it.
    That little store carried about everything. You could go in there and buy car oil, bikes, guns, ammo, paint, bike parts, car parts and so on.   He later built his new store between Utah Avenue and First North on Main Street where Doug’s Auto parts was. He and Sterling Taylor both bought the property and Sterl built his barber shop next door (which is still a barber shop, but that’s a Remember When for another day)
    I remember during the war, bikes were hard to come by and Don would only get in 2 or 3 and my dad went up and stood in line to get me a bike the day they were to come into the store. He said one women was so angry that he got the bike she was ready to clean his wagon. But I guess that was alright because I got the bike.
    The new store’s name was changed from Gambles to Western Auto. It carried everything. You could get saddles, bridles, car equipment and parts, fridges, stoves, and all kinds of appliances, guns, ammo, lawn mowers, and about anything you can think of.
    Gert worked for J.C. Penney’s for a long time in the office but when theybuilt the new store, she had to quit and help Don. There were several different men who worked for Don at the store. Vernon Marshall from Benjamin, Gilly White, Stan Cole, Cy Reynolds (Carma Herbert s dad) Cleo Hill and a few more.
    Don had a pistol range in the basement of the store (like The Sportsman does now). They also reloaded shells in the back room of the store.
    Dean told me that his dad and Gilly White (I'm not sure who he was) even took a boat kit and built a boat in the back room. Then Cy Reynolds and Don built a camper for Don’s old Hudson truck. They were a bunch of talented and busy men. A lot went on in that back room of the store it would seem.
    Don was involved in many things. He was one of the Charter members of the Cockleburr Riding Club (My dad belonged to that also, along with many men from Payson), he was a charter member of the boat club, he was a member of Lions Club for over 30 years, he was on the South County Board of Health for over 12 years, he was also a charter member of the Loafer Mountain Snowmobile Club and was on the Board of Nebo District Boy Scouts of America. He was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1962 and was that until his death.
    Don was a doer . He loved to be involved and certainly did a lot for Payson.  He always said
he was too young for the First World War, too old for Second World War. He was small in stature
but had a large heart and was very giving.

Don and Gert when they retired

   Don and Gert retired and a Lindsay,  young fellow,  took the store over but could not make a go of it and so Doug Holt bought the building and put Doug’s Auto Parts in it in 1977. Doug also bought the place where JoAnn’s Head Shed is and also the Petal  Pantry building. He later leased the building to Car Quest and then to Keith Tribitt. Keith s wife Karen (daughter of John Olson) has a Calligraphy shop in the store now.
    Doug and Sally told me they have been cleaning  out the basement of those old buildings and found 6 or 8 gallons of vanilla concentrate. They had never gone through things down in those basements. Who knows, they may find some more treasures. Where they found the vanilla was under the Petal Pantry.  That building was built and run by Byron Staheli and was called By’s Cafe. Sally who ran around with By’s daughter Bea, said they would go there on their dates to have dinner. (probably a hamburger, she said).
    Gosh it s fun to go back in our memories and remember when....

Remember When From the Past--Lucky Pickering

Remember When
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Kenna Holm
 
Lucky Pickering–Man of Many Talents

    Lana Pickering Van Ausdal came in the other day and brought me some pictures that belonged to her father,  Wayne(better known as Lucky) Pickering. He was one of the most talented men we have ever seen. He could just about do anything.
    Sid Coray built a furniture store where the parking lot is across south from the old Huish
Theater and Lucky (who by the way, got his name for being unlucky with keeping a dog. They
    always got run over or killed some way) had a cabinet shop in the back of the furniture store.

