Ghosts of Theatres Past.

 

Young's Theater

 

Opera House - Monticello Memories Calendar - 1988

 

 The Opera House aka Young’s Theatre has a history rich in entertainment.  Originally built in 1907, it was a community center for Monticellians to play basketball, put on plays, hold dances or watch movies (silent ones of course).  In 1918, a severe snowstorm dumped so much upon the building’s roof, it completely collapsed.  Along came Alfred Young, who built a new building, in a different location, and called it Young’s Theatre. Naming things after one’s self is definitely a way to be remembered.

The Theatre remained opened until 1931, and then was purchased by…, San Juan Record, May 10, 1934, page 5, “Marie M. Ogden last week purchased the Young show hall, a well-known building which has been idle for two or three years. It is expected that a community house will be made, that is, it will be converted into a place for her people to stop for rest while considering their future activities in this county.” 

However, in 1935, the controversy over the death of Home of Truth member, Edith Peshak, forced Marie Ogden to close the theatre, and it has remained closed since that time.  While the Monticello Community Foundation made many attempts to obtain funding, to renovate and save the building, it, sadly didn’t happen.  Now it is scheduled to be demolished as the San Juan County Public Safety Building Expansion Project plans to remodel and expand the existing facility, which houses the Sheriff's Department, courts, and corrections.

However, entertainment was not lost to the citizens of Monticello.  Mr. and Mrs. Claude Foy opened their first movie theatre, on Main Street, June 15, 1936. Then, in 1939, they opened a larger 120-seat theatre, located in the Moab Garage warehouse, which Mr. Foy also managed.   The first movie featured was “Young Mr. Lincoln”, with Henry Fonda. The seating was eventually increased to 225, and in 1953, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Randall bought the theatre, but alas, it too closed down.

 

The Little Theater - Cinema Treasures (https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/67616)

 

 

Personal story time!  Bill Boyle, editor of the San Juan Record, related, to yours truly, a story about his mother.  During the 1930s, she would go to the theatre daily, and with leading actors such as Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Montgomery and Errol Flynn…hubba hubba, someone get me some cold water please!

In 2015, the San Juan Record’s editor hosted a haunted hayride, The Monticello Ghost Tour, and related ghostly stories of various buildings around the city.  This was one of the best events for Pioneer Weekend, so Bill, please bring it back, I’m begging you!!!  Anyway, the San Juan Credit Union, in 2015, was the former location of the movie theatre; the rooms over the San Juan Pharmacy (now Main Street Drug) were used for storage for the theatre.  Monticello was making headlines all over the United States when an armed gunman was noticed in the upper window.  A young police officer, Kent Adair (Monticello's long time Chief of Police for 34 years) deftly disarmed the culprit with an expert karate chop.  Only to find out he had knocked off the arm of "Rambo", a large cardboard display of Sylvester Stallone; Kent's call in to other officers..."The suspect has been disarmed."  

 

If you’re interested in seeing what The Monticello Ghost Tour was all about, go to my travel blog posting at: https://www.southwestbrowneyes.com/2015/08/hayriding-to-meet-ghosts-of-monticello.html

Now, after all that researching to find details and photos of the old theatres, I am hungry!  How about a comforting plate of creamed chicken over country biscuits?  The best part about this recipe is that you can make this dish over and over, but with different flavor enhancements.  This is a semi-homemade recipe, so using “cream of …” soups for the sauce making.  Two cans (10.75 oz.) of cream of chicken gives that downhome chicken taste that is so satisfying.  Use one can of cream of chicken and one can of cream of celery or cream of potato, you’ve got pot pie.  For a more savory taste, one can of cream of chicken plus one can of cream of mushroom; and adding some sliced mushrooms into the mesh won’t hurt either.  By the way, I boiled the chicken breasts, in salted water, over medium-high heat, about 20 minutes, and then diced it up.

 

Creamed Chicken

 

Ingredients:

1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can (10.75 oz.) cream of (see variations above)

1 cup half n’ half

1 (12 oz.) bag frozen peas, thawed and drained

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or diced

Preparation:

In a saucepan or large skillet, over medium-high heat, combine contents of the soup(s) plus half n’ half, and whisk until smooth.

