Another newspaper clipping from my Grandfather, Milo Ross. There is likely a story behind this for him, but I do not know what it is. You can see Grandpa’s handwriting and signature on it. It provides the date of 28 November 2003 from the Ogden Standard Examiner. It marked the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Lucin Cutoff, the railroad engineering triumph that sliced across the Great Salt Lake and rewrote the map of transportation in the American West.
Milo was eighty-two years old when he clipped it. He wrote three things on it in his careful hand: his name, the date, and a small commentary on the photograph. The photograph was a reproduction of an old postcard — a locomotive steaming across open water on a trestle of wooden piles, captioned “Lucin Cut-off, Great Salt Lake, on line of Southern Pacific R.R.” Beside it Milo wrote: “The change of life. Today. Land filled.”
He had lived through both eras — the trestle and the causeway that replaced it. For Milo, this was not history. It was a landscape he had watched transform within his own lifetime.
The Engineering Miracle of Its Time
The article Milo clipped was written by Antone Clark for the Standard-Examiner. It opened this way:
Standard-Examiner, 28 November 2003 — Page 1
It was the modern miracle of its time.
This month marks the 100-year anniversary of the dedication of the Lucin Cutoff, a railroad route that changed the face of transportation in early Utah. It was a shortcut that traversed the Great Salt Lake and spawned one of the engineering wonders of the era.
On Nov. 26, 1903, the first major rail line across the lake was dedicated, completing an epic project that took 3,000 men more than three years to complete. Historians differ on the cost of the project but estimates range from $4.5 million to $8 million.
Regardless of the cost, it was a massive undertaking. The project involved laying 103 miles of new track between Ogden and Lucin (on the Utah/Nevada border), including more than 11 miles of wooden trestle across the Great Salt Lake. The project also involved building up miles of rock and gravel through shallow lake brine in what would become a precursor to the causeway that now connects Davis County to Antelope Island.
Started in February 1902, the cutoff chopped 43 hard miles off a difficult route through the Top of Utah, taking railroad cars across the lake instead of through tough mountain passes. It officially signaled the end of rail through Promontory Summit, site of the driving of the golden spike in 1869.
“It was significant in that it was one of the incredible engineering marvels of the world,” author David Peterson said of the cutoff. Peterson spent seven years researching the cutoff for his book “Tale of the Lucin, A Boat, A Railroad, and the Great Salt Lake.”
“The reason it didn’t go down in history as more of a feat is that the railroad was going to great lengths to quiet it down,” Peterson said. Safety concerns prompted that, he said.
The article continued on an inside page:
Standard-Examiner, 28 November 2003 — Page 2
The trestle was built of what was described as a “perfect forest of piles,” amounting to millions of timbers, most of them from Oregon. The immensity of effort resulted in an army of workers, an almost endless parade of dump rail cars and the use of 25 huge pile drivers.
Engineering challenges were compounded by trying to get fill in the lake’s bottom to settle. It was common for engineers to dump fill, only to see it sink below the water’s surface later. At one spot along the cutoff alone, more than 70,000 train-car loads of fill were used. That led to use of the trestle through a portion of the cutoff.
Even when it was completed, the problems of a sinking lake bottom did not quickly go away. In some cases, Peterson said it was not uncommon to see the trestle sink as much as 10 feet in an hour. That problem was one reason the railroad did not more widely publicize its engineering marvel. It also delayed its heavy use. The Lucin Cutoff wasn’t officially opened until Jan. 1, 1905.
Crossing the lake was an idea that early railroad engineers had considered, but cast aside as too far-fetched.
“The idea then was almost chimerical. There was neither the genius in finance bold enough to undertake such a stupendous work, nor the traffic to warrant such expenditure. It may be doubted, too, if there was engineering faith equal to the task,” the late Oscar King Davis wrote of the idea of crossing the Great Salt Lake by rail.
Time and circumstances gave more than pause to the possibility. At the beginning of the 20th century, an increasing bottleneck in rail service in the Top of Utah made the project a possibility worth the money and the undertaking.
Keyed by the vision of William Hood, Southern Pacific’s chief engineer, and the money of Edward Harriman, the project became a reality in almost warp speed for the time.
Peterson said a couple of factors changed at the turn of the century, opening the way for the project. First, improved technology brought the steam shovel into use and the attitude of railroad officials had changed.
“The engineers of that time were real aggressive. They were looking to make a name for themselves and do incredible things. It was fun,” Peterson said of the time.
