Show MAY HIS collection AS NUCLEUS 0 OF STATE STA T E maus MUSEUM EUM charles IN St rovell reTell retired has offered his ills collection to the state As a nucleus for a efu foi fol science and art suggests that the building of a aaa MB a temple S is LARGEST PRIVATELY OWNED collection IN UTAH dinosaur footprints xai ma a pottery indian Viti liti facts pioneer belles fossils of eare rare and valuable species aie in donation donations 0 mr charles nettleton strevell of salt lake harO hardware ware coal and mining man has made the of fer to donate his immense collect ion to a state owned and statewide state wide museum under the condition that a permanent and fitting building be erected of such nature as to reflect credit to the state the institution and be in keeping with he edifices at of other states replica Ile of maya temple most Appio pilate foi mr strevell suggests that the building be patterned after the maya temple plan thus adding another angle of interest such a building might be rich in detail ornate in decorations and embody the best ar of prehistoric america a subject most desired by utahna some of the temples are more ele gantly embellished than others so a wide variety may be chosen from and that one or a composite of many be incorporated in the build ing from extreme decoration to a greater degree of simplicity one of the maya buildings at the century ot of progress is a replica of the nun nery at A maya building re produced would be most ap ate and add to the archeological value of the whole our sister states have erected magnificent buildings and when proper housing facilities were assur ed donors came forward and many valuable private collections were div en denver los angeles and san francisco no richer in material than we have great buildings to which later appropriations were made to keep the housing equal to the dona eions and the states dignity pre served with noble architecture utah should rise to this need and a build ing adequate upholding the ty of utah embodying the choicest sentiment of its people and adding with its own worth an archeological value not to be got by other means should be erected A maya temple reproduced would embody the choicest expression of utahna collection embraces indian prehistoric and PIone eer relics relies in the strevell collee collection tion are cas es of indian arrow heads framed tor for display with many from beaver utah a site early worked by the smithsonian Smiths onlan institution painted pottery from that site gives archeo logical value and establishes the period of the makers stone metates manos rub stones ton for floor polishing rub stones for re moving flesh and grease from a hide the flat door covers of the an dent cleat indian homes all these and more come corae from that site nor ts Is beaver county the only site in utah drawn from plain city rich tich in in dian than relics adds its quota cliff dwellings from arizona furnish him with ollas effigy pottery urns and figurines from peru old mexico Is drawn from the maya civilization is represented in all it Is well known that the strevell collection Is the most valuable the most exten elve alve ot of any privately owned collect ion in utah mr strevell first began collecting in montana when he came to utah assiduity in his hobby did not then cease in the multiplicity of business cares but as success came it gave him more means to follow that chos en field and his collection grew especially was this so when his con section with the coal mines of car bon county gave him access to the finds there made for in the coal veins are found the footprints of dinosaurs where they trod in the peat bogs of many geologic agea ago when lush plant life was form ing coal and these footprints turn ed to stone on the upper part ot of the coal veins mr strevell was fully cognizant ot of their value ly and ordered that all such finds be b reserved tor for his use he ile built up the best collection of dinosaur toot foot prints in the nation it is not equal led by any other in the entire united states and has been the subject of 0 study by the country a highest au an thorit th ontie fossils of rat rant ita and value add interest from science angle it Is not alone to the curious that the strevell collection Is attractive scientists of note study his collect ion to identity identify species fossil leaves a fossil morning glory palms am trilobites cephalopods and specimens from many geologic eras are his A brain coral Is A proba bly as attractive an object as he has to the popular mind tor for it ex acely reproduces the contour and convolutions of a human brain A del acate coral from the yellowstone is under double glass and one can not look at it without audibly voicing sentiments of admiration so elquis ite Is it dr farl douglas spent months before his death arranging didenti tying and classifying the material of the strevell collection so that now each object is definitely label ed classified and either the mere ly curious or the scientist deeply versed in his specialty may find the same degree of interest Pill Filli moie noie lurnis furnishes lies pioneer relic of baffling interest one curio which remains shroud ed in mystery Is an old keystone once in place in the old barn of the holbrook family in fillmore deeply cut into this keystone are mystic characters whose meaning it known are withheld curiosity is baffled it is not in characters of the deseret alphabet all efforts to translate it by the key to that system fall fail many think there is a hidden meaning and a value not tor for the idly curious the old holbrook barn stood in the block next to the old state capitol and when the building fell this piece was gotten for mr strevell it was erected at fillmore about 1858 as the date block above the arch bore the in formation erected by C holbrook 1858 also of greater interest possibly than any other personal relic is the door jamb of the old strevell home from pontiac ill against which abraham lincoln stood when on a vis it to their home and mr strevell s father cut a notch at the height of aft 4 in to record the martyred president s height lincoln took oft off his boots to be measured in fact both men who were well acquaint ed were in undress boots off at a family fireplace strevell s father measured six feet in his stockings but abe topped him half a head that door casing Is his most treas ared relic of a personal nature and justly so this happened in 1860 just before the convention which nominated lincoln tor for pres ident of the united states the strevell gift A munificent donation such briefly is the nature of the strevell collection it has been es timatea by those who know the val ues aes of such things to be worth about 50 the state of utah may have it it the proper and permanent housing is arranged tor for to this end state officials church les ies and the people at large will re spond with vigor and put over this noblest private gitt gift and it shall be done to the high standard set b by y other states which have appropriate ed lavishly for a fitting expression of their own wn states shall utah do less than her neigh bors frank beckwith sr |