   Lucky then went on to buy into the furniture store. It was then known as Coray-Pickering Furniture Store.Lana brought in the picture of a group that worked for her dad and Sid. In the picture is (L to R) Sid Coray (in the coveralls) Lucky Pickering, ? (couldn’t tell who this man was) Phyllis Simmons (Dick Simmons mother), ? (another unknown), Mel Swain (Fred Swain’s dad) Rex Patten, and Johnny Bott. This picture was taken in front of the furniture store windows with the windows reflecting the building across the street.
    It was fun talking to all his family and finding out so many things about Lucky. He was a perfectionist and he could do anything he set his mind to. He did photography, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, statues,wood carvings and so on and so on. Lucky s sister, Colleen, said when she was in high school in 1946, she painted the floor of the furniture store after school when theywere getting ready to open the store.
     Lucky thought everyone should know bookkeeping so he made Colleen come in after school and do bookkeeping for him when the store first started. Sherm Loveless then came in and was bookkeeper for them and also worked out on the floor selling furniture.  Their store had the first TV in town and the worker’s families would go up and watch TV in the store after hours. Pat (Loveless) Hill said she remembers going in on Thursday nights to watch “The Lone Ranger.” Karma Whitelock (Lucky s niece) said they also went up and watched the television.
The store carried a lot of nice furniture and appliances. Lucky had his cabinet shop in the back of the store, and later put in his Artisan Shop.
    Lucky loved animals and he made friends with a little squirrel which set up house keeping in the nursery section of the Artisan Shop. Lucky named him Bunny because he finally made an appearance for the photographer on Easter Sunday. When the squirrel was hungry, he would answer Lucky s whistle to replenish his storehouse with seeds and nuts.
     He also had a flock of ducks that stayed around the back of the store that he kept fed. They were so friendly that when Lucky would walk home for lunch, they would follow him. McKay Christensen didn’t have the same feelings for the ducks because they made messes in the back of his store.
Lucky designed and put all the rock in the Payson Park fish pond. His niece Karma said he wanted everything to be perfect for it so he would go up and watch how the sun would shine on that particular area and even go up and spend the night watching how the moon and then the sunrise also shown on the area so he could put the rocks of different colors in the right place to be the most effective.   Now that s is a perfectionist.
     He bought Sid Coray s share of the furniture store out and then leased it to Merlynn Tanner and the name was changed to Payson Furniture and Appliance. It was then that he opened his Artisan Shop, which was the name his sister suggested because it fit him so well.

    One Sunday he had been pouring hot bronze metal into a cast for a statue he was making as a hobby and he left to go home for lunch. While he was home, the furnace he had been using to heat the bronze caught the shop on fire. With the sawdust from the cabinets , the fire really took of, completely destroyed his shop.


     The Payson Fire Dept. was there within minutes and kept the fire contained to the shop and from not doing to much damage to the furniture store. The main damage to the furniture store was from water and smoke and plate glass windows that were smashed to carry furniture and appliances through. The roof of the Safeway Store (the building where the American Beauty Academy is now) and also the roof of the Payson Chronicle which was directly east of the furniture store received minor damage.
     Lucky s niece Diane (Beddoes) Hansen said they had all their home furnishings stored in a room by his shop and it all received a lot of smoke and water damage.  Diane and Jerry were in the process of getting their home ready to move into and needed a place to store their things for awhile and Lucky had offered his place to put them.
     Lucky never believed in insurance, so nothing was insured. Merlyn Tanner had his furniture
and appliances insured which was a good thing.  People in Payson were so good to rush in and help bring out his merchandise and put in the street to keep it from burning. Later scores of volunteers helped move the merchandise to vacant stores offered by owners of the buildings.
     The Fire Dept. did a marvelous job in getting to the fire and getting it out as soon as they could and were praised for the work theydid.  Payson Furniture and Appliance kept open for many years with Ray Sorenson taking over after Merlynn Tanner.
    Lucky Pickering was a talented man. Reallyone of a kind. He died in 1981 at the young age of 71.
Another remember when..

Remember When From the Past--February 7, 2008

Remember When
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Kenna Holm  

Early Payson Police Department

    Monday evening,  we entertained our Home Evening Group at our home. This is a group that was the young marrieds when the Payson 6th Ward was orgainized in 1961. We ve stayed in touch over the years and 9 years ago we formed an official home evening group and meet once a month. It has been such fun to get together on a regular basis and visit and have speakers of what have you. This week, we spent half the time talking about the Remember When in the paper and it was so fun having everyone tell what they remembered. I swear Kenneth Shepherd has the memory of an elephant. He remembers everything.
    Later,  I was talking to Shirlene Wood and we started talking about her dad who was one of the earlier policemen of Payson. They had four at one time that I first remember. Dick Chapple who was chief at one time, Page Peery (Shirlene’s dad and also Lynn (Sam) Peery’s), Bob Cartwright, and Deke Peterson.(Page Peery was also police chief at one time.)