 

Two chicken breasts, boiled in salted water, then diced.

 

Add in peas, black pepper and chicken; stir and let cook until bubbles begin to form around interior wall of pan.

 

Serve immediately over biscuits, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Makes 6 servings.

So, put on a movie, and enjoy a bowl full of creamed chicken.  Um, don’t watch a very scary movie though, don’t want you throwing that bowl of food up in the air.

Mary Cokenour 

 

The Mystery of the Flour Mill.

Alright, fans of the 1960s television series, Time Tunnel, and the ever-popular English series, Doctor Who; we are going time traveling!  So, whether it’s by tunnel or TARDIS, set your time/location devices to September 1898, Monticello, Utah, corner of 100 South and 300 East….and away we go.  (queue in eerie time travel music).

Ten years after the founding of Monticello, the Monticello Cooperative Flour Mill opened for business.  …and I can hear it now, as I’ve heard it before, “The what!?!  You’re crazy, no such place ever existed in Monticello.”, and you would be thoroughly mistaken in your city’s history.

Referring to Monticello Journal, A History of Monticello until 1937, by Harold George and Fay Lunceford Muhlenstein (and I remember Fay as she was always sweet and kind to me), page 65, “Monticello Cooperative Flour Mill was established in the fall of 1898 with 7000 bushels of wheat waiting to be ground into flour. …3 story structure with red sandstone foundation   …intersection of 1^st South and 3^rd East.”

Next quote, we need to time travel forward to 1934.  Page 233, “A new Monticello Flour Mill was opened with Chester Black as miller and Lawrence Black as assistant. …old mill destroyed by fire in 1933.  George Adams was part-owner …”Monticello Pride” was the brand.”

The mill ground and processed wheat for flour, a good portion of it being sold to the Navajo Nation down the southern end of San Juan County.  In 1968, the mill was permanently closed after 9-year-old boy scout, Rhett Palmer, died in a tragic, and fatal fall into the machinery.  In 1988, Diane Nielson purchased the property, renamed it the Grist Mill Inn which became a bed and breakfast after extensive renovation.  A photo, by Carl Eisemann, shows what it looked like at the time, and nothing like it looks like now.  (Articles re: Rhett Palmer and Diane Nielson can be found in the San Juan Record’s archives)

 

The Grist Mill Inn and The Granary are up for sale; hopefully it will be purchased and kept as is, and not torn down or abandoned as so many buildings, with history, have experienced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed that short journey through time, and now to flour, bread and quick bread.

When it comes to baking breads and quick breads (many are cake-like in taste and texture) which flour is the best to use?  All-purpose vs. Bread Flour: bread flour is higher in protein, produces more gluten, so creates a chewier texture and higher rising.  All-purpose is lower in protein, produces less gluten, so creates a softer, more tender texture, and breads will not rise as high as in using bread flour. However, the flours are interchangeable, and all-purpose is more versatile.  What about self-rising flour?  It has baking powder and salt added into the flour, but how much is uncertain.  The texture is lighter than all-purpose flour, so is best for creating biscuits, pancakes and cakes.

For quick breads which can be formed into loaves or muffins, all-purpose flour is the best choice.  The protein content provides a good balance of structure and tenderness, resulting in a moist, consistent, and dense texture.  

Now for some easy and delicious recipes to play with.

 

Buttermilk Honey Bread

(Bulk of recipe is from page 31; 1995 edition Food for Friends, State Museum of PA; with slight changes due to experience working with this recipe.)

Ingredients:

2 and ¼ tsp. or 1(.25 oz) packet active dry yeast

1 tsp. honey

¾ cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 cups buttermilk, room temperature

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

4 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. salt

 6 and ¼ cups to 7 and ½ cups all-purpose flour or bread flour (different measurement is for low  

                     altitude vs. high altitude)

Canola oil for coating bowl and dough, about 1/8 cup.

