Sunday, 17 March 2024 by Sagacity

History of Plain City Pt 6

I have two copies of the History of Plain City, Utah. The front indicates it is from March 17th 1859 to present. As far as I can tell, the book was written in 1977. At least that is the latest date I can find in the book.

I will only do a number of pages at a time. I will also try to include scanned copies of the photos in the books. These are just scanned copies of these books, I have not tried to seek out originals or better copies.

History of Plain City March 17th 1859 to present, pages 76 through 106.

HISTORY OF THE OLSEN GROCERY STORE

Two of the earliest merchants in Plain City were A. M. Schoemaker and William Van Dyke. Mr. Shoemaker had a little store just east of the old adobe meeting house. Van Dyke’s store was just across the street from the southwest corner of the public square on the sight of the John Maw store where the Plain City bowery now stands.

The Cooperative Mercantile Institution was organized in 1869 with John Spiers as President, J. P. Green, C .O. Folkman, George Folkman and Andrew Ipson as directors, and George H. Carver and J. S. Carver as the managers.

In the early days of Utah, the L .D. S. Church organized cooperative stores in different places called “Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institutions.” One of these was organized in Plain City in Jens Peter Folkman’s home at 2480 N. 4350 W. in March of 1869. He was appointed manager by the directors.

The capitol stock was $500.00. Mr. Folkman continued as manager for several years. At a reorganization some time later, John Spiers was retained as president and John Carver was elected vice president of the board of directors, which was composed of Jeppe G. Folkman, William Sharp and Alexander Marian Shoemaker, with George Bramwell as secretary and William G. McGuire as secretary-treasurer.

Finally a corner was bought by the company from Mr. Hansen in 1889, where Carl Olsen’s store is now situated. (1959) A frame building was erected and here Jens Peter Folkman continued as manger until the store was closed by Z.C.M.I. on account of bankruptcy cause through too many bad debts.

It was reopened by the parent store in Ogden and was managed by George and James Carver but was closed again for the same reason as before.

George W. Bramwell and his brother, Henry, bought the stock of goods and ran the store as a private business. Z.C.M.I. took over once more and hired George W. Bramwell to run it as a branch of their store.

It was next sold to Henry J. Garner and Robert W. Maw. They sold it to Thomas England. Thomas England sold his store to Peter J. and Evelyn Christensen, who rented it out for a time, then later sold it to Carl Olsen in 1925.

In the early days of the Olsen stores Parvin Produce Company of Ogden established the business of shipping potatoes from Plain City. They were located at the Olsen store and when they discontinued business, Carl Olsen and Wilmer J. Maw started shipping potatoes. Mr. Olsen loaded his cars at the end of the railroad spur in front of Roll’s Garage, now Jack Etherington’s Garage at 2415 N. 4425 W. and Mr. Maw loaded his cars by the “John Maw & Sons” store where they bowery now stands.

The above was taken from a Historical Study of Plain City, Weber County, Utah, by Fern Olsen Taylor. A thesis was submitted for her Master of Science Degree in 1959.

The Utah Oregon Lumber Company business was purchased by Carl Olsen from Wilmer L. Maw, and at this time Annie Knight Geddes came to work for Mr. Olsen. Coal was also sold. Many loads of potatoes, coal, etc., were weighed on the scales located just south of the store.

Oscar Richardson worked with Carl in the produce shipping and George Elvie Weatherston worked with him in the store for a short time.

Carl opened the store with the help of his family, Lucille, Lee, Fern, Don, and Loyd.

A beautiful ice cream fountain was purchased and installed in the northwest part of the store. There were marble counter tops, malt machines, syrup dispensers and necessary equipment to make malts, splits, sundaes and many, many hand-dipped ice cream cones. A half dozen stools lined the counter. The choice of flavors then were chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. A popular item was the candy punch-board that was a temptation some had a hard time resisting.

In 1939 Carl remodeled the back of the store. The partition at the east end and the swinging doors were moved, making room for a meat counter and meat cooler. More shelves and more groceries were added. Heat was provided by a coal heaterola. A shed was built by the store about 1889 and was used until 1949 for various purposes, a lumber storage shop, a barber shop and also later for a meat market. It faced the road and was located just south of the store.