Don Strack, a Utah rail historian, said the cutoff helped save an average 24 hours of transit time for Southern Pacific [and] eliminated the need for helper locomotives to traverse Utah’s mountains, increasing efficiency and profit.
The trestle remained a fixture in the lake until the 1950s when Southern Pacific decided to replace the trestle with a solid fill causeway. The causeway, built parallel to the trestle, was started in 1955 and ready for use in 1959.
The trestle’s lumber found life long after the span was out of use. Salvage of the trestle resulted in lumber being sold to numerous ventures. Several Utah businesses boast of Douglas fir from the span as part of their structures, including the Lodge at Soldier Hollow and the Desert Pearl Inn in Zion National Park. One furniture maker, ironically named Trestlewood Furniture, also claims to have used the salvage lumber in building outdoor furniture.
What It Replaced
To understand the Cutoff, you have to understand what it displaced.
The First Transcontinental Railroad had been completed at Promontory Summit on 10 May 1869 with the driving of the golden spike. The route celebrated followed a circuitous path around the north end of the lake — steep, winding, and punishing on equipment. The original alignment from Ogden to Lucin stretched 146 miles and climbed to an elevation of 700 feet above the lake.
When Edward H. Harriman took control of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1901, he initiated an improvement campaign that included the construction of the Lucin Cutoff. The existing run between the two northern Utah cities was among the least efficient parts of the First Transcontinental Railroad, involving a 1,515-foot winding climb over Promontory Point north of the Great Salt Lake.
The Lucin Cutoff made that route obsolete. Trains that had once gone north through Promontory Summit simply stopped going there. The human cost of that rerouting fell on the communities along the old alignment — Kelton, Terrace, Watercress, and the other small settlements that had grown up along the original transcontinental corridor. Without through traffic, they withered.
The savings in time and operating cost for Southern Pacific were immediate and measurable. The Cutoff reduced transit time by an average of 24 hours and eliminated the need for helper locomotives over the mountain grades entirely.
The construction itself was a logistical achievement of the first order. Frederick M. Huchel, writing in the History of Box Elder County, described the scale of it: a 127-foot long, 22-foot wide steamer, The Promontory, carried supplies and assisted with construction work on the lake. Construction occurred simultaneously at both sides of the lake and both sides of Promontory Point in the middle. Workers drove five piles every fifteen feet, in bents of five piles each for the main roadway. A good day’s work for a pile driver crew was seventy-five piles — five bents. Men worked in ten-hour shifts, day and night, Sundays and holidays, housed in boarding-houses built on platforms raised on piles above the water. They paid four dollars a week for their board. No liquor was allowed; packages coming out to workers were searched, and anything found was confiscated.
In all, 38,256 trees were cut down to make piles for the great trestle — a forest of two square miles transplanted into Great Salt Lake. Two million board feet of redwood decking were used for the actual railbed. Just the portion of the trestle above the waterline contained enough wood to lay a boardwalk four feet wide from Boston to Buffalo.
The lakebed offered no easy foundation. It ranged in hardness from gypsum-crusted sections so hard that pile-drivers could not force a timber through, to places where the bottom was more than fifty feet of soft mud where single piles disappeared out of sight and had to be spliced, lashed, and braced together. On 24 March 1903 a trial run ended with a locomotive sitting in two feet of water, still on its rails, after an embankment settled beneath it.
Freight trains began using the cutoff on 6 March 1904 and passenger trains began crossing six months later on 18 September 1904. But the Cutoff did not officially open for full service until 1 January 1905.
The Change of Life
Milo Ross was born on 4 February 1921, seventeen years after the trestle opened. As a young man he worked the winter salt harvest at Promontory with his uncle Ed Sharp — shoveling in ten-hour shifts at the edge of the lake, in the country the Cutoff had transformed. He knew the trestle world, or its near memory. The trains of his youth crossed the lake on wood and water.
Then, in the 1950s, it changed. Southern Pacific decided to replace the trestle with a solid fill causeway. The causeway was built parallel to the old trestle, started in 1955 and ready for use in 1959, at a cost of $50 million. The earthen causeway, nearly 12 miles long, effectively divided the lake in two — a consequence that would reshape the ecology of the Great Salt Lake for generations. The two original culverts were closed by Union Pacific in 2012 and 2013 due to concerns over the sinking of the causeway into the lakebed, and a new 180-foot culvert and bridge were opened on 1 December 2016.
