Utah in the 50s; St George

This is a lamb a big story. From the eleven thousand three hundred foot Lionhead Creek in Auburn County. To Washington county's twenty five hundred foot altitude the lowest in Utah. This breathtaking color country has it all. For those who live here and for those of us who love to come when you. The decade of the 50s was as we say in Utah a special time. Cedar City was the dominant center in southern Utah and still a small quiet town where youngsters played shoeless in the red the hills near town St. George would soon be discovered. And in my statewide wanderings in those days gathering interviews and news for my carrousel radio program. I often came to the small farms of big ranches to meetings and fairs in iron and Washington counties. And I love. The. Local production of Utah in the 50s St. George Cedar City was made possible in part

by the Georges and Dolores story Eckels foundation and through the support of the contributing members of KQED. If you were driving from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City on U.S. Highway 90 you. You have through your Utah population four thousand five hundred sixty two. It was a sleepy little town. Try it twice. You know we were living in what we can see with the sticks. We're way way from Salt Lake. The center. Of cultural. Life is very busy. People always wonder what you did in small town. Or anything to do. I cannot remember having a single second that was wasted. And we knew everyone in the town. And everyone was concerned.

Had a chat and we helped each other. It was just a good safe community. Imagine there was only one stoplight in St. George and it seems that one wasn't here until the middle of the decade. Some remember it wasn't needed even then. But. It did bring with it some new excitement. Main Street there was only one stoplight. Is that right. Wait a minute. There were many. I don't think there was a stoplight in the fifties Fassler little. After 1955. There was one that was much older in 1993 right. When that first flight was put right up there right on where Main Street is now. Boulevard on Main Street. I knew it was needed during your lunch hour and going to school. For. The first time in just a green all the time. We thought that was great. When that first. Why. Why. Because the

people that go when the traffic didn't come anymore they'd go anyhow. And that's what's causing the wreck. I remember as a kid working so station right there on the corner. And the. Traffic was so small we had to stay open. So we busy ourselves by going out and pushing a button to change the light. Just a biggie. Good morning down the street. And have to stop. Long for no traffic to speak of. Just for your pleasure. That's what he does for fun. No highway gets in the middle of town. And we had Main Street and tabernacle straight and so of course Main Street was the main major town on the street. There were businesses the center was on the corner across from the tabernacle on the left side of the street.

I was sent on qualifying. I still have a credit card from that and it's been out of that business for a long time. Mary in Boulder had an appliance store. Hirsche have a local variety store in there. It was the about three. Of them and the other direction from the beginning take order which was a stoplight J.C. Penney's was on the corner where most of the time I shopped at Penney's what little shopping I did do. We had a Strouss right store. My husband bought property right down on Main Street and. And bailed three little buildings right. And when I went to start it still there. I am one with them. I am. A conscientious guy as I am. And the other one was at Yale and it. Was the party lose office. It was still late. And that next door that my scared his schedule and my dad. Will. Forever to the

aisles in the windshield. Would set. Things in the middle of it. We love it. They rebuilt this blazer wrap around the beads was like. There were three basic courses Shulgin down. There was a rivalry between the stores I guess just say that this park was right next to the post office and they also made. Me there boxing. But you know. Yeah. But it was a good market and a good market for years and years and years. The old pay market was across the street on 100 north cross street. My father started the miles way around that and they did a good job with that. Back at that point in time it was that. Jim and just had a grocery store and he had wheels.

It was Jim's mobile market. He took a truck frame built a trailer on the back. It was just like a mobile home on the shelves for groceries produce a refrigerator and he would go up and down the street with his way and he would go to the middle of the block and he would stop. On his farm. Come when you hear the familiar horn and all the kids love him because he always had lots of candy candy and they had some pies choosing. That important place for their pantry. And it was really nice because a lot of the older people especially that did not have transportation or had to depend on someone else to get their groceries to go out to the market and pick up everything needed in our town. When you went to the market you got claimed you come to town you were a nice dress and it was a big occasion because that was social certan filled in a need for the snakes and bread and butter and get on with their

day without having to clean up. Down. Across the street. Was the hotel. What was the name of a hotel. Liberty Hotel. Till it had a big lobby in it. Fifty forty rooms to Lady Liberty and the arrowhead hotel. And they gave were magical big big and. Unusual for say George Orwell and it had a pharmacy in their basement pharmacy. And they completed. The drug. The drug was owned by my parents best friends watch as one which started the day they had a wonderful fountain. That Dan Watson worked for his father. And Clark Watson owned the Dixie drugstore. And it was fun. Enjoyed going there because he was such a wonderful friend to everyone and then his son took over.

