Photo of the G.R.A Steam Engine found here.
The secret to loving Provo is understanding the dual nature of the area. There's BYU, and there's Provo. I happen to love both. Still, it's understandable that many people conflate the two worlds. Even though I was born and raised in Provo, I moved into an apartment south of campus while attending BYU (King Henry followed by an upgrade to Condo Row, of course). My roommates couldn't wrap their heads around my origins.
"Wait...you're from here?"
The vocal inflection was always on the from, not the here. It wasn't the disdainful questioning that seems to come from those who never venture past IKEA. It was an expression of legitimate wonder from people who weren't aware of an entire community sharing the same space.
They had no idea there were people going to high school across the street who never thought twice about anything happening on campus. That's no hyperbole, by the way. The "inner city" high school where cjane and I attended sits directly across the street from BYU. But somehow it's a world away. While the Cougars are eating dinner in the Cannon Center, the Bulldogs are driving around behind Movies 8.
The common ground was the Wendy's on Bulldog and Canyon Road, before it was remodeled to remove its soul. In the early 90s that little restaurant was the epicenter of Provo nightlife. It was all soft and comfortable inside, with a nice salad bar in the middle making it seem a lot classier than it ever should have been. On any given night the crowd would be evenly divided between BYU, Provo, and Timpview kids. All anyone wanted was a junior bacon cheeseburger and a chance to people-watch. I sat next to Ty Detmer in that Wendy's and also had my world shattered when a I saw a girl from one of the seminary videos in line all draped over her boyfriend.
For a guy like me, growing up in Provo wasn't about BYU, it was about three things: the Utah Jazz, Provo High basketball, and G.R.A. Park. The Jazz and PHS need no further introduction, so let me tell you about my park. It had all the necessary amenities to be keep me interested in all stages of my life: a little stream I could jump across from just about every spot except the very middle; A hillside with a million trees and signs trying to keep us out; horseshoe pits, volleyball courts (that we used for soccer), softball fields (that we used for soccer), and a tennis court (that we used for soccer). It had a little hill for sledding and pavilions for picnics.
The park was magical for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it had a real train in the playground. Here's a very cool write-up on the history of the train:
http://www.steamlocomotive.
Provo was a steel town for the better part of the 1900s and G.R.A was a private park operated by the plant for use by Geneva Steel workers and their families. The neighbors were given free access in exchange for allowing loud company parties that would bring thousands of guests and cars parked for blocks. The steam train engine that you could climb all over. Most of my childhood was spent crawling in and around that train.
Sadly, the park closed in 2003 and fell into complete disrepair. The train was removed and a small private school bought the land and built a new building on the spot where I spent a good portion of my first 18 years. The train is now on display at the Heber Valley Railroad:
http://www.railpictures.net/
http://abpr.railfan.net/
G.R.A. Park was like the Wendy's of the west side. It brought the steelworkers together with the BYU crowd. It was the place for union barbecues on the 4th of July and legendary MORP dances for the high school kids. I want to hear all your G.R.A stories in the comments, but I also want you to read the following obituary for the Provo man who created the park and lived a spectacular life that encompassed all the things that makes me love to be from here:
http://ads.heraldextra.com/
I started this blog as a love letter to Provo.
contact me:
[email protected]
39 comments:
I only once went to the G.R.A park and that was indeed for a Morp dance. I can't even remember who I went with but I have a picture of myself hanging from the engine. (I was wearing some horrible outfit that looked like something Eddie Veder BECAUSE HE WAS TOO COOL TO CARE.)
Also, I just had this discussion with a friend who went to BYU and moved out of Provo as soon as she could after graduating. She said "All these years I thought I had a Provo experience, but now I realize I had a BYU experience."
Two different things, very different, if you ask me. Provo is cooler than BYU-in my opinion.
This post was beautiful Spencer. Thank you.
Loved your post -- thanks!
I grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and that town's wonderful Pioneer Park, very close to the Mesa Temple, also had a locomotive that provided many wonderful memories for my siblings and me. Just googled it and learned, to my dismay, that it is in danger (or was two years ago. http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/108548 hope it has been preserved for the next generations.
