Madge Metro Shumway is likely the oldest person in Blanding but her memory and opinions are still sharp and vivid. She was born in 1927 with family ties to Yugoslavia. Her grandparents Charles and Pauline arrived in Ellis Island in 1907. Her grandfather Charles Metro (Metrovondavich) was a barber who spoke seven languages and he could carry on a conversation with practically everyone he met while working in New York. This gift of gab and story telling runs deep in the Shumway family. His wife Pauline Brauch was an only child and her father John was a holistic chiropractor, keen on healthy living and exercise. These traits were also influenced Madge’s choices in life.
The Metro family eventually moved to Phoenix, then Tuba City. Because her mother knew shorthand, she was able to get a job with John Walker who was a lawyer in Tuba. This was during the Great Depression and women were beginning to break out of traditional roles and work outside the home. The family eventually ended up in Bluff where they lived in the Decker home for 13 years. Her grandparents were strong southern Baptists and they weren’t happy when Madge was baptized in the LDS religion (in the Bluff swimming pool); however, her mother did play the piano for LDS church meetings. Madge attended grade school in Bluff. “Bluff was a fun place to live. There was fresh artesian water and lots of things for children to do and explore,” she said./a>
When Madge started high school in Blanding, she boarded with John and Luella Rogers and she would catch a ride with the mail carrier to get back and forth on the weekends. She was active in pep club and other school activities. She met DeVar Shumway at this time through his sister Dixie who was her friend; however, he had turned in his mission papers and served for two years in Georgia.
When WWII broke out dozens of San Juan County men enlisted including DeVar, Rex Nielson, Aroe Brown, Prock May, Edward Keele, Bo Montella, Dee Galbraith, Devon Hurst, Frank Beeson, Lyle Johnson, Melvin Hurst, Spin Jones, Billie Eichenberger, Willard Guymon, Joe Albertano, Tex Bradford, Jess Grover, Dave Guymon, Dee Black, Ben Black, Aaron Harvey, Glen Shumway, Tex Bradford, Samuel Holliday, Frances Bayles, Platt D. Bayles, Jack Hunt, Wayne Laws, DeReese and Rex Nielson, Keith and Kent Redd, Bart Lyman, Keith Harvey, Carlie Carroll, Toddy Wozniak, Sylvan Johnson, Leonard Jacobs, Dean Butt, and Kline Black. [Many of their experiences are in Issue #20 of Blue Mountain Shadows. At least 56 of these veterans are buried in San Juan County.]
While DeVar was serving in the Navy (on the USS O’Brian), Madge worked for Zenos Black in the San Juan High office. When Devar returned home on a 30-day leave he went straight to the SJH office, telling Madge, “I’m here to propose!” however, she had planned to go to Utah State! Not one to give up, he drove down to Mexican Hat to talk to her parents. Her mother wasn’t too excited but the wedding plans proceeded. They caught a ride north with Cleon Shumway to Salt Lake; unfortunately, they ran out of gas in Price and had to siphon some in order to finish the trip! (In those days gas was rationed.) They were married in the Salt Lake temple April 4, 1945 along with 10 other couples. After 65 years of marriage, Madge’s advice to others is “Never go to bed mad!”
It was an eye-opening experience for this Ute student and her advisor to travel to such a gigantic city and compete with students representing the whole USA. Tonya’s paper on the Posey War placed 1st in Utah and her teachers, principal, and friends were thrilled for her.
Participation in such things as history and science fairs require "Authentic Assessment" where research and documentation are useful to others. "We had the most awesome time on that trip and only got lost 2 or 3 times! Since 1988 dozens of other Blanding and Monticello students (taught by Judy Barton and others) have competed on a national level."
Most recently Saylor Dandy, daughter of Jim and Rena Dandy, qualified for the National History Fair and competed in Washington DC this summer. Her presentation was a display showing experiences of Native American children as they sought to get an education. She interviewed her grandparents: Edward Whitethorne and Sally Johnson and read notebooks that her grandparents, Jim and Betty Dandy kept, related to boarding schools. A documentary and recorded stories of other friends and relatives who attended boarding schools in the Four Corners area were also included in her research.
