Show r I w q K I Echoes from rom the dust C J. J Neals' Neals pioneers of early telephone Compiled Complied by I Iva ha va C Gray Charles James Neat Neal was born May 13 1883 1083 In B Debit Beloit loit Kansas Ills His parents lived on a farm in Beloit until Charlie was seven years old and then moved to Leadville Colorado Here Charlie was introduced to the mining Industry and became so fascinated that he spent his out of school time working in his uncles' uncles silver mines At the age of 16 Charlie moved with his family to Idaho Springs Colorado and worked in the Newhouse Silver mine This was the first mining operation In Colorado to be powered by bythe bythe bythe the first voltage high-voltage electric plant in that state At this early age Charlie became involved with this wonderful science of electrical engineering which paved d the way for him In his later ventures and rewarding success When the mine closed electrical engineering was so much a part of his ambitions that he took a position with the Colorado Bell Telephone Co in Denver Here lIere he worked at installing exchanges and building long distance transmission transmission tran tran- lines Besides the ambition and desire to tomake tomake tomake make marked progress in electrical engineering Charlie became aware of another wonderful love grown in his heart and he married his sweetheart Essie A A. A Christie She was born in Randell Kansas a small farming community not far from Beloit She also moved with her family to Colorado where both families became friends and neighbors CHARLIE AND ESSIE were married in Denver May 16 1906 and that fall decided to go by stage stag to visit Charlies Charlie's parents in Ashley Valley They were anxious to see the large ranch William Neal had purchased on the Green River not far from Vernal since Charlie had heard good reports of the prospects of progress in Ashley Valley The Moffatt tt Railroad was expected to pass through Vernal to Salt Lake and Denver and he realized that this would add to the city's growth There would be need for more efficient communication so Charlie decided to stay in Ashley Valley and in February of 1907 he applied for a franchise from Uintah County to build a telephone service for Vernal His project aroused great interest among local businessmen and the Uintah County telephone company was incorporated in June of 1907 June 20 1907 his first child Margaret was born and two years later a second daughter Edythe was born By the end of 1907 he had built lines s sI i all over the Uintah Basin Essie made madet t 24 hour service possible by training operators on the job while handling most of the work on the switchboard herself At that time the telephone office was their home so Essie had to divide her time between home duties and the telephone office work She had worked as an operator at Fort Collins Color Colorado do and as chief operator at Idaho Springs and so she took on the job of handling the traffic end of the business and training new operators as the company grew While occupied with the building of the Vernal telephone office and trying to finish the lines in the area Charlie was asked by the Uintah Stake Tabernacle builders in 1907 to wire that building for electricity They wanted it completed in time for the dedication in August so working nights and any available time he could take from the telephone office and other responsibilities responsibilities responsibilities he was able to complete the wiring in time for the dedication Soon after this Charlie helped design the power plant that brought power to the Vernal flour mill About that time he extended the telephone lines as far south as Price Utah and built a telephone exchange in Roosevelt Utah Will WHILE U attending our history I v z- z h. h MR AND MRS CHARLIE J. J NEAL at the grand opening of the new telephone office in Vernal August 18 1962 ii J JI Jr r t I to i u j j t a ar r g x 9 1 LOUIE ATWOOD whose sweet voice said Number Please uncounted uncounted uncounted un un- un- un counted times during the years 1910 discussion meeting at the Golden Age Center Charlie would tell us about the Good Old Days but never boasting about his accomplishments While on the subject of extending the telephone lines to Price he said traveling salesmen would hire a team and rig at Price and from there make contacts throughout the Uintah Basin It seemed that they all carried 22 rifles which they used to hunt their supper but they also found the insulators on the telephone poles a great way to improve their marksmanship After trying various methods to control this kind of vandalism with little success Charlie informed il ormed the operators that whenever a traveling salesman wished to place a call to forward orders to Price or Salt Lake City they were to be told that due to somebody shooting the insulators off the wires connections at the present time were impossible The disturbed look left his face replaced by a twinkle in his eyes as he remarked Needless to say these marksmen soon found other things to shoot at While building telephone lines in the Basin Charlie discovered evidence of what he thought were bones of prehistoric animals When Earl Douglass came out here from the Smithsonian