Dicks Cafe (1 results)

Condition: Good. 8pp., with Merchant Luncheon's insert. Laminated ; 29.2 x 22.3cm.TDick's Cafe - St. George, UtahWashington County, Utah - Historical Society: The cafe was closed and the building demolished about 1999.HISTORY:E. N. "Dick" Hammer came to St. George from California at age 29. At first he was employed at the Beaver Dam Lodge on Highway 91 and later at the Liberty Hotel in St. George. He was a restless fellow who tended to be a promoter. He opened an 8-stool hamburger stand in 1935 on the highway in downtown St. George when there was only one thin line of hardtop with plenty of dust on either side. From his profits and savings, Hammer expanded the site into Dick's Cafe with its horseshoe counter and two dining rooms accommodating more than 200 customers.The atmosphere there was attractive not only to tourists and motel guests, but also to locals. It became a unique institution, partly because the Robert Redford movie, The Electric Horseman, featured the cafe's interior. John Wayne became a close friend of Hammer's. Other stars who frequented Dick's Cafe included Jane Russell, Gabby Hayes, and Slim Pickens. The cafe boasted a lot of photos and movie memorabilia. A regular morning coffee bunch spun yarns and talked politics.Hammer was involved in the early Southern Utah Western movie industry. He also worked in many Westerns as an extra and stunt man. He competed in and announced rodeos. He had a small part in Stallion Canyon. Provenance: Collection of M. Denis SCHNEIDER, ancien Chef de Cuisine, Copenhague, Maison du DANEMARK. 142 Ave. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris.