Utah Stories November 2023

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NOVEMBER 2023

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UTAH STORIES MAGAZINE

6 Utah Stories Contributors 12 A Look At History Oops! We did it again!

14 Building For Growth Leaves Unsheltered Out of Equation City & State homeless leaders deserve A's!

18 A Hermit's Tale

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 41

22 Which Bathroom Can Your Kids Use? Battle of the bathrooms

42 SR 224 Bus Rapid Transit and Wildlife Mitigating safety concerns

52 Waterpocket Distillery Utah's unusal spirits

54 Drage Second Chance Ranch

The hermit of Marjum Pass

20 Topaz Internment Camp

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All animals respond to kindness

58 Mesa Farm Market The Purple Store on Hwy 24

Will we repeat history?

SPOTLIGHT 26 Moab

38 Park City

Moab Museums Brings

How Park City Survived the

Ghost Towns to Life

Great Fire of 1898

34 Ogden

44 Sugar House

Celebrating 100 Years of

A New Chapter for Original

Peery's Egyptian Theater

Fiddler's Elbow

LOCAL & AWESOME? Utah Stories invites excellent local businesses to inquire about our advertising rates and determine if our readership is a good fit. For more information please contact Richard at 801-856-3595 or visit utahstories.com/advertising

48 Food Diner Democracy

WE POST STORIES AND PHOTOS ALL THE TIME. FOLLOW US @ UTAHSTORIES PUBLISHER/EDITOR Richard Markosian Golda Hukic-Markosian PUBLISHER’S ASST. Connie Lewis SALES & ACCOUNTS Alegra Zuchowicz Matt Pyne Shelley Stewart

DISTRIBUTION Connie Lewis DIGITAL PUBLISHER & MARKETING & EVENTS Golda Hukic-Markosian Alegra Zuchowicz SOCIAL MEDIA Alegra Zuchowicz COPY EDITOR

4 | utahstories.com

David Jensen GRAPHIC DESIGN Anna Lythgoe Fletcher Marchant Susan Maxfield PHOTOGRAPHERS Shauna Hart Dung Hoang Kaelyn Korte

John Taylor Diego Velasquez ILLUSTRATORS Dung Hoang WRITERS Erin Dixon Laurel Dudley Francis Fecteau Rachel Fixsen

Taylor Hartman Golda Hukic-Markosian Richard Markosian Heather L. King Tani Leavitt Cathy McKitrick Ted Scheffler COVER Dung Hoang

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BEHIND THE STORIES Erin Dixon

Erin can’t keep her mouth shut. Or, perhaps, more appropriately, she can’t keep her words in at all, on paper or verbally. She frequently hurls these words on paper, in conversation, in poetry or in journalism. Blank stares are regular responses to what she has to say, especially when she rambles on about the philosophical and psychological consequences of owning a dog.

As a child, Erin spent days reading and had a habit of completing Harry Potter books in two days. Her words tumbled into moviemaking and short stories. College came, and she thought stories were behind her. However, the study of ancient Greek and Roman history and language enlightened and further honed her skills for turning thought into written word. Stories abound, even through the most basic, humdrum factual textbook. Every spoken and written word will show biases and opinions.

Modern politics and people are not so different from those who lived 2,000 years ago, as she discovered while writing for a newspaper about local governments. Governments and everyday people are often at odds, and tell their stories through the conflicts they choose. This led her to launch her own project, Local Government 101. She also tells other people’s stories by running ads through her second business venture, Quill Pen Ads. Between writing for Utah Stories and managing two businesses, she watches all things Star Wars with her spouse, two children and a dog.

Brandi Christoffersen

Since she was a young girl, Brandi Christoffersen has enjoyed writing and telling stories.

Blessed with a vivid imagination, she would entertain her two brothers and cousins with original stories and adventurous tales.

Unlike many of her peers, Brandi delighted in writing essays, papers, and reports from childhood, through adolescence and college, and into adulthood.

During her time as managing editor for a resource magazine, the publication repeatedly won Utah’s Best of State award and other accolades. Brandi has also had the privilege to interview and write articles for many locally-based celebrities, including Tan France, Ty Burrell, Ted Ligety, and Bill Engval.

Growing up in Northern Utah, Brandi always adored the beauty and magnificence of this amazing state. Although the allure of a metropolitan lifestyle did tempt her away to Chicago, the mountains and easygoing pace soon called her back home.

Brandi currently resides in Park City with her son, Pierce, and French bulldog, Pepper. Pierce is currently completing his senior year at the University of Utah, and is in the process of applying for graduate school.

Brandi is honored to be writing articles and features about this amazing state, and is grateful to be doing what she loves each day.

Taylor Hartman

Taylor Hartman is an Ogden-based writer who enjoys storytelling in all forms. His work has been featured in numerous Utah publications, winning an SPJ award for his reporting on nursing homes with the Utah Investigative Journalism Project. Taylor's passion lies in uncovering hidden narratives and shedding light on the unseen. With a background in tourism and journalism, Taylor strives to tell the story of Utah and Utahns from north to south.

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ONLINE COMMENTS Comments from The @Jjiadams4608 Utah Stories Instagram Reel: People argue about the importance of not having a reliance on foreign oil. We should have local farms to provide food locally rather than importing our food from abroad. It may be cheap now, but what happens when we develop all of our farmland and have no choice but to pay whatever the foreign countries are charging for food once we can no longer provide our own?

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LEARNING From history Oops! We did it again!

By Golda Hukic-Markosian "History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future."

—Robert Penn Warren

12 | utahstories.com

well as present ones.

The stories where the past is honored and celebrated include the rejuvenation of a hundred-year-old theater in Ogden; a story of Utahns not succumbing to a fire that destroyed Park City, but instead, rebuilding it in all of its former glory; and stories of overcoming addiction and saving lives, both human and animal.

We hope that this issue of Utah Stories will help you reflect on our not-so-distant past, and hopefully we can collectively face a brighter future with all the courage and determination of our predecessors.

ILLUSTRATION BY DUNG HOANG

I

stumbled across this quote recently. It is my favorite because, let’s face it, we do not learn from the history we study in school, so we end up constantly repeating the same mistakes our predecessors committed. Back in my country, we would say that we do not realize how hard a wall is until we bang our heads on it.

We learn by our personal experiences.

I experienced a civil war, discrimination, hatred, and ethnic cleansing, among other atrocities. These experiences made me stronger, but more importantly, gave me a fuller understanding of human nature. We all are capable of great deeds, but also of evil ones when feeling comfortably anonymous as part of a tribe or hidden behind our social media accounts.

In this issue of Utah Stories, we chose to present stories of past discrimination as

Building for growth leaves unsheltered out of equation Salt lake city succeeds in growing tall for elites but fails at providing shelter for the homeless.

I

f Salt Lake City leaders were merely judged by their words, they would all grade themselves with A’s. But if we evaluate them using numbers, logic and reality, their performance is abysmal.

Few would doubt that Salt Lake City’s mayor wants to see homeless people in shelters. Nobody would doubt our State Homeless Coordinator does not want homeless seniors and people with disabilities out of the cold this winter. But the simple fact is that they are failing, and they don’t want to or cannot make available enough warm space to save lives this winter — and learn from their mistakes from last winter — when at least 12 people froze to death.

A month ago, Mayor Mendenhall and State Homeless Coordinator, Wayne

14 | utahstories.com

Niederhauser, organized a press conference; it was the culmination of three years of discussion, debate, planning and coordination: “Salt Lake City will have a sanctioned homeless campground!” said Mayor Mendenhall. “A campground where couples, people with pets, and those in the most need will be able to get out of the cold and remain with their loved ones.”

They had funding for fifty $10,000 “pods” — tiny houses equipped to keep the homeless warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Finally! They offered a grant to operate the campground. They only needed to fulfill an RFP (request for proposal) to find an operator for the campground.

Today, they claim that they did not find any non-profit entity qualified to operate the

PHOTOS BY JOHN TAYLOR

By Richard Markosian

The Salt Lake City skyline now includes the tallest building in Utah, the 41-story luxury high-rise Astra Tower, from KIC Utah. The building will soon be offering 377 high-end apartments.

campground. Those who claim to care that people died last winter, on their watches, don’t quite care enough to make viable policies that align with their words.

