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Show 1 2 Vernal Eftrwfldvertlser TEMPERATURES Wednesday, December 18, 1985 Robot assists UHP with safety Bid awarded for work on Duchesne River canal bid award on the Duchesne River Canal Rehabilitation Program Farm Creek Canal portions located near was awarded recently by the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to K & P Plumbing and Heating, Inc., of Provo. Charles Wilson, chairman of the Engineering Committee, said the bid award was $2,647,000 which would allow the Provo piping utility company to begin work immediately. A K & P Plumbing and Heating, Inc., is a Provo based pipe utilities company, who has done extensive work in Ta-bio- Uintah Basin area and has expertise in the requirements of piping that the District has specified. Mr. Wilson said the district was very pleased with the contractor and look forward to their early construction start. The engineers estimate was $2,603,185. nr . . iiS. t&A 2' i ' t it .... V W - i i & i4 f SMS i A. THE STAGE crosses Alhandra ferry as it the Green River at the and Watson on the Uintah Railway into Vernal. makes its run from Dragon Green River crossings corrals were built at Alhandra and it boasted of having the largest ferry on the river. Soon with the daily stage and freight wagons, along with the mail coming this way, Alhandra became the most active place on the river. John McAndrews was the general superintendent in charge of the stage and freight operations. His home in Vernal used to be where the Vernal Mortuary is now located. For a long time Mr. McAndrews owned and rode a fine white horse he had purchased from Pat Lynch of historic Pats Hole on Blue Mountain. Mr. McAndrews passed away in 1927 at the age of 72. James McNaughtan was the first ferryman. He and his wife lived at Alhandra until about 1910 when Bob Johnston and family took it over. Both men did an excellent job. Many times even at the risk of their lives these men would try to get the ferry or its passengers and mail across, even if it meant using a row boat or crossing on ice that had begun to break up. The life of a ferryman wasnt an easy one by any means. In winter until the ice got strong enough to support teams and wagons a channel was kept open so the ferry could go across. In the spring as the ice was breaking up there was constant danger. This, along with high water runoff, was always a hazardous time. Huge ice jams could and did wreck the ferries. The big ice jam of 1908 not only took out the Mau-be- , but it played havoc with all the rest. In fact, the Ouray ferry was a complete loss and as mentioned earlier the Mau-b- e was never Sometimes the ferries in low water had to move their approach on one side or the other in order to accommodate better loading facilities. Then when the river got high again they would have to move it back. Also the approaches at times could be rather hazardous. The approach to the Alhandra ferry was a dugway and on the steep side and was called Lion Hill. Hy Slaugh tells of the time one of George Slaughs daughters, who along with a friend, was on their way to visit at Alhandra, and as they were coming around one of the dugways the horse and buggy went over the bank. The result was that the Slaugh girl was very badly injured. Normally the roads were kept in as good condition as possible, but during stormy weather and in the spring, the roads around Alhandra and out though the badlands beyond could be anything but good. By George E. Long Note: I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to Joe Haslem and Hyrum Slaugh for the very helpful information they gave me in putting this article together. Also I want to thank my good friend, Willis Southam, for it was he that encouraged me to write it. As we drive across the Green River in this day and age, over the sturdy bridges that span her and in our comfortable automobiles, we dont think what a formidable barrier she once was. The only means of getting across when the first pioneers came here was to ford the river and this could be very risky, and required considerable skill from those doing it. Soon after the first settlers came to this valley, ferries were built along this great river. The first was the Burton ferry located where the Joe and John Haslem ranch is today. It was made out of large pine trees cut in Dry Fork Canyon and sawed by hand using a whip saw; a very hard and tiresome job. Later the ferry was sold and moved down river near where the bridge is located today. A year or two following this the ferry was purchased by the Snow brothers, Hugh and Albert and William