Caption this Photo!

A fun set of railroad photos! Such an iconic stance that it begs a unique caption.

These photo was taken by Harry Shipler, famous SLC commercial photographer who often supplied photographs for newspapers and promotional publications.

On March 28, 1913, officials from the Denver and Rio Grande railroad inspecting the area of Soldier Summit (Wasatch County). At this time there was construction of a detour rail line that ran through Thistle, and perhaps this visit is associated with that.

I was not able to (easily) find out more information about this serries of photographs.

It is fun to see some candid shots from a professional photographer. Especially the last photo!

Photos are from USHS.

Salt Lake's Franklin Avenue as a Historic Black Neighborhood

General location of Franklin Avenue, between 200-300 South and State St-200 East

Between about 1885 and the 1920s, Franklin Ave (now Edison St) became home to a large population of Black Americans.

This mid-block alley situated within the original 13th Ward, started out like other blocks of the original SLC plat- residential and agricultural lands divided among early Mormon settlers of the 1840s-1850s.

After the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 (through Ogden) and the first railroad spur to SLC in 1870, new arrivals became more common. Coupled with the great western migration of Black Americans after the Civil War, Salt Lake (and Ogden) became a place for people to find work relating to the railroad and hospitality, often the only type of jobs that Black people were allowed to obtain, such as porters, waiters, cooks, maids, laborers, etc. As such, both Salt Lake and Ogden saw population increase of Black Americans and other groups.

A view of Salt Lake City in the 1870s. Although Franklin Ave is located outside the image, it gives a good idea of what the area looked like at this time.

 
Also, by 1870, those early log cabins and small adobe homes on large parcels belonging to the original Mormon settlers had largely fallen into disrepair and had been subdivided; sometimes sold for redevelopment and sometimes rented out to the new SLC arrivals, generally those economically disadvantaged newcomers who could afford these low-cost rentals. On Franklin Avenue, these tended to be Scandinavian speaking converts to the LDS church (through the 1870s-1880s) and eventually to Black Americans.

Franklin Ave had a reputation for being a tough neighborhood in the 1870s. At the time a large Scandinavian population lived on the street. As was common with mid-block alleys, a number of raucous characters were present. Newspapers noted that two families often indulged “in the unlawful practice of calling each other bad names, in the Scandinavian language.”

Brothels started up on Franklin Ave at this time as well. Mid-block alleys and the hidden center of city blocks were out of sight from the more respectable business along the main streets and thus became the preferred location of many vices. At this time the brothels on Franklin Ave seem to have only been run by White people, mostly women. By 1878 the Deseret News identified Franklin Ave as a “Bad Place” with “loose characters.”

The 1880s brought some Black people to the neighborhood. The first Black residents of Franklin Ave that I could find were Alice and Benjamin Nesbitt who resided there in 1884. Alice later became president of the Colored women’s Republican Club and worked to secure voting rights for Black women in Utah. The rooms and houses available for rent were owned primarily by White people; the most prominent owner being John Johnson who supplied rented housing and jobs to people on Franklin Ave.

Notably, many of the buildings were lacking in maintenance and sanitary conditions were atrocious. A sewer line was installed in 1888 but many of the older homes were never connected, and outhouses remained common. The street remained unpaved through this time, which is an important consideration of the sanitary conditions when coupled with lack of standardized garbage disposal, accumulation of animal waste, and the prevalence of coal burning stoves.

Franklin Ave in 1905. One of the earlier images showing the majority residential buildings.

By the time the first Black residents moved into Franklin Ave in the mid-1880s, the street was already a difficult neighborhood. Rents were probably cheap, but brothels and gambling dens were common.

Sanitary conditions were notably inadequate. The Salt Lake Herald complained for several years of the perpetual cesspool that existed on the southern end of Franklin Ave at 300 South; their 1888 article described it as a “slimy, green, stagnant pool [that] emits a very nauseating effluvia these warm days and is bound to make somebody sick…”

The 1890s saw a dramatic shift from White to Black residents, likely drawn by cheap rent. Some of this influx was due to the arrival of the 24th Infantry (Buffalo Soldiers) at Fort Douglas in 1896 with some of the Soldiers families living on Franklin Ave and some Soldiers choosing to stay in SLC after they were discharged from the Army.

The 1900 census shows all but one of the buildings on Franklin Ave were home to Black families, including Ella Phelps who, along with her husband James and son James Roscoe, ran a rooming house for other Black individuals at 249 Franklin Ave (now a parking lot). Notably the Phelps did not own their building.