Watson was my husband and this is the very famous. Watson Dixon fountain. Which played a part in convincing romance and onda cost the end Dixie college because they are in need their. Boyfriend or girlfriend. So many people in town I repetitiously maybe a little. It was wonderful to see her play a role here while they had their own court which was a big break years. So what was some of you had an ice cream soda. When will you ever say they don't make money. Oh they don't. How do you make when you put first blood in a scoop of ice cream. And then the flavor topping. And then of course a little of this carpeting thick water and then you must have a really good end with lots of really good. I think that's the important

important part of love when you put carbonated water in here and then spritz the top with fine spray. You put a great big scoop of ice cream on top with a spoon down the side. Very carefully and strong serve it up. All right. I've never had one of your shows and I know. I didn't like them so maybe there was no love with what they said they were just like. They sort of. Good. And there were several crash shots Snell's trash. That's. A descendent of arrest to. OK this was your homecoming dress and the blue and white colors of gates. Where did you get the dress. X-No straight shot that was the place to be had dresses like this. Of course we went to see

Snow's dress shop. And she kept an eye out for us in all that time. Was it expensive. I'll probably you know. Doesn't it look expensive. And then everyone's opened up. And I know my mother who used to visit from Salt Lake. She loved to go for us. She loved their clothes. And your father was a businessman in St. George. He was he was on Main Street and he had his own shop there and it was easy Miles saddlery. He sold saddle's which were really quite important back then. And also he repaired shoes which was very important to people. Midway through the block on the north side there was nothing until you got over to Tabernacle and Main Street on the corner and that was very small furniture had had his furniture store and he had of course furniture as well as the All floor covering and painting. So it was just an overall general

hardware store. My and had a piece one. Night. Too. And. It was. So much fun to. Talk about everybody and find out what was going on in town. And my two aunts find just hilarious ladies and they entertain me by the shop. They had. A call. And it was in a gallon jug and I knew he couldn't. Now they call it what jail or something that product product. Anyway they were they were moving from one spot to another and it broke. They dropped. A slab for about three hours and it was just like a nightmare. Yeah. So you had a very very creative no made ice cream and word that the ice cream dough to the cafes to the.

Pound and used them. Down. My stomach. Lyle was the chef and owner of the Liberty cafe. And I would go an hour away from the buffet and the wait is over. Could it be that he would honestly say that if you just disappeared in the back of the chair which was the best confirmed around. Well as long as they're all dead now I can say exactly right. I think the big hand was Kwanzaa was for me the big can cafe was on. Highway 91 right. Oh it was a stopping place it was where the bus came in when all the boys left to court. And also a requirement there in order to be the best place they had to stay open 24 hours a day. They'd like come out. Once a month. The boys would be drafted with what they can.

See them off and waved to them. You know it was a coffee shop you know a Mormon community where. People were smoking and drink coffee. By golly I believe they were the. Work. That. College. Freshman that George Bush just because they had a big hand out for him. I don't know why. Why was the big hand there for. George. George pace ran man for years now who only. Began. Pulling the rug. And they were. They were sheep and cattle out on the margins. And I'm told that one of them lost his hand. I don't mean that to me in those early days when. Tell you which would come in the polls or at night you know they'd go out once or twice a night and showed off dynamite to scare you which way or catch whatever may be.

And he blew off one of his hands and he had an artificial hand. Placed and always wore gloves. And the big can name the right from from his hand and I'm told that's why he named Cafferty the big anti-fur. I'm sure you never heard that. I had heard that story yesterday. He said there a block east of there was Dick's cafe on the highway 100 it slows down down Dick's cafe was more of a thing for local people to come there. Oh you might say the cowboy crowd was no big let's play cowboy himself. People wanted to go out one day to go out to a diner. The dining room area and the dining room on. To his house and it made it a little bit nicer. You can have parties in there and have 50 or 60 people

without any trouble. He had just a few just a few stools and it was a good cafe. They had good food. I mean it was always that you could always get a steak sandwich get potatoes and gravy you get ham and eggs. You know the real good stuff that they are quite often and at the time that they were making the Conqueror he was working with the livestock especially the horses at that point in time. And they had been filming all day. And so that evening they decided to go out to dinner with Dick Powell the producer and his wife Jane and Alice and the two of them entertained a group of men that were there. And of course my dad had never. Had any contact with the people. He said all that was great. He said they were just like common kids. And so it was it was fun for me. And didn't the honor I wasn't involved in bringing movies to this part of the country.

Yes. Claims to have personal friendship with John Wayne and. Clark Gable and others who come to his place and. I tell you about Friday what came in here to do the King and four queens. And I rented my home the car gave him his life. And. Had a bath tub that was filled by a spicket that raised up. And you could share with us because when you get down feel with that. And he asked me where I got to right here in St. George he says could you get into my home. I think didn't. Want to leave and he's down there by the shore so I think he was twenty three or four dollars here now to check the people my cast the darn thing. That's right. You remember those movie stars coming to town I remember seeing them quite a bit and I remember walking into a movie theater with John Wayne walking out. And one occasionally. Got the movie stars to.

