Ernest J. Sondregger’s legacy: Building homes, businesses, and churches

Ernest J. Sondregger’s legacy of building homes, businesses, and churches began in 1949 when he received his Utah Contractor’s license # 105 and constructed their family’s first home. His wife Vernetta was a diligent photographer and recorder of their experiences; thus a well-documented history of his building and business projects exists. In 1950 his company built Devere Halls’ home, Southwest Gas, and Dr. Matheson’s Home and office in Monticello; in 1951 homes were built for Sarah Barton, Dale Kinnamon, and the Kay Johnson home in Blanding. In 1952 the Edway Redd home was built as well as a business facility for Eddie Saul. Fletch Bronson’s home was built in 1953, as was The Navajo Trail Motel built in Mexican Hat. They also built Tom Jones’ home and the Monticello Seminary that same year. In 1954 Sondreggers built homes for Lisle Adams and Grant Bronson as well as The Dairy Queen in Monticello. The Mexican Hat Motel was built in 1955 as well as the Walton Apartments, the Harris Shumway home in Blanding, and the Marvin Lyman Motel in Blanding.

Most of those well-built homes are still lived in today, including the Ruth Redd and Kenny Shumway homes which were built in 1956. That same year Sondreggers built the State Road Shed as well as a home for R.J. Fellmeth. The following year, homes were built for Dr. Goon and George Walton and The Hess Motel office was completed in 1957 as well as 3 teacher houses in Blanding (which are still in use today). The Bowen Motel addition was finished in 1960. Joe Cooper and Wm Walton’s homes were built in 1961. The Moab Seminary building was completed in 1962. A home for Helen Knight was built in Moab in 1968 as well as the Moab Elementary School. That same year a brick triplex was also built in Blanding on 3rd west, which continues to be used and the Bowen Motel addition was finished.

Several big projects were next on the Sondregger horizon: the auditorium at San Juan High was built in 1964. Young’s Machine Office was built in 1966 and the library and cafeteria at San Juan High completed in 1966-67. An addition to the San Juan Hospital in Monticello was built in 1968. An article published in the San Juan Record May 9, 1968 states: “The new wing at San Juan Hospital is beautiful and practical in every sense and is a real addition to an already excellent facility for the citizens of San Juan County. It has a total of 36 beds and employs 40 people which includes part time help along with four registered nurses, 14 aids, in addition to kitchen and laundry workers and technicians. There are two isolation rooms and two semi-private rooms.”

The Sondreggers finally built their own family home and moved in August 11, 1969. As with all the homes and business built, it too was constructed to last. In 1970 Sondreggers built the Monticello Elementary School, as well as homes for Calvin Perkins, Bryce Redd, John Baker, Don Palmer, Jerry Holliday, and the Blanding Clinic In 1971. The Mexican Hat Chapel was also completed as well as a home in Blanding for his daughter Relva and husband Bob Bowring. In 1972 the company built a home for Harold Allen and an apartment building for Bough Bayles, near the Blanding post office. Kigalia I was also completed by Sondregger’s in 1973 which provided needed apartments in Blanding. In 1974 they completed a split-level home for Richard Colman as well as a home for Kevin Ramsay. 1975 ushered in more homes: Gary Adair, Karl Barton and Joe Davis had homes built and an office was completed for Dr. Goon. The Gateway Motel was built in 1978 as well as the Donald Bayles home in Blanding. In Monticello they built the Phillips 66 station, as well as the AEC dropdown dam in 1974. Mule Canyon Ruins exhibit was completed in 1975.