  Page Peery s daughter brought me in some great pictures of her dad in his early days as a Payson policeman. He started out riding a motorcycle on his rounds.  Later they went to patrol cars.   I found out that the city sold those motorcycles later on to the Erickson brothers. Paul Erickson was my older brothers good friend and they use to ride that motorcycle all over. DeLynn (my brother) even wrecked it. Typical kids, always goofing off.
    The police station was on Utah Avenue just East of the old Payson Library on the corner of Main and Utah ave. The Library was on the corner and connected to it was the City Office (East of Library) and then next to the City Office was the police station. It was very small as was the City Office.
    The policemen would walk all over down town and visit with the people on main street and then at night whoever was on duty, walked around and checked all the doors on the stores both front and back to make sure they were locked.
    They were not men to just sit in an office or just ride around, they got out and helped with different things. (I’m not saying that our officers today sit around, they re all great)  It was nothing to see Dick Chapple or Page Peery shoveling snow on Main Street so people could get around. Everyone loved to stop and talk to them. They were everyone’s friend.
    Page Peery was a policeman for 23 years that began in 1928 and he retired at the age of 67. He was born on January 6, 1896 on the day Utah became a state.
I think they had one cell in the policestation (I never had the chance or opportunity to go into the police station)
    The City Office was small and we would go there to pay our city bill (which in those days was a fraction of what they are now). I remember several who worked at the city offices, Ogden DeWitt, Ted Bates, Sally Peery, Deon Gray, JoAnn Nielsen and Iknow therewere more. There was also a man named Marcel Chard that worked there and he had the most beautiful penmanship for a man I had ever seen. If I remember right, Ted Bates was the City Recorder. (I’m sure if I m wrong, someone will correct me)  I'm sure everyone knows that they give the "Ted Bates" award to a city worker every year. He was a great man.
    There was an opening from the city officeinto the library and they could visit back and forth. Upstairs over the library and offices therewas the citycouncil room where they met each month and also the city attorney, Dave McMullin, had an office there.
    All of the offices, the police and city office, were small but then so was Payson in those days. Gosh,  isn t it fun to remember when?

Remember When From the Past--November 29, 2007

Remember When
Thursday, November 29, 2007 2008
Kenna Holm  

PAYSON POST OFFICES


    Does anyone remember the post office when it was located where JoAnn’s Head Shed is now located?  It was really small and narrow.  But then Payson only had about 3,000 residents.  I can just remember going in there and seeing all the little gold-colored boxes for the mail. 
    In 1942,  the postal service in Payson was advanced from rating as Village Delivery to City Delivery.  (We were really something!)  In July 1949, parcel post delivery was started.
I remember Old Bill Clayson  walking all over the west side of town pulling his little mail cart with the mai pouch on it delivering the mail.  I don’t know who delivered the east side of town (later I found out it was Ed Patten–Don and Duane’s father.)  I do know that some of the mail carrier rode bicycles to deliver.

   Business increased and they needed a larger building.  They then moved to 41 South main Street.  It was the building just south of Roland Lindsay’s shoe repair.  This building was later torn  down and the Forsey’s  store was remodeled and increased in size. 

   The postmaster was Vernal Tweede at that time and his assistant postmaster was my neighbor, Grace  Goble.  Dot Beddoes, Diane Hansen’s mom,  also worked there until she got ill with cancer and passed away.  Grace Goble started working at the post office in 1928.  She and Dot both worked for a lot of years.
     When Vernal Tweede retired in 1964, James Durrant Sr. became the postmaster.  He held the  position until 1966 when Francis Haskell took the position.  Reed Argyle was named the assistant postmaster.

    A new building was constructed expressly for the post office at 91 South 100 East. It was built to accommodate twice the 4,200 population of Payson in 1967.  In 1968, we really got advanced. We now became a motorized department with 3 jeeps with right hand drive to replace the bicycles that were used for so many years.
We now have a beautiful post office building at 955 East 100 North that was built in 1997. It now employs 26 with 7 rural routes where the carriers furnish their own vehicles.  The current postmistress is Leona Gardner.
I believe there are now over 17,000 people living in Payson now.  Boy, how things change but it is fun to remember when...

Remember When From the Past--December 6, 2007

Remember When
Thursday, December 06, 2007
 Kenna Holm 

Payson’s Hospitals

    I just received a hospital bill (and it was staggering) for my husband's stay in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and it got me to thinking about the hospitals we have had here in Payson.
    The George Patten home located just east of Main Street on 300 North  was turned into Payson’s first hospital in 1901. The doctor was ParleyPratt Musser. His nurses were his wife, Jennie Patten, and a Miss Provstgaard. The parlor was his office. The kitchen was used as a kitchen and an operating room. The two front bedrooms upstairs each had two hospital beds.  

   The second hospital was located in rooms above the Modern Pharmacy located on corner of today's  Main Street and Utah Avenue.  Dr. A. L. Curtis located to Payson after graduating from Medical School.  He opened the hospital in 1914.

