Jack Dempsey

Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler or Nonpareil, held the heavy weight title from 1919 to 1926. However what few people realize is that as a young man he traveled the rails and lived in hobo camps such as one located along the river in Echo. The hobo camp was a work camp. Jack was a laborer on irrigation canal construction and did odd jobs around town. , "Jack walked up to the butcher shop and asked owner Bert Logsdon (sic) for 25 cents worth of stew meat. Mr. Logsdon wrapped up the meat and Jack handed him a one hundred dollar bill which the butcher could not change, so he told Jack to take the meat. Several days later Jack came for the same amount of stew meat and again presented the one hundred dollar bill and again Mr. Longston could not change it. The third time Jack tried the same procedure Mr. Longston said "Sure, I can change the bill," and Jack was quick to draw it back and exclaim "No, no, I have lived for several months on this bill." He the gave then right change for the meat." - Echoes From the Past , Where the Fife RV is now located along Main Street there was a pit called the "Dug Out" that was used for boxing and wrestling matches. Jack fought there while living in Echo. He also returned c. 1924 for an exhibition fight. While Jack was in Echo, Addie "Maxine" Cates lived on Kennedy and Dale Streets. Did they meet here? Later she and Jake met in Salt Lake where she was playing the piano in a saloon. Did they reminisce about Echo? They were married from 1916 to 1919 when Jack divorced Cates. One biographer lists Maxine as 10 years older than Jack, but the Census and family history show the Maxine was born in 1896 making her younger than Jack.