Stewart, who operated it until the first bridge was built in 1911. The next ferry was the Mau-b- e ferry owned and operated by Lars Jensen and his son Jens. Their first ferry was a row boat, then they built one by sawing the lumber out of cottonwood trees. The reason it got its odd name was because Lars Jensen, being of Dutch descent, spoke broken English and when people would ask if his ferry was running today, he would say mau-be- , meaning maybe, thus the name Mau-b- e and it stuck. The ferry was located near the mouth of Ashley Creek and it crossed the river to the Kane bottoms on the other side where the Kelly Powell family now live. Quite a settlement sprung up here with stores, a post office, a saloon, lodging facilities and stables and corrals for various kinds of livestock. This was for some time the hub of the Jensen area. Years later most everything was moved to the present site of Jensen. The big ice jam of around 1908 took the old ferry out as it did most all of the others, and it was never replaced. In 1905, following the completion of the Uintah Railway, its company built a toll road from the town of Dragon into the basin towns of Fort Duchesne and Vernal. There was a ferry at Ouray and another installed at Alhandra, located about ten miles below Jensen. Alhandra !;ke Atchee and Ignacio were Indian names given to chiefs among the Ute tribe. The officials of the Uintah Railway seemed to name several of their towns and stations in honor of the Utes. Buildings of various kinds along with stables and The Uintah Railway brought lots of business into the basin area. They had over 150 horses and mules alone, therefore bought lots of feed from local people. Clabe Brimhall had an old horse powered baler and sold tons of baled hay to the company. Many men from the basin worked for the company. Many freighted and others worked at the stations located along the way. Jess Richens and his brother-in-laJohn Scott, both freighted and at different times operated the station at Kennedy Flats. They had married sisters who were the daughters of the man in charge of roads, Mr. Enoch Gurr. Known as Ene, this man was over the maintenance of the road for most of its operational lifetime. Many times Ive heard both Mr. Richens and Mr. Scott relate some of their early experiences while working for the old Uintah Railway. There were others too, like Babe Woods, Dan Jackson, Frank Collier, Bill Noble, Charlie and Joe Holmes, Bill McCarrel, Henry Wolfe and many others who worked many years for this company. A lot of wool was ferried across the river at Alhandra. Soon there were large shearing corrals built up the river aways on the west bank, and this wool all went to Watson by way of Alhandra. Livestock was also moved across the river by ferry. This usually was a tedious job, to say the least. The Alhandra ferry was the last of the many ferries to be installed across the Green River in this part of the country, and for years it did the most business. Even after the bridge was built at Jensen, the ferry continued to run for several years. One reason was that the access up along the east side of the river was for years almost impossible. For a long time there was no road to speak of between the Powell ranch and Joe Dudleys place. Joe Dudley finally got a road of sorts started here, but prior to that you had to go back to the hills to the east, a considerable distance, and then back track. Another reason, of course, that the Alhandra continued operating was of the shorter distance from the railhead at Watson into Vernal. The ferry continued to operate even after the coming of cars and trucks. It wasnt long though until it soon became a losing battle, and with improved roads and larger trucks, it finally had to give up. The one at Ouray continued to run for several more years, until they at last got a bridge there. The old bridge at Jensen was moved to Ouray as soon as the new one was put into service. Fred Feltch and sons did the moving. Much of the heavy work of this kind was done by Mr. Feltch. They also hauled materials in for the new bridge from Heber, Utah. (Continued in next Wednesdays Express) One of the Utah Highway Patrols newest members impressed elementary school students in the Uintah School District with his knowledge and friendly advice on safety. Trooper Tron joined the state UHP office earlier this year and even though he is not human, Tron has captured the hearts of school age children as well as adults. Tron is a five foot robot that was donated to the Highway Patrol by KUTV in Salt Lake City. He will be visiting all the elementary schools in the state during