In March, 1941, cold storage lockers were installed. The store was enlarged and a full-time butcher, Ralph Vause, came to work to serve the locker patrons. Many deer at hunting time were cleaned and dressed, filling the meat coolers to overflowing.

Carl Olsen sold his store to two of his sons, Lee and Don in April 1947. The store became “I.G.A.” and then later “A.G.“ Lee and Don enlarged the store, adding the brick building extending the south wall to the confectionery. The frame shed was moved to the back of the store and connected to a metal storage shed connecting the back of the store.

On July 9, 1949, the grand opening was held. Children came to the store from near and far to buy penny candy, a special treat.

Mr. Carl Olsen passed away February 25, 1955.

The Olsen family owned and operated the store for half a century and enjoyed a wonderful association with Plain City and the neighboring communities.

On April 18, 1973, Don and marge Olsen, and Lee and Clara Olsen sold the store to Perry and Sonia Merrill of Pleasant View. They Operated the store for three years and sold it to Elliot and Gayle Casperson. It is now the “B and C Market.” May 24, 1976.

COPY OF DOCUMENT PLACED AT THE BASE OF MONUMENT HONORING SERVICEMEN

August 26, 1944

To whom so ever of the dim and distant future, may come in possession of these documents, let it be known that:

We, the people of Plain City, Utah through our Committee for the men in Service with the aid of the people in the community do erect and dedicated this memorial, of everlasting granite, to honor the memory of those who, from our community, were enlisted and served in the Armed Forces of these United States of America and fought for its principles of Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Second Great World War, which we have faith will culminate as all our country’s war have, in victory.

Today, August 26, 1944, when hostilities have been raging for 32 months, as we solemnly and proudly honor all Servicemen and Women, especially those who left from our community, and whose names are cut and will be cut in this monument, this war, cruel and savage beyond description is being waged across the seas, gravely threatening to destroy our freedom.

May God and justice destroy the forces and the barbarious leaders of those aggressor nations before they make it necessary for this nation of ours to again, by force of its arms, defend itself and the principles on which it was founded.

We, as a people are deeply grateful for the services and sacrifices made, not only the men who served in the war, but all those who fought and for those who died to defend this great nation since the first clash of arms in the battles of Lexington and Concord, we honor and revere the memory of them all. So in the erection of an everlasting memorial those, who left this country beginning 32 months ago to serve in the Armed Forces of these United States, to keep alive the flame of liberty and pass on to our posterity the stories of their brave and noble deeds, even beyond the time that this granite shall have crumbles to dust obliterating the names carved here on.

May we never again be called to erect other similar memorials because our country was again at war.

But rather, would we as a people whole heartedly join together to sponsor a shaft to commemorate the beginning of an era of eternal lasting peace without the horrors of war.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PLAIN CITY

A group of men from Lehi came in the fall of 1858 and looked over the town, they also made a preliminary survey for a canal site, using a sixteen foot two by four grooved out and set on a three-legged tripod, with water in the groove to act as a level. This preliminary survey was made to the big levee that fall of 1858, some work was done on the big levee that fall, until it was necessary for the men to return to their homes in Lehi.

On March 17, 1859, a company of about 100 people arrived in Plain City about 5 o’clock in the afternoon. They camped in a hollow in the south part which later became Samuel Draney’s lots. The wagons were lined up east and west for protection against the north winds. Although snow was deep, they soon dug a big hole and built a fire making it as comfortable as possible.

One of the first things to do after arrivals was to survey the townsite and assign lots to the settlers, so they could get some kind of shelter for their families. Joseph Grue states that John Spiers and others who surveyed Plain City had in mind their home, the city of Nauvoo, and followed the pattern as nearly as possible. They surveyed the town at night using the north star and three tall poles just below it, as a working guide. The measuring chain was a piece of rope which they dragged along over the deep snow through which they waded. The original plat was six blocks long and three blocks wide, running north and south. Each block contained five acres and is divided into four lots. Each settler was allowed some choice in the selection of his lot, and each shelter was allowed twenty acres of farm land on the out shirts.

The Plain City canal was commenced in May of 1859 shortly after part of the crops were planted and completed to four mile creel that first year and later to Mill Creek and then to Ogden River, which relieved the situation somewhat during seasons when water was plentiful, but was of little benefit in dry seasons, the Plain City irrigation company under the supervision from the beginning.