The exception to Black residents was the Salvation Army’s Workingmen’s Hotel (which is now the Franklin Ave Theater building at 231 Edison- more on that later) which was occupied only by White men.

The Black population of SLC continued to increase, especially in and around Franklin Ave. Throughout the 1890s and early 1900s the Salt Lake Herald-Republican newspaper referred to the street as “Darktown.”

Many of the SLC Black organizations that exist today can trace their beginnings to the residents of Franklin Ave. Both Calvary Baptist Church and Trinity African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church began on Franklin Ave with the initial fundraising efforts and early church meetings.

In 1906, SLC changed the name of Franklin Ave to Edison St, largely to “rebrand” the street from Black residential to White commercial. The first White-owned business, Skelton Printing, moved into the Franklin Ave Theater building in 1906.

Throughout the next decade more business displaced the residents. The 1911 Sanborn Map indicates about half of the buildings on Franklin Ave/Edison St were residential, mostly on the southern half of the street. By 1926, the Sanborn Map shows no residential buildings.

Many of the displaced residents moved to the south end of the Central City neighborhood, mostly 400 South-900 South and Main St-500 East.

Edison Street (formerly Franklin Ave) in 1936, showing majority commercial buildings.

A note on Salt Lake's Black population:

In 1900, 278 Black people were recorded as living in SLC and in 1910 this increased to 737, most of whom (but not all) lived on or around Franklin Ave. The overall Black population in SLC was small during this time, only about 1% of SLC (even accounting for undercounting of the census).

• 1900: 278 black / 77,725 total SLC population = 0.4%
• 1910 737 black / 131,462 total SLC population = 0.6%

For comparison, the 2020 census records Utah's Black population as 2%

Sanborn Maps showing the transition of Franklin Ave to Edison Street, 1926-1950

Blue Houses = Residential Buildings

Red Shopping Cart = Commercial Buildings

.

Franklin Avenue's Name Changed to Edison Street in 1906

In 1906, Franklin Avenue’s name was changed to Edison Street. It was a deliberate attempt by SLC government officials and property owners to change the racial make up of the street: from a residential area occupied nearly entirely by Black American families to a commercial district owned and operated by White businesses.

A 1906 newspaper article detailing the excitement of pushing out Black residents of Franklin Ave.

It was a deliberate decision to push an "undesirable" population out of the downtown area of Salt Lake City. Many of whom eventually relocated to the southern half of the Central City neighborhood, primarily south of 400 South and west of 500 East.

The name change was petitioned by property owners of Franklin Ave, who were primarily White individuals and descendants of the original Mormon/LDS Pioneers who settled this block.

The Black residents of the street were primarily renters (although one notable exception- Mr. H.H. Voss, more on him later) and had little say in the future of the neighborhood.

A direct newspaper article title: [The street] Changes Name and Color

 
The first business to move to Edison St was Skelton Printing, who purchased the old Franklin Avenue Theater building (more about that building later) and ghost sign remnants of the printing operation can still be seen on the building.

Additional White owned businesses moved in soon thereafter. Once a budding commercial district was established, Salt Lake City decided to invest in better utilities and beautification efforts. For example, Edison Street was paved in 1909 with cement and sidewalks were installed.

A 1910 photograph of one of the new businesses- Voyles Meat Market at 152 E 200 South.

 
The paving helped resolve sanitary issues of the often muddy street with poor drainage and the high number of older homes that had never been connected to the sewer line (outhouses were abundant).

With the understanding that 1906 marks a significant year in the history of this street, My next several posts will discuss the pre-1906 history (Franklin Avenue) and the post-1906 history (Edison Street): Important events. Significant buildings. Interesting history. So much history to highlight!

NOTE – there is a rumor going around that Edison Street was so named because it was the first street with electric lights in SLC. *This is false.* Main Street was the first electrified street in SLC as it was the showcase business street.

An Antique Electro-Static Machine

An example of an Electro Static Machine. Insert in lower right corner is the Karrick Building.

An antique electro-static machine was found on the 2nd floor of the Karrick Block at 236 S Main SLC during its renovation in 2000.

The device was made by the Frank S. Betz Co., a well-known supplier of a variety of medical supplies and equipment.  These electro-static devices were in use from about the 1880s through the 1930s.

