A brief history of the Ogden Standard-Examiner

                       The current Ogden Standard-Examiner building.

By Lynn Arave

THE Ogden Standard-Examiner is Utah’s third-largest daily newspaper and the biggest north of Salt Lake City. It serves more than 60,000 print subscribers readers in the “Top of Utah” -- Weber, Davis, Morgan and Box Elder counties --  as well as many more on the Web.

The Standard officially began on Jan. 1, 1888, though its forerunner, the Ogden Daily Herald, had started seven years earlier in 1881.

Founded by Frank J. Cannon, a former Deseret News and San Francisco Chronicle reporter, the Standard, originally an evening paper, opened in the Peery Building, at 23^rd Street and Washington Avenue.

Cannon vowed that the new newspaper would “endeavor to … merit the confidence and esteem of good and true men.”

He had been unable to salvage the Herald and so he purchased its presses, buildings, subscription lists and ad contracts to provide a successor with the Standard.

By 1892, the newspaper had a circulation of 1,500 copies.

A key change came along in1893, when William Glasmann, 37, took charge of the Standard after Cannon was elected a territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress.(Glasmann would later be elected as the mayor of Ogden City in 1901.)

A year later, in 1894, Glasmann purchased the Standard with proceeds from the sale of his ranch at Lake Point, west of Salt Lake. (A family ownership would prevail for almost a century.)

By 1904, Frank Francis, Standard Associate Editor, began publishing the Ogden Morning Examiner, using the Standard’s presses. He sold that paper to Glasmann four month later, who kept publishing both newspapers until 1911.

In 1911, J.U. Eldredge of Salt Lake purchased the Morning Examiner and it became a competitor of the Standard.

Standard Publisher William Glasmann died at age 57 in 1916. His widow, Evelyn, took over and son, Abe, 23, became editor.

The Standard reacquired the Examiner and merges the two papers to become the Ogden Standard-Examiner in 1920.The composite paper was jointly owned by the Glasmann and Eldredge families through the Standard Corporation.

In 1934, the Standard Corporation entered the broadcast market by acquiring KLO Radio, AM-1430 (which it operated it until 1970). The Standard Corporation also started Salt Lake’s KALL, AM-910, radio in 1945.

The Glasmann family bought out the Eldredge interest in the Standard Corporation in 1946.

The Standard Corporation diversifies further by purchasing controlling interest of KUTV, Ch. 2, TV of Salt Lake, in 1956.

The Standard’s daily circulation exceeded 30,000 by 1959.

In 1961, the Standard purchased the old National Guard Building at 455 23^rd Street for its new offices, where it would remain for almost 40 years. (The newspaper has moved locations six times over the decades.)

The Standard purchased a new press, capable of printing 70,000 48-page papers per hour, in 1969. This move helped the Standard eventually become a local publishing company for other products.

Randall C. Hatch, great-grandson of the original Standard Publisher, William Glasmann, became managing editor, in 1981, keeping a family tradition going.

By the early 1990s, daily circulation of the Standard reached 55,500, when almost 85 percent of the homes in Weber County were loyal subscribers.

The Standard became a subsidiary of Sandusky Newspapers, an Ohio media company, in 1993. The Hatch family, descendants of William Glasmann, also sold its majority interests in KALL radio and KUTV.

The Standard offices moved again in 2000, this time to the Business Depot Ogden, formerly the Defense Depot. The newspaper also switched to morning publication after almost a 110-year-run as an afternoon newspaper, as nationally and locally, readers preferred a morning product.

Today, the Ogden Standard-Examiner has more than 63,000 subscribers in the “Top of  Utah.”

The newspaper is also now much more than a printed product. It offers a 24-hour news source, with updated information on-line. It also features photo galleries, video options of news events and other updates.

In addition, the Standard also offers a career and events page on Standard.net

-The Standard-Examiner, 332 Standard Way, offers free public tours, for groups, large or small, or for classes.

To arrange a tour, contact Summer Green at 801-625-4557, or at sgreen@standard.net

(SOURCES: Ogden Standard-Examiner, “Chronicle of a Century” edition, Jan. 1, 1988; and Utah History Encyclopedia.)

-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  

Hogle Zoo Boasts Long, Colorful History

                                Entrance area to Hogle Zoo.
      
By Lynn Arave

Hogle Zoo technically hit the century mark in 2011 and with it, a legacy that goes back to its humble beginnings in Liberty Park, with just a single cage of monkeys.

