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...
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