We all live downstream of history and upstream of the future.
Fall 2005
| In This Issue - | Features | News |
|
The Salt Lake Sixties
|
Of Pipelines, Pollen, & Snails: Life in Utah 8,000 Years Ago Book Marks by Curt Bench Where's That At?
|
News and Notes
Rock 'n' Roll at the Utah State Historical Society Annual Meeting?
|
 |
Vintage poster courtesy of Ken Sanders |
The Salt Lake Sixties
by Ken Sanders
The decade of the “Sixties” cannot be packaged neatly by the Roman calendar. The Sixties as a historical period began sometime between the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, and the Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. In like manner, the Sixties ended somewhere between the resignation of Nixon in August 1974 and the fall of Saigon in April 1975. A decade, yes, but not one inclined to submit to arbitrary mathematical rules—nor many other rules, for that matter. An untidy decade.
Tumultuous is the adjective most often used for that decade, and for good reason. The Sixties was defined by the eruption of the war in French Indo-China morphing into the quagmire of Vietnam, and it could not properly end until American involvement in Vietnam ended as well. Sixties young people like myself were intensely conflicted by the patriotic desires of our WWII parents’ generation and our growing abhorrence of the war in Vietnam.
Noble experiments such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Black Panthers deteriorated into the violence and anarchy of the Weather Underground and the Symbionese Liberation Army. Hippies became Yippies, and the love and good vibes of Woodstock became violence and murder at Altamont.
A series of momentous assassinations marked and marred the decade: that of a sitting president, John F. Kennedy; his brother, who aspired to the presidency, Robert Kennedy; a beloved man of peace, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and a controversial African American leader, Malcolm X.
But it will not be my intent to dwell on the politics of the Sixties—rather, I suggest that one cannot separate the music, the art, and the politics of the era. The politics begat the dissent that begat the music that begat the art, which, fueled by drugs like marijuana and LSD, all dissolved into the Sixties kaleidoscope.
By an accident of geography, Salt Lake City was, and is, a day’s drive from San Francisco. And musically, among other ways, San Francisco is where the Sixties began. Countless bands formed and reformed in the Haight-Ashbury district and Golden Gate Park, where both the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin jammed.
As the San Francisco bands began cutting albums and building an audience and going on their first tours, that accident of geography began to loom large in the history of the Salt Lake Sixties. A day’s bus drive east landed emerging Bay Area bands in Utah.
It was Lagoon that probably held the first modern rock concert in all of Utah: the Rolling Stones in 1966. And Lagoon continued to host everyone from the Beach Boys (on numerous occasions) to hard rock and acid rock acts like The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, the Electric Prunes, and many others.
After Jim Morrison of The Doors was busted for obscenity in Florida in 1969, Lagoon’s management publicly apologized that the group was scheduled to play Lagoon. Although The Doors played their concert, that event signaled an end to hard rock concerts at Lagoon; after that, the likes of the Beach Boys, the Association, the Monkees, The Mamas and The Papas, and other soft rock groups of the day held sway there. No more Hendrix, Morrison, or Joplin—the Sixties icons who died young and became immortal. Neil Young would later sing, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” That was most certainly a Sixties anthem.
The Freed family owned both Lagoon and the long-since-demolished Terrace Ballroom (now Earl Holding’s parking lot on Main Street). The Terrace was Salt Lake’s equivalent of San Francisco’s Avalon and Fillmore ballrooms; all the Sixties bands played at the Terrace.
I will never forget the first appearance of Janis Joplin in Salt Lake, which was held at the Terrace. After Big Brother and the Holding Company Band did an opening set without her, this unknown “hippie chick,” clutching by the throat a bottle of what I would years later learn was Southern Comfort, staggered up to the microphone and belted out songs with a voice that dripped with pain to the bone. By the time the Big Brother tour got to the East Coast, the band was already being billed as Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company!
Moby Grape, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, It’s A Beautiful Day (a band that began in SLC), Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Santana, and a litany of others all played the Terrace numerous times. The Terrace held its last concert in 1980 (Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention).
Other beloved and legendary venues of the Salt Lake Sixties included the Dirt Palace (the Fairgrounds Coliseum), the Old Mill (at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon), the Valley Music Hall in Bountiful, and various venues at the University of Utah.
