Harmon and Myrtle Gubler married in February 1920. Harmon was a traveling salesman the first year they were married, but decided he wanted to have a more permanent job in Southern Utah. In1921, Harmon Gubler made an application for a 640 acre homestead 3 miles north of Ivins, in what is now called Kayenta, then called Hellhole. After living on the homestead for three winters and after receiving their patent for the land, Harmon and Myrtle wanted to move closer to family and friends. They asked Reuben and Milo Ence to help move their two room house from their homestead into Ivins. They accomplished this by tying their wagons together and then they put poles in between the wagons and set the house on top of the poles so their horses could pull it into town. Their family was the thirteenth family to move to Ivins in March of 1926 with three children.
Harmon went into the insurance business, but with St. George being a small town and Las Vegas just beginning to be settled, the insurance business wasn’t very good. Harmon Gubler wrote, “During the thirties the depression came on and business was poor. Those were hard years. I finally gave up the insurance business. I worked in the knitting goods business. During these years I also did some farming. At times we didn’t have too much water so the farming business didn’t pay well.” Their son wrote, “ Dad had a store in Pioche, NV on main street. Two times a week we took vegetables and fruit to Pioche. We weren’t allowed to go door to door to sell produce, but could take orders door to door. We also visited the local mines to sell our produce.”
The town of Ivins was incorporated in the Fall of 1934 and Harmon Gubler was made town president (Mayor). He served as president until January 1946. Harmon was a fundamental part of getting culinary water into the town. He also tried extremely hard to get a school started in Ivins, but unfortunately was unable to get it approved. In 1963 Harmon wrote a letter to the Sub-committee on Irrigation and Reclamation of the United States Senate to try and persuade them to build a reservoir on the Santa Clara Creek. This is part of that letter “We are sorely in need of a reservoir. I have lived in Ivins about thirty years. When I first came to Ivins, I thought that maybe in fifteen to twenty-five years we would have a town there or possibly a small city. I have been somewhat disappointed in that respect. I think, however, that there is hope for Ivins. I haven’t lost faith in Southern Utah. I may not see it, but some of our people will. Some of our sons and daughters or grandchildren will see it. Unless we get more water, Ivins won’t grow and unless we get more water, St. George won’t grow too much. At the present time it appears that in order to get more water we will have to build reservoirs. We have the potential in southern Utah. If we get more water, the industry will thrive.” Later in 1970 the Gunlock Reservoir Dam was constructed and was the third reservoir in Washington County, after Ivins and Kolob reservoirs. Unfortunately, Harmon would not see the completion of the dam; he passed away in 1969.
Myrtle Gubler was a very good homemaker and was modest in saying things about herself. She wrote and gave articles for everyone in Santa Clara and Ivins for weddings and other celebrations in the community. She was a wonderful cook o fthe Swiss traditional meals including Swiss Noodle Soup and she also made delicious desserts. Her son Brent remembers, “Every year we would get into our 1937 Chevy pickup to take pies, cookies, donuts, and other goodies to the Paiute Shivwits reservation at Christmas time. Because of the example set by my parents, we grew up with a love of the people.”Myrtle passed away from surgery complications in 1968, she was survived by her husband and children.
Written by Cherise Ence Spencer September 2023, Vol. 23 Issue 9 Ivins Newletter