Utah in the 50s; Ogden

So you're like Hogben. LOL LOL. LOL LOL. It was just a wonderful rally. Ogger was booming. My children were lots of fun and we'd go downtown and shop and have lunch in it. I just enjoyed it so much that the fifties were great. Local production of Utah in the 50s. Ogden was made possible in part by the doctor the sequel are. Ed no water Stumptail foundation the Georgette's and Dolores story Eckles foundation the Klean Peterson Eckels endowment fund the Lawrence T and Janet T.D. foundation to see Comstock

Platon foundation the doctor WC Swanson family foundation. And. The contributing members of KQED Ogborn was known as Utah's Second City in the 1950s. But for those who lived here it was numero uno number one. The perfect players. It wasn't too bad it wasn't too small it was just right. My first job out of college often brought me here to interview farmers and ranchers. Forest Service officials and other business leaders. It was an exciting time. Ogden was the Junction City Ogden who was the second largest city in the state of Utah. If you are an Ogden boy you will always be an OB boy. We were very very proud dad was very proud of. Downtown Ogden and Washington Boulevard was an extraordinarily beautiful wonderful city.

As pretty as any. I lived in Paris. There were parts of it that were so sophisticated and so fun and so vibrant that it's hard to believe that we no longer have it. We boasted about it all the time. We loved this I'll never forget the. Fastest growing city. They didn't. We were the second largest city in the state. Was all we can do on the notional was value things like. That are going to have an inferiority complex. And to Salt Lake City. So we always thought it was down hills. You know when I was going to school in Spanish I will tell you is that they call this the Ogmund shoe shiners. And it's always been a hundred forty miles to Georgia and 40 miles out of Salt Lake. Yes we were always fighting the Emmys because Salt Lake was the capital. Yeah.

Salt Lake was the seat of power. But we pulled one great cool about that time and that route then they were completing the federal interstate system. We got the last 35 miles of the federal interstate system watered down. We were yeah we had a chamber of Congress back in the 50s that wouldn't stop and we used to stage a big retail sales event. What a month all four months of the year that we drew hundreds of I guess thousands of people from Idaho Montana Wyoming. Out it was a big shopping area yeah. The streets were full with people walking. Down. Shopping. Bustling. You'd go to Twenty-Fourth in Washington state and they would meet any anyone you wanted to meet and the stores were bustling and you'd walk down the street. You see people that you knew would take me from 23rd Street to 25th Street. It takes me an hour because I'd say Hi there Ted.

Good stuff and you talk to everybody. I remember walking down the streets of Oregon. And. Having a hard time. Staying with somebody because before we even out between you was. Moving. Is. Downtown Ogden. Where did that extend from and to how big was it. Oh I'd say it went from about twenty third Street to twenty sixth street. You know I mean solid business on both sides of the street anchored on the corner by the banks. We had the angle parking in those days a very civilized way to park your cars. We're now doing it. So I like all the exciting things I doing was just vibrant. Downtown areas it is not in the stores. The one thing that is probably unique is that they were family owned stores. Most of them are they had local management.

And we knew all these people personally. Very exciting to go into their stores. They were all great stores were they. They were really good stories. They had all the very best. Clothing and friendly sales people. It was very personal I worked in a clothing store at buter being a clothing store. Then you had your old clientele. I had a little list in my pocket. Of anybody who came in I'd write a description of how old they were and where they worked and just remember them by. Peter Bingham where Mr Bean or Mr. Bingham started a commercial store on Washington Boulevard. What kind of close to do settlement and bring men's clothing. Probably the funniest part is and they saw wonderful a marvelous custom made clothes all over Western America to all the wealthy ranchers and farmers. They had a whole crew of Cadillacs and salesmen that went out from it just as you started down on Washington for sure. Hogan was a men's clothing store.

And there was Perkin's limited to Dean Perkins a place where all the squares with Clifton's are BMB clothing. Tanner clothing store. But there are a lot of great women stores. Samuels. Are from New York. Mr. Savile's moved out here and he was quite a fashionable guy. I remember he had a big big wig. It was a really nice elegant store. No escalators but nice staircases in there. And I thought it was the nicest store. That's where my mother shop. It was a narrow store to come in through is very narrow. They had a jewelry department right in the entrance way and all the clothing was upstairs but they had. Elegant clothes. It was beautiful wonderful wonderful store. And they would

have. Local people modeling. And they'd have their picture in the society page. And. I think that helped bring people in. It was fun. In fact in Samuel's they had a slippery slide that went down to the bottom forward. Obviously Swanson had a few plays as children we had such a wonderful time shooting down that slide. They also had a x ray machine. The x ray is very good good. You know you could always find out if your shoes fit and start you on the path for cancer. That's all. We used to go in there so many times I thought it's a wonder our feet are still. Magical for a young young guy. We were the sports story cameras. And. And Armstrong. And. Then of course there was a grandfather them all which was Fred. And that was just as good as going into Abercrombie and Fitch. Our Brooks Brothers in those days that was it

was marble on a frock with exquisite suits and they had a wonderful store downstairs called the red carpet room where all the kids had their blazers and sport jackets. Of course the ladies star was upstairs on the second floor. Third floor was children. I was an elevator operator at a friend in my company and I ran at old Otis Elevator and it was that you landed on the floor just like your friend. I was really a special store and they they sort of catered. They knew what you liked and they had Ralph. I was just a wonderful man. He never married but he just knew what the women liked and he used to go back to New York and he'd pick out things and bring them and his brother out on him. And that was a fun family star we knew all the people in there. Wolfers did the same thing. Well we'll go to New York and buy clothing. You know the Ogden people would like and so it. Was

just it was such a comfortable feeling. People would even come from Salt Lake to our stores. You don't see them now they're all going to wait for the store. I mean a lot of really has one of the things I miss most about all these. Great stories. Ogden's vibrant downtown businesses were largely locally owned by the national chain stores were also attracted to Utah's Second City. Where Grant grants were I used to be on the 23rd Street. That was a neat story because it was. Cheaper priced but they had a cafe in there and it was like a dollar and a half or two bucks I think if you were under 12 or something like that for over five chicken.

