A brief history of the F-16 at Hill AFB, Utah

Beautiful pic of the F-105s flying with F-16s for the 466th Fighter Squadron's transition.

After the service of the F-105 had ended at Hill AFB, the immediate replacement was the F-16 Fighting Falcon, or as the pilots and crews call it, the Viper. Despite the fact the F-16 had significantly less range and payload capability than the F-105 it replaced, it did offer significantly enhanced capabilities in almost every other area, such as a more advanced and sophisticated radar, far greater bombing and gunnery accuracy, BVR A2A capability, greater payload diversity, smart weapons arsenal, and is far more maneuverable.

However, they first F-16 arrived at Hill long before the type was operated there, as there was a scheduled stop there after flying out of Edwards AFB for one of the test flights in 1977.  Ogden Air Logistics Center (ALC) was also already designated as the primary maintenance center for the type in 1974 during the development of the aircraft. 

The 388th Tactical Fighter Wing received its first F-16As for operational use in late 1979 and it was the first squadron in the US Air Force to become operational with the new jet, replacing the unit's old and venerable F-4E Phantom IIs that were used in Vietnam.

The 388th's celebratory paint scheme for the 5 millionth F-16 flight hour.

The unit gained quick prominence with the type by winning the RAF bombing competition in 1981, and also winning the worldwide USAF Gunsmoke gunnery competition twice, once in 1987 and again in 1993.  In May of 1989, the very first F-16C Block 40 was issued to the unit and they also had the distinction of celebrating the F-16's 5 millionth flight hour among all the variants in December of 1996. 

The 388th Fighter Wing flew four thousand sorties during both Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, with no losses. After the war the wing continued to deploy elements of its combat squadrons to support postwar treaty enforcement in Operation Southern Watch. 

During the Global War on Terror, the wing began deploying F-16s to Bagram AB, Afghanistan in 2009 to support ground forces in Operation Enduring Freedom. They continued to support operations in that country as part of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel until 2016. 

An F-16 from the 466th flying over the Great Salt Lake

Along with the 388th, in 1983, the Reserve 466th Fighter Squadron called the “Diamondbacks”, it was the first Air Force Reserve unit to operate the F-16 and has had a VERY storied history operating the Viper since. 

Within the first two years of operating the type, the squadron immediately earned top honors at the Air Force’s Gunsmoke gunnery meet. In 1994, the unit deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, in support of Operation Northern Watch in Iraq. 

As for the history of combat deployments, they went on to support Operation Southern Watch at Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait and while there, the unit became the first F-16s to deploy precision guided munitions in combat in 1998. Later on in 1999, while again deployed in support of Operation Northern Watch, the Diamondbacks also earned the distinction of being the first F-16 unit to employ the Litening II targeting pod in combat.

While deployed to Iraq to enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch, they were also tasked with flying classified combat missions into Afghanistan immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Afterward, they were the first F-16 unit deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom and are credited with destroying multiple important Al Qaeda assets, and provided close-air support missions to ground troops. 

In the following years, as the Global War on Terror continued, the 466th became the first unit to fly F-16 in combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Again, in 2005, the Diamondbacks deployed to Iraq to fly close-air support missions out of Balad airbase for allied ground forces.

In 2007, the 466th Fighter Squadron began flying and maintaining a shared fleet of F-16s alongside the 388th Fighter Wing in what was called "Total Force Integration". Finally in September 2015, the 419th began it's transition to the new F-35A which eventually completely replaced the F-16s in the unit by September of 2017. 

Despite the F-16 no longer being based with any unit at Hill AFB, it is still the primary logistical and maintenance hub for the type on the western half of the US, so F-16s can still be seen on occasion going in and out of Hill. Recently, the Air Force has also determined the F-35 is both too expensive and maintenance heavy to fully replace the F-16, and so they type will be upgraded for the foreseeable future until a 1:1 replacement can be designed.

Pics and sources:
https://www.hill.af.mil/About-Us/Organizations/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/388th_Fighter_Wing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/466th_Fighter_Squadron
https://www.419fw.afrc.af.mil/About-Us/History/

Vito's Bountiful

Pic was swiped from the USA Restaurants site.