The trestle’s lumber did not go to waste. Trestlewood Furniture — named with some irony — salvaged and marketed the old Douglas fir. In 1993 an Idaho construction firm purchased rights to the Cutoff and has been salvaging, remanufacturing, and marketing the wood ever since. Pieces of that forest of piles, hauled from Oregon and driven into the bed of the Great Salt Lake at the turn of the twentieth century, ended up in a lodge at Soldier Hollow and a hotel in Zion National Park.
Milo clipped the centennial article in the autumn of 2003. He wrote his name at the top. He wrote the date. And beside the old postcard of the locomotive on the trestle, he wrote: “The change of life. Today. Land filled.”
Three phrases. The trestle he had known. The causeway that replaced it. The landscape, permanently altered. He had watched it all happen.
The Standard-Examiner articles from 28 November 2003 were written by Antone Clark and are reproduced here for family historical purposes. Additional historical context drawn from Frederick M. Huchel’s essay in the History of Box Elder County (published at historytogo.utah.gov) and other public sources.
This is another chapter of the Jonas history book compiled by Carvel Jonas. “The Joseph Jonas clan of Utah (including – early Jonas family history; early Nelson family history)” This one is on William Nelson Jonas.
John, Joseph, and William Jonas
“William had the same name as his great grandfather, William Jonas, although he never knew it in his life. Most likely he was named after his Uncle William Jonas. William Nelson Jonas, the second son and fifth child of Joseph Jonas and Annette Josephine Nelson, was born 2 December 1889, He was called “Bill” by his friends at church and “Willie” by his family at his home. His parents had, two years before his birth in 1887, sold their property 3 miles south of Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington State. But the family must have stayed in the area because William went to the public school in Ellensburg his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd elementary grades. The family then moved to a little town named Bristol, which is northwest of Ellensburg. When he was in his 4th grade the family was living in another town named Thorpe and he attended the school at Thorpe. Thorpe is another town northwest of Bristol. Sometime during this time William and his two brothers went to a neighbor’s place and swiped some apples. The kids also helped themselves to their cousin’s watermelon patch. in 1895, he went with his family to pick hops in Yakima. The 1900 census tells us that William and his family lived in another town which also is northwest of all the other towns mentioned. It is called Cle Elum. The family was renting a house in this western city. As far as we know the family always rented.
“William arrived in Crescent, Utah with his entire family 3 July 1901. He attended the public school in Jordan School District for the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. He graduated 8 grade in Sandy. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10 January 1902, the same day his two brothers were baptized. When he was baptized he had just turned 12 years old by a little over a month. Up to that time he had been raised a Catholic. He was baptized in the Jordan River in South Jordan by his Uncle, Nels August Nelson. He was confirmed a member the same day by William Fairfard. There were no records found for William at the St. Andrew church in Ellensburg, so it is likely that his baptism was performed elsewhere. Shortly after he was baptized he was ordained a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. He remained a deacon until 6 January 1908 when he was ordained an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood by Bishop James P. Jensen. He was never ordained a Teacher or a Priest, which are the two offices traditionally held by young people in the Mormon Church before they are ordained an Elder. While he was a deacon he was called to be the secretary of the quorum. He was also the President of the deacons quorum for a few years. Perhaps after being raised in another church it was good training for William to remain a Deacon a little longer than usual. He belonged to the 7th Quorum of Elders in the Crescent Ward in Salt Lake County.
“During his stay in Crescent from 1901 to 1908 when he moved to Richmond, Utah, William helped his Uncle August on the family farm. According to August’s life story William and his brothers worked hard. It was understood that William and his brothers were to be given some land for the work they did on the Nelson farm. But the farm wasn’t given to anyone else because much of it was sold.
“William knew many of his cousins on his father’s side of the family until he was 12 years old. After July of 1901 he became familiar with all of his cousins on his mother’s side of the family by living with the Nelson family. William’s mother and this Uncle were the only two siblings in the Nelson family who had children of their own. One of his cousins from his mother’s side, Virgil Homer Nelson, wrote in his autobiography, “They (Rosa, John, William, and Joseph) gave me plenty of companionship. Our chief amusements were swimming, playing baseball, and skating.”
“William had a lot of farm land to discover. Virgil, August’s son, wrote that their farm, “…extended a mile along the east side of State Street and far to the east…a thousand acres of land in East Crescent and into the hill there.” On one occasion when William was in the area he found a dead man laying in a ditch.