Earnie Sondregger’s community spirit and skills did not go unappreciated. In a letter to the editor Mike Young wrote. “Dear Mr. Sondregger: In behalf of the Monticello Chamber of Commerce, I would like to thank you sincerely for your assistance in our effort to install a sidewalk between the two schools in Monticello. Without the use of your equipment, which you so generously donated, and without the assistance of your experienced employees, our job would have been much more difficult. We especially appreciate the efforts of your son, Paul, Mr. Verl Bell, Mr. Gaylen Schaugaard and Mr. Elmo Redd. We want you to know that your generosity and assistance was most valuable and enabled us to construct a very professionally done sidewalk. Sincerely, Mike Young, President, Monticello Chamber of Commerce.“

The Blanding Clinic was completed and officially opened in January 1984. Present for the ribbon cutting were Rayburn Jack, Ernest Sonderegger, Cleal Bradford, Bob Low and Dr. James Redd. For the first time in Blanding, a doctor, nurse, and x-ray technician were available 24 hours a day. Mayor Cleal Bradford stated at that time: “A nation can be measured by how it treats its aged, sick and those unable to care for themselves. Guen Smith, who served on the Health Care Services Board recalled: “As recently as 25 years ago, the Navajo people were not given health services. I’m happy today to know that this new facility is for all people.” Sondregger was also associated with Interstate Homes for 11 years. He stated in 1990: “These modular units were of high quality, thus were able to capture 90% of the business in San Juan.” They provided his company with units for homes, apartments and motels for over 40 families.

Along with running his company, he also served as Mayor of Monticello receiving 429 of 500 votes in 1987. For Monticello’s Centennial the following year, Sondregger instigated construction of a Welcome sign and events throughout the year. Some events included Winterfest, snow sculpture competition, 24th of July parade and activities and articles in the San Juan Record “100 years under the Horsehead.” Danny Walker and Merri Allyson Redd were winners of the Centennial logo and theme contest. In August of 1988 Mayor Sondregger pitched the first horseshow at the Utah State Championship tournament in Monticello. In more serious activities as Mayor, he worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to have them compensate the city on damage caused by trucks using Clay Hill Road in their cleanup of contaminated soil south of the old uranium processing mill.

In 1991 The Days Inn was built on the north end of Monticello. It featured a decorative stucco work, a drive-through covered entrance, 43 rooms and an indoor pool and hot tub. It is still one of the nicest motels in the county.

Blanding's Stained Glass Guru

Most people think of Mark Lyman as a skilled counselor and friend, but he also has many creative talents. He majored in Art at BYU and graduated in 1967. This led him to a skill that few people are patient enough to learn: Creating stained glass windows. He first encountered the majesty of stained glass in the Cologne Cathedral while living in Germany in the 60’s. "It was the first time I appreciated the practice of medieval people building stone cathedrals, soaring higher than seemingly possible, with stained glass windows placed along the walls high enough to cause you to look up, heavenward. The combination of stone, colored glass and incense in the air must have been a magical and humbling experience for Medieval people. as it is for us today." The combination of stone, colored glass and incense in the air must have been a magical and humbling experience for Medieval people. As it is for us today. Years later the Lymans took their family back to Cologne to see if they could recapture that magic. "It was still there and has been each time we’ve visited" That same experience and sense of awe can be found in cathedrals all around the world. The famous Rose window in the Notre Dame Cathedral survived the fire of 2019 and is again open to the public, as well as the lesser-known Saint-Chapelle, also in Paris. "We have experienced St. Paul’s and Westminster Cathedrals in London, Canterbury Cathedral, St. Albans in Copenhagen, Sulzberger Dom and Nurnberg Abbey in Salzburg, as well as many smaller, lesser-known cathedrals. St. Savior’s Church in Bar Harbor, Maine has the largest collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass windows. These are at eye level, and although marvelous, don’t seem to inspire the same sense of wonder. They feel more like an art museum. Being forced to look heavenward seems to be good for the soul." In many ways stained glass as an art form is similar to piecing a quilt, though not as easy to fix if you make a mistake. First the size is determined, then the pattern and color scheme is planned using the various colors of glass. Glass is usually purchased at art stores and then the artist determines a pattern and what colors to use. This is where the real artistry begins, as glass is cut into specific shapes, then tediously put back together into a visual masterpiece.

