Callister Family Papers, 1836-1965

COLL MSS 335

Biographical Note:

Thomas Clark Callister, Jr. was born on May 1, 1881, in Fillmore, Utah, the son of Thomas Clark Callister, Sr. and Alice Melissa McBride Callister. Clark, as he was called, had deep family roots in the community; his grandfather was one of the first Mormon bishops in Fillmore, and his father, who also served as bishop, worked as the county clerk, recorder, probate judge, and county superintendent for the schools of Millard County. In 1903 Clark graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Utah Agricultural College in Logan and accepted a job with the United States Reclamation Service before returning to Fillmore in 1906. There Clark married Millie Peterson and worked for several irrigation companies in Millard County, including the Sevier River Land and Water Company. He spearheaded the organization of the Pahvant irrigation district in 1917, which was responsible for the irrigation of thirty thousand acres in the vicinity of Fillmore and Holden.

In 1903 the Western Union Telegraph Company decided to discontinue service over the Deseret telegraph line, which served much of southern Utah including Millard and Juab Counties. Clark, with the help of his father, purchased the line and continued operating it, often at a loss in an effort to maintain telegraph communication in these areas. He served as manager of the company, the Millard County Telegraph and Telephone Company, as well as the manager and director of the People’s Telephone Company. Clark also served two terms as the mayor of Fillmore from 1917 to 1920. Among his accomplishments were the construction of the town’s first sidewalks, the installation of its first electric light system, and expansion of its water works. A resident of Fillmore for almost all of his life, Clark died there on August 31, 1967.

Source:

“Thomas Clark Callister, Jr.” In History of Utah Since Statehood, v. 4, edited by Noble Warrum, 574-576. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1919.

See Also:

Sevier River Land and Water Company Papers (COLL MSS 334).

West Side Telephone Company Stock Ledger, 1912—1918 (Bd Ms 50).

People’s Telephone Company Stock Ledger (two volumes), 1911—1930 (Bd Ms 51).

Provenance Note:

This collection was donated to USU Special Collections & Archives by Craig Callister in 1987.

Scope & Content Note:

This collection contains papers pertaining to the Craig Callister family, dating from 1840 to 1965. The majority of this collection are papers from Thomas Clark Callister, Jr., though papers relating to other family members, such as Noble Peterson, Millie Peterson, and William Kropfli also appear. Materials from Thomas Clark Callister, Jr. include journals, items relating to the Millard County Telegraph and Telephone Company, and correspondence from his time as mayor of Fillmore, Utah. Papers from other relatives include journals, correspondence, financial records, and other personal documents. The last box in this collection contains a number of postcards, certificates, and letters written in other languages, mainly German. The documents appear to be connected to William Kropfli’s ancestors.

Inventory:

Box 1: Materials relating to Thomas Clark Callister, Jr.

Fd 11: Document written in Latin, November 3, 1836.

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