“In the school year 1907 William went to the L.D.S. College, his first year in High School before moving to Richmond, Utah. William and his two brothers left Crescent and went to live with their only living sister, Rosa Jonas Andersen. When William had just turned 19 years he made this trip. One cold, snowing day in 1908 the three boys finally arrived at their sister’s home in Richmond, Utah. William worked four years for an August Larson in the summer and went to Brigham Young College at Logan for five years. Each year he received a sports letter in baseball.
Loretta Merrill, William Nelson Jonas
“On 19 September 1909 he was ordained a Seventy by Charles H. Hart, the same day his brother, John, was also ordained a Seventy. He remained a Seventy for over 40 years. On 1 May 1908 he received a Normal Diploma at Logan, Utah, Brigham Young College. 2 June 1911 he graduated from the BYU College and received a General High School Diploma. Two years later he received a college diploma. On 4 September 1913 he received a Grammar Grade County Teacher’s Certificate for Public Schools of Utah. His graduation diploma states that he “passed an examination satisfactory in writing, arithmetic, pedagogy, physiology, reading, drawing, orthography, English, grammar, U.S. History, geography, nature study, psychology, and history of Education.”
William Jonas “To Father”
“The following post cards have survived since 1912. This is the year prior to his graduation from the college and gives a few insights into his personal feelings and activities. All the cards are written to Karen Marie Thompson whom he later married.
“Logan, 4 October 1912 “Dear friend, The first dance will be given Friday night. It was announced in chapel this morning. I do wish you could be here. I’ll be up Sat. noon and we’ll go, if not say so. I have a fine place to stay, with aunt Felelia and my cousins. With best wishes Wm. N. Jonas.”
“Logan 240 E. 3rd North. Oct 11. 1912 “Dear friend: School is fine and full of life. How is work, school and everything in particular? There will be an oration given this morning, you ought to hear it. I’ll not be up Sat. would certainly like to, but– Wishing you an enjoyable time. Your Friend William”
“Logan240 E. 3rd N Oct 18, 1912 “Dear Friend: I would like to come up Sat. but as I have work and a class entertainment Sat. It is impossible. Then too I’ll be up a week from tonight. I wish you could be down here tonight, a lecture and a dance. Work Sat. and have a dance. Have a good time, Don’t be angry. With best regards and wishes as ever, your friend, Wm”
“Logan, Oct 30, 1912 “Dear friend, Hoping you a most happy birthday and many good wishes. There is a dance tonight, a lecture Thur. night and another dance Fri. Always something doing in Logan. Tell everybody hello. as ever your friend Wm. N.”
“Logan, Nov 7, 1912 “Dear friend, Congratulation on Nilson and the De. We had a good conference here Sun. Joseph F. and his son Hyrum will speak. How are all the folks? We are all fine. How is the candy mouse? Well, how is school life and activities…as good as ever here. With best wishes from Wm. N”
“Nov 19, 1912 “Dear Friend, your card was only rec’d. Hope the best of health for your Pa. I won a quarter on the game between 1st and 2nd yrs R.H.S. Sat or Fri. We have a couple of excellent Musical recitals the last week at the Logan Tab and Nibley Hall. Wm N. How do you like the house work for a change or are you a hallo kid?”
William Nelson Jonas, sitting middle, President of Wisconsin or Minnesota Conference, 1915 or 1916.
“William graduated from college soon after the above post cards were written, when he was 23 years old. 4 September 1913 when he received a Grammar Grade County Teacher’s Certificate for Public Schools. During 1913 he taught school at Lewiston and was principal of Wheeler School District. During this first year of teaching he received his endowments 22 May 1914, in the Logan Temple. After teaching for one year he was called on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served for 27 months in the Northern States Mission. His only grandson who served a full time mission was called to the same mission about 60 years later. The mission was called the Minnesota-Wisconsin Mission in 1973. William was first given a minister’s certificate which was dated 2 June 1914 and was signed by the First Presidency of the Church. Several months earlier 16 April 1914, he had been called to the Switzerland and Germany Mission. He was to prepare to leave by 1 July 1914 and had a meeting with the Prophet at 9:00 A.M. that first day. However, he never went to Europe on his mission because of the First World War. He was then reassigned to the Northern States Mission, which had it’s mission headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. While he was on his mission he was called to preside over the Wisconsin Conference, 23 September 1915. He was next called to preside over the Minnesota Conference. 10 January 1916. While serving on his mission he lived at 2707 Clarke St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin; 31 South 5th Street La Crosse, Wisconsin; 247 North Gretto Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, and no doubt visited the mission home at 2555 North Sawyer Ave, Chicago, Illinois. He was released from his missionary service 20 August 1916.