To qualify for National's, students are interviewed by 2-3 judges at each level of competition (local, regional, and state). They must be knowlegeable and exact in the information they share with judges and utilize a wide variety of sources. Saylor’s teacher/advisor at SJHS is Jesse Grover and he attended the National History fair as well as Saylor's parents, Jim and Rena.
Bonnie remembers her mother, grandmother, and Gladys Lyman (Albert R. Lyman’s wife) tying quilts in their home on 3rd west. In that era, quilters would cut each piece of yarn individually and tie each knot separately. She recalls sitting under the quilts and listening to the lady’s gossip!
The Holliday crew built two storage ponds, one at the base of the hill and one on top of the hill. This was to relieve the pressure for the pumps doing the transfer of the water. It was a 500 foot, vertical lift from Recapture to Starvation. A fourth pump, owned by the city of Blanding, pumped water from the lowered level of 4th Reservoir to the pipeline going to the water treatment plant. There were 250 gallons per minute pumped into the treatment plant until the 4th Reservoir was drained.(Glen and Kline Black came up with their fishing nets and took some very prize fish out of 4th at this time.) John Black's job was to check the pumps three times a day and make sure everything continued to run on schedule. He did this for six months. Each lift pond had to maintain the same level of water in order to keep the pumps functioning. He started at 6:00 A.M. to check the pumps and water lines and rechecked them again at 12:00 noon and 6:00 P.M. On weekends he would change the oil on the pumps. Each pump had its own fuel tank. Mike Christensen delivered fuel to each pump.A million gallons of water were pumped every 24 hours to the water treatment plant by this process.
John would go to Starvation Reservoir and look at the water coming out of the pipeline and could tell if all the pumps were functioning properly.To simplify the delivery problem, Blanding rented 12,000 feet of sectional pipe from Bowlens Inc. Rain for Rent, Logan, Utah.; each section was 8'X 40' long. They also rented four diesel high volume, high pressure pumps from them. These pumps were in continuous use and one was a standby, in case of problems. The water was pumped 500 feet from Recapture Reservoir to Starvation Reservoir. It took 12,000 feet of pipeline to cover that distance! Jerry Holliday built the lift ponds and the roadway for the pipeline. Some of the road was the old sawmill gravel road that went up the west side of Johnson Creek (called the LC Ranch). Bowlens worked with city employees Mike Dayzie, David Homedew and John Black to install the pipeline from northwest side of Recapture up the old sawmill road ½ mile and then up to the old LC Ranch dugway. From there it turned northwest to Starvation Reservoir.The Hollidays built two lift storage ponds next, one at the base of the hill and one on top of the hill. This was to relieve the pressure for the pumps doing the transfer of the water. It was a 500 foot, vertical lift from Recapture to Starvation. A fourth pump, owned by the city of Blanding, pumped water from the lowered level of 4th Reservoir to the pipeline going to the water treatment plant. There were 250 gallons per minute pumped into the treatment plant until the 4th Reservoir was drained. (Glen and Kline Black came up there with their fishing nets and took some prize fish out of 4th at this time!)The 4th Reservoir was built in WestWater Canyon in the 1960's for $110,000, to increase Blanding's water storage.Previously $100,000 had been spent trying to do patch jobs to stop the seepage that was losing water needed for the farms below Blanding. In 1964,the Blanding Water Treatment Plant was built in Blanding and in 1970a million-gallon storage tank was built at the water treatment site. In 1980 the Starvation Reservoir was built by the City of Blanding. The old original standby reservoir, called the 3rd was first drained and covered with the Bentonite Clay. Trees, reeds and brush were removed and it was thoroughly redone by Hurst Builders. The 4th Reservoir had been patched at least three times trying to stop the loss of water that seeped constantly from the dam. It was finally decided that the 4th had to be completely lined and fixed to stop the water loss. This project began in the fall of 1990 with $350,000 allotted to complete it.Norman Nielson was a strong proponent of the project and John Black was the Construction Supervisor. Equipment owners were also involved. The 4th Reservoir was completely drained and lined with Bentonite Clay. A total of 60,000 tons of clay was hauled to the site from the Recapture area. It was then completely covered again with soil so the clay would not erode.The permit for the good Bentonite clay from above Recapture was obtained from the BLM. The City of Blanding got a CIB grant to put in pumps, and a 10" metal pipeline so now if they had a water emergency, they can pump water directly to the Starvation Reservoir from Recapture Reservoir.The 4th Reservoir and Starvation Reservoirs could now hold the same amount of water, 550 Acre feet of water.This project was completed Thanksgiving weekend. It was finished with no delays or problems. Since then, the reservoir has never been dry. The equipment and fuel tanks were moved out by Nov. 30. On Dec. 10 it snowed 2' at the project—-a big boost to the final completion of the purpose. All of Blanding today reaps the benefits of this great effort which assures that the city has water.So when you're taking a long shower or filling your glass with cold water, remember what the price and effort was for good, safe water!
