Oral History Program James M. Coil Interviewed by Teddy Griffith 21 August 1971 i Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah James M. Coil Interviewed by Teddy Griffith 21 August 1971 Copyright © 2012 by Weber State University, Stewart Library ii Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. Archival copies are placed in University Archives. The Stewart Library also houses the original recording so researchers can gain a sense of the interviewee's voice and intonations. Project Description The Weber State College/University Student Projects have been created by students working with several different professors on the Weber State campus. The topics are varied and based on the student's interest or task for a specific assignment. These oral history assignments were created to help Weber State students learn the value and importance of recording public history and to benefit the expansion of the Weber State oral history collections. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the Stewart Library of Weber State University. No part of the manuscript may be published without the written permission of the University Librarian. Requests for permission to publish should be addressed to the Administration Office, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84408. The request should include identification of the specific item and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Coil, James M., an oral history by Teddy Griffith, 21 August 1971, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. iii Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with James M. Coil. The interview was conducted on August 21, 1971, by Teddy Griffith, at Coil’s home. Coil recall growing up in Corinne and discusses some experiences he had there. TG: This is an interview of Mr. Jim Coil at his home at 869 E. 700 S., Clearfield, Utah, on August 21, at about 3:15 in the afternoon by Teddy Griffith for the Utah Oral History Project. JC: O.K. TG: Mr. Coil. I just learned yesterday that you were born in Korea. JC: That's right. TG: I'd love to know just anything you can remember about your, your boyhood there. JC: Oh, well, we had a lot of freedom in Korea at that time compared to what young fellas have today. Gosh, we didn't have to have a license to hunt oh there was no limit what you could kill and we had 'course like lots of boys did, swimming holes, places to skate in the winter. We had a real good time, good life, good free life compared to what you have today, I'd say. Because well, now, what else would you like to know about it? TG: Well, let's see. About what time was this when you were born there? What year? JC: I was born August 8, 1887. TG: Uh-huh, right in Korea. JC: In Korea, yeah. And my home was right close to the river-you could throw a rock to the river. In fact, when the wind was blowing pretty hard some days, them ole flocks of 1 geese used to come from the south and go north, what we'd call north stream and a the wind was blowing hard, keep your shotgun sitting in the background and every once in a while kill a goose right out of your yard. I've done it. First time I ever shot that shotgun-it belonged to my father-and he was a market hunter in the early days down at what they call a millionaire duck club now and a he a he would load his own shells, brass shells, they were just brass-no crimp and load their own and they'd kill them old mallards coming over all day long. Light loads. Nobody on to them. Fact he could have taken up that country down there at that time...there was him Uncle Usta, here, here, (to barking dog) you get in on that won't cha? Quit it. Now what are we going to do? TG: That's o.k. doesn’t matter. JC: Well, anyhow they used to bring those up and pick up those ducks and I know this for a fact the pound of feathers a dozen mallards what's you got and they got sixty-five cents a pound for the feathers. I don't know exactly what they got fur um, but I followed kind of in his footsteps for a while when I was young there and shot for the market myself and there was a couple a three of us young fellas got to be pretty good shots. In fact, I pi could go out and kill the ducks right today at my age. I can do it...probably better than a lot of young fellas can-they wouldn't believe that, but it’s a fact. Well, what do you know about what I know about Corinne and a well my grandfather was a deputy United States Marshall in Korean in the early days and he wasn't very big he a was a little taller than I am and he had a moustache complete beard, moustache, and the works clear down to here. And, uh, I wasn’t very old when he died-he died quite young in his fifties but I remember him real well-he used to take me to church too-see. Yeah, I used to go to Sunday school with him. Now Corinne, at that time as near as-my folks tell me it was 2 the only gentile town in the state of Utah and that's a fact. Now, it's mostly settled by Latter Day Saints, the farm country around and the old timers pretty well gone, I'll tell you that for sure. There was Jim Harlan, he Lois' husband he's gone and Pat and his brother Bob, they're gone and pretty near all the old timers that I know of…Boseley family there and I imagine it was while I was growing up there; there was probably around two hundred people living there in that town around there close that about the size of it but there was three saloons when I was a boy but the old timers tell me that at one time there was thirty saloons in Corinne and seventy prostitute women...it was a wild-now that's some of the history-that is something that I don't know but it's handed down see-and you can read about it-you can literature on this and find out that I'm correct about the saloons. Of course them old big freight riders coming in there from Montana. My mother was born up in Montana in Virginia City so, uh, and my father was born in Illinois and he came West and went to Willa Walla Washington first and then bought a team of Cyouse ponies live and drove them through to Corinne and he went in business there with my grandfather. His name was Shep Smith, my grandfather's name and a there he met my mother and I'm part of the result. I don't know how else. TG: Well, how...why did your mother come to Corinne? She was.... JC: Oh, she was. I wouldn't know just when she came but a she'd been there quite a while. But a she was born in Virginia City Montana. Here Cheta, get down. TG: What did the, what did they tell you about the freighting business...what can you remember anybody telling you about the freighting business during… JC: Freighting....oh well, there was a had a lots and lots a freighters in there coming in with those big lot freighting companies and lots of warehouses built there at one time...a few 3 of them left yet after I was born but ah the freighting business was ore came in there they had a smelter there at Corinne at one time. I seen the old remains of the slag pile there and they claimed that they took that slag and mud in the streets and used it in the streets as a pavement pike, you know and they hadn't got all the gold out of it an later they rerun a lot of it and got about twenty dollars to the ton out of it and a they were smarter about taking it out in later years you see...better process I guess. Ought then, uh, told you that my, about my grandfather being Deputy United States Marshall and they say he was pretty, pretty good you know, he had a couple of guns and I guess he could use them. There was, they was often pretty wild and wooly they was men found in the tables in different places and this one writer I read said they used to kill them through them to the bars to get rid of them and a that's something I don't know, I just talking. TG: What, what was his name? Your great grandfather, your grandfather? JC: His name was Shep Smith. TG: Shep Smith, uh huh... JC: Shep, yeah, just use that word Shep, it's correct. TG: And that...he was the one who was the Marshall? JC: He's the Deputy. TG: The Deputy. JC: United States Marshall, yes at that time...my father was also in later years he was a Marshall there. I'll tell you an interesting point though. My father run the…pond, he pumped the water into a tank that they used to have over there...city water, he was 4 Marshall and he was in charge of the canal ditches and with the whole business that he had, four or five