The Electro Static Machine found in the Karrick Building

When this particular machine was found by MHTN Architects, they contacted The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices (www.museumofquackery.com) in Minneapolis and David G. Rickert identified the machine as a Holtz, of which there were many varieties and were popular between 1890-1910.

Within the wood cabinet were large circular copper plates that would revolve and create static electricity.  According to historic advertisements and instructions, this electricity could be used to cure a multitude of ailments.

An example of an advertisement for a Holtz type machine.

Excerpt from medial book indicating how to use the machine

Prior to 1905, when Lewis Karrick died, the main occupant of the Karrick building was Roberts and Nelden Drugs, a large wholesale and retail pharmacy.  

Lewis Karrick operated a gambling and billiards hall on the second floor and a brothel with 8 rooms on the third.  A description from the late 1970s notes that the names of several women still remained on the doors (I did not find any further information about these names).

In 1908 the building was acquired by Mary Judge (of the Judge Building) and the ground floor leased to longtime occupant Leyson-Pearsall Jewelers.

It is unclear who owned this abandoned electro-static machine. The upper floors of the Karrick Block were leased to many people, including some doctors and dentists. 

Comments on my Instagram post indicate this machine is within the collections of the Utah Historical Society. 

Sources:

• Deseret News 2000-04-04
• USHS file Karrack Building
• Manual of Static Electricity in X-Ray and Therapeutic Uses by S.H. Monell M.D., 1900

Urban Calm by Peter Wiarda

Framed print of a photograph from Peter Wiarda’s new book “Urban Calm.”

This is my favorite photograph from Peter Wiarda’s new book “Urban Calm.” This is photo is the view from Walker Center Parking at 160 S. Regent St. (2020). It looks south on Main Street, towards 300 South.

In this image I see an abstract view of modern archaeology of Salt Lake City’s built environment (and the real archaeology that is also subsurface).

The oldest building in this image is the Karrick Block, built in 1887. Surprisingly, the oldest building is also the most colorful (red) building in the photograph, which reminds me that the historic black and white photographs that preserve the past do not portray a fully perfect image of the past.

The Karrick Block has an interesting preservation story, which I will need to post about separately.

Also in this photograph are:

• The Lollin Block, 1894
• Clift Building, 1919
• American Towers, 1982
• One Utah Center, 1991
• 222 S Main building, 2009
• Federal Courthouse (Orrin G. Hatch/the Borg Cube), 2014

Peter Wiarda's print with my identification of buildings

Notably, there is 5-decade gap of buildings in this image. Part of that is simply that buildings of this age are not in view. But the other part is that downtown SLC had a lull in construction during the Great Depression, WWII, and the post-WWII suburban build-up. There are notable exceptions (e.g. mid-century modern Ken Garff Building 1955, LDS Church Office Building 1973), but in general this image portrays an accurate pattern of downtown SLC’s history.

The American Towers building is also an interesting component, Built in 1982, it represents an effort to draw individuals back to living in downtown. But interestingly, American Towers was initially an adult only living arrangement- so not an effort to bring families with children to downtown.

So, beyond the visual beauty of the photograph I also see a full historical spectrum of SLC.

Peter Wiarda has many other fantastic photos of SLC in his Urban Calm book.

And SLUG magazine has a nice article about Peter’s project. 

Be sure to check out his website where you can order your own copy of the book. www.peterwiarda.com

The Skeleton in Grandpa's Barn

In 1923, a few schoolgirls found a box of human bones in the barn of the Lund family at 127 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City. The box of bones was an open secret known by many of the kids in the neighborhood.

Herbert Z. Lund Jr. recounts the story of these skeletal remains in a Utah Historical Quarterly article titled “The Skeleton in Grandpa’s Barn” (UHQ V35 N1 in 1967).

Herbert Jr. states that his father, Dr. Herbert Z. Lund Sr., was a physician at the Utah State Penitentiary (at what is now Sugar House Park) and acquired the body of J. J. Morris. Morris was executed in 1912 by hanging for murder; and, in accordance with common practice his body was donated for medical purposes.

Dr. Lund intended the body to become a teaching skeletal specimen. After the anatomical dissection was completed, Dr. Lund reduced the body to a skeleton. Part of the process to create a skeletal specimen is maceration so Dr. Lund and his friend William Willis (a druggist by profession) took the remains to an open area near Beck’s Hot Springs and boiled the remains in sulfur water and lime. The final process of bleaching the bones was never completed and the bones retained a rancid odor.

Dr. Lund placed the bones in a wooden box and stored them in the unused hayloft of his father’s barn, Anthon H. Lund’s house at 127 W. North Temple (now demolished).

