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Show w 6,,-- - - .-' w . "., i JL July 29. : 1997- - Page 1 gg5W Xte Uintah Basin Standard Altonah: Once a booming center of business, still a place of beauty To commemorate the lSOthanni-verearyofth- e arrival of the Mormon Pioneert into the Salt Lake Valley the Uintah Basin Standard in conjunction with the Duchesne County Sesquicentennial Committee will publish stories detailing contributions made by those who settled and pioneered Duchesne and Uintah Counties. Compiled by LaRue Fisher with the assistance of the late Virginia Chidester Smith. In August of 1905 the first settlers moved into the area of what is now celled Altonah. It was called "Alexander' before that, named for Robert Alexander who started the first post office. The first school was held in a one room log cabin with a dirt floor and one window. James Bird Alexander was the first teacher of 13 students. A new building was erected with two rooms and served as a high school until 1923. Anna Winkler was the principal. John Millard and family came from Price, Utah in 1911. He became an outstanding citizen in the development of the community. Mr. Millard started the first store in 1912. He called the town "Queen City of the Reservation. The townsite was planned with the help ofstake president, William H. Smart. Forty acres of land was purehssed from the Ute Tribe, and was plotted into 36 lots which sold for $40 a lot . Theprimaryneedofawatersup- ply was the greatest obstacle facing settlers as they contemplated opening the lands in the dry west Until the canal was completed, culinary water was hauied from the Chidester Springs and the Lake Fork River. In 1908, a small stream was brought through the canal. In 1913, Wiliam Bowdens, bar' bershop was there, as was Ed and D J. Thompsons butcher shop and a livery stable and three newspa- pers. In 1915-1- 6 the newspaper was known as the "Reservation News, and edited by Harold Dubondroff. Later, it was the "Intermountain News and was published by Cook Dubondroff. Altonah also had three cream stations. In 1934, the Calder Brothers Cheese Factory was built and operated in Altonah. It produced ' 700 pounds ofcheeae par day. The first crop' raised on the Altonah Bench was ten acres of potatoes which J.B. Payne raised and sold in Myton. Wheat and other grains were some of the early cash crops raised. Dairying later became a major industry ofAltonah and the surrounding area. Cream day was an important event in the lives of tire scattered settlers. It was a day to exchange news, buy a little sugar and feel the jingle of a few coins in their pockets. People came to this area from various places for diverse reasons, but they were alike in some respects. They had to possess an adventurous spirit They were industrious and were looking for a way whereby they could acquire land, and thus improve the standard of living for themselves and their families. They had faith in their ability to do this, in the future, and in God. Most ere descendants of Utah pioneers, and had been raised as members of The Church of Jesus Christ Saints. of Latter-Da- y On January 28, 1912, a meeting was held at the J.B. Alexander residence. At this time, Altonah was known as Alexander, and was part ofWasatch County. Duchesne Stake had been established, but this entire upper area was part ofthe Bluebell Ward, within the Duchesne Stake. The local people unanimously accepted the proposal to be organized as a dependent branch of the Bluebell Ward. Heber W. Bowden was selected as Branch President with Lott Powell as 1st counselor and Hans A Jacobson as 2nd counselor, with Charles E. Anderson as cleric. A few days later petition was drawn up to change the name of the load post office from Alexander to Altonah. Altonah had the only doctor in Duchesne County for a number of years, Dr. M.B. Shipp who came to Altonah from Grantsville, Utah. In 1921, a dentist. Dr. J.H. Brown practiced in the Millard Building. In 1917, lawyer Ernest MacDougal located in the same building. The main street in Altonah had two general merchandise stores and one hardware store, owned by Mr. Millard mid F.L. Maxwell in 1915. Clair Preece opened a store in 1915 and it was later purchased by Jesse ALTONAH JUNIOR HIGH .1. purchased the store at F.L. Maxwell. Altonah also had an eight-roohotel owned by Ervin Caldwell and family; two amusement halls used for roller skating and dancing and as an opera house. Altonah had the second largest school in Duchesne