Back when ‘Frankenstein’ terrorized (and thrilled) Clarkston, Utah

Clarkson is just south of the Idaho border in Northern Utah, as seen on the Utah State Highway map.

 “FRANKENSTEIN” is an iconic fictional monster that was first unveiled in a British novel by Mary Shelly in 1818. Decades later, some plays and several silent movies were made about the creature.

Then, in 1931, Boris Karloff starred as the monster in a major Hollywood movie, “Frankenstein” and the fame of the imaginary beast spread.

Clarkston, Utah, a small town northwest of Logan, in Cache County, had its own version of “Frankenstein” too, or rather a “Frankenstein Masquerade” in the 1940s.

These “sightings” sparked both excitement and fear in the community.

(Surprisingly, a detailed search of Cache Valley newspapers in the 1940s found not a single mention of this “Frankenstein.” Perhaps, no one wanted to encourage an escalation of the sightings?)

Essentially, Dennis Griffin, a young teenager at the time, ordered through the mail an elaborate rubber Frankenstein mask. He and friends would take turns in the evening darkness putting the mask on and frightening mostly persons walking alone.

                                           Clarkston, Utah is very rural, even in 2021.

The boys were wise enough to perceive that frightening groups was somewhat dangerous in too many unpredictable things could happen …

One time Dennis was chased by a policeman rushed home, slipped through his bedroom window, and pretended to be asleep.

Dennis and friends only wore the mask – and only had regular clothes on otherwise.

At one point of time in the 1940s, some youth were so afraid of the monster appearing that they would not attend the LDS Church’s MIA activities at night for a time.

Local leaders did receive complaints of the monster sightings, but Dennis’ recollection was that most knew it was youth pranking and looking for a quick scare.

The neighboring town of Newton also heard of the monster and some were afraid it would appear there too.

Dennis only remembers wearing the mask about 4 times. However, he loaned to friends and eventually other, old boys. One of those boys never returned the mask and Dennis failed to ever get it back. Where it went was a mystery.

He recalls some sightings continued into the late 1940s and perhaps even early 1950s – with or without a mask. Some may have been copycats.

Still, Dennis recalls this pranking lightened some of the mood during World War II and even the concern about nuclear weapons afterward. For a small, dull farming town, the sightings also sparked a little excitement.

-As related on Ancestry.com, Dennis Griffin and his wife, wrote an account of his masquerade of Frankenstein, that must go down in history as one of the best on-going pranks ever in the Beehive State.

-Access the full, original report of “CLARKSTON’S FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER OF THE 1940s"

at:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~utcache/clarkston/stories/index.htm

-NOTE 1: It should also be mentioned too that a few decades later, the town of Clarkston might have had a visit by a real monster, Bigfoot? ---  As something both strange and terrible stomped through town late one night in the early 1970s. Some residents were awakened and frightened by weird screams, according to one resident at the time.

NOTE 2: Clarkson is most famous today for its every other year “Clarkston Pageant – Martin Harris: The Man Who Knew” (performed again in August of 2019).

                                                Martin Harris grave in Clarkston, Utah.

 

 

Mount Nebo: The 1920 hopes for an observatory on its summit

                                                                 Mount Nebo.

MOUNT NEBO is the highest peak in the Wasatch Mountains, at 11, 928 feet above sea level. (Actually, it is three separate pinnacles.)
Nebo was mentioned in the Salt Lake Telegram newspaper of March 25, 1920 as being urged to have an observatory atop its summit. This was to be a "Yankee Memorial," to honor the soldiers, sailors an marines of all wars that the United States had been involved in. 
It was also noted that a radio station could be housed on its lofty summit. Having a searchlight, powered by the streams around the huge mountain, was another proposal.
Of course, none of that ever happened, but it had been a dream of George B. Hobbs, a Nephi, Utah resident. (Nephi is just southwest of Mount Nebo.)
Hobbs felt that the searchlight atop Nebo would be beneficial to aviators flying through Utah.
-"Aloft on Mount Nebo" was a March 1, 1920 headline in the Salt Lake Herald newspaper. "Utah peak has beauty of Alps; Grandeur in view," the story stated.

             The view from atop the southern Mount Nebo, where the official trail ends.

After completion of an official trail to the top of Mount Nebo, 82 hikers made it to the summit on August 6, 1919.
The story reported that Nephi residents wanted to make the Salt Creek trailhead and area "a playground" for all to enjoy.
-"Gov. Dern leads party to the top of Mount Nebo" was an Aug. 19, 1927 headline in the Mount Pleasant Pyramid newspaper. The Governor of Utah and many others witnessed the sunrise on top of the lofty peak.
Later in the day, there was a program with the Nephi High School Band and speeches. At evening time, there was a large bonfire and dance by Miss Dorothy Haymond.
Groups hikes to Mount Nebo continued for some years afterward, but never quite caught on to the extent that Mount Timpanogos Hikes did. This is likely because of the lower population base around Nebo, as well as its lack of glaciers or continual streams flowing on its eastern side.

