E.C. Search and Rescue Team Recovers
Body of Climbing Victim
James L. Davis
Members of the Emery County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse recovered the body of a climbing victim in the rugged terrain of Knotted Rope Canyon on the San Rafael Swell July 16 after locating the victims husband, who had become lost trying to find help.
Marie Coray, 58, of Mona, was killed while climbing with her husband as the two attempted to navigate one of the potholes in the canyon. Coray broke her arm in the attempt and her husband, Kimo Coray, was unable to pull her out of the pothole and after several hours attempting to rescue her she slipped into a pool of water beneath her, succumbing to either exposure or drowning on the night of July 13.
The Emery County Sheriff’s Office received a call from one of the Coray children on July 15 reporting the couple missing and the search and rescue team was activated to find the couple.
According to Sheriff Lamar Guymon members of the posse followed the river on four-wheelers and eventually discovered Kimo Coray along the Muddy River, 20 miles from where he was expected to be. Although disoriented and dehydrated, Coray was able to relay to rescuers where they could find his wife.
Rescue crews were airlifted on top of the potholes to recover the body of the victim by a public safety helicopter.
Both Marie and Kimo Coray were reported to be experienced climbers.
Volunteer Posse Answers Call for Help
James L. Davis
The calls for help to the Emery County Sheriff’s Office by a distraught family member to find a missing or lost loved can and often do come at all hours of the night and day.
Regardless of the hour and regardless of the day when the call is made the volunteer members of the Emery County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse drop everything to help. It has been that way for years and the calls come more often than many might think.
According to Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon the posse has responded to 10 calls for search and rescue in July alone. Many of the same crews that responded to the rescue and eventual recovery effort of climbing victims on July 15 on the San Rafael Swell had responded earlier on Sunday to another rescue call up Huntington Canyon.
“We had people who had worked an afternoon shift and had only been home for an hour when we called. We had others that had been out searching from 3 a.m. until 10 p.m. on the search. Two other guys had to go to work to take care of some things and then came out as soon as they could get away,” Guymon said.
The willingness of the members to drop everything and rush to help is what makes the search and rescue posse so successful, according to Guymon. The ability to be there at a moment’s notice requires a strong support commitment from not only family, but employers.
“Employers are the key. We couldn’t do this without the support of employers,” Guymon said.
When dispatch receives a call for help a decision is made from the onset on how to first respond, depending on the information that is given. If there is enough information available to give a quick response, then on duty deputies or a rapid response team is sent out to look over a situation and more members of the team and equipment are added as they are needed.
With 30 members of the search and rescue team in the northern area of Emery County and another 15 members in the Green River area, the posse often finds itself in harsh and unforgiving environments trying to attempt a rescue.
“Our guys are putting themselves in the same position as the people who are in trouble to help get them out. They risk life and limb every time they go out,” Guymon said. “It’s a lot like firemen, when everyone else is going out they have to go in.”
That kind of devotion from a small group of volunteers speaks volumes about where they place their priorities and their commitment to help. Perspective members of the search and rescue team are watched closely before they are made a team member to see how they will react to a given situation and those who answer the call for help come from every walk of life. Why they do what they do is a matter of individual motivation, the sheriff believes.
“A lot of them would like to be a police officer but they can’t afford to take a cut in pay,” Guymon said, smiling. “They really want to be out there helping people.”
Members of search and rescue are sent for training as often as conflicting schedules and constrained budgets will allow. Many of the members of the posse come to the team with a history of spending time on the desert or mountains that proves invaluable.
With Emery County’s diverse landscape, the possibilities for people to get into trouble are limitless and the risks for rescue are equally so.
When a rescue becomes a recovery effort, as it did in the effort that started on July 15, the impact of finding and recovering someone who has lost their life on the desert or mountains hits everyone differently and, according to Guymon, it is not something you ever look at as part of the job.
“I’ve been doing this for 37 years and I still have a tough time. It’s not just a job. Death is something everyone has to deal with and our job requires dealing with it more than some others.”
