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Show The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH Sunday, July 27,2003 Cabin at This Is the PlaceHeritage Park to celebrate Pony Express he Pony Express Association’s re-creation of a mail station at Soldier Hollow brought the Old West to life for several hundred thousand international Olympic visitors in 2002. About 20,000 spectators streamed past the cabin every day, and manyof them (including the King and Queen of Sweden) stopped by to learn more about our colorful history Volunteers from the Association's Utah Division built the 12-foot-by-16-foot log cabin. Like the original riders who impressed Mark Twain, PX re-creators thunderedup to the station, exchanged a mochila the leather saddlebag carrying the mail and rode off again. Jack Rhodes, a descendant of Howard Egan, legendary manager of the express between Salt Lake and Roberts Creek, Nev., was in charge of building thestation, and this week he will ramrod moving the cabin to a permanent location. Theoriginal Egan, “an indefatigable mountaineer” and ex-sailor, helped explore the route in the 1850s. His son, Erastus, and Jack’s greatgrandfather, Howard Ransom Egan, were riders. Partially constructed with 19th-century barn four-star hotel. wood supplied by Tom Whitaker and sporting “Nothing could be fouler than the log hut; the flies soon drove us outof doors,” Burton wrote. two layers of sod on the roof(yep, dirt was a favorite roofing material in pioneer Utah), the “Hospitality, however, was not wanting, and we sat down to salt beef and bacon.” Burton spent the evening setting a wolf trap madeof a springypole 3 replica of the higher- and a noose. “As the hut contained but one room,” he reported, “weslept outside.” class stations. As renowned En- death — noless than three murders have been cabin is an accurate S “It isa hard life, setting aside the chance of Wit BaGLey glish explorer Richard HISTORY MATTERS Francis Burtonfound out when hecrossed the Great Basin by stagcoachin 1860, many of Utah’s two-dozen-plus depots were notquite so high-toned. “The station at the foot of the Dugway,” Burton wrote, “was a mere ‘dug-out’ — a hole four feet deep, roofed over with split cedar trunks, and provided with a rude adobe chimney.” are always‘out’ of whisky and tobacco.” At Deep Creek,“the station was dirty to the last degree:theflies suggested the Egyptian plague; they could be brushed from thewalls in At Willow Creek,nowsite of the Bagley Ranch, thousands.” Sagebrush madegood brooms, but committed by the Indians during this year,” the discovererof the headwaters of the Nile observed. “The workis severe; the diet is sometimes reduced to wolf-mutton, ora little boiled wheat and rye,andthe drink to brackish water.” Even worse, Burton pointed out, “the droughty souls Burton pointed out “no one cares to sweepclean.” Burton found “an Englishwoman, who, as usual underthe circumstances, had completely thrown. off the Englishwoman.”Thestation was not a Burton had shared a “squar drink”(actually, four straight whiskeys) with Porter Rockwell, “the leader of the dreaded Danite band.” Port had “the manner of a jovial, reckless, devil-may-care English ruffian” and owned a PX station of his own known as “the Brewery” at * Pointofthe Mountain. Burtonvisited and paid $1.50 for frijoles, potatoes, and bread. Pictures prizefigh' weights in the English ring, now a Saint in Salt Lake City.” This Tuesday, Jack Rhodes will direct moving the four-ton replica from Soldier Hollow to This Is the Place Heritage Park, located near the old PX: trail at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. ‘The cabin will stand near the park entrance, next to Avard Fairbanks’statue showing two Pony Express riders switching a mochila. It celebrates a greatpiece of Utah history,butit’s an even greatertribute for the volunteer history buffs whohelp bring our past tolife. Historian Will Bagley drafted the textfor the forthcoming National Park Service Pony Express brochure. SLC man dies in police custody For THE RECORD Publicsafety newsfrom Tribunestaffandwirereports Pilot and three childrenkilled in Blanding crash Erratic: Neighbors say the suspect Four people were killed Saturday whena single-engine plane crashed at Blanding Airport, authorities said. Wayne Connally,of North Las Vegas, owned andwas pilotingthe plane, which crashed at about 11 a.m., according to the San Juan CountySheriff's Office. was “freaking out”; he jumped 2'/2 stories out a window,onto a fence @bnnally was flying his three grandchildren,ages 11, 6 and 5, to Den- irons on him, Baird said. By ASHLEY BRouGHTON The Salt Lake Tr ‘Grto meet their parents,officials said. Sheriff Mike Lacy said the crashed on takeoff after filling up with 21 gallons ofgas. It was and turning whenit nose-dived into the groundnext to the > said. The plane then burst into intense flames,he said. Colo;; anid Connally died on impact, poities did notrelease the children’s names Saturday. investigate the cause of the crash, Lacy said. HV accidentkills woman at Willard Bay i Plain City woman died Saturday whentheoff-highwayvehicle was riding strucka rock,fell off the sideofa trail and plummeted yardsinto a ravine, authorities said. The woman, 45, and her21‘Sar-old daughter were riding ina closed area to the westof Doc’s Mat and south of Mantua whenthe accidentoccurred about10:15 