Jim and Janice Stephenson of Nephi-If you don't know them you otta!

Although I missed the recent 87th birthday of Jim Stephenson, I hope this will help make up by way honoring he and his 82 year old first and last marriage to Janice, originally a Crosland from Holden. It seems a little backward that Jim is older than this writer, and yet I knew his father and mother more than I knew Jim. While in high school I worked with his father at the Juab County Mill and my mother and Jim's mother were best friends. Jim's forefathers arrived in Nephi with Pioneer names of Warner, Bowers, Goble, Kendall and Price. He learned the art of great work ethic, which youngins don't seem to be familiar with. He worked on the farm; plumbed with his Uncle Clyne Leavitt; service stations in Salt Lake, Grand Canyon and Nephi; then 4-D; Hercules, knowing what the Minuteman Rocket was before the Media did; Nephi City when it was just him and Huck Jackson in the water department; Thermoid; Salesman for Greenwoods; US Army, then Juab County road work for 18 years. Janice was born in a home with two important rooms-a bedroom and kitchen. The Outhouse was in the back with a #2 Wash Tub for baths. Her family moved to Bullhead; California; Stockton; Tooele; Levan, then to Nephi while in the 9th grade. She was and is a classy gal, so in 1955 when Juab High started football, she was elected Miss Football. Her good friends are listed as Arlene Stephenson, Carlene Malmgren, Vona Poulson and Karen Gardner. Most folks in town remember Ray Kelson of Ray's Cafe, but Janice thought highly of Deon Kelson, as she lined her up with Jim and she fell in love with him. They have been holding hands since 1955, and you can see; hear and feel the ora of their love today. Further interrogation showed Janice said the most important ingredient in marriage is to have the same interests and they do, being with family and camping. Jim didn't shy away from being truthful, and said "It is knowing when to keep quiet and when to say something".  I don't think I know their kids of Michael, Bart, Lori, Curtis, Jan and David, but you know they are good people, as the parents gleam with smiles when they speak of them. In addition to being employed as an a gracious Matriarch, Janice made school lunch from scratch for 27 years; babysitter and farmer. As a kid, about the only "wild thing" Jim did, was sneak behind the dance hall and watch dances. That was located where the Unwanna/Dairy Queen/TJ's and Nephi Western now is.

It is 1930, and Nephi High graduates its 56 Seniors.

Whenever we go through the yearbooks of Nephi High/Juab High School, we prefer to show the photos and accomplishments of all students. However, since the computer gurus have modified how I did the 579 history blogs I have written, I can no longer do that. So until this old man figures out the new systems, we wanted to at least praise the school administration, then give this yearbook to the Utah Daughters of Utah Pioneer Museum in Nephi, Utah so that all can check out each of the Seniors as some may recognize the names. I pay special tribute to the teachers and school administration as they may have had it rough to keep the Seniors positive. Some of the kids had lost their fathers doing World War I, then the Great Depression hit in 1929, then when it recovered, World War Two starts and off to war we go again, fighting for freedom of others. The swimming pool used to be below where the County Agent's office is now in the County Complex building. Main Sports were basketball and Tennis and swimming. I pay tribute to the School staff and the difficult lives those Seniors were faced with. This writer became friends with James H. Ockey, George A. Sperry, Maurice Chase and Harry Beagley, who was a substitute teacher for those of us in Ag. in the 1960's. We must honor history to understand our present problems, so says me.

No-Nose Maggie, Juab County's most Infamous BAD gal of the Old West

If folks are from around these parts, you may have heard of the life and times of No-Nose Maggie, the last known resident of Joy, Utah. After 6 decades of research, I thought it was time to write what I knew or what I thought I knew about this gal who may have been considered BAD. She was BAD to me, as she is one of my hero's. She was Bound And Determined to survive, regardless of the situation. Todays post is pieced together with help from Earl Spendlove; Nick Castleton; Shanna Memmott; yellow newspaper clippings from the old Juab County Courthouse; Chester Foote- a World War I Vet who I passed papers to; National Archives; Justice of the Peace John Robertson, who ran a motel in Nephi two blocks from where I grew up and a number of other people. She was born in the Dakota Territory in 1858. Back then she was considered one of the most beautiful and well....most endowed teenagers around. Her real name was Mary Alice Ann Devitt; married a man she knew was bad but hitched up with anyway and moved to Seattle. The marriage quickly failed and she went to work as a bar maid in Virginia City, Nevada. She soon found that she could make more money working in the oldest profession in the world. When Virginia City got too dull for her liking, she headed to Eureka, in Juab County, Utah as mines were flourishing and miners were pouring in by the hundreds. She was well paid for her shady lady activities, and was the favorite of the men, but not with the other gals of the same profession, as she brought in a lot of loot. She decided to hit the road again and ended up in the the mining area of Fish Springs in West Juab County. She had no competition until one Katie Kilkoshi moved in and trouble brewed. A bearded whiskey loaded miner came in and rolled a bunch of bills in front of Katie and the two gals duked it out, and no man wanted to be a gentleman and stop them. Katie  hit Mary Alice in the face with a broken whiskey bottle, cutting off her nose. Her face was smashed with broken bones, and needless to say, the miners cared little for her after that. Instead of waking up in her comfortable bed with all of her fine clothing, she awoke naked in the back of a moving wagon in the middle of the Drum Mountains. The driver said he was heading to the new mining town of Joy, where Manganese was discovered and a highly sought after ore. She told him she was going to walk back, but realized she would die in the blazing hot sun and rocky road. She was Bound And Determined to make the best of a bad situation. She climbed on the wagon and went into Joy where she remained until she could hardly make ends meet, but became a saint, giving thirsty travelers and miners water where she slept by the Joy Spring that is still there. She then met a Scotsman named Ardabold Laird and shared his bed. Together they developed the Spring; had animals, sold meals to prospectors, cowboys and sheepmen. They took the long road to Deseret, Utah and got married, and Maggie was appointed postmaster in 1899 til it was closed in 1919. She and her dog moved back to Joy alone, where she became old and sick in the desert. As a kid, our family thought we visited her grave on the crest of the mountain, but came to find that it was the grave of 19 year old Matt Evans, who froze to death after being thrown out of a bar. We discovered the real name of No-Nose Maggie who died on Dec. 18, 1934 in Payson, Utah; buried in Eureka, with help from the Anderson Funeral Home of Nephi. Mary Ann Devitt, to this writer, you are a noble woman and Angel of God, who did the very best you could with the hand you were dealt. Mary Ann, you are my Princess of Joy, and now have joy and beauty.

Nephi High School graduates-1928 style.

July 28, 2020 was the birthday anniversary of LaVon Harris. In earth years, she would have been 110 years old. Rather than write about her achievements in raising five hellions and important Secretarial jobs, we thought we would talk about some of her pals from her youth and the Nephi High graduates of 1928.We will show her classmates, and if you are from around these parts of Ruralville, Utah, you just may recognize some of the names. The High School changed its name to Juab High, and now called the County Complex on the corner of Second North and Main in Nephi. Although many wanted to tear that structure down 40 years ago, the builder told Alma Jones in 1922, that he built it to last a hundred years, so we think that builder kept his word, as it is still very functional. For students to produce a yearbook, it takes local business' to support that effort. In looking at the ones back in 1928, the only one that is still in business appears to be The Times News, and still operated by the Gibson family. Back then, business backbones were Nephi Merc; Nephi Drug; Nephi Cafe; Chas. Foote; Carter Cleaning; J.C. Penny; Silver Maple; Ord & Mangelson; Vicks Cafe and others.