My Top 5 Utah History Podcast Episodes of 2024

Some Utah history podcasts episodes that I enjoyed in 2024.

1. Demolished Places: Laird Heights and Princeton Heights Local Historic District (Ep 34)
Answers to bureaucratic questions about historic resources. An explanation of the difference between (Salt Lake City) local and national historic districts/properties, and their oversight by Salt Lake City Council, the Planning Commission, and the Historic Landmark Commission.

2. Roots Race and Culture: Utah's Black Churches (Feb 1, 2024)

A discussion about the hidden history of Black Churches in Utah. Featuring Rev. France Davis, pastor emeritus of SLC's Calvary Baptist Church; and Rev. Daryell Jackson, pastor of SLC's Trinity African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

3. Sunstone Mormon History Podcast: The Indian Slave Trade (Ep 124)

An exploration of the Indigenous slave trade in Utah and the American West during the 19th Century and how Mormon/LDS Settlers contributed and impacted it.  Some great references on the subject included in the show notes.

4. Junction City Justice: The Story of Ogden's Mass Murder (April 9, 2024)

True crime and history intersect in Ogden. A telling of the killing of five people, including a District Judge, on the eve of Pioneer Day 1943. A discussion of the victims, the motive, and the aftermath.

5. The Beehive Archive: Utah Rejects the White Elephant (Aug 26, 2024)

A history story that is timely to current Utah politics. In 1932 the Western States, led by Utah Governor Dern, rejected the proposed transfer of federal lands to the states.

An Antique Electro-Static Machine

An example of an Electro Static Machine. Insert in lower right corner is the Karrick Building.

An antique electro-static machine was found on the 2nd floor of the Karrick Block at 236 S Main SLC during its renovation in 2000.

The device was made by the Frank S. Betz Co., a well-known supplier of a variety of medical supplies and equipment.  These electro-static devices were in use from about the 1880s through the 1930s.

The Electro Static Machine found in the Karrick Building

When this particular machine was found by MHTN Architects, they contacted The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices (www.museumofquackery.com) in Minneapolis and David G. Rickert identified the machine as a Holtz, of which there were many varieties and were popular between 1890-1910.

Within the wood cabinet were large circular copper plates that would revolve and create static electricity.  According to historic advertisements and instructions, this electricity could be used to cure a multitude of ailments.

An example of an advertisement for a Holtz type machine.

Excerpt from medial book indicating how to use the machine

Prior to 1905, when Lewis Karrick died, the main occupant of the Karrick building was Roberts and Nelden Drugs, a large wholesale and retail pharmacy.  

Lewis Karrick operated a gambling and billiards hall on the second floor and a brothel with 8 rooms on the third.  A description from the late 1970s notes that the names of several women still remained on the doors (I did not find any further information about these names).

In 1908 the building was acquired by Mary Judge (of the Judge Building) and the ground floor leased to longtime occupant Leyson-Pearsall Jewelers.

It is unclear who owned this abandoned electro-static machine. The upper floors of the Karrick Block were leased to many people, including some doctors and dentists. 

Comments on my Instagram post indicate this machine is within the collections of the Utah Historical Society. 

Sources:

• Deseret News 2000-04-04
• USHS file Karrack Building
• Manual of Static Electricity in X-Ray and Therapeutic Uses by S.H. Monell M.D., 1900

Then and Now of the Karrick Block

A then (1890) and now (1986) view of the Karrick Block on Main St, Salt Lake City.

The adjacent Lollin Building has not been constructed in the 1890 photo, but the Karrick Block is easily located by the distinctive pinnacles (which are missing in the 1986 photo).

The tall building in the background of the 1986 photo is the Continental Bank Building, now Hotel Monaco.

Today, the Gallivan Plaza TRAX station and rails run down this section of Main Street. And the buildings north (right) of the Karrick Block are occupied by the 222 Tower.

Image from Utah Historical Society, Charles Raymond Varley collection.

Preservation Story of the Karrick Block

The distinctive Karrick Block and adjacent Lollin Building (236-238 S Main) were preserved in 2002 as part of an agreement with Salt Lake City and the owners, Hamilton Partners, as part of the process to build the 222 Main Tower (222 S. Main).

