The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-24

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The passing, within a short time Of
each other. Of John :. Lindsay. H. Z.
Bowring. John c. Graham and one or
two others who for years were factors.
as actors or managers. in the stage in
Utah. leaves the veteran Phil Margetts
almost alone. Mr.. Margetts is = years
old but his shoulders are as square. his
carriage as erect as though he were
twenty-five years younger. Time has
dealt very kindly with this dramatic
pioneer. He hasn't even begun to live
in the Tast. The present is his and the
future he looks forward to as time
for the fulfllment of plans ne is al
ways making.
The other day Mr.. Nargetts was
asked TO tell, something about himself
and the work he has done for the the
atric5l business in Utah. Y was BORN
said he, lin Warwickshire, England. on
the 10th day Of February. 1923 Fifty
years of my life have been spent in
Utah. In my early bOyhOOd I deter
mined TO become an engine driver and
the years between 1912 and 1850 were
spent in qualifying myself for the po-
sitiOn. AT the time 7 became con-
vert to the Mormon religion I was run
ming trains on the tracks of the Lon
don & Northwestern railway.
1t was i'm JanuITy. 1850 that / start
ed with my mother and other members
Of my family for Salt Lake City. We
landed in New Orleans i'm March of the
same year and Travelled up the Mis-
s+SSippi river TO ST. Louis, then up the
Missouri river to Council Bluffs Al
most at once ! returned down the Mis-
souri, to old Fort KeaTuey where q
wagon train was loaded with goods and
we set out across the plains for the
valley of the Great salt lake. I drove
three yoke OF cattle as far a. the upper
crossing Of the Platte river ...-..
AT that point left the train, by per
mission, with BY brother and another
young man and started for Salt Lake
City on foot The hardships we suf-
fered on the trail are interesting to re-
member, but they were most unDleas-
ant while we were undergoing them.
W arrived in Salt Lake City SeDtern-
Der J. 1850, having Travelled almost con-
tlndously for eight months And here
may say and Mr. Margetts smiled
although there wasn't much use for
my service at that time. was the first
locomotive engineer 20 enter Salt Lake
CITY
Ny first occupation vas as a black
smith, and I assisted in making some
OF the first saw mill and grist mill irons
used IN the state. But I will pass over
the work and the trials Of the early
days. It IS enough TO say that they in
Guided Indian fighting. a handcart mis-
sion to Omaha and adventures of vari-
Gus sorts It is my theatrical expert
ehce in which yDu are chiefly interested.
had always. from my earliest recOl-
lection, hal a liking for the stage and
q desire tc engage actively in the pro-
fessiOn.
we were. as we used 10 say. "a
thousand miles from nowhere and it
was necessary for Us TO DEFEND upon
ourselves for amusement In the fall
or 1899 1 helped TO organize the first
dramatic association and for years It
was q prominent factor in the develop
lnent of the drama in Utah. Our little
company presented. in 1850 the first
play given by any dramatic organiza-
ton between the Missouri river and
Sacramento Through our efforts So
cial hall was erected in 1852 and the
success OF the offerings there led TO the
erection OF the salt Lake theat6r which
was finished, as I remember. in 1862.
10 go ba k 10 the first production:
The play was tWO-act drama, Rob
Srt Macairer' and the cast Included John
Key, H b ClawsOn, F.. Martin, VIII
liam Glover. +. Ellsworth. H X Whit
ney, II. Margetts, William H KimbaH. /
VI
greater part Of this little company
passed long since 10 the other shore. (
but the first blow for the drama I'm
Utah had been struck, the cornerstone. 4
was laid. The Social hall was cpeued +
formally in 1852 with The LADY Of
Lyons The Salt Lake theater was (
opened ten years later with The Price +
Of the Market and State Secrets
About this time professionals from
east and west began TO visit US and I
pJr stock company supported such art I
lists as f a. Lynn. Mr.. and Mrs. r. T
Vtn. Julia Dean HayTe. Lawrence Bar 1
Iett. John Mccullough. James Ferne. +
Joseph Jefferson, Mel Warner. .SaIvjni
Edwin Booth. Madame Janauscbek
Annie Lockhart. George Pauncefort. " 4
e. COuldOck. f. /. Davenport and 2
host of others. which we continued 10
support until the combinations did
sway with stock companies. The Home
Dramatic company. an CracanizatioD I
based upon a general desire for some |
thing in the way of local presentations /
by local talent. was organized in the
year 1879, and gave its initial perform !
snce in the Salt Lake theater. the piece /
being the Romance of a Poor Young /
Man
Mr. Margetts retired from the stage
a year ago. but at the solicitation of 4
many of his friends he expects to start 4
soon Tor tour or the state with his 4
4 lecture on The Rise and Progress Of /
Nhe Drama in Utah from 1850 to 1890" 1
Gsrtainly nobody is better Qualified /
than he 10 handle the subject N an en-l
terta ming manner
When Arnold DAILY WAS managing
the Vaudeville gilded youth conclud- 4
ed q long pariey at the box Office win 4
dow by purchasing a gallery seat FOR /
% cents. The actor. who happened to 4
be standing beside his treasurer at the /
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