There is a unique range of materials involved in making stained-glass. The palette consists of colored glass, copper foil, and solder (which holds the creation together). As with other art forms, first the creator plans the design on how the various colors and shapes will fit together in a predetermined space. Next the shapes are traced onto the colored glass using. The glass has to be clean and dry on both sides and then is scored with a sharp tool specifically used for glass, so it breaks precisely as planned. Straight lines are cut first, then the curved ones. All the edges require sanding (with fine sand paper) so they snuggly fit, like puzzle pieces. This is followed by melting copper foil which is moldable and will bend on both sides around the glass. The final step is soldering every piece together with an 80 watt soldering iron, using flux so that both sides stay in place. The foil is like wire and comes in various colors depending on the artist's preferences. Even a small stained glass piece 14X 20 inches may take as long as a week or more to create. Mark has made a dozen or more 4X8X6 pieces and several larger 20X20 stained glass panels. As with all art forms there may be disasters along the way, but the final outcome is still worth it! It is not an simple skill to learn. If you're looking for a quick and easy imitation, you can just paint on glass, which is evidently what was done on the large glass window in the old south chapel.

Veterans Memorial To Be Built in Blanding

For decades, soldiers from San Juan County dedicated their time and often their lives to the cause of freedom. From WWI to more current conflicts, hundreds of local soldiers have served in order that the freedoms we cherish are preserved. American Legion Post #97 Commander Tony Wojcik and Andy Mikesell Adjunct are currently working to build a permanent veterans outdoor memorial near the visitors center on Center Street. This will honor veterans who have served in all branches of the military. Families of soldiers past and present and county residents are asked to join in this effort.

Even though an archival tribute to veterans is located on the north side of the Visitors Center, it is locked because of vandalism in the past and can only be accessed by visitor center staff. It contains details such as: family connection, birth and deaths of older generations of soldiers. However, the American Legion determined to build a memorial so that people can participate more directly, as well as reminding visitors of all who have served. The local American Legion Post #97 was started after WWII vets returned in 1948. Blanding always celebrated with farewell socials when soldiers left and returned. The history of many of these soldiers and their letters home are included in issue 20 of Blue Mountain Shadows.

A series of fortunate events prepared the way for this current project. Many will remember the old rodeo grounds northeast of Blanding. It included 40 acres of land, a rodeo arena as well as a racetrack. When Monticello built a better rodeo and fairgrounds, the Blanding rodeo property was abandoned and any materials left were either stolen or damaged. After 50 years the acreage was officially turned over by the BLM to the American Legion Post #97. After much deliberation it was decided to sell the land to Sondregger Construction who wanted to purchase it for gravel production. That sale provided the needed funding for the Veterans Memorial Project. The vision for the project came about after Wojcik started brainstorming to find a way to honor all branches of the military. He presented his ideas to the Blanding City Council who were supportive of the project and impressed by the amount of money available that could be used for it. The city agreed to provide the land, pay for the relocation of electricity and water and landscaping, as well as some financial assistance as needed. After meeting with the City Council, it was decided to put it near the Visitors Center.

Allison Ipson put together the artist’s concept for the memorial which will include six 8 ft. pillars with 10-inch bronze plaques with each military branch’s service motto on both sides. These will represent the Army, Navy, Marines, Airforce, Coast Guard and Space Force. In the center of the pillars will be a large kiva with a ladder and openings east and west with a large flagpole coming out of the center of the kiva. It will include the 4 traditional colors of the Navajo tribe: black= north, blue= south, yellow= west and white= east. The wall around the memorial will be 18 inches high with stone veneer.

When visitors arrive, they will first see a metal plaque: “What is a Veteran? Veterans are people who at one point in their lives wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount of up to and including their life. That is honor.” The Gold Star Wall in the memorial will honor 29 individuals who lost their lives in battle (KIA). Their names will be etched into black polished granite. The memorial also includes the clock put in by Harold Lyman, a Korean War veteran.

Local families can purchase a paver to honor those in their family who have served in the military, but anyone can purchase pavers to be engraved at a cost of $360 (which is tax deductible as this is a nonprofit project.) Dedication of the memorial will be (hopefully) on Veterans Day Nov. 11, 2025. Contact Tony Wojcik at 435-459-2249 for more information. To order a paver, go to the city of Blanding web site, scroll down main page to Veterans Memorial, click on link to order and follow the instructions.

