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Show . .. . fThese Are Highlights Of 1 985 in Garfield ! review of the past year's ' v,3ppcnings serves 10 remind us all how fast the months go by. Could all this h3ve hap-pened in 1985? See if you can remember... ) JANUARY j population increases were predicted ; for Garfield County with 4,050 people ' expected to be living in the county by ' mid-1985, up from 3,673 in 1980 at the list federal census. The Garfield County News was recognized by the Utah School Board Association for its "distinguished service and high journalistic attainment in reporting and interpreting education to the public" as some 400 school board J members, school officials and their ', guests met in convention in Salt Lake ! a mid-afternoon fire on Jan. 20 ' destroyed the Rustic Lodge on the west shore of Panguitch Lake. The Sunday confla-gration spread quickly throughout the wooden structure which was still smouldering at mid-day Monday. The Panguitch Lake fire was the second to destroy a popular resort within eight months in Garfield County. Both Rubys Inn which burned on June 1 and Rustic Lodge have since rebuilt and are providing services for the tourist to the Bryce Canyon and Panguitch Lake areas. A "new" bridge was installed over the Sevier River where floods five months earlier had washed out the historic old Roller Mill Hill bridge. A railroad fiat car weighing some 72,000 pounds (36 tons) was used to replace the old bridge. Garfield County was among four counties in the southwestern part of Utah where construction activity was listed as brisk for 1984 according to the University of Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research. FEBRUARY Snowpack for Feb 1 was 150 percent of average on Garfield County watersheds according to the Panguitch office of the Soil Conservation Service. The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Hospitals awarded Garfield Memorial Hospital a three-year accrcd-itation, the highest award given by the Commission. Scott Fletcher of Cedar City set a blistering pace of one hour and seven seconds to become overall winner in the first annual Bryce Canyon Cross Country Ski Tour held at Rubys Inn Feb. 16. Twenty-seven suspected aliens were bussed to Salt Lake City by United States Immigration and Natural-ization Department officers after arrest and detention by Panguitch Police Chief Martin Nay. Rick Burningham, a Panguitch businessman just leaving his store, assisted in the arrest of 17 of the 27. Shortly after, another 10 were apprehended. Panguitch High School Future Farmers of America came away from the North Sevier Chapter FFA contest of Feb. 27 with five first place wins, one second place and a third place team win. MARCH Bryce Canyon National Park was listed as the most frequently visited location in Utah by motorcoach (bus) tours according to the Utah Travel Council. Intercity bus travel to Utah contributed approximately $32.7 million to the 1983-84 travel season, and average of $4,700 per bus. r Frank Daly was named "Scoutcr of the Year" for outstanding service to scouting that spanned more than half a century at the annual Panguitch Third Ward awards banquet. A Panguitch family, the Earl Henries, was among several throughout Utah receiving refunds from Mountain Bell after the telephone company agreed that it had erred in overcharging some customers for extending its service, primarily in rural areas. Bryce Canyon National Park Superintendent Sandra Key, guest speaker for the March meeting of the Panguitch Chamber of Commerce, documented tourist figures and offered possible solutions to some of the financial problems of the area. Key used a series of in-depth studies of tourists' "stay-time" in the area, expenditures, points of interest noted, states sending most tourists, and tourists comments and suggestions. She said six states (California, New York, Washington, Florida, Massa-chusctts, and New Jersey) bring in 40 percent of ' tour bus visits. Arizona, she said, brings in very little visitation. The Garfield County News captured five awards in the annual "Better Newspaper Contest" held during the annual convention of the Utah Press Association. APRIL Panguitch High School senior Anna Yazzie was named third runner-up in the sixth annual Miss Indian Scholarship Pageant held at Orem Junior High School. The famous old Blue Pine Hotel on Panguitch's Main Street was reduced to rubble, yielding to progress and the infirmities of old age. Reported to be the last meeting place of the notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy and his mother, the native brick building