The Few, the Proud - The Honeyville Hermits

Though more recent than a lot of the history that I try to record here, but a significant portion of history itself is actually fairly recent.

The Honeyville Hermits were unofficially formed around 1977.  Early members were Ron Reeder, Dave Stacey, Mike Hunsaker and mostly carried on through the Reeder and Stacey sibling through the years.  As an upcoming generation saw a large enough group to add to their ranks, the late 1980s saw a surge in the ranks of The Honeyville Hermits, with over a dozen locals identifying themselves as such. This was the truly the gilded age of The Honeyville Hermits.  One of the questions frequently asked of the hermits is "what does that mean (hermits)?".  My best explanation is that we just plain didn't do much with girls; not so much out of disgust as much as it was that their just seemed to be a bit higher balance in the male population.  Add that to the alluring lifestyle of a future adult life with no real responsibility and being able to do whatever you want, including hanging out with the guys and just having a good time.

Generation one of the Hermits had painted the "The Few, the Proud, The Honeyville Hermits" on the old cement factory along I-15, between Brigham City and Honeyville.  That slogan lasted quite a while before it was painted over; however, it had set a precedent for making our presence known on the old crumbling concrete structure.  It was painted again in 1996, but that only lasted one year before being painted over.

Jake Anderson and Jay Miller holding the repelling rope for the painter on the outside wall.

Jared Howard was the brave one who used our make shift harness and a rope help by two friends on the back side.

Posing after the 1996 cement building painting.  Jake Anderson, Jay Miller, Jared Howard, Mark Reeder, Nate Miller, Ben Reeder, Casey Harper

1996 Hermit sign on the old cement factory

There was a spot higher up, on the top-right corner of the south wall that had never been painted yet.  This time the Hermits vowed to go all out, a big sign at the prominent spot, previously unpainted.  The paint was even sealed for a long life. That sign lasted for well over 10 years.  Currently the entire cement factory has been painted gray (2016).

1997 painting of the cement factory - this one lasted about ten years.

One great tradition started by generation 2 of the Hermits was the famous Hermit float in the Honeyville Fourth of July parade.  Starting in 1997 and running through 2005, each float was proudly planned at breakfast and executed within an hour.

1997 Hermit float - too hard to make out who is who, especially since we were incognito the first year.  We were dancing to YMCA for this picture.  Hard to see, but there was a dead cat tied to the front of the truck (already dead, we didn't kill it).

1998 Hermit Float - cage wrestling

1999 Hermit float - Jay William Anderson driving. Jared Howard, Nate Johnson, Ben Reeder, Josh Kelly, Jared Anderson, Jay Miller, and Mark Reeder (not seen here)

2000 Hermit Float - Jay William Anderson driving, Mark Reeder, Jay Miller, Ben Reeder, Jared Anderson, Ted Reeder, and Jake Anderson

2001 Hermit float - Jared Anderson, Jake Anderson, Jay Miller, Jim Madsen (in back), and Ben Reeder.  Most Like Jay William Anderson driving.

2002 Hermit float - Ted and Mark Reeder are on the right

2003 Hermit float - Nate Miller, Ted Reeder, Jay Miller, Jared Anderson, Mark Reeder, Jared Howard, and Jake Anderson

A few random group photos

A reception for Scot Stacey.  Scot, Spencer Howard, Jay Miller, Jim Madsen, Jeremy Johnson, Jared Andersen, Steve Stacey, Mark Reeder

1998 - Seaworld - Jay Miller, Mark Reeder, Jeremy Johnson, Spencer Howard

Party like it's 1999. Headed out for the 1999-2000 New Year's Eve Party at the Bay in Salt Lake City. Curtis Bingham, Mark Reeder, Jeremy Reeder (back), Jack Anderson (front), Jay Miller, Spencer Howard, Ben Reeder, Jared Howard

Dressed up for the premier of Austin Powers 3 - Jake Anderson, Jay Miller, Mark Reeder

The eve of Jared Anderson leaving on his mission (1993). Mark Reeder, Jay Miller, Jared, Ben Reeder, Nate Johnson, Scot Stacey, Jeremy Johnson

Slowly, generation 2 of the Hermits began to marry (though I must point out, later in life than the average Utahan), there was not enough generation 3 Hermits to keep many of the traditions alive, and though there are still a handful of generation 2 and 3 Hermits that have not taken the vows of marriage, they are older now (older - I did not say old) and no longer carry on any Hermit traditions.

As far as a continuing line of Hermits, there were no longer younger sibling of Hermits to carry on the tradition and spread it to their friends.  Changing town dynamics also contributed to the decline in membership.

Now, I have been writing in past tense, but this is not truly accurate, as a Honeyville Hermit is always a Honeyville Hermit.  Wherever they have moved and regardless of what they are currently doing in life, the kinship of the Honeyville Hermits continues.  And if you watch closely on the Fourth of July, you just may see a few of them around.

Any comments or additional Hermit traditions noted in the comments section would be greatly appreciated.

THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE HONEYVILLE HERMITS!

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Sheep tags

I recently found an interesting item while metal detecting in Honeyville.  It was some sort of tin clip with some very fancy lettering that said, "Newman Hunsaker, Honeyville, Utah  1901".  I was able to track down a great grandson of Newman Hunsaker and return it to the family.  Shortly after that I was informed that it was a sheep's ear tag.  Very nice tag.  Also, I enjoy finding things that can be linked to a specific place or family, it gives history that personal touch.