According to the sheriff some rescues are not pretty and no matter how many rescues you have been on, you never know how a rescue will affect you.
But regardless of the environment or the situation, the members of the search and rescue posse pride themselves on never giving up the search until they have found those who are lost.
“We’ve never been able to call off a search. We’ve had to back off and regroup and try a different approach, but I don’t know that we’ve ever called off a search,” Guymon said.
Golf Course Decision by CIB on Hold
James L. Davis
Members of the Permanent Community Impact Board will be in Emery County during the next week and while they will have an opportunity to visit Millsite Golf Course in Ferron, no decision will be made on whether to fund Ferron City’s ambitious plan to expand the course to 18 holes.
Ferron City decided to take a swing at expanding Millsite Golf Course to an 18-hole facility following a vote by the city council during its April 26 meeting.
During the regular meeting of the city council the results of a feasibility study were unveiled where it was determined that the expansion of the golf course from nine holes to 18 holes was the right course to follow.
The council and supporters of the plan had hoped to approach the CIB when they made their visit to the county on the possibility of receiving funding for the project. But the CIB’s visit to the county is part of a policy meeting where the board awards funds for project requests that have already been heard, not a meeting to hear new requests. According to Ferron City representatives the golf course expansion project is scheduled to be heard by the CIB when they meet in September in Salt Lake City.
At a cost of an estimated $2 million, the city had approached the Permanent Community Impact Board about funding avenues last year. The CIB had not turned down the city request, but it did ask that the city conduct a feasibility study on the golf course expansion.
The study, conducted by Lewis, Young, Robertson and Burningham, Inc., pointed to a number of factors that were in the Millsite’s favor to develop the course. Among them was the fact that Millsite would not have to purchase land for the expansion. The land the expanded course would be on is owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the agency has agreed to lease the land to Ferron. The study also pointed out that the cost of the course would be relatively low and that additional revenue that would be generated from the course would be sufficient to cover operation, maintenance and debt for the course.
The city held a public meeting in conjunction with its regular city council meeting on April 26 where Kris Abegglen, designer of what would be the new nine hole course, said that an 18-hole course at Millsite would put it in the same league as the golf course in Moab.
“It’s not uncommon for these courses to triple and quadruple their revenues. This is a better site than Richfield, for example,” he said.
When the city first went before the CIB last year it had requested a 75 percent grant and 25 percent zero interest loan for the golf course development. City councilmember Joe Sansevero indicated that even if the CIB only approved a 50 percent grant and 50 percent loan the payment would be $13,000 a year.
With the possibility of the travel council approving funds generated from the transient tax being used to fund the golf course, that yearly payment would be even lower.
When the issue of expanding the golf course to 18 holes was first raised it received approximately 87 percent approval from the city population to pursue the idea and members of the audience reminded the council of that support during the April meeting.
Hilary Gordon Named New Huntington Mayor
Josie Luke
After being unanimously appointed by the city council, Hilary Gordon was sworn in as the new mayor of Huntington City at the council meeting held July 18. Gordon, who has served on the council for over six years, replaces former mayor Jackie Wilson, who because of health reasons resigned the position June 19.
Gordon was given a chance to speak about why she wanted the position before the selection was made. She stated, “I love the people of Huntington. I just would like to serve the people. That’s all I want to do.”
Since being appointed, she has already had the chance to exercise her position. With Governor Huntsman calling for a ban on personal fireworks, Gordon had to make a choice the day after she was appointed on how to respond. The city decided to post signs asking people not to use illegal fireworks and to take extra precautions if they were going to use personal fireworks.
Gordon admitted that there are difficulties in the city right now, but she wants to help unite people in order to get through those difficulties. One of her ideas is more community input in choices that affect people personally. She explained, “People like to be involved in decisions. I think we should decide together.”
Gordon revealed that initially she had reservations about applying for the position. “I felt comfortable where I was,” she said, “I’m a people person, but I’m not a very good politician.” As the deadline for applying neared, Gordon felt more and more like she should apply, and with encouragement from others, she decided to try. “When that happens, you had better do it, because there’s a reason, “she said.