Right off of the Main street in Bountiful and 100 South is Vito's. They label themselves the Philly King of Bountiful and they are right. There aren't a whole lot of places you can get a solid Philly sandwich in the state, and this is certainly one of them. Among a huge variety of Philly sandwiches they also offer great meatball subs, Rubens, and Italian sausage subs.  

The place is rightfully jam packed during the lunch hour, so I would recommend going during any other time of the day to save you some time. Also, last I checked, they don't take cards and are a cash-only establishment, as it is nearly a one man operation. That being said, they also don't have any official site I know of , so you'll have to google the place for a menu if you want to know before you go. 

Again, Utah is the nerdiest state

Believe it or not, the Disney company was not always seen as the truly evil empire it currently is, and they actually put out good stuff every now and again. One of those great gems they put out was the 2009 movie Up. Spawning many memes and being a generally great movie overall has given it great longevity and fondness in the eyes of most. 

Enter now the address of 13222 Herriman Rose Blvd in Herriman, Utah is a a near perfect exterior and interior replica of the protagonists house from that movie. Created by the Bangerter Homes company specifically as a way to promote themselves and create a tourist destination, the company received permission from Disney to create it and painstakingly researched every known detail with Disney in order to create it. 

It is now privately owned and the owners do have a website detailing it's history and some FAQs about visiting here: http://www.therealuphouse.com/ Also, Disney itself loves the promotion given by the house and made a short film about the family living there that you can see on youtube:

The only shame about the place is that it's stuck in the general area of Provo which is basically the leaky butthole of Utah, with the highest concentration of jerks in the state. 

A brief history of the Republic F-105 Thunderchief in Utah

A very rare desert fox camo scheme used on only one Thud based at Hill AFB.

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was an amazing machine and marks a huge turning point in aircraft technology in the US Air Force. It was a part of the Century Series of aircraft programs that were meant to rapidly increase the aeronautical technology capabilities in the military. Created specifically as a supersonic nuclear strike aircraft to penetrate Soviet air defenses in a potential world war 3 that never happened, in reality, the "Thud" (as it was known by pilots), gained fame an infamy in the Vietnam War with conventional bombing and Wild Weasel missions. It was the primary aircraft used for strike mission in the conflict, it shot down over 27 MiGs in the war, flew over 20,000 sorties, was the first aircraft in the USAF to have a dedicated Wild Weasel variant, but also had the dubious distinction of having 382 examples shot down in Vietnam, almost half of all the 833 examples built. 

Another Thunderchief sitting on the flight line at Hill.

However, I'm not here to give a detailed account of the plane, but rather a history of it at Hill AFB, Utah. Before I can do that, a little history on the group based there. Activated in 1956 as a unit of the regular Air Force, the group and its three squadrons trained in C-123 assault airlift operations and eventually operated other aircraft such as the T-33, F-80, F-84, C-119, C-124, and C-46 aircraft.

1972, the Air Force Reserve modernization program renamed the the unit at the base to the 508th Fighter Group, and it is at that time that they were given the F-105, after much of it's involvement in Vietnam was already over. Being that the unit was now a part of the reserves, it was really towards the twilight of the Thud's career and they operated the B, D and F variants of the F-105 until the aircraft was ultimately retired.

The Hill AFB taxiway right before the 24 ship formation event. taken from the 419th Fighter Wing's Twitter account. 

In June of 1983, the unit at Hill was the last remaining U.S. Air Force unit flying the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and the unit flew a diamond of diamonds 24-ship formation as a celebratory farewell to the “Thud” being withdrawn from service after 25 years of being in USAF inventory. For the 419th, it was to be replaced by the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Today, on the inside of Hill, AFB itself, they still have a standing gate guard of an F-105D, as well as having both an F-105D and a two seat F-105F Wild Weasel variant that are displayed in the Hill AFB museum. 

The famous diamond of diamonds formation flown for the retirement ceremony.

However, that's not all of Utah's history with the F-105. As mentioned earlier, the Thunderchief was used as a cover for the crash of an A-12 spyplane crash in 1963, which I wrote about earlier. However there are a couple of different actual F-105 crashes that did occur in Utah in the 60s.

On the 23rd of May 1963 (nearly the same time as the A-12 crash), aircraft serial number 59-1773 crashed near Kanab, Utah resulting in the destruction of the plane beyond repair. 