In 2001, Hamilton Partners (HP) demolished the historic buildings that were located between the Continental Bank (now Hotel Monaco) and the Karrick Block. These buildings housed Wendy’s Restaurant, Walk-Over Shoes, Lord’s Big and Tall, Dahle’s, English Tailors, the Catholic Center, and others).  

The original intent was to construct the 222 Tower in their place, but office space was in low demand at the time due to the newly constructed American Stores Tower, now knows as the Wells Fargo Building, HP erected temporary one-story buildings made of wood that were used during the 2002 Olympics by organizations and vendors (SLC pushed for some kind of use of the empty area, HP originally wanted a surface parking lot). In 2004, these temporary buildings were then demolished and the 222 Tower built in their place.

The Karrick and Lollin buildings were preserved because they are local historic landmark sites, which provides them with some level of protection by Salt Lake City regarding their modification/demolition, which is overseen by the SLC Historic Landmark Commission.

The Karrick Block was built in 1887 for Lewis Karrick and was designed by famed architect Richard K.A. Kletting, who also designed the adjacent Lollin Building in 1894. The Karrick building is Kletting’s earliest example of work that is still standing.

The Karrick Block had been occupied by Leyson-Pearsall Jewelry since 1905. Originally, the upper floors were used as a gambling hall, offices, and had 8 rooms for sex workers but were later used as storage for Leyson-Pearsall. In 1976, the names of some of those sex workers remained on the doors of the Karrick Block (I could not find reference to what names). The upper floors were condemned in 1976.

In 1980, the interior of the Karick Block still had some of the original décor including ornate crystal chandeliers hanging from the hand painted gold leaf ceilings, wrought iron balcony railings, and some areas with original ceramic tilted floors.

The main occupants of the Lolling Building were the Hudson Bay Fur Company until 1962 and then the G.E.M Music Store. The second floor were business offices, primarily dentists. And the third floor was the residence of the Lollin family until 1960.

In 2000, HP hired MHTN Architects to renovate the Lollin and Karrick Buildings. The buildings underwent a full exterior restoration, including masonry, stone, bricks, lintels, decorative aspects of the façade, structural upgrades, new elevator structure, and steel interior structural bracing. The additions on the back were also demolished. Total cost of the renovation of the two buildings was $5.3M, of which $2.276M was eligible for reimbursement by the SLC Redevelopment Agency (RDA) Building Renovation Loan Program.

The interior of the Lollin and Karick Block were nearly completely gutted and adapted for modern residential living, which prompted disagreement about how the interior rehab of the buildings were done. Some features were saved, including a tin ceiling in the Karrick Block. 

In 2000, the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) wrote that the upper levels of the Lollin were “remarkably intact” prior to the renovation. After the renovation the interior spatial configuration was significantly altered and many of the original wood features were removed, including an oak staircase, wainscot, and trim. Some of these features were replaced with similar looking materials.  Additionally, new windows were introduced on the north side of the Karrick Block.

Currently, the bottom floor of the Lollin and Karrick Block are occupied by commercial/retail operations and the upper stories are residential. It is still under the ownership of HP.

Christmas Street, aka Glen Arbor Street

Christmas Street, aka Glen Arbor Street (1735 S 1500 East), in Salt Lake City is a tradition that began in 1946. Every family on the street helped pay for Christmas lights and a tree. Each family also decorated their own house to make it a Christmas community.

Christmas Street, Salt Lake City. December 2024.

In 1947, the celebration took place on December 21st, also without any outside advertisement, for fear of congestion should word get out beyond the neighborhood. But the event was described by the Deseret News after the event occurred, and after 1947 the street became a Christmas destination to see.

Every house featured colored lights, bright ribbons, and decorated trees. A large Christmas Tree was decorated in at the end of the cul-de-sac. At the 1947, celebration there were 68 children in attendance, who ran through the street telling their neighbors it was time to celebrate. There was popcorn, caroling, a live nativity scene, and Santa who drove up in a sleek blue roadster.

