Category Archives: Sports, Recreation

May 3

Saltair: The Tragic Fire of 1925

by KIMBERLEE WARD

As soon as the Mormon pioneers settled the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, they knew that the Great Salt Lake was something special. Three days after arriving in the valley, Brigham Young, the president of the Mormon church, and other church leaders traveled to the Great Salt Lake and enjoyed the buoyancy of the water. (McCormick & McCormick) From this time forward, residents and tourists have enjoyed the recreation found at the Great Salt Lake. Beach resorts began to emerge on its banks beginning in 1870. The one resort that was known as an American tourist destination was Saltair.

The owner of the new resort was the Saltair Beach Company and its largest stockholder was the Mormon Church. Church leaders wanted to build a resort that was family-oriented and intended that there be a wholesome atmosphere with the open supervision of church leaders. The Saltair Beach Company was established in 1891 and plans for the new resort started then. The beach resort of Saltair was built on the southeast side of the lake and was finished in 1893. The Mormon Church intended Saltair to be the “Coney Island of the West.” Saltair was advertised just as that before completion and for many years afterward. (McCormick & McCormick) A direct train route made the resort accessible to people all over the Salt Lake Valley. People visiting Saltair not only enjoyed the beach and the buoyancy of the Great Salt Lake, but also took pleasure in one of the first amusement parks west of New York.

After a record-breaking season in 1924, tragedy struck the beach resort Saltair. On April 22, 1925, as workmen readied Saltair for the upcoming season, a fire broke out in the Ali Baba Cave. The Salt Lake Tribune reported on April 23 that L.S. Peterson, an employee of the Saltair Beach Company, had smelled smoke and discovered “a wall of flame about four feet wide and running the length of the cave.” Peterson beat out the fire and was able to reduce the fire to embers before running for help. The Salt Lake Tribune quoted Peterson as saying, “I hadn’t been gone over two minutes and in that time [the fire] had started up again and spread before the wind.” The strong southerly winds helped expand the fire that eventually took over much of the beloved resort.

For several hours Saltair employees, workers, concessionaires, and volunteers from the Inland Crystal Salt Company struggled to save the pavilion. Firefighters from Salt Lake were called in and arrived at the resort in record time. (McCormick &McCormick) The Deseret News reported on April 22 that “fire station No. 3, located in Sugar House district responded to the call for the reason that it has the only pump that can be used for pumping salt water.” On April 23, the Salt Lake Telegram reported that two trucks of the Salt Lake County volunteer fire department from Murray had also arrived to fight the ongoing fire. The Telegram continued to say that “Claude Anderson, Superintendent at Garfield, arrived with six men and offered to dynamite the pier leading to the pavilion and hence stop the spread of the fire and was denied admittance.”

About 3:30 p.m., the winds shifted away from Saltair and it looked for a moment that the main pavilion could be saved. Just minutes later, the winds swerved back and the flames began to overtake the pavilion. The Salt Lake Tribune reported on April 23 that “tongues of the flame and smoke leaped fifty to one hundred feet [and] shot out and licked up the timbers and beams of the great structure as though they were cardboard.” The heat and smoke from the fire drove the firefighters away until the fire burned out of control. (McCormick & McCormick) The Telegram observed that “the smoke cleared slowly and left a gaunt-like pavilion, once the largest dance hall in the world, nothing but a network of wooden posts gnawed at by the tongues of fire.”

The fire continued into the evening and much of the famous beach resort was destroyed. On April 23 the Telegram noted the losses from the fire. The property lost included the Fun House, Dinty Moore’s, the Ali Baba Cave, the Hippodrome, the Old Scenic Railway, Dodgem, Ship Café, the dancing pavilion, a shooting gallery, the Automat, a photograph gallery, twelve hot dog stands, a bathing suit house, minor concessions, and stands and piers and houses. The Telegram estimated a total of $500,000 in damages with the total insurance coverage being $150,000.

Just one day after the tragic fire at Saltair, there was talk of rebuilding the beach resort. On April 23 The Salt Lake Tribune quoted part of the statement released by the president and manager of Saltair. It said that “[Saltair] was covered by all the insurance the company could obtain, but at this time that does not seem adequate to rebuild any such elaborate structure as has been destroyed. However, it is reasonably certain that a new Saltair will rise from the ashes of the old resort.” On the same day, the Deseret News reported that “Manager Stevens looks forward to 1925 being the banner season and expressed hope the resort would be restored in time to take care of hordes of tourists who will visit Salt Lake.”