Put a softball team. On the field when it was time to play them and it was. Fun activity a good one. I don't think they keep score. Well John Wayne is here to play softball with some ball. He's a good guy a good guy and a good time the Conqueror was the biggest. Budget movie we ever did here a lot of money John. And they lived here for six weeks and it was a big no big budget movie but it was never very successful. I kind of remember and I remember seeing a movie star here in St. George John Wayne Clark Gable and many others was not uncommon in the 50s. Paul I would love making movies here and young and old loved seeing the stars on the big screen at the Getty and the Dixie theatres. You had to go to St. George Church if you had a day to do anything exciting. Yes. Yes.

The one place where the movie was in St. George's two movie halls over there the Dixie theater I worked at both movie theaters I worked for Jack Wadsworth at the theater and his son in law Merv wrapper. Had the guy yet you went to the Dixie Chicks and the day of the tabernacle strays for instance that I used to later at the show. So she had to battle to get his name right. You could see all sorts of fun things at the movie and maybe a fellow would bring the stage one night or the next night he'd bring another one. And so it was fun for us as we were working there to kind of keep up with who was going with who and how many times they brought the same one to the movie and how much were movies that I could go to the movie and have a popcorn for 50. After the movie. Would start towards home. We tried to work toward service station blustery to finish supper and I went up to that station for Harim a card that he lived in Provo all

by and I asked why I was called McChord and they would stop there and I come up. There were nights. Not a lot but occasions when we walk home and would not even pass the car going either way. It. There were a few cars here in the late 40s and early 50s. But as the decade unfolded cars were cheap gasoline was cheap. And that brought tourists from all parts of Utah Nevada California and elsewhere to just it St. George. Did everyone have a car. No. Most families would have access to them. Yeah but it's really hard. You. Know every person is a family. I tried where we were going. And we. Would be walking. Oh yeah you'd love to have a car. Yeah. Did you have a car. I didn't have a

car. We only had one car and it was. Yes. I wish we had it by now. And and in those days you could tell who was were in town by car. That's right. I remember I was so mobile I saw a car down at the post office. Did you hear what you do in the car. Did you drag Main Street. Oh yeah that old main street was. That there was the thing to do. Yeah you know. Everybody knew everybody and everybody knew their car. We knew all the license plates of all the cars and trucks car was coming in and it was stopped. They were you know it was just one of those things you learned. To know it was out on the street that night was gasoline. Keith is that far with 17 cents. How much was gasoline. It was maybe 17 or 18 cents.

How much did gasoline cost in the 1950s. You think. I would imagine 25 30 cents a gallon for what. Sometimes a little less time left now. People used to come through here. In the 50s I guess. When they could get cars. And gasoline and money after the Second World War. And and you told me that they would. Drive at night and sleep here here in the day. Yes. Before the days of good conditioning in automobiles. They would leave California. To the evening drive home. And arrive here about something and then they checked into a motel. And. Sleep for a couple hours. And then go on your trip. I remember sitting in the summer. My bedroom was against the side of the house that I could open the window but a pillow out the window and it's fun to look like.

So they call those hot summer days the radiators and everything and the cars were like they are now and the cars would heat up but they had these side coolers on the car and it's. Just. The. Pillar there that when the wind hit it could drown around he blew the air and we've got a little window box that we could put a bucket of ice water the best that we could cool off our honeymoon. That people have those canvas bags on the front of all those canvas bags would be great around the license plate. And you know a lot of accuse us of. Being a super salesman or something you know here you are going to go on to the bar to get your water back. No no. What's that. Well make sure they had a water back door they will desert. That's right. It was hot. And we had a swamp cooler and our first little house and I would

cook dinner and we would sit down at the table. And the perspiration would pour down and with no dinner. There's a few show every night. That you'd lay there and I could just read in bed sheets get wet. With sweat. Yeah. But you didn't have any air conditioning. No it did not have any. Not even the swamp cooler. No. Screen door screen on the window you throw everything open and get a lot of the night. We had a porch we had an old spring job there. I still see dad so much going on in the pecan tree. And just take the blanket out there and we're not going breeze and be a little bit cooler. He got hot. But. They didn't complain. And you did. Did you have a reefer you didn't have a refrigerator in the kitchen. We did not. Yeah I was 11 years old and got a refrigerator and. I can still hear dad saying taste how cold it is. Yeah yeah.

The Atomic Energy Commission had promised that nuclear testing in the Nevada desert would be conducted with adequate assurances of safety. But when those tests began in 1951 and increased in the spring that 53 residents had Washington and iron counties saw felt and heard things they could not believe. I remember when they were touching off the bombs in a flat in Nevada we was on the third floor we was in the physiology class. We knew what time the bomb was going to go off. So they're watching and we seen the flash and we sat there waiting for the sound and I don't recall how long it took but it seemed like a long time. And the sound wave coming. Through the windows you know moved them a little. Then

it must the went and hit the Redhill or the other hill here and bounce back so we got a second sound wave there. The thing I remember most about the time when communism was a concern to everyone. Is that my dad would take a turn going out on the Hill watching for the commies. And we talked about that years later and thought Well Dad you know if you saw one how would you know that it was a commie. And if you saw one what would you do. You know what would. Who would you know if they didn't have any way of could I guess they would just wave their arms companies. Isn't that interesting. It was a serious thing to have someone out there on the on the Hill all the time watching for commies. Seriously. Yes. Testing of atomic weapons goes on for a vital reason. Our national defense. We have no choice to fall behind any other nation on atomic. Progress is a marginal risk.