Beginning with the Stones in 1966, virtually every significant rock band of the Sixties, with the exception of the Beatles, played Salt Lake. James Brown, Buffalo Springfield, Blue Cheer, Youngbloods, H.P. Lovecraft, Canned Heat, and Clear Light all played the Fairgrounds; both the Animals and Alice Cooper played the Old Mill; The Doors, Bob Dylan and The Band, and many others played the Salt Palace after its opening in 1968, despite its being an awful place for concerts.
Locally, Bruce Phillips was singing folk and protest songs as U. Utah Phillips, often accompanied by Idaho legend Rosalie Sorrells.
Utah’s most famous hippie of that era was the legendary Charlie Brown, who was often seen flying about town on his American flag bicycle (after the police impounded his psychedelic school bus). Charlie Brown and friends were likely the closest thing SLC had to Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters and their famous psychedelic bus, Further.
The birth of the psychedelic poster in San Francisco in the mid-1960s affected the Salt Lake Sixties culture much as the music and politics did. Many local artists produced posters for Utah’s rock concerts. The best-known and most profilic Utah artists were Rob Brown, Brian Jones, Mikey Covey, Kenvin Lyman, Richard Taylor, Steven Kefauver, and the late great Neil Passey.
The earliest known Sixties-style event poster is likely a psychedelic handbill for The Movement, a 1967 concert sponsored by the Cosmic Aeroplane, the White Rabbit, and the Grass Root. The Cosmic Aeroplane, founded on the corner of 9th and 9th in the spring of 1967 by Steve Jones and Sherm Clow, was the first head shop in Utah.
But the Cosmic was not just a place to buy rolling papers and paraphernalia; it was also a center of the Counterculture. It housed the Human Ensemble Theatre, the Smoke Blues Band, the Rocks and Gravel Blues Band, and the first draft counseling center in Utah at that time. In the 1970s I became an owner of the Cosmic and started its bookstore on First South, next to the Blue Mouse Theatre and a few doors up from the original Cinegrill on old Film Row.
The decade of the Salt Lake Sixties, like the tidy decades that preceded it, is now history. But it left an indelible impact. For those of us who were there, the old concert posters are time machines that evoke unforgettable concerts and moments that defined our lives. And to those who weren’t there? The posters provide a window into the spirit of that tumultuous decade.
Ken Sanders, ABAA, is the proprietor of Ken Sanders Rare Books in SLC. He will discuss the ‘60s and show some of his huge collection of posters on September 16, at 7 p.m., at the Rio Grande Depot
 |
Rock 'n' Roll at the Utah State Historical Society Annual Meeting? Oh yes, indeed. Friday night, September 16, the Rio Grande Depot will be rocking with Ken Sanders's 1960s rock history, a display of vintage posters, and a 1960s street dance behind the Depot with the music you either loved, hated, or weren't yet born to hear. But there's much more. The Annual Meeting is three days of activities on September 15, 16, and 17. It's about our history. It's about who we are. And it's free. Please come. For a complete list of presenters and presentations, see the annual meeting schedule. Or call (801) 533-3500 for more information. This limited-edition, collector-quality Salt Lake Sixties poster is by Leia Bell and is available to buy for $25. Call (801) 533-3500 for more information. |
 |
The Casino Theatre, c. 1915 |
A Star is Reborn
by Diana Spencer
The thought of restoring an historic theater may be the stuff of dreams, but the actual undertaking bodes sleepless nights. Nevertheless, from the time a “For Sale” sign appeared in the ticket window of the Star Theatre in Gunnison, it took less than six weeks for Lori Nay and I to incorporate as a not-for-profit corporation and buy it. That fast we were operating a movie theater and laying the groundwork for restoring this 1912 Beaux Arts-style treasure to its former glory.
The last time the theater changed hands—1992—we missed the sale while we discussed the cost and feasibility of a restoration project; so this time when Lori asked if I was still interested, we just grabbed it and started planning later.
When the purchase closed on November 1, 2004, the marquee announced, “NEW OWNERSHIP” and “THE INCREDIBLES.” “That’s us!” we crowed. “The Incredibles!” How many times do the Fates provide a second chance on frustrated dreams?
To celebrate the establishment of the Casino Star Theatre Foundation and a beautiful future for the somewhat dingy venue, we closed the theatre for five days to redecorate the lobby.
Amazingly, this 93-year-old building had previously operated without interruption except for a few months in the early 1970s. From 1912 to 1936, it was the Casino Theatre; in 1936 it became the Star. We decided to honor both historic names by calling it the Casino Star Theatre.