A second crash occurred the next year on May 14th, 1964 when serial number 60-0412 crashed near Wendover after flying out of Nellis, likely going to the UTTR bombing range that also resulted in the total loss of the aircraft. 

In both instances, the cause was listed as in-flight fires that caused the loss of control of the aircraft. Thankfully, in both instances it is said the pilot ejected safely and there were no casualties. 

Transition time! A retiring F-105 flying formation with the new F-16 near Hill AFB.

Sources and pics from:

https://www.419fw.afrc.af.mil/News/Article/2382042/in-history-wings-epic-24-ship-flyover/
https://twitter.com/419fw
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/type/f105

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/151583

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/151557

http://www.livingwarbirds.com/republic-f-105-thunderchief.php

The Nacho House in Bountiful, UT

Another one of my favorite local eateries is the wonderful Nacho House in Bountiful. To be honest, good Mexican places are a dime a dozen here in Utah, but this place is certainly a step above the rest, especially after the the closure of so many after the Cantonese cough and sneeze. 

The place has great service and plenty of room to accommodate a sizable crowd, and they have recently remodeled, and I haven't been able to go there since they've done so. 

However, the thing that makes them really stand out is the fact that they have one of the greatest dishes I have ever heard of: bacon-wrapped chimichangas smothered in white cheese sauce. I mentioned it on here years ago, but I figure I needed to give a proper shout out to the restaurant overall. IN any case the chimichangas are to die for, and it's not the only good thing there, as everything on the menu is good, so go check them out. 

They used to have their own website, but it seems they have scaled back to just a facebook page you can visit here:

https://www.facebook.com/NachoHouseSLC/

Utah is the nerdiest state

Valley View Memorial Park in West Valley City, Utah has something pretty unique as far as gravestones go that caused a bit of a trend among the nerdy peoples of the world who pass on to the next. In the Southwest corner of the cemetery there lies a Steven Allan Ford who passed away on September 7, 2010. But what is unique about his grave is that it reads under his name and dates ”MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALWAYS.”

Pic taken from the Atlas Obscura article. 

What is really odd about it is that it's not just a Star Wars superfan's last statement, but he was listed as the first officially licensed minister of the Temple of the Jedi Order and ordained Jedi Priest after it being declared an official religion in the US. He was even the officiator of his own brother's wedding as such. Unfortunately for Steven and the rest of us, he was (as is obvious) a bit mentally damaged as his cause of death was that he took his own life. Still, his legacy goes on as his gravestone will always be an oddity that is world renowned in nerd circles. 

Source:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grave-of-utahs-first-jedi-priest

Thomas Judd's Store

One of the oldest operating businesses in St. George, UT

Another one of the fun little places that's out of the way that you can check out in St. George is the Thomas Judd store. The place is a nice little cafe that serves soups, sandwiches, and other snacks, but is primarily known for their selection of specialty sodas, candy (some of which they make themselves) and their own brand of Ice Cream they make locally.  A little, but refreshing location with a bit of history you can read about on their site here:  https://juddsgeneralstore.co/

Farr's Ice Cream

One of the greatest unofficial traditions I know of among everyone I know who are Mormons is to go get ice cream after going to the temple. In the city of Ogden, UT, the famous and long lasting Farr's Ice Cream shop is the go to for those in the area, as it's just opposite of the northwestern corner of the temple there. They are certainly a step up from a lot of ice cream places, not just because they are local, but because they have some excellent flavors I have never seen before, my favorite being the lime ricky sherbet. 

Pics taken form the Farr company site.

The company recently celebrated their 100 year anniversary back in 2020, and they have a far more well documented and detailed history than most companies, but it's so extensive, I don't think I'll even try so summarize it here, but rather refer you to the detailed write up they have on their own site about it.

The sights of Elberta, UT

Elberta was a mining town that was formed for those working in the multiple old mines that are located between it and the town of Eureka. After most of the mines closed in 1949, the town almost turned into a ghost town overnight. The only things that really remain in the town are a couple of large farms, a natural gas facility, a Catholic mission, a few remaining houses, and a couple of noteworthy pieces of history. 

Of those pieces of history, the first is the old Sinclair gas station located right of the town's only intersection. Constructed in 1917, it was family own for the duration of it's operation and was open to the public until 1982. It's no longer open, but is still owned by the same family, and is easily seen from the road, and provides some excellent Americana in it's appearance. 

