park city

BY TONY GILL

Utah’s growth rate over the decade from 2010 to 2019 was the highest in the nation. That trend continued in 2020 with a growth rate of 3.83%, the second highest of any state. The state’s once high fertility rate dropped below the replacement level of 2.1 in 2019 while the population continued to grow, suggesting people were flocking to the Beehive State long before COVID entered the picture.

“ONE IF THEY’VE come from landlocked America, two if they’ve come from the sea! The out of towners are coming! It’s the Texans and the Californians! It’s not just for vacation this time! The proof’s in the license plate, you see,” says the Park City NIMBY.

For the sake of journalistic integrity, I’ll clarify I’ve paraphrased rather than directly quoted the sentiment I’m hearing around town. The bias, however, is very real. A particular strain of anti-new arrival anxiety is spreading, and like most things grounded in some form of originalism, it’s full of arguments made in bad faith. Park City, you see, is home to many born and bred Parkites, but it’s more and more populated by transplants who came in search of snow and mountains. The true OGs have a valid axe to grind—I moved here 14 years ago and am still considered a precocious new arrival by some—but most of us sound frighteningly hypocritical for calling out people doing exactly what we did.

Is it even happening, though? Has the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent work-from-home revolution enabled scores of people to move to Park City in the name of a better lifestyle? Surely, taking a look at school enrollment and real estate trends could shed some light on the situation.

October school enrollment data from Park City showed there were 61 fewer students enrolled district wide than in 2019. Of the 4,840 students, 137 were new enrollees, not counting kindergarteners enrolling for the first time.

What about exploding real estate prices? Home prices are indeed continuing to skyrocket in Park City, with the average condo price in Snyderville Basin increasing over the past year by 40 percent. Meanwhile, inventory has evaporated. I checked with several real estate agents, however, and received anecdotal shrugs instead of concrete trends. The starkest increase in demand is attributed to buyers of “luxury properties,” which likely would have a lesser effect on overcrowding than less expensive properties.

So, are the Californians and Texans really flocking here to take over? People are moving to Park City, but the trend was established long before the pandemic struck. While it’s likely some have seized the opportunity to move, the evidence doesn’t indicate a massive surge of new residents. Park City is an idyllic mountain community a short drive from an urban center with a growing economy. What did we expect? Anxiety about growth is a cottage industry in Park City. Be nice to the new Parkites. You were probably once one of them.

BY TONY GILL

OF ALL THE things COVID has taken away, revelry and grabbing a drink with friends ranks admittedly low on the list of priorities. But people in Park City have a rich history of sidling up to the bar. We could deploy the old “drinking town with a skiing problem” descriptor here, but we’ll just say it’s a resilient town with folks who aren’t ready to give up on having a good time. Thankfully, the proprietors of some of our favorite establishments have come up with ways to let us tip a few back in relative safety. We’re on the way to besting this pandemic, but I imagine we could still all use a drink right now.

The Wine Dive half of the Boneyard is taking online reservations for the winos, I mean aficionados, who want to sample from their extensive wine list.

1251 Kearns Blvd., 435-649-0911, boneyardsaloon.com

This classic après spot at Park City Mountain Base has a lively patio with frequent live music, affordable drinks and delicious waffle fries. It’s not uncommon to see off-duty patrollers blowing off some steam here too.

1325 Lowell Ave., 435-645-8666, cornerstorepc.com

With a big patio, some fire pits, a food truck and the eponymous soft-topped shelter, the Umbrella Bar has shot up the rankings as the après spot in Canyons Village. Even on snowy days, the open-air atmosphere is now a feature, not a bug. 3720 N. Sundial Ct., 435-615-3307

Main Street’s flagship watering hole, the No Name Saloon and Annex is taking online reservations to secure a place to drink with its eclectic mash-up of locals and visitors.

447 Main St., 435-649-6667, nonamesaloon.com

Taking cues from the ski resorts in town, some bars are implementing reservation systems to limit capacity. Sign up so you can line ‘em up. * Outdoor Après

The great outdoors is still your safest bet for staying healthy during the pandemic. From après to after dinner, there are plenty of open-air places to grab a drink. * Outside the Box, Inside the Globe

Private, outdoor “snow globes” are bringing COVID-safe climate control to sipping on a cocktail. Take shelter with your quaranteam.

BUTCHER’S CHOP HOUSE & BAR

The Boneyard Saloon has added three private globes to their popular rooftop patio. Each globe can seat up to 10 guests and can be reserved online.

1251 Kearns Blvd., 435-649-0911, boneyardsaloon.com

Butcher’s has three Alpenglobe private globes available for reservation-only that allow for drinking and dining for up to eight people. Each of the globes has six reservations available per evening, which requires a food and beverage minimum starting at $400 for a two-hour session.

751 Lower Main St., 435-647-0040, butcherschophouse.com

PHOTO ADAM FINKLE

BY TONY GILL

CIRCUMNAVIGATING THE earth in search of fine cultural fare isn’t in the cards for most of us right now. Air travel is still a little dicey, and few have the navigational skills and the dogged conviction it takes to sail around the world like Greta Thunberg. But if you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Park City, you can enjoy inspired cuisine from across the globe. It’s not all “elevated mountain dishes” highlighted by gamey meats better left in the frontier days around here. We’re taking you around the world in six meals, without having to leave town.

Unearthing something from every continent wasn’t in the cards once we realized we couldn’t find any Antarctician cuisine in Park City. Plus, with just two days’ worth of meals to work with, it’s mathematically implausible to hit every corner of the map. But you won’t eat on the same continent twice in a row with the exception of Asia—which is absolutely huge, and we’ll split up that back-to-back affair with East and West Asian entrants. Now let’s get eating— no passport required.

BAVARIAN PULL APART BREAD FROM GOLDENER HIRCH

Just steps away from the Town Lift at Park City Mountain, The Bridge is located right on the actual bridge in Old Town. The Brazilian-inspired menu offers a few twists on the typical breakfast fare, and the Brazuca Omelet is a customizable highlight.

825 Main St., Ste. 201, 435-6585451, thebridgecafeandgrill.com

THAI SO GOOD

The very literally named Thai So Good opened last year with a convenient location in Kimball Junction. Their Khao Soi is a Northern Thai curry noodle soup with chicken, fried onion, pickled cabbage, dried chili and fresh shallots. It’s wonderful. So is the Basil and Chili Stir Fry if you’re looking for a little spice.

1764 Uinta Way, 435-565-6989 thaisogoodkimball.com

PHOTOS: (BAVARIAN PULL APART BREAD) DEER VALLEY RESORT;

KUCHU SHABU

GOLDENER HIRSCH

The spirit of the Alps lives at the Goldener Hirsch. This Park City institution mixes Bavarian, Swiss, Austrian and Belgian influences for a taste of European ski culture. Start with some Bavarian Pull Apart Bread and finish with some Schupfnudeln, an Austrian potato noodle with braised mustard greens.