The problem now is that while the city, county and state are funding 600 more beds for “winter overflow”, according to Wendy Garvin of Unsheltered Utah, this is 400 beds short of what is required. Instead, these unsheltered people will need to find a way to get a one-way bus ticket elsewhere.

If we examine city policy and the increasing frequency of homeless abatements, certainly the city hopes the unsheltered get the clear message that this is not the place. The Homeless Information Management System currently reports that all beds are being used in all homeless resource centers, but there are a few people who won’t be standing by watching hundreds of unsheltered homeless freeze in the cold.

Last winter, a few non-profits, who received little to no taxpayer support operating with volunteers and little money, accomplished what the city, county and state leaders could not — they saved lives by getting unsheltered people out of the cold.

Wendy Garvin, who operates Unsheltered Utah, was one of the main organizers of an effort called Movie Night. Garvin partnered with Dave John of Our Unsheltered Relatives, and Carl Moore of Pandos along

with the First United Methodist Church.

The Church agreed to provide the warm building, while the other non-profits provided donations and support services to operate the unsanctioned shelter.

“They deserve all of the credit,” Garvin said on the Utah Stories Podcast. “They [the other non-profits] spent all of the late nights and all of the early mornings there taking care of the homeless.” To fully understand this story, we must back up to 2021.

As winter was approaching in 2020, Mayor Mdndenhall, along with the Salt Lake City Council, began feeling overburdened that there were far more unsheltered homeless people than beds. The Council and the Mayor had a session and collectively decided that they were unhappy about the reality of the homeless situation being tossed in their lap.

In their pity party, they decided to pass a “ … moratorium on building or allowing any more homeless shelters in Salt Lake City.”

Their decision was to attempt to force other counties and state agencies to step up and build more shelters county-wide.

This measure ignored the plight of the unsheltered who gathered in Salt Lake City because that is where most homeless services are offered.

While Garvin doesn’t accept much of the credit, she takes credit for doing something

utahstories.com | 15

Jared, is an unsheltered homeless man, getting warm last February on the Nomad Alliance bus. Jared told Utah Stories he would like to get off the streets and into a job program.

that the city had put a moratorium on allowing — she provided a shelter and prevented people from freezing to death by circumventing and willfully breaking the law the city moratorium on shelters.

An unsheltered man who goes by “Crash” who suffers from a traumatic brain injury made it clear how Movie Night saved his life: “I received my tent and sleeping bag, thanks to Ty [Bellamy] (who operates another non-profit called Black Lives for Humanity), but someone stole my blanket and sleeping bag!” Crash told Utah Stories.

Without Movie Night, he would have frozen to death.

Another non-profit called Nomad Alliance provided basic survival gear to the homeless such as food, provisions and hand sanitizer.

The alliance even purchased a bus with a wood-burning stove inside that helped the homeless remain warm. Kseniya Kniazeva is receiving national and international headlines because she went so far as to create a homeless calendar of men without shirts to raise funds for her organization.

As winter approaches, another blight on the homeless mismanagement is the Ramada Inn — a facility set aside to provide permanent supportive housing for up to 400 chronically homeless.

The city offered developer Keith Warburton a $2 million grant and a $1.8

16 | utahstories.com

million RDA loan for renovation of the property. Despite huge incentives, he failed to even obtain permits to begin, and couldn’t manage to pay his water or trash bills. Mayor Mendenhall claims she only learned about Warburton’s failure, not in the ten months that ensued prior to when he reneged on the deal, but when the Salt Lake Tribune reported on it at the end of September.

According to Scott Howell of Solutions Utah, $89 million in taxpayer money was spent last year to provide homeless assistance to around 10,000 individuals.

Where did this $89 million go? Who did it benefit? How many homeless lives were improved due to these funds?

In Mendenhall and Neiderhauser’s words, they are not to blame that their money and words aren’t solving the problem. State Homeless Coordinator Wayne Niederhauser receives a salary of more than $258,000 per year. The journalists who work for the Deseret News and Tribune aren’t asking: How is he even qualified for this position?

Niederhauser won’t answer our questions or call us back. He is an unelected leader unaccountable to the people.

Road Home CEO, Michelle Flynn, receives a $150,000 annual salary. She will not answer any questions about the failure of the permanent supportive housing and resource centers under her authority.

Neither Niederhauser nor the Road Home Organization will answer any of our accountability questions.

Currently, the only non-profit that is willing to be held accountable for receiving government funding is Switchpoint, led by Carol Hollowell. Switchpoint maintains numbers and key performance indicators regarding their stats. They are, in fact, improving lives through building community, helping those under their care find work, and offering peer-to-peer support.

WATCH WENDY GARVIN FROM UNSHELTERED UTAH DISCUSS MOVIE NIGHT.

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A HERMIT's TALE

Bob stinson and the silent canyons of utah

W

hen the obituaries of Delta, Utah recounted the life of Bob Stinson, it told a tale of a man who lived up to his namesake — the "Hermit of Marjum Pass":

“His home was made in Marjum Pass alongside the highway 60 miles west of Delta. He was the only resident of the area … During the years, many wayfarers and friends enjoyed Bob's hospitality in the snug quarters he had made by adding an outside wall to a roomy cave.”

Now, like the dwellings of the natives constructed long before the pioneers arrived,

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Stinson’s home sits in the lonely West Desert of Utah. His story is not one of chance, but a consequence of heartbreak and a desire for solitude, and the community that came around him after.

Not much is known about Stinson except for his obituary and an occasional mention online or in travel guides. Born on April 21, 1880, in Marion, Iowa, Stinson later served in World War I. Upon his return, he was heartbroken to discover his fiancée had married another. Devastated, he ventured west to Utah in 1929 to visit his brother, Roy. It was during this journey that Bob’s "mobile

PHOTO COURTESY OF MILLARD COUNTY

By Taylor Hartman

Home constructed

by Bob Stinson from a small natural cave that he enclosed by using local rock.

home" gave out, leaving him stranded in Marjum Pass, forcing him to make an unexpected choice: he stayed put.

He transformed a natural cave, cleverly using rocks to make a front wall and shielding the interior from the elements.

Over time, he did extensive work on the cave, pouring a concrete floor, carefully carving windows and rock shelves and adding a bedframe and mattress. These features can still be seen today.

Located deep within Marjum Canyon, 45 mi. from Delta, Hermit’s Cabin sits alongside dirt roads, snaking through sagebrush that stretches for miles. The air around the cabin is quiet, and at night the stars punctuate an endless sky — a glimmering ceiling atop the canyon. When the wind stops, the silence is profound and seems to spread out along the sagefields, leaving little question as to why someone would want to homestead there.

During Stinson's time, this area served as an east/west connection, linking Delta to Nevada and all the way to California. Today, it’s the definition of a road less traveled,

with only a handful of cars passing through each hour. Most are local residents or visitors looking for solitude, like Stinson was (as well as rocks to hound and mines to explore).

J.B. Cram, with the Bureau of Land Management, reflects on the type of life Stinson likely found in this part of Utah: “A thought that comes out is that of the solitude that can be found on public lands. Public lands are all unique, and everyone can find the kind of solitude they are seeking on them. That is the purpose of these unique areas; for each person to find their place.”

Though he lived in solitude up Marjum Pass, Stinson's connection to the Delta community was evident and grew year after year. Residents say he trapped and tended to a flock of sheep, and for years was entrusted by the Bureau of Land Management to clear the pass of debris and do other odd jobs. His innate hospitality always shone through, as every visitor was greeted with his legendary home-brewed beer.

Few photos of Stinson exist or remain today. Stinson’s main legacy is in the rock wall and homestead he built while isolated in the desert. For the most part, it has remained intact and endured the test of time.

"Over the years, some pieces have been placed and removed from the cabin from its original state," says Cram. He reminds visitors to “Leave no trace, and pack out what you pack in.”

Kevin Morris, with Millard County Tourism, says the area is a fun place for visitors to explore, but a good quality vehicle and a little prep are needed due to rough road conditions.