The construction team includes: Jones and DeMille Engineers, Javen Ivins, Allison Ipson, (concept rendering) and Taylor Made Wooden Heritage. The project will use local artisans and companies. Lights will be provided by Northern Electric and will be on from dusk to dawn to illuminate the memorial.

Pups, People and Preparation: Wendy Ward-- Successful Dog Competitor and Breeder

Wendy Ward’s endeavors with her dogs, (AKC Kennel name: Blue House Cavaliers)is a lot like raising children; it requires teaching, training, cleaning, care and feeding, and coaching them as they work with and compete with others. Her focus and commitment to do this has led to great success in the winner’s circle at competitions as far away as Alaska and Alabama and as close as Arizona and Utah. Her next dog competition is May 16,17, and 18 in Farmington, New Mexico and visitors are invited to come. Other competitions are held in Colorado, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and all over the U.S. Wendy is quick to point out that her first attempts were awkward and unschooled. She has now progressed to awkward & totally trained (in her own words)!

There are all kinds of competitive dogs but Wendy’s preference is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She initially started with Yorkies, but they had to be taken to the vet often which was not cost effective. The Spaniels are cute, small in size, even tempered and outgoing. Unlike the Yorkies, they are large enough to not be confused with prairie dogs if they get out and run down the road. They are also very affectionate, gentle, and adaptable to children and families. The Wards’ four grandsons have informally temperament tested the cavaliers by sitting on them, pulling their ears, dragging them around and taking bones out of their mouth. These are patient, gentle dogs!

Best Christmas Story Started in Blanding

With the recent movie release of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (which comes to Blanding Dec 13-19) some may not know it has a strong Blanding connection which started in 1981, when Melissa Tatro was a teacher at Blanding Elementary. She loved working with students was very pro-active in enhancing student experiences. She contacted our PTA officers and let them know that Barbara Robinson was her aunt, and that she might be willing to come to Blanding to talkabout writing and her recent publishing success, Best Christmas Pageant Ever! Thus began San Juan’s love for the Herdman family and their Christmas antics!

~~ The Blanding PTA wrote a proposal to the Utah Council for the Humanities asking for financial help to pay for Mrs. Robinson to travel from Ohio and to conduct 3 days of workshops in the San Juan School District in April of 1982. She was a great presenter and walked us through the creation and writing process of the Christmas Pageant creation. Robinson wrote more than 40 short stories for newspapers and magazines, including McCall’s and Ladies’ Home Journal; however, her most popular work, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, however was her big runaway success. In the novel, the Herdmans (none of whom had ever heard the Bible’s Christmas story) offer their own wild and irreverent interpretation of the celebration, when they take over the annual holiday pageant one Sunday at church. Robinson went on to adapt the book for both the stage and for television in the 1980s, and it has sold more than 3.3 million copies in all editions.

~~ Since then, the “Pageant” has been performed in Blanding at least five times. When Emma Ward was 11, she was in the play. Emma recalled, “At that time I wore glasses, but Mrs. Adams didn’t want me to wear them, and I could hardly see where the edge of the stage was, I was so blind. I was always afraid I was going to fall off.” She went on to be SJHS senior & Sterling Scholar candidate in Drama. Robinson created two sequels starring the Herdmans, The Best School Year Ever (HarperCollins, 1994) and The Best Halloween Ever (HarperCollins, 2004). Though she enjoyed various styles of writing over the course of her career, she noted on her web site that she was “most happily an author of children’s books, because there’s no greater audience than boys and girls who read books and demand that those books be the most exciting, the most mysterious, the most touching, the funniest... the best.”

~~ Other books of Barbara Robinson are The Fattest Bear in the First Grade, Across from Indian Shore, My Brother Louis Measures Worms and other Louis stories, Temporary Times, Temporary Places and Trace through the Forest, My Brother Louis Measures Worms, Robinson was born and grew up in southern Ohio, in the river town of Portsmouth. She often credited her life in that small town as inspiring her writing, saying that it provided “great stuff to feed the imagination.” An avid reader and writer from an early age, Robinson followed her passion for both drama and writing when she attended Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1948 and passed awayJuly 9, 2013.

