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The S.S. Sho-Boat: Queen of Utah Lake
Excursionists debarking from the S.S Sho-Boat Courtesy of Roland Strong.
The S.S. Sho-Boat: Queen of Utah Lake
BY D. ROBERT CARTER
VERDANT WILLOW LEAVES GRACEFULLY REFLECTED in the placid waters at the mouth of the Provo River and the pungent smells of tar, oakum, and new paint helped to create an atmosphere of expectation and excitement that spring day in 1931 A crowd of well-wishers and curious spectators had assembled on the south bank of the river to watch the launching of the hull of the largest boat ever to sail on Utah Lake. The newly constructed shell was painstakingly edged along greased rails toward the river. Moments later excitement turned to despair. Women stared at the moist ground at their feet, children cried in disappointment, and men rolled their eyes as if to say, "I told you so." Dismayed, the crowd looked on as water seeped through small cracks between the wooden slats that formed the bottom and sides of the boat, and the huge craft sluggishly settled on the shallow bottom of the river. With this inauspicious launching, the career of the S.S. ShoBoat, the most successful excursion boat ever to ply the waters of Utah Lake, began.1
The S.S. Sho-Boat was not the first excursion boat on Utah's largest freshwater lake. In June 1855, when the first Utah Valley settlements were just beginning to develop a look of permanence, the Utah County Court granted John Sanderson, Henry Nelson, Olof Hedenborg, and William Cummings permission to build and launch a boat on Utah Lake for fishing, exploring, and carrying passengers on pleasure trips.2 By the late 1850s there were other small sailboats, primarily used for fishing, on the lake. Emil F. Wurzbach, a young man who for a short time worked at Camp Floyd in the freighting business, mentioned taking pleasure trips on the lake: "While I stayed at Camp Floyd I made several trips to Utah Lake, there was a little town at the lake, [probably Lehi] and the Mormons had some small sail boats. ... I got one of the men to take me out. . . and we sailed around the lake. The water was so clear that I could see fish swimming under us."3 Peter Madsen, Jr., born in 1858, remembered his father's large sailboat that was sometimes used for picnic parties. On occasion a few passengers would take aboard their musical instruments and provide entertainment for the others. LarsJacobson, a sailor from Denmark, piloted the boat which was also used to transport lime and firewood from the west side of the lake to the eastern shore.4
During the next two decades the fleet of small excursion boats slowly grew. For example,John W. Lowell of Salt Lake City had a small steamboat constructed in that city in 1880, taken by rail as far as Pleasant Grove, and launched on Utah Lake in October. The first steamer on Utah Lake, it was only twenty-four feet long and light enough that two or three men could "pick her up and carry her without much trouble." It was used for fishing and duck hunting and could conveniently accommodate from six to ten sportsmen.5
Not until the mid-1880s did the idea of using larger pleasure boats on Utah Lake become popular—no doubt influenced by the success of tourist boats on the Great Salt Lake andJordan River. In an effort to attract more tourists to the new beach resorts on Utah Lake, Eastmond 8c Sons of American Fork constructed the steamer Eastmond and launched her on the lake in 1886 before a crowd of about six hundred. The craft was forty feet long by twelve feet wide and was powered by a small upright steam engine and two paddle wheels. It could carry up to one hundred twenty-five passengers and cruised at a typical speed of seven miles per hour. From its home port at the mouth of the American Fork River it made runs to such popular places on the lake as Pelican Point, Geneva Resort, and the bathing establishments near the mouth of the Provo River. Sometimes a band performed for passengers. 6 The Eastmond continued until at least 1891 with some degree of financial success. 7
Several other large excursion boats sailed on Utah Lake before the S.S. Sho-Boat. One of the most notable was the Florence. Colonel C D. Moore and H. H. Bean, superintendent of the Provo City Lumber Company, originated the idea, and Bean secured money from Denver investors to construct a boat. Moore, an experienced boat builder, drew up the plans and engineered its construction. The boat, which cost about $6,500, was constructed at the Sun Foundry in Provo where local citizens enjoyed dropping by to watch. The keel was made of white ash and the rest of the craft from Tennessee white oak. Fifty-five feet from stem to stern with a twelve-foot beam, the Florence could carry one hundred fifty passengers. In addition to excursions, the boat's owners planned to ferry passengers from Battle Creek Station near Pleasant Grove across the lake to connect with the stage line to Eureka and to haul ore from the mines near Eureka to the railroad lines in Utah Valley The Florence was launched in April 1891 It completed many pleasure voyages that summer, but the plan for freight and passenger service to the Tintic area was not very successful, and the railroad connection between Eureka and Springville, completed in December 1891, ended the Tintic business. Unable to make enough money on pleasure cruises alone, the owners of the Florence sold the boat in June 1892 to C. S. Wilkes and A. M. Wood of Salt Lake City who transported her to Great Salt Lake by rail and launched her that summer Renamed Talula, she provided pleasure trips at Garfield in 1892 and by 1894 was being successfully operated out of Saltair.8
In the summer of 1900 Utah Lake's first large naphtha- or gasoline-powered pleasure yacht was built for Saratoga Resort. Powered by two 4.25-horsepower engines and twin screw propellers, it was forty feet long by twelve feet wide and carried about one hundred passengers Very little is known about this boat's career on the lake, but it seems to have lasted only a few years. 9
The settlement of the farming community of Mosida on the west side of Utah Lake about a decade later helped stimulate the launching of another large excursion boat in 1914 The launch that had provided Mosida with passenger and freight service caught fire and burned to the waterline in April 1913. The following year the Reanon Wwas built to give Mosida a water connection with towns on the east shore of the lake. The two-tiered boat, eighty feet long by sixteen feet wide, was built at the Geneva Resort by the resort's manager, William M. "Billy" Wilson. Steel was used in the construction, and the boat was powered by a 36-horsepower heavy duty engine. It was equipped with life preservers and fire extinguishers for safety Passengers used the upper deck for dancing and the lower deck for luncheons The Reanon W made trips to all of the main resorts on the lake and also hauled coal, supplies, and passengers to the little town of Mosida. In the fall Mosida's grain harvest was transported to other ports on the lake.10 Although the excursion business was good, the passenger and freighting business faded as Mosida was slowly abandoned by its farmer tenants The craft was then remodeled to serve solely as an excursion boat. It was shortened to sixty-five feet in length, and the rail and seats were removed from the upper deck. The Reanon Wwas used on the lake until at least 1917.n
Then, during the next decade and a half, a small fleet of gasolinepowered launches capable of carrying thirty or more passengers gave pleasure seekers a chance to sail on the lake, but not until 1932, with the advent of the S.S. Sho-Boat, could people experience cruising on the lake in a large excursion boat again.