7570 Royal St, 435-649-7770, goldenerhirschinn.com

THE BRIDGE CAFÉ AND GRILL

Anyone can throw something together and call it a breakfast burrito, but Alberto’s has a full menu of authentic options, all wrapped in a perfect tortilla. I highly recommend the chorizo, egg, potato and cheese burrito with some spicy red sauce. The drive-through is fast, friendly and the perfect quick pick up on the way to the hill.

1640 Bonanza Dr,, 435-6021145, albertosmex.com

KUCHU SHABU

Few things are better than a traditional Japanese hot pot when it’s cold outside, and that’s exactly what you’ll get at Kuchu Shabu. Their variety of shabu-shabu is available with everything from vegetables to scallops to elk to Australian Wagyu beef. Their new location in Canyons Village makes Kuchu Shabu a perfect slope side stop-in on the weekends or a post-ski dinner any day of the week.

Canyons Village, 2307 W. High Mountain Rd., 435-649-0088, kuchushabu.com

ALBERTO’S BREAKFAST BURRITO

GANESH INDIAN CUISINE

With an enormous variety of authentic Indian dishes, Ganesh is a can’t miss spot located in Prospector Square. The Aloo Sag with potatoes and creamy spinach is an outstanding vegetarian option, while the Lamb Biryani is an omnivore’s treat. Indian cuisine is also the world’s best comfort food, so take comfort in that.

1811 Sidewinder Dr., 435-538-4110, ganeshindiancuisine.com

WRITTEN BY SALT LAKE MAGAZINE STAFF | DESIGNED BY ARIANNA JIMENEZ

Living in the Mountain West has its benefits. In a socially distant time, having access to the actual distance of great outdoor spaces is most definitely a perk. And, as we continue to work through all of the problems in the world, those of us living here have a special release valve for when it all gets a bit much to take: The Great Outdoors. Finding ways to play in beautiful places has always been a part of the Mountain West lifestyle and now, more than ever, it has become essential.

It may be a little unfair to other states that “The Great Outdoors” is actually synonymous with the Moab area, but we aren’t saying we feel bad about it. Actually, quite the opposite, we love it so much it’s on our license plates, people. Moab is a destination unlike any other, so why not experience it in a unique way? You don’t have to take the same vacation photos as the millions Moab visitors, right?

Don’t worry, it’s not a mirage, it’s an actual luxury in the desert surrounded by some of the world’s most famous, scenic red rock landscapes. Oliver Gibbons, general manager, says the ranch allows guests to immerse in nature, and enjoy activities you can’t usually get in Moab. “You’re not doing the typical tourist experience,” Gibbons says. World-class dining, private excursions, it’s all at your fingertips and the best part, Utahns? It’s family-friendly. When can you find luxury that the kids can also enjoy? Sorrel River boasts a petting zoo on top of an endless list of activities for junior ranch wranglers including equestrian adventures. If all of the hiking, biking, and outdoor beauty seems overwhelming, then just get off the grid. Garden and cooking demos are also offered on the ranch but squeeze those in between a little rest and relaxation while enjoying views for days. “We go beyond luxury and create unforgettable experiences. At Sorrel River Ranch, you are on an expedition, you really are an adventurer.”

At the end of 2016, Tom Bender and his wife Jessica were sitting around the kitchen table. “We were having a conversation about what we wanted for the next year,” Tom says. “We wanted to travel and see our country.” This was the beginning of Acme Overland. Flash forward to their first build, the Acme Overland 1.0. As they were working, Tom says his wife asked him “This is going to be a business, isn’t it?”

Tom, a product designer, his brother, Jeff, a jack of all trades, handy with a wrench and his father, Gary, who spent most of his career running a Mercedes shop, stripped down a Mercedes Sprinter in dad’s driveway. While Jessica, an interior designer, was considering the fabric samples and finishes. And that’s where it all started. A couple of brothers, their dad and Tom’s talented wife designing the ultimate vehicle for family adventures.

Last fall, Jessica passed away, leaving Tom and his family to carry on her legacy. “She’s literally part of everything we do,” Tom says.

What they do is amazing. Some clients utilize the “Adventure Custom.” Tom and his crew help them find the right make and model to build out. From there, they custom design every inch of space inside. Others opt for the ‘Adventure Ready’ van that includes the same level of detail as Adventure Custom’” only with a set floor plan, making it turnkey, and ready to drive right off the lot. And, if they’re not sure about this whole #vanlife thing, they can rent one and take it out for a spin.

Accessibility to the great outdoors is one of Utah’s specialties, and now you can literally settle into mountain living steps away from miles of the Wasatch Front’s best trails. Lone-Peak Canyon subdivision in Draper is not only sharing that mountain space to build your luxury home, it’s upgrading your love of the outdoors with million-dollar views and a connection to nature you get to call your own.

AUTUMN RACHELLE MAST

PROFESSIONAL REALTOR AUTUMNRACHELLEHOMES@GMAIL.COM

Nestled between Twin Peaks and Lone-Peak, and at the top of Draper City’s Corner Canyon trail, you’re minutes away from hiking and biking miles of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, Corner Canyon, Rush trail loop, Ghost Falls and Canyon Hollow. These trails are your backyard and perfect for the hiker, mountain bikers or the horseback riders. “You’re going to see the sunrise, you are going to see all the way to Spanish Fork Canyon,” Mast says of the properties. LonePeak Canyon Development is the only community in Draper where you can bring in your own housing plan and builder, so you have the freedom to go mountain modern, farmhouse chic, colonial style, your housing dream becomes a reality. Minutes away from shopping, great cuisine and several city parks, Lone-Peak Canyon Development is the perfect home base ahead of any outdoor expeditions. “We are the same elevation as Park City, we are in the mountains,” agent Autumn Mast says. These lots give you the privacy and serenity any outdoor enthusiast craves, backing up to conservation land.

Trekking through the great outdoors is, oh so much better when you can do it safely and in style. It’s no secret that it seems the Subaru was basically built for Utah’s top tier terrain, and Mark Miller Subaru is the hometown outfitter to get you set on your adventures. Ninety-seven percent of Subaru vehicles sold in the last 10 years are still on the road today, and it’s not like Utah landscapes take it easy on them.

From the depths of our slot canyons to the heights of mountain peaks, the safety, reliability and dependability of a Mark Miller Subaru never waivers. Mark Miller Subaru is the best kind of neighbor any Utahn could ask for: kind, generous, helpful and always looking out for your safety. The dealership is a small, family-owned business in its fourth generation of family ownership. The formula for success is the same today as when they opened in 1953: Stellar customer service, haggle-free competitive vehicle pricing, and care for the community. The sales staff doesn’t work on commission. They are just sincere people with a transparent approach who work to make sure you get all-wheel drive, safety controls and options for your outdoor driving experience, all while supporting charity through the “Love Promise” Program. The Mark Miller Subaru “Love Promise” works with local nonprofits to support their work and strengthen the community. Since 2010, they’ve donated $2.6 million to charity. “We’re going to invest in our community regardless, but reincorporating as a Benefit Corporation is our proclamation to the world that being a good corporate citizen is part of our DNA,” says CEO Jeff Miller.