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Their first home in Blanding had a tarpaper roof, which didn’t fare well in unexpected hailstorms. DeVar started mining in Cottonwood and was often gone. In 1955 they moved to Colorado with their 8 children where he continued his mining business. By 1975 mines were being shut down, so they sold their Colorado ranch and moved back to Utah and built a new home in 1991 on the east side of town. They ended up with12 children, which included two sets of twins. Jim and Joe were born in 1947 and Jill and Jane in 1959. Their other children include Dan, Casey, Sallee, Clark, Kerry, Alan, and Jason. It was always a lively household and the children had weekly cleaning assignments. They were taught to work and not complain. Madge often told her kids, “Tell me when your siblings do something good, not just what bothers you!”
Madge did most of the cooking but the kids and Devar often helped. Favorites were biscuits and gravy and meat and potatoes. Allan has the title of “cooker man” and is considered a gourmet chef. (He also served 12 years in the Navy.) Three of the boys served missions. Five of their children live in Blanding and check on their mother often.
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Grover Cattle, Crops, and Education Built SJC Traditions
Jess Morris Grover was a well-rounded educator who learned about animals and work from his father and taught those same principles to his family. They in turn continue to teach those same principles to their children. Before becoming an Ag teacher at SJH in 1940, Jess was a cowboy in northern Utah and also worked at the USU dairy for several years. He cowboyed with the Browning Livestock Company in Northern Ut, and Wyo. He graduated midterm, then went to Blanding with Ray Perkins, his roommate. He lived with Joe Nielson, Bud Nielson and Carl Perkins while he was a 1st year school teacher.
Singles in those days often had socials at the Blue Mountain Dude Ranch and that’s where he met Afton Hurst. Since it happened to be Leap Year, she asked him his opinion about girls proposing! The strategy worked and they married 4 days after she graduated from SJHS in 1939. Their first child, Merlin, was born in April 1942.
The Army offered advancements if soldiers would stay but Jess missed his family and returned home. He hadn’t seen his daughter for 22 months. Even though jobs were scarce, he was able to find work at the Ben Lomond farms in Logan & was hired as a herdsman for their Guernsey cows. Jess also Worked for Cream of Weber Dairy but money was tight so after 2 years the whole family decided to move to Montana. He started work there taking care of cattle all over the state; however, a car accident changed their plans and they gathered up their milk cows and moved to Blanding.
Zenos Black talked Jess into teaching at SJHS and Erv Guymon helped them get a 1 room building in the area where Yaks is where they also kept their cattle. Jess farmed and ran 400 cattle on the Blue Mountain but often did veterinarian work for Blanding and Monticello ranchers. He also did custom haying in Montezuma Canyon for the Daltons as well for as Harrison Oliver, the Nielsons and Carl Perkins. In addition, he kept his teaching certificate current and often had to take summer classes. Because of this, his wife and boys often had to take care of the livestock and milk business.
Jess was finally successful in getting the school district to restart FFA (which it continues to do). He had good rapport with Native Americans students and taught them skills that helped them be successful raising livestock on the reservation. Many became good athletes and FFA leaders. In addition, they learned parliamentary procedures as well as agricultural strategies. Mark Maryboy was one of his students. He also worked with the San Juan Extension Service to implement the Junior Livestock program in 1972.