Two imaginative and mechanically gifted friends, born and raised in Utah Valley, planned and built the Sho-Boat. Hewitt Strong left his studies at Brigham Young University to enlist in the armed forces when the United States entered World War I in April 1917. He served twenty-one months as an airplane mechanic in the 138th Aero Squadron with overseas duty in England, Scotland, France, and Germany.12 He developed into an excellent mechanic who had the confidence to construct or fix almost anything. When he returned to civilian life he was hired as a mechanic at an automotive garage, Telluride Motor, in Provo When a badly wrecked seven-passenger Paige automobile was towed into the garage, Hewitt bought it and embarked on his first large solo mechanical project. He rebuilt the car into a one-of-a-kind roadster that he covered with imitation alligator hide. Christened The Bug, it had a front seat plus a rumble seat but no top, no doors, and no running boards. It did, however, have steps on the outside to help passengers climb over the side and into the deeply set seat.13
Elmer Smith also loved to work with mechanical objects. Even though his formal education did not extend past the third grade, he could do almost anything with his hands. He helped with his father's business, worked on the family farm, labored for Provo City, and learned to repair airplanes. His daughter described him as a daredevil playboy who taught himself how to fly and later even tried flying blindfolded. He sometimes attracted attention on parade days by being blindfolded and driving the mayor down Provo's major streets.14 Elmer's father, Henry Smith, owned and operated a pool hall on the corner of Center Street and First West, almost directly across the street south from Telluride Motor. That made it convenient for the two friends to cooperate on their first big mechanical project.
Since Hewitt missed the thrill of being overseas and Elmer was always looking for excitement, they wanted to create something new—the first motorized ice boat on Utah Lake. Elmer arranged for the acquisition of a new 9-cylinder, 80-horsepower Le Rhone airplane engine. The friends worked after hours to mount the engine, complete with a propeller, on a pair of sturdy sleigh-like runners. Behind the engine they built a frame cockpit covered with canvas that could carry five or six passengers. The eighteen-foot-long vehicle was steered by a third runner and a large rudder that resembled the tail of an airplane. There was one major problem, however, the vehicle had no brakes This necessitated careful driving, to say the least In January 1924 the men took it to Utah Lake, spun the propeller, and the awkward-looking creation skimmed across the ice and snow covered lake at speeds of nearly sixty miles per hour on its test run. Hewitt estimated that on smooth ice with no snow speeds of eighty miles per hour or even higher could be achieved. By the end of March the men had made four successful trips to the lake When snow covered the roads they drove the craft to the lake on its own power. A reporter who covered one trip asked Hewitt what the strange vehicle was called. The reply was, "Damned if I know." The journalist, who also taught at BYU, discreetly modified the name for use in his article in the Deseret News, and from that time on the unique creation was known as the Dami-phi-no. In the summer the friends attached the craft to a platform flanked on each side by pontoons and used it on the water.15
Both men spent countless recreational hours at Utah Lake They not only skimmed across its ice and boated on its waters, but they hunted, fished, and water skied there also. They loved the lake and wondered why it was not more heavily used by others. Something needed to be done to promote the lake as a recreational mecca. During the next few years plans for a larger project took form in their minds. Hewitt thought that ".. . a summer boat would pay for itself by carrying passengers to points of interest surrounding the lake."16 Elmer agreed; they would build an excursion boat. They envisioned no ordinary pleasure boat, but the largest, safest, most luxurious craft ever to operate on Utah's Sea of Galilee.17 And they could do it all themselves!