3535 S STATE STREET, SALT LAKE CITY, UT | 888-859-6198 | MARKMILLERSUBARUMIDTOWN.COM 10920 S STATE STREET, SANDY, UT | 888-237-5075 | MARKMILLERSUBARUSOUTHTOWNE.COM

& BOTANICAL GARDEN

CREATIVE CANNING

THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Fisher Brewing Company was founded in 1884. When German immigrant Albert Fisher founded the brewery on the banks of the Jordan River in the middle of a teetotaling culture, success seemed unlikely. But the first brewery in the state was wildly successful and eventually became one of the West’s largest, turning out up to 75,000 kegs of beer every year. It even survived Prohibition. Half a century later, Fisher’s descendant, Tom Fisher Riemondy, re-opened the family business. He renovated an old auto body and paint shop and opened the new-old brewery with 12 beers, still relying on the old family slogan “sparkle brewed with altitude.”

This year, Fisher found ways to utilize their beer, taproom space and canning capabilities for good. They created special lines of limited edition beers in custom cans to help raise funds for local businesses struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. For example, their custom line of Monkey Wrench Gang Cans—utilizing the famous artwork of R. Crumb—on behalf of Ken Sanders Rare Books ,raised more than $25K, helping keep Ken in business. The event saw (socially distanced) lines out the door at the Fisher Tap Room.

TIM DWYER

BETTING THE BOTTOM DOLLAR

AFTER WORKING IN some of the best restaurants in town (Copper Onion, HSL, Pago) Chef Andrew Fuller and front-of-house standout Angelena Fuller opened their dream restaurant, Oquirrh, in downtown Salt Lake City in February 2019. Oquirrh intended from the start to be an artisanal community experience: an expression of love, not a quest for cash. Everything was familiar but original, served with grace and gusto and even humor—the asparagus spears were standing at attention on the plate, little soldiers with their feet stuck in a sheep’s milk fondue. Local art could be purchased right off the wall. This is the kind of restaurant Salt Lake was slowly becoming famous for—chef-dreamed, chefrun, definitively local, deserving of awards and stars.

But even a labor of love has to have some cash. And when COVID-19 hit Salt Lake City, the Fullers' dream was seriously damaged. But the Fullers keep trying to follow the rules. The restaurant staff is down to Angie and Drew, a dishwasher and a cook. There are no days off and haven’t been for months. Any slight downtime is spent planning things like take-away Thanksgiving dinners or filling orders for food they never planned to serve, like a recently requested charcuterie platter.

ANDREW AND ANGELA FULLER

FEATS IN LOGISTICS

HIVE EATS IS A subscription meal delivery service featuring 10 of Salt Lake City’s favorite restaurants. Locally produced, locally sourced meals prepared by small independent restaurants are delivered each week. Meals are delivered on Sundays and Thursdays, pre-prepared and ready to eat after a few minutes in the oven. Participating restaurants include Arlo, Copper Onion, Cucina, Finca, Mazza, Osteria Amore, Pago, Proper, Publik and Trio.

Seemingly out of thin air, the muscle behind Hive SLC—Missy Greiss, of Publik Coffee Roasters; Dean Pierose, owner of Cucina Wine Bar; Scott Evans, founder of Pago Restaurant Group along with a dash of tech wizardry from James Roberts, a founding partner of Redirect Digital—created an elaborate delivery and online ordering system. Solving this massive logistical puzzle helps out local restaurants, providing a consistent revenue source and keeping their employees working. As a bonus, Hive SLC gives us a local-first way to order directly from some of SLC’s finest establishments and reduce the heavy fees that other online ordering services demand.

hiveeatsslc.com

PRESERVING NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTION

WORKING WITH CHEF Joey Ferran, owner Dean Pierose has spent years turning what was a casual Avenues deli into a bistro and wine bar where Avenue residents gather to enjoy a place where everybody knows your name while the cuisine excites your taste buds. Pulling together a small world of flavors, Chef Ferran seasons cauliflower with red mole, sweetens a duck breast with saba, finishes a fried avocado with tamarindcoconut curry.

Pierose responded to the COVID-19 crisis with his signature manic energy, quickly expanding his outdoor dining experience, pivoting to curbside delivery while Chef Ferran created takeout boxes of his elevated ingredients that could be assembled at home. But more than that, Pierose's outdoor spaces became a place where the neighborhood could gather safely. He offered free coffee in the mornings and encouraged his regulars to linger and commiserate together, preserving a semblance of society during a socially distanced time.

CHEF JOEY FERRAN AND OWNER DEAN PIEROSE

JORGE FIERRO

STAYING IN ‘BEANSNESS’

RICO BRAND, OWNED by Jorge Fierro, is the quintessential immigrant success story. Originally from Mexico, Fierro arrived in Salt Lake City penniless in 1985. Thoroughly unimpressed with the Mexican food offerings at his local grocery store, Fierro began selling pinto beans at the Salt Lake Farmers Market in the late ’90s. Since then, Rico has expanded into a warehouse with more than 30 employees, selling everything from tamales to salsa at local supermarkets. Fierro has also been a tireless community advocate—he raises money for charitable causes, caters community events for free and serves on small business advisory boards including the Burrito Project, which provides burritos for people experiencing homelessness in Salt Lake.

Last summer, it seemed that Rico would be another victim of rapid gentrification in Salt Lake. After 18 years as a staple in the Granary District, new ownership threatened to evict Fierro from his plant, inspiring public outcry and media attention. (On our website, Mary wrote, “Salt Lake is losing its soul.”) Luckily, Rico was able to find a new home in Poplar Grove, and, thanks to pandemic-led grocery sales, Fierro now plans to add even more employees. It’s a last-minute happy ending for a community leader who literally wears his mission on his sleeve, a tattoo in bright red block letters: “pay it forward.”

This year’s awards are laced with plenty of sorrow. The toll the pandemic has taken on our restaurant community has caused casualties. Here, we honor the lost and underscore how important it is for us all to recognize the importance of supporting the places that continue to survive.

Note: We have surely missed more than a few closures at our press time and invite you to reach out and share any that we didn't list here.

HOWDY ICE CREAM ALAMEXO CANNELLA'S PALLET MAZZA (locations at 9th and 9th and in Sandy) CREEK TEA GEORGE PORCUPINE PUB & GRILLE’S (location on 1300 East )

The Rio Grande Cafe, forced from their location in the Rio Grande Depot following the 2020 earthquake was able to move in and occupy one of the city’s historic restaurant spaces on 1300 East.

SPECIAL DELIVERIES

SINCE 1968, THE Store has been the platonic ideal of a neighborhood market—locally focused, community-based and appealingly small scale. The Store sells food and drinks from hundreds of local vendors, providing new companies with a platform outside of chain stores. (In pre-pandemic times, sellers manned the aisles with samples of their own products.) This is the kind of place where the staff knows regular customers on a first-name basis and someone is always there to give hints about the best produce to buy.