Photo from Atlas Obscura

The other thing it's notable for is the fact that there is a movie set for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that is nestled between Elberta and Goshen. From what I recall the set is unique in that it's meant to be a semi permanent set to save money over time instead of constantly building and tearing down sets. The set itself is supposed to represent the Jerusalem area, specifically the Sanhedrin but has expanded over time to include other areas like Golgotha and Gethsemane. I've meant to go out there for some time now, as I have passed close by a number of times while on the way to other places, but haven't been able to stop there yet. 

Crappy, low-rez pic from the church news site.

Though don't get too excited about going there if you are wanting to explore, as there really isn't anything else out there.

Sources and pics from:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/old-sinclair-gas-station-elberta-utah
https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/2011-08-03/utahs-movie-set-where-scripture-comes-to-life-56561

Howie's Root Beer

Another cool local brand that is making some waves out there is Howie's Root Beer. Made in Layton, UT and started by the Tanner family members Howard and David. Born out of a family recipe from all the way back in 1969, the first official commercial batch was made in 1989. They are often found in more local associated food stores in the area, but are slowly expanding. 

Being the total root beer snob that I am, I have to say it's among my favorites. It's got that distinctly home made flavor, but without the issue of being too sweet or overly carbonated like a lot of other "homebrew" recipes I've come across. With a hint of vanilla, it's reminds me a lot of A&W but still less sweet than that, which is a plus in my book. 

Midway crater and the Ice castles

Midway, Utah is a pretty well off community west of Heber, Utah with a resort called Homestead that is on the upper end of 3 star accommodations (to the point of being overpriced IMHO). However, it's also home to a couple of very unique attractions: The Ice Castles and the Midway Crater.

If you aren't familiar, the Midway crater is really a hot spring with a very unique formation. Basically there is a large open topped dome of natural rock that encases the primary portion of the spring and the entrance is through a tunnel burrowed into the rock, and the interior is full of fascinating rock and crystal formations that are naturally illuminated by sunlight. I have been to the location a couple of times, but have never actually gone into the spring itself, but it's said to be very popular with scuba divers and is also continually researched by archaeologists.  It's only open seasonally, but can be accessed by reserving a paying for at time with the resort. 

The aforementioned cool illuminated rock formations. 

For the winter season in which the spring is closed, at the same location is also the Ice Castles, which started here in this state by a relative of my wife, so going there is pretty much an annual occurrence for us, and is certainly like something straight out of a fairy tale or the Disney movie Frozen. It's pretty much just a neat thing to gawk at once you are there, but still fun. Feel free to check out thier site to take a look at what it's actually like: https://icecastles.com/.

Great place to take someone special to you.

In any case, there's plenty of good reason to visit the area in general, but I'd say there a a couple of the most interesting. 

The Summum Pyramid

Utah has no shortage of religious kooks no matter the time period, it seems, and this one is no less interesting than any other. Easily seen from the I-15 freeway while southbound, if you are quick with the eyes, you can catch a glimpse of an Egyptian style pyramid built of partially metal construction that was completed in 1979. Designed to be facing true north as well as incorporating Golden Ratio in its design, it's got an fascinating story to go along with it.

The movement began in 1975 with a man named Claude "Corky" Nowell who said he had been contacted by beings he called "Summa Individuals" who spoke with him about concepts regarding the nature of creation and those concepts having always existed and are continually re-introduced to humankind by advanced beings who work along the pathways of creation. The experience had a profound effect on Mr. Nowell as he subsequently changed his name to Summum Bonum Amon Ra, and founded Summum to share what he had learned with others.

Afterwards, Mr. Nowell was often referred to (often derisively) as "Corky Ra" by the news at the time, and I can kind of see why, because nobody in religious circles ever seems to change their name to anything that's actually easier to type. 

Kind of confusing to me, but that's just me.

Anyways, Summum's religious practices and philosophy draws heavily from both Ancient Egyptian religion, modern mysticism, and some of the Hebrew tenants from the old testament. The name itself is derived from the Latin word Summus, meaning “highest,” and the goal of the religion is to achieve through heavy meditation a state of “spiritual Psychokinesis.” They don't believe in a specific deity at all, but rather say that all people are a part of the mind of the universe and that the universe collectively constitutes something great and worthy of study and meditation.