County. Also, there was a shoe shop owned by George Zufelt There were two blacksmith shops, one owned by Albert Dastrup in 1914. Ervin Caldwell hada hotel known as The Travelers Rest In 1920, Prows Brothers had a pool hall and fountain. There was Mr. Mechams carpet loom for all kinds of weaving. Altonah sported George Petty's machine and planer m shop. There was enough grazing land on the forest to feed 12,000 head of sheep and 3,500 head of cattle. This was the greatest cattle and sheep range in Duchesne County. The timber from our surrounding mountains produced lumber for six sawmills at the height of its In 1915 construction work was started on a telephone line by J.M. Millard. The line connected Boneta, Mr. Home, and Talmage to Duchesne then connecting up with the Dry Gulch Irrigation Company phone in Roosevelt. In each community there was only one phone. In Altonah, it was installed in F.L. Maxwells store. Calls were placed at this store and mesaages were sent out to individuals. At this time, everyone was so thrilled to think they had telephone service that they were satisfied. It was sometime in the 1950's when phones were put in the homes. In 1921, several businesses buildings and a home, a large portion of the town, caught fire. The Alexander Store, a home, and several other buildings were burned. The heat and flames caused a day of excitement and destruction. The town of Altonah had mice been a nicely built town full at happy groups at people, and now it faded away to a mass of ruins mi main Continued on page 20 ELEMENTARY-1932rl9- 33 Fitting and showmanship 101 : getting ready for the fair Walleye Classic Starvation Reaervior is the site for the 6th Annual Walleye Classic this weekend, Aug. 2 - 3 in Duchesne. For complete details contact the Duchesne County Area Chamber of Commerce. Duchesne Co. Fair Rules You can pick up the Duchesne County Fair rules and regulations books at the following outlets: Swaseys and Country Flair in Altamont; Kohl's, Wilkersons and the Duchesne County Courthouse in Duchesne; IGA and Stewarts in Rooaevelt and the Hanna Store and Sagebrush in Tabiona and Hanna. USUs Summer Horizons How do you make sure your registered Suffolk lamb weighs a minimum of 100 pounds on any given day? If you need to help out your prized ewe during lambing what are the tools you need? Unsure? Just ask old Barry HH1 of Duchesne, or any one ofthe older 111 Basin kids who will be showing their lambs in the upcoming Ducheene County Fair Livestock Show. With the feir just two weeks away, area are spending extra time in the corrals getting their animals ready for the show. The show which will be held on August 12-1-4 at the fairgrounds will culminate a year of hard work for area youth. "My Mom helps me wash 'em, but its my lamb" said Hill. BJ, the son of Dim and Ellen Hid, will be showing a lamb for the second time this year. 1 got too attached to my lamb last year and it was hard to sell it This year, I decided that if I didnt name it, it wouldn't be as hard to see it sold. According to Duchesne County Extension Agent, Troy Cooper, Hill is typical (participants in the show. "The majority of the kids work on the project by themselves with a 10-ye- ar er August 1, is the deadline to preregister for some outdoor hikes and other classes planned as part of USUs Summer Horizons program. For 4 call USU or 7893689 ext 242. 722-229- Class of 1992 The 5 year reunion of the Class of 1992 will be held Saturday, August 2, 11 a.m. at the David Labrum residence, 257 E 400 N. Lunch will be $6 per adult and $2 per child. Family History Center The Family History Center will be closed on July 31 for UBIC. Womens Health Check Breast, pelvic and pap exams, a clinic for women provided by women at low or no cost Tuesday, Wednesday, August 5, 6, 8:30 a.m. -- 12 pm. and 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.im, Roosevelt West Stake, 150 Skyline Drive. On Thursday; August 7, 10 - 4 p.m., Duchesne TriCounty Health Center. Call for an appointment today! 