Most of the previous large excursion boats on Utah Lake were built during times of hope and prosperity. But the early 1930s were depression years, and to further complicate the situation Utah was in the middle of a drought. The level of Utah Lake was receding each year. Finding the money to built a pleasure boat during these times would, indeed, prove to be a problem But a solution was at hand Hewitt had received a larger than normal endowment insurance policy at the end of World War I since he had spent a long time overseas. To help finance the project, he applied for and received a loan against the policy Elmer borrowed money from his father to pay his share.18
Together the two men made plans and drew blueprints for their boat, with the better-educated Hewitt doing the complicated math. On the south side of Provo River near its mouth, they cleared a relatively flat area of brush and roughly leveled it for the construction site. They created a slightly elevated platform made of iron rails on which the bottom of the boat would be constructed. As the wood they had ordered began to arrive, it was piled nearby in stacks. Actual construction began in the spring of 1931. Most of the work was done with handsaws, hammers, screwdrivers, augers, and other hand tools after a full day on their regular jobs. Fortunately, some of their friends pitched in and helped, for the project was massive. Plans called for a boat ninety feet long and twenty-two feet wide Since the lake is very shallow in places, and the boat would occasionally have to sail in water only twelve to fourteen inches deep, a flat-bottomed design that would displace less water had been agreed upon. Five ninety- foot long floor joists were constructed by nailing and gluing together three two by sixes One joist ran along each side of the boat, and three others formed the interior frame. The wooden slats that formed the bottom of the boat were bolted to these joists, the cracks between the slats were caulked with oakum, and then the entire bottom was coated with tar. Then the partners faced the difficult task of turning the huge platform completely over so work could begin on the superstructure.19 With a solid timber beam about twelve by twentytwo inches and forty feet in length secured in place as an interior keel, the men built the sides of the boat and framed the large cabin area.
At this point the boat was launched into the river where it sank in the shallow water. Elmer later recalled that people thought he was crazy for building a boat that would not float, but he and Hewitt knew it would sink. After a few days in the water the wood would swell and make the joints water tight. Then the men went to work with pumps and pails to remove the water and raise the boat From that time until it was beached in the mid 1940s, there was rarely a problem with leakage. A bilge pump installed in the rear of the boat removed the small amount of water that seeped in.
As the boat sat in the river, work continued on the cabin area. It was closed in so the men could finish the interior during the winter. Before laying the floor, Elmer and Hewitt drilled ten to fifteen sets of consecutive holes through the side of the interior beam at intervals of ten feet. They then strung one-and-a-half inch cables through each of the holes, pulled them tight, and securely fastened them at each side of the boat to keep the craft tightly snugged together from side to side As a further precaution against separation, an additional cable was run from bow to stern on each side. In later years an engineer commented that the boat was overbuilt, stating that the cables were not necessary Perhaps not, but they certainly made the co-owners and passengers feel more secure.
The boat was initially powered by a large diesel engine, but it was excessively noisy and caused too much vibration. The men replaced it with two Buick straight-eight engines complete with transmissions that had three forward gears and reverse The partners equipped the boat with twin rudders and propellers that could be raised and lowered according to the depth of the water. The propellers were cast at Provo Foundry which also manufactured the other brass and bronze fittings for the boat. Later, when they discovered that winds caused the boat to drift sideways while entering the river, the ingenious duo solved the problem by adding two large rudders, one on each side of the bow, secured by a pivot point. Lowering the rudder on the leeward side compensated for the wind, and the boat could steer a steady course up the river. A winch raised and lowered the rudders.
The boat had some additional interesting features: A thirty-two volt gas generator provided power for the lights andjuke box An oldfashioned crank telephone connected the helm with the motor room. A siren and big lights on the bow were run by individual heavy-duty batteries. The boat was equipped with two anchors. One was a regular "T" type anchor; the other was a flat-blade anchor that worked better in the mud The anchors were only used during the most dangerous storms.20
Elmer and Hewitt constructed the helm with care Their command post was located in the forepart of the enclosed cabin area in full view of the passengers. A large window gave the commodores a grand view of the lake they loved Here the commodores would control the speed of the boat and steer it, using the elegant ship's wheel.
Envisioning the boat as a center of entertainment, they included features to encourage dancing and performing Immediately behind the helm area and facing the back of the boat was a raised platform for use as a stage and bandstand It was equipped with a curtain that could be opened and closed during performances and a piano. A large (twenty-two by forty-four feet) dance floor of tongue-and-groove oak extended from the stage almost to the stern. Posts down the middle of the floor supported the upper deck. Benches lined the two sides. The walls behind the benches were composed of alternate solid panels and panels with windows. The solid panels were hinged at the top and could be opened and hooked to the ceiling to provide ventilation on stuffy evenings. Small rooms across the back of the boat contained a kitchen area from which food, drinks, and souvenirs were sold; bathrooms, which, incidentally, drained into the lake; and the motor room, the door to which was seldom opened because of the engine noise. On the starboard side near the front of the cabin's outside wall stairs led to the upper deck. This deck, surrounded by a heavy rail, could be used for observation or dancing Passengers preferred dancing on the main deck, however, since the floor of the upper deck was covered with tar paper. Benches were later added around the perimeter of this level.21
From the very beginning the people of Utah Valley showed great interest in the building of the large boat. As construction neared completion, their curiosity peaked. On Sunday, March 27, 1932, they were given a chance to inspect the inside of the boat. That day over five hundred people toured the boat. With so many people milling around, the workmen had to stop working and act as tour guides on the second largest boat ever launched in Utah.22
After about a year of diligent labor, the men took their boat on a few short trial runs and then prepared for the craft's first official cruise on April 11, 1932. Her first customer was the Utah State Dentists' Association which was holding its annual convention in Provo The group held its concluding meeting on the boat As the dentists came on board that Monday evening they were greeted by Elmer and Hewitt in their commodore's uniforms and their wives, Elma and Etta, wearing dresses designed to look like sailor suits. It became a custom for the owners and their wives to wear nautical uniforms during all of their cruises. At 6:30 P.M. the trip, a relatively short one to Skipper's Bay and back, began. As they pulled out of the mouth of the Provo River, The Third Molar, a sailboat owned by dentist Earl Reynolds, pulled across the front of the large pleasure boat providing the passengers with a "beautiful evening-glow picture"23 as its silhouette reflected from the darkening waters of the lake.