So they were in real trouble and when you came in with my brothers and I went in there they were. We had five and ten cent store. We had Woolworths we had Skag's. Cresses. I worked in. A. System. I was. I was working behind the counter. The store was a big. Open store of lots and lots of little. On the counters that were little sections. And they had everything laid out so you could walk through the whole store and just see everything just laid out on counters and then. On the west side of the street. What was the name of the drugstore there in the corner. It had wonderful milkshakes and maybe stop. Down. It was Walgreen's. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And we go there on Sundays. We had a wonderful J.C. Penney store fictional J.C. Penney's one of the big J.C. Penney. Stores at the

chave I think at the time. On the corner 20. 24 feet wide and it was a three three story structure with a basement. I love that first letter. Sonic was on out there just like that. Shirley was working J.C. Penney's and mom would go. To her and have her hair done by Shirley. And it was really fun. How did they make change takes your money. Well I believe they had the pneumatic tube thing. No you put your money in this thing up someplace and you could hear it you can hear it move and then analysing it came back and I'd come back in a minute. Have you changed your mind. It was just something different and new. And that's where they operate. That was kind of fun. It was. I remember there was a TV at J.C. Penney's that was inside and it was on Tuesday and Thursday from about 7:00 to 9:00.

Wrestling in black and white. Couldn't beat it. Do you remember the names of those wrestlers. Gorgeous George who was one of them and honoring. Let's. Get somebody take off his silk robe and brushes hair. Professor shire's. Oh you rile up the local form of population and that's how you make money you rile up the people. And I remember that tip column pessimist's column the more that people pencil like. That riled him up to no end. And that's what got him to come out and see his performance. One. Day he took a turn but that was another cheap date. Going to the movies could also be a cheap date in the 50s. The Egyptian Theater here on Washington Boulevard is now the Peri's Egyptian Theater. And because of it's rococo statuary it is on the National Registry of

Historic Places. The Egyptian was one of many ordinary movie houses where Saturday morning cliff hanging serios would thrill the young and giveaways and pipes and candy bars would delight everyone. All I got to see was four of us were there were there quite a few here with the organization or just recently a woman. Down in twenty fifth Street who was a Colonial's theater. Wendy Orpheum Theater right next door. I worked in the Orpheum Theater and I remember kids from the high school would come in and try and get me to let them in free. And it was it was very painful because some of my boys I really wanted to do this. And if I can just get through that day. They had balconies in the movie theaters and the balcony and saw it you to spin you could go up there I guess.

On the Paramount Theater on Kiesel and that theater held 2000 people. And the Paramount had a balcony and they had black people up to the balcony. And. Up at the pump like I did I did a kid's show on Saturday morning and give away bicycles and what. Absolutely they should do that again. And I could take 25 cents and ride the bus to a tune from 10 cents and I could go to the theater for 10 cents a 20 and a babe ruth bar for a nickel. And that was my day at the Paramount. Well my father on the Gippsland said you yeah. Yeah. And of course they go there because they could get it cheaper. It was a great place. It was it was a stylish place to go.

But in the 50s it was famous for Saturday mornings. Every kid in town you know saved just quarters to get to go to the movies on Saturday mornings. But I mean you could spend hours down there just watching one serial. Show after another. And we would have you know three and a half four hours of wonderful comics and Roy Rogers and of course Rogers Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry Tarzan them all those are. Those for fun memories. I thought the Cowboys were cool. I love that kind of stuff has come up in the charge and all. I always thought maybe I could blow the trumpet for our beloved trumpet. Too.

You know. You had Drive-Ins here clear back in the system. Yeah. Drive-Ins we were very very part of the first of all in in the early 50s when I was in junior high and elementary or we would go to drive in theaters on Saturday night with the family that was the family activity. We had three drive in movies. We had the one down behind the Paramount ball from Paramount and they had the Mount Ogden which was out here on Harrisonville move. I things that man on the drive in as I recall was that in the Riverdale drive where the two boys the ones at the time that were out in Roy Dale area. By that time our people would always want to have two movies in a one double feature and drive in place you have a double

feature Gorney and stay light and stay very long. That's exactly right. After a movie or or for a birthday party or things we go to a game you guys noodle partner. Down kids and it was it was a long narrow building and. You could sit at a counter you puts it in booths and I think they even had tables but it was just wonderful food wonderful tennis. And we always went out after it just seemed to be the thing you do when you go to a dry man or downtown to have noodles when you come home. I don't know why we did that we could be before but it was always after. The story parlor was a Japanese and that was down on 2058 got a big red dragon still there just like it was a hundred years ago.

But there were several of them right along there and they were all popular. Your tongue was popular. A lot of the time like go down to the Utah noodling and that's where we would go for meals on our dates. That was. The big one I remember that was always really really nice. That was they down right near the moment. And what was it like. It was well it was certainly Kenntnisse and we didn't really like it. I recall well dining very famous place was great. Great. Lodge. At Ogden. Yeah. And we have a lot of chamber events up there. They had tremendous steaks. Wonderful wonderful eating place. There was all the old restaurants in Ogden Ross and. So many places you could go to the cross and Jack was a good restaurant that

was. Located. Between Washington Boulevard in Queensland on 25th Street. It was it was this kind of just a very popular busy restaurant week that had stools and booze a lot of working people were downtown or a lot of business people came in and you couldn't beat Rosson yet. And of course. That time you know everything was homemade homemade pies homemade bread a vegetable. Meet. Harry. And you can go get bigger spuds big heaping mound of mashed potatoes. Nice dark beef gravy a hamburger for about 25. Keeling's was the place where the kids went. OK. And we had shrimp salads and fudge sundaes and. They had wonderful salmon rolls and again wonderful milkshakes and sandwiches. I mean that was a hot spot.

Kid is was one of the better restaurants. Great candy and. The hamburgers. It was a it was a great confection. It was probably the best. You go out the thing with another one. But he's These just a candy maker. And then there was it the Dahlquist Cafe which is on the other side of the Orpheum Theater which was across in the Ogden city park. It was a little narrow little tiny shop right next to the Arfin or to the Ben Lomond hotel. That was wonderful. That's where you could go get mix of drinks like I-Report. And then Vogel's where you got a line Rickey. You know they all had this little specialty. In fact right over here is where we went a lot it was called Judis and they had the greatest hot fudge sundae. It was a kind of a fun out place for the kids when they were activists in high school. And we walked over to Judy. Judy's with another place where you go for the best ice cream in town. And fast

service and just yummy sandwiches and things like that. Did you ever go too far as ice cream. Oh yeah. That's a great place. They were they made all the ice cream. They even let us take a tour. We were there so but did recognize us and. They had a little ice cream parlor with the little white. Like a wrought iron tables and chairs and stuff on the counter. You can order what you want. That was a favorite spot for my family to go every Sunday afternoon. Dad had a maple ice cream cone. I usually have the now or vanilla variety and it was just it was an afternoon outing. My favorite was a rip your mom. Her mom. Yeah. They just put me up here expecting to go use ice cream. But it had to have lots of mold in it. Nowadays you ask for a mold and you still get a shake because they don't know what a mold is. But we used to get Spud much hot Spud nuts. Chocolate. In those days which was I guess for us that was the forerunner to Krispy Kreme.