Preparation:

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and honey in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine buttermilk, butter, honey and the yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add salt and two cups of the flour. Whisk well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 6 minutes.

 

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

 

 

 

 

 

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into loaf pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease 9”x5” loaf pans.

 

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the bottoms of the loaves sound hollow when tapped.

Makes 2 loaves.

 

Homemade Bread May Not Look Perfect and Pretty, But That's Proof it's Homemade.

 

Using Dark Metal Pans Makes the Sides and Bottoms of the Bread Brown Faster Than the Tops.

 

 

Amish Cinnamon Bread (a quick bread)

Ingredients:

Batter:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar (or equivalent sugar substitute meant for baking)

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk 

4 cups flour (plus ¼ cup for high altitude)

2 tsp. baking soda

Filling and Topping:

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:

1/2 cup sugar

¼ cup ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray three 8-inch loaf pans with baking spray.

 

Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs.  Add buttermilk, flour, and baking soda and mix together thoroughly, making sure to constantly scrape down the sides, and from the bottom upwards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fill each loaf pan 1/3 of the way, smoothing out the batter.  Sprinkle 6 teaspoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter.  Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon-sugar mixture.

 

Batter 1/3 Way Up + 6 Teaspoons Cinnamon-Sugar Mix.

 

3 Loaves Ready to be Baked.

Option: Leave as is, or swirl cinnamon-sugar mixture throughout batter with a knife.

 

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick, inserted in center, comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.  

 

Makes 3 loaves.

 

Note: To make homemade buttermilk, mix 2 cups whole milk plus 2 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice(strained).

 

Since the Amish do not use electricity, most of their kitchen work is done by hand, using non-electrical tools and gadgets.  To be true to form, I creamed together the softened butter, sugar and eggs using a rubber spatula and hand-power.  The mixture came out as golden colored and creamy just as if I had used an electric mixer.  

Mary Cokenour 

 

Spiritual Influences and Remembering a Friend.

August seemed to be a month where the spirits of San Juan County influenced my writing.  For example, the article I just wrote on Three Sisters Stew; research on Paiute and Ute foods began at the beginning of the month.  Just as I thought I had a handle on a particular item, something stayed my hand, and research began anew. 

After receiving a nice supply of yellow squash, it hit me that harvesting would be starting, and that got me thinking about The Three Sisters – corn, beans and squash.  Following the “yellow squash road”, my research led me to Three Sisters Stew, and I was able to tie it into the Paiute and Ute cultures.  To my surprise, the article came out the same week as the announcement and scheduling of the annual Ute Tribal Bear Dance down in White Mesa.  Yes, I believe the spirits of their ancestors influenced me, and you will be hard pressed to have me think otherwise.

Then I started researching formations, in Utah, that happened to be named after foods.  In San Juan County, we know about “Cheese and Raisins” (June 28, 2018 article), and the “Hamburger Rock” camp site near Canyonlands – Needles district, but how many know about the birthday cake?

…and this is where remembering a friend comes into play.  August 26, 2024, a dear woman, to many a person, passed away suddenly.  Amy Watkins Kensley was so much to so many; a friend, sister, mother, teacher, mentor, and simply an amazing woman.  Amy was teaching at Monument Valley’s Tse'Bii'Nidzisgai Elementary School; at first 4^th grade, and then eventually 3^rd grade.  In 2015, she and her adorable 4^th grade students helped me with local legends for a few of my travel blog articles.

Along Route 163 there are two formations which, with their help, I was able to discover the names of; "Coyote's Misstep" and "The Birthday Cake". 

 

The first formation is a simple red sandstone square, and here is the legend behind its name. Coyote one day caught his cousin, Badger, fooling around with his mate.  He chased him, up onto a ridge, but Badger was able to get away.  Coyote became so furious that he kicked at the earth below his feet so hard, he knocked a piece of the ridge miles out to what is now Route 163.