During its 100-plus years, the zoo's progress toward becoming the Mountain West's largest collection of animals has been chronicled in the Deseret News.

In 1911, a deer was also put on display, and the state's first zoo looked like it would be a hit. By 1912, the Salt Lake City Parks Department officially started a zoo with a $153 investment, that included 16 animals — monkeys, pheasants, foxes, squirrels, ducks, cranes and peafowl.

A year later, in 1913, the zoo had its first building to house animals. It added another exhibit, 100 rabbits strong, and was open mid-May to mid-December that year. Admission was free.

Later that year, the zoo boasted 275 animals and an annual budget of $4,788.But it was 1916 when the zoo purchased its first elephant, the legendary Princess Alice from a traveling circus. Named for President Roosevelt's daughter Alice, area school children collected coins and raised $3,250 for the pachyderm's purchase price and travel expenses to Utah.

The next year, the zoo had a house erected for Princess Alice, and on April 29, 1918, she gave birth to Prince Utah. However, the baby elephant died on March 14, 1919, when his mother accidentally rolled over on him.

The Deseret News report claimed the mother elephant shed sad tears and exhibited mournful trumpeting after the death.

The community was in an uproar and everyone agreed that the zoo needed new quarters in a more isolated location.Still, Princess Alice remained the star of the zoo, at least until the early 1930s, when she began to run amok. In 1931, the elephant kept breaking loose and running down 700 East. Often, she would also run through Salt Lake City neighborhoods and have an odd collection of clothes stuck on her body, perhaps due to clotheslines strung throughout the yards at some homes at the height of the elephant.

Enter Mr. and Mrs. James Hogle, who donated land at the mouth of Emigration Canyon to the newly formed Salt Lake Zoological Society.

By July 31, 1931, a main building (today's old elephant building) was dedicated and 14,000 visitors swarmed the zoo the next day.

The zoo made the news again in 1934, when its water supply was cut off for failure to pay a $195 bill. The rather flamboyant zoo superintendent threatened to turn all the animals loose if the water was not restored. An agreement was reached, and the water was turned back on, without incident.Later that year, a monkey island exhibit was added to Hogle Zoo.

By the start of World War II, in the early 1940s, the zoo had fallen into a poor state of maintenance. But within a year, facilities were improved, and the zoo was even asking Salt Lake residents to donate their unwanted pets as exhibits.

The war meant supplies were meager, and local gardens were heavily relied upon to help feed many of the animals.

In 1947, Avard Fairbanks sculpted two mountain lions on top of the granite columns at the zoo's entrance. These lions still grace the zoo's entrance today. After the war, the zoo received some new improvements. However, in November of 1946, the zoo's polar bear Blizzard was shot, presumably by a visitor. It survived, but guns were then banned from the zoo.

Princess Alice went on another rampage in 1947, ripping up concrete, a steel fountain and a tree within the zoo boundaries, but no one was hurt.

In 1948, the famous Shasta the liger was born, sired by a father lion and mother tiger, and by 1953, Princess Alice had to be put to sleep, having lived to nearly age 69.

Admission costs to Hogle Zoo in 1963 were: adults, 25 cents; children, ages 5-14, 10 cents; and children under 5 were free.

The newspaper covered the zoo's alligator moving in 1967, to accommodate a repainting of their living quarters. In 1969, the Deseret News highlighted the zoo's Kodiak bears, and in 1971, the focus was on the zoo's bison herd.

There's a colorful history behind many of the individual features at the Hogle Zoo too.

This is a history visible before zoo guests even get inside the gates.

                     One of the bronze Hogle Zoo cougar sculptures.


Look closely at the two bronze sculptures of cougars by the waterfalls at the east side of the zoo's front gate. These same mountain lion models used to be perched atop the historic granite pillars entrance gate to Hogle Zoo, along Sunnyside Avenue, from 1947-2000. The felines, created by Avard Fairbanks, were refurbished and then incorporated into the zoo's new entryway, which opened in 2001.

Old-timers will also recall that Sunnyside Avenue was relocated in the 1960s and moved northward. It used to travel where the south side of today's parking lot is. That realignment allowed zoo parking to be contiguous to its entryway.

Hogle Zoo also has a Works Project Administration legacy. The main rock wall behind the zoo's new amphitheater is a product of the federal works project, which was built in the 1930s soon after the zoo relocated to 2600 E. Sunnyside Ave. from Liberty Park.

The wall is 12-15 feet thick, according to Hogle Zoo assistant director Doug Lund. He said the wall was reinforced with a lot of metal, which was likely salvaged during the Great Depression. Some old wagon wheels were even found in the wall's composition.