You could hear the explosions in Sadr City. I remember hearing it and and the clouds. Drift up. The grounds are located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas and comprise 640 square miles of what was originally a world war two bombing range. I remember vividly seen in the newspaper these mockups of families and houses and then that they were all blown out. Blasting in. Las Vegas. We used to go up on West Westmount not here and see it from here and then come back to town that great flash in the western sky an atomic bomb or other test site. One hundred and forty miles to the west. But it's old stuff to St. George routine. They've seen a lot of them ever since

1951. Nothing to get excited about anymore. I remember going up on Pine Valley Mountain early in the morning just about daylight and was up on a beautiful place. So I think all my shoes went up. You can see it clear out there right up near the top of the mountain. Yeah. Yeah. But we didn't. It was exciting for us. We didn't realize there was any hazard in it. The remarkable thing about it is that we were oblivious to it at the time. I mean we we obviously didn't understand the implications of it. In fact were given assurances that there was no cause for alarm. But of radioactive fallout beyond several miles from the blast site has not been known to be serious. Well they handed out this little booklet atomic test effects in the Nevada Test Site region. This is the one they gave to our family dated January 1955. But to give you a sample of the kind of thing that you were told and they they're telling you that the path of the fall out is narrow at the test site and in the nearby region widens to hundreds of miles as it moves on and tens eventually eventually to be distributed uniformly over the earth's

surface. It does not constitute a serious hazard to any living thing outside the test area. I was teaching school with time here in the cedar West Elementary. And I remember as we were preparing for. The class that we would go out and stand outside the school. Waiting for the blast to take place. And then. There was there was precaution but it was more of the precaution of. Of the buildings tumbling in on you than it was a fall out in about the fall. Well we were told that if a teacher ever gave the order to duck and cover you're under your desk first you would duck and then you'll cover and very tightly you cover the back of your neck and your face. And I do remember also at school taking little iodine pills at the end of the day the teacher would pass out the pills to everybody in Riyadh to take them. I remember one time I went to California we had all the kids kind of going down to. The beach or somewhere. That. The mom went off that morning and we left the morning just

because of that so we could see. The cars when they came in they had. They had to wash them or they are somewhere around there. Every car in the town had to be worn. Because of the fallout. They give you helpful advice like taking your calls if you've got fall out on or hosing down your shoes if they get fall out on them right. I mean and it is your best action is not to be worried about fallout if you're in a fallout area you will be advised. Ladies and gentlemen we interrupt this program to bring you important new word has just been received from the Atomic Energy Commission that due to a change in wind direction the residue from this morning's atomic detonation is drifting in the direction of St. George. If our radiation monitors advised precautionary action do what they say it is suggested that everyone remained indoors for one hour or until further notice. Please bear in mind that it is extremely unlikely that there will be fallout above the expected low levels on any occupied community.

There is no danger. This is simply routine Atomic Energy Commission safety procedure which of course was not the case. We had two guys here in town that was locating uranium. Yeah. And they came up there and tell me what he was doing and I said No we haven't got any uranium here. I said go back down to your house and get your guy your guy and come back up here. So he went down to his house and came back up here with it. We got in the station and I said Terry turn your back. Yeah. Got her on me turned it on and nothing I said is walked right out those gas pumps right there. That needle went clear over the end just like that. And he came back in and he said you've got it here. I said we don't have anything here. And he said You mean to tell me that we don't have nothing here and I said no we don't have anything here that's coming out of Las Vegas. We are called away from the drugstore one day and he said Get the kids in. The geiger counters are going crazy uptown. And so I brought my children in.

But how many people did not get that kind of information that's right. Did it impact you or any of your family healthwise. Not that I know of. Yeah yeah. But you've been one of the lucky ones. Well yes right yeah yeah. You were in the Methodist way you wouldn't have know your milk contaminated you had to have it tested. Milk was tested every month. We had inspected come down every month even years after. They still sent people down to test to feed that. Yeah but the cows and the milk to see if there was any fallout in that. I don't know what their results. I don't know the results but there must have been something. Well the of course there were the the cancer deaths that you didn't really connect or piece together at the time. And yeah sure. I mean if my dad and I both had melanoma and my mother had breast cancer and you know there's connected you know that you don't know there was hundreds of National Guardsmen young men some not so young from all across southern Utah