agm., said Willard BayState Parkofficials. The trail was closed three years ago, according to state park officials, because of extreme danger police “couldn't reason with him,”he said, Espinoza was arrested and taken to a local hospital, Baird said. He was given a police citation and was treated and fe, leased from the hospital. Meanwhile, Espinoza’s wife and childrenleft the resi- Espinoza was lying on his back alongside the street when he began to vomit, Baird said. One of the officers, an emergency medical technician, got the others to dence, he said. Espinoza’s wife told police he had been abusing unknown substances for several days, Baird said. A 20-year-old Salt Lake City man died in police custody early Saturday from what authorities believe was a drug overdose. Victor Espinoza died at about midnight while waiting for paramedics at his resi- choke, Paramedics had already been called at dence near 350 S. Concord St. (1250 West), that point, Baird said, but Espinoza died Attempts by The Salt Lake Tribune to contact neighbors who witnessed the incident were unsuccessful Saturday. Noneof the officers was placed on ad- before they arrived. ministrative leave as of Saturday. Espino- “He just happened to die while he had handcuffs andleg irons on,” Baird said. za’s body was takento the state Medical Ex; aminer’s Office for an examination and in- Police had arrested Espinoza the night before after responding to a call regarding a domestic disturbance, Baird said. Whenofficers arrived, Espinoza was apparently undertheinfluence of some substance, and vestigation, Salt Lake police Detective Dwayne Baird said Saturday. Police had responded to a call from neighbors that Espinoza was “freaking out,” Baird said. He apparently had jumped 2%stories outofa window,landed on a fence {friders and environmental damageto the area. A medical helicopter Was used to hoist the woman outof the rugged area,authorities said. Arriving police officers found Espinoza lying in the street, Baird said. Atfirst, he was perative and then became combative, he said. After being handcuffed, he began kicking atofficers, so police put leg andthen began jumping on cars,theofficer said. help roll Espinoza over so he would not a standard procedure for in-custody deaths,said Baird. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office also will investigate, another routine step. aebroughton@sltrib.com ‘The woman's namewas notreleased pending notification of family members, said Roland Bringhurst, Willard Bay park manager. Damage from West Jordan house fire set at $45,000 Authorities are still investigating the cause of a fire that did about$45,000 in damage to a West Jordan home. Theblaze broke out about3 p.m.at the house near 8300 South and 4700 West, said Ron Larsen, West Jordan Fire Department battalion chief. 'The home’s owners were notthereat the time, he said. The blaze heavily damaged the kitchen andliving room, and the house sustained smoke damage throughout, hesaid. No one wasinjured in the fire, which was extinguished within 10 minutes, Larsen said. Man robs bank in Sugar House Salt LakeCity police are seeking a man who robbed a Sugar House bank Friday andare investigating the possibility he could be responsible for other robberies. The man, described as in his 40s, walked into the Wells Fargo Bank, 1086 E. 2100 South about 11 a.m. and handed the teller a note demanding money,said police Lt. Santira Urry. After receiving an undisclosed amountof money, he headed east from the bank, Urry said. The man waswearing sun- S, a gray baseball cap and a green button-down shirt, she said. His description matches thatof suspectsin other bank robberies in the area,shesaid. Grand County School District Superintendent Ron Ferguson opposed the ° opening of a charter schoo! in Moab because of money drain. Boat fire closes fuel dock at Bullfrog being morallydeficient, harboring a vicious pet andstealing a A fuel dock at the Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell will remain closed after a houseboat fire engulfed a large section of the dock and one gas pump, authorities said Saturday. A 911 call reporting the blaze camein at9:21 a.m., and arrivingfirefighters found the boatengulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished within about 30 minutes, and no onewas injured, accordingto officials at Glen Canyon Na- video from the public library. For herpart, she says Ferguson is without an “innovative or creative bonein his body.” ‘The charter was eventually denied twice each by the Grand tional Recreation Area. “Wefeel like a charter school isjust a private schoolgiven public money.” County District and the state JODEE SUNDBERG Board of Education. LOTTERY The winning numbers drawn Saturday night in Idaho's Pow. erball lottery, worth $18 million, are09, 10, 30, 32, 34. POWERBALL: 11 ‘The winning numbers in Ida: ho's Wild Card lottery, worth $120,000,are 07,13, 18, 22, 30. WILD Hearts CARD: Jack of decided to open it as a nonprofit private school. For winning numbers and prize amounts, call the Idaho Lottery's information line, 208- Charter school 334-4656, or log on at www. idaholottery.com. =< ACTIVE BL AZES IN UTAH \ 3 Hammond fire Lightning ignited this blaze 15 miles northwest of Blanding on Tuesday. By Friday, the fire had burned 171 acres and was 90 percent contained. 