ADAMS TURKEY RANCH NORTH MANILA. EFFIE AND J ARZA ADAMS Effie Warnick Adams (1910-2000) had deep roots in Pleasant Grove, Utah. She was born in Manila, a community in the northern part of Pleasant Grove to Wilford Woodberry Warnick and Jeanette Isabella Wadley. Adams attended LDS Business school after graduating from Pleasant Grove High School in 1927. She served an LDS mission, married James Arza Adams (1901-1975) in 1933, and settled in her hometown. The Adamses developed in the depths of the Great Depression what would become a nationally recognized turkey enterprise. In the mid-1930s, various Utah organizations tried to find solutions for farmers, who were among those hit hardest by the financial stresses of the Depression. The Utah Poultry Association (U.P.A.) was organized as a cooperative to help lower prices for feed and supplies for poultrymen. An offshoot of the U.P.A. sought to raise turkeys, and Arza was one of the first to venture into this new enterprise. Effie invested much of her time into managing the ranch and keeping the books, overseeing the turkeys hatching, brooding, and blood testing, and prepared meals for workers on their turkey ranch located just outside of Pleasant Grove, to the north of Manila. The Adams turkey ranch gained much national publicity, particularly in 1956 as Arza served as President of the National Turkey Federation. That year the Adamses presented one of their large turkeys to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson for Thanksgiving dinner. The event and materials about the history of the turkey farm are included in the collection. The late 1950s and 1960s saw a population increase in Manila. Manila residents complained about the dust and noise caused by the turkeys, and in addition to Arzas deteriorating health, the increase in wages for hired help, difficulty in finding hired help, unprofitable prices and a couple years of heavy losses, the Adamses put the ranch up for sale in 1971. By 1976 the community that was built on the former ranch was incorporated as Cedar Hills. Miscellaneous information about Cedar Hills is also included in the collection. Effie was a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Manila Camp, and wrote numerous histories of Manila, Pleasant Grove, and the local LDS Church. Her research notes and writings, which appeared in the local newspaper, church newsletters and bulletins, and D.U.P. pamphlets, compose the majority of the collection. Effie twice served as Relief Society President for her ward, from 1948 to 1952 and from 1960 to 1964, and the collection includes her church and leadership notes, as well as a book chronicling the Relief Societys efforts to raise money for a new church building. Effie also kept in close contact with her fellow members of Pleasant Grove High Schools Class of 1927. The class met every five years for a reunion, and this collection includes some interesting memorabilia and accounts of each class members life after graduation. Effies son, Dale, also has some high school materials in the collection. At age 74, Effie earned her degree in English from Brigham Young University. It was a goal she accomplished when most people retire, demonstrating her never-ending passion to learn and write-a desire that radiates through this collection of Effies life work.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 21:40:07 +0000
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