As grocery delivery becomes the new norm, The Store offers a personal touch that only an independent grocer can provide. Last March, high-risk and elderly customers began calling in their grocery lists over the phone, and The Store’s general managers personally delivered food to their homes. While supply shortages and health risks made the grocery business more challenging than ever this year, The Store thrived by continuing its commitment to local companies. They partnered with Utah restaurants like Pago and Hub & Spoke Diner to sell pre-made dinners, supporting restaurants while the industry fights to survive. In a year when grocery store employees were rightly called essential workers, places like The Store proved why these businesses are so necessary for our communities.

2050 E. 6200 South, Holladay, 801-272-1212 90 S. Rio Grande, SLC, 385-213-7900, thestoreutah.com

COLBY JORGENSEN AND THE STORE'S OWNER SCOTT NIEDERHAUSER

Anyone who ever looked for a corkscrew in Mary’s overflowing drawer of silver utensils has commented, “Why do you have two dozen demitasse spoons?” Her reply? “One can never have too many demitasse spoons, my dear.” In that spirit, we offer this year’s Demitasse Spoon Awards for COVID Creativity. Hopefully, these nods will one day go the way of the Coronavirus. But this year we call out what, we know, is an incomplete list of hospitable creativity and problem-solving in response to chaos.

ALLIANCE: Helped to create an open streets program to support bars and restaurants on lower Main Street. downtownslc.org

Taking outdoor dining to the next level, Butchers installed three private "Alpenglobes," gorgeous little bubbles with a view. butcherschophouse.com

SCHOOL: Took its popular cooking classes online, giving homebound cooks a chance to sharpen their skills. harmonsgrocery.com

& STEAK: Built lovely heated greenhouses to accommodate small groups for year-round outdoor dining. harborslc.com

Created beautifully lit, heated tents and warming spaces on its outdoor patio. thecharlestondraper.com AMOUR CAFE: To stay

afloat they focused efforts on selling Amour Spreads a line of locally sourced jams and jellies. amourspreads.com

PROOF OF A HIGH-PROOF CONCEPT

AS ILL-TIMED as a venture could possibly be, Matt and Stephanie Eau Claire’s Clearwater Distilling opened in March—yes, that March—complete with a tasting room and package store in Pleasant Grove. Matt makes what we’d call deep-shelf spirits that should be front-shelf stars. Take the Josephine. Named after the cabaret star and WWII French resistance spy Josephine Baker, this eau de vie is a mashup of a clear, un-aged brandy and a rum. Their Lorenz (a nod to Danish Arctic explorer Lorenz Peter Freuchen) is a clear rum with heady notes of cinnamon.

A distillery in Utah County? Is that even legal? Actually, yes. Just that no one had ever tried before. Matt and Stephanie waded into the morass of city and county regulations, public meetings, zoning laws, and skeptical Utah County officialdom to prove that yes, distilling is a legal venture, even in Utah County. Welcomed by the City of Pleasant Grove, Clearwater Distilling became the first, ever legal distilling operation in Happy Valley.

564 W. 700 South, Ste. 401, Pleasant Grove, 801-997-8667, clearwaterdistilling.com

MATT CAPUTO Caputo’s Market

MATTHEW PFOHL Water Witch

STEVE ROSENBERG Liberty Heights Fresh BLAKE SPALDING AND JEN CASTLE Hell’s Backbone

IAN BRANDT Vertical Diner

SPICE KITCHEN INCUBATOR CULINARY CRAFTS SCOTT EVANS Pago Group ALI SABBAH Mazza

FLOURISH BAKING HARMON’S NEIGHBORHOOD GROCER FRANCIS FECTEAU Libation, Inc.

JORGE FIERRO Rico Brand

FRED MOESSINGER Caffe Molise OMAR ABOU-ISMAIL Rawtopia

EVAN LEWANDOWSKI Ruth Lewandowski Wines

RANDALL CURTIS Harbor Steak & Seafood

LAVANYA MAHATE Saffron Valley RYAN LOWDER Copper Onion

EACH YEAR, SALT LAKE MAGAZINE honors the growers, food evangelists, grocers, servers, bakers, chefs, bartenders, restaurateurs—basically anyone who has a hand in the essential act of feeding us and does so with grace, style, creativity and care. This past year, well, was “just awful,” as our dearly departed Executive Editor Mary Brown Malouf said often. It was especially hard on the hospitality sector. In many ways, as Mary and I discussed before her passing, this year’s awards are given for merely surviving. And obviously, these Blue Plate Awards are the first-ever without our Mary bringing them across the finish line.

As Mary conceived, a Blue Plate is given to an establishment or an individual who has done more than put good food on the table. They’ve created culture, made acts of kindness and education and are paragons of service that goes beyond

Mary spoke the language of the kitchen, the lingo of servers, the banter of the bar—the Esperanto of anyone who has ever waited on a table, slung a drink, cleaned a grease trap or prepped on the line. But she also knew the language of dining, being served and what a diner should expect. She was critical on both sides of that divide. Cajoling, teasing the best from the back of the house and lecturing Utah diners on not just where to eat but how to eat and to dare their palates and pocketbooks on local food.

She loved the classic Borscht Belt joke: “‘How’s the food?’ ‘Terrible but the portions are amazing!” She used it often as the punch line to what she saw wrong with the chain-heavy culinary experience in Utah. A doting aunt who urged us to sit up straight and at least try the foie gras. Mary preached constantly that food is about more than a price point—it is fun, friends, conversation. It was about living and, also, a living for the people who deserve recognition and love. “Eat this. DON’T EAT THAT, throw off the chains that bind you,” she’d say with her typical smirk.

These are Mary’s awards, the last that she’ll preside over. They were unearthed from a morass of scrawled notes, emails and random laptop files labeled “BLU PLAT." And we dedicate them to her, our town’s biggest food fan, critic and champion, xoxomm.

—Jeremy Pugh, Editor

BROOKS KIRCHHEIMER

OPENING DOORS

IN JUST A few years, Hearth and Hill has earned its reputation as a good neighbor. The restaurant proudly states that the majority of diners are Park City locals, who keep returning to try Executive Chef Jordan Harvey’s elevated, contemporary takes on modern American classics, from poke bowls to bison patty melts. Even before the pandemic hit, Hearth and Hill was dedicated to running a communitydriven, eco-friendly business. The restaurant serves produce from local farms, composts leftover food scraps and donates meals to children facing food insecurity in Park City.

As the pandemic ravages independent restaurants, Hearth and Hill has reaffirmed its commitment to small businesses in Park City. Using its large dining room as an informal gathering space for the city, Hearth and Hill has donated to and hosted fundraisers for community organizations. They provided flu shots for their own staff and other neighboring businesses. And their generosity extends to their own employees, who received extra groceries and free Thanksgiving turkeys. All the while, they have continued to serve seasonal cuisine with creative solutions for curbside delivery, including special holiday menus, Christmas curbside caroling and frozen family-size dishes. It’s these little (and notso-little) things that make Hearth and Hill an important neighborhood leader.

