WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
DICK'S CAFE
St. George, Utah
LOCATION
114 E. St. George Blvd.St. George, UT 84770
Telephone 139 in the 1941 telephone book (Dick's Cafe)
Telephone 139 in the 1954 telephone book (Dick's Cafe)
Telephone ORchard 3-3841 in the 1958 telephone book (Dick's Cafe)
Telephone ORchard 3-3841 in the 1961 telephone book (Dick's Cafe)
Telephone 673-3841 in the 1972 telephone book (Dick's Cafe & Gift Shop Inc)
The cafe was closed and the building demolished about 1999.
HISTORY
E. N. "Dick" Hammer came to St. George from California at age 29. At first he was employed at the Beaver Dam Lodge on Highway 91 and later at the Liberty Hotel in St. George. He was a restless fellow who tended to be a promoter. He opened an 8-stool hamburger stand in 1935 on the highway in downtown St. George when there was only one thin line of hardtop with plenty of dust on either side. From his profits and savings, Hammer expanded the site into Dick's Cafe with its horseshoe counter and two dining rooms accomodating more than 200 customers.The atmosphere there was attractive not only to tourists and motel guests, but also to locals. It became a unique institution, partly because the Robert Redford movie, The Electric Horseman, featured the cafe's interior. John Wayne became a close friend of Hammer's. Other stars who frequented Dick's Cafe included Jane Russell, Gabby Hayes, and Slim Pickens. The cafe boasted a lot of photos and movie memorabilia. A regular morning coffee bunch spun yarns and talked politics.
Hammer was involved in the early Southern Utah Western movie industry. He also worked in many Westerns as an extra and stunt man. He competed in and announced rodeos. He had a small part in Stallion Canyon.
PHOTOS
 WCHS-00858 Outside and inside during the 1930s |
WCHS-00859 Dick's Cafe in the 1950s |
 WCHS-00860 Dick's Cafe |
 WCHS-00862 Dick's Cafe at night |
 WCHS-00861 Probably in the 1980s |
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WCHS-01391 Dick's Cafe
 WCHS-01810 Front of a business card |
 WCHS-01810 Back of the business card |
 WCHS-01813 Front of a business card |
 WCHS-01813 Back of the business card |
WCHS-02035 Photo of the inside of Dick's Cafe
WCHS-02036 Photo of Dick's Cafe in St. George
WCHS-02037 Photo of Dick's Cafe in St. George
WCHS-04005 Photo of a custom coffee cup from Dick's Cafe
REFERENCES
Whatever happened to ... Famous Dick's Cafe?by Tom Wharton
The Salt Lake Tribune, May 21, 2015
End of an Era Famous Dick's Cafe & Knell's Barbershop
A Photo Gallery - Saint George, Utah
Photographed by Sharee Jones, Images taken 1999