Cisco at a Glance by the 17th Census

: first sheet of 1950 Census

The US Censuses are disclosed 72 years after they are taken. The 17th Census was released in April of this year.

As for Enumeration District (E. D.) 10-6, which includes the town of Cisco, it was enumerated by the later Thompson postmistress Wilmont Rosanna "Winnie" Wolverton Pene(1924–1985) between April 18 and 26, 1950. It lists 99 persons in 59 dwellings. The population of this District declined to below one hundred after three decades.


Let me show how the town and the "Ciscoites"[1] was in April 1950;

Many French, maybe Basque, herders who don’t appear in the 1940 Census are enumerated in the northern or eastern suburbs of the town. Most of the railroad section hands, probably living in the outfit sleepers, became Hispanic. While Japanese gangs which dominated the 1900 Census are long gone.


The last Westwater postmistress Velda Lorraine "Babe" Kelly Bittle (1907–1988) and her family are enumerated in this District; the Westwater Post Office is to close in 1954.

The other located residents enumerated outside Cisco are: farmer Arthur Allen Brusch (1893–1968) and his wife at Westwater, farmer Louis Edward Decrow (1888–1968) and his wife, farmer Carl Wilbur Decrow (1916–1966) and his family at Fitzpatrick Ranch in the Book Cliffs, farmer Frank Shields (1896–1983) and his wife at Picture Gallery, and farmer John William Dalton (1883–1961) and his wife at Dewey.


The easternmost business along the US Highway 50 & 6 in this Enumeration District is the gas station and cafe operated by Alton Fordham (1896–1968) and Florence May Pickett(1901–1958) Wells at Harley Dome.


The following business along the highway appears is the brand-new gas service station and garage(Census serial number of Dwelling unit 29), aka Cisco Automotive Service, operated by Elton Richard and Mary Aeline Cowger at the east entrance of the town. Hereafter, see the link for the details if it has a link. Next to the west is the general mercantile and gas station(30), aka Capansky’s Bar, Restaurant and Gas Station, operated by William Boston and Eppie Nettice Capansky since 1934.


Dorothy Hammond Morris Haskins (1885–1975) is the agent and telegrapher at the railroad depot(37) since 1947 according to the June 12, 1947, Times-Independent. Railroad signal maintainer’s house(36) constructed in 1944, aka Seely House, is occupied by William J. Hawley Seely, his wife Carolyn, and their two children.

The section house(34) on the east side of the depot is occupied by the railroad section hand Lucilo Aguilera (1906 − 1999), his wife Marie "Lena", and their three children. Another section house(38), maybe a boxcar, on the west side of the depot is occupied by the railroad section hand Lebrado "Lee" Carbajal (1912−2001), his wife Cecilia, their four daughters, and also a lodger from Mexico named Pilar "Pete" F. Carbajal (1905−1976). Pete, his wife Juanita "Jenny", and their three children later lived in a boxcar on the north side of the railroad track near the water tank. However, any section foreman or pump operator, enumerated in the previous Census, isn’t enumerated this time.


John William and Edger Malcolm Burke brothers succeeded the cafe and cabins(40), aka Ruth's 66 Cafe, from Victor Kirby Murray in 1948 and are operating it as Burke Cafe. William Richard and Mattie Gertrude Cowger are operating the store, cafe, gas station, and cabin, aka Cisco Mercantile, since 1944. They are living in the house(50) behind the Mercantile. The post office(51) next to the Mercantile to the west is managed by Henrietta Marie "Hattie" Girard Fuller since 1933. Her two children are with her. The post office seems to be the westernmost business in the town at this time.

Along 2nd Street, State road maintenance attendant Harry Ballard Harris is living in the house(39) behind the Cisco mercantile with his wife Wava and two children. Not enumerated, but a Lee Carbajal relative and a railroad section hand, Monico Aguilera (1904−1978) is living with his wife Louse "Lucy" and six children in a house next to Harris' on the south. Also not enumerated, but a miner John B. Miller (1904−1954) is living with his wife Lorene and their two children in a house next to Harris' on the west. Lorene is the daughter of Virginia Gruver.

A railroad section hand Manuel D. Vigil (1881−1951) is living in the house(46) behind the Capansky's with his two children. The teacher's house(48) opposite Vigil's is occupied by a "nonresident", must be the Cisco School teacher at that time, Edwinna McFarland (1883−1964). Hidden Owl Ranch operator Klair Black Carroll (1923−2015), his wife Addie, and their three children are living in the house(47) opposite the post office today. Howard Jean Kimmerle (1913−1991), his wife Myrna, and their three children were the predecessor[2].


Accordingly, 38 persons reside in 12 dwellings at Cisco. That brings 61 persons to scatter around in the surrounding wilderness.


The completion of another service station, the completion of the railroad signal maintainer’s house, and the moving out of Cisco Hotel/the completion of Cisco Motel are significant changes in downtown Cisco, compared to the 1940 Census information.

For more, the former Cisco Automotive Service operator Mary Aeline Lewis Cowger Hepperle (1919−2016) describes her memories of Cisco in the early 50s in the 2004 magazine Vol. 51 of Canyon Legacy. The 1952 USGS aerial photo also shows how downtown Cisco was in the early 50s.

revised, Oct. 25, 2022

[1] the common name of Cisco area residents used in newspapers;
[2] June 26, 1947 Times Independent;
* Official 1950 Census Website;

: 1952 USGS aerial photo
　
　
米国において10年毎に実施されてきたCensus（国勢調査）の1950年版が、72年間の非公開期間を経て、今年公開された。ユタ州シスコの調査票の写しを入手したので、これまでの筆者による調査と照らし合わせ、1950年４月におけるシスコの町並みを概観してみる。


シスコの町に繁栄（と衰退）をもたらした産業に着目すると、この町の歴史は1880年代からの第1期（羊・牛）、1920年代からの第２期（ガス・石油）、1950年代からの第３期（ウラン）、1970年代からの第４期（高速道路・産廃処理）に概括できる。もっともSteenによるウラン鉱床の発見は1952年なので、今回公開されたCensusにはまだ反映されていない。

周辺の牧場・放牧地などを含むこの調査区域では人口が100名を切った。最盛期の1910年に比べると三分の一以下である。放牧地では、フランス領バスク出身と思われる羊飼いが多数登録されている。

また、遠隔の側線に留置した車両で寝起きしていたと思われる線路工夫たちは、ヒスパニックがその多数を占めるようになった。Census調査票Race欄では全員Whiteである。一時はそのほとんどを占めていた日本人・日系人(Race欄Jap)は消えた。

シスコの町中では、Cowger一家およびSeely一家の転入が、新たな建物を産み出した。町の東端のCisco Automotive Service、Cisco Hotelを代替するCisco Motel、そして駅東隣りのSeely Houseである。既存のビジネスも経営者こそ替わっているが継続していて、Cisco Hotel（1940年に移転）を除けば、シスコの町並みそのものは1940年版Census時とさほど変わっていないようだ。