After a visit to Saltair and an evaluation of the damages, the owners decided that the resort would open up for bathing at the end of May. On April 24 the Deseret News reported that “with every bathing house at Saltair beach intact … bathing in the lake will still be one of Salt Lake City’s finest attractions this summer.” Saltair’s President Ashby Snow issued orders for the wreckage to be cleared as soon as possible. At this time, plans regarding rebuilding of the pavilion and other structures were put on hold until after insurance adjustments had been made. However, the overall plan of the Saltair Beach Company was to rebuild the resort. The officers had decided to build on the same site and to reuse the same building plans for sentimental and historical purposes. (McCormick & McCormick)

On April 24, in both the Deseret News and the Davis County Clipper, there were articles regarding Ogden’s suggestion that the famous resort be moved closer to Ogden. The Deseret News reported that “Ogden’s Chamber of Commerce officers are suggesting to directors of the Saltair Beach Company a resort be built on the shores of the Salt Lake, somewhere in Davis County, instead of rebuilding Saltair.” The article continues to say that a letter was sent to Manager Stringham A. Stephens, pointing out the reasons why a move would be better for the Saltair Beach Company. The letter stated that “such a resort … would draw more people from Ogden, Logan, Brigham City and all northern Utah points, and would not be farther removed from Salt Lake than the present resort.”

The Davis County Clipper reported that the Ogden Chamber of Commerce had seriously considered the building of a resort on the lakeshore west of Ogden. The Chamber officers felt that if a resort were placed on the state highway, it would be “patronized by more tourists and would more adequately show the big things Utah has to display.” The Davis County Clipper reported in the letter sent to Manager Stephens that “if the new Saltair could be placed closer to Ogden such plans [for a new resort] would be abandoned and all would boost and support the new resort.” Ogden’s plan to move the beach resort Saltair closer to the highway never happened.

The Great Salt Lake has been an attraction to people from the beginning. People have traveled from near and far to experience swimming in the lake. They have enjoyed the many resorts that lined the shores of the Great Salt Lake, but none as much as the famed Saltair. The fire of 1925 was the beginning of Saltair’s decline. The community loved Saltair along with the many tourists who had visited the resort. For months and even years after the fire, there was talk of rebuilding the famous resort. No one wanted to see the end of Saltair. They wanted to hold onto what it once was.

Saltair did not open to the public when the owners and manager had anticipated. The resort reopened on July 1, two months after the fire. The summer of 1925 was the grand opening of Lagoon, which offered a larger scale amusement park to the community. (McCormick & McCormick) With the difficulties that the fire caused and the attraction of Lagoon, Saltair did not regain the patronage and splendor it once had. Toward the end of 1925, the new pavilion was built and the resort was expanded. However, Saltair never achieved the same success that it once had. A number of factors prevented Saltair’s overall success, including the advent of motion pictures and radio, automobiles and the Great Depression, which kept most people closer to home. In 1931, another fire overcame Saltair once again. The once famous amusement park and beach resort never regained the popularity and splendor that it once enjoyed during its first 30 years.

Kimberlee Ward is a senior at the University of Utah. She is majoring in mass communication and will graduate August 2010.

Sources

“Flames Leap in High Wind Over Buildings,” Deseret News, April 22, 1925, 1.

“New Building will be Upon Larger Scale,” Deseret News, April 23, 1925.

“Saltair to be Bathing Place This Summer,” Deseret News, April 24, 1925.

“Salt Lake’s Famous Place of Diversion Ravaged by Flames,” The Salt Lake Tribune, April 23, 1925, 1.

“Future of Saltair to Be Determined at Today’s Meeting of Directors,” The Salt Lake Tribune, April 24, 1925.

“No Decision on Saltair Made,” The Salt Lake Tribune, April 25, 1925.

“New Saltair on Old Site, Plan,” The Salt Lake Tribune, April 26, 1925.

“Great Dance Pavilion at Resort Afire,” The Salt Lake Telegram, April 22, 1925, 1.

“$500,000 Fire Wipes Out Main Portion of World-Famed Resort,” Salt Lake Telegram, April 24, 1925, 2.

“Ogden Suggest Davis as Center for Resort,” Davis County Clipper, April 24, 1925, 1.