Also wanted to mention that I went to BYU for one summer as an undergrad then came back years later for an M.A. Being a grad student there makes it easier, I think, to get the Provo--and not just the BYU--experience, although they were both good for me. The only not so good part was being a vegetarian in Provo in the early nineties. Was fine for cooking for myself, but going out was usually less than satisfying (except at Sundance, which pulled off deliciousness in all forms).
i grew up in whittier california, near palm park, and we had a fire truck. i loved climbing on that thing. especially in the summer when the metal was really hot and you had to watch it, or you would burn your will legs. this was in the late sixties, so i was cruising around in little elastic waist polyester shorts. pastel.
when you are a kid, your surroundings are so limited, you can be almost anywhere and have that "all usa" experience. gotta love it.
i read nie nie's post yesterday. please tell her that i am impressed that she does not have more down days. she's my hero.
Great post Spencer! It's crazy how many people don't understand that you can actually LIVE in Provo. And live well and happily.
I loved that park too. It was not too far from my house so my dad would take my siblings and I on bikerides there up the bike trail. I once had a very spectacular crash right there. And of course MORP was always awesome.
I miss good old Provo.
I lived on Grandview when I was little and this park was at the bottom of my friend's backyard. For years, I wanted IN. A few years later, my mom had a Dixon faculty party there and I finally got in. I remember the train, but it was also the merry go round spinning thing that was the crowd-pleaser. Years later (2006) I tried to take my husband to see the mythical park & train, only to have him inform me that it was GONE! I thought the train was moved to Geneva Road and Center street, so now I know where it is.
And, I grew up in Payson (after moving from Provo) and went to BYU and the BYU experience and the Provo experience are two different things.
Spence...that was awesome! Good times, good memories!
Provo is definitely cooler than BYU, and thank you for pointing out the 2 spheres.
The GRA Park . . . Morp was definitely fun, and I also remember a family party there when I was little, and being so excited about the train. Then my uncle led us on this walk through the trees, and I didn't know where we were, but all of a sudden we were at my grandpa's pasture, which is about a mile away from the park. I'm still not exactly sure how we got there, but I think the GRA Park has some sort of magical qualities, like Narnia maybe.
I didn't grow up in Provo, but my children have attended the charter school where the G.R.A. park was located; when people have asked me where the charter school is, my answer (after a failed description using the words "North of 8th North) is in the form of a question: "G.R.A.? Do you know that park? It's there." And that takes care of it.
I love Provo.
I always thought that BYU's slogan should be "The Campus is our World." Since that's how it was. BYU is not Provo. I think it's kind of like the Vatican city in Rome, cause it's not Rome. It's it's own country.
Reading this post made me think, "Woah, did we have the same life?" And I guess as fellow Provonians, we did.
I got the same reactions from roommates at BYU. I loved that classy Wendy's with the salad bar. My grandpa was an accountant at Geneva Steel, so he took us to that train park all the time. And I have Morp pictures there from high school where they took the picture from so far away (to get the whole flippin' train in the shot) that you need a magnifying glass to actually see who your date was. And I'm wearing these horrific white foam platform sandals from Old Navy--remember when Old Navy was new to Utah county?
And that merry go round at the park was amazing. that was before they cared if playground equipment killed you or not.
Oh, how I loved G.R.A. park! My uncle worked for Geneva Steel when I was little, so all of our summer family outings were held there. I fell off the merry-go-round and got serious road rash on my back. I chased water skeeters in the stream (which was a lot bigger when I was little. ;), played ambush in the trees on the hill and oh, how we climbed around that train engine. BEST THING EVER! Thanks for the memory!
That was the best park of all time, and Wendy's salad bar? Oh my, when they took that out, I stopped going inside. haha.
Spencer,
A few years ago I went over to Geneva Steel to take some pictures. There was a nice guy there who showed me around. Did you know there were still overalls, computers, lunchboxes, hats etc. left? Kind of eerie. There's a great photography book called "Dismantling Geneva Steel" which captures some of these images. I'll bring it to church so you can look at it. Also: remember when Geneva Steel paid everyone in $2 bills to show how much they contributed to the local economy?
Christian's first job was taking care of GRA park. You know I'm from around here, right? And went on dates with Jamie Elder!
As a fellow Bulldog and Cougar I love this post!
I have spent many a company or family party at the G.R.A park and I loved climbing all over the train with my siblings. As soon as the car stopped we were off and running to see who could get there first.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Thanks for posting this! I had never really heard about the GRA Park until Grandpa Young's funeral last week. How I so wish it was still there to experience for myself and to take my children (his great-grandchildren) to play. He was a great man!
