Media: BOOK - paperback 164 pages
Author: G & T. Wharten
Year: 2007
Other: bibliography, index
Publisher: Morris Publishing

True Tales from Utah’s Past
From the election of the first female state senator to the dangerous Hole-in-the-Rock journey pioneers took to reach civilization, It HAPPENED IN UTAH looks at intriguing people and episodes from the history of the Beehive State.

Find out how fast the first Pony Express ride to deliver mail from Salt Lake City to Sacramento really was. Learn how George Bradley’s quick thinking—and his long Johns—saved the leader of the first expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers. And discover how Butch Cassidy robbed a train in his hometown in front of hundreds of witnesses—and even got away with it.

In an easy-to-read style that’s entertaining and informative, authors Gayen and Tom Wharton recount some of the most captivating moments in the history of Utah.

FROM THE PREFACE
We chose the stories for It Happened in Utah because they grabbed us—and drew us into reading more about the history of our remarkable state. It Happened in Utah is meant to be a different kind of history book. Utah’s unique history and culture—from the arrival of the mountain men in 1825 to the Winter Olympic Games in 2002—are chronicled here in an unusual way. Each chapter tells the story of a single, brief event that helped shape Utah. Each provides a look at one aspect of the history of the state.

Utah’s history was strongly influenced by the Mormon settlement of the area. The stories here portray this dynamic and colorful people and tell of their interactions with non-Mormons within and outside the state. We have tried to capture more of Utah’s rich cultural, ethnic, and gender diversity by recounting both major events—the completion of the transcontinental railroad, for example—and smaller', unusual occurrences, such as the election of an all-female town council in Kanab in 1912.

It Happened in Utah chronicles the triumphs and failures in Utah’s history. “Mountain Meadow Massacre” recalls a tragedy. “Ab Jenkins Is Fast on the Salt Flats” tells the story of an amazing success that only could have happened in Utah.

We hope that students of history of all ages, and anyone who loves a good story, will enjoy It Happened in Utah.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Map
Preface
A Fur Traders’ Fight, Ogden—1825
Mountain Man Jedediah Smith Meets His Match—Great Basin, 1827
Mormon Pioneers Reach Zion—Salt Lake City, 1847
Mountain Meadow Massacre—Dixie National Forest, 1857
Johnston Marches against the Mormons—Fairfield, 1858
Howard Egan’s Ride for the Pony Express—Rush Valley, 1860
Jean Baptiste Robs Salt Lake’s Graves—Salt Lake City, 1862
Driving the Golden Spike—Promontory Summit, 1869
Long Johns Save John Wesley Powell—Desolation Canyon, 1869
Arsenal Hill Explodes—Salt Lake City, 1876
Descent through the Hole-in-the-Rock—Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, 1880
A Polynesian Pioneer Day in losepa—Skull Valley, 1892
Martha Hughes Cannon Wins the Race—-Salt Lake City, 1896
Jesse Knight Dreams Up the Humbug Mine—Godiva Mountain, 1896
Butch Cassidy and the Castle Gate Robbery—Robber’s Roost, 1897
Scofields Mine Disaster—Scofield, 1900
Women of Kanab Make History—Kanab, 1912
The Trial of Joe Hill—Salt Lake City, 1915
Utah Gets a Bad Case of the Flu—Statewide, 1918
Charlie Glass and the Sheep and Cattle War—Moab, 1921
Chief Posey and the Last Indian War—Blanding, 1923
The Killing of Utah’s Last Grizzly Bear—Blacksmith Fork Canyon, 1923
Ab Jenkins Is Fast on the Salt Flats—Bonneville Speedway, 1932
Japanese Held at Topaz Internment Camp—Topaz, 1942
Paraskiers Train for War at Alta—Alta, 1942
Dick Wilson Builds the Slickrock Bike Trail—Moab, 1969
The 2002 Winter Olympics—Salt Lake City, 2002
Utah Facts & Trivia
Suggested Further Reading
Index
About the Authors