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.