The brief hiatus last November was supposed to be merely cosmetic, but before we re-opened we’d had to replace leaky plumbing, install new wiring, and pour new concrete where decades of dripping water had undermined the lobby floor. At the same time, we rolled eleven gallons of paint on the ceiling before we got a uniform color. We re-opened just barely on schedule; carpetlayers were still crawling around the floor when the first customers arrived.
Thanks to the owners-before-last, Dawn and Ernie Larson, our fantasy theater was already listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its historical and architectural significance. For a rural area like South Central Utah, the Beaux Arts architecture of the Casino Star is without peer.
Gunnison merchants report that passing cars frequently stop to photograph the elaborate, though shabby, facade adorned with arches, columns, garlands, and cherubs. Plaster rosettes framing the central arch and pediment once held more than 350 light bulbs to illuminate the façade as well as Gunnison’s entire Main Street.
Partner Lori Nay is a native of Gunnison and member of the city council. Partner Diana Spencer recently retired from the faculty of Snow College. We’re expecting architectural drawings and a phased plan for restoration by the end of summer. We’re working with architects Allen Roberts and Kim Hyatt and general contractor Craig Paulsen, all of whom have extensive experience with historic restorations.
There’s beauty behind the cracked stucco and curling paint, and we’re eager to see the way it’s s’posed to be! The centennial of the building’s construction is late fall of 2012. That gives us some time to raise the funds and do the work before this grand old building turns 100.
 |
 |
 |
Diana Spencer and Lori Nay paint the lobby of the Casino Star Theatre. |
The Casino Star Theatre's 50-year-old projector, which has spanned the movie era from the likes of Rebel without a Cause to the latest Star Wars film. |
Division of State History director Phil Notarianni (left) presents a check to Lori Nay, Diana Spencer, and State Representative Rick Wheeler--a grant from State History enabling "The Incredibles" to continue restoration of the Casino Star Theatre. |
 |
The Dust Devil archaeological site. This area in south Juab County wasn't always this dry! |
Of Pipelines, Pollen, & Snails:
Life in Utah 8,000 Years Ago
The science of archaeology is a publicly funded pursuit here in North America. When you put gas in your car, pay your water or natural gas bill, or buy a lift ticket at your favorite ski area, a bit of that money has gone or will go to funding archaeological work. That is just the way it works here under our current laws pertaining to cultural resources. The recent Kern River natural gas pipeline through Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California encountered hundreds of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, and major excavations were completed at a number of these in Utah by archaeological consultants.
All that work added a lot to our understanding of the lives of ancient and not-so-ancient people. Much of that information is available in From Hunters to Homesteaders, a book about the archaeology done on the Kern River project that helps the public understand the world of cultural resources management and the science of archaeology.
Step by step, the book introduces the concepts of time, prehistoric cultures, how sites are found, how they are professionally excavated, how the material remains are analyzed and how the archaeologist derives information about the past from the artifacts recovered from the site. All aspects of archaeology are covered, and special attention is paid to the long processes of laboratory work and curation and why those aspects are so terribly important.
One interesting site discussed by the book is the “Dust Devil” Site.
What the Dust Devil Site Revealed
The Dust Devil excavation site lies in Juab County. It’s in a desolate landscape filled with— well, wind and dust. When archaeologists excavated it, they were surprised (and happy!) to find largely undisturbed stratigraphy (layers of sediments). The deepest layers were between 7,600 and 8,600 years old. Such a well-preserved find is rare outside of caves; in fact, this is one of the oldest non-cave sites in the Great Basin.
 |
Archaeologists excavate the Dust Devil site. |
The oldest (deepest) layers date from what archaeologists call the Early Archaic period. These layers contained pollen from cattail, sedge, and other water-loving plants, as well as from desert shrubs. There were also lots of snail and mollusk shells—different kinds that prefer different environments: fast-moving streams, still lakes, and marshes. These data increased our understanding of climate change and showed that water once abounded in the area. Plants, fish, and animals would have thrived here, and it would have been a good place to camp or live—especially for hunting/gathering people.