Yeah but not store. Is that where you got it it was just they were they made them right there. I want to move on when you get does nothing and then get on the bus to ride home to the mall. Yeah. Oh my goodness. There were all the drive ins. That's what we want to. Of course it meant getting in the car. You're proud of who's plex who's dad's car you were in that night and it was out we went to Canby's of course and which is I think now Warnes and I wish we had there were any number of them along Washington Boulevard in Riverdale road. We drive out to Krusty's. Bagels. MASON. There was two main stops and that was Conley's drive in and Mason's drive. And now I can't remember which one was at the end of town on 12th in Washington Colbys was a great driving yesterday. Kids would go to I think it was Mason's that was at Riverdale Rhode Island the south far far south and just barely on the

Riverdale. Yeah. Yeah. And most of the all the high went to Macy's. And if you wanted to be we were high school and be real adventurous you'd go and get into their territory. But Mason's drive and what would happen if you got adventurous mostly shouting matches. And who's the best and cheers and things. Not too many fistfights. You could always see a couple. Then we had J and K was one north the river and that was right down here. Most of the high went to jail because it was closer to kind of perfective that had lots of good looking car up there. And we ran off the guys came from south of the river. You know they had carhop all that driving a car you drive in there and the gals run out. And. They had short skirts and that was an important day. I got to looking and and. Serve you right there from the car line up and sit on the trunk of the

car you know and shoot the breeze with you. To get some breaks there lots of day lots of day. Yeah. Get those cute girls where they just for all. She's looking at you and she knows you can read. I don't remember the cops at Rafid we're older people so they were just always asking for ID ID for a. What were you buying. What were trying to buy beers. We go out to Rusty's. That was the drive. We actually got served with two window like the old days. Like in Happy Days. They had this. It was almost about twice the size of the booth. You know it the old fashioned theaters that set out on the sidewalk. Where they take the tickets. And they had a disc jockey in there. And he was broadcasting live so you could turn the radios on

the station you could see him talking and look just like playing songs. He will come up and who comes in you will when you go by that kind of thing and that was the place as I recall. And many happy hours out there with lots of friends. And there was a Vitus's that was on about 11st and across from the old high school. I had a friend who was there. And. She met her husband there and they had a he usually had a canopy for the first rule against the building. Where the car hops would come to you and stuff and it be a double row and. Then there would be another row. And you talk to a lot of guys in there but you do what you do is you pull in the driveway and you go between one set of cars and around the other set of cars so anybody can see this. While the many drive ins in the Ogden area and sit down eateries are fondly remembered

so too are the locally owned neighborhood grocery stores like this one Stimson's. Many of those stores delivered and most are remembered as being very personable. Around To begin with there the Washington market was down on Washington avenue and it was very very nice market at that time different than what we have now. Now its very nice. And they delivered I that was big time and they took your order over the telephone. I mean very civilized approach. There used to be a. Coffee store called the dinner horn. I think it was on the corner of Twenty four in green. And then we had StemCells grocery store. And then there was a checkerboard grocery store cross where the Ogden tabernacle was. Awful there was a grocery store. I think at toys right now I think it was called

American food stores. We shopped at Hugh's market right close. It was nice. California free was the only place that was open all night. Ridable by road 3:29. They had the big California food right above it. It was quite big not big by today's standards. Yeah well I never. That was quite the place to shop. At a store called rice wine. Stores were much smaller than they are now and nicer. I was size so a little more personable. My first job out of college led to parts of several Aga's here at the Ogden stockyards where the national Ramsdale attracted livestock from across the country today with the exception of the labor livestock auction company. There is little evidence of how important this industry was in the 50s.

The economy here was very diverse so too were the people. The stockyards were important to them and that stock cars were very important. They brought a lot of cattle into it. Again I think primarily from. Idaho about it and there were a lot of cattle brokers to stock and grain and flour. Great. Frank hornbill was young. His cereal. I don't know that many people do that. A lot of name brand cereal for packaged I'll share it with the grain that came and it was refined here. And of course canning canning which was very big. Yeah. Well I think of everybody. In my age group that worked during the summer you know they were in California Pat Delmonte and American company and. You know people who have to go to work for Swift is almost like Geneva Steel don't you talk County. Body some of the other large. Well-known names packed all of their

tomatoes here. They are all BS. Agriculture was still very important to overcome. Oh yes of course that's right. Amalgamated sugar company that was still headquartered in on been with our man and his dad at that time had it. And during that period we had some interesting activities and growth that we located the IRS. Here's an example. I remember we got the chamber board members together and the host of the IRS the assistant commissioner for Washington to a dinner. Several feet of field people were never looking for a place to locate. And they said that's the first time people have been nice to the tax man last year. They said if they came in with a little regional operation it might bring 400 jobs and ended up bringing 4000. Yeah. And of course the banks big commercial security and all those banks for security spend shekels. I remember Mariner I.

Remember him very well sir. Well so Ogden is really important in the history of your family and your income. Well very much so because it really was the birthplace of 1929 for securing corporation. And David Eccles. Had a vision. You know he started a lot of companies and he always wanted people to be his partners. Most of the people were münchen the Scowcroft family the Branning family. There was a national survey of time came out. Which indicated that the Ogden area. There were more millionaire families per capita. Living in the area than any other city in the country. We have the most diverse population. Of any city in the state of the railroads the fifth step forward doesn't seem like that. But I think that a greater percentage of blacks that originally came. To town came. Home because of the Union Pacific.

During the Second World War we had prisoner of war down to 30 seconds. There were Italian and German prisoners of war. They worked out the tortures they worked at my grandfather's orchard and so when the war was over a lot of home but some liked it so much there that. They wanted to stay. Because people would really treat them nicely. For the most part people got along pretty well. But what was the major industry besides banking. What was big. Well the railroad was still the still the anchor. Logwood for many years was the largest rail switchy terminal between Chicago and San Francisco. So we had many many trains. One time I think even in my years with the chamber we had. More than 20 passenger trains a day. When I got here with 47 people my

people had but I would say somewhere between 23 and 24 trains. When I arrived on a Saturday morning and it must have been two or three thousand people seriously people you had kind of a famous very famous grandfather Harmon purry who was the mayor here for many years. I understand when you were a little boy I used to take you to see the trains. It was as a child like my great love. And this was the early 50s I had to go down to the train station after dinner every night. It was usually at dusk at sunset. And he had of course as he was married he had a wonderful Buick with a siren on top of it. And we'd go down and part of the Pillsbury mills and upon an angle at just us the of course the wonderful city of San Francisco was coming to. And of course they. Kept to the train that would blow the whistle when we saw the mayor's car there. That was the greatest thing in my life to hear that whistle go off and the trains were coming to town and all the windows would go up because they would be having dinner at that time on the train and you see all the lovely ladies and gentlemen with all their smart clothes and beautiful faces and hats on all looking at August. And here was this

little 6 year old boy waving to the wonderful people passing by and the rest of the world that brought the outside world to you it was just it was better than any television could ever. The station is nice. A nice small restaurant and conference. Almost all your friends parents were around and you know being an engineer on the road would be like being purged of a bank. Now my father worked with the Union Pacific. He was what they call a club car and it says it's very like a bar and you have sandwiches. That. Just about everybody in the town had something to do with the railroad I am very very fond memories about. About the railroad because you know I could go somewhere on the train with my father.