4 Timber Top fire = lightning-caused fire, burning in Section of Zion Natona Park, leveled out at 155 acres 1 Budog fire Burning in thick forest in the Henry Mountains, this blaze has scorched 31,738 acres. The fire, ignited by ‘Sparks from an all-terrain vehicle on by Saturday. Park officials are Monitoring the blaze, which started July 17 in an area identified as needing fire for ecological purposes. The La Verkin Creek trail is closed. Started by lightning on Thursday, this blaze, about 5 miles west of the Littie Sahararecreation area in Juab County, had burned about 1,000 acres by Friday. remained in effect through the holiday weekend 6 Cottemweed fire 2 Farmington fire This 1,935-acre fire was expected to Burning near the Utah-Colorado state Saturday night Serer MarraLame Mamegronens issue divides town of Moab @ Continued from B1 said state board member David Moss, explaining his charter schools are independent of local district control but are allocated funds that would oth erwise go to the district in which theyreside, Most charter schools em phasize a certain discipline,like technology or the arts, or specialize in providing niche services to students, but all must satisfy core curriculum Started by lightning on Thursday. line, about 50 miles northeast of Moab it had burned nearty 200 acres by tate ‘Saturday. ~TheSaltTale Tone Moab Community School. The charter school threat re quirements mandated by the state. To date, 18 have been ap- in and per-pupil prompting Ferguson to ask, “Why fund two systems when Kaaron Jorgen is something of an anomaly on the politics mixed with bad blood in would be muchbetteroff.” Moss andotherstate officials problems with the curriculum. cation, The only non-Mormon and the cnly woman, she butts heads with Ferguson and other All indications from the state board members more often than she would like. But she agrees with them wholeheart- edly that the charter school was a bad fit in Moab, ‘The school would “benefit 10 percent [of students] at the detriment of90 percent,” she says. daughters are trapped in a me- diocre system, Anderson says, and “if you always do what you've always done, you're al ways going to get what you've Moab when residents took up sides. Backed by @ vocal citizenry, cials to reject the application of including the Moab chapter of Parents for Public Schools, District Superintendent Ron Fer- the charter school, likening the curriculum to teaching the oc cult. Carey weathered charges guson worked to derail the comes the challenge. “We're nat Grand District Board of Edu- Jesse Anderson, who helped develop the school, sees the flip side of that coin. His two ualized to each student's partic ular needs, But in mid-2002, small-town dan's board of education, wel districts . . . 1 think everybody were problems with the charter school’s proposed curriculum, but for most of them, money loomed large in their decisions, Between the state's first denial of Moab Community School in November and the latest reJection in June, Carey worked closely with state officials to fix $450,000 got.” Ferguson urged state off) from within the community of uL complies with the loose criteria set by the Utah Legislature. Grand’s 1,438 students funds that would follow them oe tives removed from the local are quickto point out that there about ‘Aipine Board of Education president unfortunately, to funding. If we couldget those disincen- ened to siphon 10 percent of we don’t fund the one we've got?” 5 WSAfin July 8, was about 80 percent contained on Friday. Road closures have been 100 percent contained by “Tt is more financially devastating fora smallerdistrict,” June vote. “It does boil down, WILDFIRE WATCH ‘Acres burned this year: 87,445 Puoros ny Lisa Cuuncn/The Salt Lake Tribune Theresa Carey,left, director of the Moab charter school, and Katie were that the new application would get the go-ahead, Carey says. But when the state jilted them again, Carey's group decided to forgo the system and forge ahead this fall as a non. Ralph Haws, who sits on Jogafraid of anything. ... They're going to have to meet our stan- schools pose a philosophical i lemma about equitable public education opportunities in beth rural and urban districts. A,pe- curring criticism from educators throughoutthe state is that charter schools don't compete on a level playing field with thir public schpal counterparts. “Wefeel like a charter is just a private school given public money,” said Alpine Dj trict's Board of Education Preg- ident JoDee Sundberg. profit private school serving kindergarten through eighth granted the same latitude’ charter schools to cap clits The ironyis that the district Still stands to lose those same resources for every studentlost to the private school, says said. Carey. Only now, given the $3,500a-year tuition, low. income families likely will be priced out. Larger districts can afford a more cavalier attitude toward charter schools. Jordan School District, with more than 70,000 students and a $500 million budget to work with, grants any charter application —that sizes and limit enrollment, se Sundberg caused a stir ear- lier this week when she state lawmakers at an int Education Committee meetin that her district would no concerns that the schools have no accountability to her district, . At the end of the day, Moss said, “charter schools are hers, and they are what they are, antl we have to find a way to makb them work.” * ‘POOR C |