the school year. Tron is decked out in a UHP brown, troopers hat and patches on his arms. He is radio controlled and can perform almost all of the same duties as a regular trooper with the exception of issuing citations. Tron is radio controlled and through the help of fellow troopers is able to walk, run, dance and even talk to children and teachers. There is a semaphore on his left arm and a police light on his head. The purpose of the semaphore is to show children which of the three colors means to stop and which indicates it is safe to cross the street. The main purpose of using a robot is to teach children about all aspects of safety in a way they will enjoy and remember. Younger children are especially impressed with Tron and seem to think he is magic, while older children simply enjoy the messages he gives. Children really love him (Tron), said Sgt. Les Langford. They seem to listen more closely to Tron than adults and remember what he says about safety. Tron gives students tips on how to operate their bicycles, traffic safety, getting on and off buses, crossing the street and advice on strangers. He comes with a television screen and video cassette player. He shows students a film entitled Stranger-Dange- r that advises children of the dangers of accepting rides or food from people they do not know. Tron 20 Off Emergency Medical Gimmicks (Main Street) t Technician I zMcltlWiy cMiqts $2.99 ea. Celebrate the season with the taste of our party mints. th 789-486- IWCMAKEl PARTY TRAYS 1985 General Host Corporation Valid at participating stores only Nov VIANAl, UTAH Airman graduates Airman David J. Gurr, son of William E. and Nell S. Gurr of Vernal, has graduated from the U.S. Air Force personnel specialist course at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Graduates of the course learned how to prepare personnel reports and records, and earned credits toward an associate degree in applied science through the Community College of the Air Force. Gurr is scheduled to serve with the 66th Combat Support Group in West Germany. He is a 1985 graduate of Uintah High O' Mm O Christmas o Holiday Meat Specials! o o M Mm BONELESS TOP SIRLOIN USDA Choice School. lb. SMOKED TURKEYS For Your Special Teen lb. HAMS ib. Western U.S. Grown o g Folds closed and locks with key Convenient interior compartment The Phone Yours Alone Includes personal address bookdiary - Gold monogram labels - Unique - Photographic Memory Dialer At 789-565- 5 M-- 9 6 Sat. 10 5 lb. Good supply of CLUB SALAMI and BEEF JERKY jj 1 99 1 I59 2 o Uintah Packing Co. I Jr Open till 6 p.m. JIT 259 n. 329 Hormel Cure 81 HAMS LEG OF LAMB Thats Vc 11 attmutofoimtuitioiiHOioioiotomoioioioioiouiu BONE-I- N 287 North Vernal Ave., i ' 722-452- telephone communications 722-237- 3 NOW! 2 bags for 00 From our own smokehouse Available Now 55 North 200 East, Roosevelt Melt Away Mints 6:30-10:3- 789-194- and explain what it means to motorists and people on bicycles. The students are also asked to explain how they were able to identify the signs. Students who assisted Tron in his performance were given a junior Highway Patrol badge. Hickory Farms. (EMT) training program to be taught at the Uintah CountyState Building on the west end of the third floor. The course will begin Monday, Jan. 6 on Monday and Thursday 0 evenings from p.m. The cost of the course, including tuition, testing fees and books will be $165. Anyone interested in taking the course should contact the UBAVC and fill out a state application as well as UBAVC registration forms. Along with the registration, the applicant is to include two black and white or colored passport-siz- e photos. Applications can be picked up at the UBAVC business program on the third floor of the Uintah CountyState building or at the UBAVC in Roosevelt. For more information con6 tact the UBAVC at or The enrollment is limited so anyone interested in the course is asked to make application immediately. Stocking Stutters & During his performances students on road signs. Tron asks them to identify the type of sign are given quizzes The Uintah Basin Area Vocational Center announces the offering of an For Inexpensive Gifts, Come To Gifts, Gags also has a film on seat belt safety which encourages them to use their seat belts at all times. classes to begin by r COLECOj Selected Boxed Toys presentation. EMT training Get Ready For Your Christmas Party Boxed Gag Gifts STUDENTS at Todd Elementary enjoy learning about safety from the UHPs newest recruit Trooper Tron (robot). Trooper Wayne Ryder, UHP public relations director, assists Tron in his 400 No. Vernal Ave. Phone 789-208- 2 |