jobs, he got the big sum of forty dollars a month. And at that time he could take five dollars and a big double, you don't know what a big wagon two board, side board wagon, maybe...well it's a big wagon and you go up on north string fill that full of vegetables, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and everything you could think of...for five dollars you could get that big load like that...that things for the winter, see. That's something that I know too. TG: Now where...this north string is it can you see it.... JC: North strings up along Honeyville and Dueyville where that, uh, used to be. TG: I see. JC: Course that's settled up more farming...it was more dry farms and that's where them geese used to start around two in the afternoon and flight north into those grain fields up there. TG: I see. Now the farmers who had that property were probably Mormons farmers at that time... JC: What, that what? TG: The probably were the Mormon farmers where they went up to get all this produce, right? JC: Oh...I guess some of them were, yes. I guess they were but a Corinne reckon itself was the only gentile town in the State there for a long time The Mormons people came in there later and I think they bought the old Corinne Opera House there...that was quite a 5 building at that time but you wouldn't think much of it today but I danced in there a good many times when I was growing up there. TG: Did they have plays there and things like that? JC: Oh yes, they had, they'd have shows come into town and a there was an actress in there and her name was Corinne might have been, it sounds like yours, Griffith or something like that but I ain't sure on the last one but they some people claim that Corinne was named from her in the early days there. Yes sir, yeah I had revival meetings there too others come along, things like that but it was, uh, it was a nice little town I thought. Now we had a…City five miles north and Brigham City was about almost seven east of us. The Corinne boys and the…boys got along fine together and, uh, we had a few scraps with the ones in Brigham and, uh, if they happened to be little tough and the…guys would get in with the Corinne guy and help up us and they was both Mormon settlements, but that's an absolute fact-we really like the...fellas. That was the way it was we—just kids, quarrels you know... TG: Uh-huh. Well, how did you get back and forth...horses or...? JC: Oh yeah, uh, we used to have to rent a horse from the livery stable there a dollar and a half for a night was usually a dollar sometimes a horse and buggy, take your girl and go Brigham to a dance or take her and go to ' for a dance. TG: Uh-huh. JC: That was for a night, just so long as you got home before morning. TG: Sounds like fun, uh, did, uh, did you ever hear that Brigham Young came to Corinne? Did he ever, do you remember that he ever did? 6 JC: Nah...I don't remember that he ever came to Corinne...no I don't. TG: Somebody said somewhere I read that a he put a curse on the city of Corinne. JC: Oh, oh I, I've heard it said that he said someday the coyotes would roam the streets and holler around in the streets of Corinne but they never did it. TG: Uh-huh. JC: But I had a wild uncle, he, he's my mother's brother, he was a big fella and, uh, he's sort of wild but he hard as a big as a ham. But he used to take me when I was a kid...he had a little horse he called "Kit and he said “Jim,” he said, “want a ride?" big fella you know. I sure do Unc. And he'd get me up get my legs around his neck and ahold of his feet and he had this horse named Kit...no bridle no saddle nor nothing , he'd turn her loose and down main street we'd go, him a hootin' and a hollerin’ and I had every faith in the world in him. But one time we was up, we was down on...and he says Jim, he says--and I was just a little fella-oh always seemed kind of little but I was only about seven or eight years old, I don't think a bit older, he said, you want to learn to swim? I says "I sure do Unc"...he says "cummon"-he’s a big fella and I had confidence in him and he took me right out in the middle and turned me loose. "Now, damn you," he said, and that's the way he said it, you don't want that in there, I guess, "sink or swim" and, uh, of all the dog splashing you ever seen, he got off and treaded water and watched me...he wasn't going to let me drowned but I don't know for all the dog splashing you ever seen I did it and I learned to swim in one lesson and it's a fact. I stayed on top in one lesson. TG: Now was that in the Bear River itself? 7 JC: That Bear River…oh we had our swimming hoses and our swimming, diving boards what call spring boards we had skating stuff like that but never, never no skiing. I never knew what a pair of skis was. TG: Uh-huh. You know there's a little place there what, uh, I've heard called the Oxbow at the Horseshoe slough. You know where I mean...south of town? Uh... JC: Oh, oh there's Horseshoe slough. TG: Slough. JC: And there's Judge Slough, Town Slough... TG: Now what were those...? JC: And Dead River... TG: Are those backups of the river or what? JC: They've been overflowed in there with high water and then the water go down...here Cheta get down, get down...now that's in the conversation... Well, yes I don't know the names of them all those sloughs One time they, they got bass in there and people didn't know that for a long time. I remember one day…day in Brigham City, people pretty well went over for that celebration and they had that for a long time…Day. And. Uh, I had a big cane pole and I had a wire line I seen these bass chasing minnies along the banks see and I rigged that up and I had a spinner...the bank raise up about oh about two or three feet and a little sp. slope to it and that big bass would hit that spinner and I'd just go right out with it with that strong outfit...drag urn right out ...I had lots bass there., six, seven, eight pounders.... TG: Oh boy... 8 JC: People didn't even know they was in there and I seen them doing That, see, so I went and got this outfit an I really had a lot of fun and My folks came home from…Day at the Brigham I had washtub full of bass...give bass all around to the people. TG: Oh my gosh. JC: It was a lot a fun. TG: Well some things out there now. I saw a fish jump just the other day out in that horseshoe slough...I don't know if it was a bass or carp or what. JC: Well, there's probably some carp in there...Horseshoe slough now, if you, you went south of Corinne to see it...not the first one...first slough is Town Slough that's only about oh, less than two blocks from my old home. TG: Is that right? JC: My old home is, uh, been re-done, it’s a brick veneer...redone. It’s a nice looking home now. TG: But it's still there. JC: It's still there....that is whatever he left of it...you know, just like the rest of it. TG: Where was that? JC: Where was it? Well it was south of the, what we'd call, the Main Road or Main Street of Corinne of the where you cross the old bridge there. TG: Uh-huh. JC: You crossed that did you? TG: Uh-huh. 9 JC: You crossed the old bridge? TG: Yeah. JC: It still there then. TG: There’s, uh, There is a red house right there as you come down to the river you go up to the bridge ....Is that the one? JC: Well where they used to land this boat that they used to run in the steamer like thing years ago....uh then for the Millionaire Duck Club they have a landing and take-off from about oh from about a hundred yards from my old home...and not much more. TG: Well, I found a place there in the river where there is like a... JC: A platform... TG: A ramp, a platform... JC: Well, that's it... TG: Is that it? JC: That's it... TG: Is that right? JC: And that's… And my house is right this way from that if you'd look well-that's where I used to live TG: Uh-huh. JC: A little hill rises up from there remember that? TG: Uh-huh. 10 JC: Remember that? TG: Uh-huh. I'll bet that's the house then. JC: Yeah. TG: What was the boat like they used for the duck club^ The Millionaire Duck Club? JC: Oh...it's just a big long…probably like some of these bigger boats they have here on the reservoirs TG: Uh-huh. JC: Today. TG: Was it a big business? JC: Well, it used to take their outfits down and meet their men there...of course now they drive in there I guess from Brigham and places... TG: Oh, uh huh. JC: Yeah. That's the way