Show I y 9 s 4 r r rr E r S 1 Moab business duo Mr 11 and Mrs 1 James Hoffman as they are most often seen by Moab residents He is Moab City gardener she manager of the Mode 0 Background Report P Prominent Moh Moab P Pair air Keep Busy List fist Interesting Moab History Prominent figures In the business world of Moab l for many years are arc husband and wife duo Dorothy and Jim Hoffman Mrs 1 Hoffman is manager of of the Mode 0 O day Shop he Is the Moab City gardener gard gard- ener As a team 20 years ago they operated one of the first dairies in the valley valley valley val val- ley and introduced pasteurized pasteurized pasteurized pasteur pasteur- milk to The couple too figured in the once prominent coal mining area of Sego now nowa a Utah ghost town The Hoffmans were newlyweds newlyweds new- new when they lived at Sego a a thriving coal min min- town north of Thompson Thomp Thomp- son and one of the most lively places In Southeastern Southeast Southeast- ern Utah It was a street one town with a caste system separated separated sepi sep sep- i rated by a dry wash The community hosted over mine worl workers ers and their families served iby- iby bythe the traditional company store ft t sported a schoolhouse which doubled as a church a Club House where single single single sin sin- gle miners boarded and a large Coffee House where Saturday night dances and traveling shows were produced produced produced pro pro- Patrons came from Day shop The Hoffmans Hoffman's business caleer career career ca ca- ca- ca reer leer dates back to early days in the Moab area as far away as Moab for forthe forthe forthe the weekend fun The town was supported by the Chesterfield Coal Company mines An mile 8 spur pur transported coal to a aD aD aD D R G railroad stockpile at Thompson where it was used as fuel for steam engines engines engines en en- gines and hauled to mar mar- ket Segos Sego's bubble burst in the when the railroads converted to diesel engines and crumpled the coal mar mar- ket A handful of the miners miners miners min min- ers purchased the mines and formed a new company Utah Grand Coal headed by Walter a Grand County School Board member member member mem mem- ber for years They kept the operation alive for a short period but petroleum fuels gradually replaced the coal market and business tapered to an unprofitable unprofitable unprofitable un un- un- un profitable point In the late MOs MO's the tipple burned and nd Sego folded for keeps Today o only orTy Ty the foundation ruins of pf the miners homes remain to mark maik th the town town- site But the Hoffmans were happily settled in Moab by this time They had purchased purchased purchased pur pur- chased the old Graham Ranch in East Moab and in inthe inthe inthe the early opened the first pasteurized dairy business business business bus bus- iness in the valley It was not easy to convert convert convert con con- vert their customers to the new form of milk Almost everyone In town had a a. a cow in a backyard backyard backyard back back- yard stable or purchased milk from Crom a neighbor who did The people didn't lik like the taste of pasteurized milk and their resentment at the interference with milk sales didn't make it taste tast any better For Fot a time even school children scorned scorned scorned scorn scorn- scorn scorn- ed it Statewide publicity on the dangers of raw milk product product pro pro- duct plus a ban of raw sales won their customers over however and they operated the dairy successfully for many years In 1946 they were commended by the Utah Agriculture dairy division division div div- ision for their operation termed a valuable community community com com- asset for Moab Later the Hoffmans sold their herd and entered into a franchise with a milk company delivering carton milk to customers They also wholesaled fr frozen zen foods to stores the first service of that kind in Moab The city change of pace during the uranium I i boom brought changes into into in in- to the lives lives' of Mr and Mrs Hoffman too They went out of the milk business and sold a portion of their land for what Is now the attractive attractive attractive attract attract- ive Sundial Gardens Subdivision Sub Sub- division But retirement was not for this busy couple and they started looking for new worlds to conquer Mr Hoffman Hoffman Hoffman Hof Hof- accepted the position of gardner for Moab City and today he Is on one of of the most quoted authorities an on landscaping problems in the area The beautiful Moab City P Park Pk k is a monument to his efforts Mrs Hoffman and her daughter Mrs Tom Lilly LillyAnn LillyAnn LillyAnn Ann Balsey introduced another another another an an- other first to Moab with its first chain store Their success In the Mode ModeO O 0 Day Shop has been acclaimed acclaimed acclaimed ac ac- ac- ac claimed by company officials officials oWe oWe- als all over the state and has rated them such remarks remarks re re- re- re marks on Inventory reports as Wow again you have beat all our stores as you youcan youcan youcan can see by the chart The year was their big y year ar when Moab was booming with construction workers at Potash and the railroad as well as the uranium industry and Pure Oils Oil's Lisbon activities Their dropped off oft along with others in 1965 1065 But figures this year indicate indicate indi indi- cate a leveling off oft period has been reached Each week of 1966 1066 has shown a marked Improvement over the same sanae period a year ago Mrs Hoffman is a native of MoaB Her parents were the late Mr and Mrs Myron Lance early day pioneers of the valley whose prosperous pros porous fruit ranch still operates op crates under the family name by hi a son Mr Hofman Hof- Hof man ts a native of ot Wyoming The pair pall of at veteran business bus bus busIness iness mess h heads ads join the rest of ot Moab in their optimistic outlook for tor the future The uranium picture looks bright industries seem seena to tobe tobo tobo bo be quietly expanding and the tourism trade canyon lands National Park will bring will be a major boom in itself Moab is on its's its way again |