Shortly after the boat stopped in Skipper's Bay for the banquet, four smaller boats arrived with the entertainment and several late-arriving dentists After dinner Norma McEwan Immisch and her dancers performed a number of dance routines, the BYU Male Quartet sang several songs, Bill Green's orchestra played a few numbers, and the passengers danced and joined in community singing The ship arrived back at its port in the mouth of the Provo River on schedule at 9:30 P.M. The trip was hailed as "the most enjoyable and colorful entertainment the dentists had ever put on."24 The novelty of sailing aboard a large boat in an arid inland basin was in part responsible for attracting sixty more dentists to the meeting than had attended the previous annual meeting in Salt Lake City. This auspicious beginning helped launch the boat on what was, for the most part, a successful fourteen-year career.
Private groups, such as the dentists, were responsible for providing their own entertainment. They hired bands, dancers, singing groups, vaudeville acts, etc. On these trips dancing was popular, and the roll of the ship sometimes made dancing exciting and often resulted in the creation of new dance steps After each evening of dance the floor was mopped, sparkles thrown on it, and a bale of hay dragged up and down it to make the floor slick for the next customers.
Food for the passengers was provided by either a local cafe or a catering service run by a Provo woman, Edna May Hedquist. She offered a special menu from which people could choose. The hot food was brought on board in large electric pans One of her specialties was Swiss steak which reportedly melted in the diners' mouths. The caterers also provided box lunches and drinks.
Voyages open to the public were launched on April 17.25 These cruises usually ran on Sunday afternoons but were occasionally offered during the week. Bird or Rock Island, located about six miles southwest of the mouth of Provo River, was the usual destination. The boat could get close enough to the island to run a gangplank to the shore. Passengers walked onto the island and roamed about the calcareous limestone, exploring inlets or looking for birds' eggs. Large numbers of seagulls sometimes swooped over the island, defending their eggs with the only weapon they had in their arsenal The explorers protected themselves by wearing broad-brimmed hats or using umbrellas, but they often had to make a hasty retreat to the boat. A warm mineral spring on the north side of the island attracted visitors.
Cruising at six to eight miles per hour, the tours to the island took from three to four hours to complete. Adults paid fifty cents for a round-trip ticket and children, ages seven to fifteen, twenty-five cents. On public tours the kitchen served hot dogs and hamburgers for ten cents and assorted soft drinks, candy, and gum for a nickel. Elma Smith reportedly made a wonderful potato salad that usually disappeared before the boat reached Rock Island.26
On May 11 nearly one hundred friends of the co-owners gave them a "boat shower" that included an elaborate buffet luncheon and dancing to music provided by LaMar Madsen's Victorians. The guests of honor received gifts suitable for use on the boat.27
On Thursday, July 28, customers were invited to join the first public cruise and dance held on the boat. The dance started at 9 P.M., and the boat left the wharf at 10 o'clock. Vaudeville numbers provided entertainment. The couples enjoyed good music and danced in romantic surroundings under the stars for seventy-five cents.28 Unfortunately, thieves also enjoyed the summer nights, and dance cruise customers reported items stolen from automobiles they had parked near the boat dock. The cruise operators asked the police to patrol the beach on dance nights.29
During the rest of the 1932 season, the boat continued its public tours and was chartered by private groups like the Vikings and the Nuggets—BYU social units—the Provo Chamber of Commerce, the Lion's Club, and a salesmen's group. All sorts of people and groups as widely varied in personality and purpose as church parties and drinking parties felt at home on the ship's deck or in its cabin.30 Money was difficult to come by during the early 1930s, but people seemed willing to spend it for a ride on the boat. For many the voyage provided a rare chance to ride in what they considered, in those humble times, the lap of luxury. The average dancing group numbered about eighty couples, and occasionally the number of passengers on a regular tour neared the maximum of two hundred fifty. A 1938 trip taken to Rock Island by BYU summer school students may have included three hundred—probably the largest group ever to ride the boat.31
Until 1933 the boat was called "The Smith-Strong Yacht" or "The Ship" but had no formal name. By the beginning of her second season she was officially known as the Smith-Strong Showboat.32 The next year the spelling was shortened to S.S. Sho-Boat, the name she carried for the rest of its career. 33
The crew usually consisted of five to eight people who were often members of the Smith and Strong families. Hewitt and Elmer controlled the operation of the boat, and their wives and Elmer's daughter Norma served as hostesses and took charge of the food An additional person was needed in the motor room In later years this position was usually filled by Hewitt's sons, Hewitt Jr. and Roland or, occasionally, Norma. On some cruises the crew included a bouncer to handle any disorderly people. Generally the passengers were well behaved, but once in a while someone would have a bit too much to drink and would need some strong-arming to settle him back down. A man on one voyage argued with his wife and decided to drown himself He jumped overboard and was promptly rescued by Elmer The process was repeated. When the man jumped into the lake for the third time, Elmer was thoroughly disgusted and yelled at him to go ahead and drown The man reconsidered and swam back to the boat.34 Another man with the same problem was rescued twice and then knocked out and locked in the closet with the life preservers until shore was reached.35
Because a large boat requires continual upkeep and repair, the men needed a shop near the dock They acquired an old carnival wagon, twenty-five feet long by eight feet wide, and hauled it to the mouth of the river. The wagon was used as a machine and repair shop as well as a storage area. At first it sat too high off the ground. Roland Strong remembered digging four holes to accommodate the huge wheels and lower the wagon's height The old carnival wagon made a somewhat bizarre looking but convenient shop.36