Mr. Rollett, a Frenchman, introduced the culture of asparagus to Plain City, the seed came from France in 1859. This became one of the leading industries of Plain City, as the soil and climate are especially adapted to its culture. Plain City asparagus had become known far and near, and at the present time the asparagus in handled by the Plain City Asparagus. They ship asparagus to all parts of the United States.

Early homes were dugouts, then log cabins and later adobe. The first stone house was built by William Skeen in 1862 or 1863, by hauling rock from Hot Springs, northeast of Plain City.

The first school and meeting house was built in 1859. It was of log and adobe and was located on the south side of the public square. This adobe building was used as a meeting house, school house, amusement and dance hall for a number of years.

George Musgrave was the first Plain City school teacher. His first school was held in his dugout on his lot.

The First Relief Society was organized January 3, 1868, with Almira Raymond President. The first Primary was organized in 1881 with Susannah Robinson President. The first Mutual Improvement Association was organized in 1876 with William England as President.

An Episcopalian Church was built in 1877, and was used as a school and church. At that time, it had about 75 members. The building is still standing and still in use (Lions Club House).

Evelyn Sharp was the first white baby girl to be born in Plain City, and Thomas Singleton was the first white boy. They were born in 1859.

People of Plain City have always fostered amusement and entertainment of various kinds. In the early days they always had a brass band, a choir, dramatic association, and a baseball team. Regardless of all the hardships endured by the early settlers, recreation was always enjoyed. Dances were held in the old adobe school house on the south side of the square in winter and in the bowery near it in summer. They danced on the hard dirt floor at first, many of them in their bare feet. Most of the dances were square dances, at various times music was furnished by comb bands.

The first real meeting house that was built expressly for ward purposes is the present brick structure commenced in 1884 and finished in 1889.

The following men have been Bishops of Plain City Ward since it was first organized in the order listed: W. W. Raymond, L. W. Shurtliff, George W. Bramwell, Henry J. Garner, Henry T. Maw, Gilbert Thatcher, Wilmer J. Maw, George A. Palmer, Charles Heslop and the present Bishop Elvin H. Maw.

Plain City is principally a farming and dairy community, with sugar beets, onion, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, grain, alfalfa and asparagus being grown as the principal crops.

A branch of the North Ogden Canning Factory is located in Plain City and tomatoes are grown and processed each year. The canning factory was completed in 1925.

Many of the men of the community have profitable dairy herds, and each year a “Dairy Day” is held on the town square, prize stock being shown. Stock is shown from all parts of the state.

A Junior High School is located in the center of town, where approximately 225 children attend. L. Rulon Jenkins is now the principal of the school.

At the present time, Plain City has a population of approximately 800 inhabitants.

Each year on March 17 a “homecoming” celebration is held to commemorate the settling of the town.

Plain City was incorporated this year of 1944 with the town board as follows: Dean Baker, Chairman, W. Albert Sharp, Fred L. Singleton, Floyd A. Palmer, L. Rulon Jenkins and Don E. Carver as Secretary.

**************

The committee for the servicemen was selected about one year ago, and appointed by the Ward Bishopric, for the purpose of paying tribute and honor to the fellows and girls who enter the service.

The first funds were collected through a scrap iron drive, which was initiated by Dean Baker. The support of all the people of Plain City was gained by soliciting, and many tons of irons was donated by members of the town.

The task of securing the names to be placed on the monument and helping to plan its erection was done by the Committee for the Men and Women in the Service with William Freestone as Chairman, Elbert J. Moyes, Elmer P. Carver, John A. Hodson, Dean Baker, Mrs. Frank V. Skeen, Mrs. W. Albert Sharp, and Mrs. Vern L. Palmer.

As the original plans for the erection of his memorial called for only those who had been honored at Plain City, we deeply regret that names of some of the fellows who are in the Service, who have been residents at some time previous to their entering the service, will not appear on this monument.

We, the Committee for Servicemen, representing the people of Plain City extend our thanks and heartfelt appreciation to all individuals whose combined efforts have made the erection of this monument possible. The primary objective of this committee is to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and be to service to the community, state and nation and to transmit to our posterity the principles of justice, freedom, and democracy.

