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Show C S U Trailer Village Provides Homes for Hundreds During Its Existence on Campus Youve heard the variety of stories that follow the theme "Ghost Town U S A." Well here is a story about the death of a village within the confines of Cedar City that might be entitled "Ghost town Cedar City." A number of Cedar City residents, who moved to this town between the years of 1946 and 1053 may well remember remem-ber the critical housing situation during that period of time. They might also remember the few days or months or even years which they spent at the Branch Agricultural College Trailer Village located on Center Street and just north of the new C S U fieldhouse. A temporary housing project, erected by the United States Government Gov-ernment to temporarily house G I veterans of World War II who 1 had returned to school, the village vil-lage served a much more important import-ant service to the community during its seven and one-half years existence. Non-Student Families Actually, according to McRay j Cloward, landlord of the project for six years of that time, 205 Cedar City families who did not attend school lived for a short time in trailer village. Over the course of IVt years 302 married students and their families lived in the temporary units and 209 single students were housed during that time. Valued at over $1000 apiece when they were installed during the summer of 1946, and with an installation cost of $2332, the project pro-ject represented big money and the answer to an immediate problem, The trailers were put in by the government with the stipulation stip-ulation that veterans would have preference and originally $1481 was furnished by the government govern-ment for installation. Property rental for the balance of the $2332 installation expense was charged during the next few years so that the college had acquired the units at no expense whatsoever. Rental Fees For the first year of operation the trailers were rented at a cost of $17, and $22 for four of the larger units, with the college meeting the electric bills. At the end of the first year it was found that some occupants were taking advantage of the college on the power bills by heating the units with electric heaters and ovens on the small stoves Installed. After Af-ter th first year meters were installed on each trailer and the rent was reduced to $15 and $20. This rental continued throughout the life of the village. Mr. Cloward indicated that $52,365.78 was collected in rent over the year period. However this money was used for the operation op-eration of the project and the supplying of furniture and upkeep up-keep on other housing units on the campus. No Injuries Sustained Over the years only two fires were reported in the village, one which burned up one trailer and a boiler explosion early this year. No injuries were received in either eith-er case. One trailer was removed because of deterioration during I that period of time and in June of 1952, 19 of the older trailers were sold. This February when the remainder re-mainder of the units were placed on sale all of them were sold including in-cluding the two utility houses, for a total of $4,466. "It has been an interesting history," Mr. Cloward concluded i'lt has been a project that has I enabled the growth of the college to continue and it has also been of tremendous value to the citizens citi-zens of Cedar City as a tempor ary housing life-saver. However, with the construction of a new dormitory already under way the trailers have served their purpose." |