| Nancy J. Tanaguchi, author, spoke at the Emery County Historical Society. |
The Emery County Historical Society held their monthly meeting at the Museum of the San Rafael, June.
The audience was first entertained by Hans Baantjer and his daughter Sheila. Hans played the guitar in accompaniment to Sheila’s playing on the flute.
Hans Baantjer is from Holland and teaches chorus at San Rafael Junior High School in Ferron. Sheila Baantjer has won several awards for flute playing in state competitions.
| Hans and Shela Baantjer perform at the historical society. |
The guest speaker for the evening was Nancy J. Tanaguchi, a professor of history at California State University, Stanislaus. She is a former faculty member of the College of Eastern Utah, Price, where she taught history for five years.
Tanaguchi was born in Virginia but was raised in Castle Valley. She and her husband Robert Tanaguchi, a native of Price, were teaching in the Middle East when they met and married. They now live in Turloch, Calif. The invitation to speak to the Emery County Historical Society allowed her and her husband to come to Utah and renew acquaintances with friends and relatives.
Nancy Tanaguchi has written and published several articles and books about the mining industry in Utah, tied with the history of Utah, the United States and Europe. The topics she discussed came from her book “Castle Valley, America, Hard Land, Hard Won Home.” She quoted several historical events about the railroads, the mines, mine owners, payroll robbery, pioneers and the settling of Castle Valley Country. The book tells the stories of people living in Carbon and Emery counties from 1807-2004, struggling to scratch out a living in this desert valley, surrounded by mountains. This book has over 300 pages and contains 40 photos and a map of the Castle Valley area. The book is available at the museum.
Another book written by Nancy Tanaguchi and mentioned by her is titled “Necessary Fraud: Progressive Reform and Utah Coal.” This book is about murder, intrigue, court battles and money made and lost in the Utah mining industry.