An Oral History with Howard Balsley and Cecil Thompson, September 18, 1980

The oral history transcript features an interview with Howard Balsley and Cecil Thompson, primarily focusing on the early history of Valley City, Utah, and Balsley's personal experiences. Balsley recounts his arrival in 1908 to inspect an irrigation project in which he and his twin sister invested, only to find the earthen dam had washed out due to the company's secretary and treasurer squandering funds. The interview covers details about Valley City's transformation from a farming venture (intended for crops like corn, alfalfa, peaches, plums, and apples) to primarily a cattle-raising area after the dam's failure, and the eventual disappearance of its few buildings, with only a cellar remaining. Thompson joins the conversation, adding insights into freighting routes, the area's use for duck hunting, and a humorous anecdote about a surveyor's error that led the original homesteaders to mistakenly claim land six miles from Valley City. Both men also share stories about early Moab, including Balsley's work for a territorial judge and his 40 years on the school board, as well as the 1917-1919 flu epidemic and the early uranium business.