Manual Printing Press

Beginning in 1925, when Bryce Canyon Lodge was first opened by Union Pacific Railroad's Utah Parks Company, this manual printing press was used by lodge employees to print dining room menus for lodge guests. Because the menus changed daily, dining room patrons were encouraged to take menus home as souvenirs. A luncheon menu from September 1, 1931, is pictured, featuring the daily special: boiled smoked ox tongue. By 1948, this press had been replaced with an electronic press, but dining room menus continued to be produced daily by lodge employees.

“After working all night at the reception desk, my job wasn’t finished until the day’s menus had been printed, the type and printing press had been cleaned, and the used type returned to the proper bins for use in the following day's menus. Only then could I get my much-needed sleep!”