Athol Graham video collection

Collection

Identifier: A1036

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection is fully digitized.

Dates

1940s-1980s

Creator

Graham, Athol (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Materials must be used on-site; no use of original material, access copies will be made available for viewing. Five business days advanced notice required. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Athol Graham video collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Multimedia Archivist.

Biographical / Historical Note

Athol Graham (1924-1960) was a Salt Lake City mechanic who attempted to break the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Graham built his own car, the City of Salt Lake, using an airplane engine and cockpit. Although Graham neared Sir John Cobb's 394.2 mph record (set in 1947) in December 1959 with a run of 344.7, his final attempt in Summer 1960 ended in the first fatal crash at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The first land speed record was set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1914 by Teddy Tetzlaff. The slick surface of the flats, created by the presence liquefied salt, facilitates greater speeds, however, it does not offer much traction, creating a substantial danger to the drivers. Due to recent mining of the salt on these flats, they have begun to disappear.

Graham, a native of Salt Lake City, quit his job as a mechanic in 1955 and opened his own garage (Canyon Motors) on 3300 South to spend more time pursuing his dream of hurtling down the Bonneville Salt Flats at more than 400 mph. Graham spent $2,000 on his homemade speed machine in an era when Mickey Thompson of California, the American land speed record holder, spent $190,000 on his record holding automobile. In December 1959, Graham hurtled out of nowhere in the City of Salt Lake to nearly upset Thompson's record. Graham was also a veteran of World War II, having served in England and France as a mechanic. Following the war, Graham went overseas to New Zealand as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1947 to 1949. Graham married his wife, Zeldine, on August 2, 1950. He passed away one day prior to their tenth wedding anniversary. At the time of his death, Athol and Zeldine Graham had four children.

Athol Graham's second youngest child, Daryl "Butch" Graham, was three years old when his father died. In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Athol Graham's attempt on the land speed record and subsequent death, Butch rebuilt the car that took his father to his death, the scarlet City of Salt Lake.

Extent

11 VHS

10 8mm film

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The audio visual component of this collection is comprised of several relatively low quality but fascinating clips of hot rod related footage and several reels of 8mm home movie film relating to Utah and the Bonneville Salt Flats as well as Graham's late 1940s mission to New Zealand.