they used to go down there, yes I can remember those very well. And we had, uh, we had, uh, we had lots of wonderful shooting and a prairie chickens and sage hens...lots of them TG: Uh-huh. JC: In the earlier days TG: Uh-huh. JC: You didn't have to worry about a thing I'd just a bout kill them any time I wanted to. TG: Gee. 11 JC: Yeah. TG: Uh, you mentioned a steamer...do you mean the city of Corinne or one of those? JC: Well, they, they had, uh, claim they had a big one that used to rung clear down to Blackrock on the lake and then come up the river some way... TG: Uh-huh. JC: That's, that's just a guess of mine. TG: You never saw it... JC: No...I never saw it. I seen the picture of it. TG: Uh-huh. JC: How true it is I wouldn’t know. TG: You remember any stories about anybody taking rides on it or anything? Any of your family? JC: Taking what? TG: Rides on it? JC: No...Not any. I'll show you an old picture though. TG: Good JC: This is some of our family and by the way Lois…mothers…Lois…mother's on here. TG: Oh is that right? JC: Yeah. Now this is my father. He's a man six foot...he's about six foot tall wore moustache big broad-rimmed hat. This is Mrs. Murphey. That's Lois' mother right there 12 and this is my mother and this is my youngest sister this is Mrs. C.J. Adney he became quite a noted fella around there for years but he wasn't a real old timer this is my sister...she's dead and gone I don't know who this is but...this young sister of mine lives in California and her and I are the only two left in the family anymore... TG: Isn't that something...? JC: And she was born in '99 twelve years after I was... TG: Isn't that wonderful? Gee, that's your father right there... JC: Yeah that's my father... TG: Now what did he do...? JC: Now that's an old picture... TG: In Corinne? That's a beautiful picture. TG: Why he this is the railroad run through there at that time... TG: Uh huh. JC: And then after…the cut off went in why that was the end of that, uh, they run them…I guess still goes to… TG: Uh-huh. But the Lucin cutoff really cut off.... JC: Well, yeah that that took the…away from there...I can remember the soldiers coming through there and that must have been the Philippine War? TG: I suppose. 13 JC: Yeah. I remember um getting hard tack and that was hard tack that they'd throw you off. We just wanted um, fur, fur novelties you know but they was hard and about the size of, uh, maybe you wouldn't know what an old sweet cracker was...about this thick and a little bit bigger square than these crackers today are and a that's the way these hard tacks were. TG: And that was when you're a boy that you remember the soldiers coming through. JC: Oh yeah. TG: Did they stop in Corinne? To eat or... JC: Well....no they never stopped they just coming through there on the trains and we'd, uh, seen a train, uh, soldiers and we was down there, us kids you know... TG: Uh-huh. JC: And the something to see you know. TG: Uh-huh. JC: At, uh, at that time... TG: Something exciting... JC: And that's Lois' mother right there TG: She showed a picture... JC: That's an old picture... TG: That's really something... JC: Been tacked on the wall and everything else... 14 TG: Isn't that something? JC: Oh this picture of all the...she wasn't more, uh, Lois my sister wasn’t more than I don't think six years old there, would you say? TG: Oh about six uh... JC: Six or seven years old... TG: Yeah, six or seven uh-huh. JC: Well, she's a she was born in '99 so, uh, that makes her, she's born in '99, she’s seventy-two years old now, that's at least sixty-six years old…I think it's older than that.. TG: Uh-huh... JC: Because you see... TG: I'll bet it is too be probably before the… JC: Well see it’d be taken then because...she’s that old. Be about a sixty-six year old picture . I guess. TG: Gee, that's something. JC: That's Uncle George I told you about; gave me this. TG: He was the one that taught you to swim... JC: Yeah. TG: Uh-huh. JC: Yeah…great, great man. TG: Now what did your father do in Corinne? What was his business? 15 JC: Well, he run the city water works... TG: Oh, that's right... JC: He, he I guess I told you all that before… TG: Yeah, uh-huh, he had about five… JC: And for the whole thing he got just forty dollars a month. TG: Oh. JC: You know and these people now go out and make forty, and some of them make fifty, sixty dollars a day and they still ain't satisfied, you know that, don't you? TG: Yeah. Well now you were about, uh, oh you were pretty young when they put in that canal that big canal the Boswell canal maybe...do you remember that at all? JC: Oh the Boswell...no this was the Corinne irrigating, I think ...I remember the old mill it's used to come...there used to be a mill there at we called it the mill used to come around there...I remember when I was, I was, uh, my folks had me baptized or whatever you want to call it that's where I was dipped under the water I know they put me down in that mill ditch I remember that I was just a little that kid, | was the Presbyterian Church...had somebody say that they don't do that well they did it with me and if I ain’t I'm sure it was the Presbyterian Church. TG: Was that before or after you learned to swim? JC: Oh that was just, probably wasn't any, any bigger than her. TG: Well the mill that was on the mill ditch, I saw that sight yesterday I think and sort of all dried up but what kind of mill was it? 16 JC: Oh that was a flour mill... TG: Pretty big? JC: Oh I don't think it was so big you know the way they do things today. It grew pretty small I imagine. My father and my grandfather after my father drove from Walla Halla Washington back to Corinne and got he met my grandfather and they went into business together, my father was in in with the Coon Brothers at one time....they come to own about half of Ogden, quite e lot of Ogden ...they wanted him to come with them, they liked him...But no, he was going to stay in Corinne but they made lots of money after they came to Ogden, the Coon Brothers...if you get any history you'll find out what I’m telling you is right. TG: Uh-huh. JC: And it was the banker up there one of the bankers is a Gutherie, a man named Gutherie... TG: Did you know him? JC: Oh yes, I knew him I remember him well...he had a, had a grandson John Heywood and I, I remember that a that a boy always got nice red wagon for Christmas and good sled something and us kids we other kids we'd get maybe a little old…and a sock full of nuts and candy and tickled to death but nowadays they want a lot don't they? TG: Uh-huh. They sure do. So you knew the Heywoods and the Gutheries. Well, what was Mr. Gutherie like? JC: Oh he was....he seemed to be a nice old fella...nice looking man, a white beard and I knew oh I Topances there old timers. 17 TG: You know Alexander Topaz? JC: Yeah. TG: Did you? What was...? JC: Well, uh, to know him I can remember about him just as a kid, but I wouldn't be able to tell you much about him as a there's an old fella name of Ellis, Ellis used to drive a horse and cart around there, that's the way he went all the time he was pretty well fixed an course there was others come in there later S.M. Coles…came in there from the east and he’s too good hearted an loaned too much money. He was wound up broke. TG: Seemed like that happened... JC: He couldn't turn anybody down he just couldn't turn anybody…I thought the world, uh, him and his family. Yep. TG: Seems like that happened to a lot of people I know Mr. Topaz, according to what I read owned an awful lot of property out there. Who owned all that property anyway when you were a boy, do you know? I mean west of Corinne and everything? JC: Oh, I don't know, I think that was owned by different ones....they come in there with an oil boom at one time west of Corinne, I know we everyone was staking that old flat out down there and was nothing to it...they was sure taking it out. My mother had 320 acres there right, that's east there's a little mountain out there where the they call them stinking springs a lot of people but that's a good little hot springs that William House left that so nobody could a could a buy it or destroy it what I mean he left it to the people in his when he died that's why there's never been nothing done with it much. TG: Is that right? 