This everlasting and beautiful monument is sturdy and tough and is truly symbolic of the sterling qualities and character of the men whose names it will bear until it shall have been worn away to dust by the elements of time and returned to mother nature from when it came.

As duly requested, this document was written and prepared by Mrs. Frank V. Skeen, Mrs. W. Albert Sharp, and Mrs. Vern L. Palmer, together with the aid of the other members of the committee, and whose sincerest hope and aim was that the full honor and credit due, is bestowed on the citizens of Plain City who form a part of the great until by which this nation was founded and is governed. May the heritage of these rights of quality and self government never be taken away from those to whom it rightfully belongs – the people.

Mothers or Fathers and Wives of Service Men whose names appear on the Monument. Picture taken August 26, 1944, at the dedication of the monument. [Gladys Donaldson Ross on the back row, fifth from the left.]

BEET GROWING IN PLAIN CITY

SUBMITTED BY RUTH K. FOWERS

The sugar beet industry was one of the early farming activities in Plain City.

The ground was prepared late in the fall and early spring for planting the seed much the same as it is today except horse drawn machinery was used instead of tractor operated ones.

After the seed sprouted and the young plants grew a few inches in height, the rows were cultivated, and a thinning of the plants was required since the seeds were drilled close together. Segregated seeds had not been developed at that time. This thinning process was that of spacing the beet plants several inches apart to allow the young plant to grow. This was usually done with a short handled hoe and hand labor. A good beet thinner might be able to cover an acre a day.

The best crop required another hoeing or two and cultivating to eliminate the weed growth. Regular irrigation was necessary to give moisture to the growing plants.

In October the beets were matured and ready for harvesting. Again this process required much manual labor and the use of horse powered machinery.

The beets were dug using a beet digger. The beet leaf was cut from the beet itself by hand using a long beet knife. Then the beets were thrown into rows or piles to be gathered up with a large beet fork to be placed on a specially built box on which they could be hauled to the beet dump.

Sometimes young members of the family, who were too young to lift the beet fork full of beets, could assist with the beet loading by grasping the tail of the beet and giving it just enough of a throw to allow to them to load in the beet box.

With a team and wagon they were then transported to the beet dump and emptied into either a railroad beet car or placed in the beet pile.

Double hitch teams and wagons load of beets ready to leave the field.

Unloading the wagon by means of a hand turned pulley which lifts one side of the wagon and dumps them into the hopper.

From the hopper the beets are elevated to be dropped into the railroad cars.

When the beets were brought in faster than the railroad cars could be loaded they were piled for later loading.

The beets were transported to the Amalgamated Sugar Factory where another process was utilized to manufacture refined sugar to be used in homes, industries, eating establishments or wherever possible.

In 1958, in Weber County, the average yield was 16.3 tons per acre. According to an article which appeared in the Ogden Standard Examiner on October 19, 1959, Mike Pannanzio averaged 28.8 tons per acre on a 13-acre piece. On a four acre piece, the yield was better than 30 tons per acre. This farm situated near the site of the Plain City beet dump which was located just north of 4100 West 1975 North.

The beet dump has since been removed and a modern housing development now occupied the site.

RALL TAYLOR’S OLD BLACKSMITH SHOP

He started his business in 1908, ad was still in business in the Forties. We understand this building was a part of the first canning factory in Plain City, and was moved to this location.

DAIRY DAYS

BY WILLIAM FREESTONE

The first Dairy Days held in Plain City was in May of 1926. The purpose was to finance the Plain City baseball team.

William Freestone was the manager for the team with Elmer Carver, finance, Angus Richardson was coach, Floyd Palmer and Byron Carver were score keepers, and Rufus Maw, umpire.

The general committee consisted of William Freestone, Chairman for the day, with Elmer Carver, Floyd Palmer, Merwin Thompson, Angus Richardson, Byron Carver, and Rufus Maw assisting. The entire team also worked hard to make a successful day.

The day was well organized. There was a big exhibit of cattle from all around the area, especially the Holstein Breeders Association. The local dairy men have full support to the day.

The afternoon programs consisted of a game between Plain City and Clinton. Horse racing and horse pulling contest were also on the program. The successful day ended in the evening with a big dance held in the town hall.

Dairy Days have continued to this day under various managements.

This information was obtained from William Freestone, Elwood Skeen, and Walter Christensen.