722-508- 5. GED Dixie R. Brown lot of parental aupport. These projects have the ability to teach ggyaGBSSfeyi L building served as a high school until 1923. A. Fowler in 1923. j In the fall of 1938, Glen Mohlm an saws Rest Hotel was owned TRAVELERS REST HOTEL-Travel-ers Altonah. in Main Street on located Ervin Caldwell, by boom. ALTONAH SCHOOL-Th- is Basin archers hit the bulls eye By Veronica Gamer Archery. Its simple isnt it? You get a bow, an arrow, and aim for the center of the target. Its that easy, right? Wrong. Archery is sport of precision, concentration, discipline, and physical .fitness; more than just a bow and arrow. A local chapter of the Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD), named the Uintah Basin Sharpshooters, teaches youth just that Three young members of the Sharpshooters recently returned from Franklin, Massachusetts, where they were competing against youth from all over the country in national competition. After each winning gold medals at the Utah Summer Games, and having qualifying acores from four other state level shoots. Chase Walker, Mountain Home; Landon and Shayla Eldredge, Roosevelt; and Logan Wide, Pocatello, Idaho, qualified to compete inNationals.Aperfect scare is 1460, over 1240 is qualifying. The four flew across the country for four days of rigorous FITA competition. Each day, the kids shot several different distances, and the total from each of the days and distances determined the winners. the kids a lot of new skills." One of those skills is making sure that your animal meets the minimum weight established for the show. Hill knows that his lamb needs to weigh 100 pounds or he wont be able to participate in the show. Tve been feeding her lamb oats and grain for 15 days now, said HilL figure ifl keep on at this pace, itll weigh just about right. Cooper hopes that the kids will learn management skills and other skills that will help through the rest of their lives. "These kids have to calculate the gain (animal weight) per day and adjust their feed daily. Additionally, thrnm Iy theee kids responsibility. When scores were tallied,, and awards were given, the Uintah Basin was not left out Chase, with a score of 1299, placed 7 in the intermediate division. Landon, who scored 1311, placed 2 in the male cadet division. Shayla, scoring 1221, placed 2" in female cadet division. Logan pitted l-- in the intermediate division. This story is nothing new to the teams coaches, Kevin and Annie Eldredge, ofNeola. They have been coaching the Sharpshooters for 6 years. Every year they travel all over the state and country com pet-- , ing with kids, or for themselves. Their program is intense. They start at square one and teach the basics. They incorporate physical fitness into their program as welL The Sharpshooters practice year round for both indoor and outdoor competition at Constitution Park, and a shop in Wickers Plaza. Kevin and Annie have coached kids who have gone on to be national championa, state champions, and prospective oiympinas. "Being with the kids, shooting for ourselves, teaching more and more people the sport of archery, its great. trw. If it gets sick and needs doctored, they are in charge. Hill can ell you about doctoring and what he used to help his lamb during lambing time. "His ewe was in trouble during delivery and his arm was the only one small enough to help her out, said Ellen HilL 1 thought he might not like it, but when he was in clear up to his shoulder we had to keep reminding him that he had a job to do. "I put some warm water and dish soap on my arm. I thought it would be gross, but it was kind of neat knowing that I was helping out my ewe, said HilL ual" laAJ). iw I JOAD NATIONALS The Uintah Basin Sharpshooters show off their trophies while in Franklin, Massachusetts for National competition. 151 aaaggBi '&', Test test will coct $35 per candidate. Reteets will cost $10 for the Writing Skills and $7 for each at the other four tests. Come fill out application prior to testing; Bring current picture ID. No one under age 17 is allowed to test No one who is still enrolled in the school district schools can test. As of July 1, the GED Duchesne County Baby Show The Duchesne County Baby Show will be held Tuesday, August 12 at tha Ducheme High SchooL Age groups include, 0--6 mo 9 am.; mo., 4 9:30 am.; 8 mo., 10 am.; mo., 10:30 am.; 2 yra. 11 am.; and 3 yrs. 1130 am. Thaw will be an entrance fee and August 1 is the deadline. Free diapers will be given for the winner. Mail entries to Heidi or contact Katrina Brady, Box 772, Duchesne, Utah 84021, L or Valerie Spencer, Spencer, 7-- 13-1- 19-2- 738-265- 7, 738-213- 738-215- rmsgmm HERE SHEEPIE, SHEEPIE BJ Hill takes cue of his six sheep. One of them is being trained for the show during the County 4-- H ALL AROUND WINNER-Cha- se Walker, a member of the Uintah Basin Sharpshooters, shows off his many archery awards. Some of these awards include: Utah Summer Games gold medal, JOAD Nationals medallion, Utah State awards, and several trophies. |