Continued from page twenty-one
however. By the 1920s, Ogden became known as the intermountain "melting pot." 25th Street was a sight of horse-drawn hacks competing with reckless "gas buggies" and persistent trolley cars for the business of a curious traveler or a new resident. With establishments like Guyon's Coffee Shop, R. Ochi and Co. 's oriental goods, Margarita Pedrosa's billiards, Nels Sorenson's jewelry, Louis Prantil's confectionary, and Ralph Johnson's locksmith services up and down the sidewalk, one could easily think he was taking a trip around the world without buying a single ticket. The original train station burned down in 1923, but n o one wasted any time building a new one. A little more than a year later, 25th Street had a second Union Station and, like the first, it became a friend to every lonely soldier between the west coast and the Mississippi at one time or another. T h e atmosphere here had changed some, however. By this time, 25th was so familiar with the impulsive attitude of the visiting soldiers that business was
22
adapted to interest them. Culture was sacrificed for casino, art moved from the fountain in City Hall Park to a movie screen in the Lyceum, and excitement could be found up a flight of stairs rather than down a lazy boardwalk. Ross and Jack's still fed their burger-spuds to a large number of local residents, but Ogden City parents soon taught their children to venture n o further west than the Ross and Jack door. Even the impressive Central School had to be sold and the students moved to more desirable surroundings. Some said business was never better on 25th Street, but'that depended on what kind of business you were in. Either way, residents had to learn to live with it. T h e last thirty years have brought the death of the railroad, and the death of the railroad has ended a century of intense life o n 25th Street. So where do we go from here? Well, what should be important in present day Ogden is the role of 25th Street in promoting downtown business. The success of two dynamic
development projects, renovation of our Union Station and construction of the Ogden Mall will be seriously influenced by the atmosphere of this street. What most hope will be a new era in Ogden commerce is an era significantly jeopardized at the moment by the uninviting appearance of a neglected friend. What about the buildings? With a little cooperation between private investment and public improvements, one of the largest sections of turn-of-the-century architecture in Utah could be restored to show healthy indications of progress. And the street? A few horse-drawn or maybe horse-powered trolleys would be welcomed transportation between the business, government, and cultural complexes soon to be in the area. Then, by adding improved lighting and streetscape designs a whole new congregation of foot-traffic could be encouraged to visit anticipating merchants all along the 25th Street walkway.