“Some of the roads can be rocky out there,” Morris says. “We encourage people to bring an extra spare and lots of water when they go out there.”

Here's how to get to Hermit’s Cabin (From the BLM): DIRECTIONS: From Delta, travel west on highways 6 & 50 for 33 miles, then turn right at the U-Dig Fossil sign. Travel north on the gravel road for 10.4 miles to a 4-way intersection. At this intersection, turn left to the Marjum Pass, then drive west for 12.8 miles. The rock house is located in a narrow canyon, which is the last small side canyon on the north side of the Marjum Pass.

Have fun exploring!

utahstories.com | 19

Topaz, Utah. Luther E. Hoffman, Project Director at the Central Utah Relocation Center, is shown speaking to the appointed personnel at the center after the last bus load of evacuees had left.

topaz internmenT Camp The incarceration of japanese-americans in wwii

I

t was 1942, and America was in the midst of fighting World War II. President Roosevelt issued an executive order in an effort to deflect the threat of espionage, and as a result, Japanese Americans were sent to one of 10 relocation centers, or internment camps, in America. This was not the case for German Americans or Italian Americans, however.

Near Delta, Utah, was a relocation center called Topaz. It was an internment camp hastily made and fraught with loss and sickness, resulting in a tragedy that would shape the lives of every Japanese American for the next three years.

Emma Webb grew up in Utah and is a second-year Master student at the University of Utah, studying history with an emphasis on the American West and Public History. Her latest research project was focused on health care at Topaz. She talks about the conditions that had to be endured.

“They built all of the housing out of green wood so by the time they finished, the houses shrunk down so there were holes in the walls. It wasn't insulated; it was just covered

20 | utahstories.com

in tar paper on the outside, and it was heavily overcrowded.”

About 11,212 people were processed through Topaz, according to the Topaz Museum’s web page.

“The people, who were citizens of the United States, weren't given any due process of law before being forcibly removed from their homes, having to sell their property when they were told that they were going to be “evacuated” from their homes,” Webb said.

People sold their houses very quickly, but at a significant loss.

“People lost so much money in selling their property, making only 10 cents on the dollar because they had to leave in such a rush.”

They were forcibly taken far away from their homes with barely any money, ending up in a camp that was only half-finished.

“When they arrived at the camp, the hospital wasn't finished, not opening until October of 1942. [Internees] started arriving the month before, and even when the hospital finally opened, it wasn't complete.The first baby born at Topaz was born in the laundry

PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

By Tani Leavitt

had to work under the authority of the Caucasian doctors and were paid significantly less than they would have been making in their California practices,” according to Webb.

The situation took a toll on the mental health of both internees and doctors.

Dr. Harada was a practicing doctor at Topaz, and in his resignation letter in the Topaz Times, he had this to say: “During the past 12 months, due to worries, the death of my mother, and persistent misunderstandings, my general health has become gradually undermined so much that now, due to nervous disability, I have been troubled with insomnia, anorexia, and a constant feeling of fatigue. The mental affliction has also progressed to the immediate members of my own family.”

On top of the physical and mental health toll, family dynamics were forced to change.

Webb explains: “The traditional Japanese family makeup heavily deteriorated. Parents felt like they didn't have the traditional family dynamics that they were used to as a result of living in the camp.

Rather than eating meals as a family, they ate meals in the mess hall, and their children would eat meals with their friends, so they didn't feel like they were able to instruct their children in the way that was culturally specific to them.”

Webb’s final thoughts were on awareness and a warning to not repeat history.

“I think the real tragedy,” she said, “is that they were treated like enemies of the state just because of their race. There were no trials. There were no lawyers. They were not given the rights guaranteed to American citizens even though they were citizens.”

If we're not careful, we could once again perpetuate violence like that in the internment camps. It comes from looking at people with fear and a gut reaction rather than with understanding and humanity.

utahstories.com | 21

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA WEBB

room because they didn't have a hospital set up,” Webb explained.

With unfinished housing and incomplete services, the Japanese Americans had to make do with what they had. And the environment at Topaz did, in fact, make things a lot worse.

“All they had for heat was a pot belly stove. That caused a lot of complications with people's health from breathing in this dust [due to the topography of the camp], not to mention a lack of nutrition. According to oral accounts, nutrition was very poor.

The war relocation authority allocated 45 cents per person for food each day, which was about a nickel less than the military allocation for soldiers. But then it was decreased to 31 cents for people at Topaz because they raised livestock there. They were served things like tripe and liver which were non-traditional foods that traditional Japanese people would not eat. They didn’t have refrigeration, so sometimes the food would spoil. And their water was heavily alkaline, so it was unpalatable.”

These conditions created quite the need for Emma Webb, medical services, but master student at the University there was some light of Utah, with in that there were research on health care plenty of people at Topaz. whom they could explain their needs to in the first generation's native language and the second generation’s first language.

“At the hospital at Topaz, most of the Japanese doctors were well-respected in their fields.

They were from California, so they were fully practicing, competent physicians in California before they were interned at Topaz,” Webb said.

But there was also overt racism.

“There were some Caucasian doctors as well, and what I've been able to tell from oral histories is that there was actually some tension between the groups, because in some situations, these Japanese-American doctors were better qualified and had more experience than the Caucasian doctors, but they

22 | utahstories.com

ILLUSTRATION BY DUNG HOANG

WHICh bathroom CAN your KIDS USE? Title ix is put to the test

By Erin Dixon

W

e’re all glued to the news, watching people all over the country battle over who gets to use which bathroom.

In the United States, the US Department of Education refers to Title IX when the topic of transgender bathrooms is brought up. Title IX is the law that protects students and employees in public education from discrimination based on gender. Title IX states: “ ... No person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any academic, extracurricular, research, occupational training, or other education program or activity operated by a recipient which receives Federal financial assistance.”

Since its first inception, Title IX has undergone some adjustments, and in the near future may get even more.

As all laws are, Title IX is open to interpretation. When it comes to someone who identifies as a gender other than what they were assigned at birth, or as some would say, “biologically born”, does it count as discrimination when it comes to who gets to use which bathroom at public schools and locker rooms?

Dea Theadore, councilmember for the Salt Lake County Council, was contacted by a woman named Candace Duncan, who reported being watched by a man in a public locker room on two separate occasions as she left a shower at a public facility. In July, Theadore released a press statement that said the following: “I requested my staff to immediately draft a policy addressing the issue of adult men using women's locker rooms. I anticipate

and encourage much legal review from our County Council attorney, the DA's office, and possibly from the state level.”

If there aren't official policies on gendered bathroom/locker room use at the county level, what about public schools?

A Jordan School District board meeting was packed full of parents and state school board leaders in September, voicing their ideas about who should be allowed in what bath room in elementary and secondary schools.

Natalie Klein, a member of the state board of education, spoke to the board and residents saying, “Any legitimate education should be based on truth. One truth is, boys are boys and girls are girls.”

She continued, citing Title IX: “ ... [W]e have at least one school in Jordan School District, likely more, that are telling girls to use the faculty bathrooms if they are not comfortable sharing the girls bathroom with boys who claim to be girls.

This school has made this decision informally, citing Title IX.” Alison Sirivanchai was born a boy, but now identifies as a girl. Alison spoke to the council, saying, “I came here not to fight but to make peace.”

Her father, Jesse Sirivanchai, said that Alison must deal with comments almost daily about the bathroom she uses.

“She goes into the boys restroom, she’s not accepted there. She goes into the girls restroom, she’s not accepted there.”

Randy Hoffman said that the problem is mo re than just who is allowed in what bathroom.

“According to this survey in 2022, 73% [of teens] have viewed pornography. And very

utahstories.com | 23

importantly, of all teens, 52% had seen violent or aggressive pornography … that includes depictions of rape, choking or somebody in pain. It's been found that early exposure to any pornography for males predicted more sexual harrassment perpetration.”

“If barriers are removed for decency and safety,” Hoffman said, “its not a matter when but a matter of how often sexual assault is going to happen.”

A woman with a transgender child, who no longer attends public school, wanted to appease both sides of the issue.

“I get the fear. I don’t want this open door policy … we can meet in the middle. We don’t have to attack; we don’t have to label them predators.”