started life in the 1860's as a small store built by J.J. Page. Two Garfield County high school (See HIGHLIGHTS Page 7) Uighlights Of 1 985 ( " li seniors captured runncr-up prizes in the J annual Sterling Scholar competition hcld5 j at Southern Utah State College. Tim i peitner, Tropic and Linda Carr, ' I pscalante won part-pay scholarships, ! peimer iu visual arts and Carr in music. Garfield County News Sportswritcr John Yardley announced names of those selected for the Garfield County News All-Star basketball team. Named as forwards were Clint Porter and Tim Fcltner; as center, Heath Sartini; and as guards, Trent Feltner and Nathan Brinkerhoff. One-hundred-twenty years of combined service to Kaibab Industries, Panguitch Division, were celebrated as 13 past and present employees were honored at the company's annual award loyd and recog-nization dinner. The town of Henrieville was awarded a $60,000 grant from the Permanent Community Impact Fund Board to i .construct a fire station. laugh Hundreds of student and adult art 5 Floiworks brightened all available space in Floirhe Panguitch High School gym as the Fine Arts Exhibit sponsored by the jws jGarfield County School District and the enteiBryce Canyon Communities Art Guild. heldft t. t OSSt Tourism got a big boost in a (southeastern Utah when the long-i long-i wiljawaited John Atlantic Burr Lake Powell esideiferry was launched May 4 at Bullfrog Marina following a welcome by iduateGovemor Norman Bangerter and Utah's ie serirst lady, Colleen Bangerter who te, as:hristened ferrv- on i lemak The May 4 launch was the culmination sdonJt a two-year effort by the Utah Department of Transportation which ix yipwns the ferry, the National Park L0(j5ervice which built the ramp and access 1 she ads. an E. Webb Corporation ado Recreational Properties which operates ltns die ferry. UDOT arranged the $1.5 tch. nillion financing for the boat through is a'i;he Community Impact Board. Sch; Jing Garfield County was host to the Utah all theriff s Association May 17-18 at i Kai'ubys nn e t'tne e &muP has net in the county. The group included gCi J4 sheriffs from all over Utah. Exactly one year after an early norning fire destroyed historic old i lubys Inn, the entirely new Rubys Inn 'iilxdge celebrated its grand opening on he Memorial Day weekend with an open ouse. Also opening the same weekend were ie newly constructed motel units in iryce Canyon National Park, the first Iectedew overn'fiht facilities in the park in -jem.ver50 years. Announcing the official in tt'Pemn8 ani cuttm8 me ribbon were Congressman Jim Hansen (R-Utah) and ,' w ve0rra'ne Mintzmyeri director, Rocky rejj(j'lountain Region, National Park r cery'ce' L He- wo men an'' a woman were arrested direct 29 near e Red Canyon Indian s eeJK and cnar8ed witn possession of a direcuntro"e su')stance with intent to ock )str'kute' possession of burglary tools, Irrying concealed weapons, possession r stolen property and failure to heed an .nIficer's stop warning. A new all-time shipping record was jgghieved during the month of May at teres,aibab Industries, Panguitch Division, cording to company manage-ment, md tlho stresse(i that e effort was a ful1 am achievement. JUNE Judy Henrie, deputy county treasurer 1 ir the past nine years, was selected by ic Garfield County Commission to fill ie unexpired term of County Treasurer (erle Stowell. Mrs. Henrie had also rom orked in the offices of the county :partPsessor and clerk and stated she was y wiErniliar with the county's tax rolls. She to 2 pas chosen from a field of three whose ames were submitted to the rrans emission. She also writes the iding "PuIar Panguitch Patter column for the pens arfieW County News, nd or Edson Alvey, Escalante, a long time rans uplorer in the Escalante area reported a qUiie rediscovery of a natural arch he had originally found more than 15 years earlier. The arch, located in the Garfield County section on the Kaiparowits Plateau in the Wahweap formation, stands 20 feet tall, 20 feet wide and is about five feet thick. JULY A five-hour and 20-minute power outage affecting most of the state on July 6 challenged Panguitch law enfircement personnel, volunteer firemen, jeep posse members and utility service personnel who were kept busy throughout the blackout. With the loss of power, the Garfield County Emergency Dispatch lost all radio communication and lost its telephones as well. Heavy rains on July 18 threatened for a time to close both U.S. 89 and Utah Highway 12 through Red Canyon. The deluge quickly saturated the ground in the Panguitch area of the county, causing widespread loosening of detrius