This picture is the baseball team that the first Dairy Days was organized to sponsor and finance.

Top Row L to R: Angus Richardson, Coach; Bill Freestone, Manager; Alf Charlton, Transportation; Horace Knight, Dick Skeen, Walt Moyes, Abe Maw, Tooley Poulsen, Clark Taylor

Bottom Row L to R: Rufus Maw, Umpire; Fred Singleton, Louie Giles, Clair Folkman, Frankie Skeen, Arnold Taylor, Wally Knight, bat boy

DAIRY DAYS

BY HAROLD THOMPSON

Merwin Thompson came to Plain City in 1907. He had lived briefly in Ogden during which time he worked on a big cattle and sheep outfit in Eden, Utah. Before that, he lived in Scipio, Millard County.

He ran the farm which was later owned by himself and his brother, Gordon. This farm was not very level when he and his brothers took it over, and they levelled it with horses and fresno Scrapers. They then established a fine irrigation system.

During the 1920’s Merwin acquire four fine registered Holstein heifers from Joseph Skeen of Warren. From his beginning, he developed a high producing registered milking herd.

In the late 1920’s he helped organized the Plain City Black and White Days and served for over forty years as a director of that exhibition. In the beginning, the show was for Holsteins-Friesias Cattle only. Later, it was expanded to include all dairy cattle.

At the time of his death, his dairy farm, dairy buildings and dairy was one of the best farms in Weber County.

The Ralph Robson family have participated in Dairy Days for many years. Shown are two animals they have shown.

DAIRY DAYS

BY FLOYD PALMER

This was first known as Plain City Black and White Days. It was sponsored by the Plain City Farm Bureau, as a fund-raising project for the baseball team. Later, it was sponsored by Holstein Breeders and the Plain City Farm Bureau. The financial help came from local people and business firms in the area.

Members of the Ogden Chamber of Commerce, along with the “Ogden Livestock Show” committee and the Weber County Commissioners, all became interested in lending their support tot eh growing need for an expanded show. These people were influential in getting the three-county shows (Jersey Show, Coliseum-Guernsey Show, Huntsville-Holstein Show, lain City) to combine their shows, and this is how it became known as the “Plain City Dairy Day.”

This move with the support of local people reaching out for help, was the means of getting the Weber County Commissioners and the State Legislature to give financial help for the show. It is also supported by many individuals and firms in a financial way. The officers now consist of the following:

MANAGEMENT

Orlo S. Maw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manager

J. W. Hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Secretary

Floyd A. Palmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Treasurer

Harold Thompson, Tharold Quale, Fay Boyer . Invitation

Lee Olsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Financial Chairman

Directors

Byron Thompson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Holstein Department

Ronald R. Smout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guernsey Department

Verl Poll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jersey Department

Burns Wangsgard . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . Junior Department

L-R: Lee Olsen, Floyd Palmer, Clair Folkman

Plain City has become the home of one of the largest Dairy Shows in the State of Utah. It is held annually around the middle of May and is open to all breeds of dairy cattle. The opening day is devoted to the Junior divisions. This is limited to bonafide 4-H Club members and F. F A. Future Farmers Only. The second day is designated for the Open division. It is also held under strict rules, such as, Registration Certificates, State Health Standards are required, including Health Certificates and blood tests.

The management is well planned and organized. It consists of General Management, Directors, Clerks, and special committees, Finance, Premiums and Entries, Junior Department, Junior Judging Classes, Publicity, Cattle Supervisor, Grounds and Dinner, Special Awards Committee, and Tractor Driving Contest.

Many of the very finest dairy herds in the United State of Utah are on exhibition here.

The judging is by top quality judges, usually out of state judges are used foe the open division. The junior department is also very selective to get the best judges possible. Rules adopted by the Purebred Cattle Association of Utah are strictly enforced for the Open Division. The Junior Division is placed according to the Danish System of judging.

The Junior Division exhibits 150 to 175 animals. The open Division exhibits 250 to 200 animals. The breeds are mostly Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, and Brown Swiss. Cash rewards run from $1600 to $2000. Ribbons are also awarded in both Open and Junior Divisions. Special awards are given to the juniors in Fitting and Showmanship, Outstanding Exhibitor, Best Club Group of Animals, (five animals owned by at least three exhibitors.)