-NOTE that the trail mentioned above and today, only leads to the south peak of Mount Nebo, at 11,877 feet above sea level. The highest of the three peaks is the north one, with access by a knife edge of rocks, or from the east on a severe incline. The Middle Nebo Peak is third highest at 11,824 feet. 

         A photo from the mountain saddle, clearing showing Mount Nebo's triple peaks.

ALL three photographs above are courtesy of Ray Boren.

1856: When Yosemite was first mentioned to residents of Utah territory

                                                                   Yosemite Valley.


NONE can deny that Yosemite National Park is one of the most incredible of landscapes on the planet. And, when did the early residents of Utah first hear of this fantastic place?
The June 9, 1856 edition of the Deseret News had this headline:
"The Valley of the Yo-Semity, California, and its Stupendous Waterfalls."
The D. News received news from the Mariposa Gazette of a visit by J.M. Hutchings and two other men.
The group started their journey from and Indian village in Fresno, accompanied by two Indian guides.
(Yosemite was believed to have been first discovered by non-Indians four years earlier, in 1851.)
The men described their first view of Yosemite Valley as "singular and romantic" and that "we were almost speechless with admiration at its wild and sublime grandeur."

                                                 El Capitan.


They noticed the "Captain," as it was called by Native Americans (and eventually to be titled "El Capitan." This was a 2,800-foot-tall slab of granite.

                                              Bridalveil Falls.

Opposite of the granite monolith, was a "magnificent waterfall about seven hundred feet in height." (This was likely Bridalveil Falls.) Passing further up the Valley, they noticed more immense walls of rock, one looking light a lighthouse, with pine trees forests all over the area.

                                           Yosemite Falls.

Next, they noticed an even taller waterfall, some 2,200 feet in height -- and they declared it the tallest in the world (definitely Yosemite Falls).
Later, they noticed a third spectacular waterfall, this one about 1,500-feet-high (Perhaps Vernal Falls).
The men said trout, grouse and pigeons were all plentiful in the Valley.
(NOTE that Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in the U.S., but not the world, though in the 19th Century, it was believed to be No. 1.)
-In the summer of 1888, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that one of its correspondents has visited Yosemite. He boasted of 350-foot-high trees and of a 2,000-foot-tall waterfall, highest in the world, as printed in the Aug. 24, 1888 edition of the newspaper. This is the first report of someone from Utah actually visiting Yosemite.

The first public Halloween event in Utah was not held until 1885; Pranks, not candy ruled Halloween in the 1930s

               Household Halloween decorations are common today in Utah.

THE first media mention of an October Halloween observance in Utah was probably in the Salt Lake Herald newspaper on Nov. 1, 1877.
"Last evening was Halloween," the story stated, "And among many from the old countries was held in remembrance by indulging in the innocent fireside pastimes so common on the occasion in Britain. Snatch apple, dutch apple, and little amusements that brought back memories of childhood's days were enjoyed by numbers throughout Utah and elsewhere."
-The next mention of Halloween was not until 1885, when the Oct. 30 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune advertised a Halloween party sponsored by the ladies of the Congregational Church of Salt Lake. The notice stressed that this was the first public "Halloween Party" ever given in Utah. Admission was 25 cents a person for the Oct. 31 event, with food, music and fortunes told. "The church  is in need of money," the notice also stated.
Previously, there had been small social gatherings held in Salt Lake homes on Halloween night. For example, the first mention of those was a year prior, in 1884, as the S.L. Herald stated on Nov. 1 of that year.

-JUMP AHEAD more than 50 years to 1939 and Halloween night in Layton, Utah featured little about candy and was mostly about criminal mischief and pranks.

“Halloween pranks, vandalism annoy County citizens” was a  headline in the Davis County Clipper newspaper on  Nov. 3, 1939.

Waxing windows was a very common prank, along with the theft of automobile parts and dumping sugar beets.

In Layton, the porch of one home was badly scorched when youth tossed a signal torch upon it. The homeowner fortunately put out the fire before it set the structure ablaze.

One of the retail stores in Layton posted watchmen on the night of Oct. 31 in front of its large windows to prevent vandals from waxing them. However, “Halloweeners” on horseback used lassos to incapacitate the guards while other juveniles waxed all the store windows.

-In Syracuse, sugar beets in a rail car bound for the Layton processing plant were dumped on the spur line by a group of boys – despite weighing tons. Sheriff’s officers apprehended the juveniles.

-In Centerville, some homes were plastered with fruit and vegetables thrown by pranksters.

“Halloween is a time for pure fun,” the newspaper reported. “But when citizens everywhere have to be on guard to protect their homes and places of business … then it is time for parents and all citizens to unite and educate the youth of today upon the rights of everyone and that these costly depredations must stop.”

                 "Trunk or Treats" events became common in the early 21st Century in Utah, as an                                  alternative to going door-to-door in neighborhoods for candy and treats.

Is there a face visible on the west side of Salt Lake's Ensign Peak?

