Burton Johnson describes Hosta House as “a shady business”. But unlike other shady operations, which require stealth and evasive practices to elude the authorities, this shady business is actually legal. Johnson grows and sells ornamental shade plants called hostas. Johnson then suggests we visit a garden he created for his neighbor Spencer F. Eccles. He says we can see that … [Read more...]
At Rest Far From Home: German Prisoners of War Were Killed After Germany Surrendered
At Fort Douglas Military Cemetery, dead warriors rest in peace. Amongst the quiet rows are nine white grave markers with distinctly German names: Otto Bross … Ernst Fuchs … Gottfried Gagg ... They all have the same date of death—July 8, 1945. This is no coincidence. For the past seven decades these weathered tombstones have borne silent witness to a war crime committed in Utah. … [Read more...]
Salty Songs About SLC
"I left my heart in..." We all know how that song lyric goes. But Salt Lake City crooners can take heart—there are songs that celebrate SLC as well. Songwriter Doug Wintch added to the list when he wrote Salt Lake City in 2013. Wintch said he based his song on “a guy who used to sit at the bar down at D.B. Cooper’s and cry into his beer over a long lost high school sweet … [Read more...]
How Smoking Tobacco Can Enrich Your Life
Tobacco can kill you. So can red meat, refined sugar, iodized salt, modern highways, corporate jobs, prescribed medicines, falling trees, and stray bullets. Hell, drink too much water and you can die of poisoning. Fact is, one day you will die. And unless you’re one of those rare humans who has the temerity to off yourself, you don’t know when or how your day will come. So, unt … [Read more...]
Making the Most of Mixed-Use Space in Sugar House
It’s all a matter of perspective. When my my two-pound Chihuahua stands on the rocks in my garden, she feels like a giant. When Sugar House developers set out to make the best use of available space, they made things more convenient for shoppers and residents, but not drivers. Sugar House is home to the Vue and Liberty Heights, apartment complexes that are built to be a … [Read more...]
Broadway Changes
Before the malls, before the ZCMI Center, Gateway and City Creek, downtown SLC provided destination shopping for Salt Lake Valley residents. A trip downtown was a special treat. Local institutions such as Auerbach’s, The Paris Company, Lerners, the Yardstick, the Kress five and dime store and Woolworths made window shopping an event. Buildings, beyond box-like high rises, suc … [Read more...]
Utah’s Coffee Roasters – Introduction to Utah Stories Roasters Issue
It’s been said America runs on coffee. Today 34 percent of Americans drink a cup of coffee every morning. And a greater percentage of younger adults use caffeine to "enhance" their ability to study for exams and complete assignments before deadlines. I write this just after having my morning cup of coffee, feeling instantly more focused and alert. I can thank my Eastern E … [Read more...]
Bird in the Trees
For the quartet Bird in the Trees, no one member is sitting on a higher branch. Collaboration is the key for the group that consists of female vocalist Taryn Willis, singer/guitar player Larry Moreland, singer/banjo player Vernon Twede, and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Hansen. What style of music do they collaborate on? That depends on which band member you ask. Vernon … [Read more...]
Every Drip is a Drop in the Bucket
For the first time in 15 years of gardening I’ve installed drip irrigation. And perhaps I’m a johnny-come-lately to this technology that many people have already discovered, but even at that, it’s worth sharing the experience I’ve had converting my vegetable garden into a high-performance farm. It would never have happened had I not stumbled upon a farmer who preaches as gospel … [Read more...]
Utah’s Oldest Business – Shooting Star Saloon
Many have laid claim to being Utah’s oldest business, and many more also claim in being Utah’s oldest bar. But none say they are both and can prove it. The Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville, Utah is perhaps both. We didn’t see their proof but we will take their word for it. The building, which houses the Shooting Star saloon, was erected in the 1850s in Huntsville as a merca … [Read more...]