A charter school in Sandy, Beehive Science and Technology Academy, does not have an official policy, but an established practice.

Vice Principal Kim Hamilton said,“We added gender neutral bathrooms and a gender neutral locker room. Students tend to prefer the gender neutral option regardless of gender identity and we haven't had any problems.”

Sophia Hawes-Tingey served on the Midvale Community Council for many years before moving to West Valley City, where she now is running for council office. She serves as the chair of the Transgender Inclusion Project, is Vice Chair of the Utah Stonewall Dems, and is on the board of the ACLU of Utah.

Her thoughts bring about another thought

24 | utahstories.com

to chew on: “This is a very nuanced issue. It also assumes that women in general are perfectly safe with children,” Hawes-Tingey said.

“I have cisgender female friends who have been clocked as male. The proposed policy would harm them as well.”

There are laws on the books against assault with severe penalties, and that assault does not strictly come from biological males.

It can come from biological females as well.

“It wasn't that long ago that we had laws against people of color in the same facility, even using the same pool, because they made other people uncomfortable, so the public facilities were segregated in the name of safety.”

Theodore is still in the process of drafting county legislation.

“I am still in the process of drafting a policy with the assistance of our council attorney as well as the District Attorney’s office. I am also seeking a meeting with our parks and recreation department to discuss,” Theodore said in October.

There are not a lot of policies and laws that explicitly state which public bathrooms and locker rooms are meant for gendered/ transgendered. Watch for federal updates to Title IX, and further legislation from school, county and state officials to see what becomes law, and what is simply policy.

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MOAB

MOAB MUSEUM GOES BACK IN TIME

A POSTCARD'S JOURNEY THROUGH Ghost TOWNS

By Rachel Fixsen

“S

mall museum — big stories.” That’s the motto of the Moab Museum, which uses stories, documents and artifacts to preserve and share the cultural and natural history of the Moab area. Since reopening after a major renovation in 2020, the Moab Museum has been offering a variety of in-person events including tours, demonstrations, guest speakers and presentations.

This fall, Public Programs Manager Mary Langworthy has been giving a weekly presentation on ghost towns in Grand County.

26 | utahstories.com

She takes listeners on a journey following the likely route of a postcard addressed to the town of Miner’s Basin in 1904. The postcard — yellowed and wrapped in plastic — was sent for one penny and probably made stops at four different towns that no longer exist, before reaching its final destination in Miner’s Basin, another now-deserted settlement.

About a dozen people attended the October 17 presentation, some from Utah, others from Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado and New York. Two longtime Moab locals were

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MOAB MUSEUM COLLECTION

A 1904 postcard over a map of Grand County featuring the ghost towns.

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The Post Office in Richardson.

among the group and added their perspective to Langworthy’s talk, sharing stories about the last resident of Miner’s Basin, who stayed decades after anyone else, and other local history.

Cisco

The 1904 postcard likely went through the town of Cisco, which was once an important railroad stop in the era of steam engines.

Trains would resupply with water, and ranchers and sheepherders used it as a hub.

It was a bustling town complete with stores, hotels, restaurants and a post office. Two locals in the audience remembered stopping in Cisco on their way from Moab to Grand Junction in the 1960s, when the town was still populated.

Cisco started to lose its relevance when steam engines were replaced with diesel-powered trains. In the 1970s, Interstate 70 was built several miles north of Cisco, making the town all but obsolete. It languished for decades, but in the past few years, a few people have begun to reanimate the town.

There were four residents as of the 2020 census, and a store there sells general goods and vintage items. The old Cisco post office was even made available for rent on lodging websites for some time.

28 | utahstories.com

Dewey

The historic postcard would next have passed through Dewey, a small town that sprang up near a viable crossing of the Colorado River. Over miles of river, steep canyon walls obstruct access to the river, and Dewey is one of the few places where the approach is gradual on both banks. A few dozen people lived at Dewey, including a ferry operator, and travelers could stop at a boarding house there.

Oral histories from the museum’s archives give glimpses of daily life for residents of those bygone towns: Langworthy read aloud Martha Westwood’s recollections of preparing meals for boarders and handling mail that crossed the river on the Dewey ferry.

Dewey Bridge replaced the ferry in 1916, when faster travel reduced the need for a stopping point at Dewey, and business at the boarding house dwindled. The town died away, and later the bridge burned down (as did a rebuild of it years later). Today there’s a boat launch and campground at the site.

Richardson

Richardson, Langworthy said, was so small it could barely be considered a town — but it did have a post office through which

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the 1904 postcard would likely have passed.

Richardson was established near the mouth of Professor Creek by Sylvester Richardson, who hoped to attract more settlers to his town. He didn’t have much success though, and the Richardson post office closed down in 1905.

Castleton

Castleton, the postcard’s last stop before its final destination, was home to a few hundred people. Ranching was a dominant industry, but the town also served as a hub for miners going to and from operations in the La Sal Mountains. Langworthy shared a historic photograph of mules bringing mail to the post office in Castleton.

Miner’s Basin

The end of the postcard’s journey, Miner’s Basin was a town of miners established high in the La Sal Mountains around the turn of the century. The two longtime locals in the audience recalled that a boy was paid to bring mail on foot over the treacherous last stretch of road to the town. Within a couple of decades, mining in the La Sals was no longer profitable, and residents left — all except

30 | utahstories.com

one man, who stayed for many years after everyone else left. The locals in the audience remembered visiting his cabin in the 1950s while he still lived there. It was wallpapered with 1907 copies of the Grand Valley Times newspaper (which is still operating as the Moab Times Independent).

Along with photos, oral histories and maps, Langworthy shared objects from the early 1900s associated with the towns discussed. A dented and punctured pressure cooker was used by the last Miner’s Basin resident to make stew. He set the stew outside to cool, where a bear caught the scent. The bear bit through the sealed pot to get a taste.

Through objects, documents, maps and recollections, historians can piece together an understanding of what life was like in a past era. Langworthy’s talk helps answer the questions raised by the remnants of any ghost town: what happened here? Who lived here? Why did they leave? These questions continue to fascinate us, while the answers can give context and insight into our own present and future.

Visit the Moab Museum’s website, moabmuseum.org, for more information on exhibits and programs.

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Langworthy displays one of the items found at a nearby ghost town.

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OGDEN People line up to see Douglas Fairbanks Jr. at Ogden's Peery's Egyptian Theater.

Much more than a cinema palace

By Taylor Hartman

I

n the early 1900s, movie theaters were everywhere, on virtually every block on every Main Street in the US. The especially lavish ones were called “Movie Palaces,” and were lavishly decorated and adorned. Over the years, movie palaces were torn down as theater chains emerged and television entered the scene. Despite this decline, a few are still open across the United States, allow-

34 | utahstories.com

ing us to recall their cultural heritage and architectural history. One such palace, located in the heart of downtown Ogden, Utah, is remarkably well preserved and going strong more than a century later.

The Peery’s Egyptian Theater on Washington Boulevard in Ogden, Utah was built in 1924. Like many Egyptian theaters throughout the country, it celebrates ancient

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show playing on stage at Peery's Egyptian Theater.

architectural style and decoration with motifs throughout the exterior, pillars with Egyptian hieroglyphics, and colors vibrantly framing the stage.

The theater itself is remarkably preserved.

It's under a historic marker, and staff over the years have done an incredible job keeping it original. Kassi Bybee is the General Manager of Peery’s Egyptian Theater, and said her staff works to keep it looking like it has for years.

“One of the wisest decisions ever made in our community was to restore and save the Peery’s Egyptian Theater,” Bybee said. “Over the past eight years we have had a very large increase in the use of the theater. When I started as General Manager, I would often hear people make comments such as, ‘What a beautiful theater; too bad it isn’t used much.’ That has significantly changed.”

The box office greets visitors with a massive hieroglyphic above it. As one walks in the theater, it feels as if one is being transported to a different time. Inside the theater, an incredible spectacle that was state of the art in the 1930s takes place. When the audience enters the theater, the light above is like daylight. It's bright, it's warm, it's orange.