One of the most serious problems faced by the owners of the S.S. Sho-Boat in its fledgling career was the long period of drought that adversely affected the level of Utah Lake through the mid-1930s. In 1933 the Provo River became very narrow and shallow, and a bar formed across its mouth, making it difficult to move the boat onto the lake. The owners needed a different area from which to launch it. The beaches of the lake sloped so gradually that the water remained shallow quite a distance from shore. Although the boat could operate in shallow water, it could not get close enough to shore to allow passengers to board A sandy, elevated spit ran out into the lake seven or eight hundred feet south of the mouth of the Provo River. The partners decided to build a pier about a hundred feet long from the sand spit out into water deep enough to dock the boat. They built the first stretch of the pier by securing planks to the tops of gradually ascending sawhorses; but the last twenty-five feet of its length had to be strong enough to provide a secure mooring for the boat. Elmer and Hewitt had to devise a way to sink telephone poles deep enough into the lake bottom to hold the weight of the boat Again, they produced an imaginative solution Using the boat as a working platform, they placed a large water pump, with a fire hose attached, on deck. They tied the nozzle end of the hose to a push-pole about twenty-five feet long and secured both to the bottom end of a telephone pole that was winched into an upright position. When the pump was turned on, the force of water shooting from the nozzle dug into the sand and mud of the lake bottom, creating a hole for the telephone pole. As the pushpole was forced downward, the hole became deeper until the telephone pole reached the desired depth.
Since Elmer and Hewitt were still working at their regular jobs, they again depended on friends to help construct the pier. The men would arrive at the work site, board the boat, change into their bathing suits, and go to work in the water. Although the work was physically demanding, the men managed to have fun, bantering back and forth and occasionally playing practicaljokes.Johnny Barker, one of the men who helped build the pier, worked in a doctor's office, was good looking, and dressed immaculately Hewitt, a car salesman who also liked to be well dressed, sometimes arrived at the pier project later than others, and Johnny would always tease him about it. One day the late-arriving Hewitt furtively boarded the boat. When he walked onto the pier in a good-looking suit,Johnny started kidding him. According to Hewitt's son Roland,
To the amazement of Barker and the others, Hewitt jumped in, fully dressed. Johnny couldn't stop laughing. It was one of the funniest things he had ever seen. The immaculate Hewitt Strong stood in the water dressed in an expensive suit After a few minutes Hewitt said it was time to change into his swimming trunks and really go to work.
When the evening's work was finished and the men entered the boat to change into their clothes, Johnny was amazed to see Hewitt putting on a dry, pressed, clean suit. When he apprehensively glanced up to the place where he had hung his own suit, he saw a wet, wrinkled mass draped limply over the hanger Hewitt had worn Johnny's suit when he jumped into the lake.37
The partners used the wharf for at least two seasons. The S.S. Sho Boat continued in operation during the drought, except during 1935 and 1936 when the water was just not deep enough for her to cruise.38 In November 1935 Utah Lake contained only 10,000 acre feet of water covering an area of 20,000 acres. The boat was apparently anchored in the mouth of the Provo River where there was a little water. In July 1936, even though the boat could not sail on the lake, it was the scene of a dinner-dance hosted by a group of prominent Provo residents.39 These were definitely difficult years financially for the boat's owners. By the spring of 1937 there was enough water in the lake for the boat to operate, although it was difficult to get over the bar at the mouth of the river. In May the Sho-Boat cruised again to Rock Island.40 This was the beginning of a successful and tightly scheduled summer. People welcomed the boat back, and once more it was making money for the co-owners
Vandalism was another problem the partners faced. In the early years Elmer, his wife Elma, and their daughter lived on the boat in the summer, which proved a good deterrent, but it was impossible to watch the boat all of the time, especially in winter. Break-ins caused damage and loss. Vandals broke pop bottles, damaged the piano, and drained gas from the tank. One winter, in an effort to curb the vandalism, the owners anchored the boat by the warm spring on Rock Island and left the doors open all winter so ice skaters could enter for shelter. The boat was unharmed that year. The owners could find no permanent solution, however, and the men learned grudgingly to expect a certain amount of damage.41
Boating on Utah Lake presented unique challenges and dangers. One was returning the craft to its dock in the river late at night To help the pilot find his way up Provo River in the dark, the owners installed two lights on the south bank: a red light close to the mouth of the river and a green light three or four hundred feet upriver from the docking spot. When the boat was about a half-mile out the skipper would line up the red light with the green one, and this would ensure a straight course to the mouth of the river. As the boat moved into the river, he would turn on its spotlights, and, at a signal from the boat, floodlights near the dock were activated The captain was then able to turn the boat around and dock it facing toward the lake for the next tour.42
A major safety concern was fire. Consequently, the owners placed so many fire extinguishers on board that the fire department used to joke about it. The extinguishers in the motor room were glass orbs full of red fluid. If a fire ignited there the orbs were designed to burst and quench it with the fluid In addition to foam spray extinguishers located throughout the ship, the owners had attached a hose to a water pump for use in an emergency. 43 They also kept many life preservers on board. Some were the Mae West style and some the doughnut variety. In an emergency, doors and shutters could be taken off their hinges and used as floats.44