Dr. Lund’s children (Anthon’s grandchildren) were aware of the skeletal remains and often found ways around the locked entry to view the bones. Even the grandchildren of the adjacent neighbor, LDS apostle Matthias F. Cowley, knew of the bones. So it is not surprising that other kids got into the barn to sneak a peak at the bones of a convicted murderer.

Around 1925, Dr. Lund’s mother, Sarah, demanded that the bones be buried to keep curious people away. Dr. Lund’s son, Herbert Jr, buried the remains behind the old barn. He and his grandmother Sarah had a little graveside service where Sarah read excerpts from the LDS publication “The Improvement Era” and placed the old magazines in the grave with the skeletal remains.

The gravesite was dug behind the barn. Sanborn maps show that this barn was demolished around 1950-1951. In the 1967 article, Herbert Jr. stated that the area of the grave was still open land but that development was happening all around.

Herbert Jr. drew a map of where he believed the gravesite to be. This location is now in an expanded parking lot of the old Travelodge Motel at 144 W. North Temple. It is unknown if construction has impacted the grave or if it is still intact below the asphalt parking lot.

One complication of this story is that there is a burial record for J.J. Morris in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, which contradicts the identity of the skeletal remains as being J.J. Morris. 

However, both the Lund family history and several 1920s newspaper articles (including an interview with Dr. Lund, himself) indicate that the skeleton in Grandpa’s barn is J.J. Morris.

The burial record for J.J. Morris indicates that he is buried along with 14 other prisoners whose remains were originally interred at the old Utah State Penitentiary, which is now Sugar House Park. These remains were disinterred from the Sugar House location in 1957 when the park was built. The remains were reinterred in a small prison cemetery at the Point of the Mountain Prison in Draper. In 1987, the remains were disinterred again and reinterred at the Salt Lake City Cemetery- with several remains (identified as cremains) interred in a single grave.

So if the cemetery record is to be believed (and with all those disinterment’s it is possible that records may have been compromised) then the remains buried behind the Grandpa’s barn are not those of J.J. Morris.

Utah executed several prisoners around the same time as J.J. Morris. It is possible that the identity of the skeleton in Grandpa’s barn is actually that of another prisoner whose remains were also donated to medical science around the same time. Potential candidates for this option include Harry Thorne executed Sept 26 1912 or Frank Romeo executed Feb 20 1913.

Utah Executions 1912-1913

• J.J. Morris, April 30 1912
• Jules C. E. Szirmay (Jules Zirmay), May 22 1912, Buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery
• Harry Thorne, Sept 26 1912, Body donated to medical science
• Thomas Riley, Oct 24 1912, Burred in Bluffdale City Cemetery
• Frank Romeo, Feb 20 1913, Body donated to medical science

Sources:

• “The Skeleton in Grandpa’s Barn” UHQ V35 N1,1967
• Ghosts of West Temple, Salt Lake County Archives
• "Ray Lund, Prison Doctor" by H Z (Zack) Lund (nd) from FamilySearch
• Salt Lake Tribune 1923-11-30
• Deseret News 923-11-30
• Ogden Standard Examiner 1923-11-30
• Salt Lake Telegram 1912-05-04
• Salt Lake Telegram 1912-04-30
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1980-06-19
• Various cemetery records from ancestry, names in stone, and find-a-grave

The Purple Lady of the Rio Grande Depot

The Purple Lady, the ghost of the Rio Grande Depot at 300 S. Rio Grande St, Salt Lake City.

The building was constructed by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1910 and was intended to outdo the nearby Union Pacific Depot at South Temple and 400 West and built a year earlier.

The story is about a woman who met her fiancée at the train depot; he was a soldier (either WWI or WWII) and she wore a purple outfit, often described as wearing a long purple dress or a 1940s light violet suit with matching shoes, hat, and veil.

The couple argued and the soldier threw the Purple Lady’s engagement ring onto the railroad tracks. When she ran to retrieve the ring she was struck by a train and died instantly.

I have been unable to verify these events in old newspapers articles.

Regardless, the Purple Lady has been sighted at the Rio Grande Depot for more than 80 years. She is often seen near the women’s restroom, downstairs near where the old Rio Grande Café used to be. While the building is currently vacant and undergoing repairs from the 2020 earthquake, it used to house the offices of the Utah Division of State History/Utah Historical Society, and staff often reported sightings.