William Jonas, seated with girl in white standing in front of him.
“After his mission he went to Cowley, Wyoming and served as a school principal. There were 18 graduates from the school that year. During the summer of 1917 he went to Provo, Utah, for 12 weeks of summer school. About this same time William went to Richmond, Utah for his father’s funeral. William was the person who gave the information for Joseph Jonas’ death certificate. He then went back to Wyoming and on the 28 February 1917 he registered in Big Horn County to teach school. Soon after that in the beginning of the school year of 1917 he accepted an offer to become coach of baseball and basketball teams at Dixie Normal College in St. George, Washington County, Utah. We have several pictures from the Dixie College School yearbook which was called “The Dixie”. Also, the following tributes from the same book. “Drafted (Class 1 A) It was under Coach Jonas that Cedar met their match in the Dixie basketball team. Favors the “Windsor Tie”.” And this one which was entitled “First Years”. “In September 1917, the D.N.C. found on hundred and five First Year’s invading it’s halls, with bewildered excitement. We did not remain in this state of unrest, however, for Father Jonas and Mother Watson soon had us under their protecting care. With their willing aid and the help of every Freshie, we came off the field on Founder’s Day, flying one blue ribbon and two red ones. The loyalty of our First Year Class was made evident by our purchase of a $100.00 Liberty Loan Bond and $75.00 in Thrift Stamps. We are justly proud of a Freshie lad who is a member of the D.N.C. debating team. Our class part early in December was very successful. If you do not believe us, As Jonas, Jr., and his partners.”
William Nelson Jonas WWI uniform
“The following 20 May 1918 William was inducted by the draft into the Army. On 25 May 1918 he was in a training camp. He went to camp Louise and then to Camp Kearney in California. On August 16, 1918 he left for France. Before he left he expressed to members of his family that he wouldn’t mind serving in the service if he didn’t have to kill people. To his relief he was a member of the medical detachment 145 artillery. He stayed five months in France. His army serial number was 3,127,617. He was a resident of St. George, but was inducted in Cache County. He was in Btry A 145 Fa by July 15, 1918. He went overseas from August 16, 1918 to January 4, 1919. He was honorable discharged January 24, 1919. He remained a private during his short stay. His Military records tell us that he was 28 8/12 years of age when he was inducted. He had brown eyes, brown hair and medium complexion. He was 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall. He received paratyphoid shots 10 June 1918 for typhoid and was not wounded while he was gone. He is character was considered excellent. He was paid 24 dollars and 40 cents 24 January 1919 and was given travel pay back to Logan. During the voyage home William was so sick that he thought he might die. So he promised the Lord he would do whatever He wanted if his life would be spared. And he was faithful to that promise all his life.
“While William was in France he sent letters and post cards. One that still survives was sent to his cousin, Hubert Jonas, who lived in Washington State. The following is quoted from that card. “Camp DeSavage, France November 24, 1918. “Dear Cousin and Family, A Joyous Christmas from France. notice our gun ‘4 point 7’. 1898 date. The Regiment was organized 1916 on the Mexican border. 1918 France from the Beehive State Utah. had six weeks work in the hospital, am well near Bordeaux. Expect to move soon may be ‘over there’ too. Sure tickled. Best wishes and Love W. N. Jonas Sanitary Det. 145 FA Am. Ex. France.”
“While William was gone to war his older brother, John Jonas, died. John died 19 December 1918 and William arrived in New York 4 Feb 1915. He missed seeing his older brother for the last time by a little less than two months.
William Nelson Jonas and Karen Marie Thompson
“Two years after he got back from the Army he married Karen Marie Thompsen, 6 January 1921. They were married in the Logan Temple. Karen Marie was born 31 October 1892. She went to school in Richmond for eight years. She started when she was 8 years old and graduated at 15 years old. She had passed the sixth, seventh, and eight grades in two years. She worked in the Utah Condensory called Sego Mile, which canned milk. She worked for 13 years. Part of the time in the factory and part in the office. The company had an office in Logan in which she worked most of her 13 years. While she was working at Logan she also went to New Jersey Sewing Academy for nine weeks at night. On 9 March 1920 she received a patriarchal blessing. While she lived in the Murray area she was the quilt chairman in Relief Society for many years and went visiting teaching for many years. She loved flowers and had a flower garden most of the time.
“Mary, as she was called, was blessed by William G. Plonallsen 5 Jan 1893. She was baptized by Clarence L. Funk 1 September 1901. She was confirmed by Wallace K. Burnham 1 September 1901.