Sailors often encounter strong winds on Utah Lake Smith and Strong found that during the afternoon the wind usually came from the northwest and moved toward Spanish Fork Canyon. Then there would be a period of calm before the wind reversed, blowing out of the canyon and across the lake to the northwest. The men tried to schedule their afternoon tours so that most of their sailing could be done during the calm period. When the wind began to blow out of Spanish Fork Canyon, they wanted to be near the mouth of Provo River and on their way into port. In spite of their precautions, the boat did encounter storms, and several violent thunderstorms really tested the mettle of the boat and its ability to stay afloat. One evening when the Footprinters Club had chartered the boat, an exceedingly violent storm accompanied by high winds struck the lake while the craft was quite a distance north of the mouth of Provo River. Co-captains Smith and Strong decided it would be safer to drop the anchors with the boat facing into the wind and stay put than to head for the river. They kept both engines running in second gear to take some of the stress off the boat and the anchor chains Huge waves swept across the lake about thirty feet apart Because the S.S. Sho-Boat was ninety feet long, one wave would crash against the bow while another would lift the boat at midships and a third would break away from the stern. The few passengers brave enough to stand on the observation deck could see the boat bend slighdywith the waves Some of the tables and coolers that had been set up on the top deck blew off. As evening darkened into night all of the passengers took refuge in the large cabin area. Vivid lightning flashes sporadically illuminated the room, and the roar of the thunder was ominous. Waves crashed against the side of the boat, and water came in around the windows and latched wall sections and flowed across the dance floor. The passengers were extremely tense. They knew there was no way to get to shore until the storm ended and all the captains could do was try to ride it out One of the men aboard that night was Johnny Halliday, a devotee of the lake who had some experience in vaudeville. In an effort to calm the fears of the passengers and divert their attention from the storm, he launched into one of his typical routines Grabbing a broom, he began to sing to it as he danced across the stage. His performance relieved some of the tension. As soon as the storm began to abate, the boat was run forward to make some slack in the anchor chains. The Footprinters were only too happy to help pull the heavy anchors up and head for the safety of the shore When the boat was finally docked, yet another problem awaited them. Nobody could get back to town because the storm had downed numerous trees, blocking the road. Still the passengers and crew felt much more comfortable now that the boat was firmly tied to the dock. The crew felt something more—the pride of knowing that they and their boat had weathered the worst storm they had ever been forced to endure.45
In preparation for the opening of the 1940 season the owners decided to build a new helm house on the upper level of the boat. It would replace the ship's wheel in the front of the boat on the main level At that location, when people stood at the bow of the boat, which they liked to do, they blocked the pilot's vision. On the upper level no one could block the pilot's view. That same year the owners also installed two rebuilt Buick engines and gave their boat a new paintjob.46
During the late 1930s and early 40s the S.S. Sho-Boat offered additional entertainment on tours. Ajuke box installed inside the cabin provided dance music, and one of the most popular songs was "The Beer Barrel Polka." For several years special groups could play two nickel slot machines on the boat. The machines were mounted on revolving platforms inside metal cabinets with sliding doors that were kept closed and locked when not in use The slots provided entertainment for several years before the police somehow received word of their existence. The owners of the boat were informed beforehand of the impending raid. Larry Atkinson, owner of the slots, clandestinely replaced the good machines with two of his old, worn-out slots. When the police confiscated the machines, both they and Atkinson were satisfied. Thus, the gambling era on the S.S. Sho-Boat came to a reasonably happy ending.47
The Smith and Strong families often performed some aquatic feats on the afternoon tours. The men and their children were excellent at aquaplaning Since someone had to operate the vessel, Hewitt stayed with the boat and Elmer did the skiing. He was often joined by his young daughter, Norma. While another, faster boat towed the aquaplane48 through the water, Elmer would ski on one leg or on his head or would sometimes put a chair on the board and ski on his head on the chair. When Elmer and Norma rode the board together, he skied facing forward while Norma faced backward and stood on her head She would arch her legs over Elmer's shoulders, tuck them under his arms, pull herself up onto his shoulders, and then elevate herself into a standing position. As a finale Elmer would then stand on the chair. Hewitt's boys, HewittJr. and Roland, and others added to the entertainment in later years byjumping off the top of the boat, drifting to the rear, swimming to a rope attached to the stern, and pulling themselves forward to the craft. It looked relatively easy, but a certain routine needed to be followed. One of the most important rules was to make a shallow dive because in many places Utah Lake is not very deep. Elmer's cousin, Jenis, who wanted tojoin the fun, was specifically cautioned about this, but he either forgot or disregarded the warning. He made a deep dive and found himself stuck head first in the muddy bottom of the lake. In his panic it seemed to take a long time to struggle free and reach the surface. The boat, which he feared had gone on, was still opposite him and its passengers were treated to a comic sight—a mud-covered head from which two wide open, frightened eyes peered anxiously around until they spotted the boat nearby.49
Although the boat was launched during the depression and could not operate for two years because of drought, it was nonetheless successful financially. No financial records are available, but both families agree that they made money Repeat cruises by church groups, women's clubs, civic clubs, public school groups, fraternal organizations, college social units, and others created this success. Some organizations reserved the boat for cruises year after year. Public tours brought in money also, but during the final years of operation the owners of the S.S. Sho-Boat did not need to run public cruises because they booked so many chartered groups Eventually the trips for public schools were discontinued because the students had become too wild and destructive. Besides, the boat was booked solid for about two years in advance. Business held up well through World War II. The people working so hard on the home front needed some way to relax and forget their worries. Geneva Steel held parties on the boat, and people even came down from Salt Lake to cruise. Advertising was no longer necessary. The last eight years the boat operated were probably the most profitable because of repeat business.