 

Now, when I wrote up this story, Amy read it to her class to make sure I got all the details right.  Their responses were, “Perfect!”, “Yee, she got it right!” and she said they were smiling so much from knowing that I had listened to them, and paid attention.  As a thank you, I sent them a 5-pound Hershey bar to be split up between them all; and that caused even more smiles.

The second formation, however, doesn’t have much of a story. The "cake" is named by locals simply because it does look like a square tiered birthday cake. It definitely is what it is.  …and then it happened.

I was asked, alright, begged, by, the teenage daughter, of another friend, to bake her a birthday cake for her party.  I hemmed and hawed, I was not a good baker, how could I do this and not embarrass myself, or poison anyone!?!  But the insistence was pushed and I caved.

She wanted something unique, not the typical, and boring, sheet cake, but something to “blow the mind”.  The cake and frosting were scratch made, and it actually gave me nightmares for several nights in a row.  I plotzed over screwing it all up, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I must have done well. 

 

The cake was huge, and compared to one of the Red Rock formations in our area; great, since I had “The Birthday Cake” formation in mind.  It consisted of three tiers, two single layers and one double layer; chocolate pudding sat in the middle of the bottom double layer and single middle layer; a layer of mini-marshmallows sat between the middle and top layers.  There were two types of frosting, first a vanilla buttercream, and after refrigerating the cake, I covered it with a vanilla whipped cream frosting.  Sprinkled cocoa powder over the tops and sides; a sprinkle of chopped Andes candies and a few Oreo cream cookies finished off the topping.

 

So, spirits of San Juan County, thank you for influencing my writing during the month of August, especially in remembering my dear friend, Amy Watkins Kensley, who I miss very, very much.

Here are the basic cake and frosting recipes.

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:

1 ½ cups flour

3 Tbsp. baking cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. chocolate syrup

¾ cup milk

¾ cup melted butter

2 eggs

Frosting:

12 Tbsp. butter, softened

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup baking cocoa powder (for dark-chocolate frosting) or vanilla powder (for white-vanilla frosting)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 Tbsp. room temperature milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut out two circles of parchment paper that fit within two 8” cake pans; spray cake pans with nonstick baking spray; line bottom with paper circles.

In a large bowl, sift flour and mix in cocoa, baking powder and sugar.  In second bowl, beat together syrup, milk, butter and eggs; do not get mixture frothy by over beating.  Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients; mix on medium speed till smooth.  Pour half of batter into each cake pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes; until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out cleanly.  Let cakes cool before flipping out of pans; remove parchment paper before frosting cakes.

While cakes are baking, make the frosting; cream together the butter and sugar; add cocoa, vanilla extract and milk; mix until smooth, but do not over mix.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to firm up; frost cakes after they have cooled.  There will be enough frosting to frost the tops and sides of both cakes; stack cakes on top of one another; total height should be about 3 inches with frosting.

Makes 12 servings.

Mary Cokenour 

 

 

 

Time to Start Thinking Harvest.

The end of August is almost here, and we are never too sure what the weather for September and October will be bringing to us.  Anyone home gardening should be considering what to harvest now, and what can wait a bit longer.  Our summer has not been overly heated, but we never did get our annual monsoon, so dry, dry, dry.  Many gardens probably did well with constant secondary watering, and care; many did not fare well.

Thanks to our friend Steve, he made sure we received yellow squash as often as possible.  Even though he was disappointed in their lack of growth size, I was able to make many a delicious squash quick bread to share back with him.  Quick bread made with squash?  Well sure, I bet you have had zucchini bread, well that’s a squash.  Simply use my recipe from the June 29, 2022 article, in the San Juan Record, or from my food blog, and substitute yellow squash for zucchini.  If the squash is not over ripe, the skin can be shredded into the bowl along with the insides, or peel it off if you’re unsure.  Just make sure to remove the stem and root ends, and throw those into the compost bin.

