August 14, 2008
Kenna Holm
THE PAYSON RACE TRACK
Payson's Golden Onion Days is just around the corner and I've been thinking back to the "good 'ol days" when everyone looked forward to the celebration and the horse races and all the fun the celebration brought. I miss those horse races. They were the best. It was the drawing card of the celebration. I had the pleasure of chatting with Terry DeGraw about those days and it was so enjoyable.
I'd like to take us back to when the celebrations started. Now that was before my time but I wanted to mention how it got started. In 1929 State officials suggested that to hep the economy in each community they should promote an annual celebration. At that time Dr. LD Stewart was the mayor of Payson and the city leaders tossed a few ideas around as to what to call the celebration. At that time Payson was growing lots of things like, the sugar beets (I remember thinning those) peas, (we loved to chase the wagons that was loaded with peas on their way to the pea vinery) tomatoes, beans, fruits and vegetable of all kinds. It was decided that the onion would be the thing that would be the motif , because the onion crops had just caught on here and so the name of the celebration would be 'Payson Golden Onion Days and Homecoming. The city built a track and grandstand for horse racing which would be the main featured event of the celebration
Dr Stewart was a member of the Utah Horsemen's Assn. and he owned several outstanding race horses. I remember his one horse called Timpanogos that won many races. His stables was down where Tom Provstgaard's home is now. (If my memory serves me correctly).
In 1946 they remodeled the grandstand and enlarged it to hold double of what it had held before. The races were a major attraction. This was actually the only event that charged in the celebration. That money went to pay for all the celebration. They had parimutuel betting which really brought in large crowds and lots of money to the track. The betting booths were set up on the south side of the grandstand and had people there at the booths taking the bets for people. It was finally stopped by the state officials, but the racing continued.
Payson came alive on race days and the farmers tried to get their crops in before Labor Day so they could attend the horse races.
They had paddocks where the betters went to view the race horses before the races so they could pick who they thought would be the winners. Snaff Wood told me he thinks Dick Gray was like the Horse Wisperer and talked to the horses at the paddock.
At the races, Brig Crane and Dale Wilson were they announcers sometimes along with state announcers. and made the races really exciting with their commentary. Snaff Woods also said he remembers the
kids all used to walk around under the grand stand and pick up the change people would lose out of their pockets.
Between races they would have entertainment. They would have great acts.
Terry DeGraw told me he was in the racing business for about 39 years. He was one who helped start the Racing Association here. There were about 40 members. They built new barns (with the city's approval) and started out with 1 set of barns that held 32 12x12 stalls with 2 tack rooms on each side for the men to hold their saddles and such. Later on theybuilt 4 more sets and had 126 stalls with 4 tack rooms. They rented the stalls and did manythings with the proceeds. They bought their own tractor, starting gate, new paddocks, new pipe railing and helped put a new roof on the grand stand.
Terry said he was in partnership with Dale Wilson and they went 50/50 on everything. He said Dale was one of the most honest men he knew. (I knew Dale because we lived in the same neighborhood and he had two daughters that would come up and play. They were a great family) Terry said they made it a family affair and it really paid off. He said his kids knew how to work and they have wonderful memories. Terry won the first Mayors Cup in 1980 when Gary Hansen was mayor. This was only one in many races his horses won .
The race track and barns were used for so many different things. The kids in 4-H and the high school rodeo kids used the race track .Now they have nowhere to go for their events. They also used the track for the stock car races, the riding clubs used it. I remember my dad playing broom polo. He was a member of the Cockleburr Riding Club. Dad had a horse that was really meant to be a polo horse. That horse would push right against the opposing horse while dad would hit the ball. It was fun to watch. They had horse pulls where the men would have teams of horses that would pull weight and theywould see which teams could pull the most. My dad always had some winners in that. The school also used the grand stand and field for their football games.
It's sad that that is all gone. With Onion Days nearly here, I would love to have those horse races back. I like the statement that Terry made. He said "the horses were high powered athletes".
It was a sad day when they tore the grandstand, paddocks, horse barns and all down even though there were so many fighting to keep it going and now all we can do is remember when....
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