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Show In The Good Old Days ; v "Gear Jammers " Plan My ton Reunion By Grace Dalgleish MYTON (Special) Sunday, July 22, is the date set for the first reunion of the "Gear-Jammers," the familiar name given to the drivers of the U. S. Government Gov-ernment trucks, who delivered the mail on the old Star Route mail service coming to the Uintah Uin-tah Basin from Price between the years 1919 and 1934 prior to the change to private contract con-tract coming from Salt Lake City to the Basin. The reunion will be held at the Myton hotel with a banquet being planned for the event. "Ted" Thomas, of Myton, instigator insti-gator of the reunion, and Harvey J Partridge, of Duchesne, both former drivers on the old mail route, together with their wives, are the committee in charge of arrangements. Mr. Thomas has written or contacted as many of the "old gang" as he has been able to locate and hopes all others will hear of the occasion and join the reunion on that date. He has already heard from 18 of the former crew and states that one is coming from Denver, Colorado, another from Los Angeles, An-geles, California, and a third from Portland, Oregon, to meet with the many who still live in Utah. The present-day delivery of mail to the Uintah Basin is far removed from conditions faced by these truck drivers, whose motto was "The Mail Must Get Through." The more than 9000-foot 9000-foot summit of Indian canyon, the unsurfaced roads, the deep winter snows with no adequate machinery to keep the roads open, made the job of mail and I parcel post delivery a most difficult dif-ficult task. However, nothing daunted this valiant crew, who, regardless of road conditions or weather, delivered the mail to Duchesne, Myton, Roosevelt, Ft Duchesne and Vernal, and not too frequently were off schedule. Twenty-eight drivers were employed em-ployed on the mail route, with headquarters in the old Price Garage in Price, Utah, and the Government Garage in Duchesne. Du-chesne. At one time about 50 men were employed in the care of trucks and mail delivery. One highlight of the old truck service was the delivery of the bricks to build the Vernal Bank, which were sent in 70 pound lots by parcel post, addressed to Vernal residents. That event received nation-wide publicity and was one of Ripley's "Believe "Be-lieve It Or Not" features. The enthusiasm being shown by all who have been contacted makes it very possible that the reunion may become an annual event. Many old friends of the boys who delivered the mail in "the good old days" are looking forward for-ward to renewing their acquaintance acquain-tance and enjoying the tales (some tall ones, too) that will be told during their visit to Myton. |