Charles Gordon, 1972

File — Box: 1, Folder: 6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Gordon was born May 5, 1901 in Holcomb Mississippi. He attended school through grade school and later attended business college in Memphis at age 18. He did not finish his high school degree. He came to Salt Lake City following in the footsteps of his brother and uncle who worked at Hotel Utah, where the pay was good at the time. He worked as a waiter until 1927 and then worked for the Union Pacific Railroad in Montana for two years. During the Depression, he worked for the WPA on the Jordan Narrows. He then worked as a cook at Ft. Douglas Golf Course for thirteen years, before opening a Tavern in Ogden called Shadowland. He found his customers to be too rough for his liking and closed it, instead going to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He then became employed with Kennecott Copper and worked there until a year before the interview.

Unlike many interviewed, Gordon noted that discrimination against African Americans wasn’t prevalent when he first moved to Utah. As the African American population grew however, he says, discrimination became more of a problem and resulted in difficulty buying homes. During the Depression, Gordon was actually able to save money because of his job with the railroad. He discusses his family background, stating that he was raised by his grandparents. He talks about his membership with the NAACP, as he believes it has been and will continue to be an important advocate for minorities. Like many others, he tells similar stories of racism in restaurants, hotels, theaters, and other public places. The interviewer asked if he remembered a specific lynching in Utah that had happened in the 20s or 30s, and he didn’t have any memory of it. He didn’t seem to think that the LDS Church had a huge influence on the lives of African Americans. In regards to housing, he did not experience any issues because he was friends with a realtor. Audio CD A0038_B-20_01.

Dates

1972

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.