Christmas Street in 1947 and 1971

Roy A. Menlove is credited with starting the tradition. He was the founder of Menlove Construction and built some of the homes on the street. He was a known as the co-founder of Menlove Dodge-Toyota in Bountiful. A neighborhood Christmas committee was established to plan each year.

The Christmas Street tradition continues today. The Deseret News recently had a story about how it nearly died this year but was rescued by donations to repair the vintage neon Christmas Street sign.

Then and Now: The Rio Grande Depot

Then and Now: The Rio Grande Depot at 300 S. Rio Grande St, Salt Lake City.  

Then is ca. 1920-1930. It is a historic photo of the Rio Grande Depot from the Denver Public Library Special Collections (Number GB-5633). Now is from 2018 Google Streets View.

At the time of the photo, the building was known as The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Depot.

Note the trolly tracks in the foreground. Passengers disembarking from the Depot could then access Salt Lake’s large network of trolley lines in all directions.

Native beans! Indigenous food update from my garden

These unusually large beans are known commercially as “Fremont Beans,” and are reported to have been re-introduced by the Worden family of central Utah (and Colorado) from 40 beans taken from an ancient ceramic vessel within an ancient dwelling in the 1960s.

This event does not appear to have been documented and I can’t find a primary source for this story.

I purchased these beans last spring at Liberty Heights Fresh which are commercially distributed by 21st Century Bean (also available from Hells Backbone Grill, although my note about this at the end of my post.

I planted some of the beans last spring and cooked the others.

I have been unable to determine the factual history of the bean. The story about rejuvenation from an ancient archaeological context has been told many times for many varieties of corn, beans, melons, etc. It’s a common story but rarely verifiable.

A 1977 study points out that seed viability deteriorates rapidly for domesticated species as they have been selected for high germination rates following planting, generally within a few years of their harvest. Seed viability for domesticated species tends to be measured in decades, not centuries.

This same study recounts several stories of the rejuvenation of ancient native seeds from around the American Southwest, but all with dubious origin stories. More likely is that native agricultural plants have been curated by native peoples, possibly reintroduced into archaeological context through packrats or people leaving offerings. Maybe, who knows.

Regardless of the origin story, the Fremont Beans that I planted appear to be the same variety identified as P22-009, a Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus, Fabaceae), curated by Native Seeds/SEARCH seed bank. The identified origin of P22-009 is “Utah.”

I have sent Native Seeds/SEARCH  request for more information about the origin of P22-009.

I will be posting more of my pondering and experiences with this bean. #beangeek

The Four Corner’s potato

Alastair Lee Bitsóí, Diné, holds a harvest of Four Corners Potatoes in a Diné Basket at his farm in the Navajo Nation. Photo Credit: Alastair Bitsóí

Local Indigenous foods: the Four Corner’s potato (Solanum jamesii).

Most of the world’s potatoes are descendants of a single South American native potato species, Solanum tuberosum, but Utah’s native potato is a different species.

Within the last 100-150 years, the Four Corner’s potato has largely been forgotten with few people (Indigenous and Non-Indigenous) recalling its abundance and importance.

That has changed within the last few years; the Four Corner’s potato is being revived as a native food.

Researchers from the University of Utah, primarily headed by Lisbeth Louderback, identified potato starch residue preserved on 10,000-year-old artifacts in the Escalante region of Utah.

That discovery prompted researchers to look for, and find, patches of wild Four Corner’s potato growing near the archaeolgocial site.

The Four Corners potato plant grows well in the high desert of New Mexico and it grows much more sparsely in Utah, often near archaeological sites; this, along with reduced genetic diversity measured within the Utah potato population, suggest that potatoes were brought to the Escalante region by ancient people- likely from what is now New Mexico.

In modern times, Indigenous farmers and researchers have been sharing their experiences with growing, harvesting, and preparing the native potato.

Cynthia Wilson and Alastair Lee Bitsóí, both Diné, have publicly discussed their revival work of the Four Corner’s potato.

Alastair is relearning how to grow the plant on his farm and he continues the practice of redistribution.

Cynthia has talked about her ancestors’ methods to prepare the food, including boiling the potato with bentonite clay- a traditional Diné method to reduce bitterness.