Hel-lo! I know you. You've been to my house and celebrated with me & my lil guy. I drove you to the airport in the wee hours of the morning. (remember?!) I knew about the Jazz blog thing and was told you did a decent job at it, but I was captivated at this post. I mean cjane (& MHC for that matter) keep telling me all about life in "Provo", but this post was GOOD. Then to my surprise, there was a picture of YOU! Hey, I know that guy. Good job, Spenc.
Spencer-great article. I will always have great Provo pride, and I like to put emphasis on being FROM Provo also-though it may be with a different connotation than your friends from BYU intended. ;). Provo High, MORP, GRA Park...all such great memories! I'm sad to hear about GRA Park; I didn't realize it was gone. Luckily there are lots of other wonderful things about Provo...and BYU.
two of my favorite people! cjane and spencer! who knew you knew each other?! tis fantastic!
spencer: you did a great job with this here post. p.s. we should see if any of the rest of our monocle society will be in town this summer and have a bbq.
Well whaddya know? Good ol' Spencer Ryan Hall shows up in my Google Reader! I enjoyed this post, and I have to say that I believe I have seen a picture of that train in one of Matt's dance pictures...probably with you in the group as well, Spence! And I enjoyed CJane's bit about you two "going out" in junior high. :o) In your photo it appears you've taken a little (or a lot) off the top...is that a recent change?
Anyway, great to hear from you Spencer! I'll pass it on to Matt!
that would be Vedder Cjane, I am not to cool to let that slide
OK disclaimer I did not grow up in Provo and went to BYU. Back in the 90's when every freshman did not have a car it was hard to get into Provo. And whenever you left campus It felt like everyone you saw was from campus. I must admit I had a hard time believing anyone was from Provo - where did you all hide? I never remember seeing families out to dinner - it was always college kids. It really did feel as if everything was an off shoot of BYU. But I have a feeling that many large college campuses can feel this way - the campuses are so huge you're rarely that far away. Went and lived in Palo Alto afterschool - and the town really was dominated by the college. Anyway glad you had such great memories - sad to say I never saw that park. Miss you Provo.
I can believe that the only people who BYU students see is other BYU students.
Maybe it's because I did not grow up in Provo, nor did I go to BYU. Regardless, I cannot believe I'm the first to comment...Spencer, you are single?!?!?
He's cute (I'm married!) in a very Wentworth Miller sort of way! HOT!
WOW.. reading this blog broght back lots of memories for me of the beloved park. My grandpa worked for geneva and so we went to this park often. I have MANY pictures of family reunions and picnics and birthday parties of my family at this park. My grandma would always take us to this park to play and then to the turtle reams for ice cream. But most of all it makes me think of my grandma and grandpa Faux. They have bothed past away and I have not thought about this park in a long time, but reading this brings back a flood of memories and emotion. Thank you for revisiting some of the good things about Provo and things that are fun to rememeber...
First of all, I love that cjane continues to insist that she was shy, especially in middle school, when everybody was falling over themselves to be her friend. It is true, however, that we shared a beautiful relationship of at least several hours in the seventh grade, although I don't think we were ever in the same room at the same time. The cjane Admiration Society was picking up members long before she discovered a blog.
Second of all, I'm sorry I didn't mention that merry-go-round. Everything in the park was built by hand in the Geneva machine shop out of heavy corrugated steel. It was at least 15 feet in diameter and over the years the weight of it made it tip at about a 30 degree angle. Just thinking about all the ways we got injured on that thing makes me wince. Between that playground and the crazy three-story "rocket" at my elementary school (Grandview), I'm not entirely sure how I made it to adulthood.
Thanks for all the nice words, and crazy to get comments from so many friends. I knew you were all cool, but finding out you all read cjane on the daily is just gravy.
@Kacy - I want to see those pictures, and I had no idea you'd been stalking Camelot Drive for years.
@Kimberley - Thanks for sharing your grandpa with Provo. I never knew him but reading about his life made me wish I had.
@Kym - Thanks for the ride! Your sister should write the follow-up to this post. The people should hear from a non-native, non-BYU grad who loves Provo more than almost anyone I know.
@Krista (only K names allowed, apparently) - It's been too long, let's cook something up this summer.
Lastly, I forgot to mention a very important movement that is making Provo even better, especially for people who may not be from the area and are wondering what's good. Come and join us for Obscure Dining on Monday nights in Provo (and Tuesday Nights in SLC) for some delicious food in cool eating establishments. Follow @obscuredining on Twitter and make a guest appearance. Everyone is welcome and it's always a good time.
