Utah Myths

Ok - Most of you hav seen the large grates in the park in the middle of Presidents circle. They are in the center of the park, approximately a hundred yards from the entrance of the administration building. What you don’t know is the history of the tunnel system underneath these grates. This elaborate system was first conceived by Brigham Young in early February, 1850… just weeks before the school first opened. It was meant as an underground shelter for students in case of a catastrophe. The tunnel system still exists today, in part. It was expanded to the Marriott library when it was first built - but recent construction has cut off that access. The only remaining section of the tunnel that is still usable goes up to the Union building. But - the other end is underneath those grates…. so there really isn’t much point in using it. Still an interesting piece of history though.

Each year, thousands of people travel to Utah’s pride and joy - the Heber Valley Historic Railroad. It has added vintage trains to its line-up over the years, but this particular story is about it’s original engine - 618. It is an interesting tale of how this engine got to Utah and how it ended up in Heber. This train started it’s life in Texas - where it ran the “Port Houston to Oklahoma-Tulsa” route. This route is interesting because, while the trains are highly guarded when carrying a load - they are ran unprotected when returning empty. It was during one of these return runs that it was hi-jacked and taken west to Utah. It was abandoned here and sat for years. The land owner where the train resided was struck with the idea that he should bury the engine, as was common practice in that era. He did. Years later, during an excavation for a Utah County office building, it was discovered and was transported to Heber, where it lives today as a great tourist attraction.

Although the rest of the country granted women the right to vote with the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919, Utah was the last state in the Union to allow women this privilege, finally ratifying the law in May of 1957. This was largely because the lawmakers feared that if women were given the right to vote earlier, they would have voted to outlaw polygamy, which wasn’t legally abolished until 1970.

If you have ever visited Utah County on a Sunday (or, if you have ever wondered why you cant buy a good sandwich on Sundays if you currently live there) you have noticed that Utah County shuts down on Sundays. Everything. From Gas Stations to Shopping Malls. But you may not know why this is the case. While nearly all of Utah shut down on the Sabbath years ago, 84% of all stores in Utah (excluding Utah County) are open on Sundays. Utah County - 12%. Why? Well - there is actually a secret reason. Utah County is controlled by Mormons and Conservatives, so one could make the logical assumption that they are all in church on Sundays anyway. This is true enough - but the real truth is buried in this fact. Since Utah was started, and Utah County developed, there have been daughters. A daughter of A.O. Smoot, one of Provo’s first mayors was notorious for breaking rules and living the edgy life. She was also know to be somewhat of a, um, slut. She would frequent all the stores in town try to find new people to spend time with. A.O., in his typical fashion of over-doing it, decided that if the stores and parlors were all closed on Sunday - his daughter could no longer do the dirty deeds she was accustomed to. So - in 1864 - A.O. passed an ordinance that all non-critical operations will be closed on Sunday. This ordinance remains in effect to this day. See how much damage one little slutty girl can cause?