And if he was going to come back not working they call him dead. And it's the way he would take me. And then we'd come back to Davos so I went to St. Louis. And then went to Denver. But I just absolutely loved riding the train with him in the canyon. It was so beautiful. Ogden was Utah Second City in the 1950s and this street 25th Street was well known across much of the state and indeed across much of the nation. But after the early 1950s 25th Street began to lose some of its earlier reputation. I think it's the history that won't die as the days of 25th Street.

Is never a story about what's happening on 25th Street. They don't remind us that it was where they had brothels. And warehouses and all of that stuff. Twenty six people realized it was what a cluttered Street. Back then in the 40s anchored at one end by the Union Pacific station at the Westham and by the Broome hotel on the corner 25th in Washington the stand was the brim hotel sort of. Shady place. It was always our thought that it was you know that we didn't have any first hand experience. Yeah. We were down there of course with World War Two with a troop trying to rent it out. Thousands and thousands of troops coming back from. The Far East or going to the Far East. We. Would. Get off the trail to flood the street. So it was living up to its reputation for two bits.

Yeah it was pretty pretty rough pretty rough areas. I recall that. With. All of the rumors. Of what was going on down there during the war when I was a young girl I was always threatened that I couldn't go down 25th on Washington. We had a lot of prisoners of war that were running the streets down there. And what were some of the other things that businesses. That went up the street Twenty-First up to Washington. Most of it was bar after bar after bar but they had bakeries they had at the old depot drug. Used to be there. And across the street. Banks did not believe that. There was the porters the waiters club. They had a boarding house there to. The porters and waiters club. Was. An exciting place to go. We were told not to go there. So.

We just had to be excited by curious and all the way up to Washington four blocks. Down. The wall were. Mostly bars and hotels. Where were those famous houses well-reputed. I was a nice guy. I did. But I heard that they were. In. The building. Bob Bob were they both the boys and they did the gambling and some of the bars. Yeah I. I heard of. It. Yeah. Yeah. When I first got here I did a show for you for an hour from four until midnight. I did this show from 11 to 12. Request type show and all the girls and 20 kids we used to call me and I used to play songs and it was wild time and I can remember. When I was working for my dad part time when. A lot of women are working on plenty of fish we had these fancy cars and you know make them look very nice. They.

All worked on that day. And you know Rose Davies and a lot of them they were really. Beautiful women. And I think it was Rose. And. Had a green Cadillac of seen me and purple fingernails with Syria and one of the stores downtown be in awe of the rumors about the success of endeavors you know they're just rumors about what they did but 25th Street was still pretty wide open in the 50s in the early 50s. Yeah. What was twenty fifth off limits to certain people. Well. A lot of people would go down there. Because of its reputation. It was rather dangerous and a lot of people a lot of people in the military were told not to go down stay out of there and if you get caught down there. They kick you out of it. After they we'd go down and lock all the doors on 25th Street and watch and you'd see the prostitutes come by but it was really a very good thing

to do. You did that in high school. Yeah I think most people did when they went out they say it was. It was the scary thing you know there were many scary things to do. And that was the one that I never afraid of that does to me. 25th Street was entertainment. I used to tell my children if they would be good I'd take them down on 23rd Street and let them watch the drunks gambling and the prostitution went away and one of these went away in the 50s. But 53 54 somewhere in the area was twenty fifth Street. A concern of yours during your chamber years. Or was that a blessing or a curse. Well I don't know that it was either a blessing or a curse. I think it was kind of an honor for me and it may have been an attraction. Yeah. First Street lowered 20 feet from where she was. Used to attract a lot of people. Because there are always a lot of stories. Well when they built the federal building down there which was the first year I went to Stanford

I got sent over to go through the up and down that they were dismantling. They really were. They really were. And Saturday night I ran into Linda Oda who was raised on our 25th Street. I said Did you ever know about the tunnels and she says oh yeah we had one right under our our story. Really. And her dad ran store on our 23rd Street. You're kidding. No. I don't think he ever existed. I mean George panfish and his dad on going have going for her back to the days of prohibition. Nobody's ever. Well I should say nobody says one or two people have said yes I've seen her. I've been there. But you personally had never been there. I've never talked to anybody who was ever able to find them. I think they finally resolved that there was basements. Of the buildings there that may have had doors but not opium den. No no no. Yeah. Do you think they're really there. Oh I'm sure they are. I'm sure that they were there with you. I think most anything that you could

imagine was on Clay Street at some point in time. Today is kind of a quaint. You eat a lot of neat shops and a lot of history and a lot of history. That's right some of. Course at the top of 25th Street. Now. Is the band Lohman hotel. And in the 50s that was sort of the center of the social life. Right. It's a different world where you got there just to keep alive which is half block with a washing up to Washington that became downtown. What was so great about that moment. Well it's architecture it's

location on the corner of Washington. And 25th. London hotel was pretty swanky. And it was the response to me and all kinds of activities there. At that time. It was a very going establishment. And. They used to have. Well the chamber used to have many committee meetings and breakfast lunch was there. And the old beautiful ballroom. Myself and two other fellows played in the Trumpet trio and they used to like to have a little music at their lunch and we'd play play there for those things. And it was just it was just first class high class we used to have a lot of parties and a bar room there. And it was very very nice. There was an interesting. Situation with the band lawman. And that was when Marian Anderson. And. It seems to me and I'm not sure that that was the 50s it could have been the

