By Allison Tiek
One cold winter night in 1946, Helen Cragun and her husband came up the winding Provo Canyon road to Springdell. Arriving at their house in the darkness, the only thing audible was a nearby waterfall. The next morning everything was covered in white.
'It was the most celestial whiteness I have ever seen in my life,' Helen said. 'As I stood on my porch a feeling came over me, strong as could be, and I just knew that this was my home.'
Fifty-eight years later as the community celebrates its centennial, Springdell remains the home of Helen Cragun. She said she enjoys her neighbors, the beautiful geographical setting and the rich historical background of Springdell.
Springdell is one of the few places where everyone really knows your name. Twenty-six homes and about 75 men, women and children live in close proximity of each other.
'You can''t imagine what is like living up here,' Helen said. 'It''s a different life.'
Helen said the close-nit nature of Springdell is the only reason she is able to live on her own at 94 years of age.
'I could be a liability up here, and I guess I am, but they are good to me, they really are,' Helen said. 'I don''t believe there is a family that wouldn''t do something for me if I asked them.'
She also enjoys collecting volumes of Springdell memories people wrote and gave to her.
'I found that people had different stories for the same event,' Helen said. 'So I started making a collection of just whatever they want to write, and I''m getting quite a collection.'
The community participates in a number of activities each year, including a snow-sculpturing contest one winter, a Fourth of July picnic, parade and fireworks, a Miss Springdell Pageant, and organized summer recreation such as ball games, musical events, dance programs, a carnival, square dancing and a ladies brunch. There has also been Halloween parties after trick-or-treating, Christmas parties and the lighting of the Springdell Christmas tree.
Springdell children can''t go around the corner to the mall for their entertainment. It is through their search for adventure that their friendships grew.
'My daughter and her friends would pack up for sleepovers, and you''d never know where they were going to sleep,' Helen said. 'They made a lot of their fun and that''s how they grew so close.'
About 20 years ago, Helen lived sandwiched between two families with 11 children each. She said she considered moving to the other side of Springdell but didn''t because she loved her house so much. However, she grew to love those children.
Recently the son of one of those families visited Helen after years of being away. She said she was thrilled to see how well he had turned out and reminisced of the days when he gallivanted around the neighborhood.
'When you see neighbors who have moved away, it''s just like seeing a cousin you haven''t seen for awhile,' Helen said. 'Oh, and they''re loyal. When any of the kids that grew with my daughter went or returned from missions or got married, they were there. They are loyal as they could be.'
Helen said she enjoys being in Springdell so much that when she runs errands in Provo, she skips some to get home sooner.
'I just can''t wait to get back,' she said. 'You''d be surprised how many times I used the wrong color of thread because I didn''t want to have to make another stop; I just wanted to get back to Springdell.'
Helen''s love for her home and the beautiful surroundings of Springdell is apparent in her eloquent descriptions.
'I like the geographical setting of this oasis in the canyon. It is surrounded by large protective mountains. The play of colors on the stratified cliff on the face of the mountain is fascinating,' she wrote.
The beautiful scenery was part of the reason the founding fathers of Springdell were drawn to the area.
On Sept. 27, 1904, 13 well-to-do men bought 45 acres to form Springdell Resort Company. They wanted a place to bring their families away from the heat of Provo city. In the beginning, they put up platform tent houses and later built summer cabins. Gradually, they winterized their homes and new homes were added.
George H. Brimhall, former BYU president, and Jesse Knight owned summer homes in Springdell and were among the prominent figures in Springdell history.
Helen lives in what was originally Brimhall''s 240 square-foot summer home. There was enough room for a toilet and basin, a stove, bed and a partition to separate the rooms. She has since added rooms to accommodate her family''s needs.
In early 1900s, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaders organized the building of the Heber Creeper train that ran from Heber City down Provo Canyon. This provided residents along its path with lumber and supplies.
The men of Springdell caught the Heber Creeper to go to town for work. They came home in the evenings or on weekends, and the women and children stayed in Springdell all summer while their husbands worked in Provo. The children would meet the train to get their milk, bread and other supplies.
When Helen and her husband moved to Springdell, the houses were considered winterized; however, Helen said she doesn''t know how she ever did it. It was also difficult to get supplies because Springdell was too far away from Provo.
Tradition dictated that in order to live in Springdell, one needed to have some relationship to a stockholder. Helen established a relationship connection when her brother married the daughter of a stockholder.
'I got in a coattail of a family,' Helen said. 'Lot Number 5 became our home, and I continue to reside in my home in Lot Number 5 where I love and appreciated my friends and neighbors of the Dell community.'