This got me to wondering about the various tribes of Utah’s indigenous peoples, and what they refer to as The Three Sisters: squash, beans and corn.  The most important aspect to these three food items is…water!  I have written many a time about Navajo recipes, even one on Hopi, but not on the Paiute or Ute, and finding them mentioned in southwestern native cookbooks seems to be nonexistent.  The state of Utah is named after the Utes, and information from Utah.com states, “The name "Utah" is believed to be derived from the Ute word "yuttah," which means "people of the mountains"”.  National Geographic states, “It comes from the Spanish nickname for the Ute Native American tribe, “Yuta”. But others say the name could come from the Ute word “yutas”, which is said to mean “the people,” or “people of the mountains.””   When it comes to researching, there are very few books available about the Paiutes and Utes, so most of my information comes from roaming the internet.  So, apologies to the descendants of both tribal cultures if I get something incorrect. 

Speaking of roaming, both Paiute and Ute people are descended from Numic-speaking hunter-gatherers who migrated east from Southern California around 1000 AD.  While they shared linguistic and cultural traditions, eventually, due to traveling to, and setting up home, in different states, the tribes developed individually distinct qualities.  One important quality remained for both though, the need to be near water sources, for how else can food be grown?

This brings it all round to The Three Sister of squash, beans and corn that not only can be cooked together, but can be harvested and stored to last throughout the winter months.

Unfortunately, the only recipes I could find, relating to Paiutes and Utes, were too modernized to be authentic.  Ingredients that grew native to Utah may no longer exist, or recipes list ingredients that are more readily available in stores, then to go foraging for. Take, for example, herbs native to Utah: common yarrow, yampah, sagebrush, purple sage, globe mallow, blue lupine, thread leaf ragwort, fleabane and fern bush. Now different types of sage are readily available in stores, but the rest, not so much, unless home grown or foraged.

So, what herbs can be purchased, or even grown in home gardens?  Of course, sage is number one on the list, after that is: lemon thyme, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, chives, mint and lavender.  Sounds like we have a Mediterranean theme going on in this herbal garden.  All of these herbs are considered aromatics, and enhance any food they are being paired with. 

Well, I have some lovely yellow squash sitting on the kitchen counter, and while I will cheat a little by using canned pinto beans and whole kernel corn, here’s my take on Three Sisters Stew.  Oh, while this can be done on the stovetop, about an hour of cooking on medium-high heat; I chose to use a crock pot instead.  Like I have mentioned many a time, low and slow is the way to go, as it gives each ingredient, not just time to cook thoroughly, but to infuse, and be infused, with surrounding flavors.

 

Three Sisters Stew

(In honor of all the indigenous people of Utah)

Ingredients:

2 cups yellow squash, peeled and cubed (butternut or acorn squash are good as well)

1 (15.25 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained or rinsed

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. each dried sage, thyme and rosemary

¼ cup pinyon (pine) nuts

4 cups vegetable broth

Preparation:

Place all ingredients into a 2-quart crock pot, and pour vegetable broth over all.  No need to stir together until fully cooked.  Set on low for 4 hours.

After 4 hours on low.

All Ingredients into Crock Pot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Makes 4 servings, or 6 if being used as a side dish.

Notes:

Stove top method: Do same preparation as above, but into a 2 to 3-quart cooking pot.  Set on medium-high heat, for one hour, occasionally stirring to keep from boiling over, or food sticking to bottom of pot.

Corn – fresh can be used, or, if using frozen, make sure to thaw before adding in.  Adding in frozen, the corn will contain additional water which will dilute the broth.

Beans – soak dried overnight can be used, but the cooking time will be increased, and increase vegetable broth to six cups, instead of four.

Herbs – yes, you can use some of the others that are listed within the article, instead of what I have used.

Spicy?  A few recipes did add diced Hatch or jalapeno chilies, so up to personal tastes if the stew is to be mild, medium or hot.

Tomatoes?  A few recipes did add diced tomatoes, however, I was looking to create something more geared towards the indigenous cultures, than Italian cuisine.

A Complete Meal of 3 Sisters Stew plus Fried Flounder.

 

Basically, try my recipe first, and hope you enjoy it.  After that, have more adventure in your own kitchen by adding other ingredients such as chilies or tomatoes.

Mary Cokenour