    There's a face of some sort on the west side of Ensign Peak.           Photograph by Ray Boren



IS there a face on the west side of Ensign Peak, north of downtown Salt Lake City?
Retired Deseret News editor and long-time Capitol Hill neighborhood resident Ray Boren said to him it resembles a St. Bernard dog, not a human face at all.
Looking at Boren's photograph (shown above), there is definitely a face or resemblance of some sort there, probably depends on one's own imagination what it appears to be ...
However, it was a different story a century ago:
"Salt Lake has a 'Great Stone Face'; It's Irish" was a June 26, 1918 headline in the Salt Lake Herald newspaper.
The story credits Miss Mary Elizabeth Downey, State Library organizer, for first noticing the face on the side of the historic Utah mountain peak. Working at the State Capitol Building, she had a clear window view of Ensign Peak, back when there was little housing development to the north.
"I an generally rather dense in seeing such things, but I confess this struck me instantly," Downey told the Herald newspaper. "The fact that the afternoon shadows grow longer, the profile is merely intensified adds to its charm. Tourists would be delighted to be shown this phenomenon of 'The Laughing Irishman.' He is standing guard over Ensign Peak as a sentry and is laughing at us little folk, working like ants in the great city below."

              Ensign Peak as seen from State Street and South Temple Street.

             The view from atop Ensign Peak, looking west toward the "Face" (not visible).
.

A look at University of Utah spring traditions in 1918: whitewashing, ducking, track meet and dancing

                                     The block U on the University of Utah campus.


A century ago, University of Utah students had some unusual traditions.
According to the Salt Lake Herald newspaper of April 13, 1918, the "U Day" at the University of Utah was a busy, mostly outdoor day.
First, the freshman male students, 489, in number that year, hauled brooms, water barrels and sacks up lime up to the "U" symbol on the mountainside. They then proceeded to give the lettering its annual whitewashing.
After completing that task, the freshman men went to the gymnasium where the women students gave them a banquet. Next on Cummings Field, the Freshman class lost to the Sophomore Class in a tug-of-war. This mean the Frosh had a "public ducking."
Later in the day, an annual athletic contest, a track meet competition was held between University Faculty and the Chronicle's editorial staff (student newspaper). The honors mostly went to the writers. However, the usual cross county race was canceled.
The following day, an informal dance was held to climax the "L" celebration at the University.
So it was about a century ago at the U. in Salt Lake City.

Lake Side, between Kaysville and Farmington, the first Great Salt Lake resort

      The Lake Side resort was located a mile or so north of this area, along the Great Salt Lake.

THE first established resort along the shores of the Great Salt Lake is also perhaps the most obscure and forgotten -- "Lake Side."
Located between Farmington and Kaysville, the first mention of the resort was in the June 9, 1870 edition of the Salt Lake Herald newspaper.
The Utah Central Railroad had a "Lake Side Station" in 1870 and passengers from Salt Lake paid $1 for a fare there. Then, it was a half-mile walk west to the actual resort.
John W. Young, a son of Brigham Young, established the resort. (John Young was an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and later was a First Counselor in the First Presidency.)
Haight's Grove provided shade at Lake Side resort and in 1870, it was another 440 yard walk to the actual Great Salt Lake water.
Lake Side later, in 1872,  became more well known as a stopping point for the steamer, "City of Corrine" as it boated on the lake between there and Lake Point, on the south end of the briny waters. Such a boat cruise lasted three hours (Salt Lake Herald May 8, 1872).
It was a good thing for the boating at Lake Side, because a May 22, 1872 Deseret News story stated that the resort itself had a Marshy bottom" for land. The reporter noted that for 30 or 40 dollars worth of labor, a good trail could be created for passengers walking from the Lake Side train station to the boat ramp.
However, once the reporter caught sight of the City of Corrine Steamer, he stressed how large and streamlined it was, drawing all attention away from the bleak shoreline around the Great Salt Lake.
By July of 1883, the Salt Lake Herald of July 19, 1883 stated that a new pleasure boat offered trips from Lake Side.
The resort's final newspaper mention was in the summer of 1886 in the July 27 issue of the Salt Lake Herald. That was likely its final season and it is probably no coincidence that Simon Bamberger's much better developed "Lake Park" resort a few miles south premiered that summer. (That was the forerunner to Lagoon.)

The boat’s Corrine name was later changed to Garfield, according to the Salt Lake Herald newspaper of July 31, 1910.

This was a large stern wheelboat, really made for use on a river, like the Mississippi, and not so safe on the Great Salt Lake, as passengers were said to attest.

One of the final trips the boat made included some 75 passengers, with a Captain Dorris at the helm. The boat left from the south end of the lake, with the destination being Promontory Point on the north end.

However, a heavy storm struck almost immediately and the captain lost control of the boat. It drifted toward Antelope Island and as darkness set in, all attempts to anchor the boat failed. It was daybreak before boat control was regained. The danger had kept most of the passengers from even eating as the storm was so fierce and the danger so high.

 -And, yes, it is all the "Lake" names of the historic resorts along the Great Salt Lake that make examining them so confusing ...

     Farmington's Buffalo Trail is located slightly south of where the Lake Side resort was located.