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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, December 9-11, 2020 A-11 The Park Record W Green Tips Salvation — Young brings the rail Sustainable holiday tips AY WE WERE LDS leader’s son played pivotal role in leveraging train power in Park City MEGAN ELLIS Recycle Utah The holiday season brings many beautiful aspects: Christmas lights lighting up the town, the smell of freshly baked goodies in the house and time with friends and family. However, our planet does not feel the same excitement. Research shows that during the holiday season, on average, each of us produces 1,400 more pounds of carbon dioxide emissions than we normally create. To put this number in perspective, that’s the same as consuming 72 gallons of gas. One way to help is to be mindful of the waste you produce, DAVID NICHOLAS Park City Museum researcher John Willard Young (JW) was the third son of Brigham Young and Mary Ann Angell. He was born Oct. 1, 1844, in Nauvoo, Illinois — the same year Joseph Smith was murdered in Carthage, Illinois. From an early age he demonstrated preternatural capabilities for finance and promotion. These gifts, combined with a charismatic personality, would serve him well — until they did not. The “Moon Shot” of the 19th century — the building of the first transcontinental railroad — captivated the nation, and JW in particular. He clearly grasped the transformational power of the iron horse in terms of time, distance and business. He intended to leverage this new technology to the benefit of Zion and his own ambitions for power and wealth. Being considered the “favorite” son of Brigham Young offered other advantages as well. These advantages became self-evident in 1868 when Brigham selected JW to manage the Mormon’s business interests with the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) at just 24 years old. UP contracted with Brigham Young to help construct the railroad from Echo to Ogden. His favored son was to recruit, organize and supervise the Mormon construction crews. By all measures, both JW and his laborers performed exceedingly well. Confirming his credibility on this assignment would serve him well — both within the Utah Territory and beyond. JW envisioned the iron rails binding the nation together as a conveyor belt to unleash the economic power of Utah. His next assignment — construct a railroad from Salt Lake City to Ogden and its connection with the mighty UP. Financing this effort required capital beyond the resources available in the Salt Lake City area. Equipped with the proper connections established in his first railroad endeavor, JW traveled to New York City to secure additional funding. He was successful. Sufficiently capitalized, the first incarnation of the Utah Central Railroad became a reality. During his New York tenure, JW’s infectious nature, financial wizardry and oratory skills ingratiated him to the monied elite. Over time the lure of New York would prove irresist- M County seeks to restore Bears Ears Associated Press COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MARRIOTT LIBRARY, PHILIP T. BLAIR PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION John Willard Young, circa 1880s to 1890s. ible to him but, always devout, JW regularly attended an LDS church no matter where his travels took him. The 1880s witnessed JW involved in three Salt Lake City-area railroad projects: the Salt Lake City streetcar system, the Salt Lake and Fort Douglas Railway, and the Salt Lake and Eastern Railway. The latter would provide salvation to the burgeoning mining town of Park City. Once again, JW’s vision would prove infectious. Constructing a railroad from Salt Lake City to Park City via Parleys Canyon represented N E R E’S engineering and financial challenges. Undeterred, JW tapped both local and New Yorkbased financial markets to secure the required funding. Park City, Coalville and Heber City, along with residents of Salt Lake City, presented new markets for Brigham’s “railroading son.” His iron conveyor belt would move coal, wood, ice, salt, ore, mail, equipment and human cargo seamlessly and profitably up and down Parleys Canyon year-round. Our next article in this series discusses John Willard Young’s rescue of Park City from the rapacious grip of the UP. The San Juan County Commission has passed a resolution calling on President-elect Joe Biden to restore the original boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah. Currently, the monument is about 200,000 acres and split into Shash Jaa and Indian Creek national monuments. President Barack Obama had designated 1.35 million acres to the monument in 2016 as requested by five Native American tribes with ties to the region. But President Donald Trump significantly reduced the boundaries a year later, citing local opposition as one of the main reasons for the decision. The commission voted 2-1 on the resolution that said Trump’s decision in 2017 was illegal and asked Biden to make it a priority in his administration to restore the monument to its original size. Democratic county commis- sioners Kenneth Maryboy and Willie Greyeyes, who belong to the Navajo Nation, approved the resolution. Commissioner Bruce Adams said he believed his colleagues were acting with undue haste. “It seems a little bit premature to me to try to put pressure on (President-elect Joe Biden) to do this before he has been made the president, before he has taken the oath of office,” Adams said. “Those who penned this resolution are in a hurry to get this done.” The monument designation was made via the Antiquities Act, which several state congressional leaders have railed against, arguing it grants too much discretion to sitting U.S. presidents to carve out protections without local input. Multiple groups and Native American tribes sued the Trump administration to overturn his actions. The litigation is pending in federal court. ORE O MA I H from throwing leftover food away to wrapping paper. With the craziness of managing COVID-19 this holiday season, you may have fewer people joining your celebrations. Remember to adjust your recipes accordingly. Try making a challenge for your family to throw out as little as possible this holiday season. Instead of wrapping paper, try using old newspapers or magazines. For long-term reusability, try fabric to wrap presents or reusable gift bags. Recycle Utah, your community nonprofit drop-off recycling center provides these weekly tips. Visit its website for more information — recycleutah.org. SHOP SMALL . SUPPORT LOCAL N T ALL ON MAIN. Historic Park City welcomes the local community to the Historic Main Street district this holiday season with boutiques, restaurants, experiences. Celebrate the season on Main Street. There's More on Main! F I N D S A N TA O N M A I N Saturday, December 12 from 2 - 6 p.m. Experiences | Galleries | Boutiques & Specialty Shops | Bars & Restaurants FREE PARKING THROUGH DECEMBER 18 , 2020 Share your experiences with #MainParkCity and be entered to win a $100 Gift Certificate to your favorite Main Street merchant. Stroll the inaugural Snow Globe Stroll through November 20 - January 3. Visit historicparkcityutah.com to browse local merchants, holiday happenings, and more! |