One of the outstanding special awards is the Frank M. Browning Memorial Award. A Swiss Cow Bell is given to the outstanding 4-H exhibitor. Other

Other special awards are: Lynn Richardson Award to the outstanding F.F.A Exhibitor; Smoot Dairy Award which is a special prize to the 2^nd and 3^rd place 4-H boy in fitting and showmanship; Five Points Drug Company which is a special prize to the 2^nd and 3^rd place F.F.A member in fitting the showmanship; Utah Holstein-Friesian Association Award, which is a trophy for the three best females bred and owned by exhibitor: Weber Chapter F.F.A. which is a belt to the F.F.A. exhibitor taking best care of his exhibits: Read Bros. Halter to the 4-H member under 13 years of age placing highest in fitting and showmanship: John Chugg Halter to the 4-H member placing highest in showmanship only: C. W. Cross Gift Certificate to the F.F.A. boy placing highest in fitting and showmanship: Curtis Breeding Service Halter to the 4-H club member over 13 years of age placing highest in fitting and showmanship: Federal Land bank Award to Grand Champion Cow: Commercial Security Bank: Production Class, 14 cash awards and ribbons.

Mr. Robert P. Stewart, Principal of the Plain City Elementary School takes very active part in the success of Dairy Days. For several years Mr. Stewart has organized a dairy class at the school. Paul Knight has furnished the facilities. The calves have been furnished by Paul Knight and Archie Hunt. The school instructors have been Ray Hull and Steven Gertsch. Both boys and girls have entered the Dairy Class activity. In addition to oral instructions, they feed, groom, care and prepare the calves to be shown in the ring to be judge. As many ass 25 very enthusiastic youth have taken part. The award money has been divided among the participants.

The Plain City School, under the direction of Principal Stewart, has served an annual Dairy Day Dinner. This has been an outstanding attraction to many state and local officials, business, and dairy people. The food is always delicious, and the service is excellent. French-grown Plain City asparagus is always included in the meal.

The faculty and P.T.A. operate the concession stand on the park for the two-day dairy show. This serves a worthwhile purpose for the school and those attending the day’s events. The school children have been good to help clean the grounds after.

Since this Dairy Days started, small dairy herds have almost become extinct. They have been forced to grow larger and develop better grades of producing animals. We now have dairy herds entering this show from Utah dairy farms that are recognized as top dairy herds of the nation. They also exhibit their cattle at national shows.

This Plain City Town Board takes an active part in helping to promote the success of Dairy Days. The last few years they have provided help to put up the tie racks, take them down, and clean up the grounds.

Over the years, the Dairy Days Committees have replaced the old pole fences with a new set of painted tie racks that can be moved after the show is over. They also have a moveable loading chute for the cattle.

The 1977 Plain City Dairy Days will be listed on the program as the Forty-Eight Annual Show. This takes it back to 1929 for the beginning of Plain City Black and White Days. It would seem appropriate to list and give credit to some of the management people that have served fifteen years or more. They include:

Ralph Robson Merwin Thompson

Clair Folkman Floyd A. Palmer

Lee Olsen John Chugg

J . W. Hatch Fay Boyer

Robert (Bob) Penman Edgar Smoot

Verl Poll Clifford Smout

Mary Papageorge Kogianes Burns Wangsgard

Lynn Richardson Byron Thompson

A . L Christensen

Palin City has the largest all-breed dairy show in the State of Utah.

Plain City School Students take great pride in learning how to train and groom their loaned animals for the Dairy Days Show. For them it means a full day away from the books while they get the real learning of being part of a real livestock show.

PLAIN CITY CEMETERY

SUBMITTED BY Floyd Palmer

The old of the Plain City Cemetery grounds came about only once a year. This was when the tulips came into blossom for about two weeks. After this it was solid mass of tea vines and weeds.

A newspaper article that appeared in the Ogden standard Examiner in the spring of 1938 was submitted by Roxy Heslop.