Stories involve a woman singing in the bathroom, water being turned on, lights flickering and turning off, sounds of footsteps, and even a 3am call from an empty elevator’s emergency phone.

It’s not just the Purple Lady who is said to wander the Rio Grande Depot, many believe that there are numerous ghosts.

The building has been subject to numerous investigations.

Do you have any stories, post in the comments for everyone to read!

Source: Lost Landscapes: Utah's Ghosts, Mysterious Creatures, and Aliens by Linda Dunning. 2007.

Harry Houdini in Salt Lake City, 1915

Famed escape artist Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz) made his Salt Lake City debut in December 1915 and performed thrilling stunts (a “trick” for October's #spookyslc).

Clip from the Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-19 Pg 32

Clip from Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-19 Pg 20

 
While researching the history of the Midwest Casket Building, I saw a reference in a 1928 book about the Salt Lake Casket Company providing a casket in which Houdini escaped during a show at the Orpheum Theater (now Capitol Theater) in 1915. However, I could not verify this information.

What I found indicates that members of the Local No 184 United Carpenters and Joiners of America Union sealed Houdini in a “sturdy wooden box” that they constructed on the stage, on Christmas Eve, 1915.

The carpenters selected were: George H Rose, John H Durbin, Henry J Schmittroth, J H Cox, Bert Harris, Fred Rose.

Houdini entered the box; the lid was nailed down and a strong rope tied around the box. A curtain was drawn around the box and the audience were quiet for the 7 minutes it took Houdini to escape.

The carpenters had made their own secret markings on the box and they declared that the box had not been switched out. According to their report “not a nail was pulled, a board sprung, or a knot in the ropes untied.” The box appeared to still be sealed. 

Houdini performed another trick the day prior. He freed himself from a straightjacket while hanging upside down from his ankles from the Walker Center Tower at 175 S Main Street, Salt Lake City.

Clip of Houdini from the SL Herald 1915-12-23 and the
Orpheum Theater & Walker building in 1920, from USHS

A note about Houdini’s Salt Lake performance, a few weeks prior Houdini had performed and filmed these same feats in Los Angeles. The film of his Los Angeles stunts were shown at the Salt Lake Orpheum Theater for several days before his live performance.

The Wild About Houdini website by John Cox has a great account of Houdini’s 1915 Los Angeles and Salt Lake performances, including a lost and recently recovered film clip of the Los Angeles performance that would have been shown in Salt Lake City.

Cox indicates that Houdini regularly engaged with local groups (Newspapers, Police, Fire Depts) for them to issue a (likely pre-arrange) challenge which Houdini would accept and perform. It was a way to build up excitement and market Houdini’s appearances.

This is likely what transpired with the Carpenters Union, who issued Houdini a challenge for Houdini to escape a box constructed by the union.

I didn’t find any connection of these men to the Salt Lake Casket Company, so they probably didn’t construct a casket and more likely built the “sturdy wood box.” But, it is an oddly specific reference to the Salt Lake Casket Co, so who knows? 

Photo of Houdini with a sturdy crate. Not Salt Lake City.
From crazyabouthoudini.com

Also, check out this Salt Lake City History Minute video about Houdini in SLC.

AND, see me on Fox13!

Sources:

• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-16 p10
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-19 p5
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-2-19 p20
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-19 p32
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-21 p5
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-22 p9
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-23 p4
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-23 p7
• Salt Lake Herald 1915-12-25 p3
• Salt Lake Telegram 1915-12-21 p12
• Salt Lake Telegram 1915-12-22 p12
• Salt Lake Telegram 1915-12-23 p9
• Salt Lake Tribune 1915-12-16 p13
• Salt Lake Tribune 1915-12-25 p3
• Wild About Houdini by John Cox, especially SLC and LA 
• Film clip of Houdini in LA and shown in SLC
• Houdini his life story by Harold Kellock, 1928

Midwest Casket Company Building at 440 W 600 South SLC

Midwest Casket Co Building, September 2024.
Note the recently demolished buildings to the east (right). 

Midwest Casket Co Building, September 2024.

The old Midwest Casket Company building at 440 W 600 South is one that you have likely passed by on numerous occasions. It is representative of the transition to modern funeral services, especially among the middle class.

The building was constructed in 1912 (although the Salt Lake County Assessor states 1905) for the Utah Casket Company for the manufacture of caskets, undertaker’s supplies, and a dressmaking department for burial dresses, shrouds, and robes.