40s. Yeah. She was not allowed to stay in the hotel. I remember. And. She came down and stayed in that band. I really didn't know that. Yeah. Yeah yeah they brought her in and she was treated very well. And that's where the Caillaud was back then so we got in I got it and it can cost me a quarter of the Benlolo hotel and our studios were on the seventh floor and I checked in the desk and I said Can I have a room. I said yeah. I said how much is a $3 a night. Boy that's a lot. What was that like. Ninety dollars a month. But they gave me a rate for about two weeks I paid $60 a month. I will tell you you've got to be really rich if you're going in there for that is really fancy. We looked in there before this got marble walls and kind of stuff. You can't for that place. The coffee shop was quite quite fancy. Describe it for me. Do you remember where you came in. You came in through a revolving door into the

two part of the lobby of the hotel off of 25th Street just above Washington on the corner and it was off to my left to see me went up a couple steps and I guess it was a coffee shop I was thinking I was being a dining room a restaurant. In those days but it was a coffee shop. It was. That was one of the best coffee shops in Naugle. Oh yeah. Beautiful coffee shops great hotel and restaurant. And when you went there it seemed like you're dining dining out. Yeah. You really were in menus. Linen linens silverware and the windows were all open so you had sunlight daylight coming down in the daytime. But there was a big red sign at the top. And I remember that the top of the tower and that was there my whole life I remember looking up there and seeing it just use that as a landmark to know what street you're on. That was at the top of the hotel and it was kind of like the roof

garden. Of course the elevator didn't go all the way up. So you had to walk the last flight to get there but it was truly on the roof. There was just like the Hotel Utah was one house to have the canopy over the canvas over the top and that was a very nice place. And for many years it was one of my plays in the market. But. Indeed the band Lowman hotel was elegant. And served travelers for over a half century. I stayed here often while covering livestock shows and sales at the stockyards. And from its hotel studios Caillaud radio Filby Ogden and Weber County air with melodious hats. We carry. We carried mutuel and I used to have an reheard part of

NBC red and the little chimes ding ding that's for PLO. I used to have Kate Smith and all those good radio shows. You tell the Lord that any Superman story lady in fact you had a live big band. We did and to Utah Playboys have our own group. What kind of music could you play. Fifty years ago we played a lot of Nat King Cole back then. You know Glenn Miller I mean it was really nice. You get listened to. I just had a melody keel over some of these older. And then you listen to the new music and the old you know love me one more week away. Just maybe one or the other but I mean it's you know that music then was really great yeah. The art deco city and county building was built here in 1940 and represented the growth and importance of local government. There were three

mayors in the 50s. W. Rowland White who was in office in 1950 and 51 George Frost 52 and 53 and Raymond W.. Right from 1954 to 1959. But many remember the rodeo loving parade loving business man who did serve as mayor for two decades has been the mayor in the 1950s even though his last year in office was 1949. The Marilee's harm Perry. For years and years it seemed like he was seen like Harmon and. Like Roosevelt and I've been mayor all my life there I can't even remember any anybody else. I. Love dogs. And he was determined to make Hogtown as big as not Baker said he was soft like.

He was. You know he was like a cowboy in there. Yeah I remember that. Yeah. Hey hey we're tired on Ogden. And he did start the Octon pioneer days and the hopes of bringing people to Ogden to enjoy it and find out how great we are up there. And work pioneer days the summer was a tremendously big event. He liked parades. You know he's. Yeah. Well I thought they were just really fabulous when I was in town and. We always wanted to. They would have flags up and down and drink. Lots of float. But played in band. We got our uniform the. Trombone player that we were in the front. Were you in front of the horses or behind the horse. Never did get that right. We were so glad. We used to draw Salt Lake City with the so better rodeos.

My interest in cowboy feel them up and that's always been fun to go to the rodeo. All those horses. One year we had a man with a pair of Gene Autry. Gene Autry came in and he waved his way the flag waving and they just let you have a bath and in having to do that. He just ran around on. His wife. I thought I would laugh. That was all. I was at this point. But it did seem like. Having won the Purple Heart in the second world war. Binny's Douglas Stringfellow was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952. Stringfellow his term was cut short by a scandal that disappointed and shock Utahns. I can even recall where I was when I heard the news.

I think it was good to hear he got on one of those. Shows. Television shows were they. They looked at your background and whatnot. Yeah. And his background was such that he was supposedly an asshole. Oh yes or whatever turned out but he had told me that right here right. I. Could become enamored with the storytelling part of it. Yeah. Yeah. But that was that was a heartbreaker for we were counting you know they were so proud of their. Congressman he was a war supposedly a war hero. But it wasn't aigrette Oliver the man was a tremendously great speaker. Yeah he was in fact I saw a letter from Richard Nixon that he was going to be the vice president for him. Really I'm serious when Nixon first came up and.

That was the. Centerpiece of the Ogden area's contribution to defense of the nation was and is Hill Air Force Base. By the end of 1963 in support of the Korean War. Employment here rose to 15000 military and civilian. He. Had. An. Air force base. You tried General Powell the Austrian army naval supply depot in all those places grew up. They employed 30000 people during the war. What was it like when you got back from Korea. How many people were there. Probably about 2000 civilians maybe 3000 military because of the Korean War. When I first got here there was no trace nothing at all. I will never forget this. You had to park outside. The gate. And

they didn't have all the parking lots. And I worked in the. Main building. And on and had to walk from the gate house to the building. Some days you feel like. That's right. Feel a cold. And those days you couldn't you couldn't wear jeans and things like that. You know you dressed up every day you had to dress up yeah. We used to have a chamber add armed forces to Tiffany. That practically live. A. Lot of distinguish business people lived with the options that we all get ours. We did an awful lot of work that was the growth. Now she told me a story about the commanding officer at Hill at that time can't tell me that story. General Hobert. He wanted. A bunch of trees.

When I get through with this face it will be green like South Carolina. And one morning last Sunday when he got up to go play golf. And he got into the clubs and everything US the. One of the neighbors. What's what direction is the golf course. He said golf course we don't have golf courses out here. This is a desert that. He said there'll be a golf course starting tomorrow. I remember right when we started the golf course at Hill Air Force Base. General Copeland and I. Standing on top of a hill hitting the first golf balls out into a big open field to check off a construction. And then they started it and they call it ALBERT FIELD right up. It is a beautiful one the best courses in the state. And that all started in the early 50s right. Ogden is and was a strong baseball town. This is the current home of the Ogden rappers. But long before the Raptors there were the Ogwyn Reds the farm team for the Cincinnati Reds. They produced some major league players and managers including Frank Robinson and

Johnny Temple. And they played at two different fields which no longer exist. My dad and I and my grandpa would go watch the Reds play usually. Well we'd already kilowatt Stadium right there by Harmon period old mill the mouth of Martin King. And. They were they were fond memories. However we had such. Fierce down and breezes coming down Ogden Canyon boy and practically all the time and from there they went out onto the field at 33rd Street and Wall. Catholic park was John Affleck was the one down the 33rd. Oggy Navarro was the voice of the Ogden ranch the farm club the Cincinnati Reds and we produce great players out of that. Frank Robinson Johnny Temple Perry for Koski. Day a long letter.