18 JC: Yes. It's just what the people around there use it they use only is to it- nobody can get to it and make a make a money out of it what I mean, fix it RHUMATISM. I had a cousin come out from the east and he had a rheumatism real bad he stayed there and camped out there for four or five months and got so he could really walk and move. TG: Is that right? JC: He was quite young. That's one thing I knew when I used ta we had an old horse we used to call old Pete kind of one bum leg kinds limp a little or pretend he would, but we used to drive out there with my mother, she used to go in there for her health...seemed to help her a lot I know. TG: Well, they’re still using them and it looks like it's still a community. JC: Yeah, that's what it is... TG: Uh-huh. JC: You can a go up and go but you’ve got to wait your turn. I don't know what the inside is; it's been quite a while since I was inside there. They used to claim that water was fit to drink, too, get it where it’s coming out…it was awful tasting, I know that I've tasted it, but they said it was good for you anyway. TG: To go way back when you were really young do you remember, uh, were there any Indians or were they all gone by the time you were... JC: Oh well there's always been Indians around that country somewhat. Up…up north…and there is Indians there yet, you know quite a few Indians up in through there. There was always Indians around those streets. I can't, I can remember one Indian squaw. I can't remember her name but she was quite a gal, I know that. Then there was a Mrs. Slater 19 that lived there; she's been there quite a while too. My grandparents I don't know how long they had been there really... TG: Uh-huh. Well, when you remember Corinne, do you remember it as mostly for agriculture? Is that.... JC: Well, it was agriculture west and around Corinne yes, but when they first started irrigating that ground that brought the salt and it was real alkali ground up the water brought that up, see. But now they got drains in there and they raise some mighty good celery around Corinne. TG: Celery? JC: You bet...you can't beat it. Raise good celery west of Corinne. Them that does raise it. Wonderful. TG: There was a couple farms I read about. One was called Cooks Farm and the other was called Model Farm. Do you remember them? JC: Oh, Model Farm. Yes, old Model Farm...been on it lots of times. Yes. That was quite an organization at one time and then they used to chase wild horses off on the…when I was still…it was remember Jes Vandefchodf...that' s the only one I can really remember, but he was a great horse ranger, I know that. He used to catch those wild horses out there after quite a while after I was born. I've seen them rode and everything else. TG: What'd they do with them then, race them or sell them? JC: No, they just wild Cayouses...they never got so big, but you break them in and ride them....they good saddle horses if you got them broke. But they was on the Promontory Mountain. I doubt if there's any left at all in there anymore. Now you jump down (this to dog). You jump down.... 20 TG: She wants to get in on it. What...this Model Farm, what ...why did they call it that? Do you remember? JC: Well, I tell ya, they planted a lot a fruit trees at one time... (To dog) get down. Cheta…quit it now, quit it. They planted lots of fruit trees around Corinne, then this alkali kind of worked on them after it got to coming up, see. But they did put lots of orchards in, I can remember that. I picked apples in some of those orchards years ago when I was just a kid. Boy the flies was so doggone thick, you cook you a steak, you turn it over and find six or eight on it. That's a fact, you couldn't do much about it or you couldn't seem to anyway. I, I worked for Roach down there picking apples, the man’s name was Roach, and by golly, them flies was terrible. He was an old Doctor. Dr. Roach... You got a cold or anything...he'd fix you right up he'd give you big hot toddy drink and tell you to go to bed, that's the way he done it. TG: Was he sort of the town doctor? When you were a kid. JC: Yeah, he's a pretty good doctor. And Doc Putty...Petty, Putty he was a smart doctor. He drank quite a bit...when you could get him sober, he was a good doctor. Yep. TG: Well, these three saloons....you know where the Roach building is... still there. JC: Well uh... Either the Roach Building or that other brick a one a them’s torn down, I think...I'm not sure....one of um, we owned at one time. TG: Oh? JC: My folks. But, uh, I don't know which one is which. TG: Well I think uh...the one I think is the Roach building is called the Holms Grocery now. JC: Oh…oh, oh. 21 TG: On the corner of… JC: Oh...Holms is...they came in there and the older holms is all dead, I'm pretty sure...that must be one of the sons or daughters or something...that's running that. Yes, that's, uh, I think that's the one we, my folks owned. ..I don't think they paid much for it. TG: Huh...it's still there. Across the street of the east side, you know, right across the street on the corner there is, there is a building that I think was an old salon now, what was it when you were a boy? You know where I mean? JC: Right across there on the corner was a saloon. TG: Is that right? JC: Yeah. TG: That was one of them, huh? JC: That was one of them. I think a fella named a Drake run that...years ago. (To dog) Why don't you behave? TG: Looks like somebodies living in it now. Then across the street the other way to the north...is the city hall. You remember that? What was the city hall like when you were a boy? JC: Well, I think you talking about city hall, maybe it's the city jail, is it? Combination. TG: Yeah, it was a jail. Has bars still there in the back. JC: Oh, uh-huh. Well they had, uh, me and a boy by the name of Guy Baldwin, raised together around there…he's just died two years ago and a he's just about one of the last of the old buddies that I knew and run around with that I can think of anymore, and, uh, they had a fella by the name of Nate Kirkpatrick...had the smallpox and they had him in there in that jail part, they 22 just put him in there as a quarantine, see. And Guy Baldwin and I were supposed to carry his meals over to set them down there at the door and then he'd pick it up, but, uh, we didn't set them down we went in an played cards with him and we never did get the smallpox, neither one of us...We wasn't supposed to do that but we was little daredevils anyway. TG: What happened to him? JC: Well, he's dead and gone now. He died about two years ago. TG: Oh but he got over the smallpox. JC: Oh yes, oh yes, he got over the smallpox. He's pretty badly potted or pitted or whatever you call it. TG: Now how old were you then? When was that about? JC: Oh I was probably sixteen, seventeen years old...somewhere in there. TG: Well was that the only smallpox you can remember...was there ever any epidemic in Corinne or anything? Where a lot of people had small pox? JC: No not a lot. But they had him in quarantine cause that was about the only place around there. But we did that and we never did get it. But talking about that old Model Farm brings back a good memory. A fella by the name of Brown was running that farm at that time and he had some sloughs there was good duck shooting in there and Guy Baldry and I wasn't supposed to, we'd be trespassing I guess, but we went in there and we was getting some good duck shooting in there and he picked us up and he brought us into Corinne from the farm and they had a trial and Old Man Hadley fella by the name of Hadley used to run the livery stable was the judge then, justice of the peace whichever you want to call it. So we had the trial and he said...well he knew us kids pretty well, see 23 and he says "Well I'll fine you a dollar and cost", And he says, uh, "Ah, through off the cost"....he liked us kids...That’s the penalty we got. And so after we got…after we went outside, he came and slipped the dollar back to us both. TG: That was the end. JC: That was the truth. That was good. TG: You didn't think it was so bad. Well the Model Farm; was it a joint thing owned by several different people is like a business more than a family... JC: Well, I don't know at that time...during my time I...it could have been a joint thing and, uh, earlier days, it could have been but uh... TG: Was it a Mormon co-op or something like that? JC: I wouldn't know. There mostly gentiles around