Charles James Neal photograph collection

Collection

Identifier: P0694

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection is comprised of the Charles Neal family photos. Mr. Neal was a miner, businessman, and entrepreneur who lived in the Uintah Basin of eastern Utah from the 1920s until his death in 1977. This collection includes pictures of the Uintah Stage and Railway, the Uintah (Vernal) Telephone Company, Dinosaur National Monument, a number of gilsonite mining companies, several dozen petroglyphs, many miscellaneous Uintah County scenes and several photos of family members.

Dates

1900-1920s

Creator

Neal, Charles James (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Sketch

Charles James Neal was born on a farm in Beloit, Kansas in 1883. When he was seven years old, the family moved to Leadville, Colorado, where he developed a lifelong interest in mining. After the mines closed, he focused on electrical engineering and found work building long distance transmission lines and installing exchanges for the Colorado Bell Telephone Company. He married Essie Christie in 1906 and raised two children, Margaret and Edythe. In 1907 he applied for a franchise to build the Uintah Telephone Company connecting Vernal to Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado. He and his wife offered the area twenty-four hour telephone service from their home as Essie was one of the main switchboard operators and he built many of the phone lines. Charles wired the Uintah Stake Tabernacle and helped design the power plant to the Vernal flour mill. While extending the telephone lines throughout Uintah County he discovered an extensive cache of dinosaur bones. He informed the Smithsonian Institute's paleontologist, Dr. Earl Douglass, of his find in 1909 and eagerly watched the excavation of the site. While working on the phone lines, Charles gained the equivalent of a geology degree. This knowledge enabled him to search for oil and eventually open several deposits of gilsonite in the Uintah Basin. Over the years he was involved with several gilsonite mining companies: Diamond Gilsonite Company, Utah Gilsonite Company, Raven Mining Company and Rainbow Dragon Gilsonite Company. He further served the community by helping to open up the sixty-five mile stretch along the Uintah Railway to automobile traffic.

Following the death of his beloved wife, Essie, Charles resided in the Stewart's Convalescent Villa in Roosevelt where he died at the age of ninety-three. Today, he is remembered for his service to the community in building the local telephone company, encouraging the development of Dinosaur National Monument, and operating several gilsonite mining companies. He was a devout Episcopalian and a dedicated Mason.

Extent

207 Items

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Charles James Neal photograph collection consists of images of Charles Neal and his family. It also includes pictures of the Uintah Stage and Railway, the Uintah (Vernal) Telephone Company, Dinosaur National Monument, a number of gilsonite mining companies, several dozen petroglyphs, and many miscellaneous Uintah County scenes.