For. Ogden read you know big gear what we considered back in those days of pro-team. Frank Robinson was the great player to come out of there. Was a coach. Was. A manager. In the major leagues. Great player. We had great pains. They was fun to go there. Snow Basin was host to the 2002 Olympic alpine event having begun operation in 1946 a decade of the 50s was a time of growth here and locals young and old found the deep powder bowls all day. Whoa. Lift tickets were a bargain. And many of us took early trips up Ogden Canyon to bask in the glories of the basin.

Snow Basin was something we were very proud of in Wildcat Mountain was the mountain. Finally they opened up the other side chick in Spring City Hill. We started skating at snow base and when we were probably 13 12 feet. And they had a rope tow. We got our first lift up there. Condemned the mining rig. That. Was converted into live with great big wooden chairs in 1946. Back in those days the single chair lift a. They were all wooden towers one big single chair lift every chair had a coil of rope tied on the back of that chair. And when it rolled down and stop you either jump off or

slid down the rope. And then we had the ski jump there called Becker. You had to hike to it. Had to hike up there with no or there was a rope tow and then you come down the back side and then climb up on a tower. An. Excellent ski jump back in those days you would wave your arm. I tried to remember that. Oh here it is. It was a lot of fun. The Dawkin have a good ski team. Yeah we won the Knutson Cup. Two years in a row. Expelled everyone I wish when we went down when we go up even though you represented the high school even though we represented a high school kid we'd love school. That was the biggest trophy of the Ogburn high school case. We were in line to win it in 19 51 and retire the.

We had a little bit fusilli and. We didn't. When we came in second later on he's tied one to three times in a row and retired. That's always been a great disappointment in my life that I've heard about for many years from the leopards high. Closer to town those who wanted to swim dance eat ride the merry go round love come into rainbow gardens. In the center of town. Huge crowds came for the big band concert at the White City or berth in a ballroom. Mrs. King where we're sitting now. Right here under the floor in the 50s was the swimming pool. And then it was called Rainbow. Right. It was the swimming pool. They all hang out.

I loved it. That was one of our favorite things to do. Ringle gardens in those days were just right write the mouth blog and it had these pools. Yes we had three swimming pools and indoor and outdoor A training. But that was one place to go swimming. When I was in the wintertime and I don't know if the bowling alley was there then what I thought was so neat was that there was a machine there that had hot dogs and hot dogs in this little tube. About that big around and about that long and it's mass there so the bun is really doughy. It's a little thin hotdog that's in there. Oh they were wonderful go up and right next to it was a pond and I don't know what they call that but that's where we would go ice skating when it got cold not to freeze over nicely as I recall. And people came here a lot of people mad here. Yes. Oh yes. I get people coming in every day saying you know

when I came up here swimming I met this good looking a lifeguard. And we got married and we're still married and we came out here to have lunch and celebrate. I've had so many of those stories that you had then we used to meet there sometimes and peddle our bikes. Clear up this was before a high school of course and pedal clear to petiole Springs. That was really a wonderful place to go up to patio. Springs. It was a family resort you know a swimming pool. It was a Disneyland for little kids growing up so we'd gone there. Always driven up Logan Canyon and gone over the end of the Pine View dam and through the tunnel where you had to hold your breath why you went through the tunnel and then they all. My mother always stopped before we got to the end to see how long we could last. This was an outdoor swimming pool. And it had a fountain. In the

center of the pool. It was magical for everybody. And it had. A big open dance floor with. Inlaid rocks. And you always would take up. Seem. Like. Orange jade. And fried chicken. We really fed a large type of patio for high school parties that we're here for free. So you you went out to dances. Know we went to dances in fact they had dances in the school and that's when they dance cheek to cheek. Yeah that's what it was more fun. We did a lot of romantic stuff. Nat King Cole I can replay the background in our rumpus room dance I ever went to afterwards. We got rid of it. Our ball rolling. And they has some wonderful dances for the day. Yeah that was really great. We used to have dancers up there. How did your square dance scene. We did a lot of square dancing and we had a teacher come up here. I was.

In the bill sat down in the basement of the rainbow gardens. And that was another hot spot for dancing. And went twirl around you know the good dancers and twirl all over the bar. And you also went downtown to dance. Well yeah they had the White City ballroom at that time it was beautiful. You remember that. Yeah. That was a big beautiful ballroom. We loved to go to the White City ballroom that was on 25th in Washington about half a block up big balls a really big. It was kind of a big dome barn like like a rainbow rendezvous. Yeah it was a first class big time ballroom. There really was there was nothing sloppy about it. It was the pearl of Aag in that sense yeah. I can remember the dance down in the White City ballroom. And they were so packed. I remember seeing Doris Day there.

Tommy Dorsey and big time bands Dan Kenton and if you know what I'm talking about those guys had come there and it was just. You know kind of like going to heaven to get out there on that dance floor. You're like Doris Day. I like Doris Day. I still like there's two favorite songs in my life Doris Day and Debbie Reynolds and they're both staying around him and I stay around as long as they do. What about saving him a job. Oh no you didn't play white city and Rainbow rendezvous and boom and all of those places were strictly segregated. When you caught a girl where would you take for a day or why should you. I was really good at doing it. Boys if you're off on that you've got to show off with the best stuff you're good at. I went to work her harm period. The Old Mill is a bartender.

On Saturday nights we had Western dances there all the big western dance band. It was the birth center. I think they did some of their birth and it was between Grant and kiss on 24th is still there it's a pigeon infested place right now. What was birth and I really like. Birth and I was just a big open dancing. It was upstairs of a building and it was a dance. It was. A lot more wild. I went down there and this older man came and asked me to dance. It scared me and I went home. How old was he. Ah. Well he's. 13. Really really really old. Later on he was too young to relish going there

once or twice a month. We had rollerskating birthday and. So. What to what had kids young kids do for fun in the 50s and Ogden played baseball went to school dressed nice. Looking girls wear what the girls wear here in those days. We didn't wear pants like we all do. Now women didn't wear pants and skirts and glasses. And skirts pleated skirts. Lots of full skirts that hustle and bustle. We had to I the most magnificent full screen world we had the big round circle that was made actually in the complete circle. We made them yeah. There was a wonderful seamstress in ogling Florence Colombe who orchestrated quite a few of us in making a poodle

skirts. And mine was aqua felt full circle with beaded leaves individual leaves knew I'd beat them and then I'd come them on the skirt and she showed me the design direction. I absolutely adore this girl. So sad. I know know. And underneath we're petty Kelts me out of Matt. But you dip in sugar to make them stiffen up so that they would they would stick out a little bit. But it was really important that we were the jeans and sweaters and the joy shoes. We knew we had to have it. Jansson socks and cherry Jansons sweater said really quick guy. I hope they were Skyblue they were playing they were turquoise. All kinds of colors that were so. It was just kind of the in thing and with a lot of times the whereabouts of the little flower here. To top it off. And then we were Bobby socks everyday and we had oh I think it was