Bloom Wave Will Appear No More

Spring of 1938 Roxey Heslop

BLANKET OF FLOWERS…. The field of varicolored tulips being admired by 14-year-old Idona Maw of Plain City will be dug up and replaced with grass and shrubbery as a part of the improvement program underway at the Plain City Cemetery. The tulips will be taken out as soon as they cease blooming, Wilmer J. maw announced. An elaborate sprinkling system fed by a 700-foot artesian well will be laid throughout the cemetery. The well recently completed, flows 40 gallons per minute. The blanket of blooms will be removed because of the short of tulip lives. Bulbs will be given free to persons interested in obtaining them for replanting. (Standard-Examiner photo)

The new beautification program started in the year 1937. It came about through Floyd A. Palmer and his affection for his mother, Emma Jane Carver Palmer, who had suffered a long illness. She had said to him many times that she hoped someone would keep the weeds and tea vines from growing on her grave in the Plain City Cemetery.

Following her death on May 26, 1937, Floyd went to Bishop Charles L. Heslop and asked of something could be done to improve the Cemetery grounds. Bishop Heslop was quick to say, “…yes, and I would like to make you the Chairman of a committee to start the project.” Following their conversation Walter J. Moyes and Art M. Simpson was called in by the Bishop to assist on the committee. The preliminary took several months of work and study to formulate a workable plan for the project.

It was decided to drive a flowing well for the water. Raising the necessary money was the next step. Local lot owners were contacted and letters were sent to those living in and out of the state. We asked for $5.00 per lot and stated we would drive a well large enough to handle all that participated. The response was good and very few questioned the feasibility of the project. A 2 ½ pipe was washed 730 feet deep for the well. It required continuous drilling and was necessary to haul water in to drill with. Wesley and Virgil Stoddard from West Point did the drilling. The well was flowing a beautiful stream of water in May, 1938. The people were happy to have water available for flowers on Memorial Day.

Pipe lines were laid to service each lot from stand pipes with a hose connection. Our Cemetery Sexton, Walter J. Moyes, agreed to care for the lots for $6.00 a season. The owners were to help prepare the lots for seeding. Much credit is due to Walter for the first lawn planted and their care. Some lots were seeded in the Fall, of 1938. Others, in the spring of 1939. As each lot was improved, it made a new appearance.

L-R: Floyd A. Palmer, Art M. Simpson, and Walter J. Moyes

This caretaker system continued to grow each year through 1934. Then the flow of water became inadequate to serve all desiring lawns. This, along with public interest, led to developing a way to extend caretaker service to all lots. Through the counsel and help of many interested town residents, it was decided that the best method would be to levied to finance the project on a sound basis. Rulon Jenkins gave much help and assistance to get things started for the Town Incorporation. It was necessary to raise money to finance the preliminary work of surveying, engineering fees, Attorney fees, etc. Our first annual Potato Day Celebration, July 4, 1943, was a financial success. Dean Baker was the Chairman of this and many others worked hard on the committee. The profit was used toward the Incorporation of the town.

Petitions were circulated through the town of Plain City and were presented to the Board of County Commissioners of Weber County on November 27, 1943, certified as follow:

“That they have read the said petition, including the names of signors thereof, and what they are acquainted with each of the signors whose names appear as following: L. Rulon Jenkins certifies to names appearing opposites the number 1 to 50, inc.; Dean Baker certifies to names appearing opposite the numbers 101 to 150, inc,; W.A. Sharp certifies to names opposites numbers 201 to 253, inc,; and they believe each of said respective signatures to be true and genuine.”

The board of Weber County Commissioner approved a RESOLUTION to take effect and be in force from and after 5 O’Clock P.M. on the 13^th day of January, A. D 1944, creating the TOWN OF PLAIN CITY.

A Board consisting of a President and four Trustee was appointed by the County Commissioners. The following named persons were appointed, to-wit: Dean Baker, President, L. Rulon Jenkins, Fred L. Singleton, Albert Sharp, and Floyd A. Palmer Trustee, to hold office until the next municipal election. Bond was fixed at $500.00 each.

The Board then moved ahead with plans to complete the Cemetery improvement. Potato Day, July 4^th, again brought some revenue and a one mill levy on property tax in November, 1944, was enough to purchase pipe and get it installed with mostly donated labor, in Fall, 1944. In the spring of 1945, the caretaker building was relocated on the west side of the cemetery for a pump house. A new pressure pump was purchased and placed in the building with a connection to the irrigation ditch. This furnished plenty of water to sprinkle the entire cemetery.

