People Profiles: Development

Helen M. Knight

Helen M. Knight

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Helen M. Knight

Her older brother said: “…you’ll be a woman in a man’s world, leaving the world of education, and entering the world of politics.” Appointed in 1936, Knight’s challenging tenure as Grand County Schools Superintendent lasted for 25 years. Born in Moab in 1896 to the Taylor family, Helen graduated from the University of Utah, and guided Moab’s students, parents, and schools through the explosive growth of the Uranium Boom. Her determination sustained her through the challenges of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, and inspired the building of new school facilities (including the elementary school that bears her name) to educate the ever-increasing number of workers’ children.

 

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J.A. “Al” Scorup

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J.A. “Al” Scorup

When cattle was king in southeastern Utah, John Albert “Al” Scorup was the “Cattleman of the Canyons.” At one time his Scorup-Somerville herd was estimated to vary between 7,000 and 10,000 head of cattle grazing on range estimated to cover 1.8 million acres. Scorup served as a San Juan County commissioner and president of Moab’s First National Bank, and represented Grand County on the district grazing board established by the 1934 Taylor Grazing Act.

 

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Hear Heidi Redd share Al Scorup's journey to becoming the largest public land permittee in US Ranching history.

Hear Bob Baldwin share a memory of Scorup Cattle Company:All traffic stopped for Scorup's cowboys, who  drove the sizable herd north through town on Main Street.

Rancher Heidi Redd remembers Cattleman Al Scorup and the challenges of early life at Dugout Ranch.

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J.N. Corbin

Justus N. Corbin

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Justus N. Corbin

A New Yorker by birth, J.N. Corbin arrived in Moab in 1896 where he quickly created a legacy of “firsts.” He was one of the first practicing attorneys in the area, started the first newspaper (Grand Valley Times) and used it to extoll the region’s virtues while encouraging business innovation and growth. He is credited with recruiting the first doctor to Moab, building a road up the Colorado River to Castle Valley, creating a water and sanitation system, and bringing the first telephone line to Moab. Corbin managed the Midland Telephone Company until his death in 1923.

 

Lydia Taylor Skewes was there when JN Corbin "brought the first telephone across the river" connecting Moab to the modern world.

Joe Kingsley recalls JN Corbin's role in establishing telephone service, with barbed wire and a cooperative spirit, to Castle Valley

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