Institute in 1909 looking for fossil remains of dinosaurs he took tooka a room at a home near William Neals Neal's ranch Charlie took Douglass to what turned out to be the largest deposit of its kind in the United States Douglass later dug up the complete remains of the Diplodocus whose replica now stands on the lawn beside the Vernal Field House of Natural History Being interested in geology during the years he lie was engineer builder and director of the phone company Charlie acquired the equivalent of a college education in the field of geology lie He became convinced that oil could be found in the Uintah Basin and was able to interest California investors to explore explore explore ex ex- ex- ex a large area around Vernal After years of hard work and three dry wells they found no commercial oil However years later the Red Hed Wash Washfield Washfield Washfield field in Uintah Basin was found to contain a rich deposit of commercial oil With the help of California capital Charlie built a large refinery near Rangely and was able to make a wider survey of the possibilities of the Rangely field and to drill successful wells of his own In 1925 he located several gilsonite deposits on the Raven road near Ft Duchesne lie He organized the Diamond Gilsonite Company and operated the mines for eight years When these mines were sold to the Utah Gilsonite Co he stayed on as superintendent for several everal years In the meantime he had acquired other mines which he retained until 1919 1939 WHEN N THE TIIt property was sold cd In 1939 to the Raven Haven Mining Co Charlie Charli organized the Uintah Basin Operating Co and operated the he mines for tor the Raven Haven Mining Co until October of 1943 By 1941 1911 he had acquired title to the Rainbow Dragon Gilsonite property in Dragon Utah This property had been abandoned in 1939 when the company working it moved to Bonanza Charlie developed loped two new veins producing a minimum of 50 tons of high-grade high ore per day When the Dragon Rainbow Dragon Rainbow mines were abandoned then came the closing of the Uintah Railway The narrow narrow- gauge system traveled through the twists and turns of the mountain route of Baxter Pass for 65 miles Of great importance to the gilsonite industry the Uintah Basin and the state of Utah was Charlies Charlie's action in having the Uintah Railway of tight f. f way declared as a mine access road This 65 miles of road in addition to serving the gilsonite industry furnishes furnishes furnishes fur fur- the necessary link in a mile north and south highway and connecting connecting con cone fleeting there east and west continental highway and two transcontinental railways It affords a short route for tourists between Yellowstone Park Jackson Hole the Grand Colorado state parks Mesa Verde National Park Dinosaur National Monument Natural Bridges and Arches Arches Arches Ar Ar- ches State Park Largely the result of his vision initiative and energy it is locally known as the Neal Road Many modern developments in the gilsonite industry are traceable to Charlies Charlie's initiative Many years he continued in the gilsonite business oil and gas industry and he never lost his interest in mining and looking for new ventures He gave his love time and energy to his family lodge and community community com come and will be long remembered for his service to the Uintah Basin over overa a time span of 70 years 1907 ESSIE NEAL like her husband husband- Charlie was an active and devoted member of St St. Pauls Paul's Episcopal Church In 1941 she was elected Worthy Grand Matron of the state stale chapter of the Eastern Star She served as president of the and was a charter member of the local chapter In 1939 she was ek elected to the office of state president of the PEO She died Sept 13 1968 one month before her birthday During her 61 years in inthe inthe inthe the Uintah Basin she not only found time to raise a family creating a fine and loving atmosphere in the mining camp or in the city-but city always found time for any service that was needed in civic organizations During the nine years of separation following the death of Essie Charlie missed her very much and it was during this period the Senior Citizens at atthe atthe atthe the Golden Age Center enjoyed the time Charlie spent there lie He listened to the thereal thereal thereal real early settlers experiences and wanted us to hurry along to 1907 when the Uintah County Telephone Company was incorporated lie He gave us many dates and events of those early and we all enjoyed looking at the many early pictures he had taken of those times limes Charles J J. Neal died April 12 1977 1971 at atthe atthe atthe the age of 93 at Stewarts Stewart's Convalescent Villa in Roosevelt following a long illness A public Masonic funeral was held hold April 15 1977 1971 at the Masonic Temple and he was buried burled In Vernal Memorial Park Like many other of our stalwart and energetic Ashley Valley pioneers that have departed to their reward the memory of Charlie and Essie Neal will live on In this community they helped to grow and prosper On August 18 1962 Vernal City went wenton on dial and the pleasant voice of the switchboard board operator was heard no more |