Researchers have called the Four Corner’s potato the “fourth sister” or “lost sister” as an indication of its importance as a native food. This is of course a reference to the three sisters- corn, beans, and squash.

Collaboration on the Four Corner’s potato continues.

External Links and Sources:

• Earliest Use of Wild Potato
• Ancient Trade Routes
• Indigenous Journalism
• Ancient Potato in a Changing Climate
• Repatriating the Four Corners Potato

The old Diamond Lil's Steakhouse

Diamond Lil's, April 2005. Note "Home Maid"

An old photo of Diamond Lil's. A steakhouse at 1528 W. North Temple. It was destroyed by fire in 2021. I took this photo in 2015.

Here is a short history excerpted from a 2009 Intermountain Catholic article:

In November 1969, Jim Pietramali and Garth Campbell opened Diamond Lil’s doors for business at 1528 West North Temple. The original building was a modest home, which was remodeled using old barn lumber and logs from pioneer cabins, some of which are 100 to 150 years old.

The seating capacity was 32 people in about 1,000 square feet. Today [2009] the seating capacity is 500. The original kitchen was about the size of a large walk-in closet.

Today [2009] Diamond Lil’s is owned by Pete Funaro. He started working at Diamond Lil’s in 1970 for his uncle, Jim Pietramali. Pietramali, 87, still works for Diamond Lil’s.

“A lot of customers kept coming back and we became the premier steak house in Salt Lake City,” said Funaro. “We are an independent Utah’s own company. The seating allows for parties that can seat as many as 275 people at one time.

In 1973, they started adding on to Diamond Lil’s. They used only logs from Utah cabins.

Funaro also has his own wholesale pasta business, Funaro’s Perfect Pasta. Diamond Lil’s serves Funaro’s pasta. All of his pasta was used during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Urban Calm by Peter Wiarda

Framed print of a photograph from Peter Wiarda’s new book “Urban Calm.”

This is my favorite photograph from Peter Wiarda’s new book “Urban Calm.” This is photo is the view from Walker Center Parking at 160 S. Regent St. (2020). It looks south on Main Street, towards 300 South.

In this image I see an abstract view of modern archaeology of Salt Lake City’s built environment (and the real archaeology that is also subsurface).

The oldest building in this image is the Karrick Block, built in 1887. Surprisingly, the oldest building is also the most colorful (red) building in the photograph, which reminds me that the historic black and white photographs that preserve the past do not portray a fully perfect image of the past.

The Karrick Block has an interesting preservation story, which I will need to post about separately.

Also in this photograph are:

• The Lollin Block, 1894
• Clift Building, 1919
• American Towers, 1982
• One Utah Center, 1991
• 222 S Main building, 2009
• Federal Courthouse (Orrin G. Hatch/the Borg Cube), 2014

Peter Wiarda's print with my identification of buildings

Notably, there is 5-decade gap of buildings in this image. Part of that is simply that buildings of this age are not in view. But the other part is that downtown SLC had a lull in construction during the Great Depression, WWII, and the post-WWII suburban build-up. There are notable exceptions (e.g. mid-century modern Ken Garff Building 1955, LDS Church Office Building 1973), but in general this image portrays an accurate pattern of downtown SLC’s history.

The American Towers building is also an interesting component, Built in 1982, it represents an effort to draw individuals back to living in downtown. But interestingly, American Towers was initially an adult only living arrangement- so not an effort to bring families with children to downtown.

So, beyond the visual beauty of the photograph I also see a full historical spectrum of SLC.

Peter Wiarda has many other fantastic photos of SLC in his Urban Calm book.

And SLUG magazine has a nice article about Peter’s project. 

Be sure to check out his website where you can order your own copy of the book. www.peterwiarda.com

The Skeleton in Grandpa's Barn

In 1923, a few schoolgirls found a box of human bones in the barn of the Lund family at 127 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City. The box of bones was an open secret known by many of the kids in the neighborhood.

Herbert Z. Lund Jr. recounts the story of these skeletal remains in a Utah Historical Quarterly article titled “The Skeleton in Grandpa’s Barn” (UHQ V35 N1 in 1967).

