Ogden was the place to have a good time in 1890. In fact, some folks in town decided to party New Orleans-style and “laissez les bon temps rouler” with a big Mardi Gras celebration.
“This event barely registers in the history books, but was a significant, colorful and (above all) improbable happening in Ogden,” said Val Holley, by email.
Holley, whose book “25th Street Confidential” is scheduled to be published next year by the University of Utah Press, was invited to give the keynote address at this year’s Utah State History Conference.
“I think they assumed I would speak about 25th Street, but the theme of the conference is historic encounters, and being familiar with the Mardi Gras that happened in 1890, especially with the amazing diversity of groups that came together for an unlikely event in Ogden, I thought ‘Boy, if you want encounters, I can give you encounters — I’ll talk about Mardi Gras,’ ” the Weber County native said by phone from his office in Washington, D.C.
The 60th annual Utah State History Conference starts Thursday, with workshops during the day and an awards ceremony in the evening. Holley’s presentation is part of the evening event, starting at 7 p.m. in the Post Theater at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City. The conference continues 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 21 and 22, at the Fort Douglas Officers Club, and ends on Sept. 23 with a field trip to the site of the Bear River Massacre.
“This (conference) is free,” said Richard Sadler, a history professor at Weber State University who is participating. The only cost is for the optional field trip. “You can come and listen to things, and agree or disagree, and it’s a nice opportunity to get involved with history — particularly local history.”
Krewes and Cowboys
“Krewes, Cowboys and Cultural Conundrums: Ogden’s Mardi Gras of 1890” is the full title of Holley’s speech.
Mardi Gras is an annual festival held in New Orleans, preceding the Catholic observation of Lent. It came to Ogden, which was settled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during a time when many non-Mormons were moving to the city.
“The government had been run entirely by the Mormon People’s Party,” said Holley. “In 1889, the Liberal Party, backed by non-Mormons, swept the entire municipal government.”
At the same time, said Holley, land speculators (many from Nebraska and Colorado) were coming to Ogden and joining the Chamber of Commerce.
“So the idea was, ‘How are we going to promote Ogden, and get investors, speculators and entrepreneurs to come here?’ ” Holley said.
Throwing a Mardi Gras celebration to attract them was the idea of William Hope Harvey, who had been given the honorary title of “Colonel” for his work publicizing Colorado. Harvey was a lawyer and real estate speculator, with an office at the corner of 25th Street and Washington Boulevard. He traveled to New Orleans and persuaded the Rex Organization, in charge of that city’s carnival, to authorize a “western kingdom” in Ogden, named “The Order of Monte Cristo.”
“When Col. Harvey went to New Orleans, he set up a large advertising bureau, and for several months all they did was send press releases and fliers throughout the U.S. announcing the upcoming summer Mardi Gras in Ogden,” said Harvey.
Yes, the carnival was held July 1 through July 4, putting the emphasis on fun instead of fasting.
The event
Visitors were welcomed to the city with a large arch, built near Union Station. Businesses on 25th Street were decorated in bunting and flags, and a “Carnival Palace” the size of a football field was constructed where the Ogden Amphitheater now sits.
“At the time it was said to be the largest dance hall in the United States, but it was only a temporary structure and probably wasn’t there for more than four months,” said Holley.
New Orleans krewes, dedicated to the pageantry of the event, shipped parade floats and everything else west.
“A special train, several cars long, transported Mardi Gras royalty and citizens of New Orleans — especially business men — to Ogden,” Holley said.
The Ogden carnival included the traditional masked ball, but Western twists were added to the festivities.
“They brought in 350 cowboys from all over the Intermountain West, to do horsemanship exhibits, trick riding and riding competitions, and had a Grand Cowboy Ball the first night,” said Holley. “Not only that, but they brought in Indian tribes. They had Shoshone, Bannock and Piutes, not as spectators, but specifically invited to come in costume and do war dance exhibitions.”
Financial flop
While the Deseret News editorialized against the event, Holley said prominent LDS businessmen in Ogden assisted and participated.
“So you have all these elements that probably never came together before, and may never have since 1890,” he said.
Ogden staged a very credible Mardi Gras, according to reports from the time. But it wasn’t a complete success.
“It never drew the kinds of crowds anticipated, and was a financial flop, so what was anticipated as an annual event only happened once,” Holley said. “Col. Harvey was sued by many individuals and entities in Ogden who needed to be paid for their services, so he sort of lost his shirt.”
He redeemed himself a few years later, by convincing a large convention to come to Ogden, but for a while about all he had were the memories of a grand celebration, according to Holley.
Ogden’s Mardi Gras ended with the unmasking of Rex, the event king who had appeared at a variety of activities during the week. The true identity of Rex is a surprise Holley plans to reveal at the history conference.