Perhaps uniquely, they also proport to be practitioners of modern a mummification process and a practice called Transference" which is meant to be able to guide one's essence to a greater destination after death. Another reason for the practice is that it would help to preserve the person's DNA and cells for possible cloning in the future as a scientific method of literal as well as spiritual reincarnation. However, the first person to undergo the mummification process was 2008 and was Nowell himself. His body is now encased inside a bronze mummiform casket that is covered in gold and is displayed inside the pyramid itself.

Actual photo of the mummification process for a cat.

Despite being used as the church’s primary teaching space, meditation hall, and location for the modern mummification services, the Pyramid building itself is not zoned as a church, but as a bonded winery. This is because they believe in consuming "Nectar Publications", which are wines needed in the meditation practices that help to have the mind absorb messages contained therein. An interesting fact to accompany this is that Summum was Utah's first ever federally bonded winery. 

The organization does not keep formal membership records, but according to its founder, over 250,000 people worldwide have "received" Summum instruction, this figure being based on the number of bottles of wine it has distributed.

Smith and Edwards

Note the sign over the door. Pic from the Only In Your State site.

Could have sworn I wrote about this one before, but even if I did, it seeds it's own post. So, if you haven't been to Smith and Edwards, you really should go, as it's the ultimate redneck getaway. The place specializes in a number of things, but is mostly known for being a huge military surplus store, gun store, outdoors and sporting goods equipment, food storage supplier, with a large footwear section, while also being a massive clothing outlet (mostly by Wrangler for obvious reasons). 

But that's not the end of their usefulness, as they also have a large hardware and home improvement section, farming and gardening supply, a nursery, housewares, children's books, school and office supplies, a surprisingly great in-house fast food joint, as well as an extensive amount of toys, candy, and soda for the kids or just the young at heart. Basically, if you haven't figured it out yet, the place makes Cabela's and CAL Ranch look outright boring by comparison. It's kinda hard to find something they don't offer other than fresh produce, dairy, or meat, but as far as I know, maybe they plan to do that at some point, too. 

Personally, I love their large assortment of old school and specialty candies that are hard to find anywhere else, a fantastic variety of great jerky brands, as well as they have a great selection of specialty sodas that are a must.

They have a couple of locations I know of in the state, but the one that is most well known is the one just outside of North Ogden at 3936 N. 2000 W. just southwest of the 351 exit on I-15. You can't really miss it, as it's the biggest thing out there and in case that's not enough, they have an iconic naval artillery piece in the parking lot along with an old Sherman tank hull with a plinth on the turret and glide bomb on top of that. 

Photo from the Visit Ogden site page.

San Rafael Research center

The San Rafael Research center isn't a place I have been able to go to yet, as it's a little out there near Orangeville, Utah. However, it is a fascinating facility, as they do a large range of high-tech research into things such as medical isotopes, combustible fuels, thorium based nuclear energy, hydrogen research, education about such programs, and other projects. 

I could do a big article here about it's two primary items, the thorium and fuel research, but that would be a massive write up, and there is a handy primer out there on YouTube actually made by the research center, so here ya go:

Sources:
https://scic-utah.org/projects/san-rafael-energy-research-center
https://etvnews.com/what-is-the-san-rafael-energy-research-center/
https://le.utah.gov/interim/2022/pdf/00001612.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium-based_nuclear_power

Antica Forma Pizzaria

Careful, they can be hard to find in Vernal, as they are hiding in the Dinosaur Inn. Photos from the site onlyinyourstate.com.

If you are ever in the neighborhood of either Vernal or Moab, I'd say you're gonna have to stop by the famous Antica Forma Pizzaria. The place is fantastic with some of the best food you can possibly get in the Eastern part of the state. 

The wife and I had stopped there while in Vernal some time ago and were very pleased. Not only do they have great pizza, but a variety of Italian food, as well as monthly changing menu of some of the greatest desserts you can find in the whole state. In short, you will not be disappointed. 

The Hyrum Dance Hall

I've driven by the Hyrum Dance Hall (also called Elite Hall) a few times but had no idea of it's story or significance until looking it up online.  Turns out that this was a pretty big project for such a small town when it was constructed in 1917. It's architect, K.C. Schaub gave it a very interesting feature that is even more rare today in that is has a spring-loaded dance floor. Yeah, you heard me, the maple wood dance floor is actually spring-loaded. 