1153 Center Dr., Park City, 435-200-8840, hearth-hill.com

KEEPING THE SPICE FLOWING

SPICE KITCHEN HELPS refugees turn their cooking skills into a viable, sustainable enterprise by offering affordable kitchen space, training, access to financing, and advice about business practices and marketing. Founded by Natalie El-Deiry and the International Rescue Committee in partnership with Salt Lake County, the kitchen has nurtured the seeds of many Salt Lake food trucks, farmers market stands and restaurants. Its box meal service, Spice-to-Go, offers an ever-changing menu of exotic meals cooked by incubator kitchen’s refugee chefs. Sign up for the weekly menu, order on Tuesday, pick up on Thursday and liven up the “what’s for dinner?” question with surprise! It’s African-Caribbean fusion night.

This year the organization, already an essential resource for refugees, became, well, even more essential. When coming to this country, refugees often have nothing but a few clothes and their cooking skills; Spice helps these displaced people find their financial feet again by sharing their culture and food. With COVID restrictions limiting dine-in service and the incubator’s event catering program, Spice-to-Go became the focus, allowing the kitchen to keep sharing international food experiences serving Utah’s vulnerable refugee community.

SAADIYAH HASSAN

SALT LAKE MAGAZINE Travel Series

ROAD TRIPS COURTESY WYOMING TOURISM AND MILES PARTNERSHIP. DISCOVER MORE AT TRAVELWYOMING.COM

PHOTO CREDIT TK DEVILS TOWER WAS AMERICA’S FIRST NATIONAL MONUMENT. THE 1,267-FOOT STRIATED ROCK TOWER AINED FAME AS THE FILMING SITE FOR STEVEN SPIELBERG’S CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. H MY GOD. It’s full of stars.” Mary exclaims, nodding to the famous line from 2001: A Space Odyssey. But what else can you say from underneath a blanket of stars on the outskirts of Jackson, Wyo.? We’re here out here craning our necks upwards on an expedition with Samuel Singer of Wyoming Stargazing (1085 WY-22 Unit D, Jackson, 844-9967827, wyomingstargazing.org). Singer is a science educator and astrophysics nut. He founded the nonprofit in 2013, primarily because he can’t not, talk about the night sky, but officially to provide astronomy programs for school kids in the Jackson area. The group funds its efforts primarily through group stargazing tours like this one. Lucky us, no one else signed up for this evening’s outing and we’ve got Singer, and his endless knowledge and enthusiasm, all to ourselves (along with warm drinks, cozy blankets and a little bootlegged whiskey for medicinal purposes).

Wyoming’s night sky is as advertised. Jackson and the surrounding communities have long worked to meet dark sky standards in their planning and zoning, and though the lights of Jackson are visible, they are not interfering with the millions of twinkling stars above. And it doesn’t hurt that Singer hauls along a massive tracking telescope with a pro-level 20inch mirror for us to get a closer look at the prominent stops on his tour of the heavens, and on your left Andromeda!

It was a thrilling welcome to the wonders of Wyoming. Last fall, Salt Lake magazine’s executive editor—the late, great Mary Brown Malouf—and I braved the pandemic and set out to explore one corner of the Cowboy State on a tour that started with the skies and took us down to the bottom of the Snake River Canyon, bucking down roaring white water.

JACKSON. NOT JACKSON HOLE. Mistakenly known as Jackson Hole, Jackson, Wyo. is an insanely affluent town located in the geographical depression called “Jackson Hole,” In the early nineteenth-century, mountain men, many dispatched by David E. Jackson of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, sought fur in this part of the Oregon Territory, expanding on the explorations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The area’s appeal to the wealthy

and well-heeled, who make Teton County the most affluent per-capita zip code in the United States, is obvious. This is a stunningly beautiful country, and Jackson is perfectly situated in range of two of America’s greatest national parks, Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Grand Teton National Park occupies the northwestern part of the valley encompassing the iconic, jagged peaks of the Teton Range. The Town of Jackson sits at the southern end. The Snake River threads through the entire valley from its headwater in Yellowstone National Park. These parks are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth.

WHERE TO RANGE Our evening under the stars was followed by an early morning call time for pick up by our guide from Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris (650 W. Broadway, Jackson, 307-690-6402, jacksonholewildlifesafaris.com). The all-day excursion was essentially a grand tour of the greatest hits of Yellowstone (like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring and Yellowstone Lake) punctuated by “hurry! look!” sightings of pronghorn antelope and roaming bison. And although we were skunked on seeing bears or wolves, our guide kept up a steady patter of folksy wisdom, facts and tall tales that kept us laughing and rolling our eyes as we trundled around Yellowstone and back. Jackson’s adventurous residents pride themselves on a well organized and fully segregated network of biking trails in and out of town, so the next day I decided to see what all the fuss was about. On the advice of the folks at Hoback Sports (520 W. Broadway #3, Jackson, 307-733-5335, hobacksports.com) I saddled up for the 40-mile road bike ride to Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park (Bonus: The park’s entrance gate has the cutest little mini-bike sized fee station to enter via two wheels.) This excursion, on one of the most immaculate road bike trails I’ve ever ridden, runs entirely below the imposing peaks of the Tetons and delivers you to the lake’s shore. Hoback Sports also rents pedal-assist E-bikes if you’d rather not slug it out. While I was out grinding below the Tetons, Mary opted to take a scenic chair lift ride to get a birds-eye view of the Tetons, the National Elk Refuge and the town of Jackson from 1,571 feet up to the summit of Snow King Mountain (402 E. Snow King Ave., Jackson, 307-2015464, snowkingmountain.com) For our final day, we saved the best for last. Running the “daily,” four-hour whitewater trip down the Snake River, is one of Jackson’s bucket list items. We signed up with Lewis and Clark Expeditions (335 N. Cache St., Jackson, 307-733-4022, lewisandclarkriverrafting.com) and climbed into a raft with our salty guide (the aptly named Orion Hatch) Captain Hatch was about to give us a master class in whitewater, expertly rowing us into the deepest holes and into the biggest waves. The “daily” builds with increasingly wild rapids that crescendo with its most notorious—the Big Kahuna and Lunch Counter—where, during high river flow, boats commonly flip. Even this late in the season, the biggest rapids on the daily did not disappoint and we emerged, soaking, laughing and happy to have followed our captain’s very first command: “everybody stay in the boat, OK?”

WHERE TO EAT All of this adventure requires sustenance. Start at the Bunnery Bakery and Restaurant (130 N. Cache St., Jackson, 307-733-5474, bunnery.com) where a hearty breakfast menu and a selection of housemade baked goods fills both bill and belly. (Also amazing pies. Who says you can’t have pie for breakfast?) Lured in by the scent of smoking brisket, we discovered Hatch Taqueria and Tequilas (120 W. Broadway, Jackson, 307-203-2780, hatchjh. com) a modern Mexican spot where that brisket comes in taco form alongside what we decided was the best margarita in Jackson, As oppressed Utahns, one of our best finds was Bin 22, (200 W. Broadway, Jackson, 307-739-9463, bin22jacksonhole. com) a combo wine store and wine bar. Choose from the curated selection behind the bar or pick any bottle from the store’s Spanish and Italian selection. Drink it on the spot with a selection of small bites. We never wanted to leave. The Hotel Jackson’s house bar and restaurant, Figs (120 N. Glenwood St., Jackson, 307-7332200, hoteljackson.com), was a unique surprise, a LebaneseMediterranean restaurant in the heart of cowboy land (the hotel’s ownership is Lebanese). The grilled lamb chop was the standout on a solid menu of Lebanese standards, including authentically prepared hummus, interestingly customizable with a selection of traditionally prepared meats and spices. And how could we not venture into the venerable Wort Hotel’s Silver Dollar and Bar & Grill (50 N. Glenwood St., Jackson, 307-7332190, worthotel.com) to check out the famous Silver Dollar Bar, throw back a couple and enjoy the menu of hearty pub fare.