How about the Hogle Zoo miniature train?

It has been running around since 1969 and Lund estimates it has given joy to some 8 million riders during those four decades. Designed after an 1860 steam engine, the "C.P. Huntington," owned by the governor of California, its 24-inch tracks have been relocated three times over the years. The train can carry 76 passengers and now hauls a total of 400,000 riders each year.

Remember the lion head drinking fountains? The original lion fountain arrived at Hogle Zoo in the 1950s, has been refurbished a few times and is now found by the penguin pool. There are also two new versions of the fountain in use at the zoo.

Lund said he even has some old photos of himself as a youth with his head inside that lion's mouth.

Lund also said observant guests may spot some almost hidden features at the zoo. For example, there are six small dinosaurs hidden within the seven continents mural, above the zoo's carousel ride.

"It's kind of fun to spot them," he said, even though they are only a few inches tall.

There's also an elephant sculpture, only about 5 inches tall, carved into the main roof truss in the center of the Elephant Encounter Lodge.

(-Distilled from two stories in the Deseret News  by Lynn Arave and on Sept. 20, 2010 and Sept. 7, 2007).

-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  

Utah Geography 101 Quiz

OK, so you know Utah's nickname is the Beehive State and that it was the 45th state to enter the Union.

But how much do you know about Utah's vast and varied geography? Its mountains, lakes and deserts?

Here's a pop quiz on Utah geography (with a little history mixed in).

Part I

(Each correct answer is worth three points)

1. Where did the name for Kings Peak, Utah's tallest summit, originate?

2. What is the second-tallest summit in the state?

3. What is the tallest summit in the Wasatch Mountains?

4. What is the state's tallest mountain outside the Uintas?

5. Salt Lake County's tallest mountain is?

6. What Utah city has the highest elevation?

7. What Utah city has the lowest elevation?

8. Downtown Salt Lake City's elevation, within 200 feet, is what?

9. What paved road has the highest elevation?

10. The steepest paved state road in Utah is?

11. What is the state's lowest point?

12. What is Weber County's tallest summit?

13. Peter Sinks, near Logan Canyon, recorded Utah's coldest temperature. What area recorded the second-coldest?

14. Delicate Arch may be Utah's most famous, but what is the largest?

15. What county is South Weber in?

16. Utah's tallest year-round waterfall is?

17. The sheerest cliff in Utah is?

18. The Wah Wah Mountains straddle three counties. Name one.

19. A town named, in a backward way, for Utah's geographic center is?

20. Bryce Canyon National Park isn't a canyon at all. What is it?

Part II

(Each correct answer is worth two points)

1. Based on vertical rise (the elevation difference from city floor to a nearby mountain top), the Utah town with the greatest elevation difference is:

a. St. George

b. Moab

c. Nephi

d. Salt Lake City

2. Salt Lake City was originally called:

a. Lake City

b. Salt City

c. Great Salt Lake City

d. Deseret

3. Deseret means:

a. desert

b. honey bee

c. promised land

d. Mormon

4. What area received the most precipitation in a single water year?

a. Logan Canyon

b. Kings Peak

c. Little Cottonwood Canyon

d. Provo Canyon

5. What location received the least amount of precipitation in a single water year?

a. St. George

b. Delta

c. Callao

d. Wendover

6. What town had the lowest-recorded temperature?

a. Logan

b. Woodruff

c. Randolph

d. Alta

7. What city had the highest-recorded temperature?

a. Hanksville

b. St. George

c. Salt Lake City

d. Moab

8. The deepest known cave in Utah is:

a. Danger Cave

b. Logan Cave

c. Cache Cave

d. Neff's Cave

9. The oldest living thing in Utah is:

a. The Limber pine

b. The Jardine juniper

c. The Ashley Joshua

d. The Ute Stump

10. The Utah lake with the highest elevation is:

a. Upper Red Castle Lake

b. Mirror Lake

c. Moon Lake

d. Granddaddy Lake

11. "Wahsatch" is located in what county?

