April
29, 1930
Excerpt from a portion of the Logan Journal,
ìMiss Jewell Stewart Allen was appointed Deputy Sheriff April 23,
1930 by the County Commission. Deputy Allen will take the place of
Miles Peterson, Chief Deputy, who resigned two weeks ago.î
The Associated Press and the International
News Service picked up this story and it ended up in dozens of newspapers
from coast to coast as well as Germany, England and France. A woman sheriff
was unusual and feature news to the world.
Other headlines read, ìBad Men, Beware!î and
ìWild West County Has Woman Deputy Sheriff.î
A Chicago paper writes, ìLogan, Utah, April
29.- Shades of Calamity Jane and other western gun women must have romped
up and down this little frontier town as dire tidings spread among the
old timers.
Fearfully they received the news that Jewell
Stewart Allen, pretty Utah Miss, has been appointed deputy sheriff of Cache
County, the first woman sheriff in the countyís 75 year history.
But Miss Allen isnít bothered. She said, ìWhen I shoot I shoot to kill.îî
Miss Allen is the daughter of J.C. Allen Jr.,
managing editor of the Logan Journal and granddaughter of J.Z. Stewart,
Logan. She was raised on a ranch where she roped and rode a horse, doing
all that is necessary to manage livestock.
From hardy pioneer stock, Miss Allen is the
great granddaughter of Elijah Allen who was a member of the famous Mormon
Battalion and settled in Utah in 1847.
Miss Allen graduated from Logan High school,
attended the Utah Agricultural College as well as the L.D.S. Business College
in Salt Lake.
Jewell S. Allenís Utah Peace Officers Association
membership card dated, 1930, is number 133 and signed by Joseph E. Burbidge.
She was presented with a 32 pistol said to have been taken from a convicted
Rum runner. Her silver deputyís badge is circular with cut-outs around
the star. She wore it with pride.
Following Miss Allenís appointment, Sheriff
W.H. Shaw appointed Deputy Oliver Eames as chief Deputy Cache County.
Jewell Allen took on what was traditionally
a male roll at a time of extreme hardship. The depression forced men to
take part in wide variety of illegal activities. Poverty set people
on the path of migration searching for work and a better life. When
there was no work, crimes such as chicken theft, garden pilfering and gas
theft went along with homelessness and desperate beggars creating the climate
of the day. Today such crimes
may seem minor to us but, in 1930 it was serious
and could mean our babies would sleep with empty tummys.
At a smidge over 5í tall, Miss Allen was able
to deal with whatever came her way. The townís people watched her
closely and through deeds and upholding her oath she finally earned their
respect and her place in history.
Whenever I doubt my own abilities, I think
of my Grandmother Jewell. She was very courageous to take the oath, very
community minded and an inspiration that lives on in my heart and thoughts.
Editorís Note: Because of her contact
through our website http://www.upoa.org we were able to correspond with
the author and granddaughter of Jewell Stewart Allen and with permission
share this interesting history of Utah Law Enforcement. If you have further
information about Jewell, i.e., the length of her appointment, reports,
arrests, as well as other general information, please let us know. Did
she have a Sheriffís vehicle? If so, what model vehicle did Cache County
Deputies drive in 1930? What was the rate of pay those days? How long were
the working shifts? Was there a specific Judge or Prosecutor she might
have worked with on a regular basis? To quote the author: ìI am proud of
the courage it must have taken for Grandma Jewell, than only 20 years old,
to take this job. I want to pass along her courage to young people through
her story.î
Please contact the author at 17453 Maple Valley
Rd SE, Maple Valley, WA, 98038-6215
Jewell Stewart Allen's .32 Pistol and Cache County Deputy Sheriff's
Badge
UPOA membership card issued to Jewell Steward Allen, issued by then
UPOA
President Joseph Burbidge
Newsrelease April 23, 1930