here at that time. TG: Uh-huh. JC: As far as I know, but since then most a those farms. Get down (to dog) Get down hurry up, get down....I don't ever…be mean to you and see. It's time for her dinner. TG: Oh, oh, it’s about time for dinner, huh? JC: Yeah, it’s time for her dinner. Ain't cha. You're coaxing for dinner, ain't cha? Yes, I know you are. But you like her to... TG: Well, I'm glad she does. Uh, can you remember any special stories about the times when your grandfather told you about being Marshall or anything? Any Butch Cassidy's or anything in town? 24 JC: Well, all I can remember is my grandmother was a large woman and they said that in the early days if he had any trouble well she was right there to help him...she was pretty rough herself. An old timer and I know she could cuss...I've heard her...I've heard her cuss, but she's a great grandmother...she always had cookies and pies in the, what we call a pantry...women don't have them much anymore. It's another room right off your kitchen with shelves and everything and we called it the pantry. She always had pies and cakes and things in there and always had cookies or a piece of pie and she had those mince-meat pies that the old timers made, I'll tell you that, you don't get mincemeat like that anymore. My wife out here is a wonderful cook. TG: I heard that. JC: Oh she is, she’s just a wonderful cook and she's got, oh I don't know how many hundreds of recipes she's got. TG: That's great. That's what Mrs. Harlan told me...she said she was a really good cook. JC: Yeah, she's a wonderful cook. TG: Well, you know this back, this city jail... JC: I didn't take my hat off cause I just had my hair cut. I waited till I got my, my, went to get my license....they take your picture now, see. I wanted to take it off earlier in the summer… I usually do in the summer, it’s cooler and a I waited cause I knew they was gonna take my picture and, uh, wore my hat down there and he says "Take your hat off". So I was glad I hadn't had my hair clipped yet. "Cause when I got through that I had her clip it though. She's does, she borrows a…too… TG: Gee, that's great. 25 JC: Yeah. TG: She's a wonderful woman. JC: I haven't paid a dime for a haircut since I married her. See I lost my first wife in 1958 and, uh, I married her in 1959 and she's got a good disposition. TG: Isn't that wonderful? JC: Yeah. TG: Well, she just looks like a lovely woman. JC: Yeah, yeah, she is. Thinks the world of me. TG: Isn't that wonderful? I wanted to ask you something...you made me think of something, what…there's a man now whose trying to restore what he's calling the city hall which is the front of the jail. Now, do you remember that as the City hall when you were young there? Is that what they used it for, for their town meetings and things? JC: Well, I thought it was the city jail office is what I thought it was. It laid on the north side of the street...right? TG: Yeah, that's the one. JC: Yeah. TG: Yeah...big windows in the front... JC: Yeah, and I didn't know it was still there. I've been up through there and went out to the cemetery cause my grandparents is buried out there in tie Corinne Cemetery...five or six children buried there in the plot. I went up there before my mother died and squared the 26 headstone around, and it was sinking and out of shape, and fixed it because while she was here yet. TG: Looks like this tapes about to run out. Do you go past the cemetery to go up to the Model Farm? Is that the right road? JC: Yes. You can go on out. Model Farm's further on out though. TG: Oh. JC: Yeah…further out than that. TG: Well, I appreciate you're telling me all these things, Mr. Coil, and I feel like I know Corinne a lot better now that I've talked to you and I'll go out there and look around and think of all the things you told me. Thanks a lot. 27 The Story of Corinne Produced and narrated by Teddy Griffith for The Utah Oral History Project August, 1971 Acknowledgements….. to Mr. and Mrs. Fran Hassel for use of some slides and guided tour of Promontory; to S. Gordon Jessop, for use of his “Golden Spike Overture,” premiere performance on May 13, 1969 by the Golden Spike Senior Symphony; and to the following interviewees: Voice 1: Mr. Frederich Huchel, Brigham City Voice 2: Monsignor Jerome Stoffel, Logan Voice 3: Mrs. Mary Hogan, Ogden Voice 4: Mr. James Grose, Ogden Voice 5: Mr. Rufus Toponce, Ogden Voice 6: Mr. Francis Hassel, Ogden Voice 7: Mrs. Lois Harlin, Ogden Voice 8: Mr. James Coil, Clearfield 1 Title slide: The Corinne Story 2 Acknowledgements 3 looking south down Bear River 4 fault block valley diagram 5 petroglyphs above Connor Springs Ranch 6 petroglyphs 7 surface dig, bank of Bear R. 8 general view of dig, Little Mt in background 9 cross-section, fire pit N: The city of Corinne, in northern Utah, lies on the Bear River just a few miles west of the Wasatch mountains. Geography has been the major factor in shaping Corinne’s history. The uplifting of the Sierra Nevada and Wasatch mountain ranges left this part of Utahin a fault block valley. Little Mountain west of Corinne shows several terrace levels of prehistoric Lake Bonneville which once covered the valley. Evidence of the valley 's early inhabitants is described by Mr. Fran Hassel--- V.6: The first couple of slides represent some petroglyphs on the top of the hill above Connor Springs Ranch—mostly animal figures—deer, probably mountain goat, mountain sheep. They could be Shoshonis but the style looks more like the earlier Sevier-Fremont from down in central Utah, probably around 1200-1300 A.D. This slide shows the old original surface of the ground at a dig, conducted by the U. of Utah about eight miles west of Brigham right on the banks of the Bear River, and the most conspicuous thing about the site was the quantity of buffalo bones found. They were broken up by the Indians to get the bone marrow- very few complete bones of any size were found anywhere on the site. No heads were, found, mostly leg and body bones. This is a general view over the site area after the dig was completed with Little Mountain west of Corinne in the background and the Bear River in the near Background. This shot is the cross-section through one of the trenches, a cross-section of a fire pit are. You can see the darker charcoal against the lighter undisturbed soil in the pit walls. Portrait of Jim Bridger N: The Shoshoni Indians thought the Bear River was their northern boundary. In October of 1841 Osbourne Russell reached the mouth of the Bear R. at the Great Salt Lake, John Bidwell and his party complained of the alkali dust on the Great Salt Lake flats and Miles Goodyear camped on the Bear. River in July of 1847. Corinne was on a wagon road to Montana laid out by Capt. Stansbury about 1849. Jim Bridger, popular mountain man and trapper of the Rocky Mountain area whose picture you see here, was one of the early explorers to enter the Corinne area by boat down the Bear River. 11 clouds over plains 12 bluffs on plains 13 Western scene 14 Mormon pioneer family 15 Pioneer farm, Little Mt. area 16 ZCMI in Salt Lake City, with Indians N: Frederick Huchel explains the economic strife between Mormons and “gentiles,” or non-Mormons. V.1: Well, it seems to have started right around 1868. Up to that time there were a great number of merchants in salt Lake City who were not Mormons and they were bitter against Brigham Young and the control he had over the territory and they were using the money evidently that they got in trade in projects to take over Utah and evidently Brigham didn’t appreciate that and in the October conference of 1868 he started what was called Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution---the “Co-op”—and the citizens were told that they were to patronize no businesses except those that were approved by the church—those that were not against it. In other words, let your enemies have none of your money (your substance) with which to work your downfall! And so businesses that were approved were given a sign to hang above their door and those were the ones people went to. The gentiles about went broke! 17 Tracklayers N: Gunnison’s survey becomes reality as the railroad tracks are laid. V.2: And the Mormons had had a lot of problems after the Civil War (particularly) with claim-jumping. 