36 | utahstories.com

As it gets closer to performance time, the sun begins to set in the theater. By the time the curtain falls and the performance or movie is about to start, the stars come out, twinkling above. One could imagine what a special effect this was in the days before computers.

The theater fell into disrepair after its popularity waned in the late 1900s. In 1997, a group of preservation-minded community members got together to bring the theater back to the brilliance it once had. Since then, it's been under continuous operation as part of the Ogden-Eccles Conference Center Complex. It's an absolute treasure, a historically brilliant thing, and something that Ogdenites are justifiably proud of.

Theater-goers enjoy speakers from Ted-X to comedians. Films like the Rocky Horror Picture Show are shown at Halloween, and concerts are performed. Bybee says that after the theater was restored in 1997, more space was created for performances.

“When the theater was restored, the back wall of the stage was pushed out, creating a space for live performances, and technology was added without distracting from the historical beauty of this theater,” Bybee said.

“We are much more than a cinema palace.”

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PA R K C I T Y

GRIT AND GUmption

How park city survived the great fire of 1898

By Brandi Christoffersen

38 | utahstories.com

desperately to squash the inferno but their attempts were futile. Within seven hours, three quarters of the town had burned to ashes, causing over one million dollars in damages. The fire, which was the worst in Utah history, burned for several days and left the mining camp demolished. Main Street, where 200 businesses and dwellings had once stood, was nothing but a few lonely walls and stones.

While thankfully, no human lives were lost, numerous animals perished and at least 500 residents were left homeless. One of the most heartbreaking of the losses was

PHOTOS PROPERTY OF PARK CITY MUSEUM

A

t 4am, gunshots rang through the dark night, as local townsfolk awoke to a most terrifying sight. A large fire had erupted at the top of Main Street, and the American Hotel was engulfed in uncontrollable flames. Park City’s Sheriff, Thomas Walden, had sounded the alarm with three successive shots, and the whistle at the Marsac Mill quickly notified the nearby mining campsite and homesteaders.

The date was Sunday, June 19, 1898, and with strong winds blowing from the east, the fire quickly spread from building to building and house to house. Since its population surge a decade earlier, Park City had been bustling with men, women, children, and families. The silver, lead, and zinc discovered in the nearby mountains had driven hundreds of prospectors, miners, and camp followers to the small Utah settlement. This influx had raised the city’s population to over 10,000 residents—equivalent to 2020 census numbers. The boom town included boarding houses, saloons, theaters, and stables.

Most of the hastily built structures were made of easily combustible pine. The flames quickly descended upon the crowded buildings and danced easily through the streets.

As Parkites scrambled to save what they could, nine-year-old Edna Sutton wrote in her diary, "When we looked out of the window, we saw it was a big fire and not very far off … It kept coming nearer … and folks kept running by and saying one building after another was going.”

The volunteer fire department tried

Fire burns on Park City's Main Street in 1898, destroying most of the hastily built structures.

the three-month-old Opera House that had been constructed after the local community collected $30,000 in donations for its establishment. Additionally, The Park Record — the city’s weekly newspaper — had burned completely to the ground, destroying all of its editions, archives, and equipment.

The spark had started at the American Hotel but the cause was never quite determined.

Newspapers at the time suggested coal oil from the hotel’s kitchen stove triggered the blaze. However, the hotel proprietor thought it was more likely that a drunken guest may have kicked over a lamp.

After the devastation, some of the residents, including the town’s small Chinese community, packed up and left Utah forever. However, most of the miners, townsfolk, and families stayed in the community and vowed to keep going. With grit and gumption, they began the process of cleanup and rebuilding.

Despite, or maybe due to many naysayers and skeptics, Park City was rebuilt and fully functioning within a year and half! City Hall and the popular George Wanning Saloon were among the first to be reconstructed. A culture center replaced the Opera House and The Park Record continued to print its pages.

utahstories.com | 39

The remains of one of the buildings on Park City's Main Street after the 1898 fire.

Although smaller fires plagued the rugged mountain settlement every few decades, none were as catastrophic as “The great fire of 1898.” With the mines continually producing silver and other precious ores, the town continued to grow. It stayed busy and thriving through the Great Depression and WWII. Then in the late 1950s, mineral prices dropped drastically low. Miners and their families began to move away and businesses began to close. It looked like Park City may become another forgotten ghost town.

Fortunately though, the strength and tenacity from the prior century had been passed onto a new generation of Parkites.

The remaining residents bonded together with the United Park City Mines Company (UPCMC) and came up with an ingenious plan. Through pure will and determination, the townsfolk and the UPMC turned the struggling mining mountain into a functioning ski resort.

On December 21, 1963, Treasure Mountain — known today as Park City Mountain Resort — opened for skiers. Park City officially went from mining town to tourist town. Slowly, the population began to creep back up, businesses returned, and life came back to the area.

Then in 1973, déjà vu struck. Flames were

40 | utahstories.com

spotted shooting high on Main Street! Fortunately though, and largely due to the newly formed Park City Fire Protection District, the blaze was quickly distinguished and only half a city block was burned. As in 1898, the townsfolk came together to start the restoration process. Although this time, plans for rebuilding sparked a conversation regarding the town’s legacy and preserving the historic character of Park City.

What should the town look like moving forward? Most of the residents hoped to maintain the culture and lifestyle of the area’s mining activity and early ski industry.

This would mean that all rehabilitations, restorations and reconstructions must preserve the unique character of the town.

Consequently, codes and regulations were implemented to preserve the city for future generations. In 1979, Park City’s Old Town district was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which ensured its architectural and historical integrity.

It’s impossible to say whether another disastrous inferno or economic recession will befall the town. But it can be argued that if a catastrophe does strike, Parkites will once again persevere, because the grit and gumption displayed during “the great fire” still burns strong in Park City’s veins.

Open Every Day, 10am-5pm 528 Main Street Park City, UT 84060 Parkcityhistory.org Or call 435-649-7457 for more information

From mining to skiing, discover more of this town’s unique history at the Park City Museum.

WE NEED YOUR HELP to place crossings for Wildlife so they have safe passage across our roadways

Please donate today to protect our wildlife savepeoplesavewildlife.org savepeoplesavewildlife@gmail.com livepcgivepc.org/organization/ savepeoplesavewildlife

PHOTO CREDIT: Juli-Anne Warll

A wildlife sculpture overlooks SR 224.

L I F E

P

ARK CITY – A 7.5-mile stretch of State Road 224 (SR 224) between Kimball Junction and Park City is slated for Bus Rapid Transit, a $67 million project to help move residents and tourists throughout the scenic resort area more efficiently. But widening the busy four-lane road is expected to further endanger wildlife that al-

42 | utahstories.com

ready struggle to survive.

According to a December 2019 report prepared for the Utah Department of Transportation, this portion of SR 224 ranks fifth on the state’s list of top 25 animal- and wildlife-crash hotspots.

Caroline Rodriquez, executive director of High Valley Transit in Summit County, said much of the BRT modifications will take place within

the existing 100-foot-wide road – but paved bike and breakdown lanes will add six to 12 feet on either side.

The project website, SR224BRT.com, estimates a 24-month construction period to install roadway improvements, which Rodriguez expects will reach completion in early 2026.

The project received a Categorical Exclusion

(CatEx) to determine its eligibility for federal transit funding – which the Federal Transit Administration defines as a “category of actions that, based on FTA's experience with similar actions, do not involve significant environmental impacts.”

To Rodriguez, that translated to “no adverse impacts (to wildlife) requiring mitigation” under the federal guidelines.

But the 31-page CatEx worksheet acknowledged that “because the Project would widen the SR 224 roadway, the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions could increase.”

Faith Jolley, spokesperson for Utah’s Division of Wildlife, said they’re currently working with local groups and stakeholders to evaluate wildlife impacts and possible mitigation efforts along the route.

“This is a complex situation, and whenever there is increased urban sprawl in wildlife habitat areas, there are many factors to consider regarding the best solutions for the wildlife,” Jolley said by email.

PHOTOS BY SHAUNA HART/SPSW

Fighting for wildlife

Erin Ferguson, president of Save People Save Wildlife, said the nonprofit hoped to help shape the SR 224 BRT project so that wildlife could traverse their habitat without colliding with cars.