The early 1900s was a busy time for the casket industry in SLC. Prior to about 1880, SLC had one primary undertaker – Joseph Edward Taylor (often referred to as the Pioneer Undertaker) and his family. He was appointed by Brigham Young to be the SLC Cemetery Sextant, undertaker, and provide coffins (through his father-in-law, William Capener, who was a cabinet maker).

Slowly, things changed around 1880. In James Farrell’s book “Inventing the American Way of Death 1830-1920” (so interesting!), he indicates the growth of the middle class demanded attention to the deceased “more in accordance with their surroundings,” meaning something more elaborate than a simple box lined with linen. At this same time in SLC, a greater influx of non-Mormons demanded a greater variety of services, commodities, and cemeteries.

Utah Casket Company advertisement showing an elaborate casket, 1913.
Clip from Salt Lake Herald 1913-04-04 Page14

 
At the end of the 1800s, there were a variety of funerary start-up businesses. Most only lasted a few years but several have endured to the modern time (some names you may recognize Evans, O’Donnell, or Larkin). Often, when one of these businesses ended, another would purchase their real estate and equipment, often at auction.

This is what happened with the original occupant of this building; in 1910 a newly incorporated Utah Casket Company acquired the equipment of the Crescent Manufacturing Company. 

Crescent manufactured caskets and its establishment in SLC was a bit of weird situation. Through my reading of the old newspapers articles, it seems that Mr. Edward H. Sherman re-established Crescent Manufacturing Company in SLC in 1908 from Butte, Montana and it seems he did so in order to escape a significant judgement against the company in Butte. In 1910 Sherman sold the equipment and supplies of Crescent in exchange for stock in the Utah Casket Company. At the time, Utah Casket Company was located at 32-36 E 800 South.

A year later, in December 1911, The Utah Casket Company announced it would build a new modern facility to manufacture caskets, undertaker’s supplies, and couches at 440 W 600 South. The two-story building is constructed of brick and cement and was constructed so that a third story could be added if needed. The building was “modern in every detail…with rest and lunchrooms for the employees, which will include a large number of women” who worked in the sewing department creating burial clothing, shrouds, and linings for the caskets. The building formally opened in October 1912.

Utah Casket Factory announcement illustration, January 1912.
Clip from the The Salt Lake Tribune 1912-01-28 Page 11

Utah Casket Company building completion, December 1912
Clip from the Deseret News 1912-12-21 Page 97

 
Two workplace accidents at 440 W 600 South were reported in the newspapers in January 1919. Sixteen year old Rulon Hanson lost his little finger of his left hand while working with the buzz saw and another employee lost four fingers of his right hand while using the same saw.

The Utah Casket Company occupied the building for about 8 years. They exhibited their caskets at the Utah State Fair and won a blue ribbon, which they proudly advertised. Around 1920, Utah Casket Company was defunct.

Around the same time period, there were competing casket business. The Salt Lake Casket Company was incorporated in 1910; this company was associated with Joseph E. Taylor (“Pioneer Undertaker”) and his son Alma O. Taylor and was the successor and outgrowth of Joseph E. Taylor’s operation. 

In 1919, Alma O. Taylor split from Salt Lake Casket Company (run by his brothers Samuel and Joseph Taylor) to form the Intermountain Casket company with Lafayette Holbrook. In 1920 the Intermountain Casket Company opened a new three-story building at 276 W 100 South and is still standing in SLC’s Japantown.

In 1920, it was the Salt Lake Casket Company that acquired the building at 440 W 600 South including the real estate, building, and equipment of the defunct Utah Casket Company. They occupied the building for several years. In 1937 the company was bankrupt and the building, real estate, machinery, fixtures, and equipment were sold at public auction.

Around 1938 the Midwest Casket Company moved into the building. Midwest Casket was associated with brothers Curt and Henry Skola. Midwest Casket occupied the building for decades. It became known for its custom caskets and interiors, including caskets for pets. They provided custom options in an ever-growing market of mass production with limited choices.

A 1991 article from the Salt Lake Tribune interviewed three women who worked as seamstresses at Midwest Casket. They worked in a sunny room on the top floor that was filled with bolts of fabric and antique sewing machines. (The casket production area was on the main floor.)

As an example of how the workplace environment has changed since 1991, there were posters of Chippendale dancers in thong bathing suites covering holes in the walls on one side of the room. In 1968 they provided 35 caskets for an airplane crash at the SLC Airport. They provided caskets for LDS church presidents, local politicians and in 1985 they sent a champagne velvet lined casket for actor Rock Hudson as one of the options for his burial. They are still in business and have relocated to South Salt Lake.