spent the early 1950s in Korea fighting an undeclared war. The 213 armoured field battalion headquartered in Sadr City. Fought with a great military success and came home as heroes. Jeff said a newspaper clipping from the stars and stripes States certainly few artillery units have ever fought. As aggressively as as close in fighting as have these men from the beehive state. As artillerymen they are classed among the best the best of us. And from this we received the Presidential Citation and the Korean president to sign. This is the 11th hour. I recognize that this is what we wore in the right. Yeah and here the picture this picture is. Of the three. Leaders. This is the commander Frank Kelly. Yours

truly. How many man here were activated in you and all of sudden you time your battalion. About 600. It consisted of a battery from Richfield one from Fillmore one from Beaver one from Cedar one from St. George Shater was the headquarters made quarters battery. Every one of the six hundred men came home safely. Your your outfit was actually in combat. You didn't go over there and just to support you've got you are fighting. I would I would say so. We went up into a place around Cap yelling Valley. My brother was very cautious about the safety of these men from Southern Utah you say he's in charge. If he doesn't bring him home he might as well stay over there. And he knew that and he was very careful with him. He'd send out Jones and they came back with the word that looks like a whole bunch thousands of Chinese up here with trying to get the idea that

they were breaking out of a trap that had been stamped by the UN forces. And it looked like they were going to come right through headquarters battery in a battery. And of course for free for that he heard about the S he put out the word that nobody sleeps tonight or he will stay home to put it. When the dust cleared that next morning. Reach around about. 300 that we've killed and captured. A turn. And we we have lost. So no casualties OK. We had one or two wounded. Why were you fellows so lucky. I don't know if you talked to Frank the commander. He'll tell you that it was huge. He's very smart very intelligent and they were trying to. When there was. A problem to solve they didn't wait for somebody to tell him what to do. I went to a Korean War.

Once I guess. The sad part of the decade a lot of things. Once it. Was over I think it was I just think that. After all of that I would think it was a waste of time. Nowhere else in this country. Three national parks and one national monument so conveniently located that they may all be visited on one loop trip through this wonderful land of color. They came from all across Utah and from many other states in the 1950s to work at the national parks here at Zion. Rise and at Grand Canyon. For many of those mostly youthful souls those summers were filled with some work. A lot of singing and yes the beginnings of lifelong love affairs

with the parks and for some with each other. The national parks were a big deal to Cedar City Utah 30 miles from land on the main line is the gateway to the painted canyons which is served exclusively by Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific was the one who. Owned the lodges and they had a great philosophy. They wanted to bring people in from the east by train to bring them into the school and hotel there and cedar. They would get off. They would bring them all over to the hotel for breakfast. Emanating out from the Galanti hotel and I'm already told about where these big yellow buses taking people from all over the nation to see the parks. They used to. Have. Oh dear. Yeah yeah.

And they would take them out to the park. And go to sign on the Grand Canyon. Back Bryce Cedar Breaks. The end of the Week them back end up back here and that was really quite. An institution. Young people. From all over Utah would come to the national parks rights Zions in Grand Canyon to work in the summer from Utah and from other parts of the nation. For many cars. And and my young people were kind of busy with work hard all day and be as charming as they could to the people which we can do. The. Chips were all more. Stuff more upstanding college kids my best. How old were you when you got that first job. Can you. Well. I had to fudge a little. I was 13. I was supposed to be 60. They were short of help I saw because of the shortness because of the. Shortness of supply and demand why they are the younger people. And so I looked the

other direction. I started out as a pot washer and then I went into being a dishwasher and then I went to the soda fountain and then I became the great bellhop. You know that was the. High waitress and well off the top of the off of the wrong. So to speak for the waitresses leaving here. So after the end of the summer with five hundred dollars in her pocket from tips. And you know waitressing was was pretty. Lucrative you could get was can I ask you about a dollar tip if you were really good. In those days that was for a table for profit. That's right. And we had what we called Nickel ladies you know and you often have could you tell who they were when they came out. Well yes but we were nice. Nice and of course. Poor kitchen help are you. My first job was a Porsche and I was too short to reach the poncing the Pasic was quite vague and deep. And I said I slabs stand on a wooden.

Box to come in court balls of milk used to come in and would milk box I stand on the box and get down into the St.. It was word you'd be surprised at the work a fun thing about it. Yeah. Some days I'd put in 16 hours. My first job as dishwasher right here at the Laud's is where I do 16 hour days I'm done. You work seven days a week. My girlfriend and I went down to work. And as we were in the older crowd and we got the waitress the youngest girl. Having Me. We had. A. Really. Wonderful time. Gail what did you do. I was a cab made the cabin mate asked how many cabins do you have response. We to do that 21 20 21 cabins a day. There were two of us that were together. We'd have 20. Did you ever get any any tips. Not too often. It was really a treat if we did. You all were price tag in the decade of the 50s.