Because Elmer and Hewitt had regularjobs, profits from the boat provided extra money for their families The men got the profit from the operation of the boat, and the women got the profit from the concessions on board. Elma and Etta always claimed they made more money, and the men reluctantly agreed. The women paid only for their supplies, while the men paid for gasoline, oil, ordinary maintenance and repair, and vandalism However, both men and women were happy for the modest profit they made. Elmer used his money to help pay off the mortgage on his farm. Both families used the money for recreation that would have been impossible otherwise.50
In the mid-1940s the partners decided to quit while they were ahead. Insurance costs were rising, and the men wondered how much longer the boat would remain seaworthy They feared that one major catastrophe would wipe out all of their lives' savings. Moreover, both the men and the women were tired of the long, hard work required to maintain and operate the boat Together they decided to cease operations.51
On August 4, 1945, one of the last parties was held aboard the S.S. Sho-Boat. A Provo radio station, KOVO, rented the craft for an outing for its board of directors and employees and their guests Besides dancing, the group enjoyed a vocal and instrumental program featuring the "Happy Chappies." The entertainers also conducted a musical quiz and awarded prizes to the winners. Another highlight of that summer evening on the water was a chicken supper served buffet style.52 It is unlikely that any other groups chartered the boat after this year.
In the spring of 1946 the boat was taken into the Provo Boat Harbor. A timing clock was set up on deck, and she was used as the official timing station for the first Memorial Day Boat Race held on Utah Lake since the beginning of American involvement in World War II This may have been one of the boat's last official functions.53 The next year Elmer dug a large shallow depression on the south side of the Provo River near where construction on the craft had begun fifteen years earlier. The hole was filled with water from the river and the boat was floated into it. The craft was blocked up and the water was pumped from the excavation. After the boat was dry docked, the owners considered converting it into a restaurant but later decided against it It was not long before vandals struck They repeatedly broke into the boat and stole things. The owners could not find an effective means of stopping them. The boat's elaborate wheel disappeared, as did the anchors and even the dual Buick engines. Almost everything that could be separated from the boat was stolen. The Strong family managed to salvage the ship's bell and its siren which had come from an old fire engine. Hewitt was pleasantly surprised some years later when he received a call from a returned LDS missionary who offered to return both anchors to soothe his guilty conscience The Strongs accepted them happily with no questions asked.54 When Utah Lake came up to a near record level in the early 1950s, water again surrounded the S.S. Sho-Boat. Cracks between the joints in the bottom of the craft let water in. Waves sent driftwood crashing into her sides, and water inside her cabin did irreparable damage. Elmer and his son-in-law, Boyd Wright, salvaged some of the wood around 1958 to use in Elmer's new home and carport on the family farm in Edgemont near the mouth of Provo Canyon.55
Commodore Elmer Smith evidently missed having a large boat on Utah Lake. He hired a structural engineer from Geneva Steel to design a steel-bottomed boat ten feet wider and fifteen feet longer than the old one. The Korean War ended his dream. The demand for steel increased to such an extent that he could not secure enough to build the boat, and he eventually lost interest in the project.56
Since the beaching of S.S. Sho-Boat, no large excursion boat has plied the waters of Utah Lake, and it is unlikely that one ever will. Insurance expense alone would make the cost prohibitive. Today's speed- and action-oriented generation would probably not be satisfied with an eight-mile-per-hour cruise over a turbid lake to an island without a theme park. But if Lake Bonneville ever reappears and begins to fill Utah Valley, there is a house in Edgemont that will likely turn over in the water and sail like a boat toward Rock Island.
NOTES
Mr Carter, a retired history instructor and local historian, lives in Springville, Utah.
1 Interview with Roland Strong by author and Francis Bowen, Orem, Utah, October 12, 1993, and interview with Norma Smith Wright and Boyd Wright by author, Edgemont, Utah, March 9, 1995; tapes and transcripts of both interviews in author's possession.
2 Journal of the Proceedings of the Utah County Court, June 11, 1855, p 77, County Recorder's Office, Utah County Building, Provo No other concrete evidence of this boat or its use as a pleasure craft has been located The men were active in the commercial fishing industry on the lake, however, and probably did build a boat It is unlikely that it was very large.
3 "Life and Memoirs of Emil Frederick Wurzbach to which is appended some Papers of Joh n Meusebach," Yanaguana Society Publications 3 (1937): 24—25.
4 Kate B Carter, ed., Heart Throbs of the West, 12 vols (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1939-51), 4:168.
