Nephi's Tunnel Tavern-Part Two!

Sometimes when you tell a story, it beckons another, as is the case today. We wrote of the Tunnel Café and Confectionary, which was later turned into a Tavern with the owner being Burnell Lunt. After making that entry, Nadine Jones borrowed us a Utah Daughters of Pioneer book of the life and times of Burnell Lunt, which we found interesting.The ancestors of Burnell helped settle Juab County, coming from Wales and England. Some lived in a vacated boxcar until they could build a home. He was a farmer, but also knew how to run stores, as did his father-John Henry Lunt, who was the President of the local bank. Burnell ran the Tunnel Tavern until the local LDS Stake President made him a visit and told him "selling beer was a bad influence of the male youth of the community", so Burnell sold it, but then opened the "Red & White" Grocery across the street, near Salt Creek, in the Alfred Lund Building. They also had ownership of the Nebo Café in South Nephi. Burnell's two close friends were James H. Ockey and Cy Crane, but it appears he had a friendship with Heber J. Grant, who at the time was President of the LDS church. School photo was from 1911, showing Burnell on second row, first on left. Burnell's Meat Market photo was in 1939 with Burnell on right. His butchers were Frank Harris and Ed Carter.

The Tunnel Lunch was a well known spot in downtown Nephi a hundred years ago.

The Tunnel Lunch was built in Nephi around a hundred years ago, and started as a Café and Confectionery, but then may..... just may.....have become a place where they served "aged" root beer, at least I have heard that rumor from two different sources over the years. The Tunnel was built by "Duke" Claridge, but later run by George Duckworth. We recognize his name as he owned the X. L. Bakery in 1914 and delivered pies, cakes, bread and ice cream from his shop that eventually became the Smiths Bakery south of where the Colonial Manor was. Now back to the "Tunnel Suds". The last owner was Bernell Lunt. Our sources say that at one time The Tunnel was a place for intoxicating beverages, and on one occasion, two guys driving a team up from the fields stopped in the back for a nightcap, after hauling hay on a sleigh. We are not yet permitted to admit who these two well known family members are, but we can write what one of them did. He decided to bring one of the plug horses in the back door for a little fun, but because the Tunnel was so small, he couldn't get it turned around and had to take it out the front door, where busy local shoppers were a little stupidified by what they saw. So the story goes anyway! The Tunnel was located on West Main between Wells Fargo driveway and Krowe's Barber Shop in Nephi, Utah.

After fighting politicians for 42 years, I now want to become one!

For some reason, during my 42 years of working in the criminal justice system, I seemed to have a hard time getting along with most politicians who I worked for or with. They seem to start out with good motivations, but soon lost their way as to who they were really serving. So, after three years of retirement, I decided to throw my John Deere hat in the political ring and run for a seat on the Nephi City Council and serve for the right reason. It seems way too hot to start campaign stuff, so I will hold off contacting people, but thought I would put the world on notice, especially those that have the voting power in my home town. As a potential politician, I can promise just one thing.........I promise not to make any promises!

Here are some original photos of people from Mormon pioneer years.

Before we send some of these photos off to people who will put the photos with pictures on a genealogical site, we wanted to share them through the world first. The first photo is of Wm. Loray Jones(Ray) who was born in Nephi, Utah on March 2, 1887. The photo was taken when he was four, and he died a short time later on May 30, 1891. His parents are Wm. and Elizabeth Ann Tolley Jones of Nortonville, Utah. The second photo is of Lucy Kirkman, who lived in Salt Lake during Brigham Young time, and a cousin to Wm. Jones of Juab County. She was a socialite with a lot of power. When she spoke, General Authorities of the Church listened. The third photo is of Blanche Harris who married an Anderson of Orem. She is the sister of Stella Harris Boswell. The last photo is of David and Harriet Hitesman who was informed by LDS leaders to proceed to the Moroni area of Sanpete to help settle that community. They had a daughter named Eliza who married Evan Harris(born in 1860) of Nephi.

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Weston Jones turns 73 today, so we took him on a 73 year old B-25 Bomber for a little flight!

