Katherine Weinstein developed a love of history from her mother, who would read the Little House series to her and her sister before bedtime and also take them to see historic sites in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Even though she didn’t grow up in Utah, she’s come to appreciate the history of Draper after authoring a new book about the city from its earliest beginnings, including information about the town’s people, businesses, schools, pastimes and celebrations. 

“Writing the book, I reminded myself that ordinary people really have extraordinary lives,” Weinstein said. 

The book is full of names Draper residents will recognize such as Ballard, Beck, Enniss, Park, Marcovecchio, Sorenson, Stokes and, of course, Draper. Once you’ve read it, you’ll come to understand the history of many historic homes and businesses still standing in the city today. For instance, did you know that the cycling shop on 12300 South was once a grocery store where people could rent frozen food lockers before the invention of freezers? 

Weinstein, who has a Ph.D. in drama from Tufts University, was chosen by Arcadia Publishing to write “Draper” for the Images of America series. "The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all," reads a company statement.

“Even though Draper has gotten big, I’m amazed that families are still here such as the Stokes, Enniss, the Drapers. Since the early 1850s, they’re all still here which speaks to the deep-rooted sense of community that’s in Draper,” Weinstein said.

Perhaps because she’s also from Ohio, the story of Dr. Park really resonated with Weinstein. “I was fascinated by John Rockey Park. He was from Ohio and studied to be a medical doctor at NYU. He decided to come west in the 1860s. He was just passing through Draper, working as a farmhand, when the bishop found out about his education level. They needed a teacher and they asked him to stay. They paid him a combination of wheat and potatoes in addition to a little bit of money. He transformed that school…he essentially created a mini natural history museum, he had botanical and animal specimens, samples of rock, examples of physics experiments, a big book collection, and he had the kids doing calligraphy. When Brigham Young visited Draper, he went to the school and his mouth fell open. He’d never seen a school like that. Dr. Park became the first president of the University of Deseret which is now the University of Utah. Just so impressive,” Weinstein said. 

Tales of the grit and ingenuity of women also resonated with Weinstein, who was wowed by Draper women from decades past who had to keep their farms and families afloat after their husbands died. “They raised their families and supported their farms. They were heroic. And just how enterprising some of these women were, including Alice Ballard who started the Iceberg restaurant that’s still there.” 

 Draper’s history as a huge producer of eggs for the entire country in the 1930s and 1940s is also covered within the pages. “You see that reflected in the library which is shaped like a chicken coop with the sloping roof,” Weinstein said. One of the author’s favorite anecdotes is the story of a member of the Sorensen family who, while serving as a soldier stationed in the South Pacific during WWII, saw a crate full of eggs sent to feed the soldiers. The crate had a label from his hometown and, according to the book, that sight brought tears to the young soldier’s eyes.  

The volunteers at the Draper Historical Society were especially helpful to Weinstein as was the work of Eagle Scouts who had scanned the Historical Society’s collection of photographs in recent years. The Historical Society houses three large, detailed volumes of the history of Draper which Weinstein was able to use as references. In comparison, Weinstein’s book is a photographic history in a series of similar books from Arcadia Publishing. “It’s using photos to tell the story of the city. It’s not dense and heavy reading. I think it’s fun, especially for people who have an interest in Draper,” she said.

It took Weinstein about 18 months to complete the book, including a road trip to photograph statues of dinosaurs that were once part of a Dinosaur Park in Draper in the 1960s before being transferred to Vernal in the 1970s. Weinstein’s husband David helped with the book’s photography. 

In addition to being a book author, Weinstein writes local life stories for the Draper Journal and works in the attendance office at Corner Canyon High School, connections that proved to be helpful as she compiled photos and facts about the town in which she works. “A lot of it was tracking down the photographs. For example, the Widowmaker…I couldn’t find a photo. I’m so lucky that I work at CCHS. I sent an email to all the staff, and one of the teachers knew the son of the man who was one of the organizers of the event back in the 1970s. She put me in touch with him and finally, I was able to include a program cover from the event and a photograph of the course.” This is Weinstein’s first of what she hopes will be more publications in the future.

“So many times, when I’m interviewing for the paper, people will say there was nothing in Draper before, but I know there was a really vibrant community of people doing interesting things and working really hard. I enjoyed this project and I feel so much closer to the Draper community, coming in as an outsider, now knowing this history,” she said. 

As luck would have it, once she completed the book, more interesting information on the city continues to come to light. “I keep learning fun, new facts about Draper that I wish I would have put in the book,” Weinstein said. 

The black and white, paperback book is available for $23.99 at The Printed Garden in Sandy, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walgreen’s, Amazon, and Arcadia Publishing (arcadiapublishing.com). λ