“We’ve been trying for three years to get a seat at the table,” Feguson said. “They’ve effectively shut the door on us,” In a recent interview, she voiced her concerns about the two-year construction phase: “If you have equipment out here doing the BRT lanes and widening the road … it’s already impermeable to wildlife. So it’s going to just be a slaughter.”

Ferguson had hoped that wildlife connectivity components – including an overpass or underpass crossing, fencing and cattle guards – could be included in the design process for SR 224 BRT. But so far that hasn’t happened.

“Animals are getting hit way too frequently on this highway. It’s not only a danger to them, it’s also a public safety concern,” Ferguson said, noting that SPSW members have repeatedly reached out to Summit County and Park City leaders, along with the major stakeholders – but to no avail.

Prioritizing the work?

Kylar Sharp, Utah Department of Transportation Region 2 spokesperson, said they’re constantly seeking wildlife safety solutions.

“We put up wildlife fencing and Reduce Speed Limit signs in certain areas,” Sharp said. In addition, they’ve been meeting monthly with Save People Save Wildlife to discuss potential fixes.

Geoff Dupaix said his job as UDOT planning manager is both data-driven and fueled by community input.

Dupaix recently applied for a $14.5 million federal grant to help fund a $26.5 million project near Echo Reservoir and the junction of Interstates 80 and 84. He expects a response in early 2024.

The state already committed about $12 million toward the 21-mile Echo Junction project that includes three potential wildlife crossings, fencing and escape ramps between Peterson and Echo Junction.

Closer to SR 224 – Dupais said they’re installing more wildlife fencing along I-80 near Kimball Junction.

“It’s important to take a more holistic app roach to identify those key (wildlife migration) areas,” Dupaix said. “The data shows that wildlife are more apt to cross the road at Echo Junction. That’s why we’re giving it more attention right now.”

But UDOT’s 2019 wildlife-vehicle collision report ranked the Echo Junction area 18th among the state’s top 25 hwys. for such crashes.

That report logged 2.97 wildlife-vehicle crashes per mile per year on the SR 224 stretch compared to 2.32 in the Echo Junction area.

Bureaucratic indifference

Park City and Summit County spokespeople said their elected officials participate in the SR 224 BRT process but not as major stakeholders. Their role has mainly been to listen and convey community concerns.

But discussions stalled between the city and Save People Save Wildlife as indicated by a January 2023 email from Park City Mayor Nann Worel, that the nonprofit’s suggestion to build a wildlife tunnel under SR 224 had been shelved because the “Council prefers to focus on other priorities” at this time.

utahstories.com | 43

SUGAR HOUSE

A New chapteR FOR

SUGAR HOUSE'S ORIGINAL FIDDLER'S ELBOW

a rich history with new owners

By Heather L. King The Black & Bleu Garlic Burger.

44 | utahstories.com

utahstories.com | 45

PHOTOS BY KAELYN KORTE

S

itting down with Lynn Katoa to talk about what Sugar House looked like a few decades ago is like a high school reunion — but happily situated in a sports bar on the corner of 2100 S. and 1100 E. (Highland Drive and Wilmington Avenue).

Katoa, along with Sean Rawlings and silent partner Dan Prins, are the new owners of Fiddler’s Elbow and what was previously Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta. In the short two months they’ve owned these long-time Sugar House establishments, they’ve made some significant changes — perhaps most notably renaming the bar portion of the business, previously called Fiddler’s Elbow, to The Locker Room. The Fiddler’s name has been moved to the restaurant that was always Salt Lake Pizza & Pasta. And The Locker Room is now Utah’s only gay sports bar.

It's a niche that’s been unfulfilled in the LBGTQ community, as none of the other gay bars in the city are focused on sports. “We want to have this space be a gay space so our legacy will be something that we brought here,” Katoa explains. “We’re here for what we’re going to be able to create for the [general] community and for our community.”

Fiddler’s has been a mainstay in Sugar House, and even with all the changes, the new owners are adamant about preserving and growing the establishments’ rich history and legacy.

Katoa and Prins both grew up in the area, attending Highland High just up the road.

Rawlings and Katoa are diligently meeting with other long-time Sugar House business owners to form a powerhouse team of small businesses that will celebrate and preserve the Sugar House vibe residents and visitors have always flocked there to enjoy.

Yet change is always difficult, say Katoa and Rawlings, from a table near the patio at The Locker Room. Gone are the college flags that lined the rafters. Upgraded are all-new TVs and an advanced sound system so customers feel like they are practically in the sports stadium of their choice, or able to clearly hear the live music frequently on tap.

A kitchen renovation and brightening of the restaurant will be completed by mid-November, enabling Fiddler’s to begin serving breakfast — a meal that’s sorely lacking in the area.

Lynn Katoa, one of the new owners of Fiddler's Elbow and The Locker Room.

Fans of many of the pizza and pasta dishes that have been coming out of the kitchen since 1992 will remain on the Fiddler’s Elbow menu. Fear not to those who love the black and bleu garlic burger — it’s a staple. New are daily flatbread offerings and a selection of crumpets topped with savory choices such as lox or pesto, and sweet offerings like banana and Nutella with slivered almonds and caramel not seen anywhere else in the city.

They’ve also teamed up with Dented Brick Distillery to stock as many local spirits as possible in an effort to support a fellow local business. “Mark is a good human,” says Rawlings. “We have a mission that aligns and we can be successful together.”

The Locker Room will soon debut a latenight menu of pizza and snacks served from 1-3:30am, and the tailgate drag brunch buffet on Saturdays from 10am-2pm has been a huge draw. “We have a really good sports following,” explains Rawlings. “We are making a point of planning events around Utah

46 | utahstories.com

football games.”

The goal, says Katoa, is to be able to sit down with friends and enjoy a game and be able to chat over drinks and bar food in a safe and welcoming space.

They’re also focused on bringing both old and new customers back to the neighborhood with events that bring people in every night of the week — from NFL and other professional sports to DJs and live entertainment.

With potential seating for 200 in The Locker Room, the new owners also plan to build a new stage area for live music performances and expand the patio further in preparation for a Sugar House Pride celebration they intend to centralize in their parking lot and the restaurant and bar.

It’s all part of building an inclusive community, say Katoa and Rawlings.

And that “chosen family” dynamic starts with the employees of Fiddler’s Elbow and The Locker Room. They retained as many of their 31 employees that wanted to stay with the restaurant and bar, and offered everyone raises.

“We want the best employees so we want to treat them the best,” explains Rawlings.

“We want them to come and stay.” Katoa continues, “We’re giving them PTO and looking into health insurance in the next year. We want to take care of our people.

This industry is hard.”

While Katoa and Rawlings had just 29 days between seeing Fiddler’s for sale and becoming the new owners, their plans for the restaurant and bar are both grand and comforting. Their desire is to bring the vibe and soul of Sugar House back to the area through their welcoming brand of hospitality is commendable.

Fiddler's Elbow has been an integral part of the Sugar House community for decades, and this new chapter is sure to be filled with great food, drinks, and a welcoming ambiance where all voices can be heard in a safe space.

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FOOD & DRINK

diner democracy Contemporary utah diners for all to love

C

lassic American diner restaurants hold a special place in the hearts of many, both for their timeless charm and the comforting, hearty meals they serve. These quintessential eateries are more than just places to grab a quick bite; they are cultural landmarks that have shaped the American dining experience for generations.

The roots of American diners can be traced back to the late 19th century when horse-drawn lunch wagons or "night owls"

48 | utahstories.com

would cater to late-night workers and revelers. Over time, these wagons evolved into stationary establishments with iconic stainless steel exteriors and neon signs. The 1950s and 1960s were the heyday of diner culture, with their popularity peaking during the post-World War II era.

One of the key elements that set classic American diners apart is their unique ambiance. The retro-themed interiors often feature checkered floors, cozy booths, and count-

PHOTOS BY DUNG HOANG

By Ted Scheffler

The patio at Ruth's Diner is a popular dining spot.

er seating, where you can watch the hustle and bustle of the grill. The distinct blend of nostalgia, comfort, and a touch of kitsch has made diners a welcoming gathering place for people from all walks of life. The American diner is a truly democratic phenomenon.

