When death was advocated for dogs and cats in Ogden

Dogs and cats both had rather controversial times in early 20^th Century Ogden.

Consider the following:

-“Dogs must keep off the grass or suffer death” was a July 14, 1909 headline in the Standard-Examiner.

“Owners of dogs, beware! All canines which persist in making the public parks and flower beds of the city romping grounds will suffer the penalty of death,” the story stated.

The Board of Park Commissioners made this decree to the dog tax collector, since there had been recent complaints.

“Any dog caught in this act of vandalism in the future will be shot on sight,” the story reported. “Owners of dogs which they value would do well to observe this order and see their dogs do not destroy city property in the future.”

This decree was said to apply also to any collared or licensed dogs, or even pedigreed canines.

-“Dogs are a source of danger to the public” was a Deb. 7, 1914 Standard headline. Citing recent dog attacks, it was also reported that unlicensed dogs are numerous in Ogden City and “a muzzled bulldog, instead of being the rule, according to law, is so rare as to be a curiosity.”

-“Urges killing of all cats. Friend of birds talks at meeting held in Eden was a March 13, 1927 Standard headline.

Dr. H.J. Paul of the University of Utah had proposed an extreme solution -- the extermination of all cats, who destroy 50 million birds nests every year in America.

Paul said that even well fed cats were believed to be destroying four to five bird nests each day. He reported that four states had already adopted laws against cats.

Protection of the sparrow, cowbird, magpie, wren, woodpecker, hawks and owls was especially urged by Paul. Such birds control dangerous insects and rodents.

-“Sewer gives up dogs and cats. Tragedy of two little families is disclosed when employees of the City Engineer’s Department are called to clear a clogged main” was a July 27, 1910 Standard headline.

“A revolting discovery” was made in the sewer pipe om Adams Avenue and 30^th Street and on Child Avenue and 29^th Street. A dead dog and its litter of dead young were found in the Adams Avenue pipe and a dead cat and half a dozen of her dead kittens were discovered in the Child Avenue pipe.

The animals had been thrown in through the manholes, apparently alive in a sack.

“Strenuous work was done in the nauseating stench and otherwise bad conditions, in clearing the pipes of the accumulation of filth of the past few days,” the report stated.

-Finally, a July 9, 1925 Standard report stated that Ogden City dog pound employees had recently traveled to Salt Lake to see how dogs were being disposed of at the S.L. pound.

Electricity, 110 volts, was being used there to dispose of viscous and unwanted animals. However, the death process took as long as 20 minutes.

The workers returned to Ogden, not sure they liked what they had witnessed.

(-Originally published on May 28-29, 2015, on-line and in print in the Ogden Standard Examiner by Lynn Arave.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net

When toes made news in Ogden

EVERY so often an old Standard-Examiner headline comes across as odd, unique and almost outrageous.

The latest curiosity: “Girls with shapely toes” was an eye-catching headline in the Standard on Jan. 5, 1911.

“The young ladies of Riverdale will give a ‘shadow and toe’ dance at the Riverdale Amusement hall, the evening of January 13,” the report stated. “Prizes will be offered for the nicest and oddest looking couple.”

At this dance, young ladies are concealed behind a screen, with only their toes exposed to view.

“The young gallant must select his partner by the toes. He may get this choice or he may get the homeliest girl in the hall. The uncertainty adds interest to the dance,” the story concluded.

In other historical notes:

-“Hot lunches being served in country schools” was a Dec. 11, 1919 Standard headline.

This was the first time eight schools in Weber County had offered hot meals to students – and the primary reason why is surprisingly opposite to a situation in today’s schools: “A survey of children of the county schools discloses the fact that a large percentage is underweight,” the story stated.

The innovation of a hot lunch is expected to be a possible remedy to that situation of many students being five to seven pounds underweight.

-“Object to aliens doing city work” was May 2, 1911 Standard headline. Almost a full century before today’s controversy with illegal aliens, there was apparently a smaller such problem in the Ogden area.

Aliens, primarily Greeks or Italians, were being employed at the time to work in Ogden City Parks and that didn’t sit well with the City Council. It voted that only taxpayers and citizens of the country would be employed from then on.

-Plain City is to celebrate” was a March 13, 1911 Standard headline. On March 17, the 52^nd anniversary of when the first pioneers arrived in Plain City was to be celebrated with a banquet.

The “latest innovation,“ a moving picture show, was also promised for the event.

(-Originally published on-line and in print in the Ogden Standard-Examiner, May 14-15. 2015, by Lynn Arave.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net

The former hobo ‘jungle’ around Ogden

“HOBOES are caught in the jungles” was a June 13, 1911 headline in the Standard-Examiner.

This was NOT an international story. It was about Weber County some 104 years ago.

In 1911, the Ogden area had a so-called “jungle district” in the Wilson Lane area, west of town, full of what the story described as “undesirable visitors” (or hoboes).

This story stated that these weren’t hardened criminals, but at night some of them would raid chicken coops and gardens in the area.

Some of the hoboes then got arrested and her put on chain gangs which repaired roads in the county.

“The sheriff is of the opinion that the road work will have something to do with eliminating the hobo from the city,” the story stated.

Apart from hoboes, in 1911, the Standard also often referred to the Wilson Lane area as its own separate community of homes, in the same sense as Riverdale, Hooper or North Ogden.

In other historical tidbits:

-“Wild girl of the woods is found,” was an Aug. 11, 1905 Standard headline. “Is arrested with three boys in the brush. Was living like an animal. Was half clothed and tells disconnected story.”

Grace Witcherily, a young girl, was found by police along the Weber River, west of town. She said she had been led after a circus in town. Men working on the Sand Ridge Cutoff, likely in the area of today’s west 30-31^st Streets, had provided her some food and clothing.

It was believed her mother was in Salt Lake City and efforts were made to find her.

                  Summit of Ensign Peak, north of Salt Lake City

-Ensign Peak, straight north of downtown Salt Lake City, is one of Utah’s most historic mountains. It was perhaps the first mountain climbed by the Mormon Pioneers after their arrival. An Aug. 9, 1908 story in the Salt Lake Herald talked about plans to develop Peak as a park.

The story also mentioned that on the left side of the Peak was “The Cave,” or “Cave Comfort” as it was called. It also said “Tally Ho Ridge” was located right behind the Peak and it led to higher mountain tops.

It also said there was once “Maiden Falls” was located in one the hollows around the Peak. However, that feature was destroyed by vandals. “Rain Cave” was also located nearby and was graced by same spring water.

Far below Ensign Peak was what was called “The Narrows,” a gully with a large sand pit. In that era, cattle roamed the area, north of where the State Capitol Building would open in 1916.

The story mentioned the great views of the valley from the mound-shaped peak, which was about 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Brigham Young was the first to talk of a possible park being made there. However, it would not be until 1996 that a park was finally established there, complete with a set trail to the 5,414-foot above sea level summit.

(-Originally published on-line and in-print in the Ogden Standard-Examiner on May 7-8, 2015, by Lynn Arave.)

-NOTE: The author, Lynn Arave, is available to speak to groups, clubs, classes or other organizations about Utah history at no charge. He can be contacted by email at: lynnarave@comcast.net