18 Chinese artifacts N.: Congress passed the Railroad Act and the race began from the West as thousands of Chinese went to work. V.2: Well, you see, they came over not with the idea of staying. They came over with the idea of making a purse and going home. 19 Chinese dugout at watercress 20 turntable pit at Terrace V.6: This is the dugout at watercress about two miles west of Terrace on the right-of-way---probably a siding at one time. There were several homes in this area at one time. This picture was taken about 1964 or 1965. This is the turntable pit at Terrace. They had a quite extensive repair shop there at one time. V.4: Terrace was another town—used to be a railroad center for the CP. In fact they had a roundhouse there and everything! Lord, that’s nothing but a ghost town out there now! You take Terrace and Kelton and Watercress—they used to be quite thriving communities. Especially Kelton and Terrace. There were an awful lot of sheep and cattle shipped out of those places! 21 library ruins at terrace 22 Chinese artifacts from Terrace V.6: This is the remains of the old library at terrace, looking off to the west. According to Mr. Grose this area was covered with trees, grass—a beautiful park-like area at one time. Some examples of Chinese ginger jars found in the area of Terrace. Glazed pottery with finger impressions along the lower edge where they dipped them in the Glaze. 23 tiger-whiskey jugs These are three of the so-called tiger-whiskey jugs—Chinese pottery. 24 "opium” bottles This picture shows some of the so-called opium bottles—actually I think they were patent medicine bottles. One of them had a label in it—Dr. Nine’s Soothing Oil! And some corroded Chinese coins and fan-tan markers, mostly from the area of Terrace. 25 "Y" at Ombey 26 Kelton cemetery 27 general view of Kelton This is the "Y" at Ombey. They would run helper engines up to the top of the hill here, turn them around on the "Y" and run them back to the east to Kelton or back to the west to Matlin. This is the cemetery at Kelton—the Thomasine Grose headboard. A general view of the old town site of Kelton looking off to the lake to the south--the three famous trees of Kelton, alkali flats south of the town site leading all the way down to the lake. 28 ''Jupiter” at Monument Point This picture was taken immediately before the Golden Spike ceremony on Promontory at a place called Monument Point, just west of promontory, This is Jupiter on the edge of the lake--the lake was much higher at that time. 29 “Jupiter" with wagons in foreground This is a more distant shot of the same scene the same day. A wagon train and the old Jupiter engine at Monument Point. 30 present scene, Monument Point 31 excavation at Lake town site 32 10 miles of track, Camp Victory or Rozel 33 Rocky Mountain Glee Club This is the same scene today. The station wagon in the background is parked just about where the locomotive was parked in the earlier picture. The lake has receded--there are several miles of alkali flats now between the old roadbed and the edge of the water at the present time. This picture was taken at the old town site of Lake, just west—immediately west of Promontory which was also a helper-engine site. The "Y" would turn the locomotives around to help the trains up the summit (Promontory Summit) then return. Mr. Bingham here is trying to excavate a butcher block. N: Charlie Crocker of the Central Pacific won a $10,000 bet at Rozel, or Camp Victory, with this feat. Coming toward Corinne from the east was a rollicking crew, including this "Rocky Mountain Glee Club" as pictured here by Union Pacific photographer A.J. Russell. V.2: You see most of these people were from the poor of the world. And when they came to America, the Opportunities were--the railroad gave them the opportunity because it was a rough, tough job. So the Irish fell into that because it came at a time when there was one of the famines in Ireland, one of the economic depressions. So the Railroad coming from the east had an awful lot of Irishmen on it but many of these were directly from the old sod and here was their chance to make a living. So they were not moving to the land they had a land background, they knew what land was but they were thinking more in terms of speculation. They were thinking of the wage and free money. 34 present Bear River City, Wyoming V.6: This is the present scene at the old site of Bear River City, Wyoming about twelve miles east of Evanston. The configuration of the small hill in the near background and the little pippet on the skyline placed the town site pretty well. 35 bear River City, Wyoming in 1869 N: Mrs. Mary Hogan’s parents were among the first to travel west on the railroad--V.3: I remember my dad saying that coming through these Rocky Mountains here, every other little ways, there 'd be a car off the track---they 'd just leave it and go on. All I heard, my dad would be talking to his wife, you know, and he’d say "well, it’s funny they never picked those boxcars up when they tipped them over!" V. 6: This is a shot taken in the 1868-69 era, Bear River City, Wyoming. 36 Blue, Creek at present 37 UP paycar At Blue Creek, 1869 This picture has moved all the way out to Blue Creek, across the gate from the present Thiokol plant. This shot us roughly the same as the next picture that was taken in 1869 looking off to the west toward the Promontory Range. This is the 1869 picture; I believe this was the pay car at Blue Creek with the old road-building crew. This is the Union Pacific side of Promontory. V.7: One thing I remember is that they never were paid by check. They were always paid in gold and silver and the day the pay car came which was once a month (It wasn’t until later years you know they were paid twice a month). And once a month everybody would gather around the depot waiting for the pay car to come. And they’d go there and stand at that car and hand their time—maybe they had it all figured (naturally they would there) but they'd know what was coming to each section man and section foreman and my dad, the agent, and they were all paid in gold and silver! 38 site of Big Trestle V.6: This Is The Site Of The Big Trestle, On The Western Side Of The Promontory Range. You Can See bridge abutments—the trestle itself is gone. In the background on the edge of the picture you can see a cut that places this location--- 39 Big Trestle, 1869 40 general view, Big Trestle area This is the Big Trestle. I believe this picture was taken just before the ceremony (within one or two days) in 1869. The wagon of Mr. Russell, the photographer, is down in the gully at the bottom of the trestle and in the background you’ll notice the same cut referred to in the preceding picture. This is a general view of the Big Trestle area from the east looking toward the west with the Big Fill of the Central Pacific in the background and the bridge abutments of the Big Trestle in the foreground. 41 Chinese Arch This is the Chinese Arch on the eastern slope of the Promontory grade. 42 dugout sites at Promontory These are some dugout sites just off to the east of the summit on Promontory. Probably some Union Pacific tracklayers or graders lived in this area for a week—two weeks. Not too much evidence of any extended occupation in this area. 43 twin cuts, from CP right-of-way N: Congress finally decided on Promontory Summit as the junction point for the railroads. V.6: This view shows twin cuts on the CP right-of-way looking back toward the east from the summit of Promontory Point. N: The two railroads had passed and then paralled each other for many miles in their hurry to grab land. Frederick Huchel describes the scene early on the day of the “Wedding of the Rails”-- 44 Golden Spike celebration V.1: It had frozen that night and as the sun came up there was fog in the valley and there was ice on the puddles---it had been raining for three days. And then as the sun came UP the fog burned off, the ice melted and by noon it had warmed up to 69o. The trains came in from east and west, the wagons rolled in from the surrounding countryside--the farmers had come to watch. The place was kind of buzzing with activity. The railroad workers didn't have anything to do because they were finished and had the day off because of the momentous occasion, Gov. Stanford of California, T.C. Durrant of the east—they were all there! It was a very festive day and as it got warmer, I’m sure the people got warmer too. In those days the completion of the railroad was as momentous as landing on the moon is now! It was the greatest technological feat of the age! So they had a festive time—they were all happy—they were cheering and yelling and the bells were clanging. After the festivities were over I’m sure the local people got in their wagons and left and the railroad workers broke out the champagne and had a good time for the rest of the day. V.5: He said they were all out there and at the same time they were out there a lot of renegades you might say were stealing everything they could get their hands on and breaking in to all kinds of places in Corinne. Because everybody was out on Promontory watching the railroads joined together and Corinne wasn’t much in those days but there was enough there that they were ransacking everything they could get their hands on while everybody was out to the Golden Spike Driving! 