(80 Scott Ln., Jackson, 307739-9703, lodgeatjh.com) A down-home, friendly spot that is lose to town but set back secluded grove of pine trees. The hearty hot breakfast made an excellent start to the day and we loved the hundreds of cute little wooden bears adorning the lodge’s detailed carved wooden interior and exterior.

Hotel Jackson (120 N. Glenwood St., Jackson, 307-7332200, hoteljackson.com) A gorgeous modern luxury hotel, a western accent, in the heart of Jackson. We loved Figs, the hotel’s signature restaurant, and the efficient and impeccable service we witnessed from arrival to departure.

The Wort Hotel (50 N. Glenwood St., Jackson, 307733-2190, worthotel.com) The word ‘charming’ doesn’t say enough about this gorgeous boutique hotel. Built in 1941, The Wort is the grand dame of Jackson Hotels. It’s famous Silver Dollar Bar was designed and built by a German cabinet maker using 2,032 uncirculated Morgan Silver Dollars from the Denver mint.

Snow King Mountain (402 E. Snow King Ave., Jackson, 307201-5464, snowkingmountain. com) has four distinct properties at or near its base—The Elk Country Inn, 49er Inn & Suites, Antler Inn, Cowboy Village Resort and one on-mountain, ski-in-ski-out option, The Snow King Resort Hotel.

SALT RIVER IN STAR VALLEY

Welcoming small towns brimming with local flavor and stretches of unscathed wilderness await visitors traveling from Salt Lake City into southwest Wyoming and northward to Yellowstone. The Salt to Stone region is a colorful Adventureland waiting to be discovered by road trippers. Trace the footsteps of mountain men and women, discover dreamy vistas by foot, bike, or car—and tour museums and attractions that showcase Western culture at its finest.

1. ROUNDHOUSE & RAIL YARDS, EVANSTON Evanston is home to one of the only remaining complete roundhouses on the old Union Pacific line between Omaha and Sacramento. This historical building—used by railroads to store and service locomotives — has a turntable that is still operational.

FOSSIL BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

2. FORT BRIDGER STATE HISTORIC SITE, FORT BRIDGER Several restored buildings highlight the history of this 19th-century fur-trading post, a vital supply stop for wagon trains traversing the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. Tour the reconstructed trading post and museum.

3. FOSSIL BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEAR KEMMERER Colorful geologic formations rise about 1,000 feet above Twin Creek Valley and possess some of the world’s best-preserved fossils, including those of fish, insects, plants, reptiles, birds and mammals.

JACKSON HOLE AERIAL TRAM

4. STAR VALLEY SCENIC BYWAY This picturesque 80-mile stretch of Highway 89 starts at the Idaho-Wyoming border, climbs up Salt Canyon and Salt River Pass and descends into the sprawling and verdant Star Valley. Then the route continues through the quaint communities of Smoot, Afton, Grover, Thayne and Etna before reaching Alpine and ending at the Lincoln County line in Snake River Canyon.

5. JACKSON HOLE AERIAL TRAM, TETON VILLAGE Ride the tram in Teton Village up 4,139 feet to unparalleled wraparound views of BridgerTeton National Forest and Grand Teton National Park.

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Those pining for epic outdoor pursuits will find plenty to do on a road trip through the Rocky Mountains to the Teton Range in the Rockies to the Tetons region, where the beauty of the Snowy, Medicine Bow, Seminoe and Wind River mountain ranges heighten the scenery—literally. Immerse yourself in nature through activities like rock climbing, hiking and biking, and delve into Native American, women’s suffrage and frontier history.

1. WYOMING HOUSE FOR HISTORIC WOMEN, LARAMIE See exhibits on Louisa Gardner Swain—the first woman in the world to vote under the Wyoming Territory law granting women the right to vote and hold office—and 12 other local women who paved the way in the women’s suffrage movement.

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7 8 2. WYOMING TERRITORIAL PRISON STATE HISTORIC SITE, LARAMIE This historic site is rich with tales of “violent and desperate outlaws,” the most famous of which was Butch Cassidy. Browse exhibits on the penitentiary’s prisoners and how it became a center for agricultural experimentation for the University of Wyoming.

3. ALBANY LODGE, LARAMIE Flanked by the Snowy Range, Laramie Plains and Medicine Bow National Forest, this lovingly restored 1907 hotel and cafe is a terrific home base for adventures in the surrounding wildlands.

4. GRAND ENCAMPMENT MUSEUM, ENCAMPMENT Wander through more than a dozen preserved historical buildings furnished with artifacts showcasing the history of the timber, mining and agricultural industries of the Upper Platte Valley at the turn of the 20th century. Don’t miss the two-story outhouse.

5. WYOMING FRONTIER PRISON, RAWLINS More than 13,500 people were incarcerated at the “Old Pen” during its 80 years of operation, including 11 women. Tour the prison, built in 1901 just three blocks off Main Street, to gain insight into its fascinatingly dark past.

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WYOMING TERRITORIAL PRISON STATE HISTORIC SITE

6. WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE PATHWAY, NEAR SOUTH PASS CITY Drive the Wyoming Women’s Suffrage Pathway, a 19-mile segment of Highway 28 southwest of South Pass City. The 1860s-era mining town is where Esther Hobart Morris served as justice of the peace and became the first woman to hold political office in the U.S.

7. LANDER BAR, LANDER Originally opened as a saloon in 1908, the bar served as a hotel, brothel and boarding house— among other things—before it was turned back into a saloon. Order a whiskey or craft beer, the perfect thirst quenchers after a day of rock climbing at nearby Sinks Canyon State Park.

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8. WIND RIVER HOTEL & CASINO, RIVERTON Learn about the past, present and future of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes who reside on the Wind River Reservation in the establishment’s Northern Arapaho Experience Room and try your luck at the casino.

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LANDER BAR

9. NATIONAL BIGHORN SHEEP INTERPRETIVE CENTER, DUBOIS The world’s largest wintering herd of bighorn sheep roams this remote area. Stop by the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center to view exhibits about the majestic mammals and set up a guided or solo tour to see them in their natural habitat.

ROAD TRIP 3: PARK TO PARK

Follow the Park to Park Highway—a popular early 1900s auto route connecting 12 national parks in the West — to discover road-trip stops too special to ignore, from Wyoming’s lively capital city to quaint small towns that move at a refreshingly slower pace. Drop a line in one of the West’s most renowned fishing destinations, revel in prehistoric and natural wonders, and pick up perfect Wyoming mementos — like cowboy boots and local wine — to remember your journey.