Another Grover enterprise started in 1955 which was running the Blanding Dairy. They delivered milk, house to house 6 days a week and took ice cream to cafes. They even sold milk to Meadow Gold who eventually turned around and brought milk to Blanding. Eventually Kenneth & Don Brown bought the dairy.
Both of his parents had a love of youth and agriculture and Jess had a major influence in the lives of many people. Clisbee Lyman and Don Smith were some of his first students. He was good friends with Bud Nielson and helped start VFW. The San Juan County Fair and FFA are now a permanent part of county history, thanks to the efforts of Jess Grover.
Thursday, August 1, 2024
The Stone Lizard Flourishes with Simpson TLC
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Blanding Motel & Stone Lizard Site Turns 70 this Year: Part I, The Blickenstaff Era
The motel used radiant heat. After about 15 years, Gene decided it would be more economical to have a coal-fed boiler. John and Kurt were put in charge of cleaning out the coal dust and clinkers from the boiler. The two boys spent one entire summer in the crawlspace under the motel, insulating hot water pipes by wrapping and taping newspaper around them. John recalled, “Whenever we came to the Sunday comic section, we would stop what we were doing and read the comics.”
Besides his job and helping to raise a growing family, Gene volunteered at the San Juan Nursing home. He was honored in 1983 for his volunteer service where he spent countless hours visiting the residents and sharing books with a reading circle (a program which he conceived and organized). He was Blanding’s first PR man and loved talking about San Juan County. He even painted a white square on the back side of their living quarters and used it as a screen to show slides he had taken of San Juan County to motel guests during summer evenings.
Tara Dawn Olsen along with Cindy Bradford and Ulene Black cleaned rooms for Francelle when they were 14. “She was the best boss ever!!” Rickell Walters remembers working there also. “It was my very first actual job! I vividly remember making beds and cleaning rooms!”
Their son Todd, recalled: “Motel Blanding is where I grew up from 1963 (birth) to 1976, when we moved three blocks to our new home on 100 East and 100 North in Blanding. The motel was attached to our home, which had two-stories and an unfinished basement. There were 19 rooms (1-20 with no #13). It was heated by a large coal furnace. There were trees, flowers and lawn to maintain, and we had a huge garden in the back. To save money, dad built a flat roof over all the rooms, so the snow had to be shoveled off the roof in the winter. The motel required a lot of work. We helped clean rooms, plant, water and weed the garden, prune the trees, shovel coal, clean the furnace, shovel snow and much more!”
“I also remember when Blanding first paved 100 West, adjacent to Motel Blanding. I rode my bike up and down the newly paved street before the asphalt was set. I came into the house covered with asphalt and oil that flipped up onto me from my bike tires. Mom took me out on the back porch, stripped off my clothes, stuck me in the large utility sink, and used turpentine to remove the street from my skin.”
“On New Years Eve, we could invite one friend over and mom and dad would let us have a motel room all to ourselves,” Todd remembered. “We would stay up late, play games and watch TV. Every October, deer hunters from California would come and rent rooms. It was one of the only times during the year when we would actually fill all of the rooms. Some of the same hunters came each year. They would bring us oranges, pomegranates, nuts and other goodies from California, and we became friends with them. My dad was a good deer hunter and we loved going with him during the hunt. He would always bring one home and hang it up in the garage where it was cool. We had a refrigerator in the garage and mom was always sending me out there to get something out of the fridge. When I was young, I was scared to go out there when there was a dead deer hanging up. I would put a football helmet on and not look directly at the deer. I would quickly grab whatever mom needed from the fridge and dart back into our house.”
“The garden was amazing! All the fruit and vegetables you could imagine. My favorites were the corn and all the various fruit trees we had”, Todd added. “My mom made delicious pies, cobblers, jams and jellies. The garden was also a fun place to play hide-and-seek. Dad planted several fruit trees behind the motel and kept a large vegetable garden there as well. We harvested cherries, apricots, apples, and peaches, which Mom bottled for use in the winter. Dad created his own hybrid corn seed and prided himself on having corn ready to eat by July 24th. Our summer meals always involved produce from the garden, including corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, asparagus, cantaloupe, and other goodies. I spent hours hoeing weeds and keeping the furrows cleaned out so water would flow to the end of each row.”
