The Chuckwagon
History
Torrey was established in the 1880s by Mormon Settlers and was initially known as Youngtown, after John Willard young. The town is generally held to be named after Jay L. Torrey from Pittsfield, Illinois. Torrey was a member of the Wyoming legislature, who, upon the advent of the Spanish-American War, achieved national attention by proposing the creation of what became three volunteer cavalry regiments, made up of cowboys and stockmen. Torrey was commissioned Colonel of the 2nd Regiment, the “Rocky Mountain Riders”; the 1st Regiment, the only regiment to see action, was better known as the Rough Riders.
Deseret News
Ten Grand and a wrong exit leads to good peophistory-article-sectionle and happy times
1949-2015
Randy Austin
Randy was well known as an entrepreneur in the small town of Torrey, Utah. He and his wife Claudia, purchased the Chuckwagon in 1973 after a wrong road on a trip to Lake Powell led to a right road and to a bright future.
Randy loved serving the community in many ways. Randy was the Torrey Fire Chief for several years, later becoming the Wayne County Fire Marshal. He served under Governor Michael Leavitt on the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board for four years. He also volunteered for the Wayne County EMS as an ambulance driver and driver trainer for many years.
The highlight of Randy’s day would be to sit on the old bench in front of his store, welcoming visitors, drinking coffee, and talking politics to anyone that would listen. If you knew Randy, you knew you wouldn’t win a healthy political debate. Randy enjoyed greeting friends and visitors alike. Randy never met a stranger and welcomed all he met. We will greatly miss his mustache clad smile and many stories.