Recently the building and surrounding parcels are undergoing redevelopment as part of the Silos Block project in the Granary District. Many buildings on the block have been or will be demolished, the most notable being the Cereal Foods Silos.

The Midwest Casket building is to be preserved and adaptively reused as a commercial space. The adjacent building to the west (Euro Treasures) will also be preserved and adaptively reused (plans indicate a garage for 117 parking stalls). Rimini Coffee at 532 S 400 West will also remain.

Also of note, the old Portland Cement art-dec style building (554 S 400 West) will be demolished.


Sources

• Sanborn Maps for Salt Lake City, 1898,1911,1926,1950,1969
• Salt Lake Herald Sat, Sep 03, 1910 ·Page 15
• Salt Lake Telegram Thu, Dec 08, 1910 ·Page 10
• Salt Lake Herald Wed, Dec 13, 1911 ·Page 4
• The Salt Lake Tribune Sun, Jan 28, 1912 ·Page 11
• The Salt Lake Tribune Mon, Jul 08, 1912 ·Page 10
• Salt Lake Herald Fri, Oct 04, 1912 ·Page 12
• Deseret News Sat, Dec 21, 1912 ·Page 97
• Deseret News Sat, Apr 05, 1913 ·Page 38
• Salt Lake Herald Fri, Apr 04, 1913 ·Page 14
• Salt Lake Herald Tue, Nov 16, 1915 ·Page 8
• Salt Lake Telegram Fri, Jan 31, 1919 ·Page 13
• Salt Lake Tribune Oct 7 1919 Page 20
• Deseret News 1930-10-26 Page 32
• The Salt Lake Tribune Thu, Dec 31, 1936 ·Page 20
• Salt Lake Telegram Jan 6 1939 Page 16
• Deseret News 1939/05/17 Page 11
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1955-06-24 Page 54
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1980-07-17 Page 103
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1988-03-27 Page 41
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1991-03-11 Page 12
• The Salt Lake Tribune 1943-03-05
• Biennial Report by Utah Secretary of State 1913
• Kate B. Carter, Heart Throbs of the West, 1945, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. 
• James J. Farrell, Inventing the American Way of Death, 1830-1920. 1980. 
• USHS Files for Midwestern Casket Co Building
• USHS Files for Intermountain Casket Co Building
• Salt Lake City, Silo Phase 2 Staff Report - Final, 2023

How did Salt Lake City's 300 South become Broadway?

How did 300 South become Broadway?

Salt Lake City's Broadway (300 South), shown here at the intersection with Shelmerdine Ct (235 East).

In 1912, SLC business owners petitioned the SLC Commission (now City Council) to change the name to highlight the newly developed shopping/business district.

This new 300 South business district was significant in that it was located away from the traditional commercial sectors of Main and State Streets. Many new large department stores had recently been constructed such as Auerbach’s, the Paris, Keith-O’Brien, Walker Bros Dry Goods, and other prominent businesses such as the Judge Building, J G McDonald Chocolate Factory, Peery Hotel, and the Colonial Theater (old Yardstick Building). Many of these buildings are still standing.

Two-page spread in the December 8 1912 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune detailing Broadway shopping between Main and State Streets.

Two-page spread in the December 15 1912 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune detailing Broadway shopping between West Temple and Main Streets.

In May 1912, the Auerbach Company petitioned to rename 300 South, between the Rio Grande Depot and State Street, to Broadway Street- after Broadway in New York City.

Proponents wanted “a distinctive name that commands attention.” They wanted visitors who disembarked a train at the Rio Grande Depot to see a grand boulevard of shops and exquisite buildings, complete with electric streetlights.

There was pushback. Nearly 1,500 Salt Lakers signed a protest against the name change. Many didn’t like the idea of deviating from the SLC’s grid system. Others indicated there was already an alley named Broadway (eventually renamed and is now the northernmost section of Regent Street that runs through City Creek Center). The postal workers were especially against the idea.

I was not able to find any documentation of the official change of name, nor what section was designated as Broadway. I searched various online repositories. Presumably, there is some documentation in the paper records at Salt Lake County archives. Regardless, it seems that maps were eventually updated with the new Broadway Street, although even today maps vary on which section of 300 South is Broadway.

Nowadays, it seems that Salt Lake County retains control of street names. According to their data, Broadway is the section of 300 South between 455 West and 549 East.

