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Show THE HISTORY BLAZER ,\' Ell's OF IlTAH'S PAST FROAl THE Vtah State Historical ' Societ!? 300 Rio G~- allde Salt Lake Citv. lTT 84101 ( 80 1) 533- 3500 FAX ( no11 533- 3203 The Nation's First Statewide Clean Town Contest IN 1914 UTAH REPORTEDLY EARNED THE DISTINCTIONof conducting the first statewide clean town contest ever held in the United States. The Utah Development League and the State Board of Health jointly promoted the contest in an effort to improve sanitary conditions throughout the state. Rules and scoring procedures were made available early in the year and the response proved enthusiastic. A total of fifty- three towns entered. From Tremonton and Garland in the north to Washington and St. George in the south, civic- minded residents, generally under the direction of local commercial clubs, began efforts to beautify their yards and gardens as well as to improve public services and facilities. In Manti townsfolk removed a reported 300 loads of stones from city streets in a single day. In Hurricane a general committee from various civic groups supervised the work and effectively divided the different tasks into weekly projects. The committee set apart the first week for cleaning and beautifying streets and sidewalks. Week two involved work on lawns, flower gardens, and yards; and the following week townsfolk improved their corrals and outhouses. Similar efforts prevailed throughout the state until the August deadline marked the end of all clean- up efforts. In that month the Board of Health grouped the various communities into six classifications based upon population. The board then sent its team of judges to score each of the competing towns. The judges' identities as well as the date of their inspections were kept secret so that no town would have an unfair advantage. The chief judge was James H. Wallis, a former dairy and food commissioner of Idaho, whom the state hired specifically to supervise the contest. Points were awarded in thirteen different areas such as sewage disposal, garbage collection, water supply, control of flies, vacant lots, and condition of streets, parks, and alleys. After judges tallied their scores Manti was announced as the cleanest town in Utah. It scored 82.5 points out of the possible 100. Humcane was second at 78, Ogden third with 73, and Lehi came in fourth with 71.7 points. Ogden and Salt Lake City were the only two cities in the Class A population category; the former beat the state capital by only three points. In other classes, Brigham City, Lehi, Manti, Farmington, and Hurricane were all winners. In Hunicane, the townsfolk were justifiably proud of their accomplishment; and when their prize, a beautiful white drinking fountain, arrived it was given a prominent spot on the town square. The Developn~ entL eague and the State Board of Health labeled the contest a success and felt the general improvement in local sanitary conditions was well worth the effort. News of the contest even reached other states, many of which wrote to Utah for suggestions on holding their own clean- town contests. THEH ISTORYB LAZERis produced by the Utah State Historical Society and funded in part by a grant from the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission. For more information about the Historical Society telephone 53 3- 3500. |