45 Golden Spike ceremony from UP cab V.6: This is a picture of the Golden Spike Ceremony that isn't too often seen. This picture was taken from the cab of one of the locomotives looking, to the west across the site of the driving of the Golden Spike. 46 freight sheds, Promontory This next picture was taken roughly a year later, They had some freight sheds, the town was built up a little more but still Promontory was pretty much a tent city even at this time. 47 railroad sheds at Terrace, 1870 N: The locomotive "Gold Run" is pictured outside the railroad sheds at Terrace in 1870. Among Terrace residents were Mr. Grose’s parents--V.4: My father had a sheepherder who was Chinese called "Ying"---he used to give us all kinds of candy and nuts! 48 map of railroad towns 49 original marker at Promontory 0 50 two engines, contemporary reenactment 51 Gov. Rampton at reenactment, 1971 52 reenactment, driving the last spike 53 "Great Event" poster N: This map shows the railroad towns as they stretched around the north shore of Great Salt Lake. So many are ghost towns now they don't even appear on current maps. This is the original marker at Promontory which is all that was there until they built the fine new building they have now. Each year on May 10th there is a colorful reenactment ceremony at Promontory. In 1971, Governor Rampton flew in by helicopter for this. V. 1: And we get a pretty goods sized crowd. Today we had people out there and that was just for the reenactment and there are many more people who come other times during the day. They average anywhere from 60-100 people. N: This colorful poster advertised Corinne as the jumping-off place for Helena and the Montana mines. 54 Corinne By 1870, many gentile merchants were established in Corinne. V.1: The people of Corinne, the merchants and gentile businessmen, were very anxious to form apolitical what-ever they could do to take over Utah politically and they united with a break-off group from the Mormon Church (the Godbeites) and formed the Liberal Political Party of Utah for the express purpose of taking political control so they were responsible for the political division that came. V.7: At one time, Corinne was strictly gentile—no Mormons there. Somebody, Brigham Young maybe, went through there and said ”put a curse on the town" and so it was just strictly gentile. 55 back of livery stable, 5th and Montana Sts. N: This is the back of the building next to the City hall, just on the east on the corner of 5th and Montana Street, known as the "Livery stable." V.5: Saloons ------ there were an awful lot of those and there was an awful lot of fights and rowdiness between the different people in these saloons when they'd start drinking there was a lot of fighting going on. V.2: The Creightons were there—that’s Creightons of Omaha---they built Creighton University. You’ve got Ed Creighton who built the telegraph in ’60; Ed Creighton has property out in Corinne. Ed Creighton got into mining with his brother John. John Creighton got in with Munro in the big freighting business to Virginia City, Montana. In Corinne you had something that was---that was going to be the Chicago of the West! That was the dream of some those men. And they all caught fire! The men who came from Salt Lake caught fire—the Guthries, Duchenots and kiesles—certainly Alexander Toponce expresses some of that 1875 Prospectus---there was the Cathedral of the West with its great big Gothic spire! 56 Corinne Methodist Episcopal Church 57 storm over Promontory 58 back of city hall, with tower from Presbyterian Church 59 Presbyterian church bell V.7: There was, the church that stands there is the oldest Protestant church in the state of Utah! It's 100 years old—when they had the 100 year dedication of that church and my goodness—when we went out to that! But farther down where there’s a residence now there used to be the Presbyterian Church and the minister (Presbyterian minister, attended both churches out there) used to drive from Bingham with his horse and buggy. He’d hold church in Brigham in the morning and then come to Corinne and hold services in the afternoon. N: A violent windstorm, which the "Corinthians" called "whirligis," blew down the Presbyterian church. V.1: The tower was originally the tower from what I understand, of the Corinne Presbyterian Church. Right around 1890 the church blew down in a windstorm and the tower was all that remained and it with the bell was removed and tacked on the back of the City Hall building. For years the bell was used to alert the citizens when the water would be turned off so they could gather enough to keep until it was turned back on. 60 Presbyterian centennial marker 61 Corinne City Hall N: One of the oldest buildings still standing in Corinne is the City Hall. V.1: It’s a one-story building, 22 feet wide and I don t remember how long. The back portion is brick, the front portion is wood, it has a false front with three sets of double French doors. It was said for a while that they averaged a murder a night in Corinne. I've been through the old sexton records and it shows the death, the doctor who attended and cause of death. It would say poisoning” or “shooting” or unknown. V.7: At one time the young boys, young folks (boys) used to gather in there for an evening of cards or pool- -whatever it was, I don 't know. V.8: ---raised together around there. He just died here two years ago and he’s just about one of the last of the old buddies that I knew and ran around with, that I can think of anymore. They had a fellow by the name of Nate Kirkpatrick, had the smallpox. And they had him in there in that jail part---they just put him in there as a quarantine see. And Guy Baldwin and I were supposed to carry his meals over but we were supposed to set it down there at the door and he 'd pick it up---but we didn't set it down, we went in there and played cards with him! Never did get the smallpox, either one of us---we weren't supposed to do that but we was little dare-devils anyway! 62 "The Combination" saloon 63 saloon today. 64 south down the Bear. R. from bridge N: Another early Corinne building was known as “The Combination'' saloon by the early 1900’s--and today is a private residence. Jim Coil describes the good life in Corinne: V. 8: Oh, well we had lots of freedom in Corinne at that time compared to what young-fellows have today! Gosh, we didn't have to have a license to hunt, there was no limit on what you could kill, and we had (like lots of boys) a good swimming hole and places to skate in the winter. 65 ''Horseshoe Slough." N: Lois Harlin recalls good times at the Horseshoe Slough. V.7: That’s Mr. Adney’s property! That’s what they called “the bottoms.” And they’d milk their cows maybe a dozen cows in those old barns back there and there's one old brick one with a great big old log chicken coop that Mr. Adney had built. 66 Corinne Opera house V.2: When you think of that Opera house and the people who stopped there! You've got Robert Louis Steven son, Susan B. Anthony, you've got President Ulysses B. Grant V. 1: People from Brigham City in fact went out and attended the Opera house in Corinne and I believe people from Corinne came in here and attended the community theater productions here. That was one of the few things that they let down the barriers to do together (to attend the theater)--most of the time they were at each other’s necks! 