However, the excavators did not find any house structures. They only found one simple firepit, along with flecks of charcoal and burned and broken bones from birds, animals, and fish. They also found some grinding stones (with some cattail pollen on the surface—perhaps the people were making a cattail root stew). The early sediment layers also contained small stone tools and debitage (chips from tool-making), of the kind usually left by people who moved around a lot. Besides, the obsidian at the site came from quarries about 30 miles away. Although there may be an undiscovered dwelling structure somewhere else on the site, right now it looks like the people who stayed here moved often as they gathered food.
After 6,000 B.C., people didn’t come here much. Archaeologists think they have found the reason in a thin layer of fine clay that covers the lower sediment layers—clay that would have been deposited by a massive flood. Often, big floods like this follow long periods of drought; drought eventually kills plants on the hillsides, causing faster runoff and great erosion.
As the climate changed and the rich water ecosystem became a desert, people weren’t terribly drawn to the Dust Devil site—that is, until a homesteader put down stakes in the early 20th century. The homestead has been excavated also, but that’s another story.
The Dust Devil site is only a small example of what archaeologists studied and learned as part of the Kern River Pipeline project.
Ron Rood, Assistant Utah State Archaeologist, with info taken from the book: From Hunters to Homesteaders: Recent Encounters with Past Communities in Utah’s West Desert, ed. by Heather K. Stettler and Matthew T. Seddon. Published by Kern River Gas Transmission Company, SWCA Environmental Consultants and Alpine Archaeological Consultants. Includes an interactive CD ROM. Copies are available at libraries. A limited number of copies are available at the Division of State History, 300 S. Rio Grande, SLC. Call 801/533-3500 for more info.
Layers: The Stratigraphy of the Dust Devil Site |
||
Stream and flood deposits. |
|
<<Thin layer of clay. *Much less charcoal and fewer artifacts. Evidence suggests that the area had become less wet, with fewer resources. ** Charcoal, mollusk shells, chilled stone tools (with obsidian from distant sources), pollen from both wetland and desert plants, fish (minnow and sucker) and bird bones. |
 |
| Front L-R: Jenny Parks, Trust for Public Lands; Waldo Wilcox, rancher; Ann Price, Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. Rear L-R: Mike Styler, director of Depart. of Natural Resources; Leonard Blackham, commissioner of agriculture; Jon Huntsman, governor; Phil Notarianni, director, Div. of State History; Kevin Jones, state archaeologist. |
Governor honors Range Creek work
In May, Governor Jon Huntsman awarded the Governor’s Quality Growth Award to the Range Creek Partnership, which includes the Division of State History, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, Trust for Public Lands, and former Range Creek owner Waldo Wilcox. The award recognizes the partnership’s work in protecting the cultural resources of this remote canyon.
Last year a flood of national and international media attention focused on this rare place—a canyon filled with nearly untouched prehistoric sites. The Division of State History worked with Natural Resources to help reporters understand the archaeological significance of Range Creek. The State Archaeologist’s clear, consistent message helped the public and decision-makers understand how important it is to preserve and study the cultural resources.
State History also helped create an interim management plan for the canyon that will accomplish that goal while managing public access, hunting, and other considerations.
What we’ve been doing
As the 2004-2005 fiscal year ended, staff of the Utah Division of State History/State Historical Society breathed a sigh of relief—mixed with, we admit, some pride. We had weathered some changes and at the same time made some big strides.
 |
Staff spent much of the year working in a construction zone as the Rio Grande Depot underwent renovation.
When the hammering died down and the last mover left, historical researchers had a new research center; archaeological consultants had a more convenient, more organized place to research site reports; the public had access to a new, larger meeting room; many staff members had new offices; and the Arts Council, Museum Services and Archives were sharing the building.
Library/Collections staff had the biggest moving challenge as they relocated hundreds of thousands of documents, books, and photos to new areas. At the same time, they continued to process incoming collections and created the cooperative State History/State Archives research center.
Preservation staff helped projects totaling $69.7 million work through the tax credit process, administered $110,000 in grants, helped 321 properties gain listing on the National Historic Register, and educated property owners and communities on important preservation issues.
Antiquities staff worked to preserve and educate the public about cultural resources, particularly in Range Creek. They also reviewed a flood of Section 106/404 projects caused by an increase in oil and gas drilling. Staff also continued to expand and improve its important GIS database.
The History staff partnered with the Utah Humanities Council to offer joint oral history grants; helped make the Utah History Fair a success; and produced a World War II issue of UHQ.