a. Wasatch

b. Summit

c. Morgan

d. Rich

12. The main river that cuts through Zion National Park is:

a. Sevier

b. Paria

c. Virgin

d. Kolob

13. Utah's largest county by land area is:

a. Box Elder

b. San Juan

c. Tooele

d. Millard

14. Utah's smallest county by land area is:

a. Davis

b. Weber

c. Morgan

d. Daggett

15. Utah's total area in square miles (rounded off to the nearest thousand) is:

a. 85,000

b. 100,000

c. 50,000

d. 95,000

16. Davis County's highest point is:

a. Francis Peak

b. Bountiful Peak

c. Thurston Peak

d. Layton Peak

17. The deepest spot in the Great Salt Lake (at an average 4,200-foot lake elevation) is:

a. 25-30 feet deep

b. 30-35 feet deep

c. 35-40 feet deep

d. 40-45 feet deep

18. Bear Lake's average maximum depth (when the lake is full) is:

a. 90-100 feet

b. 150-160 feet

c. 190-210 feet

d. 220-250 feet

19. Utah's state borders are not defined by straight lines. Utah's most crooked border is:

a. Its north border

b. Its south border

c. Its west border

d. The lower half of its east border

20. The "Subway" is located in which Utah national park?

a. Bryce Canyon

b. Zion

c. Capitol Reef

d. Arches




-----------------------------------------------------

ANSWERS

Answers to Part I

1. Kings Peak was named for Clarence King, a geologist and surveyor in the Uinta Mountains from 1868-1871.

2. South Kings Peak. The peak is less than a mile from Kings Peak and is 14 feet shorter. (South Kings was believed to be Utah's highest until 1966.)

3. Mount Nebo. (The mountain's northernmost peak — it has three — stands at 11,928 feet above sea level.)

4. Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains southeast of Moab measures 12,721 feet above sea level.

5. The western summit of the American Fork Twin Peaks (above the Snowbird tram) is 11,489 feet above sea level. (The eastern summit of American Fork Twin Peaks tops out at 11,433 feet above sea level.)

6. Brian Head (9,600 feet above sea level).

7. St. George (2,880 feet above sea level).

                                    Pencil drawing by Steve Arave.

8. The Salt Lake Temple sits at 4,340 feet above sea level.

9. The Mirror Lake Highway (U-150) crosses Bald Mountain Pass at the 10,759-foot elevation.

10. U-143, from Parowan to Cedar Breaks National Monument has a 13 percent maximum grade.

11. Beaver Dam Wash, southwest of St. George (2,350 feet above sea level).

12. Willard Peak, on the Box Elder County line (9,764 feet above sea level).

13. The Middle Sinks area of upper Logan Canyon recorded 64 degrees below zero on Jan. 18, 1984. Peter Sinks bottomed out at 69 degrees below zero on Feb. 1, 1985.

                         Middle Sinks area of upper Logan Canyon.

14. Kolob Arch, with a span of 310 feet, in Zion National Park. (Landscape Arch in Arches National Park measures 306-feet across.)

15. South Weber is in Davis County.

16. Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, with a 430-foot drop in two sections and an overall cascade of 604 feet.

17. Notch Peak, Millard County, has a 5,000-foot drop of almost 90 degrees on its west face.

18. Beaver, Iron and Millard

19. Levan

20. Bryce Canyon is an amphitheater — not a canyon — hollowed out of the Pink Cliffs by time, moisture and wind.

Answers to Part II

1. a. From Moab, at 4,000 feet, to Mount Peale, at 12,721 feet, has the greatest elevation difference at 8,721 feet.

2. c

3. b

4. c. The top of Little Cottonwood Canyon received 98.3 inches of moisture during 1983-84.

5. c. Callao, south of Wendover, had 0.71 of an inch of moisture during the 1952-53 water year.

6. b. Woodruff had a 50-degree below zero reading on Feb. 6, 1899.

7. b. St. George hit 117 degrees on July 5, 1985.

8. d. Neff's Cave, on lower Mount Olympus, is 1,170 feet deep.

9. b. The Jardine juniper in Logan Canyon is believed to be 3,200 to 3,500 years old.

10. a. Upper Red Castle Lake in the High Uintas is 11,600 feet above sea level.

11. b

12. c

13. b (7,725 square miles)

14. a (Although the county is 620 square miles, approximately 268 square miles of it is usable land. The rest is in the Great Salt Lake).

15. a (85,000 square miles).

16. c (9,706 feet above sea level).

17. b

18. c

19. d

20. b

SCORING

75-100: You're a geography whiz

60-74: You're very knowledgeable

45-59: Good score

30-44: You need to study a Utah map

Under 30: Sign up for Utah Geography 101

SOURCES: Utah State Highway maps; U.S. Forest Service maps; Deseret Morning News Archives; the National Weather Service; www.nps.gov;historyforkids.utah.gov.

(-Originally published in the Deseret News, April 30, 2004, 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