Herbert Jr. states that his father, Dr. Herbert Z. Lund Sr., was a physician at the Utah State Penitentiary (at what is now Sugar House Park) and acquired the body of J. J. Morris. Morris was executed in 1912 by hanging for murder; and, in accordance with common practice his body was donated for medical purposes.

Dr. Lund intended the body to become a teaching skeletal specimen. After the anatomical dissection was completed, Dr. Lund reduced the body to a skeleton. Part of the process to create a skeletal specimen is maceration so Dr. Lund and his friend William Willis (a druggist by profession) took the remains to an open area near Beck’s Hot Springs and boiled the remains in sulfur water and lime. The final process of bleaching the bones was never completed and the bones retained a rancid odor.

Dr. Lund placed the bones in a wooden box and stored them in the unused hayloft of his father’s barn, Anthon H. Lund’s house at 127 W. North Temple (now demolished).

Dr. Lund’s children (Anthon’s grandchildren) were aware of the skeletal remains and often found ways around the locked entry to view the bones. Even the grandchildren of the adjacent neighbor, LDS apostle Matthias F. Cowley, knew of the bones. So it is not surprising that other kids got into the barn to sneak a peak at the bones of a convicted murderer.

Around 1925, Dr. Lund’s mother, Sarah, demanded that the bones be buried to keep curious people away. Dr. Lund’s son, Herbert Jr, buried the remains behind the old barn. He and his grandmother Sarah had a little graveside service where Sarah read excerpts from the LDS publication “The Improvement Era” and placed the old magazines in the grave with the skeletal remains.

The gravesite was dug behind the barn. Sanborn maps show that this barn was demolished around 1950-1951. In the 1967 article, Herbert Jr. stated that the area of the grave was still open land but that development was happening all around.

Herbert Jr. drew a map of where he believed the gravesite to be. This location is now in an expanded parking lot of the old Travelodge Motel at 144 W. North Temple. It is unknown if construction has impacted the grave or if it is still intact below the asphalt parking lot.

One complication of this story is that there is a burial record for J.J. Morris in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, which contradicts the identity of the skeletal remains as being J.J. Morris. 

However, both the Lund family history and several 1920s newspaper articles (including an interview with Dr. Lund, himself) indicate that the skeleton in Grandpa’s barn is J.J. Morris.

The burial record for J.J. Morris indicates that he is buried along with 14 other prisoners whose remains were originally interred at the old Utah State Penitentiary, which is now Sugar House Park. These remains were disinterred from the Sugar House location in 1957 when the park was built. The remains were reinterred in a small prison cemetery at the Point of the Mountain Prison in Draper. In 1987, the remains were disinterred again and reinterred at the Salt Lake City Cemetery- with several remains (identified as cremains) interred in a single grave.

So if the cemetery record is to be believed (and with all those disinterment’s it is possible that records may have been compromised) then the remains buried behind the Grandpa’s barn are not those of J.J. Morris.

Utah executed several prisoners around the same time as J.J. Morris. It is possible that the identity of the skeleton in Grandpa’s barn is actually that of another prisoner whose remains were also donated to medical science around the same time. Potential candidates for this option include Harry Thorne executed Sept 26 1912 or Frank Romeo executed Feb 20 1913.

Utah Executions 1912-1913

• J.J. Morris, April 30 1912
• Jules C. E. Szirmay (Jules Zirmay), May 22 1912, Buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery
• Harry Thorne, Sept 26 1912, Body donated to medical science
• Thomas Riley, Oct 24 1912, Burred in Bluffdale City Cemetery
• Frank Romeo, Feb 20 1913, Body donated to medical science

Sources:

• “The Skeleton in Grandpa’s Barn” UHQ V35 N1,1967
• Ghosts of West Temple, Salt Lake County Archives
• "Ray Lund, Prison Doctor" by H Z (Zack) Lund (nd) from FamilySearch
• Salt Lake Tribune 1923-11-30
• Deseret News 923-11-30
• Ogden Standard Examiner 1923-11-30
• Salt Lake Telegram 1912-05-04
• Salt Lake Telegram 1912-04-30
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1980-06-19
• Various cemetery records from ancestry, names in stone, and find-a-grave

The Hancock Mansion is said to be haunted by Hollister Hancock

The Hancock Mansion at 444 S 700 East in SLC is said to be haunted by the ghost of Ms. Hollister Hancock. 