that brought approx-imately 150 cubic yards of crushed rock and mud down onto Highway 12 just one-tenth of a mile west of the western-most tunnel in Red Canyon. Peggy Rose, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Irving Rose of Henrieville, was named Miss Garfield County. Anna Yazzie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Yazzie, Panguitch, was named Miss Garfield County Dairy Princess and Kayelynn Brook of Tropic, whose parents are Mr. and Mrs. William Brook, was named first attendant in the annual contest which kicked off the Garfield County Fair for 1985. Secretary of the Interior Donald Hotel paid a visit to Bryce Canyon National Park during his 10-state sweep of some of the most visited national parks in the nation. Hodel, his wife and several key aides were hosted by Bryce Canyon National Park Superintendent Sandra Key. AUGUST The First Annual Panguitch Lake Shore Run was held Aug. 10, drawing 74 runners for the first-time event. A variety of activities, including a hot air balloon and reduced prices for fishing boat rentals, marked the event which was counted as extremely successful by its sponsors, merchants at Panguitch Lake and the Panguitch Chamber of Commerce, who plan an expanded day of activities for 1986. Approximately 60 people gathered for a special task force meeting Aug. 14 as Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) visited Panguitch. Attending were many members of the Five County Association of Governments Steering Com-mittee and many local civic leaders. "Running the Rim-Run was rough," said many of the entrants, and comments by overall winner Guy Gertsch of Salt Lake City were no exception. "I enjoyed the atmosphere and the scenery, but the race, though only five miles long, was a tough one because of the terrain." He smiled and said, "But I'll be back next year." The event, in its second year, was held just outside Bryce Canyon National Park and was sponsored by the Garfield County Travel Council. Over 1,500 visitors viewed the dealers and exhibitors rock and gem displays at the Color Country Gem and Mineral Society's "Rock of Ages" show held Aug. 22-24 at the Social Hall in Panguitch. SEPTEMBER Teams of Emergency Medical Technicians from Vernal, American Fork, Monroe, Richfield, Piute County and Kanab joined two teams from Panguitch and teams from Bryce, Bryce Valley and Escalante to compete in the Second Annual EMT Olympics held Sept. 6 at Rubys Inn. The three-member three-member teams com-peted in a series of challenging contests which were scored on a point system. The corn-petition was designed to test the skills of the emergency aid technicians. Monroe took first place, Bryce Valley second and Richfield, third. More than 400 people attended the Sept. 13 dedication of the Boulder to Grover Road where Lt. Gov. Val Oveson cut the ribbon officially opening the 33-mile long section of highway which traverses 9,200-foot Boulder Mountain, opening to the traveler some of the most spectacular scenery in southern Utah. The road had been added to the state's highway system only two hours earlier when it was designated as Highway 12, extending Highway 12 from Boulder to its junction with Utah Highway 24. Federal expenditures in Garfield County totaled $15,069,000 or $3,589 per capita according to the Utah Foundation, a private tax research organization. An open house was held Sept. 21 to mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Garfield Memorial Hospital. "Utah is just waiting to be discovered," said Rep. James V. Hansen (R-Utah) at an informal meeting held Sept. 23 in Escalante. "Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is the fastest growing area (tourist) in the U.S." OCTOBER Wayne Banks, Escalante and Truman Lyman, Boulder ' accompanied by Banks' cousin Joe DeLong, a retired dentist from Oregon who lives in Provo. trekked on horseback the old pioneer trail from Escalante to Boulder. AH three men turned 70 during 1985 and had been researching and retracing old pioneer trails. The original trail was made and used by early pioneers for 25 years prior to the building nearly 50 years ago of the road currently in use. National Park Service Director William Pcnn Mott traveled the length of the 66-milc Burr Trail Road accompanied by Rep. James V. Hansen (R-Utah); Lorraine Mintzmycr, NPS Rocky Mountain Region director; Roland Robison, state director of the Bureau of Lan Management; Don Gillespie, state NPS director; Rep. Jim Yardley, Utah DisL 73 and other state and local officials. Acting on requests from Garfield, Kane and Iron County officials, the National Park Service and Utah