Since I have 73 pounds on Wes, that makes me his little big brother. As kids, we rotated as to which brother shared the bed with him. It was good in the winter, as another body kept us warm, but it was tough in the summer, as the hot sultry nights made his stringed model airplanes fall from the ceiling. It seemed like I was hit in the ear more than once by a Japanese Zero. Needless to say, he had a love for airplanes, so it was only natural for him to enlist in the Air Force during Viet Nam and came home a proud Veteran-thinking the only plane was "his" C-130 which carried soldiers and equipment to the Pacific Rim. I thought I had strings with Hill Air Force Base, but my strings were as faulty as the ones that held up the model airplanes, but at least we got him a plane ride. Wes has a new "second" best plane after we put him on "Maid in the Shade", a B-25 bomber, which became famous in 1942. Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle led 16 of them in a 2,000 mile raid over Japan, with the pilots knowing they didn't have enough fuel to make it back. With the first photo, Wes is at home in his C-130. In the second photo, the pilot gave him a chance to fly the bomber, but Wes said he would just go along for the ride, as he couldn't find the dam clutch on the plane. He was able to help lift two World War Two veterans up in the Bombing area, so this old Veteran got all of his striated muscles back...at least for a few minutes. I think he enjoyed his birthday present, especially when the pilot thanked him for his military service.

The downtown beautification project looks great, but then Nephi has since at least 1872!

We recently discovered an Abstract of Title prepared in 1905. Back then, they listed each of the prior people that owned Plat "A" Lot 3, Block 28, so we thought it would be fun to list some of them from 1872 to 1905. In 1872, the United States Government ordered the Judge to make the order to use the land "for the several use and the benefit of the inhabitants of the townsite of Nephi". Horse Shoes was owned by John Robertson and the Enterprise Grocery owner was Jude Pexton. In that photo, you can still see today-the same brick and window frames in the store that was recently called "Twelve Tribes". Along with the Pexton family other local names are Whitmore;  Broadhead's; Webb's; Sparks; Goldsbrough Livery Stable; Andrew Love and the "Ostler and Allen" business. That area is now Boutique On Main; Nebo Vision and Remember Your Memories, but I can't find my scanned photo, so that is a good reason to go visit them. We even got a new Barber Shop in town.

Sometimes you don't really know a person until you attend their funeral.

For the past year, I have been a weekly visitor to the Red Cliffs Assisted Living Center in Nephi, Utah, visiting more than one family member. I artificially came to know Darlene Fowkes and would greet and speak to her, but only briefly. I knew her husband-Earl, who was one of the three bus drivers for Juab School kids in the 1960's. I was also a friend with her son-Tom, as we did FFA together. Today, at the funeral of 90 year old Darlene, I came to know the real Darlene, and needless to say, I was very impressed. If you know Tom Fowkes, he speaks honestly so I accepted all that was said of his mother. Darlene was not only the mother to a hay wagon load of kids; but served in many church functions and jobs such as the Mona City Council for ten years; Deputy Juab County Recorder for 12 years. She was the LDS ward organist and Mona clean up committee. For relaxation, she made quilts-not with a computer, but gather around with others doing it by hand. She also found fun bottling the various fruits the family gathered from the south end of Utah County where she was born. Darlene-I pay genuine respect to you for all that you did for your family; church; your beloved Mona and Juab County. Your kids have every right in the world to be proud of their mother.

This is Nephi, Utah's version of beauties and beasts.

The first photo is of five beauties of Nephi, Utah, dating back to August, 1962. It was at the home of Vic and Alberta Jones on 6th North and Main. From left to right are Erma Jones Garrett, Trilba Jones, Alberta Blackett Jones, Zelta Jones and Norma Jones Kay. If you can scope the photo in, look at the two beauty vehicles they had, then the one on main street and the truck across the street is at Beeline Gas. Rumor has it, that the truck remains in the Boswell family. The second photo was taken in November, 1994. From left to right are Gary, Kent, Hal, Weston and Gordon Jones. Gordon has now passed, but the four others remain beasts, or trying to be as best they can!