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Show Down Memory Lane BY JOHN J. CREEDON BINGHAM BOOM BUST Bingham made the headlines a-gain a-gain the past week on the national scene as a feature article in "Saga", a magazine for men, highlighted some of the seamier side of our town. . The writer, Dave Sutton, spent two or three days in Bingham a year ago compiling material for the , article and taking pictures of the Canyon. He consulted with several of the old timers left, including myself and formed his article on the stories he heard while here. I know that some of the readers of the magazine will be indignant about the picture he painted of the "roudy, bawdy mining camp", but we must realize that this magazine is for men and it must carry a bit of the sensational and bizarre side of things to make it sell. Some of the stories . and statements state-ments have been colored and the imagination stretched to make it an exciting article, but most of us know, who have lived in Bingham during its boom days, that most of the colorful stories and characters char-acters cannot be mentioned in print as they were. the bars that remained open had white mule for sale and the way of hiding it from the law were many and sometimes ingenious. Many of the upright citizens of Salt Lake City and County came to Bingham for their spirits and to let their hair down when they were here. These people did not help the name of Bingham one bit and in many cases caused more trouble in one night than the natives would do in a month. We had our "Red Light" district too, but it was regulated by the law and the citizenry saw little of the gilded ladies. They kept strictly to themselves and minded their own business. Because there was a grin or two when the names of these places were mentioned, did not mean that we were proud of them or approved approv-ed of them, but they were part of life in our type of a community and they served their purpose. We know too, that grapes by the carload came into Bingham in the fall and that they were not used to make grape jelly or preserves. The episode of the grape pulp in the fire pump was true, but the water did not feed the fire as the story goes. The alcohol had long since been diluted. Big Martin did live and live it up in Bingham. He was a powerful Swede and when he got liquored up, it took the entire police force to subdue him. 1 doubt that he broke the telephone pole off at the base, but it makes a good story for the millions who will read about it. The incident of the corpse in the card game must have some truth I in it. I have talked to eye witnesses that saw -the stiff propped up in the corner of the undertakers with a derby hat on and a cigar stuck in his mouth. It seems entirely possible pos-sible that he sat in a game or two. Bingham was no better nor worse than other mining camps in the West, but we lasted longer than most and as far as the mines are concerned we are still going. We were built on a stronger foundation than most of the boom towns. You had to work for the precious metals locked in the mountains and there was no quick way to a big stake. But for the expansion of the Kennecott pit we would still be the best town in the world with the finest people anywhere. Mr. Creedon tThe tfod ;lde of people and a town makes dull reading. We know that from experience with the newspapers. news-papers. They give little space for worthwhile happenings, but big scare heads to the scandals and sensational bits of news. AH of the stories and events in Dave Sutton's , article have some basis of truth in them and he put them down in a manner that appeals ap-peals to the type of reading we are most accustomed to nowadays. ' ' Life in Bingham was free and easy in the early days and there were many boomers in and out of the Canyon, seeking a quick buck or two. It was a code of the West that gambling, drinking and ladies of easy virtue followed the miners wherever they went and Bingham was no exception. It is generally agreed that we had about 30 saloons with varied types of entertainment at one time and when prohibition came, it wai little noticed in Bingham. Most of |