What was so great about working right. It was just a great place to be though there were some great years there where I was there and then I had my three sisters looking after our watching out. Now it's the other way around because I know that my brother threatens several of you are saying that they better not touch his sister. Was there a lot of romance at Bryce Canyon. Well yes there were a lot of romances down there. A lot of romances and the fact that it was one of the songs you can't go swimming so Ill go Ramanna and room and no looking at the scenery. And so you go walk out on the room after the dance and all around. Oh I see the room was all we were you looked out over the canyon. Now Bryce in Grand Canyon you had that. So you take your best girlfriend and go out there and they you but you had to be back to the dorm by 11 or did. They check 11:30 actually. Oh yeah. You were the girls were

checked and the boys weren't checked in. But the girls were checked in. You don't need to record this. Out. I saw my little sister when she come down there to work and I saw her walking across the dining room one day swaying her hips. And I went up to him I said Don't you ever walk like that. She was walking like this other girl that I knew. I knew more girls from east high than the guys who went each time and dated more because. There were a lot of people from Salt Lake that they would really date a guy as far as they did. You know I was one of the things about Bryce Canyon. You were not pegged in any way you could go down there and you could do anything you wanted to do. It was it was always no class structure. Not really. Yeah. You you could be from Tropic or Spanish Fork or whatever and Salt Lake and then we just all meshed together in the same way as the programs we all just did it together. We put on a program every night. Right yeah call the stage show. Yeah. They had

three shells that they rotated. So there was a show every night and every the show and then a dance after that. Everything that. We've done we even had a softball league where we would play the other canyons over at Zion in Grand Canyon. And you know young people that were working there were just outstanding people. The kids that go to the parks and I paid like themselves they could improve their position on the park and make some pretty good money and help them through college. And so at the end of the summer I would go home pay my all my tuition for the whole year which was under $50 a BYU for the full year. And it was just great. Now. That the employees did the single way one when the dude's left ride every day when the buses would leave the. Employees would gather out in front of the queue. And we would sing the buses away. And we had to sing and sing always the day

one in the morning at nine o'clock and 1:00 in the afternoon at 3:00 o'clock. Sometimes as many as 10 or 15 buses to be lined up for the lot. And we would line up by the buses on our sort of a loading ramp. From the. Front porch of the lodge. And we would see a series of metally of pop songs are farewell songs to the tourists. I think I only just made a note about once because I was back there in the kitchen for so that I'd come out on this. On. This. My porch and watch it and listen to him sometime. And the songs were like you know sing away Sing away Sing away let's go because our dues are leaving our friendship we must show that kind of thing. And we pretty good do that again a little longer. Well I sang white. Anyway And that was not one that would say sing away sing always say oil let's go because their dues are leaving our friendship we must show and we'd come from a sort of found from the dining room the front desk everybody would go out on the front porch and

we'd sing these buses that would be lined up in front of the lodge vacationing students working at the light. If departing guests the famous sing away. Okay at the end we had a kiss away which is even better than the thing after we finished all songs. They get some of the older gentlemen come off new girls and get lipstick on her forehead and stuff. Then we would pick someone off the bus and pull them off the bus and they everybody kiss them. They go through the whole line of all the employees if there was a woman. The man there was silly. OK we want you three to do us a single right now. Here we go. Sing sing sing a song. Because our friends are leading our friendship. My show will

cheer them up all the way you drop everything that's OK. Come on let's see. OK. Sing a song. OK. Bye bye. We'll miss you. Bye bye. To catch issue this last leaves us taking place and taking all the song. Bye bye. Now I have a dog. Do you cry. Keep smiling always for that happy smile is relative sunshine all while so well. Now you feel so strongly about your experience and others that you have a five year reunion of employees every 15 or every 50 year

where everyone is welcome to come because it's the opportunity to come back in and remember Magic. The way. Many here thought that coming to where the summer sons spends the winter required the

tourist dollar of goals and dreams and plans for that wondrous but sometimes frustrating game began early on this Red Hills Golf Course wasn't always here. We didn't play golf to night. That surprises me the first golf course was built in 1965 and this is here. I feel that that's the one that started the development of St. George in my opinion. My grandfather says that they were good friends told him one day says I said if you were builders of course dancing George we can play golf and go to temple. There may not have been a Redhill golf course in the 50s but these Red Hills attracted kids of all ages. It was a fun place to raise kids. It was like Wow. And my I grew up too because the Redhill is right here in the Red House. There's a little pond there that had goldfish and we were going over the radio all summer chasing lizards rabbits what it.

Seemed like we had fun and I knew that my parents were afraid and I wasn't afraid of send my kids out but I would be careful that you wear shoes. I know for sure. We get up and put on some pants and then take off and be gone all day. Well the Sugarloaf was on the red. You can't miss the Sugarloaf it's just a great big rock up on the red hill. You'll see it and it will say Dixie. There would be groups office the go up there. It it's fun to look up to see the valley St. George but you and your friends would sit on the Hill and smell funny stories. Right. Oh we would laugh. We would laugh up there. And especially at night when all the lights were on and the Tampa was way out there in the middle of nowhere and said. Let's bring them back but we'll never be in the middle of town. Detroit here's where I learned how to swim. I'll write it down below here.