“Mary’s mother was named Jensine Caroline Christensen. She was born 11 April 1864 in Aarhus, Denmark. She joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1890 and came to America 6 July 1891. While she was sailing she met her husband, James Thomassen, who later changed his last name to Thompsen. They were married 24 December 1891. James Thompsen was never a member of the Church. He was immigrating to Richmond, Utah, to be with his older brother, John, and his younger sister, Johane Caroline. His brother, John Thomassen had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10 February 1869. He later immigrated to Utah to join the Saints. He was endowed 12 October 1875. John must have immigrated to America about that same year. It took his brother, James, about 16 years to follow his older brother to Utah. Caroline was converted to the Church by August S. Schow who was from Richmond Utah. That is one very important reason she moved to Richmond. Their children were the following: Karen Marie born 31 October 1892 ; Ebba born 31 April 1894; James born 6 September 1896; Alta born 12 August 1902; Leland and Stella were both still born April 1898; Michael born 13 July 1906. Caroline was a milliner in Denmark. She sold her hat shop and paid her ticket across the Atlantic to America. James was a carpenter and died at the age of 59. He was bitten by a pig and was poisoned. He suffered a great deal for four years before his death. James was born 19 August 1854 in Vildmose, Denmark and died 8 January 1913 in Richmond, Utah. Caroline died 17 July 1951 at 4:30 A.M. at daybreak on a Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Vaughn, Gaylen, Karen, Maynard, William, and Delwyn Jonas with Alta, James, and Caroline Thompson
“William and Mary lived in Richmond, Utah, when they were first married. They went to the Benson Stake of the L.D.S. Church. In August of the same year (1921) they moved to Franklin, Idaho, so William could teach school. Mary worked checking ledgers for the Milk Condensory in Franklin, Logan, Richmond, and Hyrum during her life. By September of 1921 they moved to Thatcher, Idaho. They went to the Thatcher 2nd Ward in the Bannock Stake of the L.D.S. Church. William, his brother Joseph and his sister, Rosa with their families tried farming. William tried farming from Sept 1921 to Jun 1923 when they moved back to Logan. Apparently discouraged with farming William went to Park Valley, Utah, so he could teach school for one year. After school was over they moved back to Logan for a short while and then to Avon, Utah, for another teaching assignment. September 1924 William took an examination at West High School for the Post Office. He rated 3rd in his class with 93% – he got 5% for being a veteran. In August 1925 he started work for the post office. He worked there for 33 years and accumulated many days for not being sick. He worked the afternoon shift and would take the trolley car to town. He retired in 1958. His work consisted of being a supervisor and worked with the public weighing packages. His hours were from 3:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.
“L.D.S. Church records show that they moved into their home at 120 West Burton Ave in Salt Lake City the same month he was hired at the post office, August 1925. Mary’s mother also lived on Burton Ave. They were in the Burton Ward, Grant Stake. After they had lived on Burton Ave. where their son, Vaughn, was born they moved to 1854 East Clayborne in Salt Lake City in 1928. About 1931 they moved to 906 East 39th South in the Murray area. Then the family moved to 2964 South 9th East (where Carvel was born) in 1933. They lived there from 1933 to about 1942-43. Then they moved into the new home next door at 3974 South 9th East. When William first bought land in the Murray area he purchased 6 1/4 acres. William and his brother-in-law, Christian Andersen, built the home at 3974. Then they moved again to 3954 South 9th East in 1951. All three of the homes on 9th East were next door to each other. The home at 3954 was originally an Army barracks which was moved from Kearns and later remodeled by their son, Maynard. On 29 April 1962 they then moved to 1005 East 4025 South which was still in the Murray area. There they lived until each passed from this life to the next.
“William and Mary were the parents of 6 sons. The last son, William Thompson Jonas, was born what has been called a “blue baby”, and lived only 31 1/2 hours. He weighed 6 1/2 pounds and is buried in the Elysian Burial Grounds in Murray, Utah. He was blessed by his father the 22 October 1937. Their 3rd son, Gaylon Thompson Jonas, was killed 19 September 1944 on Peleliu Island in the Pacific Ocean. He had enlisted 19 August 1942 with the 2nd Mormon Battalion. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Navy Citation Award, Pres. Citation, Navy Unit Cit., American Theater, Pac. with 3 stars. He was killed by a Japanese sniper’s bullet while removing a wounded man. He was killed while he was helping the fourth man that he helped that day. He had volunteered for the assignment.