1. TERRY BISON RANCH RESORT, CHEYENNE

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Climb aboard a custom- Casper built train for a ride out to the middle of the working ranch’s bison herd and bite into the Senator’s Steakhouse’s juicy bison burger, voted the Best Bison Burger in Wyoming by USA Today’s “10 Best.”

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2. CHEYENNE BOTANIC GARDENS, CHEYENNE Linger in rose, herb, wetland, cacti and woodland gardens, admire the tropical plant collection in the stately Grand Conservatory and get an idea of what life was like for early Wyoming settlers in the historic Rotary Century Plaza.

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3. TABLE MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS, NEAR TORRINGTON Table Mountain Vineyards’ “pure Wyoming wine” is concocted from all-local ingredients. Make an appointment to stop in for sips of their semi-sweet Cowgirl Blush or the tart Cherry Rush.

4. GUERNSEY STATE PARK, GUERNSEY Explore historical structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, including a museum located at the top of a cliff that gives way to expansive views of a sparkling reservoir.

5. GLENDO STATE PARK, GLENDO Sparkling Glendo Reservoir attracts boaters, water skiers, swimmers and anglers. Keep your eyes peeled for teepee rings and other artifacts left by Native American tribes who once inhabited the area.

JACKALOPE SQUARE

MEETEETSE CHOCOLATIER

6. JACKALOPE SQUARE, DOUGLAS According to legend, the jackalope was born in Douglas when two brothers mounted a jackrabbit’s body with deer antlers at their taxidermy shop. Pose with the 8-foot statue of the creature at Jackalope Square. Don’t forget to tag #ThatsWY!

GLENDO STATE PARK

7. AYRES NATURAL BRIDGE, DOUGLAS Discover a 100-foot-long natural rock arch spanning La Prele Creek west of Douglas. This oasis has a short trail that leads to a view of the “bridge” from above, as well as picnic tables that offer a break from the road.

8. LOU TAUBERT RANCH OUTFITTERS, CASPER This downtown Casper institution has supplied locals and visitors with boots, hats and other Western essentials since 1919. With more than 10,000 pairs of boots in stock, you’re sure to find the perfect fit.

9. WYOMING DINOSAUR CENTER & DIG SITES, THERMOPOLIS Hundreds of displays and more than 30 mounted skeletons tell storied tales of Wyoming’s prehistoric past. See the Archaeopteryx specimen—one of only 10 in the world—or opt for a dig-site tour, where you can dig for fossils yourself.

10. WIND RIVER CANYON, NEAR THERMOPOLIS Travel through time on the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway in Thermopolis to catch glimpses of Wind River Canyon’s 2,500-foot, pink-hued rock walls, which date back to the Precambrian period, as well as bighorn sheep and other wildlife. Keep an eye out for signage highlighting the canyon’s geology along the way.

Stories of the American West echo throughout the Black to Yellow region, home to kaleidoscopic landscapes and iconic sights. During your journey from northeast Wyoming’s Black Hills to Yellowstone, discover geologic marvels, dense evergreen forests and sprawling prairie lands. Step into the past to meet larger-thanlife characters like Buffalo Bill Cody and find out what life was like in Wyoming during different periods in history.

1. VORE BUFFALO JUMP, NEAR BEULAH Stop by the small interpretive center to gain insight into how this natural sinkhole was used as a buffalo jump (a buffalo trap) from about 1500 to 1800 A.D. by at least five different Plains Indian tribes.

2. ALADDIN GENERAL STORE, ALADDIN Groceries, fishing supplies, Western wear and antiques are just a few things you’ll find at this gem, a general store built in 1896. Be sure to pick up some oldfashioned candy or sarsaparilla to enjoy on the front porch.

PHOTOS: (TOP TO BOTTOM) @WYOGEOSURVEY; WYOMING OFFICE OF TOURISM; @MEETEETSECHOCOLATIER

3. DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEAR HULETT & SUNDANCE Hike one of the four scenic trails at America’s first national monument, a 1,267-foot striated rock tower that gained fame as the filming site for Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

4. FRONTIER AUTO MUSEUM, GILLETTE Get lost in this charming locale’s antique shop, old-timey general store and car museum, which features an array of shiny classic cars, vintage gas pumps, neon signs and other transportation memorabilia.

5. CHRIS LEDOUX PARK, KAYCEE The legacy of the legendary hall-of-fame rodeo cowboy and country musician Chris LeDoux is immortalized in a sculpture titled Good Ride Cowboy at Chris LeDoux Park in Kaycee, where he lived on a ranch with his family.

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6. WYO THEATER, SHERIDAN Established in 1923, the WYO was one of the first vaudeville theaters in Wyoming and is now the oldest still in operation— bringing professional music, dance and theater to historic downtown Sheridan.

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7. WASHAKIE MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER, WORLAND Exhibits on paleontology, archaeology and early settlements portray the relationship between the historic inhabitants of the Bighorn Basin and their environment.

8. MEETEETSE CHOCOLATIER, MEETEETSE Tim Kellogg, a saddle bronc rider and cowboy turned chocolatier, makes all of the artisan confections at Meeteetse Chocolatier from scratch daily. Choose from exquisite truffle flavors like prickly pear cactus and Wyoming Whiskey.

9. BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST, CODY Immerse yourself in the natural and cultural history and art of the region at five different institutions in one complex: the Plains Indian, Buffalo Bill, Draper Natural History, Whitney Western Art and Cody Firearms museums.

Find more along these routes visit TravelWyoming.com

and Cultural Arts Center, Salt Lake residents Liz Corbett Plumb and her 13-year-old daughter, Grace, take in the antique wooden desks and tidy blackboard of a classroom that once belonged to Liz’s great-grandmother, Irene Corbett. A whip-smart teacher who molded young minds during the dawn of the 20th century, Irene is memorialized in an exhibit at the museum for her inspirational life—underscored by her tragically famous and perhaps even more inspirational death.

Pulling a treasured artifact from her purse, Liz holds the postcard up against an enlarged copy displayed prominently on one wall. Dated April 1, 1912, the card bears an illustration of London’s Piccadilly Circus on one side and Irene’s gracefully sloping scrawl on the back with her ill-fated words, “Finish London soon—am going to sail on one of the biggest ships afloat: the Titanic, an American Liner.”

This was the last dispatch from 30-year-old Irene, the only Utahn aboard the RMS Titanic. She drowned with more than 1,500 passengers hours after the liner struck an iceberg in the early hours of April 15, 1912 sinking to the ocean floor in the frigid north Atlantic on its way from Southampton to New York.

It’s a bold declaration. More than half of the passengers went down with the ship. But a closer look at the survivors puts the Corbett family’s inklings into sharp focus.

Irene’s second-class cabin was on the upper decks of the ship. She was among the more affluent women and children on these decks who had a head start loading into the dismally inadequate supply of lifeboats. (The majority of passengers held third class, or steerage, tickets and were held back from entering the upper decks). That’s why 93 percent of the women and children from upper-deck cabins made it out alive.

But Irene didn’t. The question “why?” haunts her family.