    The next hospital was the old Curtis Hospital. It stood where Dix and Joan Grace's home (and former Mt. Fuel building) is now.  Dr. A.L. Curtis opened the hospital in 1922.  The new hospital was the old John Huish home.  It was a 9 bed hospital and later increased to15 beds.
    The building burned to the ground one cold winter night in 1950. It was sad to see it go but as I recall it was not used an awfully lot after the new hospital was built where the City Offices are now. Dr. Curtis, Dr. Lynn Stewart, and Dr. Merrill Oldroyd wereth e first doctors to use these hospitals.

   Payson City Hospital at 439 West Utah Ave was opened in 1938. My parents had moved
here to Payson in 1936 and I was the only one of our family to be born in Payson, although I did not get to be born in the new hospital. I was born at home with Dr. Oldroyd delivering me.    The hospital had 35 beds and I'm sure everyone thought it was large at that time. I do remember going into the waiting room and waiting for my mom to visit someone. Children were not allowed to go in the hospital to visit unless they were 12 years of age.

   The entrance to the hospital was on the east side of the building with double doors going into a tiny waiting room. In 1952, they remodeled and added a larger waiting room and office on the east side. At this time, a laundry was built in a separate building to the south of the hospital. The laundry had been done in the basement of the hospital before.
    The kitchen was located in the south side of the hospital and then when later the laundry was sent out, the kitchen was moved to that building. They built a canopy between that building and the hospital so when they took the carts with the trays of food on from the kitchen to the hospital it was covered.
    Nola Heaps, my dear aunt, was the head cook there. Along with my aunt a few I remember working in the kitchen were Alice Reynolds, Twila McCellan, Clovis Jones, and Lilly Cloward.
    My aunt was a wonderful cook and every tome I had a baby and was a patient in the hospital, she would spoil me and whoever was in the ward with me. (the maternity ward held 6 beds) The ladies that were in the ward would all put in orders for me to ask Aunt Nola to make. I do remember asking her to make my favorite chocolate cake. Yum! She could make the menus and do as she liked and she really loved to spoil everyone including the nurses and doctors.
    Things were so different then. They had very few private rooms. They had a children's ward in one hall, a men's ward in another hall, a woman's ward in another hall and the maternity ward was in the northwest side of the hospital. They had a few private rooms scattered in between. The x-rays were taken by the manager of the hospital in a small x-ray room on the south side of the hospital. The first manager I remember was George Cheever. Sr.
    They had a lot of good nurses working at that hospital also., I remember Peg Butler, Jerry Wilson, Jeanne Lofgran, Florence Wride, who worked in the nursery and was like a loving grandma to all the babies,  Ruth Walton and I know there were many more but those are the few I remember.
    In 1960 they remodeled and constructed a new maternity wing on the west side of the hospital. My second daughter was born in that new wing. The manager was now called the administrator.

   In 1969 they took on a major renovation and changed the entire appearance of the hospital, with the exception of the maternity wing which was left as it was. The hospital now held 96 beds. The entrance was then moved to the west side of the building. The switch board was in the main entrance hall along with the waiting room. The gift shop and snack bar was also in that area.

    In 1979 they built the new Mountain View Hospital that is now standing out east of town.
Everyone was so thrilled to see this beautiful building being built.
    I worked at the old hospital startingin 1976 or 77 as Director of Volunteer Services. I moved with them to the new building in 1979 which would be named Mountain View Hospital. It was so fun to have a large gift shop and an office that wasn't in a closet, which is where it had been in the old hospital.
    My twin grandsons, Jeremy and Jeffrey Witham were the first set of twins born in the new hospital and on different days no less. Jeremy was born at 11:55 p.m. and Jeff was born at 12:30 a.m. the next morning.   Harold Harmer was now the  administrator.
    Mountain View has had many changes and as we look now we see morecoming with all the construction that is going on. It is now 130 beds and the administrator is Kevin Johnson.  The
hospital takes care of many, many patients everyday from all over the state and we are fortunate to have such a wonderful facility in our town. But it is fun to look back and remember when......