“William blessed all six of his sons. He also confirmed 5 of them after they were baptized. Delwyn was blessed 2 April 1922 and confirmed 1 February 1931. Maynard was blessed 14 March 1925 and confirmed 3 December 1933. Vaughn was blessed 7 November 1926 and confirmed 4 November 1934. Carvel was blessed 17 September 1934 and confirmed 2 May 1943. William also ordained several of his sons to different offices in the Priesthood. Gaylen was ordained a Teacher 29 January 1940. Carvel a Deacon the 22 September 1944 and a Teacher 30 October 1949.
“William was actively involved in work for his Church all his life. He was Superintendent of the Sunday School of the Mill Creek Ward for 2 1/2 years. He served as Stake Supervisor of the gospel doctrine classes. During his gospel doctrine classes he would compare Catholic point of view with the L.D.S. view quite often according to his neighbor who attended his class. He also served as one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy in his stake. He was a leader of the cottage meetings. And taught the genealogy class for many years and became one of the senior teachers of these genealogy classes. He was baptized for some of his dead ancestors and his wife’s dead ancestors. He served as a ward teacher for many years. He did all of the above including serving a full time mission for the Church before he was 50 years old (1940). After that on 20 Mary 1943 he received a missionary call from the Mill Creek Ward, Cottonwood Stake for a stake mission. He was set apart 26 March 1943 in the stake office at about 8:00 P.M. Afterwards he received another stake mission calling (this was his third mission). He and his wife Mary, were both called. William was set apart 12 May 194?. One of grandpa’s neighbors said that grandpa was considered a scriptorian by those who knew him in their ward, and that he had a hard time understanding why people didn’t recognize the truth in the scriptures. He was set apart Wednesday May 18, 1944 in the stake office at 176 Vine Street for this third mission. While William was on this stake mission his son, Gaylen, who was killed in World War II appeared to him twice requesting that his temple work be completed. His wife, Mary, was set apart 31 August 1949 so they could serve on a mission together. They received honorable releases from their stake missions 3 June 1951.
“When William was called on his second mission he wrote a letter which was printed in the Millcreek Courier, which was the ward paper. The following is quoted from that letter written March 1943, the same month he was called on his second mission. “Faith Unshaken Greetings to the boys in the service from Mill Creek; Recent events have not shaken my faith in the ultimate triumph of freedom and justice, for I was reared in a church where faith in God and belief that right will triumph eventually is too deeply ingrained in me to doubt its final victory. As long as we have faith at all in God, we must know that his is All-Powerful. That his will for the world is Justice and Right, and that eventually His purposes will be established here on earth. Good emerges slowly, but we must not doubt its victory.”
“”As to our country, my faith is our America, in its people, and in the American Way of Life, is unwavering. The United States is the greatest country on the earth, not because it is our country, but by comparison. It’s founding I believe to have been divinely ordained and that God had a mighty mission for the United States among the nations of the world.”
“”America was founded by our forefathers in prayer, in faith, and in the heroic spirit of sacrifice. Lives of comparative ease in their old country might have been theirs had they been willing to surrender their convictions. They chose the Hard Right rather than the Easy Wrong, and were ready to lay down their lives for freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience. No matter what lies ahead, we must carry on to the best of our ability, doing our utmost from day to day, each in his own niche.”
“”After the Hard War No. I was over and the happy Peach had come, I experienced the most wonderful day of my life. February 4, 1919 we first saw the light reflections in the distance, then the lights, buildings, the land. Oh the shouts, “America”, “God’s country”, “Zion”, “Home Sweet Home”, ect. Believe me the statue of Liberty certainly faced the right way–in fact everything we saw was just O.K.”
“”I am now praying for a second great day to come soon, when this Hard War No. II is over and happy Peace is declared and my sons, Delwyn of the Army, Maynard of the Navy, and Gaylon of the Marines come marching home. Parents, fill in the names of your sons, and my God grant the day soon. Sincerely, William N. Jonas.”