After opening on Pioneer Day of 1917, the place was able to accommodate 1,400 people, and it not only hosted dances, but also other events like roller-skating, local meetings, and sporting events (of what I don't know). The place was initially privately owned, but it was officially given to the city of Hyrum in 1934. Hyrum is still a pretty small town and the dance events have slowed down somewhat since the 60s, but they have announced this year that they plan to start a restoration project to bring the building back to it's original look.  Thank goodness, because that nasty blue paint job is totally ugly and out of place for a building of that era. 

All info sourced from:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/elite-hall

The ghost town of Lucin, Utah and the legend of Ivo Zdarsky

Lucin, Utah has your typical story of most ghost towns, in that it was really a product of the railroad boom, coming into being as a water/service stop for the steam locomotives that grew into a small town. Despite making a low-effort search, I couldn't find a founding date for the town other than it being in the late 19th century, but I can assume it would have not been long before the completion of the Lucin Cutoff in 1903 (also known as the Great Salt Lake Causeway today).  

A picture of a train going across the Lucin cutoff. All pics sourced from the Atlas Obscura page. 

The 1930s were not kind to a lot of things and the town had officially been abandoned by 1936, due to the change to diesel locomotives and the great depression likely not helping that. Sometime afterwards some retired railroad workers and their children lived there for a while, but was completely abandoned by about 1990 or so. There aren't really any structures left in the town anymore other than a couple of fruit cellars and a concrete phone booth, and some scattered personal effects.

Strangely, the history of this place actually gets far more interesting after it's abandonment, largely due to it's new inhabitant, Ivo Zdarsky. Ivo bought the entire town boundaries after they were put up for sale in 1997, moved in around 2007 and is now the city's only current resident. 

Ivo Zdarsky is a fascinating man who has an equally fascinating tale of defection during the Cold War. Zdarsky is a former engineering student who lived in Czechoslovakia and studied in the city of Prague. He made headlines worldwide in 1984 when he defected to Austria at the age of 24. What's even more amazing is the fact that he managed to do so by flying an ultralight trike that he designed and hand carved a propeller for himself. 

Ivo in front of his DIY escape aircraft in 1984. 

Without even telling his family, he flew his vehicle over the heavily guarded Czechoslovak-Austrian border during the night at low altitude to avoid detection by radar and being spotted visually. He managed to remain completely undetected even at the point of landing at the Vienna International Airport. Afterwards, he sold his homemade ultralight so that it is now preserved and displayed in the Berlin Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Germany. 

Once in the Western world, he re-settled to Long Beach, California, and used his engineering know how and experience to create the company IVOPROP Corp, which manufactures composite propellers for homebuilt and ultralight aircraft, as well as airboats, and has sold well over 20,000 units since it's founding.

A picture of Ivo in 2020 in front of his Cessna with the killer paint job and his hangar/home behind it.

Zdarsky currently lives in his aircraft hangar, the only real structure in the town other than the runway accompanying it. He bides his time tinkering on projects like keeping his building self-sustaining and energy independent, flying his woodland camo painted Cessna Skyhawk (which you can even see on google maps), shooting his gun collection, watching TV, or perfecting one of his experimental aircraft designs, like the one pictured below.  

He took the location for it's obvious remoteness, as Lucin offers a very practical test-ground with no collateral risks, as well as the fact that he is a survivalist of sorts and likes the idea of being completely self-sufficient. You can read much more on him and his living conditions in the excellent article about him on Atlas Obscura. 

But that's not the end of this man's legendary story, as he had also made the local news in 2019 because he helped find a woman that was reported missing for nearly a week while flying one of his aircraft in the area. Read all about it on the KSL site here. I have to say, he is certainly by far the most interesting man in the state!

Pig & a Jelly Jar

The now iconic logo.

Time to give another shout out to a great local business that happens to be a fantastic eatery. Pig and a Jelly Jar has been around since 2012, and was founded by a woman named Amy Wanderley-Britt. She is constantly quoted as saying she wanted to open a restaurant with a southern flair, as she is from the south and stated the SLC area reminds her of the south in everyone's welcoming hospitality. From humble beginnings working as a McDonalds manager, she now has 3 locations for Pig & a Jelly Jar, and also runs other local restaurants as well.