Side view of the clip

You may have to look closely, but you can still see the lettering

Stay tuned - I feel a more modern history post coming soon.  Perhaps a short history of Honeyville's legendary hermits.
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Finally... the old train station revisited

 I was finally in the Heber area and was able to go get some pictures of the old Honeyville train station.

 What I was really excited about was that I could get inside.  Unfortunately, so could everybody else - it was pretty trashed.

Doorknob

Sliding freight door

The money drawer (note: no money found inside the money drawer)

A quick recap of the old stations journey.  Originally built in Honeyville it served the community for several years as the Union Pacific train depot.  At some point it was moved to Corinne to act as a station there, but that was short lived as it was called into duty as the Golden Spike train museum.  As the centennial of the driving of the golden spike drew near the Golden Spike National Historic Site was dedicated 1957. Thinking nobody would ever actually drive clear out there the Son's of the Utah Pioneers opened a museum in Corinne using the old train station in 1959.  Once the Park Service realized people were driving 'clear out there' and local citizens had staged reenactments each 10th day of May, they finally built a visitor's center in 1978.  The old train station then moved up to Heber City, Utah in 1980, where is became the train station for the Heber Creeper until the early 1990s. The Heber Valley Railroad built their own station and the Honeyville station now sits abandoned in a parking lot a few block north of the current Heber Valley Railroad station.

This has one of the original track switching levers

Upstairs living quarters.

Inside of the ticket counter

Ticket windows (although the signs are newer)

To my knowledge there are no pictures of the interior as it originally sat in Honeyville.
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I did find some pictures of it in Corinne.

While in Corinne in 1977 - courtesy John Pack

Courtesy Paul on Flickr (scanned image from Ebay)

The move to Heber City - Deseret News 1980

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Passing Through

The New West Magazine was published in the mid 1890s, and I can find very little information about this publication.  What I can find leads me to believe that it was only published for one year and records the author's impression of different towns he would stop at as he passed through by train.  There was an engineer named William F Ellis (also author of this publication) that worked for the railroad and as it was common for railroads at the time to publish propaganda disguised as information in order to entice passengers, I suspect that may have been the intent of this "magazine".
In any case, here are his impressions of Honeyville - just passing through of course.

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A Trip to the Dentist

Wisdom tooth extraction has always hurt, but I cannot claim that mine felt as bad as the account given in the journal of B.H. Tolman in 1882.  And although the dentists' tools don't look all that friendly today, they do not look like they did in the 1800s.

Set of dental tools from the 1800s

In his own words here is the account:

I am and have been suffering with a very painful face for about 10 days.  One of my wisdom teeth has been trying to come through for a number of years but made but little headway and was very painful at times so Sunday I went to Brigham City to attend the S. S. Jubilee and went to the dentist, Mr. Slocum, to have it lanced.  He gave it fits by cutting through the tough, inflamed flesh until the old lance grated on the tooth at the root, O horrible.  That was about noon.  It pained me severely all that night and at early morn I might have been seen wending my way to the dentists to have it got out entirely.  When finally I got him at it he commenced by giving it another severe lancing (wuh!)  Now comes the tug.  He worked till he got those enemies of iron and steel securely fastened away down below zero and then he commenced to pull and sweat until the forceps slipped off and, O John! I thought he had pulled my lower jaw off the hinges.  I never yet fainted and now I think I never can.  On went the hardened steel again as if his life depended on it and O Zounds!  O Whiss!  A long pull and a strong pull and they slipped again.  He had to rest and I, of course, I could not, but Jimminy Crickets!  How long till the millennium?  Somehow the time passed away and he got them things on the root again, pulled and the long legged pig ants they again missed fire.  The jumping snake and tickling end of the wasps, how comforted it feels to have them machines from the lower regions fastened on.  Monkeys and Jews harps! He brought the rooster to daylight, thank you, sir.  The next time I have him pulled I think I will let him stay there till it doesn’t hurt to have Wisdom Extracted.   I now wonder if I have atoned for my sins.

Yours truly, B. H. Tolman.

This is the ninth day and she keeps me awake nights now and very sore

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Treasures (they can be anywhere)

With all this snow on the ground I am going nuts not being able to go metal detecting.

This snow will take some time  to melt

So while we were in Honeyville visiting my parents on Saturday I decided to wander up into the attic and see if there is somewhere I hadn't yet searched for old 'stuff'.  Looking around I realized that the windows below, being that the the windows are in a hollow wall (with a header over it), creates a natural dam in the wall and things that may have fallen in there would only be a couple feet down.  Of course this only works if you have good access to the walls and they have not been insulated (generally pre-1970).

If you have just enough space to get your arm in below the double top plate you can feel above the header

With no dust mask and in street clothes I reached down into the dirt and spiderweb infested nastiness and pulled out a few treasure in very short order.

USA Atlas - 1920

Seed packet from a seed envelope with the brochure still in it - 1916 (2 cent Washington stamp)

Ad for fountain pens - 1920

Improvement Era - 1914

Farmers' Bulletin - 1915

Liahona - 1916

This creepy doll could be yours for selling $3.00 worth of magazine subscriptions.

Additionally there were some old handwritten letters, a ceramic door knob, a spoon, mason jar lids, a college binder from 1905, empty parcel tags, ink blotter from the post office, a missionary tract, and more.  Take some time to look in your attics - there are treasures to be found.

Now I just have to find a way to search 10'-0" down at the bottom of the wall (using non-destructive methods).  Any ideas?

While on treasures, this little beauty below was found in Honeyville this past summer (2015).  It is a silver 1891 seated liberty dime.

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