I hope there is no water in it and there is no need to give it another two weeks to be a big stream of water. Yeah yeah. You had our fancy swimming all went well. It was a little bit better than it did. For us. We had a swimming pool out street about three blocks east of our home on second south and that was the St. George swimming pool. We spent a lot of time in the pool but it was with time on my part. And it was fun. I to go to a power generating plant next door and so they had the water to the. Generator so they wanted to have a swimming pool. And that was. Wonderful for centaury to ask about the heat of the summer. That's what you did. You went swimming you tried to get to the pool as often as you could where we would go up to Vail which is a road about 20 miles. We had a lovely swimming pool in the summertime we'd go up there and it was a warm spring cold it was fair from.

My earliest recollection was just a little too tiny. Was my. Pool and I had a roof over it at that time very primitive but it was the s.a.m pool had big logs. We could throw back and forth but it was wonderful and it was cooler in Vail. They can go and take a picnic and go to the side of the Kotla trees where you could bring your picnic lunch and picnic afterwards or whatever so it was it was the place to get away. Up up here about a quarter of a mile we had a good showing that you are the stand on the beach. Now it be. Five six seven feet deep in there. Really. We had what we called the boys pool and that bridge across a creek. And the only suit we had was a bird the size. Can I ask you that. Yeah yeah. I understand there's a place for lovers lying around. There's a good of a lover's lane up on the top of the Red hill up here.

Well. I'm way up on the red hill with a black tail. That's not a problem. That's right. Yeah idea that your brother told us in those years it was pretty nice. Got to look old sparky. I don't know. I'm not sure what we call him there. Lots of parking and listening to the. Top 20 Countdown. Now. Making out work trying to make. Now what are you talking about. If I've got to tell you. I'm not. Over it you could not be found. You don't talk about problems today. That's right. What happened after the movie beyond where did you go. Did he be himself. He was a

pretty good guy. You. Usually with a lot of other kids. Oh yeah. Yeah. Go to the dairy queen and have a hamburger which is really a big deal. The new car hops and you can go in and have the bar. Stool. And Hagg pinball machine. And the polar bear. Either on. 100 North or on a highway 91 quite a 70s actually. And it was built by Bobinette and the polar bear shuffler had wonderful ice cream. Hotdogs. But it was only a drive and you couldn't go in and sit down all the churches restaurants and church. Have you been a chef in your years in Salt Lake so you can walk in and had a nice clean go get ice cream soft ice cream. In those years they were designed for. And

that's literally only. About a quarter of a block away from the college on tabernacle. Was a small shop an ice cream shop called the college called. It was right next to the Arrowhead. Hotel. So it was also what I always had to start with because my dad didn't allowed me to work every day at the school. One of my privileges I got to work by play pinball machine games on my way up to work got to be late. I still believe it every day. And it had and a fox. Counter with stools and they serve wonderful hamburgers. And. Ice cream. Yeah. I'd love to get both to work out only a nickel. Well nephew is a little guy but you get free games and I get it but loving it so I could get a very good idea. I'll tell my dad I had to stay there for five because

there were five. I got to work out why you know you couldn't wait to get. The kids go to hang up after school or an evening they would go to the college coach called. College was on one hundred South Main Street it was right in the center of town B C D to B right straight down the street one block from the tabernacle. But late 50s I think we had about three little over 300 students there. Now back in the high school was in coordination with the college. The last two years of high school I see most kids did go on to two years of Dixie college and get their associate degree because it was all right there. And the advantage of that combination was that as a high school student we

had college professors to teach us so we use the college teachers just like the college kids did. There were only three buildings. The main building that's the city of St. George is a city now. We had industrial art history and the science building. And for the Washington County Library is now that that is where we had our GM. That. Had about the ME. Around the top and then there were a few bleachers that they would put on the side but it was very small. It was small at that time. We have the ball games are very exciting. Dixie. Ceder. Speaking of rivalries How did you feel about Brian Chadrick cultural center here. Well you had to give me the axe right in the neck. We.

Can. Almost see. That was that was whether it be a sea of mixing. I'm going to say to because you know. Some of my compatriots vertebrate break up one yourself. Why are there so many. Because it seems like they had done something similar to that before and so we had to get back. There was always something of that going on that it wasn't anything unusual to say BKC stamped in Milan that the call was anything to say Dixie in their lawn at the college. You know one of the things they used to try to do is sleep and some red paint or something of that that happened before they would do all sorts of things and of course the fellows and and the groups here would retaliate and they had a hatchet it's a wonderful thing to have that Hatchard in the Dixie college gymnasium hanging and the case. May be we. Will have D-Day which on the celebration of her programs.