Department of Transportation reached a maintenance agreement for Utah Highway 143 through Cedar Breaks National Monument. Under terms of the agreement, UDOT will maintain the road through Cedar Breaks as a year-round access route between Parowan and Panguitch. The National Park Service will provide a maintenance zone 100 feet wide through the national monument. Governor Norman Bangerter cheered the decision of Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel to release the land around or adjacent to national parks, national monuments and wilderness from consideration as "integral vistas." Congressman Jim Hansen echoed the governor's cheers, saying, "I praise Secretary Hodei's courage to make the right decision for the right reasons." Although the ultimate reconstruction and paving of the Burr Trail was still in question, Governor Norman Bangerter announced the release of $600,000 for an engineering study to be made after recent damage to the Burr Trail switchback area. The engineering studies would complete the design of the grading and drainage systems necessary to improve the road whether or not the Burr Trail is paved. NOVEMBER Senator Jake Gam (R-Utah) called the decision by National Park Service Director William Penn Mott to partially pave the Burr Trail a "good compromise." Rep. Jim Yardley (Utah Dist. 73) and Garfield County Commissioner Tom Hatch agreed that they viewed the Mott decision with "cautious optimism." Accord-ing to Hatch, Garn said that Mott wants the switchbacks paved so that buses can travel the road to boost Garfield County's economy. The sighting in Bryce Canyon National Park of two bighorn sheep in less than two months excited Park Naturalist Margaret Little John who said the desert bighorns had probably migrated from transplants made to the Escalante River Canyons and Kaiparowits Plateau. Jim Clarke who teaches at Bryce ' Valley High School in Tropic and Panguitch High School was named fourth runner-up for Utah's Teacher of the Year award. He was honored by the Garfield County School District Board of Education for his selection. In 1984 he was also named first runner-up last year in the Utah Art Teacher of the Year and first runner-up as Teacher of the Year. Clarke is mayor-elect in Cannonville where he lives. A Thanksgiving moming hike up Straight Cliff south of Escalante led to an exciting discovery by three hikers of geographical notes left by members of the John Wesley Powell exploration party over 100 years ago. The historical find was made by Escalante residents Richard Crawford, his sone, Rick, 18 and Rick's Brigham Young University roommate, Dave Douglas, Draper. DECEMBER Garfield County commissioners approved the sale of Garfield Memorial Hospital including all clinics, equipment, indebtedness and all monies on hand to Intermountain Health Care with takeover date set for Jan. 1. The purchaser is the parent company of IHC Hospitals, Inc. which will actually run the hospital. Garfield County Commis-sioners okayed a $2.85 million budget for 1986. The budget is $200,416 under last year's, with $80,000 including a two-mill two-mill reduction in the county's mill levy which will be passed on to the schools for collecting of the school district's share of property taxes. Over 300 antelope from the large Parker Mountain herd were transplanted to new homes by Division of Wildlife Resource officers. Half were taken to an area south of Vemal and the other half to an area north of Hanksville on the San Rafael Desert. A fat little man in a red suit was seen looking over the group of frisky animals, selecting eight of the best, but he failed to complete his transaction when a ninth animal with a red nose could not be produced by the DWR officers. "My reindeer get pretty tired," he said. It's a long way to Garfield County from the North Pole and it wouldn't hurt to have a couple of spares if the need arises." Apparently it didn't, since Santa and his regular team were spotted late Christmas Eve visiting each home in the county, weary but cheerful, leaving something special at each place. v t . ' . ' ' ' ft ' I ' : " ; ' V ' ... t f v V r - "' "-----," " ' '" . . w . ! ....... 4 . ' v- - . . - , . ' ' ' "' " .... ' I ' ' . 4Pti " - 4 r' I ) ' ' .":. " I I , . . : - . i ' f i i . - X. . i t i : ' I 1" ' '' ' I 1 ' i v i i " . . . : Bill Melting of Mellings Masonry, he even has a street named after him, of 2466 West Melling Drive in Cedar City, has had the same question asked many times. "Doesn't the cold bother you when setting bricks?" Mellings answer, "You should see me covering and heating." Work is on new Panguitch High School. |