67 Opera house marker V .8: Corinne itself was I reckon the only gentile town in the state for a long time. The Mormon people came in there later and I think they bought the old Corinne Opera House there. That was I reckon quite a building at the time but you wouldn't think much of it today! 68 area of. "Mill Ditch" N: Alexander Toponce was one of Corinne's most colorful characters. His mill once stood here on "Mill Ditch” in northwest Corinne. V.5: He was quite a leader in everything. During his time in Corinne not only did he do a lot of freight work but he did a lot of canal work. He'd go back up in the mountains where these rivers were and he wasn't exactly a surveyor but he could pretty well pick out channels for building canals to get water over around to different parts of the country for irrigation purposes. He was telling us about travelling all over the eastern country and about winding up here with a freight team in Salt Lake. And it kind of gave hit the idea of buying all the surplus animals and wagons and hauling freight from Montana and Idaho. That's when he first had dealings with Brigham Young in Salt Lake. Brigham Young would help him in buying the different things that was coming in- -the oxen, the wagons, and help him purchase certain items and things to be hauled to Idaho that they didn't need because right at that time people needed more money than they had in Salt Lake so therefore they were trying to sell as much as they could to get the money to keep things going in Salt Lake. 69 Alexander Toponce grave---Ogden City cemetery Grandpa would buy a whole train at once and all loaded with all kinds of supplies and freight to take to Montana. They didn't keep much of that around--I don’t know, I often wondered why they'd sell so many of their oxens when they were trying to do a little farming in Salt Lake too but then they seemed like they had a lot of surplus in oxteams and stuff so they'd just sell them all to him in whole trainloads at a time! He had some men working for him and he'd raise feed for his oxen and use it just as a--had a big stable for feeding his oxen on a layover. He had to have a lot of drivers for driving the oxen and they'd have to spend the night to rest the oxen—he had quite a crew of men to take care of feeding, and watering the oxen at night and hooking them up in the mornings, things like that and drive them during the day. Sometimes he brought some of the ore back and sometimes he didn't but I understood most of the ore went across some other direction instead of coming back down this way. I don't know where it went-- I guess that's why the freight business kind of let up because they would haul freight in from some other direction and take the ore some other direction instead of coming to Utah with it, 70 "City of Corinne" steamship V.2: They developed this idea of a $40,000-$50,000 lake steamer. They shipped the boilers in from San Francisco, they built the boat along the railroad right- of-way there--right near the railroad bridge, the present railroad bridge across the Bear River east of Corinne. 71 steamship routes on Great Salt Lake. V. 1: Stockton, Tooele, Bingham, Ophir, were mining districts on the south end of Great Salt Lake in the Oquirrh Mountains. And so they needed someplace to smelt the ore. Great Salt Lake was navigable, so the ore was brought from those mines by steamship (paddlewheel steamship) across Great Salt Lake up the Bear River to Corinne. 72 steamship at Garfield Beach 73 Mormon railroad map N.: By 1878, Brigham Young’s Utah Northern Railroad rendered Corinne useless as a major shipping point to the mines of Idaho and Montana. The freighting business screeched to a halt. Mary Hogan's parents told her what happened when the railroad came to C ache Valley--V.3: Some of the people there, they didn't want this railroad in there at all. They set it (the station) afire two or three times. So they didn't want the railroad in through there, said it'd bring in different people and the town wasn’t the same and my mother went out (I remember it like it was yesterday!) "ooo—la ferre, la ferre, la ferre!" Big, fire! Just two or three blocks from where we lived. "Ooh, la ferre!'' 74 Henry Clay House grave, Corinne cemetery. N: Another solid citizen of early Corinne was Henry Clay House--V.5: One time they ventured into a racetrack and Grandpa House was interested in this racetrack. And then Grandpa House and his sons would ride on the Promontory flats out west there and collect wild horses and bring them in and break them to ride and use them in the racetrack. At times some professional race horses were brought in from the east and run against some of those wild mustangs and the wild mustangs would win the race and take the money! There was one Indian chief that Grandpa House was associated with awful much and when the Indian chief was about ready to die he came to Grandpa and wanted Grandpa to make sure he was buried in a certain place in all his belongings. He said if all the gold and all the trinkets and things were dug up that there'd be millions of dollars’ worth that 'd be buried with that Indian chief but he never would tell anyone where he was buried---he promised he wouldn’t and he didn’t! 75 ''stinking springs”' N: The popular mineral springs on the House property are recalled by Lois Harlin---V.7: We'd go out there and have breakfast. My dad had a motorcar (I have a picture of him on that motorcar) and he’d take two or three of us on the motorcar (and leave the rest of us go in the horse and buggy) and take our breakfast, make our coffee, fry our bacon and eggs---- 76 Roche building 77 Hammond building N: This building, now known as the Holmes building, was once the Roche building--for DR. Roche The alkali and swampy ground were major concerns during the second, or land development period, of Corinne. V.5: My Uncle Dave at one line figured that if they'd drain the water out of all that swampy ground out in there that they would be able to farm more of it and under his idea they got a lot of pipe and thins and drilled holes and laid pipe from there down to the edge of the lake. All this swampy water would drain in through the holes in the pipe and then down to the lake and therefore dry the top parts of the ground, enough that they started raising crops. N: This building served as headquarters for the water company. 78 Model Farm area This photo, taken near the "Model Farm" area west of Corinne, shows the success of the drainage projects V. 3: When they first started Irrigating that ground it brought the salt, real alkali ground---the water brought that up see---but now they've got drainage in there and they raise one mighty good celery around Corinne! 79 south, down Bear River to boat landing N: The fall season in Corinne brought in many visitors-V.8: They used to land this boat that they used to run in Bear River, a steamer-like thing, years ago. And then for the Millionare Duck Club they had the landing and takeoff from about, oh about 100 yards from my old home. V.7: They came in from all corners of the world to go to Corinne for the Duckbill Gun Club, the Millionaire Duck Club (that's it!) and they'd have Europe stickers all over their suitcases! 80 Jim Coil's goose hunt 81 Lucin Cutoff opening ceremony 82 Lucin Cutoff N: This slide shows the results of one of Jim Coil's successful goose hunts---- Completion of the Lucin Cutoff in 1903 brought the railroading era of Corinne to a sudden halt. V 5: When they built the Lucin Cutoff, Corinne started to die right out then because the railroads quit running and they only had a short spur on the railroad that ran from there up to Malad. Now they were going to continue that on over the hill into American Falls but when the railroad was built up through Logan, Preston and Pocatello then that took all that section out so they never did continue that. 83 Lucin Cutoff N: A landfill parallel to the twelve mile long Lucin trestle was later added to wreck more havoc with Corinne’s dreams--- landfill V .2: Corinne had many big dreams: A railroad to the Dells; a railroad to Montana, a railroad to the Dakotas. N: So call it the "Burg on the Bear,” the “Gentile Capitol of Utah” or “Corinne, the fair”----the little city of big dreams has a story to tell. V.2: I insist that Corinne is absolutely unique in the history of the west! 84 Bibliography #1 85 “ #2 86 “ #3