Gear Up For Adventure

9/11

Emilee Bird was in 8th grade US History when she heard the news of 9/11. She rushed to the front office because her brother Nate was just barely getting home from serving an LDS mission (NY, NY Mission).  She waited outside of the school for her mom to pick her up. Emilee was worried Nate did not make it on the plane home that day. As she got home she got a call from her brother saying he made it safely back and he had some interesting stories. The missionaries did service in the towers every week...that particular day was the day they were supposed to be there but they decided that morning to go to Elis Island instead. No missionaries in that mission were in the city that day. Later Emilee found out that 10 people in the ward her brother served in that worked in the towers, every single one called in sick and did not go into work. All of them lived through that day.

Startup Candy Company

The Startup Candy Factory was named after William Startup, the man who founded the store. Startup Candy Company was one of the first candy factories in the state. In 1896 the first candy bar in the United States, the opera bar, was sold for ten cents from this factory, as well as being the first to produce and sell ice cream. This store helped Utah produce more candy than the rest of the intermountain states combined. Along with their other amazing first time notions, the Startup Candy Factory was the first factory in the state to give employees a share of the profit they made. When the depression hit and economic difficulties ensued, Walter Startup purchased his brothers’ interests, but soon lost them to the bank. Eventually additional funds were procured, and Walter was able to buy back the northern half of the factory, where the company continued to operate.