From Kurt’s perspective, “The main purpose of the motel was to provide an opportunity for 8 children to learn to work and contribute to the family economy. We all had various chores to perform and were expected to be helpful and diligent. This early training, coupled with the high expectations of my parents, were a great foundation for a lifetime of service and many successes that have blessed my life immeasurably. I am extremely grateful for my Motel Blanding roots and look back on my early years with fondness.”
Many Blanding residents have fond memories of the Blanding Motel: Amy Watkins recalled that Dr. Broughton ran his traveling optometry clinic out of the last unit, and she got first pair of glasses from him.
Kim Fi Chan ran the motel in later years as well as the Rainbow Café on Main Street. Phil and Ann Foutz also ran it for a while and installed a hot tub. Ray and Rae Brown owned it in the late 70’s.
Several families lived in the Blanding Motel while waiting for their own homes to be build. Eva and Stan Byrd were building a home on 2nd West and moved their family into the motel and managed it. Jeff Byrd recalled, “We were so lucky to have a pop machine in our living room. I have fond memories of riding my skateboard down that long sidewalk to the mini mart. I would do that over and over until I was badly sunburned. I think we were there almost a year.” Bonnie and Truitt Purcell had a similar experience, living there from ’78-80 when their home was being built and the Browns were running it. Robin Dawn McDaniel also recalled moving to Blanding in 1978 and living in the main house when the Browns were running it.
Carol Barton: “I have lots of memories of that motel. We stayed there when my Dad (Lynn Lee) was interviewing for the principal position-in Blanding. We went to see Oklahoma in the movie theatre that night. Then for the next several years I spent lots of time there as Mary and I were the same age. Mary’s mom had such a fun since of humor. It was always fun to go to her house.”
Julie Hawkins: Mitchell Hawkins lived there with his two daughters, Kristi, and Andrea, while he managed it about 1987
Toni Lacy: Mike remembers being taught the gospel of Jesus Christ from a very good missionary (Gene Blickenstaff) in this motel.
The Blickenstaff’s raised a large family, all of whom excelled. Scott served a three-year mission for the LDS church in the Southern Far East and was one of the first missionaries to open Thailand for proselytizing. Upon his return he attended the University of Utah, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, class of 1971. He served in the Army for 13 years, which took him and his family to many exciting places, including three years in Belgium where he developed his love for amazing food. He went on to become the clinical director of Bear River Mental Health after receiving his Ph.D. at Utah State University. He later served two missions with his wife Debra, worked in the Logan Temple, and served as bishop of a Utah State University Singles Ward.
The Blickenstaff children were very talented as well as smart and participated in many Blanding productions. Peter Henderson’s, The Happiest Family included music, dance, comedy and drama and Mary Blickenstaff helped coach actors. Her sister Denise placed 3rd in the National Elks contest and was class valedictorian in 1969. She also played the lead in “I Rememer Mama”. John was also the class valedictorian in 1971 and graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University earning a master of business administration degree. In 1989 John was promoted to vice president of finance and administration, Tanox Biosystems Inc. of Houston, Texas.
“The motel was never a profitable enterprise while my parents owned it”, Kurt recalled. My father thought that Blanding would have a thriving tourist population, which it does today, but rarely did in the 1950s to the 1970s. There were more tourists in town during the summer months than in winter, but they struggled to break even most years. A possible exception to this was during the 60s when the US Department of Defense was testing and training military personnel in the use of long-range guided missiles. They were launched from a facility on White Mesa and aimed at a target area near White Sands, New Mexico. There were many service men involved in these exercises that were stationed in Blanding and housed in local motels for months at a time. This certainly helped the local economy and provided various social opportunities for the local populace.”
Todd also recalled, “When the army was firing Pershing missiles from Dead Horse Point to White Sands, New Mexico, the enlisted men were stationed out on Black Mesa and the officers stayed in our motel. “We made friends with them, and it was fun having them around. My dad would always offer to grill up some hamburgers in the back yard for our motel guests or take them out on a four-wheel-drive adventure in his Jeep. You don’t really get that type of hospitality when you stay in motels now.” Eugene Blickenstaff, Ph.D. was born April 18, 1947. Gene and Francell celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1990. Gene passed away at home in Logan, Utah on March 26, 2023.