Nancy McCormick and John McCormick. Saltair. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1985.

Apr 30

University of Utah 1944 NCAA Basketball Championship

by KIT CHIPMAN

This is the story of the 1944 University of Utah basketball team and the effect that it had on the state of Utah.

It was December 1943 and Vadal Peterson was the head coach of the University of Utah basketball team. He had assembled his team of “blitz kids” and was preparing for another season. There was only one problem; they did not have anyone to play. At the time, it was in the middle of World War II, and many colleges and universities were having a hard time fielding teams in any sport. The University of Utah’s own newspaper, The Utah Chronicle, reported on December 30, 1943, that “Utah [was] the only school left which [was] trying to run off an athletic schedule.” In the same article the Chronicle also reported that “Colorado U, Utah State, Wyoming, and Colorado State have all given up the ghost because of the manpower shortage.” This “manpower shortage” most likely had to do with many of the young men in the army. To make things worse, the conference that the Utes were in would not allow the basketball team to play more games. Later the conference allowed the team to play more games. Also the quality of the opponents was not what they were used to. In Continuum: The Magazine of The University of Utah, an article written by Chad Nielsen states that the Utes played teams such as “Colorado College, Bushnell Hospital, and the Wendover Bombing Quintet” (Nielsen, 9). Even though the Utes had trouble finding teams to play they were able to win 18 games and were invited to play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

This is a post regular season tournament that teams have to be invited to participate in. There is also another post-regular season tournament, the NCAA tournament. Back then the NIT was the better of the two. Any college that won the NIT was considered the national champion. Kentucky was Utah’s first opponent. This was on the big stage: Madison Square Garden. Utah was the heavy underdog in this game, and lost 46 to 38. On March 21, 1944, The Ogden Standard Examiner reported that “the Kentucky – Utah game brought the Madison Square Garden crowd of 16,273 to its feet time and again as the teams swapped the lead 10 times.” It was not in Utah’s fate to win this game, even though it was close. The team did not know it yet but the Utes had greater things to accomplish.

The Utes thought their season was over and with all the turmoil were pleased with what they had accomplished. A few days after that loss coach Vadal Peterson received a telegram from the NCAA with surprising and good news. The NCAA was in need of another team because of a tragic event that had happened. Players on the University of Arkansas basketball team had been on the bad end of a car accident. On March 22, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that “Arkansas, cochampions of the Southwest conference, originally was chosen but was forced to drop out following an automobile accident … in which a coaching aide was killed and two players seriously injured.” It was said that the athletic director and two starters on the basketball team had been hit by another car while trying to change a flat tire. (Nielsen) Not wanting to play, Arkansas backed out of the tournament. The Utes had originally planned on playing only in the NCAA tournament but decided to play in the NIT when they got the invitation.

After Arkansas decided not to play The Salt Lake Tribune reported on March 22 that “Graduate Manager Keith Brown called Professor Walter A. Kerr, chairman of the University of Utah athletic council, about 1:30 a.m. about the invitation to the NCAA tournament and Professor Kerr was telephoning members of the athletic council most of the night to get a vote on the tourney. The council was unanimously in favor.” Later, the players were called to see if they wanted to play. Of course the whole team wanted to play. The Salt Lake Tribune quoted Brown as saying that “the boys felt like they could have won the game with Kentucky, and they figure that if they win out at the Kansas City meet and get another chance at Madison Square Garden they can really do themselves proud. That’s their goal.” This gave Utah a chance that no one had ever been given before. This was the first time that any university had participated in both the National Invitational Tournament and the NCAA Tournament in the same year.

Before the Utes could get back to the Garden they had to go through Kansas City. Two wins and they were going to be back where they had lost less than two weeks earlier. They were able to beat Missouri and then Iowa to advance to the NCAA title game back in New York City. Yet again the Utes were the heavy underdog in facing Dartmouth. On March 28, 1944, the day of the game, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Utah was facing “a heavily favored Dartmouth quintet for the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship.” The Ogden Standard Examiner noted that the Utes were 8-point underdogs. Even though the media thought it wasn’t likely that the Utes would win, everyone back home in Utah was ready to support the team to victory.