The signage of Broadway is a little sporadic. My quick field recon showed that primarily the area between the Rio Grande Depot and State Street is signed as Broadway – except for my photo here at the intersection with Shelmerdine Ct (235 E).

Sources:
Salt Lake Telegram 1912-05-29 Pg 10; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-06-18 Pg 6; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-07-06 Pg 7; 

Salt Lake Telegram 1912-07-11 Pg 12; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-11-10 Pg 20; 

Salt Lake Tribune 1912-11-24 Pg 21; 

SLC Infobase; 

various Sanborn Maps

WWI 1918 Military Draft Map of Salt Lake City

More map fun! This is a World War I (WWI) 1918 military draft map of Salt Lake City. This map shows men where they needed to go to register for military service, both citizens and non-citizens.

Clip of map from SL Trib 1918/06/04 Page 11

Detail of the same (above) clip of map from SL Trib 1918/06/04 Page 11

Of interest, the Japanese Association Headquarters building at 168 S West Temple is specifically noted and marked. The Japanese Association was the precursor to the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).

The building at 168 West Temple was part of Salt Lake’s old Japantown which was mostly demolished for the construction of the Salt Palace in the 1960s.

Image 3 shows what the building looked like in 1918. The “Lodge Pool Hall” is the location of the Japanese Association. As it was mostly a fraternal association of men, it is sometimes identified as a Lodge.

I’ve denoted the approximate location of this building on the other images by using a torii gate icon in red.

Image of the building at 168 S West Temple in 1918. From USHS Shipler 18591.

Clip from a postcard of the Salt Palace in the 1960s

 Modern Google Maps showing the Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

Maps by W.D. Rishel

Maps are fun! This 1917 map from the Salt Lake Tribune shows SLC as the Crossroads of the West, although the specific verbiage used in the description was “automobile touring center of the west.” Where the tourist must top for supplies and information… whether traveling east, west, north, or south.

This 1917 map was made by W. D. Rishel, manager of the Utah Automobile Association, and shows several travel routes. You will note that many of these routes eventually evolved into our Interstate Highway system while others (notably the Lincoln Highway through Fish Springs) were abandoned.

• Lincoln Highway

• Midland Trail

• Pike’s Peak Route

• Arrowhead Trail

• Evergreen Highway

• Yellowstone Highway

Source: Salt Lake Tribune 1917-12-30 Page 46

Mountainville Academy's Failure to Incorporate STEM Principals into Actual Practice: The Demolition of the Historic Carlisle House

Architectural salvage of the brick from the Fanny and Thomas Carlisle House, May 17 2024. Mountainville Academy will demolish the house for a parking lot and STEM building.

Demolition of the Carlisle House in Alpine has begun. Mountainville Academy (@mountainvilleacademy) refused the offer by Alpine City and the Friends of the Alpine City Library to purchase the property and turn it into a children’s library. As such, Mountainville has decided to demolish the house rather than let someone else buy it to be preserved or to utilize it themselves.

I visited the Thomas and Fanny Carlisle House on Friday, May 17 2024 and took these photographs. The workers in the images were hired by Alpine City (not Mountainville Academy) to conduct architectural salvage; their focus is on recovering the ca1910 brick, which I was told will be repurposed for the Alpine Library.

FOX13's Shanti Lerner reported that Mountainville plans to use the space for a parking lot and a STEM building… both purposes I find enraging. The parking lot is clearly a shortsighted decision and something that could have been designed to easily avoid the Carlisle House.

The lack of integrating the Carlisle House into a STEM building (an addition could have been added) is yet another shortsighted decision and illustrates Mountainville’s lack of creativity and willingness to incorporate the principles of STEM/STEAM into actual practice.

The entire drive back from Alpine all I could do was think of various science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics classroom exercises that utilized or focused on the Carlisle House. Incorporating historic preservation into STEM/STEAM would have been a true example of “Excellence.”

I helped build Utah’s first standalone STEM program of K-6 grades, at M. Lynn Bennion Elementary (soon to close) a Title 1 School that serves downtown SLC families. We did amazing things with very little funding.

It is so insulting to see a fairly privileged school like Mountainville Academy squander a unique opportunity. One quick example of a potential STEM exercise: make adobe bricks (sun-dried mud) with various compositions and then test their engineering strength.

This potential STEM lesson was on my mind because the adobe brick is now exposed while the exterior fired brick is being salvaged.