Friday, June 28, 2024
San Juan High: A Tradition of History Fair Winners
By Janet Wilcox
"Those who don't understand and appreciate history are bound to repeat it." Santana
Students from San Juan High School have consistently done well at the State History Fair for decades, with many qualifying for Nationals in Washington DC. The first ever to do so was Tonya Morris from White Mesa who won Utah's Grand prize expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. June 12-16, 1988.
SJHS WINNERS FROM THE PAST San Juan High's winners in 1987 for historical papers were: 1st Shelley Singer, 2nd Tonya Morris, 3rd Julie Martineau with Superior ratings going to Steve Black, Kaelin Perkins, LeAnn Lovell, LeeAnn Bowring, Daryl Guymon, Kacee Shumway, Gary Lyman, Katrina Shumway, Lorin Kartchner, Deniane Gutke, Annette Carroll, Kim Hurst, Tyler Palmer, Missy Knight, Jenifer Kurtz, Janell Guymon, and Thelma Tate.
Region Winners 1988 --Historical papers: 1st Shelley Singer, 2nd Tonya Morris, 3rd Julie Martineau; Superior ratings: Steve Black, Kaelin Perkins, LeAnn Lovell LeeAnn Bowring, Daryl Guymon, Kacee Shumway, Gary Lyman, Katrina Shumway Smith, Lorin Kartchner & Deniane Gutke, Annette Carroll, Kim Hurst, Tyler Palmer, Missy Knight, Jenifer Kurtz, Janell Guymon, and Thelma Tate.
SJHS WINNERS FROM THE PAST San Juan High's winners in 1987 for historical papers were: 1st Shelley Singer, 2nd Tonya Morris, 3rd Julie Martineau with Superior ratings going to Steve Black, Kaelin Perkins, LeAnn Lovell, LeeAnn Bowring, Daryl Guymon, Kacee Shumway, Gary Lyman, Katrina Shumway, Lorin Kartchner, Deniane Gutke, Annette Carroll, Kim Hurst, Tyler Palmer, Missy Knight, Jenifer Kurtz, Janell Guymon, and Thelma Tate.
Region Winners 1988 --Historical papers: 1st Shelley Singer, 2nd Tonya Morris, 3rd Julie Martineau; Superior ratings: Steve Black, Kaelin Perkins, LeAnn Lovell LeeAnn Bowring, Daryl Guymon, Kacee Shumway, Gary Lyman, Katrina Shumway Smith, Lorin Kartchner & Deniane Gutke, Annette Carroll, Kim Hurst, Tyler Palmer, Missy Knight, Jenifer Kurtz, Janell Guymon, and Thelma Tate.
STUDENTS WIN TOP PRIZE AT UTAH HISTORY FAIR 1992
2004 Navajo students Lynnette Chee, Reed Sampson and Cyndee Stash of San Juan High were the grand prize winners in the Utah History Fair. They utilized their cultural background to develop a project on Navajo rug-weaving, and won $500. They also won 1st place and $75 in the Brigham Young University's Charles Redd Center contest for the best historical project dealing with Western history. Reed was inspired to use a book format after a book fell down from a shelf and hit him in the head! They created a display with large pages that turned Each page told part of the history of Navajo weaving. Their project also won $75 for best Western Research Exhibit and they won an expense paid trip to Washington D.C. Other local winners in 2004 were Revarae Bitsinnie and Carissa Nelson.
1997
1995:One of the biggest groups from San Juan to qualify for the National History Fair included: L-R: Christina Guymon, Jeanine Christensen, Mindy Redd, Zeb Crofts, Valena Lake and Landry Redd. Platt Nielson and Kyle Laws also qualified. They won numerous awards at each level of competition. Several parents traveled with them to Washington DC along with their advisor.