Remember When From the Past--December 27, 2007

Remember When
Thursday,  December 27, 2007   
Kenna Holm

Mom and Pop Stores

    Do you remember all the fun little Mom and Pop markets we used to have here in Payson
years ago?  I got to thinking how I miss those little places.
    There was the Westside Market down on 700 West and Utah Avenue.   I’m not sure what
year it was built but it was built by Johnny Wise who also built some little apartments like motel
rooms around the corner between 700 and 800 West on 100 South.  He also had a couple of gas
pumps to the side of the market.
    In 1950, LaMarand ArzleyLosser cameback to Payson to be around familyand theythought it a better place to raise their two children, Janice and Neil.  They bought Johnny Wise out and continued on with the market.  John Done was the meat cutter for LaMar and he taught him how to cut meat which he took over completely when Mr. Done died. He kept the gas pumps busywith all the farmers who would drive in and fill up their farm equipment with gas.
    They carried quite a large line of groceries and their fresh meat was some of the best in town.   LaMar would always cut it just like you wanted it.
    LaMa rwas such a good thoughtful man. He would deliver groceries to people that were not able to get out. Janice said he delivered to Annie Wilson a lot as well as many others.  He also delivered groceries to the hospital kitchen.  The ladies there always gave him a bad time (I am sure he gave it right back too.)
The Lossers decided right away that they would not open on Sunday and LaMar always
claimed he made just as much in six days as he would in seven.  He felt he never lost a penny by
closing on Sunday.
    Some of the ladies that worked at the market were Lena Losser, Donna Andrus, and Vione Reece along with the Lossers and their kids.
    In 1962 the freeway came through Payson and took out the market.  It was missed.
    Another fun market was Mrs. Smith’s Market on 300 West Utah Avenue.  She was the mother of Gladys Wilson (for whom the golf coursewas named along with her husband Stan). Mrs. Wilson was a little woman and I just loved her.
    In 1948, Rex and Harriet Mendenhall, who lived in Orem, drove over to see his sister Thelma Taylor and as they passed Mrs. Smith’s Market, there was a sign in the window that said, “For Rent.”  They stopped and checked it out and made the decision to rent the market.  At that time, they had one little girl, Jane and were expecting another child.
    They moved into the back of the store where there was a small apartment.  It was probably where Mrs. Smith lived also.  Slowly they added more to the store and enlarged it.  In 1952, the family moved to a home down on North Main Street and then turned the apartment into a storage area for the store.
    Our kids and everyone elses loved to go therefor their candyfix. Theycarried so manykinds of penny candy.  Some were even two for a penny.  Rex was always so good to let the kids come around the counter and pick what they wanted.
    When my brother came over from Orem to visit my parents, Grandpa would give them some change and they would hotfoot it up to Mendenhall’s.  To this day, they still talk about how they liked to go there.
    I loved to get my Coke or Pepsi there because they kept the cooler so cold the drinks were almost slushy.  That was before cans, they were in bottles and we would take back the empties so
we didn’t have to pay a deposit.
    There were several that worked for them along the way.  My daughter, Kelly, worked there for a long time.  Rex’s sister, Thelma, was there most of the time.
    Harriet said that when they decided to close the store, Naomi Hillman just had a fit because she walked down every day and had a Coke.  Now there wouldn’t be a place she could get those cold, cold drinks.  It was a sad day to see Mendenhall’s Market close.
 

  Who could forget Chipman’s little store? It was actually built by Mr. and Mrs. Naylor.  I forgot their first names.  Mr. Naylor was blind and they built it as a confectionary store.  They had a juke box and pinball machines that paid off with real nickels.  This was before it became illegal.
In 1945, Harold and Florence Chipman along with their two children, Carol and Cordell, moved to Payson from American Fork and bought the store from the Naylors.
    Cordell told me his parents had the store paid off in just two years.  They lived in an apartment in the back of the store.  They took out the pinball machines but kept the soda fountain and juke box.  It was a real hangout for the kids after the dances and games.
    In 1950, they added groceries to the store.  They had a big popcorn machine that was a real magnet when they were popping corn.  The smell was wonderful.  We used to stop in there before we went to the show at the old Star Theater.  We could get candy, pop corn, ice cream or about anything else we wanted. 
    I have a soft spot for the little confectionary, that is where I met my husband.  He was with a friend eating a strawberrysundae at the soda fountain and the friend, who I knew also, introduced us and like they say, “The rest is history.”  We have now been married for 52 years.
Cordell reminded me that in those days the hamburgers were only nineteen cents.  Can you believe that?
    Harold died in 1980 at the age of 83.  The store was sold and Florence went back to American Fork.  It was a special little store.
    When the Naylors sold to the Chipmans, they built another store on the southwest corner of Utah Avenue and 100 West.  Since Mr. Naylor was blind, he had a big black dog that stayed by his side all the time.  He was a kind man and some would say that Mrs. Naylor was a little more stern.
    Mr. Naylor would wait on people and always get everything right. It was like he had a sixth sense.  Mary Lou Daley told of how she took her little boy, Dean, in and Mr. Naylor wanted her to put him up on the counter so he could “see” him.  She said he felt his little face and head and commented that he was a fine-looking boy.  It really touched her how kind he was.
    In 1957, Leo Daley bought the Naylors out.  He had just recovered from a serious auto accident that took the life of his wife Bonnie in 1955.  He continued with the groceries and later added a little chicken place in back called, Leo’s Chicken.  He went on to add other Leo’s Chicken stores around the state.
    Merlene Sanford was working for him for a while. They fell in love and were married. They later sold the store and moved to St. George.
 