And each class would have a skit. It was a well play and he thought of things started out early in the morning with whitewash all the fellows would go up in memory activities followed all day long. All they had to do they prayed and wrote in all cars dressed up then marched. There were floats and then in the afternoon a day at the park could play games. There's a three day play on the Hill have a program and then go to the D-Day dance that night and they would light a fire all around. It was up there. You know where and now it's shout somebodies back door. Did you go to Dixie color Dixie college and you had celebrations over there. Sometimes we had fun dances in the old rec hall. It was right behind the gymnasium which now is where the library is between the tabernacle and the college campus. Big building with

beautiful wood floor. It was one large long building and it would hold. Everybody didn't want to go to that. They all go. And. The adults came. Our parents would come to a lot of the dances had French doors all the way around the building so that just a spot on the patio they had a tennis court at the college level alcove on the east side and they would put a band up in there and take the nets away. And that would have open they are dancers they are. When we went to the recreation hall people would work hard and decorate the recreation hall with crepe paper and all the nice things and fun when they decorated. But tons and tons of crepe paper for junior proms or whatever kind of a fancy dress I haven't had for shows. Everybody danced on Friday night but we had dancers in there every weekend for the

goal was just a major cause we do you on Friday night when what else it was ballgame and afterwards but if not then how to dance. Hallowing dance was the biggest event of the whole season because the people dressed up and they come and they were fabulous costumes they weren't just little dime store or Walmart type costumes they were homemade for months making. That was a great love the right call. Recreation Hall is. Part of my memory part of our culture and part of everybody here. We danced with our arms around the boy. There were. Yeah we had fun bad things and it was fun we had wonderful dance reviews in the old home. So what kind of dancing did you do. Oh we did. That was a fox trot having a chat about you your back.

How did you or a dance. What kind of love to swing. Would you care to swing. Oh Jerry never liked to dance very much. My husband. And so he wasn't much of a dancer until we start and he thoroughly enjoyed that scene and we did. Now Dixie Watson was a good basketball player was he a good dancer. When I. First. Started calling him just now he doubts I can say hi greg everything is totally worthless. No no no. How old you on in the common for you. That's what they called the bread. These Tigray probably do. Where did you dance. Well one of my favorite places was on the tank after the rodeo the big water tank in the water tank when I first moved here that's where the water tank on the water column the water was out in the open air the whole town was that brooding absolute. Did anyone ever fall off the track.

Well a lot of them fell down the stairs. They never fell off. It was quite a fence around yeah. Yeah. There was also something else you got over to Santa Clara on Saturday nights there were dances at the veil pool outdoor. It was a fun place to go I remember that my brother had their graduation party there at Melbourne school. And we used to have all kinds of dances and this time or fourth of July dances were held there because he had made a big cement floor and the side of it. Now you said you partied with here with your friends. Did you go dancing. Well we did. We had what we call the fireman every get so much more. And. That was a big event and that for me for the whole world was it's a lie. And it was what kind of music has local musicians but what kind of tunes. Oh goody goody. Like what.

The 40s and 50s and someone the more sophisticated ones like string of pearls and stop will. Be. Like jazz a bell. This one night. Yeah that was my desire that our kids say OK good morning. They came in late Sandman Mr. Sandman. Yeah yeah. What kind of music do you like. Earl J Blake's orchestra he was the grand master of St.. It was good music. I'm not sure exactly why but. It's sometimes a bit difficult to understand southern Utah. The more white people down here. Heart set on. Fire. We've heard about that since time began. How do you pronounce H O or to.

Be pure trick or force. In the. Yeah. They are fine. Oh hell we got a g string. She knows what I tried. To play. OK that you say for you I hear you get in your car or down to the farm get the hearts out of the barn. Anybody knows that and go out in the garden Utahns Why don't you talk like normal. It's just that. You know we call. Here if you live there in St. George in the decade of the 50s or if you visited or simply pass through hoping that one stop light would not be red when you got to the main intersection of town it would

have been all but impossible to imagine that this Arab Valley would become what it has today. This sleepy village has awakened. But the memory of those halcyon days of yore live on. As you look back on your life. To the 50s. How do you see. How. Well. They were golden days. They really weren't going to me. It's an interesting commentary. On your own child and wonder if if you poor. Or if we had as much as they do and then find out we are as much as they were. But we didn't recognize. I want to start by telling you that I love this. I still do. But it was a small town and. You say that two words small town but. You're not going to know what it is until you live in.

I just wish. There changes were so vast. That. My grandchildren can enjoy silly things. That. I'm. A very very good time to be alive in a good town to be based and I've always got the wholesomeness of St.. George was a very wonderful blessing. I thought the other day of that song dear hearts and gentle people who live in my hometown. That's certainly applicable. Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm. Mm mm

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Mm. Mm mm mm mm. Local production of Utah in the 50s St. George was made possible in part by the Georges and Dolores story foundation and through the support of the contributing members of KQED