: Kristina Long placed 1st in individual performance at Region with her story of the Long Walk entitled "Peaches"; 2nd place went to Tyler Jack and his performance related to the CCC Camp in Blanding. Kami Christiansen wrote her research paper on the role that her grandfather County Commissioner, Calvin Black played in the Sagebrush Rebellion. "From Sagebrush Rebellion to Environmental Hellion" was the title. She won 1st place for local research from the Charles Redd Center and a $100 cash prize. She also took 2nd in historical papers in the state. She and her mother went to Washington D.C. in June 1997 to compete. She used over 20 primary sources in her research.
2009: Winners in the Charles Redd competition were Gina Guymon, San Juan. Teachers given Merit Awards included Judy Busk, Richfield High; Janet Wilcox, San Juan High; and James Walker, Grand Middle.
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Bonnie Meyers: Quilter Extraordinare for 80 Years
Bonnie’s mother, Beth Guymon was a great example of frugality and made all of her children's clothes as they were growing up. Bonnie never had a store bought dress until she was in junior high school When she married Steve Meyer at 18, she started making all of her daughters’ clothing. This included Easter dresses, Christmas and 4th of July outfits.
Her first hand-quilting experience came when her son, Steven Meyers and his fiancé Emily Riggs, were to be married. Emily’s mother and Adell Lovell, put on a tricot quilt and invited Bonnie to come over and help and Bonnie never looked back! This door opened a new passion and hobby which has never ended. She began the tradition of quilting tricot quilts for her children when they married and then expanded it to include 47 grandchildren when they married.
“Have a thimble, will quilt!” might well be Bonnie’s motto. She has often quilted with friends in town, sometimes quilting until two in the morning! Different people came to help and it was a wonderful way to socialize.
In her younger years, Helen Palmer needed help with a quilt and called Bonnie, asking for help. Helen was an excellent quilter and Bonnie felt that when Helen asked for her help, “I was finally good enough to quilt for others.” Helen’s approval made Bonnie feel like she had “really made it!” Bonnie has made pieced quilts for her boys and three or four for each of her girls with either embroidered blocks or pieced ones. About seven years ago, Bonnie began sewing pillowcases for Christmas gifts for each of her 94 great-grandchildren and her sister Kathleen Lyman’s 18 grandchildren. Each great-grandchild receives a new pillowcase each year with their name embroidered on the case. This is a legacy that she gives to her posterity.
Her talents have rubbed off on all her posterity and one of her grandson’s has even invested in an embroidery machine! STASH! All quilters have lots of stash and Bonnie is no exception. When she goes to Spanish
Fork to visit her daughters, she always goes to fabric stores to buy more fabric. She usually spends around $700. But once, she walked out with $2000
worth of "stash"! Bonnie said that she has 40 years’ worth of fabric. “If you make something for one, you have to make one for everyone,” she noted.
Often, both Bonnie and her sister Kathleen have said that they “cannot die until they have cleared out their stash.” If that’s the case, Bonnie will likely outlive us
all!Sunday, June 16, 2024
Making the Desert Bloom: Water Reservoirs in SJC
By LaVerne Tate and Janet Wilcox
Many Blanding people will remember the water crisis Blanding faced spring of 1990. That winter had no significant winter snowstorms and very little runoff came into the Starvation nor Dry Wash Reservoirs. In May, the City of Blanding hired John Black to pump water 24 hrs a day to the Water Treatment Plant. Ironically, Blanding was out of water, but owned water in Recapture Reservoir. There were big pumps which moved the water up to two other lift ponds and to Starvation Reservoir, where it could go through the city pipelines to the water treatment plant.Philip Palmer was the engineer on this project. To solve the problem, Blanding rented 12,000 ft. of sectional pipe, each section 8"x40'long from Bowlens Inc. (Rain for Rent,Logan, Utah).They also rented four diesel high volume, high pressure pumps from them. These pumps were in continuous use and one was a standby, in case of problems. It took 12,000 ft. of pipeline for that distance!Jerry Holliday built the lift ponds and the roadway for the pipeline. Some of the road was an old sawmill gravel road that went up to the west side of Johnson Creek (called the LC Ranch). Bowlens worked with city employees Mike Dayzie, David Homedew and John Black to install the pipeline from northwest side of Recapture up the old sawmill road ½ mile and then up the old LC Ranch dugway then northwest to Starvation Reservoir.
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