 There was a little store up across the street east of the tennis courts at the park.  It was Crook’s Market. It was owned and run by Vance Crook and his mother, Vera. They lived in a house east of the store that was set back some ways from the street.  I was a hangout for the kids from the southeast part of town.  Vance also worked for the Post Office.  When he was delivering mail, his mom would run the store.   
    JoAnn Haskell Stevenson said she remembers the hardwood floors and the old-fashioned cash register. She said they would take pop bottles in and trade for penny candy. They could get two or three cents per bottle.  She said they also had some of the freshest baloney in town.  Mrs. Crook passed away and then Vance died a few years later.  The store was closed and later on it was torn down.
    The last little store I remember was the store on First West and Fourth South.  It was called Dowdle’s Market.  Later Christi and Joe Kropt bought the store from Glen Dowdle and ran it for several years.  They carried groceries, ice cream, candy all the other good things.
    Talking to Gene Colvin, he told me a funny little story about Dowdle. He said anyone could go in there and buy beer, even on Sunday. They just went in and said they wanted a sack of potatoes.  Dowdle would go in the back and fill a sack with beer and come out and say, “Here’s your potatoes.” Gene and Charlotte Colvin bought the market from the Kropts.  Charlotte and Christi were sisters.
    Charlotte said they had the biggest selection of penny candy there was in town. They had a lot of trouble with the school kids when they came in during lunch of after school in droves.  They had a real problem with the kids stealing so they started limiting the number of that could be in the store at a time. It started out at six, then five, then four and finally two. The Colvins finall ysold the store to Troy Lerwill.  He turned the building into a bicycle shop.
It was fun talking to Gene who is 83.  Needless to say, he could remember a lot more than I could.  Golly, isn’t it fun to remember when...