Classic American diners are known for their extensive menus, offering everything from breakfast favorites to hearty sandwiches, burgers, and comforting, home-style dinners.

One of the best Utah examples of this is the Oakley Diner — formerly Rhode Island Diner — an authentic, historic, made-in-1939, O’Mahony Co. diner that was originally transported across the country to Utah in the spring of 2007. Recently reopened as the Oakley Diner, menu items include burgers, country fried steak, patty melt, meatloaf, chili, corned beef hash, and of course, homemade milkshakes and desserts like banana splits — classic American diner cuisine, indeed.

Jeff Masten is a New England Culinary Institute grad who served as chef at The Roof

restaurant in the Hotel Utah, Executive Chef at Market Street Grill, and helped to open and define Red Rock Brewing Co. when it launched in downtown SLC. But his first love was traditional American comfort food, which is why he opened his own diner in 2006 — Left Fork Grill — in the space that was formerly Kramer’s Diner.

Classic dishes like liver and onions, roasted turkey, meatloaf, Reuben and corned beef on rye sandwiches, and homemade coleslaw (his grandmother’s recipe) are real crowd pleasers. But Left Fork Grill is probably most beloved for its outrageously delicious homemade pies, and every table has a pie plate stand affixed to it.

Founded in 2002 by Annie Sill Curry, Annie’s Diner in Kaysville is now owned and operated by Jason Sanders and his wife Dani, and just recently updated its menu.

But not to worry, Annie’s still offers classic comfort foods such as Salisbury steak, chicken cordon bleu, Utah-style scones with

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Eggs Benedict is one of the many popular breakfast items at Ruth's DIner.

honey butter, flapjacks, chicken fried steak, roast turkey with mashed potatoes & gravy, and now, prime rib on Friday nights. And, it’s all served up in classic diner ambiance complete with counter seating that reminds me of Arnold’s Diner from the Happy Days TV series.

One of my favorite Ogden eateries is No Frills Diner on 25th, where you can enjoy things like a bone-in ham steak, seared beef brisket, or country fried steak for breakfast, and menu items such as a Monte Cristo sandwich, patty melt, grilled pork chop with sides, and shepherd’s pie later in the day, all in a modern diner atmosphere and ambiance.

Although the atmosphere is very American diner-ish, Vertical Diner is not your daddy’s diner. Ian Brandt’s unique, contemporary diner is distinguished by serving vegetarian and vegan fare made from scratch with wholesome ingredients.

And, 90% of the menu items at Vertical Diner can be prepared gluten free. Here, you’ll find vegetarian versions of classic comfort foods like mushroom stroganoff, “Chikun” fried steak, the Vertical Reuben with grilled seitan, and a hearty breakfast called The Avalanche, with two pancakes, country potatoes, tofu scramble, and a choice of mushrooms, tempeh “bacun” or “sauzage.”

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Perhaps Utah’s most iconic diner is Ruth’s Diner in Emigration Canyon. Ruth's Diner isn't just a restaurant; it's an institution with character. Its legacy is built on the tireless efforts of the strong-willed Ruth Evans and the commitment of subsequent owners to pre serving her vision. It's a place where generations of families and friends have made lasting memories while savoring hearty meals.

Ruth’s was established in 1930 when Ruth Evans converted an old trolley car into a makeshift kitchen to serve hungry travelers.

The quaint trolley car, perched on the side of a hill, has since been expanded into a charming restaurant and sprawling patio that retains its vintage charm, with scenic views of the canyon making it a unique and picturesque setting.

And, while vintage diner dishes like chicken fried steak, pot roast, and meatloaf pepper the menu at Ruth’s, they are accompanied by more modern fare such as roasted cauliflower quinoa tacos, butternut squash carbonara, and Chef Erik’s popular raspberry chicken.

Whether you're seeking a quick meal, a cozy spot for conversation, or a trip down memory lane, the classic American diner is always there, ready to serve up a slice of history with a side of fries.

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Alan Scott of Waterpocket Distillery.

waterpocket distillery Unicorn spirits in a walmart world

By Francis Fecteau

C

hat with Alan Scott, co-owner of Waterpocket Distillery, and his general polyglot-ness becomes readily apparent. He digresses from Greek mythology to the medicinal textbooks of medieval healers without batting an eyelash, and yes, he's more than happy to opine on local politics (he’s not a fan of the UDABS, but then,who is?).

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After years of globetrotting, Alan and his wife Julia came to Utah. Enchanted by the vastness of Utah’s southern deserts, specifically Utah’s Waterpocket Fold, they set down roots and created Waterpocket Distillery.

But their journeys also colored their palates with memories of alpine herb liqueur in the Pyrenees, farmer’s plum brandy in Slovakia, and aromas of anisette drifting

PHOTOS BY JOHN TAYLOR

from groups of beret-wearing old men in the crime.

Southern France. Waterpocket Distillery Alan has nothing to hide. If he makes would become the vehicle for those shared it, he will tell you. He will tell you where memories, fueled with Utah ingredients things came from and when he started to where possible. offer whiskey to generate some revenue.

The heart of the operation, other than He puts it right on the label. He let us know the two custom stills named “Witch” when he sourced whiskey from other places and “Warlock”, is Julia, Alan’s wife and – not something most whiskey makers do – partner, who keeps the operation on track and it’s a business model that is only made and Alan focused. It never hurts to couple more difficult by a UDABC that thinks of with a Biochemistry PhD/MBA when producers like Alan as “the Farmers Market” manufacturing artisanal spirits like these. when they want to deal with Walmart.

The tolerance for error is slim when distilling Producers like Alan need to compete with unicorn spirits in a Walmart world. large corporate generic brands or they're at Artisans that follow their muses rarely risk of delisting. When your one ultimate retire rich, and naturally the building of customer is a government bureaucracy, it’s a Waterpocket has been tenuous existence. a grind. There was no In recent months, peanut butter whiskey Alan added a Gin or cheap sourced “Temple of the Moon”, ethanol vodka to pay named for the sacred the light bills, and seven formation in Capitol years on, Alan is proud Reef National Park’s to say they’re still open.

Cathedral Valley, There’s a storefront now and inspired by the in Torrey, Utah, and aroma and beauty of Alan cheerfully points Utah’s high altitude out that his mechanic juniper forests. now drinks Kummel, His most recent his distilled caraway success is Fruita Triple spirit (imagine if Gin and Sec, which has exploded Schnapps had a baby). with the Utah bar As always, Alan is thincommunity. This isn’t king one bottle at a time, your parent’s dusty and the audience is grobottle of Triple Sec, but wing slowly and surely. a historically accurate Waterpocket’s rendition of the original product range shows 1834 recipe from the The most recent creation of three families of spirits; Combier family in Water Pocket Distillery.

House Spirits — Saumur, with a nod to modern interpretations the Dutch East India of old classics like Company’s Caribbean Gin and Toadstool — historically faithful, renditions. Naturally, Alan did the research. locally fueled interpretations of ancient At the end of the day, Alan and his bitter and amari liqueurs and Long Lost invaluable and indispensable wife, Julia, Cathedral Valley — a range of European pre- realize they have taken Waterpocket from prohibition botanical spirits reinterpreted for one unicorn to an entire stable of them. local tastes.

They realize they chose the difficult path Waterpocket is a model of distilling in following a muse, but as time has gone honesty and transparency that few by, they see that they’ve built a devoted distilleries match, either locally or globally. community; a tribe of uncompromising Most distilleries lie and obfuscate Cathedral cocktail nerds who seek them out, come hell Valley — the bigger the distillery the bigger or high water. One bottle at a time.

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horses transformlives sharing the uplifiting power of horsemanship

By Laurel Dudley

M

ountain Green, UTAH — Jessie Drage had been horseback riding for more than a decade when she decided to buy two horses for her and her husband on a whim. She didn’t even own a horse trailer to transport them, and these weren’t ordinary horses people usually buy.