The Hancock Mansion at 444 South 700 East, Salt Lake City. January 2023.

Built in 1890 for SLC businessman Thomas F. Mulloy, the house is often referred to as the Mulloy House by historians but it was the Hancock family that occupied the house for decades and the owners of the building call it the Hancock Mansion.

The mansion was purchased in 1901 by Col. William M. Ferry Jr, who owned several silver mines in the Park City area; he gifted the house to his daughters, Kate Hancock and Mary Allen. 

Kate Hancock lived in the house with her husband George, daughter Mary “Hollister” and son John. Two of Kate’s other children had died in the two years prior, the loss of which was devastating to the family. The gift of a new home was likely an attempt to cope and adjust to their new reality.

Side note: Mary Ferry Allen’s son, W. Montague Allen designed the Daughters of the ill-fated American Revolution fountain gifted to Salt Lake City that is now a decoration at Liberty Park.

 Second side note: Col William Ferry is also known for gifting 22 acres of land for Westminster College. A stipulation of his gift and the construction of Ferry Hall, the women’s dormitory, that the management of the women’s building be handled by a board of women. The original board included Col William Ferry’s wife, Jeanette, and their daughter (Hollister’s mother) Kate Hancock.  Hollister Hancock also served on the board for 57 years.  Ferry Hall was demolished in 1987.

In the early 1900s, the Hancock family often hosted parties and weddings at their home, which was often decorated with roses and ferns. Hollister was a socialite who attended prestigious finishing schools in the East; and, in 1903 she attended a reception at the White House hosted by the First Lady, Edith Roosevelt. 

Hollister Hancock inherited the house after her mother’s death in 1940. Hollister lived in the house for 75 years, until her death in 1976. She was an active club woman and was devoted to her service with the Women’s Board of Westminster College.

Hollister was said to have a prickly personality; my guess is that due to her extensive society and etiquette training, her disapproval of changing cultural norms were likely expressed quite often.

Ms. Hollister "Holl" Hancock in 1956 having tea with the Westminster Mothers. 
Image from USHS.

The Hancock Mansion, ca 1970s. From USHS.

In 1977, the house was leased and restored by Pam March, who established her floral business, Every Blooming Thing.  Pam reported that items were rearranged overnight, doors were locked from the inside, and once an individual fell through the ceiling from the attic during repairs and landed in the bathroom below (he was not injured) and a card fell with him that read “Merry Christmas from Hollister Hancock.”  

Pam reported seeing the ghost of Hollister during Christmas season who told her that “Hollister Hancock is pleased with what you have done with the house and her spirit is with you.”  Perhaps a reference to flowers once again filling the old mansion (?). Pam called “Holl” her guardian angel.

Ghost hunters and psychics have investigated the house. Little children can be heard talking and laughing upstairs.  A tall, thin man who is somehow connected the Civil War also stands in front of an upstairs bedroom, likely a reference to Col William Ferry who was an officer in the 14th Michigan Infantry of the Civil War.

The Hancock Mansion at 444 S 700 East is located in the Central City Historic District and is the last of the historic buildings on the block. 

The adjacent buildings such as Fendall’s Ice Cream/Big Daddy Pizza, the old Modern Display and McArthur buildings were demolished in 2023, leaving the historic Hancock Mansion a stalwart outlier to the surrounding demolition and development.

The Hancock Mansion after some adjacent structures were demolished, Aug 2024.

Sources:

• Salt Lake Community College Student Newspapers 1993-10-27 Page 6
• The Salt Lake Tribune May 3 1970 p87
• The Daily Utah Chronicle 1903-01-27 p7
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1901-12-21 p3
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1977-04-04 p15
• Deseret News 2010-03-17
• Specters in Doorways by Linda Dunning 2003