John Hreinson was born 21 Jan 1858 in Brandshusi, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. His parents were Hreinn Jonsson and Sigrid Olafsdotter. He married Christine Gudmundsdotter, the daughter of Gudmund Arnasson and Gudney Arnasdotter, on the 17th October 1879. They became the parents of two daughters and three sons.
In 1892 he and his family immigrated to the United States arriving in New York City on July 10th and made their home in Spanish Fork, Utah. On Thursday, May 26th, 1910 Christine died in her home after a long illness. She was buried in the Spanish Fork, Utah cemetery.
John eventually made his way to Carbon County working at Winter Quarters for awhile and finally settling in Castle Gate and worked for the Utah Fuel Company. In his spare time he would do shoe repairing. On the 26th of June 1914 he married Elizabeth Ward in Price, Utah. He retired in 1937 at the age of 79 years old.
In his later years John became blind and unable to live on his own. He had cataracts on both eyes. One eye was operated on but it was unsuccessful so they wouldn't work on the other one. For six months of the year he would live with his son John Sigurmunder Hreinson and the other six months of the year he would live with his step daughter Ann Downy.
On the 7th of October 1948 he died in Castle Gate, Utah at the home of his son. Funeral services were conducted by Bishop Fay Thacker in the Castle Gate Ward Chapel. John was a member of the Lutheran church. He was buried in the Spanish Fork cemetery.
The picture shown here of John Hreinson was taken by Darrell K. Downey of Helper, Utah. It appeared in the August 13, 1942 Helper Journal. It is one of the three prints judged as the best in the July photo show of the Pueblo Camera club. It was to be included in the traveling salon which the Pueblo Club was to exchange with other clubs in the nation.
The following story was copied from a newspaper article entitled, "Two Castle Gate Employees Due Holmes Safety Awards Tonight". Newspaper and edition unknown.
John S. Hreinson of Castle Gate and Frank Mangone of Helper are to receive the Holmes Safety certificates of honor at the regular meeting of the Eastern Utah District Council of the Holmes Safety Association at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the Helper civic auditorium.
Mr. Hreinson will receive the framed certificate for working in and around the coal mines of Utah for 44 years without having a lost time accident. Mr. Mangone's certificate for working 47 years without a lost time accident will be presented to his son, Bennett Mangone, in lieu of Mr. Mangone who is critically ill at the Dragerton Permanente hospital.
Donald Newberry will present the certificate to Mr. Mangone. Tom Bendall, superintendent of the Castle Gate mine will make the presentation to Mr. Hreinson.
Mr. Hreinson was retired a year ago. Mr. Mangone is an employee of the coal company.
Mr. Hreinson was born August 21, 1887. He began work as a box car loader in 1905 at Winter Quarters. In 1906 he left to work at the quartz mines at Eureka. After laboring there for two years he was employed for three years as a rock driller on the Strawberry tunnel, a goverment reclamation project.
In 1811 he married a Springville girl, Ethel Singleton, and came to Castle Gate looking for a job in the coal mine. "I went in and asked for a job and I hoped to goodness he wouldn't give it to me," reminisced Mr. Hreinson. However, Superintendent Bob Williams was needing rock drillers and he hired Mr. Hreinson at once. "Then they found out I could drive mules, too, so I drove mules to pull the coal. That would try anybody's patience. Mules are stubborn, especially when a fellow wanted to accomplish something."
In 1913 the first cutting machine in Utah was brought into the Castle Gate mine and Mr. Hreinson found running it more to his preference than driving mules.
"Then I decided if I was to work in the coal mines, I'd better study up." He took extension courses and within a month had acquired his fire boss certificate.
The following year he was made a foreman in the mine. In 1916 he was sent as fireboss to the Clear Creek mine where he remained for a year before being sent back to Castle Gate. From August 17, 1920, to mid April of 1921, Mr. Hreinson did "helmet work." In this case the helmet work was fighting the Sunnyside mine fire. On the 1st day of May, 1921, he was appointed as foreman at Winter Quarters, where he stayed for a year before being transferred to Sunnyside to serve as foreman in re-opening the mine. He worked at Sunnyside until 1924 when the explosion at Castle Gate killed 172 men. Mr. Hreinson assisted in removing the bodies and clearing the mine. Since 1924 he has been at Castle Gate as fire boss and shot firer until he retired in October of 1955.
He attributes the playing of "hunches" to saving his life on different occasions.
The Hreinsons have reared six children - Hubert, Fern, Paul, Lois, Anita Mae and LaRue. At the present time Mr. Hreinson is a member of the Castle Gate LDS ward bishopric.
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