Special thanks (on this page) to the Utah Division of State History
Monday – September 26th
Left camp about 9:00 a.m. Country is very beautiful as high mountains. So artistically and beautifully colored with the many colors. The valleys are very fertile. Sheep raising is the chief industry. Have seen flocks with several thousands in them today. Got to Salt Lake City about 11 o’clock and we go to the Mormon Tabernacle where they have daily organ recitals – was very good. Building has best acoustics of any building in the world. Heard a pin drop at distance of 200 ft. Meet Grace O’Dare girl tourist who eats supper with us. Camp in municipal auto campgrounds on S. Main St. Mad as a wet hen. Retire about 10 o’clock.
Approximate mileage 169 miles.
There is no journal entry for the 25th, and the 26th would have been Tuesday but he titled it Monday Sept 26th. They either stayed in the Green River area or they stayed an extra day in the Salt Lake City area. My bet is he probably waited a day to put an entry in the journal and got confused.
They continued on the Lincoln Highway all the way to Salt Lake City. The area between Wamsutter and Bitter Creek was a center for the sheep industry, but there were sheep all through Wyoming. I read that there would be thousands of sheep in the fall. During this time, there was a great deal of tension between cattlemen and sheepmen over the grazing rights.
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
Wednesday – September 27th
Ben, Lloyd and Clarence
chillin by the car
Mitch and myself relined brakes, etc. Went out to the Great Salt Lake about 11 o’clock. Could see salt in soil for miles before we got to “Lake” 150 miles long from 10 to 50 wide. Resembles sea as big waves rush around. Go back to city buy some groceries. Bid G good bye and head south over Arrowhead Trail. Very beautiful Down the valley we go. Wheat, vegetables, and fruit main crops. High mountains on both sides of us. Many large lakes. Meet girl horseback riding. Bill & Mitch make dates. Camp at Mr. Hudson’s. Irrigation ditch goes very near our camp. Make bed under wagon bed.
Arrow Head Trail
(public domain picture)
Assuming he stayed around Provo, the mileage is 47 miles.
The Arrowhead Trail was an all-weather road between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City and was a connector between the Lincoln Highway and the National Old Trails Route. It is now Hwy 91 and Interstate 15. In the early days it was called the Mormon Trail. Around Provo, the Arrowhead Trail overlapped the Evergreen National Highway which stretched from Portland, Oregon, to El Paso, Texas. I can’t find any maps or other information on the Evergreen Highway.
When they went to the Great Salt Lake, they probably took the Victory Highway to Saltair. The first Saltair was completed in 1893 and was a pavilion and amusement park. It was owned by the Mormon Church and was intended to be the Western counterpart to Coney Island. It was one of the first amusement parks, and for a time was the most popular family destination west of New York. Some criticism was directed toward the Church over the sale of coffee, tea and alcohol (all of which were prohibited by Mormon doctrine), as well as Saltair’s being open on Sunday. The church finally sold the resort in 1906. The first Saltair and a few other buildings were destroyed by fire on April 22, 1925 (2.5 years after Lloyd traveled there).
 ArrowHead Trail Marker |
 Evergreen Highway Marker |
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
Thursday – September 28th
Clarence, Mitch and Ben hanging out in town
Fine nights rest. Before leaving Mr. Hudson gave us a honey dew melon. Burnt out a bearing and Mitch and I put one in at Nephi. Left Nephi about 1:30 and got to Fillmore about 5:30 o’clock. Camped there. Mitch and Tuttle went to dance. Our bed was just at the side of the dance hall. Mitch takes a girl home and has to “hurry back.” Rained some during the night. Bed was pretty hard-no straw.
Approximate mileage 106 miles.
They were still traveling the Arrowhead and Evergreen Highways.
Fillmore was the first territorial capital of Utah. The capital was later moved to Salt Lake City. There was a Verne Bartholomew Dance Hall in Fillmore during the 1920s. It was used for dancing, roller skating and plays. It was built in 1919 and burnt down in 1926. I wonder if it was a taxi dance hall. Taxi dance halls were popular in the 20’s and 30s. Patrons would buy tickets for 10 cents each. They presented the tickets to the taxi dancer for 1 dance – single song.
The Old Fillmore Statehouse was also a dance hall at one time but it was in the late 1800s. I believe they went to the Verne Bartholomew Dance Hall. I’ve tried to get permission for the picture for this dance hall but so far I’ve not succeeded, but, I can link to where I did find the picture. Here is a link to the picture I found.
Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society
Title: Fillmore, Utah p.4
Collection: Classified Photograph Collection
Photo #: 15351
Friday – September 29th
Left camp early – Headed south-Passed thru “Old Cove Fort” and saw Spanish fort which was used as protection against the Indians. We got some “grub” at Beaver and stopped a few miles out and had lunch. Passed thru partial desert land all afternoon. Stopped for supper 4 miles west of Leeds. Drove on it being moon light night to St. George where we camped. I was sick. Went to drug store and got some medicine. McDonald prescribed. The palm on my hand pained me very much.
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
 Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society |
Approximate mileage 164 miles.
The route they took consisted of the Arrowhead and Evergreen Highways.
Pikes Peak Sign
Pikes Peak Route Marker
South of Filmore, the Pike’s Peak Ocean to Ocean(PP-OO) route intersected their route. It was started early in 1912 and went from New York City to Los Angeles. In the beginning it went from both New York and Washington, DC and terminated in San Francisco. The Washington DC branch was eventually removed and the San Francisco portion was relocated to Los Angeles. The relocations were an attempt to distinguish the route from the Lincoln Highway and the National Old Trails Road. The PP-OO Association actively searched for a unique route in Utah and Nevada. Unfortunately, the route they choose overlapped the ArrowHead and Evergreen Routes. The route markers were marked PP-OO.
The Pikes Peak route started as a boosterism campaign (promote your town) in Colorado Springs, and depended upon cities and towns along the route to participate with monetary contributions and road improvements.
Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway Map
(Public Domain – provided by Federal Highway Administration) – click on it to enlarge
Near Leeds, they were also back traveling on the the Park to Park Highway as it was very near Zion National Park.
Old Cove Fort is a fort requested by Brigham Young. It was built in 1867 from volcanic rock instead of wood. It still survives.
St George had the first Mormon temple built in Utah. During the nuclear testing days, nuclear fallout often blew into St. George.