She's Tops When it Comes to Decorating Cakes: Julie Orr Lucero

When people talk about dough and salt you expect them to be good cooks. Well, Julie Lucero is that, but has also taken those basics a creative step further and has been making “salt dough” ornaments since 1990. Those who have attended the “Tree for All” at the Blanding Wellness Center or booths at the 4th of July or 24th in Monticello over the years, have probably seen and bought some of her products. Many of her creations feature carefully made and painted Nativity scenes, often with southwestern design. Sometimes the holy family is in a hogan, or by it.

Julie has always had a creative talent which was encouraged by her high school art teachers in the ‘70’s. When Julie first began painting, she primarily did ornaments for Christmas trees, but 15 years ago she started using clay to make cake toppers for wedding cakes and other celebrations. She has made nearly 50 such intricate creations. One of the hardest ones was for a military wedding, with the groom dressed in his uniform. She replicated every one of his medals in minutia!

Another very difficult topper was one that featured a bride with long curly hair, which she was also able to recreate. Sometimes the bridal toppers were a secret for the couple, whose parents or friends send a photo of what they wanted for the special occasion. These were always a wonderful surprise! Her weddings creations were featured in Bridal Fair Magazine after they saw her creations at the Salt Palace. The cake design for Austin and Valerie Howe’s wedding was a zebra print, other bride dresses were made to look like intricate embroidery.

The subject of her creations has expanded from weddings to prom dates, birthdays, holidays and even Dean Lyman’s hunting success! One cover picture for Fire Mountain Gems in 2014 featured a cake with detailed replicas of all kinds of expensive gems all made by Creative Clays (her web site.) She learned that skill at a workshop in Logan where they taught her to use oil paints sprayed with polyurethane to replicate the “real deal.”

She continues to make magnets and other salt clay miniatures such as the Eagle Dance and hogans which are primarily sold at the Bluff Fort. She also has painted many large pictures of San Juan County and the Navajo culture as well as decorative walls in her own home and for others. She is a genius at replicating and capturing the uniqueness of any occasion. If you can describe it or show it, Julie can recreate it in miniature.

New Minerals (Shumwayite and Greenlizardite) Discovered in San Juan County

By Janet Wilcox

The discovery and naming of two new minerals found in San Juan County, has recently created great scientific interest. In April 2024, Dan Shumway a local miner, artist and writer was contacted by “Rocks and Minerals” magazine editor Mark Jacobson with the news about the discoveries. (The publication comes out in Nov/Dec 2024.) New minerals have to go through an extensive scientific process before they are named and must relate to specific areas or people. For this documentation, the editor interviewed Dan about his background and role in the discovery. For several years Dan guided various scientists to remote mineral sites in the county. “If something catches their eye, they will collect samples,” Shumway explained. “The specimens and sites are numbered and recorded. Next the material is taken to a lab for closer examination using modern equipment and technology. I’ve enjoyed my association with these renown and competent professions.” Occasionally they camped somewhere in the outback and often shared experiences around the campfire. Dan’s guiding skills, knowledge and familiarity of San Juan’s remote areas and mineral sites were of great value, as were their experiences in foreign countries. Dan began mining the summer of 1963 and later he teamed up with Jack Tate in 1966 when they mined in Utah, Colorado and Arizona. Tate along with Reed Hurst hauled ore for him. Since retiring he has used his creative talent landscaping their home, painting and writing poems. This one illustrates the uranium boom years in San Juan:

Shumwayite by Dan Shumway My grandfathers were both mine operators As were myself and my dad. We mined in the years before regulators Finally got too bad. All told we worked more than 200 mines Acquiring knowledge of that domain. As a 3rd generation miner in my family line, Hand-on mine lore is in my brain. Today, details of mines on the Colorado Plateau Are being lost to “reclamation” So scholars seek me out for what I know, Including unrecorded history and location. Upon guiding them to one lost site They discovered a mineral “new” A uranium element they named Shumwayite And told me “Dan, we named it for you.” Now that’s high pay and an honor rare To have a mineral name for me. On hearing this I asked the scholars there “Could it also honor others in my family?” I explained, “Shumways were noted participators In building the uranium industry years ago. So let it honor successful Shumway mine operators. And prominent prospectors of the plateau?” Now fleeting are trophies, awards, Hollywood fame Even an academic degree Compared to a mineral with the Shumway name That will be recognized into eternity? In September, 2014, Dan led Joe Marty to a seldom seen mineral location north of Red Canyon in SJC. (Marty is a renowned mineral micromounter Hall of Fame Awardee, for whom the mineral martyite was named.) “It was a difficult hike in broken terrain, but soon after we arrived Marty’s keen experienced eyes detected what he suspected might be a new mineral,” Shumway explained. He helped Joe collect samples and later lab tests confirmed that indeed it was a new, never before recognized uranium mineral. Shortly afterwards Dan was surprised and greatly honored when Marty told him, “We have found a new mineral and it will be named for you!”

Dan is part of a long and wide lineage of Shumway uranium prospectors and mine operators. His grandfather A.E. Shumway, his father DeVar, and many other uncles and Shumway cousins were deserving of this honor. He told Marty that “Shumwayite” would also honor all those who helped establish the uranium industry on the Colorado Plateau including both San Juan and Grand counties which boomed because of the wealth from uranium production Other formerly unknown minerals were also discovered by the Green Lizard mine in the White Canyon district. The Green Lizard is now closed with a bat accessible grate. It is one of hundreds of mines scattered throughout San Juan County which produced uranium, radium and vanadium and brought new wealth and businesses into the SE Utah. San Juan County has long been a destination of explorers and adventure seekers. In 1898 John Wetherill (one of the discoverers of the Mesa Verde ruins) led an archeological expedition into Red Canyon. During a lunch stop, he noted yellow, blue, black, and green mineral stains surrounding two different petrified trees. A century later local miners began mining uranium as well as other metallic elements but low prices, and high costs of transporting ore made it unsuccessful. Finally in 1926 vanadium ore began to be mined in White Canyon. By 1939 scientists discovered that uranium could be used to generate nuclear fission which could run turbines and generate electricity. And the uranium boom began!

The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was founded in 1946 after WWII. Their focus was to find ways to utilize uranium to run turbines and generate electricity in less expensive ways. (In 1955, Arco, Idaho became the first city in the US to provide electrical power in this way.) This efficient use quickly expanded uranium demand and set off a prospecting and mining boom in southern Utah. White Canyon production doubled in 1955 with the startup of additional mines. Nine companies operated 15 different mines at that time and more opened later. The Blue Lizard accounted for 85% of the total production in White Canyon. (It was located south of the Green Lizard site). After 1970 all uranium ore was used by commercial nuclear power plants for generating electricity. Peak ore production was reached in 1978. Mining engineer, Leonard Howe, forecasts that soon small generators the size of a refrigerator will be available for households and with the click of a switch they will be used for either heating or cooling a home! Dan is a 3rd generation mine owner/operator: “Mining is in my DNA and in my heart” he explained. Many treasured uranium memories occurred in the 1950’s as he spent the summer months at this father’s remote mining camps. In that by-gone era he was free to roam the rims and canyons for miles. As an 11-year-old he started selling mineral specimens and rocks he found. He enjoyed exploring alone and often experienced the “thrill of discovery” when he found a particularly nice, unusual or rare mineral treasure. He started working underground in the mines in 1963. Since then, he was mostly self-employed and either operated or worked in over 30 mines during the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. The last mining he did was in 2008-2009 and his partners then were Vern and Chance Shumway. For many years Dan was away, out in the hills mining while he wife Betty was home in Blanding raising their four daughters. In 1976 they built a home north of Blanding. Like the pre-historic pueblo people, Dan gathered lots of rocks to build the house and it became a monument to his travels and was great place to raise kids. After their daughters left home Dan and Betty started going to sunny Arizona for the winter. For 10 years they sold rocks and minerals to Snowbirds and tourists. After 60 years of marriage, they now have 7 grandchildren and 5 great grands. They raise three separate gardens each summer, saw firewood, and continue to landscape their yard with rocks and minerals from every corner of San Juan. Dan has also written hundreds of poems and stories in rhyme and when grandkids come, he loves telling them about the elves and leprechauns that used to hide in his mines. He especially enjoys visits from his friend, Joe Mary and they often drive out to where the BLM coved up the mineral sites and where Joe discovered the new minerals: Shumwayite and Greenlizardite.