60TH ANNUAL UTAH STATE HISTORY CONFERENCE
Workshops, Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Rio Grande Depot, 300 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City
9-10:30 a.m., “Digitization: Doing it Right”
10:45-noon, “Using Online Research Resources”
Noon-1 p.m., lunch (on your own)
1-3 p.m., “Preservation Pro — Practical Applications”
1:30-3 p.m., “Researching, Writing, and Publishing Articles in the Utah Historical Quarterly”
History address and awards, Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Post Theater, 245 S. Fort Douglas Blvd., Salt Lake City
7-9 p.m., welcome and remarks by state history staff and Lt. Gov. Greg Bell; address by Val Holley, “Krewes, Cowboys, And Cultural Conundrums: Ogden’s Mardi Gras of 1890,” followed by awards
History sessions, Sept. 21 at the Officers Club, 150 S. Fort Douglas Blvd., Salt Lake City
9-10:15 a.m.:
• “Encounters in Polygamy and Cooperative Societies” — “Oliver B. Huntington: Eye of the Saints” by Joseph Stuart, and “The Davis County Cooperative Society” by Charles Kingston
• “Occupational and Military Medicine in Utah” — Eric Swedin, “Paul S. Richards and the History of Occupational Medicine in Utah”; Andrea Carter, “Bushnell General Military Hospital in Brigham City, Utah”
• Roundtable discussion, “History of Election Polling in Utah,” with Quin Monson and Dan E. Jones
10:45 a.m.-noon:
• “Radicalism in Utah: A Conversation,” with John McCormick and John Sillito, authors of “A History of Utah Radicalism”
• “Encounters through Politics and Art” — Russell Fjeldsted, “Alma, The Painter: The Story of a Famous Utah Artist”; and Kelly R. Jones, “Women in Politics: Domestic Authority and Patriotism in the Service Star Legion”
• “Encountering The Avenues” — Cevan LeSieur, “The Avenues of Salt Lake City: A Revised Look”
Noon-1:30 p.m., lunch on your own, or a walking tour of Fort Douglas
1:30-2:45 p.m.:
• “Encountering Stories of Individuals” — David Hales, “Another Tragic Day in the History of Millard County: The October 2, 1922 Murder of Deputy Sheriff Floyd L. Rose”; and Roger Layton, “Discovering Frank Beckwith: Witness of Change from Pioneers to Airplanes”
• “Protest Encounters” — Debra Elaine Jenson, “Dinosaur National Monument and the Proposed Echo Park Dam”; Polly Stewart, “Police Chief Cleon Skousen and Salt Lake City Folksingers”
• “Varying Interpretations and Experiences” — Robert McPherson, “A Second Look: Native American Oral History and the Anasazi”; and Brent Herridge’s “A New Look: Sally Young”
3:15-4:45 p.m.:
• “Interpreting History through the Arts” with Clive Romney and Friends
• “The Danes in Utah”— Kirk Henrichsen, “The Influence of the First Danish Immigrant Potter on Pioneer Utah Society”; Lynn Henrichsen, “ ‘Lucky was the town that had a Danish potter!’ E.C. Henrichsen and the Provo Pottery Company”; Esther Truitt Henrichsen, “Pot Plants: Danish Gardening in Pots”
• “Cross-Cultural Encounters” — Hadyn Call, “Mormons and Muslims: An Ongoing Encounter”; and Robert Voyles, “The Utah National Guard Partnership with Morocco”
History sessions, Sept. 22 at the Officers Club, 150 S. Fort Douglas Blvd., Salt Lake City
9-10:15 a.m.:
• “Encounters: Utah and the Civil War, Session 1”— Mary Jane Woodger, “Abraham Lincoln and the Mormons”; Scott C. Esplin, “Have We Not Had a Prophet Among Us?: Joseph Smith’s War Prophecy”; William G. Hartley, “Latter-day Saint Emigration During the Civil War”
• “Preserving Family History through Oral Histories,” workshop by Eileen Hallet Stone
• “Military Reunions” — Ardis Parshall, “The 1909 Grand Army of the Republic Reunion in Utah”; Ken Nelson, “Utah Veterans’ Participation in the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion”
10:45 a.m.-noon:
• “Encounters: Utah and the Civil War, Session II” — Ephriam D. Dickson III, “Protecting the Home Front: The Utah Territorial Militia During the Civil War”; Andrew C. Skinner, “Civil War’s Aftermath: Reconstruction, Abolition, and Polygamy”; Kenneth L. Alford, “Mormons and the Grand Army of the Republic”
• “What’s In Your Attic? A workshop on encountering, understanding, and preserving your family’s artifacts” with Randy Silverman
• “The Morrisite War,” remarks by Eric P. Rogers, Roy Anderson and Richard Sadler
Noon-1:30 p.m., lunch on your own, or a walking tour of Fort Douglas
1:30 -2:45 p.m.:
• “The Shoshone and the Tragedy at Bear River”— Scott Christensen, “Sagwitch”; Justina Parsons-Bernstein, “Where Time Stopped and Began Again: The Massacre at Boa Ogoi as a Marker in Northwestern Shoshone Narrative”; Patty Timbimboo-Madsen, “Shoshone Bear River Oral Tradition”
• “Ask an Expert,” bring heirlooms, documents, and objects for advice on how to care for and display them; session lasts until 4:00 p.m.
• “The Chinese in Utah”— John Eldredge, “The Role of the Chinese in Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad”; Gary Kimball, “Life Under China Bridge”; Walter Jones, “Chinese Residents Beyond Plum Alley”
Field trip, meets Sept. 23, at Fort Douglas Military Museum, 32 Potter St.
9 a.m.-5 p.m., visit the site of the Bear River Massacre; $65, reservations required, 801-581-1251
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