In 2014, in the town of Hooper, Jesse rescued them from amongst a few dozen

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horses packed into a small corral. It was a kill pen. The horses — sick, lame, old and malnourished — jostled and whinnied, as if they sensed the danger that awaited. A semi truck would soon transport them to Mexico to be slaughtered.

Days later, back home, Jessie realized why the black mare, a 6-year-old American Bashkir Curly whom she named Athena,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DRAGE SECOND CHANCE RANCH.

A Group heads out for the Work 2 Ride Kids Campout.

looked healthier than the others. She was aggressive, prone to kicking, and in one frightening instance, lunged and bit Jessie’s head and face and chucked her in the dirt.

Nearly everyone Jessie sought advice from said to put both horses down. But Jessie’s husband, Shaun Drage, unexpectedly latched onto the challenge of breaking them. Although his experience with horses included nothing more than once petting some over a fence, Jessie said he surpassed her horse knowhow within 30 days. Shaun — then grappling with addiction spurred by a childhood spent shuffling through foster care — and the two horses helped heal each other.

Jessie’s whim decision transformed their lives. They started Drage Second Chance Ranch to rescue horses with severe behavioral problems, retrain and rehome

them and give riding lessons. But Shaun’s journey into horsemanship compelled them to do something else.

They became a nonprofit in December 2017, and launched programs to share equine experiences with others — riding lessons for kids whose families can’t afford to pay, and riding lessons for adults recovering from addiction who commit to ranch work in exchange.

“It’s about giving back and helping other people,” Jessie said.

She and Shaun run the business out of their home in Mountain Green on a shoestring budget with a few staff and many more volunteers. Jessie does payroll, accounting and schedules lessons. She also works as a property manager and realtor to make ends meet.

Shaun trains the horses, instructs riders and manages the rotating crew of 20 ranch hands and volunteers, which he’s done fulltime since 2018 when they realized they had a lesson waitlist. Today, Shaun and four other instructors give about 90 lessons a week during the summer.

It's a lot to coordinate. A former student, Holli Streck, helps. Five years ago, she was 50 when she took her first riding lesson at Drage Second Chance Ranch.

“After that lesson, I was in love,” she said about the experience. She took more lessons and began arriving early to help get the horses ready. Today, she coordinates events andhelps manage the ranch, which includes any job that needs doing, manure-shoveling included.

Her goal as a full-time volunteer is to help things run smoothly, but more importantly to foster the same uplifting experience she felt when she took her first lesson with Shaun. “We want [the students] to feel that this is so much fun,” Streck said. “It doesn’t matter what their goal is.”

Streck sees riders young and old progress through lessons and gain confidence. That confidence trickles into other parts of life.

Kym Vesper, 20, is one example. Bullying at school had left her timid and shy, but Shaun and Jessie coached her in a way that gave her confidence. Over seven years, she took lessons, became a ranch hand and now works as an instructor.

“I’m a fairly outgoing person now because of it,” she said. “They just made me better as

utahstories.com | 55

Jessie and Shaun Drage.

a person.” sense of purpose and the chance to give the Everyone who works at Drage Second horses a new life. Eventually, the black mare, Chance Ranch embodies that philosophy — Athena, who had bitten Jessie’s face and who that lessons are as much about learning to ri- routinely chucked Shaun off her back, became de a horse as they are about self-improvement. safe to ride. Two dozen rescue horses later, Shaun also knows this first-hand. It took Shaun calls Athena the most challenging and him more than a year to train the first two dangerous horse he ever retrained. Today, rescue horses, but the process taught him to she is a staple in the kids’ lesson program control his emotions, he said. He learned to and often greets students, and especially recognize his anger and transition to being Shaun, with an affectionate nuzzle. assertive. He took feedback and kept an open Shaun and Jessie’s dream is to serve more mind to decipher what the horses needed. people and rescue more horses. Lack of “You can't punch your way through,” he funds means they sometimes have to say no. said. “These animals were too big for me to “It’s heartbreaking,” Jessie said. She hopes do that.” with the help of grants that one day “we can Initially, Shaun was driven by innate just say, ‘Yes,’ whenever there’s a need.” stubbornness. What emerged was a deep

56 | utahstories.com

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mesa farm market: the purple store on hwy. 24 French cheese with a utah flair

M

esa Farm Market is easy to miss. The sign emerges suddenly between two tall cottonwood trees, which drape and cast long shadows over the small building. The drive between Hanksville and Capitol Reef National Park numbs your mind with the austerity, and in an instant you’ve passed the farm without realizing anyone was there.

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It’s a challenging environment that has become more difficult as weather patterns intensify, though Randy Ramsley won’t use the word “challenge” himself. He views these material struggles as learning opportunities — a necessary perspective in a place where the trials can easily overwhelm.

This strikingly dry environment is the last

PHOTOS CURATED BY DANIELLE VILAPLANA

By Danielle Vilaplana

place you’d expect to find such abundance, with fruit-laden orchards and an assortment of vegetables and herbs. It’s also the unexpected home of award-winning goat cheeses, particularly the French tome (or tomme), a style that originated in the rich Alps environment.

After 27 years along the river, Randy and his partner Roseann decided to sell most of his herd and step back from the labor-intensive cheese production. It’s a well-earned semi-retirement but a bittersweet end to a fare that uniquely embodied the terroir of the Utah desert.

Goats

Goats weren’t part of his plan, so Randy reluctantly accepted his neighbor’s herd when she retired. This began his illegal goat cheese production, mostly to share amongst friends. A chance encounter with two French visitors inspired him to apply for a USDA loan and his cheesemaking began in earnest.

But Matt wasn’t always a fan of Mesa Farm Market. Tomme is a complex cheese from the humid French Alps, with a buttery aroma and semi-soft texture, and he tried Randy’s cheese at a mutual friend’s insistence.

“It was a French-style tome, which requires very high humidity, and they were trying to do it in the desert and were essentially just desiccating the cheese,” Matt said.

“I dismissed it as something that wasn't of interest to me. But then I kind of forgot about it in one of our coolers and a short time later I noticed that the cheese was coming back to life.”

Randy’s tome had many technical defects, but Matt also noticed herbal notes reminiscent of his grandmother’s garden, with flavors rarely found in American agriculture.

Intrigued, he finally called Randy.

“He [Randy] acknowledged that there were some issues with the aging and I said, you know, we have this Cheese Cave program. We should join forces. You make cheese, I'll age cheese. And so it kind of all started from there.”

In addition to aging the cheese, Matt and Yelena dove into the marketing and branding. The labels and the Caputo’s-exclusive tomes — Barely Legal and Mesa Tome — were their design. It was also their

idea to enter the Utah Cheese Awards in its inaugural 2017 competition. Look up past winners and you’ll consistently see the name Mesa, garnering Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Best in Show awards for Caputo’s and the farm year after year.

Intuition

Healthy respect for people, food, and the environment drive Randy, and he sees the connections between them. Though he has followed organic principles since the 1970s, he is not USDA-certified and believes it’s better to interact with farmers rather than follow blanket standards that are prone to loopholes.

“If you can trust your intuition, you can go to most farmers and begin a discussion with them and begin to get a sense of whether they're in it for the money or whether they're in it for the real reason — the food. If you have any questions, you can say, can I visit your farm some day? People just need to verify, verify, verify,” Randy said.

Tome

When I stopped by Mesa Farm Market in October 2023, the formerly stocked coolers were nearly empty. The shelves are still stocked with chèvre, yogurt, bread, and cinnamon rolls, but one lone wedge of tome occupied the shelf where many used to rest.

That wedge was the last piece of tome that Randy will produce. Now, there’s a book of Bogwua on his table and a newly constructed pottery wheel outside. His dog Zig appears thicker, whether from age or a much smaller herd to manage. The farm still has its demands, but removing the heavy cheese production has given Randy time to slow down and focus on other pursuits. It’s also given him time to dig back into the earth and the organic farming that started Mesa Farm Market.

Many people who pass by Capitol Reef on their drive through the Mighty 5 have never heard of Mesa Farm Market or Randy’s awards. They may not know of tome. But for 27 years the farm has attracted the most compelling people, partnerships, and foods Utah has to offer, and for my part, I’m glad to have known it at its peak.

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