Shumwayite by Dan Shumway My grandfathers were both mine operators As were myself and my dad. We mined in the years before regulators Finally got too bad. All told we worked more than 200 mines Acquiring knowledge of that domain. As a 3rd generation miner in my family line, Hand-on mine lore is in my brain. Today, details of mines on the Colorado Plateau Are being lost to “reclamation” So scholars seek me out for what I know, Including unrecorded history and location. Upon guiding them to one lost site They discovered a mineral “new” A uranium element they named Shumwayite And told me “Dan, we named it for you.” Now that’s high pay and an honor rare To have a mineral name for me. On hearing this I asked the scholars there “Could it also honor others in my family?” I explained, “Shumways were noted participators In building the uranium industry years ago. So let it honor successful Shumway mine operators. And prominent prospectors of the plateau?” Now fleeting are trophies, awards, Hollywood fame Even an academic degree Compared to a mineral with the Shumway name That will be recognized into eternity? All told we worked more than 200 mines Acquiring knowledge of that domain. As a 3rd generation miner in my family line, Hand-on mine lore is in my brain. Today, details of mines on the Colorado Plateau Are being lost to “reclamation” So scholars seek me out for what I know, Including unrecorded history and location. Upon guiding them to one lost site They discovered a mineral “new” A uranium element they named Shumwayite And told me “Dan, we named it for you.” Now that’s high pay and an honor rare To have a mineral name for me. On hearing this I asked the scholars there “Could it also honor others in my family?” I explained, “Shumways were noted participators In building the uranium industry years ago. So let it honor successful Shumway mine operators. And prominent prospectors of the plateau?” Now fleeting are trophies, awards, Hollywood fame Even an academic degree Compared to a mineral with the Shumway name That will be recognized into eternity?

Shumwayite by Dan Shumway My grandfathers were both mine operators As were myself and my dad. We mined in the years before regulators Finally got too bad. All told we worked more than 200 mines Acquiring knowledge of that domain. As a 3rd generation miner in my family line, Hand-on mine lore is in my brain. Today, details of mines on the Colorado Plateau Are being lost to “reclamation” So scholars seek me out for what I know, Including unrecorded history and location. Upon guiding them to one lost site They discovered a mineral “new” A uranium element they named Shumwayite And told me “Dan, we named it for you.” Now that’s high pay and an honor rare To have a mineral name for me. On hearing this I asked the scholars there “Could it also honor others in my family?” I explained, “Shumways were noted participators In building the uranium industry years ago. So let it honor successful Shumway mine operators. And prominent prospectors of the plateau?” Now fleeting are trophies, awards, Hollywood fame Even an academic degree Compared to a mineral with the Shumway name That will be recognized into eternity?

For many years Dan was away, out in the hills mining while his wife Betty was home in Blanding raising their four daughters. In 1980 they built a home north of Blanding. Like the pre-historic pueblo people, Dan gathered lots of rocks to build the house and it became a monument to his travels and great place to raise kids. After their daughters left home Dan and Betty started going to sunny Arizona for the winter. For 10 years they sold rocks and minerals to Snowbirds and tourists. After 60 years of marriage, they now have 7 grandchildren and 5 great grands. They raise three separate gardens each summer, saw firewood, and continue to landscape their yard with rocks and minerals from every corner of San Juan. Dan has also written hundreds of poems and stories in rhyme and when grandkids come, he loves telling them about the elves and leprechauns that used to hide in his mines. He especially enjoys visits from his friend, Joe Mary and they often drive out to where the BLM coved up the mineral sites and where Joe discovered the new minerals: Shumwayite and Greenlizardite.