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

Remember When From the Past--January 31, 2008

Remember When
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Kenna Holm  

Creamery and Poultry Plant

I’ve been thinking about Payson Main Street and really longing for the old days when we
could park in town and do all of our shopping. I’d much rather had that than all the big stores. It was where you could pass anyone on the street and stop and visit because we knew everyone in town.
    Remember the old creamery? It was just west of the corner of Main and First South where Finch’s have their new business and where Daley’s Surveying and before that Olson’s Garden Shop.  I remember going in there with my dad and I hated the smell of all that cream and milk.
     Yuk! I remembered some things about it but I called Kenneth Shepherd and got a lot of information from him since his dad managed the business.
    It seems at that time, everyone had cows and chickens and they would come into town and bring their cream and eggs to get money to go shopping. They would take the eggs to the poultry and the cream into the creamery.
    The farmers would do themilking and bring the milk in to set and let the cream rise and
    then skim the cream off. They then came into town and would drop off their buckets of cream
    Ivan Shepherd, (Ken’s dad), would then sample each container of cream and analyze it for the butter fat content.  The people would then get paid according to the butter fat that was in their cream. This was usuallyon a Saturdayand the people would come to town all dressed up so theycould get their moneyfrom the eggs and cream and go to Safeway’s Grocery Store across the street and do their grocery shopping. In those days, everyone dressed up to go into town.
    Ken said he remembers playing out to the west of the building  by the creek that runs behind it.His brothers C.H. and Rex would come after school and help their dad. They would wash the milk cans and have them ready to give back to the farmers.
    I could remember the cement floor and the drain in it. Ken said that one corner of the building had burlap hanging and water running to keep the cream and milk cool. They would then send the milk to Salt Lake headquarters of Nelson Ricks Creamery which was Banquet Butter.
    They would send cream also to Spanish Fork and Aurorato be made into cheese. The cheese factory in Spanish Fork was West of the old World Drug Store.
    There was an old coal heater in the middle of the building and everyone would stand around and visit while Ivan tested and wrote everything down.
    Ken also mentioned that Eldon Tew had a shoe repair in the East side of the building in the 1940's and he sold penny candy. Of course,  kids would always remember the candy. That was when you got your money’s worth for a penny. Right?
The creamery was closed in the1950s and Ivan went to Spanish Fork and worked for a while and he also went to Aurora.  He took a small trailer down and would stay in it during the week and then come home on the weekend. He did that until he retired.
    I tried to find a picture of the old creamery but none was to be found.
    The Payson Poultry was behind where the Huish Theatre building is now. It was about on the parking lots of the One Man Band and the bank. There was the house of Harry Tipton that was just been torn down in the last few years.  It sat right next to the show house on the north and the Snyder Apartments that set where the One Man Band is now. There was a little lane that turned in between those two buildings and you could drive right up to the poultry. I remember going into town with my dad and he would back up to the loading place and they would place the sacks of whatever he had bought into the trunk of the car.
    Everyone would take their cleaned eggs into the poultry and get paid for them. The workers then took the eggs down stairs and candled them and got them ready to send out.  They were shipped to various stores all over the state and even outside the state. You could also order baby chickens through them. Nearly everyone raised a few chickens.
    Floyd Harmer, former mayor of Payson for many years,  was the manager. The men that worked there that I remember were Bud Harmer (Helen Walker’s dad), Spence Mendenhall (Linda Carter’s dad), Ted McBeth (husband of Rhea), Jr. Lundell (JoAnn Bryan’s dad) and I’m sure there are others I can t remember. Bud took over after Floyd died and then Spence Mendenhall went on to be manager.
    They later changed the name to Intermountain Farmers. They then tore it down and they built a new building where Best Deal Springs is now. It was then called IFA. It finally closed and moved to the Spanish Fork IFA. Fun to remember when isn t it?

Remember When From the Past--January 24, 2008

Remember When
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Kenna Holm

Central Market–Safeway–Dixon Market

    After talking about the littlemomandpop stores a few weeks ago, I thought maybe it would be fun to talk about the big grocery stores of yesteryear.
Remember Central Market? It was right in town between the old library that’s on the corner and the place where Roe’s Bakery was .
    Roy Rodgers (not the movie star cowboy) owned Central Market and it was quite the grocery store. My mom worked there as a clerk when I was small and I remember Fern Lucas also was a clerk. Fred Robertson was the assistant manager and Art Daley worked in the meat department. Now I’m sure there are others who worked there but I can t remember who.
    As you walked in the push doors (no automatic sliding doors) doors you went to the left through a turn style to get into the store. It seemed between theturn styleandthe check out counters, it kept the front end pretty closed in and easy to watch. They only had 2 check-out counters. The grocery carts were different than we have now. They were not as nice but they did the trick. They were shallow and the basket could be lifted off. As you came up to the check stand, the checker would lift the basket over the counter and take the items out and punch the price into the old fashioned cash register. I remember it was really hard on the checkers backs having to lift them up and over the counter..
    The fresh fruit and veggies were along the north wall and there wasn’t the variety of things we have now. They had aisles of canned and packaged foods. The meat department was at the back of the store. No prepackaged meat in those days. You chose what you wanted and the butcher cut and wrapped while you waited.
    There was no bakery in the store like we have today. They carried a good line of groceries but nothing like today. We didn’t know any better. There was not all the fast foods and microwave able foods. I think we are maybe lazy now and don t like to cook like in those days, I know I don’t.
    One incident I recall was , it had stormed and I guess the roof was weak and a big piece of the ceiling fell one day landing on a Mrs. Payne. She was hurt but recovered okay.
    I remember when mom worked there and it was inventory time, Roy would let the workers family come and help and he would close and lock the doors at 6 p.m. (those were the days when the stores only stayed open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and we would then count everything he had in the store. It was fun for me because he let us have whatever we wanted to eat as we worked.  Roy was a great guy.
    He then built a new store in about 1959 where NAPA stands now and the name was changed to Roy’s Market. He had a larger line of products and it had a small bakery that carried baked goods from Roe’s Bakery. It even had a large parking lot where down town it just had parking in front.