Melican shoes they had sort of the front scoop and then a little strap around the back and that was the big popular thing. We had Johnny Belinda's shoes and I think Savile's shoes were too. I was one of those that I kind of liked girls that looked like girls you know I mean they had a ponytail long hair ponytail. Poodle skirts tight sweaters. To me. That was awesome to me. Did women dress differently at that time. Well it seems to me we wore some hats. Yeah. And we aren't wearing hats anymore to speak. And I'd go down to Salt Lake with my mother and aunt and we try on hats and we were all it was so exciting. I still have a few of them left in my closet. Did you wear white gloves. Yes we wore gloves too. That's right true white blouse some black kid gloves. Now I remember you I was very young man but I remember you

when you ran the Ogburn chamber as. Being very natty. Well thank you. I appreciate the compliment. Somebody. Shortly after it took over and we started all the retail like you said Bernie. You have to wear a hat. Because it's fashionable to wear a hat. So I started wearing hats and I. Done done. For. What about man's hands. Oh yes. Everybody was I had all the men wore hat. For kind of had that you were. Well it was kind of a nice flashy Fedora I guess she called it but. It was old Fred and by the way of them say I have to wear. Three button suits and they've got a two button for. Come back to three by now. Every Wednesday we were our ROTC uniform because everybody had to take it easy. I remember my boys seeing some pictures of me and said wow dad you look just like the Fonz.

Cause you got their hair kicked back on both sides. Put that in your eyes and the colors. Oh my goodness we all forget shirts with little button down and down. On them. And a. Lot of sweaters. You know golf. Sweaters. Sweaters. Shirts that open. We don't know where Levi is that we're all you know. Well. Slacks. Levi's will start to be big. You always had to have your Levi's head quite the cuff on the. Cuff. Then we're cool. The lower they could get their pants the better they thought they were looking.

At Leather Jackets. Mark if we start to look good on Barca's Yeah and Florsheim shoes. Absolutely. You had to work had to have some. Yeah. I don't know if I wore Forschung shoes or not. I must not have because I don't remember where it was. But then you got to wear another I got about the Jack pre-sell. Yeah yeah yeah. You should. Start. Getting all these high school kids here start get all kinds of people white getting sneakers. I skyrocketed. So pretty soon all the other birds were carrying them. And. Gym shoes we would never wear. Shoes. Like the guys I always go oh yeah we had to have some kind of a boot or a heavy shoe. Yeah. Never. Gym shoes. That was priceless. Yeah. Whether it was floor Shems or Jack Purcell's Janssen or Joyce the place

kids showed off their wardrobe was high school. Ogden High's famous art deco design was the crown jewel of the city as the 50s began. When I graduated in high school in 1951 it was going to high school. MARTIN Ogden high and we were high. So which was the best high school. Was it. It's hard to say the saying was as I remember. Was the castle on the hill in a barnyard on the boulevard. But I've never quite heard of barnyard but that would fit. We were we were proud of being farmers. Well where are you a redneck we'd call yourself rednecks. You bet. Well. Ogden high was a new high school. Kids said. We had a million dollar school in a.

Big fancy on the outside and then you walk in and big marble stairways you know wide stairways. Totally stately laid beautiful. Elegant building. It was a beautiful beautiful building built in 1936 37 was part of the WPA project but it's considered one of the top 10 art deco buildings in America. And they may have lived in a castle bed. Now in a way I'll go and grab them by night. There was wonderful people that went to high school. This actually wasn't the school where you went to high. Well it was the old river high that was on between 11th and 12th Street. On Washington Boulevard. Raber was sort of the step was this county. It was a county Yeah. So everything that was in the city limits. What was it

we were high. Martha What was your highlight. Well. We were high school about two. It was. A big river probably known for the. Spirit. What was the competition like here between. We were hard on them. Fierce Yeah but there was that rivalry between the two schools and everything we did from track to football. They were our competitions when I grew up. High school was surrounded by kids. Who play little sandlot football on their fields that sort of thing. Oh my goodness. The rivalry between Wieber and armed and high and it ended all culminated in the playing of the annual football game called The Little Brown Jug game.

That the trophy of course for the traveling foppery between the two schools. And it was it was fierce competition all the time. After game activities were important as the game itself. But. To win it in downtown I'll practically walk off a whole city block from on Washington Boulevard from 24 feet between Fifth Street and just mill around and every once in a mid-fall you. Open a window and with this crowd of teenagers all over. It. The toughest guy from weever and a cup of coffee mug had a big battle and yes there were good fights. After that and the participatory. And I tried to participate. Actually. I. Have great

celebrations and we have these big fast food street. I give people a first time I've ever thrown in jail. My only time we're a little brown jug. What were you thrown in jail for. Well we just had a mistake that would tell. I guess we got a little out of control. I know some windows were broke. Downtown Ogden and they finally changed little brown jug came to be an afternoon game and not an evening game because it got pretty rowdy between the two schools. I always thought we won but I look back in my annual. My annual book here and I saw that we didn't dominate the way I remembered that we had in basketball baseball and football. We could win every wrestling and we won all the track in all of this type of thing. But we had a harder time against high low. I'm just saying. Early in the 50s. Auburn High was the largest school in the state but the city

needed another high school. So in 1951 construction began on bam Lohman high here. And classes began in 1953. Arnie Speth that's Ben Lohmann pig that's been Lohmann Paik that's our alma maters namesake. That's why they named the sobeit they named Ben. And you were there first class here we were the first class and 54. We graduated the fifth year in June of 54. So the whole north end of town went to a place where none of the Ben Lomond students were from were high. No no. Awful. And nice. You know where are the Norris and the river gang. And everybody was excited about going I can't remember anybody that did not want to go. To. High school and started. Why is this called Scots.

Is it because the band Lohmann pick is there are band Lohmann Paik and Ben Allman Paco's named after a peak in Scotland. Yeah and they picked out the Scottish. Colours and the bagpipe. We were really big into it. And that was really important. We wanted everybody to know if. We wanted to move to the south in the town of the north and the town was as good or better than they were that year. We certainly did. And the school wasn't completely done with it when we moved into it. There was no grass around it at all. There was no place for us to play athletics we had to go down to the old rodeo grounds now. Is our stadium down in when we had our fuchsias family had gone high and we had a first assembly at Belmont High School in the automotive department. And we all sat on the floor.