5 Deseret Evening News, October 21, 1880.
6 Salt Lake Daily Herald, August 11, 28, 1886.
7 Lehi Banner, Jun e 19, 1891 A smaller steamer, the Eastman, was constructed in and operated out of American Fork Built by L A Robert for $1,500 and launched in the summer of 1889, it accommodated some seventy-five passengers Little is known of its career on the lake See Provo Enquirer, Jun e 21, 1889.
8 Provo Enquirer, June 21, 1889, January 17, February 12, April 30, May 2, 1891, June 14, 1892; Provo Evening Dispatch, March 18, April 29, Mav 2, 1891; Sail Lake Herald, July 16, 1894; Salt Lake Tribune, May 30, 1898.
9 Springville Independent, July 12, 1900; Salt Lake Tribune, July 9, 1900.
10 Provo Herald, May 18, 1914; American Fork Citizen, May 23, 1914 The largest cargo transported by the Reanon Wwas 1,000 sacks of grain carried from Mosida to Pelican Point See Carter, Heart Throbs, 4:169.
11 Provo Herald, August 14, 1916.
12 Etta Sears Simmons Strong, "I'm a Damn Cute Kid!" personal history in the possession of Roland Strong, Orem, Utah.
13 Ibid.
14 Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
15 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; "Strange Craft Makes Its Appearance on Utah Lake," Deseret News, March 1, 1924 Shortly after the completion of Dami-phi-no Elmer built himself a small inboard wooden motorboat named It for cruising, not racing, on the lake Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
16 Deseret News, March 1, 1924.
17 Pioneer Utahns were fond of comparing the Great Salt Lake, Jordan River, and Utah Lake with the Dead Sea, Jordan River, and Sea of Galilee in the Holy Land Some older residents of Utah Valley still think of Utah Lake as Utah's Sea of Galilee.
18 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, March 9, 1995 Congress passed the Adjusted Compensation Act in 1924. It provided each veteran with an insurance policy that would mature in twenty years When the depression came Congress passed, over President Hoover's veto, a bill that allowed veterans to borrow up to half the amount of the face value of their policies at 4 percent interest.
See Gene Smith, The Shattered Dream: Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression (New York: William Morrow & Co., 1970), p 127 See also Provo Evening Herald, February 28, March 3, 1931.
19 The feat was accomplished with the use of huge poles and a block and tackle system.
20 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, March 9, 1995 Analysis of the step-by-step pictures of the construction of the boat taken by Hewitt Strong proved invaluable in helping the author form a concept of how the boat was put together.
21 Wright interview, March 9, 1995, provided a detailed description of the interior of the boat Pictures taken by Hewitt Strong again proved very valuable See also Provo Evening Herald, August 4, 1932 A ladder near the door of the motor room also led to the upper deck.
22 Provo Evening Herald, April 1, 1932 Only the General Garfield on the Great Salt Lake in the late nineteenth century was larger.
23 Provo Evening Herald, April 12, 1932.
24 Ibid.
25 Provo Sunday Herald, April 17, 1932.
26 Interview with Roland Strong and Norma Wright, Edgemont, Utah, February 15, 1995; an d Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
27 Provo Evening Herald, May 12, 1932.
28 Provo Evening Herald, July 27, 1932.
29 Provo Evening Herald, July 14, 1933.
30 Strong interview, October 12, 1993.
31 Concerning the summer school excursion, a newspaper clipping in the Strong family scrapbook and picture album in the possession of Roland Strong, Orem, Utah, has a handwritten note under the headline that says "300 Passangers" (sic).
32 Provo Evening Herald, July 14, 1932.
33 Provo Evening Herald, July 2, 1934.
34 Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
35 Strong interview, October 12, 1993.
30 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
37 Ibid, and Hewitt Strong's photographs of pier construction.
38 Strong, "I'm a Damn Cute Kid!"
39 Spanish Fork Press, November 7, 1935; Provo Evening Herald, July 30, 1936. Asearch of local papers turned up no evidence that the boat was operated during 1935-36 Stories about it began appearing again in 1937.
40 Provo Evening Herald, May 3, 1937.
41 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
42 Strong interview, October 12, 1993.
43 Ibid.; Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
44 Ibid.
45 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Gary Harker, "Rotting Hulk of Provo Ship Shrouds Memory of Past Ghosts," Provo Daily Herald, May 23, 1958.
46 Sunday Provo Herald, April 28, 1940; Provo Daily Herald, June 21,1940; Strong interview, October 12, 1993.
47 Strong interview, February 15, 1995.
48 An aquaplane is a solid piece of wood four or five feet long and about thirty-two inches wide with strips of wood around the edge for strength It is rigged with a tow rope and used like water skis.
49 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, March 9, 1993.
50 The two families also made a modest profit from a small stand at the mouth of the river where they sold hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks, candy, gum, and miscellaneous items Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, March 9, 1995; Strong and Wright interview, February 15, 1995.
51 Strong, "I'm a Damn Cute Kid."
52 Provo Daily Herald, August 23, 1945.
53 Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
54 Strong interview, October 12, 1993; Wright interview, February 15, 1995.
55 Sunday Provo Herald, April 6, 1952 Elmer also used lumber from the boat to build a workshop across the road from his home, and, ever ingenious, to convert a bread truck into a camper Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
56 Wright interview, March 9, 1995.
