When I was a teenager in 1966, I got a summer job in Zion Park working at the Lodge. The Lodge was owned by Union Pacific railroad and they had a century of experience in mismanagement. I wonder now if that was the reason the old, historic lodge burned down. If you could talk to old-timers in Springdale who remember the old and new Lodge – built in just 100 days after the old one burned down – they would all say, “Ja! What a mess they made of that project! The old one was so much better.” I don’t think any of them are still alive today so you’ll have to take my word for it.

Anyway, this story is an amalgamation of youthful stupidity (mine) and Union Pacific if-it’s-cheaper-it-must-be-better management. Looking back, I should have used this as an excuse to avoid being drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. I’m sure it was way worse than “bone spurs”.

After I moved to Springdale, at the entrance to Zion Park, a contest was held as part of the Zion Park Centennial. I won! My winning entry was a memoir of my days working at the Lodge. I’m publishing it as a series of blogs here and this is number five.

(NOTE – Phones and Tablets might not display these stories correctly because they’re embedded PDF’s. The solution is to use a REAl computer, not a fake one!)