State History’s years of effort in heritage area development began to reach fruition with a groundbreaking for visitors’ centers at Four Corners and Monument Valley and pending bills in Congress creating national heritage areas.
The last months of the fiscal year were marked by a transition as the old Department of Community and Economic Development split into two agencies: the Department of Community and Culture (new home of the Division of State History) and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
Utah History Fair turns students into historians
The Utah History Fair is a statewide academic program that turns kids into historians. It gets them doing primary historical research; producing essays, exhibits, videos, or life performances; and presenting their findings in a series of competitions.
In the fall of 2004, students began research on the year’s topic: Communication in History. They then took their work to one of nine regional contests. The top winners moved on to the State History Fair, held in April 2005 at the University of Utah.
The Utah History Fair topic for 2005-2006 is Taking a Stand in History. All Utah students in grades 4-12 can participate. If a student’s school or class does not participate in the program, the student can enter without school affiliation under a parent’s signature.
For more info, see the Utah History Fair website at www. usu.edu/utahfair/histfair.html. See the complete list of state winners.
New Women’s History Book
The Division of State History is cosponsoring with Utah State University Press the publication of Women in Utah History: Paradigm or Paradox? The book was started by the Utah Women's History Association several years ago and provides the first thorough survey of the complex history of Utah’s diverse women. Some of the finest historians studying Utah examine significant social and cultural topics that particularly have involved or affected Utah women.
The editors and some of the authors will present a session at the Great Salt Lake Book Fair on Saturday, October 8, 2005 at 2 p.m. The fair will be held at the Salt Lake City Library.
Copies of Women in Utah History will be available in both paperback and cloth in October 2005. To order from the publisher, Utah State University Press, call toll-free 800/621-2736.
Women in Utah History: Paradigm or Paradox? is edited by Pat Scott (Utah State Archives) and Linda Thatcher (Utah Division of State History). Photograph editor is Susan Whetstone (Division of State History).
To check on the status of the book, check the Utah State University Press website: www.usu.edu/usupress.
Labor history
lectures—and art!
Artist Scott Fife was inspired by Anthony Lukas’s book Big Trouble: ... to create larger-than-life sculptural portraits depicting the historical characters in the book.
In conjunction with its exhibition Scott Fife: Big Trouble, The Idaho Project, the Salt Lake Art Center will present a series of free Art Talkson the labor movement in the American West.
September 7 7 p.m. Artist Scott Fife discusses his work.
September 14 7 p.m. Panel discussion on the labor movement in Idaho and Utah, led by Phil Notarianni of the Utah Division of State History. State historian Kent Powell will be among the panelists.
September 21 7 p.m. Peter DeLafosse interviews labor historian Ron Magden.
September 28 7 p.m. Reading of the play Harry Orchard—based on the courtroom confrontation between Sen. William Borah and Clarence Darrow in Big Bill Haywood’s trial.
The Salt Lake Art Center is located at 20 South West Temple. For more information call 801/328-4201 or visit www.slartcenter.org.
Call for Papers
The Fort Douglas Military Museum is calling for papers for its Fort Douglas Day symposium on October 22. The theme is “Preserving our Military Past.” For info, call 801/581-1251.
 |
Track construction on South Temple between Main and State Streets, 1926 |
Book Marks
When reminded by my editor that it was time I write about a book on historic preservation, I thought of how little I know about architecture. As my wife can tell you, I don’t know the difference between a cornice and an eave. As I considered various possibilities, I remembered a beautiful book that has often passed through my hands as a book dealer, which not only discusses and illustrates architecture but also artfully blends history with it. Brigham Street, by Margaret D. Lester (Utah State Historical Society, 1979), is a visual feast, lavishly illustrated with scores of photographs and sketches of the stately mansions that at one time lined (some still do) Salt Lake City’s South Temple Street (once popularly known as “Brigham Street”).
Vintage photos capture the elegance and beauty of both the exteriors and the interiors of these homes. Chosen and arranged by Margaret Lester, former curator of photographs at the Division of State History, these pictures are accompanied by her marvelously detailed descriptions.
There are also dozens of photos of the people who built and lived in these magnificent homes. They ranged from mining magnates to business barons and from church leaders to merchants. But Lester’s book is much more than a mere photograph album. It is also a social history filled with fascinating stories.