    Later Ray Angus bought the store from Rodgers and it went on for many more years. Then there was Safeway. It was on the opposite end of Main Street from Central Market. It was at 100 South Main on the west side of the road.
From when I can remember (with a little help)those that worked there were LaVee Curtis, Bob Menlove, LaVar Clayson, Ron Mayer, Rose Sullivan, Jual Daniels, Carl Butler, and a Morrison fellow . Bruce Walton (the Onion King) was the manager. Those working in the meat department were, Cliff Voorhees and Glen Thatcher.
    It was kind of like Central Market in as much as when you came in the front doors, to the north was theturn styleto get into thestore and the checkout stands were straight ahead as you came in the store doors. The produce was on the north wall and Ron Mayer was the produce manager. They had lots of aisles with food and in the back was the meat department.
    When my husband and I first got married we went into Safewayto get some groceries to start out with and I remember we spent $20.00 and thought that was a fortune. Now I can go in for milk and come out with $100.00 worth of groceries and not have much to eat.
    It was on Main Street for several years and I think about 1958 they built their new store where the American Beauty Academy is now and V&S Variety used to be.
    They tore down the Dew Drop Inn (a little cafe owned bythe Brereton’s) and built a nice new larger Safeway.  Bruce Walton was still the manager and then later Lloyd Shelley came in as manager.
    They had many of the same workers plus added alotmore. Laveestayed on working, Estelle Porter worked for a lot of years, Bob Menlove stayed on and several others.  In the late seventies the Payson store was closed.

The other larger grocerystore in town was Dixon Market. It was located right across from where the Daley Freez is now. Doug Dixon owned and operated it.  They tore it down several years ago and put in the car wash by the service station.
    I can t tell to much about it because I for one didn t ever go up there to shop.  That will make a good article for another Remember when.  The store closed after Douglas Dixon died in 1972.
    I would love someone who knew more about it to call and let me know. Ican remember the prices in those were so low to side of what they are now. I can remember hamburger going on sale for 5 pounds for $1.00. Sugar was like $7.00 for 100 pounds, Miracle Whip was 49 cents. But then our wages were small too.  I even remember a 6 pack of Coke was only 25 cents. Boy am I telling how old I am.
    Main Street in Payson used to be so fun to go and shop. There you could park (with two way traffic) on either side of the street (actuallydepending on which way you were driving) and walk all over town and get anything you wanted including your groceries. Oh remember when..

Payson the first 100 Years--Ammon Nebeker--Part 16--Fourteenth Mayor

PAYSON–THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Part 16–Ammon Nebeker–Fourteenth Mayor
Payson Historical Society


Tabernacle Built — First Side Walks Paved

    “Ammon Nebeker became the Fourteenth Mayor of Payson and took office in January 1906.
    The electric plant at the time wasn't paying its way. The light bills were hard to collect. At a meeting held January 15, 1906 it was decided to employ three electricians .to run the powjer house; to establish a meter rate at one dollar a month minimum, eight cents per kilowattt above 13 kilowatts. The bill to be paid between the first and fifteenth of each month, those delinquent to be cut off with a five day notice.
    The sexton asked for a machine for lowering caskets into graves. The present method being very inconvenient.
    Early in the morning of May 7, 1907 the citizens of Payson were aroused. A large reservoir had broken up the canyon. A large stream'of water came-rushing down upon the community. The flood did a great deal of damage to the property but no lives were lost, although some of the people in the "Hollow" had to be taken out of danger on horse back.
    The flood washed out the dam turning the water to run the electric plant was also washed away along with the flume.  An ejector was bought so the plant could be  run with steam.
    A hydro-electric power house was erected at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. The original purpose was to furnish power for driving the Strawberry Tunnel, which was under construction at the time, and construction of dther features comprising-the
Storage* Works. On completion of the power house, the government met with the Payson City Council on Nov. 20, 1907.  They discussed the probability of furnishing electricity to Payson. On investigation,  it was found they could secure the power cheaper from Spanish Fork power house so in due time Payson changed over and abandoned their own plant at the mouth of the canyon.
    Payson people were always looking for ways to improve their community.  They wanted paved sidewalks in the downtown area. Some of the citizens met with the council and it was decided to pave the sidewalks in the downtown aea of Main Street. The city would pay half and the property owners the other half.  On May 30, 1907,  the contract was given to David McDowell to pave the sidewalks on both sides of Main Street for 17 cents per square foot.
    The work soon began and the first year the side walks were laid from First South to First North on both sides of the street. It took longer to put in paved side walks then, all the cement used was mixed by hand on a flat board.” *

*Quoted from “The Payson Story” page 15-16, published by the Payson Centennial Committee, October 1950