There was no chairs in there. We sat on the floor. This is where we had our first assembly because the seats in the auditorium were not done at the time. And it was sad splitting us apart further for the football coach. Kluft snow because you know he had a super team would've have taken the state championship that year. I'd argue at Ogden and Webber. I mean we like to split because that made him smaller and we were much more competitive in the sports and it was. A better high school argument. Well we like to take a class. How did you purba. Well the. First year we did the first football game that was held between our high school and below my high school in high school was ranked as the top team in the state at the time. And we became. We beat Oregon high on the iron horse. And there one. Thing

that you won what was it called. It's called the Iron Horse. It's a traditional game and these you know pass the trophy back and forth and organize it a lot more than boxing has had a lot of weight. As Fred you and we had an excellent basketball team we had an excellent baseball team and we beat Wieber high. We haven't really built a rivalry between us. Hey we have. Now I want. Have they now believe they hear that Arnie. Yeah. Who can forget their high school mascots or cheerleaders or even the school colors. Certainly not on the knights who were in high school in the fifties. I was in the pep club. Where. The little skirt to the great beat going slaves. The tiger. We just you know we sort of marched around and we made sure we made. The all.

On every every game. The thing I did was with my. Lights down they know that I could say with that said Go down the route of. The Binet's war. Stewart plaid skirts back down the ass from the shoulder and then we had a little packet that we we had as a person when we had a a a little cap that we wore in and our shoes were by saddle shoes. But the miller said being brown the steward. Now tell me what that chair was really like. I know you can remember two bits forbit six dollar everybody from them stand up. All. Right. What were they called what would serve the Weber.

We were warriors. Yes it was the people. You know. They were warriors as long as I can remember that they have such a thing as a happy warrior. They did. They did. Oh now I'm told that you were the happy warrior here. And I don't remember being elected happy warrior but I got the name happy warrior because I dated and not did high young lady. And in their paper they put that she was dating a happy warrior. So the students were proud to be Scottish. Absolutely. What was Ogden's all Ogden Tiger's five yourself. Yeah of course yeah. Yes. I've been an Oregon Tiger all my life and damn proud of it.

And you were happy to be happy were you. Absolutely. We loved their school. They were a great school. The beautiful new campus of Weber college brought great pride to everyone in Ogden and in all of northern Utah. Construction of the campus began in 1950. Classes started a couple of years later. By 1959 enrollment reached nearly 3000. And the college became a state university. A four year institution. Chink Weaver has played an important part of your life. We were State College and the whole area. It certainly has. I came here as a student in 1955 and it was told we were junior college is when it was called at the time. And there were four small buildings that existed here at that time. We were college campuses upper 25th right around Adams Avenue Jefferson right in through that

area on the 4th the 25th. It was a mixture of built buildings the Monch building. The only thing that was on this side of the track is the west side of the track and the only thing that was here was about two. Two small sections. Of steel bleachers that were about 10 miles high. And on the east side of the track the two center sections is all that we had on the big crash rocks in France last year where we had at that time that was the press box that we had over there. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. The difference. It wasn't a big deal but I would say probably seven or eight the very most two years two years. Yeah there were a lot of clubs. There were several. I can't I. Dare say how many but. There were three or four that were there. The ones you would really want to get in. Ot a COIE for the women. The man was

Excelsior. Excelsior club. They're the ones that were the most popular one at that time we thought. I belong to a group called Phoenix and why why was it called then. Who knows. Felix I think they called it that was for sissies. Take the call of the Phoenix. We didn't like that too well for what we had around the school. Well we've talked to a man earlier. Mr. Shaam who was a member of Phoenix. Did he wear a skirt. Around the school with the president. Why was he a sissy. Well I think so. Ray actually one of your good friends. Told us that the Phoenix Club members were all systems.

I know I know which friend that is knowing him better. Yeah. Not to say that I would never say that because I had a lot of good friends that chose to join the ladies club the Phoenix guys were all as far as we were concerned. You know they probably had. More wild parties in the club and that's probably what he has reference to. You know here was the man. They were they were a lot of fun because the men and the women would you know one club that was trying to change that. But you they didn't exclude a lot of kids. No I think pretty much if you wanted to join a club you you could. You could indicate it and pretty much get in. And we used to have. Daisy maydays there the girls were dressed like Daisy Mae was a little girl. Sure. And we go and make a big fight in the park next or make a big mud hole and we had to

wrestle with guys for. Rights for. For me it was just a fun school a great school. Looking back I have santri recollections of simpler or even happier time fixed in our memories and day. The 50s were for many and the best of times. What are your overall feelings about life in the 50s in the city of Ogden Utah. Well. It was. I think it was in many ways it was a lot slower than that than the pace of the day. But in some ways there were more activities because we made. I think it was an extremely happy time. Most people at least in high didn't have an awful lot of money that we all came from the same class basically

and. We just enjoyed everything we did and we had wonderful clean fun. Time. For years the city used to ward off some hills. About a block. Like only three others that had furnished the fields and built bonfires. And the kids would. Play. Play right now. That was Lawrence our park with a merry go round and we used to take picnic picnic lunches and go to the park. You can't do that anymore. We had a couple of swimming hole down there. One was named loggy and that was from the log where they had dammed up the garden are right above the what's now Lorne Park park swimming pool. And above that up by the old dog pound was the soapie.

So there were two swimming hole there that. That. The guys north of the river claimed to play sandlot football. Baseball. Spring was baseball. Back in summer. A lot of water skiing. Up. I put pine view. You go up in the mountains. You know we're worried whether you are enforcers of property or private property here there were no fences or signs and cars. So young people didn't have cars in those days. We walked everywhere. In fact during the 50s when I was in junior high school we'd go to a dance and would walk back we'd go clear down down to the whites of the ballroom and then we'd walk home. I just think those were wonderful years. The 50s were wonderful. I think they were. Just didn't have any of the

fears and the rush feeling and. Worry about economics and. All the things that you have now. I miss miss all of the all of the people that were so pleasant. I never never liked to I was never like my car. You're not to worry about things like I guess probably. The most prominent thing that stands out is how simple life was then it wasn't so complicated. There's just a feeling of closeness a feeling of home. I miss the closeness that we used. I miss going down Washington Boulevard. We had merchants street re-invested their life earnings and their business was their lives and they wanted this town where all. The little shops and places we used to visit are no longer there. You just don't see all those things anymore. So it was just fond memories fond memories.

It was a train station that was 25th Street was Washington Boulevard. It was we were college all in high school. Snow Basin it was all the things a guy growing up would want to be from and and to live with and to be part of. And now of course to be able to go back to. That was just a fun time and especially not as. Wonderful. Local production of Utah in the 50s. Ogden was made possible in part by

the doctor Zeke and Ed no water stumpy foundation the George S. and Dolores story Eckles foundation the Klean Peterson Eckles endowment fund the Lawrence T and Janet T.D. foundation see Comstock Platon Foundation. Dr. W.C. Swanson family foundation and the contributing members of KQED