Gordon will serve as Mayor until the elections this October. She has also put her name in as a candidate for mayor in those elections, so that she can continue to serve the people of Huntington. Others who are running for mayor are Sharon Earl, Cade Jones, Bob Mills and Ronald Zufelt.
Volunteers Help Keep Pro Rodeo Fever High
James L. Davis
It is a matter of days before a legion of cowboys and fans descend upon Castle Dale for the 9th Annual Desertview Pro Rodeo and organizers of the event appear relatively sane. Of course looks can be deceptive they are quick to point out.
But if their sanity or lack thereof has nothing to do with the preparations for the rodeo it is because of an army of volunteers who quietly work behind the scenes to make sure that the county is rodeo ready.
More than 100 volunteers can be counted on to give their time and talents to providing the best rodeo possible for fans from far and wide and although putting on the rodeo has gotten a little easier over the years, many of the volunteers this year are the same ones who were there when the county organized its first pro rodeo. And in the first couple of years of putting the rodeo together things were tough.
“In the first two years John Judd had to put in at least a thousand man hours, building fences and welding, getting the rodeo grounds ready,” said Shannon Hiatt of Emery County Recreation. “The last three weeks before the rodeo he was out there seven days a week.”
Along with Judd there were a number of other volunteers who labored long and hard to bring a professional rodeo to the county, including Derri Jewkes, Jessie Allred, Joel Dorsch, Dan Whiteleather and Rick Thomason, among others. They were there when the first rodeo was held and they’ve been there ever since. Hiatt said he is continually amazed at how much the volunteers give to make sure the rodeo is a success.
“That’s why I live here. I think they do it for the love of their community. It’s what makes Emery County great.”
As the years have marched on the Desertview Pro Rodeo has grown and its reputation with it. Today rodeo fans come not only from throughout the county but draws visitors from throughout the state and country.
In 2001 rodeo organizers conducted a survey of the crowd at the rodeo and were surprised to discover the mix of the crowd was from seven different states and 19 cities. In the July 22 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune the Desertview Pro Rodeo was listed as one of the top rodeos in the state.
“I’ve had people call me from all over wanting to know when our rodeo is,” said Gaylee Jeffs of Emery County Recreation.
“Some of them are on a rodeo tour, following Ike Sankey’s rodeos,” Hiatt said.
It is having Ike Sankey as the stock contractor that has been on of the key factors in making the Desertview Pro Rodeo a success, Hiatt believes.
A stock contractor of the year, Sankey puts on a rodeo that has as much action as many blockbuster movies. There are so few pauses to breath between the action that rodeo organizers found that concession sales were hurting because the audience didn’t want to leave their seat for fear of missing something. Which is why the partnership the rodeo enjoys with the Emery Spardettes is so valuable. The young women roam the stands providing concessions for the fans as a fundraiser and the fans don’t have to worry about missing the action.
Hiatt said what makes Sankey’s rodeos so entertaining is his dedication to giving the best performance possible. He expects everything to run right and if it doesn’t one night he makes sure it is fixed for the next night. In the nine years of the rodeo it has never started late and there have been only two delays, one was when a broken water line flooded part of the arena, which in the end added some excitement to the bull riding and wild cow milking.
The reason for the rodeo’s success are many and varied, from the volunteers to Ike Sankey to the efforts of Castle Dale City employees, everyone pulls together to give the best show possible.
“Castle Dale is a wonderful host. The four city employees started getting ready for the rodeo on July 16 and with the rodeo and the fair they will work to make this happen,” Hiatt said.
The local companies that advertise for the rodeo are invaluable and their support over the years has been what has made the rodeo possible in the first place. The rodeo committee aims to have the event break even after advertising sales and ticket sales and, according to Hiatt, they are close most years. Not interested in making a profit, the rodeo tries to keep ticket prices low enough for everyone to afford them and has introduced discount packages this year.
The Desertview Pro Rodeo runs July 26-28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Castle Dale Rodeo Grounds. |
