Weather Station
Weather, wind, and water have always been vital to South Jordan. We are lucky to have a weather station that has been installed on the roof of our building and the newest technology to interpret its data. Take time to learn a little about weather here in the ol' Gale area! Dan Pope, the TV Channel 4 Weatherman and Dean Jackman set this interesting section up.

The River of Life Exhibit: Sponsored by Merit Medical
The River of Life is a simple, yet elegant display with interactive areas that target children of all ages. It helps them learn the history of significant medical advances in cardiology and radiology that originated in our local community and state.
Beginning with the basics of the circulatory system and structures of the heart, the exhibit travels through the basics of understanding blood physiology, blood pressure and the most common causes of heart disease.
Through the use of "hands on" manipulatives, visitors will develop a better knowledge and understanding of this hidden but vital river of life we all have running through our bodies.

Quilts
Beautiful quilts hand-made by South Jordan residents are on display year round.

Fighting Fulmers: Display
Few communities can claim a middleweight boxing champion of the world as one of their neighbors! The eleven acres of Fullmer property lay astraddle the common boundary of West Jordan and South Jordan. The children went to school in West Jordan and to church in South Jordan never making much of a distinction in their minds between the two. They lived in a tiny one bedroom home with no indoor plumbing or electricity but it didn't matter. What mattered was boxing.
This family's famous and remarkable journey began when the Fullmer boys noticed an outdoor boxing ring at Marv Jensen's house on the way home from school. Gene began training at 6, and all of the boys trained daily. They would run down from West Jordan Elementary at about 7800 So. to Marv's gym for a two hour workout. Then they would run the two miles home to 9400 S.
*This display demonstrates the work ethic, close family ties, training and positive philosophy of a great family.

Post Office
In early days mail delivery was very different from today. Mail to this area of the Salt Lake Valley was delivered once a week to the city of Sandy. One postman, or mail carrier, then delivered mail to the South Jordan, Bennion, West Jordan, Riverton, Draper, Midvale and Crescent cities. Then back to Sandy he went! He carried it all on his back in 2 bags. Everyone in all these cities was on Rural Route 2 Delivery until the 1940's. That's when every house received a house number and the postman began to deliver mail to each house according to the address.
The early post office was often located in someone's house. Then it moved to a building or place close to the general store. The first post office was called the South Jordan Post Office and started 1877. In 1887 it changed to become the Gale Post Office. Some early postmasters were James Oliver, Mary Ann Soffe and Robert Holt.
Optional: (Frederick Cooper, who owned a home in South Jordan, was also the first postmaster in West Jordan. He owned a small adobe across from the Gardner Mill. When you went to the mill to grind your wheat, you stepped across the road and picked up your mail.) Our post office is what it might have looked like around 1920.

Buffalo - American Bison
This is a newly erected exhibit by Amy and Otto Jones. More information will follow.

Rasmussen Family Collection
This exhibit will rotate every six months, so be sure to visit often to view the new items on display.

As a young child Ken remembers vacationing in Nauvoo, Ill. The innkeeper boasted that most of the furnishings in the hotel were stolen or salvaged from the fleeing Mormons. As young Ken lay in that pioneer bed his heart was touched and a love for "Old Relics" began to kindle within him. As he grew he began to realize that many items have a significant historical nature and that love grew into a passion for collecting.
Elsie shared this passion and as a mother of eight felt that going on the collecting adventures in the "Ol Wiley's Jeep would keep her family together and out of mischief." Thus in 1943 began the beginning of a great family adventure that lasted 60 years!

As the family grew, so did the collection and it became common knowledge in the surrounding area "if you needed to get rid of something old and unwanted just look up Rasmussen's number." They would often trade carpet or linoleum laying services for a beautiful antique that needed a good home.

The collection was first stored in a large room in their home that was set up as a museum to accommodate school age children on local field trips.
After 60 years the collection occupied an entire basement, a backyard, a three car garage, and a huge storage shed. The neighbors and community of South Jordan referred to this as;

The Rasmussen Family Collection

Pride was taken in showing this to church groups, clubs, school children, and the Sons and Daughters of the Utah Pioneers from all around the valley.

It has been stated by church and state curators, "that to the best of their knowledge the Rasmussen Collection is the largest and most diverse, private collection they had ever seen."

Ken and Elsie Rasmussen are pleased and honored to have the opportunity to display some of their treasures in the Gale Center of History and Culture.