Speak Your Piece: a podcast about Utah's history

The past is never truly “in the past.” It’s all around us, it informs us. It speaks to our shared and to our separate identities. “Speak Your Piece” is a podcast where contributors share their insights and discoveries about Utah's 12,000 year (plus) human story. Hosted by Brad Westwood, Senior Public Historian (Utah Dept. of Culture & Community Engagement), and co produced by Chelsey Zamir, a new episode is released every other week, sometimes more, sometimes less. SYP explores the key arguments with new and worthwhile older publications, articles or websites; or delves into a notable museum, archival collection, archaeological report; or allows a respected writer, curator or historian to speak freely, sometimes about difficult history. SYP seeks to tell a history of Utah in a way you might not heard it before., told by the people who know it best: historians, writers, curators, archaeologists, rare book dealers, archivists, librarians and more. Speak Your Piece is recorded and engineered at the Utah State Library in Salt Lake City. Jason Powers is the sound and post-production engineer. The SYP logo is a photograph entitled "Canyonlands," taken by Utah outdoor photographer Al W. Morton, circa 1955, within the Canyonlands National Park (NPS). The lone man in the image is Kent Frost, looking over a series of needle rock formations located in San Juan County, Utah. The image and rights are owned by the Utah State Historical Society.

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Speak Your Piece: a podcast about Utah's history

"My Life in [1950's] Carbon County [Utah]:" A Conversation With Dr. Ronald G. Watt (Season 2, Ep. 15)

April 13, 2021 • Brad Westwood, Senior Public Historian, Utah Dept. of Heritage & Arts • Season 2 • Episode 15

3.15.2021 (Season 2: Episode 15; 76 minutes) Click here for the Utah Dept. of Heritage & Arts Show Notes for this Speak Your Piece episode.

Introduction: In this episode of Speak Your Piece, historian Ron Watt describes his latest book, which is part memoir, part county history and part geography tour of 1950s Carbon County. First envisioned as a childhood history to be read only by his family, the project took on a life of its own (an occupational hazard for historians). Supplemented by numerous fieldtrips, interviews with family members and longtime residents, and the consultation of dozens of 1950s primary sources, Ron instead made a book for his grandchildren and for us, available via Amazon. We sampled Ron’s personal but public geographical journey in this episode.

Combined, the 1950s spatial, geographical and built environments of Carbon County serve as framework which Watt then adds family history; mining, ranch and farm life descriptions; and the stories of dozens of specific community members, most of whom are second and third generation children of agricultural and labor immigrants, from around the world, who settled and worked in Carbon County in the first half of the 20th century.

Moving geographically, west to east, Ron describes the places, people, streets, mines, ranches, farms and the open lands generally following U.S. Highway 50 and 6 and State Road 10. Watt describes 1950s coal mining industry, the sheep and cattle industry and the farms that followed the irrigation canals built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Much detail is also offered for the flourishing mid-20th century regional hubs of Price and Helper. Finally, Watt describes the ancient and early 20th century pioneer wagon road winding through Nine Mile Canyon to access to Ashley Valley or the Uinta Basin.

It never stops being a personal account, amid the physical and geographical descriptions, you will also read about Ron's many part-time summer jobs, the day to day work life of his farmer/miner/manual labor father, the farm life of his grandparents, and ranch life of his aunt and uncle. We even learn about the dating life of this shy, hardworking and bookish Mormon boy. Nearly all of it beneficial in our understanding of mid-20th century Utah.

Ron Watt's Bio: Born in a mining camp in Spring Canyon, in a rock house built by Italian masons, Dr. Ronald G. Watt, was educated first in Carbon County, then at USU (BA and MA) and at University of Minnesota (PhD, in History). He was employed by the LDS Church in Salt Lake City for 35 years, as a historian, manager of the archives and reference archivist, His passion--besides his family--is writings about Carbon County. Ron also served on the Utah Historical Quarterly Board of Editors as a reader over twenty years.

Additional Readings and Sources:

Ronald G. Watt, My Life in Carbon County: A Personal Tour Through Time and Space, Scrivner Books, Provo, Utah, 2018.
Watt, A History of Carbon County, Utah Centennial County History Series (1896-1996), Utah State Historical Society and Carbon County, Utah, 1997. Online Digital Copy / Out of Print Purchase -- check local rare/used book dealers.
Watt, City of Diversity: A History of Price, Utah (2001).

Question or comment? Write us at “ask a historian” – askahistorian@utah.gov