“On 17 December 1950 William was ordained an High Priest making little over 40 years that he was a Seventy. He was ordained by Verl F. McMillian of the Mill Creek 2nd Ward in the Cottonwood Stake. After he was ordained an High Priest he was asked to teach the High Priest class for many years. He also became interested in doing the Jonas genealogical line. Around 1960-65 he wrote to places where his grandparents, Hubert and Mary Jonas lived after arriving in America. On 26 October 1960 he received a returned letter from the research department of the L.D.S. Church. He had paid people to help in the research. From this letter we were able to learn about the 1880 census of Nebraska where the family had lived. Another letter was received 13 April 1961 from the Register of Deeds, Monroe County, Michigan, written by the Genealogical Society research department. In behalf of William many land records for Hubert and Mary were then found. William wrote to the Texas State Department and Historical Society of Wisconsin hoping to find more information about our family. Also, he had driven to his place of birth, Ellensburg, Washington for some research and visited his cousin-in-law, Regina Jonas who was living in Vancouver at the time. The following is a quote from a letter he had written which shows the sincerity of his desires. “…this seems to be asking a lot. However, I will be glad to pay for services. Have you someone who is available for such work? I shall try to come to Ellensburg this summer if necessary. I thank you. William N. Jonas.” Many attempts were made to find out where the Jonas family had lived in Germany. Unfortunately, William never was able to discover that genealogy. But because of his efforts there were many clues for the author to use in what eventually lead to the discovery of the Jonas genealogy pedigree, and also this history book.
“The following are some observations about William that his children and friends have told me. William liked to garden. During hard economic times, and especially during the Great Depression, they always had a large vegetable garden. Although we don’t have the exact figures it was close to an half acre. They were able to provide for their family and also provided for a neighbor and his family who were experiencing financial difficulty. He enjoyed excellent, physical health all his life. He was in a car accident when he was older, about 1953-54. During the car accident the gear shifting know of a late model Cadillac punched his side. The knob was shaped like a tear drop. He was a passenger and had slid across the seat with his left side hitting the knob.
“After some of his children got back from their military service they thought they were in better physical shape than their father, who was in his 50’s. They oldest thought he could out arm wrestle his dad now. But William won the match.
“While he worked for the post office he played for the baseball team on the Industrial League. He was a good baseball player and had large knuckles on his left hand from catching baseballs.
“William was instrumental in helping his oldest son to get a job at the post office. He also helped his younger brother, Joseph, financially so he could go to college. William paid for the first month rent for his son, Carvel, when he was first married. Also, William and his wife, Mary, both visited Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Clayton and took pictures on several occasions of their grandson, Carvel Lee Jonas.
“William, when he lived on 9th East raised chickens, pigs, had a cow and an horse. Their children had pigeons and also dogs. They had an orchard of mostly apples, and grew hay and grain; potatoes and lots of vegetables. They had a chicken coop that was heated with a kerosene heater. On one occasion the chicken coop burned down and they lost all the chickens (perhaps as many as an hundred). While the chicken coop was burning William and his son, Maynard, tried to removed the heater and William was burned.
“One time William had bought a new pitch fork. He was able to carry so much hay at one time that the weight of the hay broke the handle of the new pitch fork.
“When William would read or study a book he would read with a pen or pencil and underline and make notes in the margins.
“A neighbor of William’s for over 25 years, Otto Hansen, said the William was very helpful in getting him a job for the post office. William had told him about the civil service test, and encouraged him to try and pass. This neighbor and his wife said that William and Mary were good neighbors and would do anything they could to give a helping hand to someone in need. They considered them to be very honest people. A story that they remember was when William was teaching the gospel doctrine class. Apparently, for a practical joke Mary would remove William’s notes that he had prepared to teach class with from his book. They said that they remember Bill saying, “Mary’s done it again.” Then he was left to use the scriptures and rely on memory and past study to make up a lesson on the spot.
“William died 14 April 1972. He suffered from senility for a few years before he died. Grandma had a neighbor put locks on the doors to keep grandpa Jonas from leaving without knowing where he was going. Even when he wasn’t at his best at the end of his life his thoughts were to go to the Church welfare farm and work. William had received an award for doing over 100 hours of volunteer work for the Church welfare farm in one year (1962), which made him 72-73 years of age.
“Even with the differences in personality of his sons, the one thing that they all agree on is that they had a very good father. Gaylen before he was killed in the war told his friend, “Blondy, I want you to (meet) my folks when we get a furlough, they are the best parents a guy could want.” His sons don’t agree on many things, but they all agree about how lucky they were to have such a wonderful father. That in itself is one of the finest tributes that a man could have.
“Merlin Andersen told me that he always had admired William’s language. William spoke as an educated man who had a firm grasp of the English language. William loved kids.
“Once William and Merlin were walking and they came to a creek. Merlin was wondering how he was going to cross because he didn’t feel like he could jump across and make the other side. Merlin was a young boy, but he remembers that William grabbed him and threw him easily to the other side of the creek.
Sagacity 