Jay Schvaneveldt of Logan is single-handedly trying to preserve the history of Weston, Idaho by restoring buildings marking historical sites and writing a history of the town.
Maybe the reason he cares so much about the town is that’s where he spent all of his early life. Jay and his wife Karren are both graduates of West Side High School. Jay earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Utah State University and went on to get his Masters and Doctorate degrees from Florida State University.
Schvaneveldt has pretty much restored the Martin Olsen Blacksmith Shop on Depot Street and preserved most of the early machinery. He bought the shop from Frank Olsen in 1990. Olsen continued to run the shop until his death in 1995.
“It’s an old pioneer building. We repaired the roof, windows and braced the inside,” he said. “There is no foundation, just a plank floor.”
The retired Utah State University professor said he kept the original forge, anvils, and tire shirker (for old spoke wagon wheels) and a trip hammer used primarily to sharpen plow sheers.
There are some bellows, but they may not be original. There is a belt drive that powered most of the heavy machinery.
“There for a number of years, I took lots of equipment to Frank,” Schvaneveldt said. “He asked me to buy it from him.”
As a professor, who holds degrees in history and sociology, he decided to buy it.
“I’ve always been motivated by horse-drawn equipment,” he said. “My motivation was to buy the blacksmith shop and preserve it.”
During some of the city celebrations, or when he gets requests from school classes, he opens the building up for people to come and take a look.
He also purchased the gas station and an old billiard hall across the street from the blacksmith shop about four years after the owner, Harold Russo, passed away.
“I call it a dance hall. It sounds a little better to me than billiard hall.”
“The gas station was originally built in 1914 and was a Shell Station,” Schvaneveldt continued. “So we painted it shell colors and cleaned it up.”
The stucco is original; it has been beat up over time but it’s still there. He stores construction equipment in it while he works on the dance hall.
“Our goal is to get some original pumps and restore it to its original look,” he said. “Last year shifted our efforts to the dance hall. It was built as a billiard hall by a guy from Ogden about 1916. Billiards and a bar were on the main floor and restaurant downstairs.”
The dance hall has a history of its own. There was a confrontation in the pool hall sometime in November of 1953. William M. Baker shot and killed Reed Dahley of Clarkston, Schvaneveldt said. People still talk about the shooting today.
“There was a time Weston had three different places to play pool,” he said. “At one point, the town had 1,200 residents.”
Not only was there agriculture like today, but there was the Gold Road to Montana, and the railroad was a big draw as well.
The town even had its own gristmill, just south of town by Weston Creek. Schvaneveldt was involved in putting a historical marker for people to see where it was.
“The grist mill shipped a lot of flour until the ‘50s and’ 60’s,” he said. “They don’t bake like that anymore, which contributed in its closing.”
He put a plaque and a large grinding stone at the bottom of the hill by Weston Creek where the mill used to be.
Although Schvaneveldt has lived in many places in the United States and other parts of the world, he has always had a draw to the hills of the southwestern part of Franklin County and the preservation of its history and his hometown of Weston.
Thanks for keeping your History alive.
I remember the blacksmith shop and went there numerous times with my father, Harold Bergeson. I also remember the service station and pool hall but I was not allowed to go there. I am impressed with Jay’s restoration efforts.
Dr. Jay is one of Weston’s greatest treasures. I really appreciate his love and reverence for that special little town and especially his respect for those that came before to create it.
Don Rose here .Oct 27 2019. ,,, I remember the blacksmith shop and like Scott Bergeson I went there numerous times with my father, Douglas Rose. I have taken my adult kids to Weston numerous times on historical tour’s of what used to be they seem to really enjoy our old home stead south of town. I also remember the the pool hall and service station on the corner also the shooting at the pool hall. Like Scott I am impressed with what you have accomplished and hope see Moore. I only wish we could do something to remember the old school.