There's a lot of good stuff on their menu, but what they are primarily known for are their breakfast and lunch offerings. I would personally say that they have one of (of not the) best examples of biscuits and gravy around, the only ones giving them a run for their money being Moore's Family Restaurant. Their burgers are also another stellar item on their menu, as well as their Beignets, which are hard to find in these parts. So go give 'em a try, I promise it's worth it.   

Sign outside the Ogden location.

Dream Mine

With the recent adaptation of the book Under the Banner of Heaven into a show, the wife has been watching it intently. I haven't been watching it much myself, but I couldn't help but notice they included a few mentions of the Dream Mine in the show. 

A picture of the ore processing facility of the mine called the "White Sentinel" built in the 1930s. All pics sourced from the Wiki page.

Now, the show itself isn't too bad (or all that great), and it certainly is over sensationalized with needless tension and drama in parts that there doesn't really need to be, but because it's based on a true story, it does make that part of the show somewhat interesting from a historical perspective. But, this post is going to focus on the Dream Mine itself, which in reality, I don't believe had anything to do with the Lafferty case. 

Mid September of 1894 is when the mine was constructed by a John Koyle from Spanish Fork, Utah at the age of 30 in the town of Salem, Utah. He reportedly stated that he had a vision that same year in which the Angel Moroni brought him to a Nephite mine on a nearby mountain and instructed him to reopen the mine and dig new tunnels, and said that it would provide financial aid during an economic collapse, as well as contain treasures buried by the Nephites, including the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, and the golden plates.

The mine struggled for many years, and the most money it made seemed to be on the stocks it sold, rather than anything it produced. In 1913, Apostle and geologist James E. Talmage examined some ore from the Dream Mine and reported to church headquarters that it was worthless. It was also an issue to church authorities who worried that Mr. Koyle's visionary accounts may have been made to encourage fraudulent investing. The LDS authorities issued the following statement at the time:

"The First Presidency warns the Saints against investing in worthless stock, even if promoters allege that they are guided by dreams and revelations…. Almost everyone has heard stories of how such and such has found a rich mine by following directions given in a dream, and many fondly hope for similar luck, but in most instances, it will be found on investigation, that such stories have little or no foundation in fact."

A 1913 Deseret News article from the church authorities concerning the mine.

Because of this and because of debts owed to the local church Co-Operative, the mine was shut down in 1914. However, in 1920, the mine was reopened with continuing efforts to locate ore, and over the course of the following decade saw the tunnels deepened to 2,200 feet below ground and facilities expanded to include the iconic ore processing facility pictured at the top. Not much was still found in the mine, and the only thing of note to be processed in all that time it was active was a small load of platinum which was worth about $103.03 at the time of 1936 (about $2,166 today). 

John Koyle was eventually excommunicated from the church in 1948 because of stating he was forced by the church to deny his revelations and he later died in 1949, with the mine subsequently falling into a state of disrepair. 

In 1962, the Relief Mine Company was founded by a couple of brothers to succeed the Koyle Mining Company, and continue assessment work and (hopefully) operations for the mine. They were quickly thwarted by a capstone that prevented progress in digging the mine, as well as a geological survey at that time found no trace of metallic minerals. Despite this, the mine company's board reported as recently as 2018 that there were 7,500 active stockholders, despite the stocks being sold at a higher rate than they were really worth. Today, there hasn't been any real work done there in some time, falling again into a state of disrepair and it is closed off to the public. 

Just a local news update

The South East Asian Pacific Rim is not exactly known for quality products outside of linen, fresh fruit, and electronics. However, the Rock Island Armory company is one that is known for some very affordable and good quality firearms being based out of the Philippines by it's parent company Armscor. They make a variety of products but they are perhaps most famous for making 1911s in every caliber you can think of that actually work right out of the box. 

So, as I mentioned in my mini-SHOT show review, I was pretty exited to hear that they are making a new manufacturing location down in Cedar City, Utah primarily for manufacturing their new VRF series of shotguns, if I'm not mistaken. 

The big news on The Firearm Blog is that they just opened the Cedar City facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony just the other day, and will be starting up operations soon. Hopefully it's a huge success for them, not only for the community in Cedar City, but to having more gun companies in Utah, and for continued success for a good gun company.