What G.R.A is gone? I remember canoeing down the stream to the park- Ashley K and I mostly walked the canoe through the shallow water but boy was it fun!!
I think i took Dan L to Morp when it was at G.R.A.-- I remember dancing in the volleyball courts.
I love coming to Provo I always drive down University then cruise up Bulldog until I reach the MTC. Then to my parents house. Where the reminiscing continues- days of driving over the girl across the streets lawn in Marsha big red truck.
I just visited Provo with my kids and I took them to all the Provo Museums- maybe not all of them- the Paleontology museum needs to be advertised- it is excellent.
GOood times are always had in Provo!!
See you at the Parade!!
You sat by TY DETMER!!!!!!! When I first moved to the States (from Canada--I'm not really foreign), the Ty Detmer rap played all the time on the radio. I still sing, BYU'S GOT TY POWER just for the fun of it. Man, good memories.
PS--How do you feel about smashing blond divorcees with five kids? Can I set you up with sister? :)
Spencer! What a pleasant surprise to see you as a guest writer. I don't check this site very often, since we are away from Provo at the moment, but I'm glad I did today. Like you, just about every memory of me as a kid involves GRA Park (or the woods across from the Faulconers, which sadly, and like GRA Park, are now long gone). We were so lucky to have it so close. You probably don't remember this, but I remember you dunking me in the stream at a YM/YW activity. Yup, literally lifting me up, carrying me over, and dropping me in the water. Good times. Thanks for all the memories you brought back in this post, I enjoyed it. -Graciela-
Yes, YES! Spencer, I also think my sister should write the follow-up! Cjane...what do ya say? Spencer is right, she L.O.V.E. LOVES Provo (almost) as much as you. Promise. You can trust me on this. You can even ask Spence since you might trust him more at this piont. :) and he knows how to contact her or you can e-mail me at kymcaressknight at gmail dot com.
I mean at this rate...you're going to need some guest writers next week, too, if your lil one doesn't join you soon! Good Luck, by the way!!
Kym, have your sister email me?
[email protected]
I lived on the west side of Grandview, so my neighbor, Shelle, her back yard had an actual road that we could walk from her back yard to the park- her dad worked for Geneva too, but we would go down and play tennis, sled, and walk the dogs, I think we kissed some boys down there too, my mom always said, "don't let me catch you running off down the hill!" Funny...
I meant south/west side, sorry
I attended BYU in 73/74 and 74/75. I lived at King Henry. Lots of fond memories. I loved Provo. My last trip to Utah was in 1997. I was completely lost. Everything had changed. Provo is to big now. I miss the small town it was back in 1973. I love both BYU and Provo. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Spencer is a cutie.
Hellll-O Spencer! How you doin? (insert your best Joey Tribianni voice here). Single? I think the 4000 miles between us might cause some, ah-hem, issues.
Just moved into King Henry a newbie to Provo...and single ...just sayin ;)
oh the memories at this park! Spencer is my cousin and every time we visited our Grandma (also a Provo resident) we enjoyed this park and its secret hideouts.
Spencer--what a fun post. Tis true that the BYU and Provo lives are far from the same. I'm glad I got to have them both--even just a little.
I'll have to take my kiddos to Heber to visit the train.
As other have said, "I remember Orem/Provo before it was a parking lot."
After searching for an hour for the park with the train in it so I could take my 2 year old daughter I find it is gone. Like many of the great childhood spots in Provo.
It's sad that Provo has less to offer my child than it did 30 years ago or more. Swings are the same in every park and many other activities now cost.
There is no train, or a tram over the waterfall, or a lovely water ditch in summer, or the community 4th of July at Kiwanis park complete with civil war reenactment (I was even there & saw the man loose his arm - he was the in parade the next year with his prosthetic arms) Talk about learning the strength of the human spirit!
These are the places and times that build amazing childhood memories. Sadly they are lost to the rising generations of Provo youth.
My family has been in Provo for over 80 years; my daughter is the 5th generation to live in the "old" house. My grandfather recommended the temple site, my family did all the work for creating the Forest Lawn cemetery, etc. Provo is more than a home for us.
Many may still find Provo a wonderful town, but I think it has lost most of its charm as it's gone from a small town to a major city. For me this is just one more reason I think it's time to move. I need a small town.
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