Ten years earlier, 21-year-old Irene had accepted a teaching post at the Payson school.

“Protective” measures for women were the norm in the early 20th century. A Supreme Court decision in 1908 reflected the sentiment of the time, finding that a woman, like a child, ‘‘has been looked upon in the courts as needing especial care (sic) ... she is properly placed in a class by herself, and legislation designed for her protection may be sustained.’’

As part of her teaching contract with the school, Irene signed her name to what, to modern eyes, would be a draconian set of rules for female teachers, especially an outspoken suffragette like Irene. Her contract forbade her from keeping the company of men, leaving home in the evening, traveling without permission, wearing any less than two petticoats or even visiting the local ice cream parlor.

When she met and married Walter Corbett, Irene was immediately forced to forfeit her contract and give up her classroom. She had broken her contract by dating Walter. Undeterred, she turned her attention to raising her young family and a new course of study, nursing, at the Brigham Young Academy in Provo.

Irene soon found her calling in obstetrics, assisting physicians with deliveries. The highs of aiding in a healthy birth were, however, diminished with the frequent lows in losing a patient to childbirth, and Irene soon discovered that medical standards in her community were lacking. Troubled, she learned of a six-month training opportunity thousands of miles away at London’s Lying-In Hospital—a program unmatched by anything offered close to home. Irene’s medical colleagues and parents urged her to go—but her husband and his family? Not so much.

A niece of the Mormon Prophet Joseph F. Smith, Walter’s mother went to the great effort of arranging a meeting between the Prophet

LIZ CORBETT PLUMB AND HER DAUGHTER GRACI IN THE PEETNEET MUSEUM IN PAYSON

IRENE CORBETT’S

Teacher is not to get married. This contract becomes null and void of the teacher marries.

Teacher is not to keep the company of men.

Teacher must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless in attendance at a school function.

Teacher may not loiter downtown in the ice cream parlors.

Teacher may not leave town at any time without the permission of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Teacher is not to smoke cigarettes or drink wine, beer or whiskey. This contract becomes null and void if the teacher is caught smoking, or drinking wine, beer, or whiskey.

Teacher may not ride in a carriage with any man except her father or brother.

Teacher is not to dress in bright colors.

Teacher may not dye her hair.

Teacher will not wear dresses more than two inches above the ankle.

Teacher is to wear at least two petticoats.

Teacher is to bring a bucket to school to clean and scrub the building every week. and her daughter-in-law in the hopes that he would convince her against the journey. But Irene remained determined.

Amid a flurry of finger-wagging and gossip, she left Payson and crossed the Atlantic without the Prophet’s blessing, leaving their three children: Walter, 5; Roene, 3; and Mack, 18 months; in the care of her parents who had mortgaged their farm to pay her tuition.

The 1914 city streets of her new home would have been filled with whizzing bicycles, lumbering horse-drawn carriages and doubledecker busses plastered with hand-painted signs touting everything from castor oil to cabbages. Men in long coats, sporting pocket watches and bowler hats and women in long frocks and elaborate haberdashery would have dotted the landscape of her York Road residence in Lambeth near the hospital.

For one unfamiliar with city life, the current class-struggle would have sharpened every angle of London’s turbulence, and Irene was given a front-row seat by treating the city’s very poorest. Letters to home described undernourished and flea-infested children hanging on the ragged skirts of her patients. A coal shortage would have lent no firelight comfort to the damp hospital and smashed shop windows—compliments of London’s West End Suffragettes—would have dotted Irene’s walks through the city. To the Provo Daily Herald, she sent articles detailing her experiences, discussing the plight of women in England and speaking out in favor of their rights.

“I am so glad to have this privilege [to study in London],” she penned in the bespoke final postcard, sealed in an envelope alongside a photograph of her small graduating class. She’d recently booked passage on the Titanic, longing for a swift reunion with her family. Then, reflecting on her grandmother’s treacherous sea voyage from

England as a Mormon convert, she added: “I shall enjoy the trip home, which will be quite different to the one my dear grandma took years ago with little comfort.”

While Irene probably didn’t take kindly to the rules for teachers at her first job in Payson, the protective mindset toward women needing “especial care” might have saved her life when tragedy struck the Titanic.

First and second-class women and children were eased into lifeboats while most men chivalrously stood aside. Yet, as a nurse, fiercely loyal to her call, perhaps Irene never saw herself in need of protection, but as one who might offer it to others.

In the days after the ship’s sinking, Irene’s whereabouts were unknown. Provo’s The Herald Republican’s headline read: “Provo Woman Among Missing; Family Hopeful.”

Four days later, on Saturday, April 19, 1912, a Deseret News article reported: “Hope abandoned for Mrs. Corbett’s safety … [it is an] inevitable conclusion that she perished in the waves with the untold numbers whose certain death will never be recorded.”

A posthumous Utah celebrity, speculation over Irene’s death swirled like debris in a dust devil. Some saw Irene’s tragedy as a cautionary tale.

“It was a big deal in her hometown,” Plumb says. Her greatgrandmother’s decisions divided both her family and her community, causing a half-century rift between the Corbetts and the Colvins.

Irene’s husband Walter continued on as a loving father, Liz says, but his children remained in the care of his in-laws. He soon remarried, but tragically died a few years later while undergoing surgery. In the home of Irene’s parents where Liz’s grandfather was raised, Irene’s name was spoken with reverence.

“My grandpa Mack grew up inspired by stories about his mother and they’ve made their way to me,” says Liz, adding she’s felt a kinship with Irene through her life. “I’ve always been drawn to adventure, to traveling to unusual places. Even when I was young I wasn’t afraid to go out and see the world. I think there’s a little bit of Irene in me.”

Liz says she hopes her great-grandmother’s generosity, determination and strength course through her veins as well, and that this strong female figure will inspire her five children— especially her only daughter, Grace.

“People who knew her best said Irene was selfless to a fault,” she says. “Besides being an adventurous woman, Irene had a strong sense of duty to humanity—that’s why she went to London in the first place. Her family agreed that it would have been ‘so like Irene’ if her final act was giving her own life for another.”

In 2012, the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints paid tribute to Irene during its worldwide Salt Lake conference.

It’s a sentiment already well-known to Liz and her family—but, she says, it was nice to hear the church acknowledge her greatgrandmother.

The Corbett and Colvin families’ proud ancestral tapestry comprises hardscrabble pioneers, hardworking farmers and faith-filled figureheads. But the strong-minded, doggedly selfless Irene has perhaps become the preeminent thread from which her progenitors draw strength. Now a new generation is looking to her legacy as they pave their own trail.

Built in 1901, The Peteetneet Academy, located at 10 S. 600 East, served students in Payson until its closure in the 1980s. Named to honor a local chief of the Timpanogos Tribe, the school was scheduled for demolition until concerned citizens stepped in to preserve the building and create a museum highlighting the area’s history. The museum has been shut down during the pandemic, but usually welcomes visitors Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. peteetneetmuseum.org

PHOTO KAITLYN CHRISTY MAD DOUGHNUTS:SEE NEXT PAGE