June 22, 2017 - The quiet town of Wales, Utah, originally named ‘Coal Bed,’ due to the coal mines operated by immigrants from Wales, will get a bit rowdier for the annual Welsh Days, scheduled to be held Friday and Saturday, June 23 and 24, in the Wales City Park, 150 South State.

Friday, June 23, activities get started at 3 p.m., with the Daughters of Utah Pioneer (DUP) bake sale. Then at 4 p.m., the Jr. Strongman registration will take place followed by the Jr. Strongman competition at 4:30 p.m. For more information call Cecil Clawson (435) 609-1222.

The annual town raffle will begin at 6:30 p.m. Those purchasing tickets need not be in attendance to win the handmade quilt, worth much more than the price of the ticket.

There will be a potluck dinner at 7 p.m., so create something wonderful to share and stick around for live entertainment from 8:30 to 11 p.m.

On Saturday, June 24, get up early, put on those running shoes and get registered at 6:30 a.m., for the Fun Run at the park, 150 South State. At 7 a.m., the kids half-mile Fun Run begins and the 5K Fun Run starts at 7:15 a.m. There is a participation fee, T-Shirt is included. Call Lora Roberts for details at (435) 469-1894.

At 7:45 a.m., a flag raising ceremony will take place followed by breakfast at 8 a.m., sponsored by Wales Town Council.

Also at 8 a.m., strong man registration begins. For more information, contact Cecil Clawson at (435) 609-1222.

Then at 9 a.m., there will be a horseshoe tournament.

Two events begin at 10 a.m., the Dutch oven cook-off begins and the Mammoth Parade begins. Participants in the Dutch oven cook-off need to contact Garrett for details at (435) 436-8436. Parade participants need to contact Liz for details at (435) 469-0165.

Relax and enjoy the mammoth parade at 10 a.m., with Ron and Elaine Flitton as grand marshals.

The strong man competition begins at 10:30 a.m. Participants must be pre-registered. This year there will be six events for strongman participants including a farmer’s walk; atlas stones; log clean and press; ring toss; pillars of Hercules and yoke carry.

Trophies will be presented for first, second and third place winners overall, as well as medals awarded for the highest points scored in each event. Each participant will receive a strong man T-shirt and the shirts will also be available for purchase.

From 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be activities and games in the park. So take a break and watch the kids enjoy the children’s games.

At 12 noon, the Dutch oven judging will take place and sampling plates will be available for sale. The city lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs will also be available. Sit and visit with old friends and maybe even a few new ones.

History

Wales lies on the west side of the Sanpete Valley, at the foot of the Sanpitch Mountains. The population was 310 at the 2010 census. The town is governed by a mayor and several council members. As of December 2008, Wales had no stores, gas stations nor stop lights. It does have a park, fire station, library and cemetery.

It started with Welsh families in Great Britain during the industrial revolution of the 19th century. Mormon missionaries arrived in Wales in 1840 and had great success in cities dealing with poverty and social conflict.

Many of the Welsh converts saw the promise of a new life in America and immigrated. Those immigrants that came to Utah found that their specialized coal mining skills were sought after by Mormon leaders.

A prominent Ute Native American Indian named Tabiyuna had shown Brigham Young, then president of The LDS Church, a small sample of “rock that burns.” Young recognized the rock as coal and inquired whether any of the immigrants knew how to mine coal.

In 1854, two Welsh miners, John Price and John Reese, were assigned to tap a source of coal located at the foot of the Sanpitch Mountains in central Utah. Near to the mine the miners established the town of Coalbed. More Welsh immigrates settled in Coalbed when sent by Young in 1859 to mine the coal.

The town was later renamed Wales in honor of the miners homeland in 1869. During the peak years, the mines near Wales employed 200 men. There was a railroad depot and it was an important and busy mining center.

However, when larger, more profitable mines were discovered in Scofield, in Carbon County, the Wales mines were abandoned along with most of the town. Many of the present residents are descendants of the original Welsh miners.