A good example is that of Susanna Emery Holmes, “Utah’s Silver Queen,” wealthy widow of a mining tycoon. She was a high-living, often-married socialite who bought the Gardo House, also known as Amelia’s Palace, at South Temple and State Street. Brigham Young built the house for his lovely 25th wife, Amelia Folsom; Susanna and her husband turned it into a showplace where lavish parties were held over a 20-year period.
As I began to read Brigham Street (I had only briefly skimmed it previously), I found myself curious about what had become of these structures. I knew about some of the more notable ones, such as the Beehive and Lion Houses, the Kearns Mansion (now the Utah governor’s official residence) and the Devereaux House, but I did not know the fate of the majority of them. I was pleased to discover that the author not only lists the progression of owners of each residence and other pertinent facts but also gives the status (in 1979) of each one. I learned that the palatial dwelling of mining magnate Colonel Enos Wall eventually housed the main building of LDS Business College, for instance. Others have been turned into offices or apartments, but more have been demolished over the years.
I have now spent a lot of time with Brigham Street and have enjoyed every minute. I plan to spend more.
Curt Bench, Benchmark Books
| Where's That At?* | *CAREFUL, KIDS!! Don't try this sentence at home! It's bad grammar. |
Fall Puzzler Identify the historic building in this photo and win a copy of Utah’s Historic Architecture 1847-1940: A Guide, by Thomas Carter and Peter Goss. Send your response (one guess per contestant) to Where’s That At, 300 S. Rio Grande, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. Responses must be postmarked by November 1, 2005. A drawing will be held of the winners to determine who receives the book. |
 |
 |
Answer to Summer Puzzler The following contestants correctly identified the building: Keith Buswell, Ogden; Jean Draper, Wendover; Neil Hansen, Ogden; Kirk Huffaker, Salt Lake City; Allen Roberts, Salt Lake City; Glenda Collins, Spanish Fork; and Martin Buttars, Ogden. Neil Hansen was selected in the drawing to receive a copy of Utah's Historic Architecture 1847-1940: A Guide, by Thomas Carter and Peter Goss. |
Beautiful, ill-fated Saltair Resort a photo essay
The lure of the Great Salt Lake as a recreation site dates back at least to the earliest days of white settlement. A number of resorts were built along its shoreline, but the most popular and most well-known was Saltair.
The LDS church built Saltair in 1893 on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake, about 16 miles from downtown Salt Lake City. The church also built a railroad to transport people there. The purpose for building Saltair was to provide “a wholesome place of recreation” under church control for Mormons and their families. A wide range of attractions provided that recreation: a rollercoaster, a merry-go-round, a ferris wheel, midway games, boat rides, touring vaudeville acts, and hot-air balloon rides. The church sold Saltair in 1906.
In April 1925, the resort burned to the ground. Although it was rebuilt the next year, it never regained its former popularity. A $100,000 fire in 1931, receding lake levels, the Great Depression, and high maintenance costs were major problems the resort contended with during the 1930s. Saltair closed during World War II. After the war it reopened, but it continued to struggle.
After the 1958 season Saltair closed for good. It stood abandoned for years—then, in November 1970, fire again destroyed the once-great resort.
In the fall of 1981 entrepreneurs built a new Saltair using parts of a relocated airport hangar—just in time for the record-high lake levels of the next couple of years. The pavilion’s main floor was under about five feet of water before the lake finally receded… and receded… leaving the building high and dry.
 |
Elegant panoramic view of the original Saltair, showing bathhouses lining the curved pier, c. 1900. |
 |
Catholic Day at Saltair showing children playing, July 6, 1904. |
 |
Loaded cars stand in front of Saltair, July 1912. |
 |
Crowd unloading from the train at Saltair on July 4, 1913. |
 |
The Leviathon Restaurant at the original Saltair, April 22, 1910. |
 |
"You Float Like a Cork" at Saltair. This view is the second Saltair, c. 1928-29. |
 |
A view of the third Saltair from the railroad tracks leading to the resort showing the Fifties-era entrance sign, June 4, 1956. |
 |
Midway showing the famous Giant Racer Roller Coaster. A huge windsotrm toppled this coaster in 1957. |
 |
Midway ride showing the third Saltair a year before it closed for the last time, July 19, 1957. |
You can find dozens of Saltair photographs plus half a million other photos at the Utah History Research Center, in the Rio Grande Depot, 300 Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101. (801) 533-3535.
historyresearch.utah.gov