The day of the game arrived and the Utes were ready to play. This was the most important game of their lives and everyone knew it. Madison Square Garden was over capacity with 17,990 people in attendance. Dartmouth and Utah played a thrilling game that saw the Utes win 42 to 40. On March 29, The Deseret News reported “Utah … upset mighty Dartmouth, 42 to 40, to win the NCAA title in an exciting extra period game before 17,990 at the Garden last night.” The Utes had beaten the odds. But this was not the end.

The next night in a charity event the University of Utah played St. John’s University. St. John’s was the winner of the NIT. This game was the unofficial, or mythical as they called it then, national championship. Another rousing crowd of 18,125 filled the Garden to see these two Cinderella teams battle for the title of National Champion. On March 31, The Ogden Standard Examiner reported that Utah “ruled today as mythical basketball champion of the nation by virtue of a 43-36 victory over St. Johnson’s last night.” Now with this title of National Champions there was a big party waiting for the team back in Utah.

People in Utah were very excited to greet these “blitz kids” as the team traveled back home. Many events were set up to celebrate this championship. On April 4, The Deseret News had a whole page honoring the team by saying, “all Utah and especially hosts in Salt Lake City pay homage today to a most amazing squad of young basketball stars, winner of the highest collegiate honor available in the hoop sport.” Right as the team got home there were fans waiting for them. The Utah Chronicle reported on April 4 “the blaring of the band, cheers of fans, the honking of automobiles, began the festivities which will honor the national basketball champions during the coming week.” There was a parade and a rally on the university campus that day as well. But while all of this was going on there was one player who had an effect on the team that will never be forgotten by those players.

A Japanese-American University of Utah basketball player, Wat Miska, was born and raised in Ogden, Utah. At this time in his life the U.S. was at war with Japan and many Japanese American people were being taken and put into internment camps. Because he was from Utah he and his family were not in the internment zone and were not forced to go to the camps. But it was not pleasant to be of Japanese descent at this time. Nielsen wrote, “Misaka was denied service at restaurants and avoided on the street, even after leading Weber Junior College to two Championships.” (Nielsen, 9) He even experienced terrible things during games. Nielsen said that “at road games, spectators threatened Misaka from the stands, shouting for the ‘dirty Jap’ to go home. Nielsen also stated “through it all, Misaka somehow still believed in America. And he poured his heart into playing basketball, like his teammates.” Wat has said that he didn’t think of himself as being different from his teammates.” (Nielsen, 9) Later he served in World War II in Japan and came back to play on the Utah basketball team and helped the team win the NIT. Nielsen noted that later in the summer of 1947 the New York Knicks drafted him to play basketball in the National Basketball League, which later became the NBA. Also Wat Misaka was the first non-white person to be drafted by any professional basketball team. In 1999 Wat Misaka was inducted in the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. (Nielsen, 10)

This story of the Utah “blitz kids” is a forgotten story that needs to be remembered and is important to Utah communication history because all that was in the news at the time was the war. This story was big. It was a way that people in this state could rally together during a hard time. It gave them comfort and an opportunity to think about something other than the war. Although the war was still bigger, this was news enough to help Utahns forget about the war for a few exciting weeks.

Kit Chipman is a sophomore at The University of Utah. He is a mass communication major.


Sources

“City Honors Victorious Hoop Team,” The Utah Chronicle, April 4, 1944.

Rulon Rasmussen, “Utes Face Lean Year With Few Games Scheduled,” The Utah Chronicle, December 30, 1943.

“‘U’ Wins In Overtime,” The Deseret News, March 29, 1944.

“Welcome Utah’s ‘Blitz Kids’ Basketball Champions of the U.S.A.,” The Deseret News, April 4, 1944.

“Utes To Play In NCAA Tourney,” The Salt Lake Tribune, March 22, 1944.

Glen Perkins, “Arnold Ferrin Stars as the Utes Lose in Famous Garden,” Ogden Standard Examiner, March 21, 1944.

Jack Coddy, “Indians and Utes in Cage Treat,” The Ogden Standard Examiner, March 21, 1944.

Joe James Custer, “Utah’s Cinderella Kids Take National NCAA Title in Overtime in New York Garden,” Ogden Standard Examiner, March 29, 1944.

Joe James Custer, “Indians Provide New Story Book Finish in Sports,” Ogden Standard Examiner, March 31, 1944.


Chad Nielsen, “That’s Just How It Was,” Continuum: The Magazine of the University of Utah (Spring 2010): 8-10.