Walter Johnson was Sexton at this time and was employed on a full time scale. There was a big job to be done preparing the lots to be seeded. Many concrete coping, large trees, obnoxious weeds, fences, and undesirable shrubs had to be removed. After this, it was necessary to haul in some top soil, spade and level the lots to prepare them for seeding to grass. This took several months and required a lot of donated labor. Mr. Johnson is deserving of much of the credit for his extra efforts and hard work.

The next change came about through the action of our State Legislature. The 1945 Session made it possible to organized Cemetery Maintenance Districts throughout the State. A one mill Property tax levy can be levied. After a thorough investigation and holding public meetings, the Town Board and public favored creating a Cemetery District.

In pursuance to Chapter 17, Session Laws of Utah, 1945, property owners of Plain City, Utah, filed a petition with the Board of County Commissioners for organization of a Cemetery Maintenance District. The Board set Monday, June 11, 1945, at 11 O’Clock A.M. in the session room for the purpose of hearing objections of any taxpayer within the proposed District boundaries. No objections were recorded.

An election was held in Plain City, Tuesday, July 17, 1945, for the organization of the Plain City Cemetery District. There were 407 legal registered voters, less non-property owners, leaving a total of 310 legal registered voting taxpayers. The official canvas of votes cast were as follows:

Total Vores Cast 233

Yes 222

No 10

Spoiled 1

The Board if County Commissioners of Weber County, State of Utah, met pursuant to Chapter 17, Session Laws of Utah, 1945 at 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, July 19, 1945, in the session room and organized the Plain City Cemetery District, and that the following be recommended to the Governor of the State of the Utah, as the first Commissioners of said subdistricts:

Albert Sharp, District Number One

Floyd A. Palmer, District Number Two

Charles Helsop, District number Three

There being no further business the meeting adjourned.

(Signed) L . M. Hess, Chairman

At the next election LeRoy Folkman replaced Charles Heslop as a Commissioner. They are as follows:

Floyd A. Palmer, Chairman

Albert Sharp

LeRoy Folkman, Secretary

During 1952, a new brick building was constructed for the pump house and caretaker. A 60’ Flag Pole was installed. Memorial Day Services were held at the Cemetery on May 30^th.

In the spring of 1953, Charles Telford was employed as a full time Sexton and Caretaker. Mr. Johnson had requested to be released because of health. Mr. Telford had great pride in his work and did an excellent job as caretaker. He always went the extra mile to help keep the grounds in beautiful shape. New chain link fencing and gates were installed at different times around the boundaries of the Cemetery.

It has been necessary to open new lots on the north side of the Cemetery. These have been seeded and made a part of the new area. There had been good planning for future growth when this extra land was purchased.

Charles Telford was stricken with a stroke while he was working at the Cemetery on June 9, 1963. He was found by a neighbor living by the Cemetery, after Lulu, had phoned her to tell Charles his dinner was ready. Mr. Telford never recovered from this. After going to the hospital he was taken to the Roy hospital where he passed away on September 25, 1967. The town of Plain City is very grateful to Charles and Lavina Telford for their faithful work.

The Sexton and Caretaker job was then taken over by Jerry Bradford and LeRoy Folkman. They have continued with very fine devoted service to the town.

In 1967, Floyd A. Palmer moved to Ogden and when the election came that fall, Abraham Maw was voted in to take his place on the Board. By then, Floyd had been helping with the Cemetery growth and improvement for 30 years. He is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this excellent town and Church programs that has gone on. Also to work with so many fine people who will continue their service and may this responsibility be passed on to those who will have a desire to continue.

SERVICEMEN’S MONUMENT

This monument was built to honor the Servicemen who serve in World War II. Photo shows it as it stands today in front of the Town Bowery and Church parking lot.

THE FOLLOWING WAS TAKEN FROM DEEDS IN POSSESSION OF MRS. GEORGE WEATHERSTON:

The townsite of Plain City was established. An act of Congress April 24, 1820, entitled, “An Act Making Further Provision For The Sale Of The Public Lands, Etc.”

Six hundred forty acres of land were provided for people of this townsite.

“Now know ye that the United States of America, by these present, do give and grant unto the said Franklin D. Richards, Judge of Weber County, in trust as aforesaid, and this successor in said trust above described, the tract as described.”

Signed: Ulysses S. Grant, USA

Utah became a territory in 1872.

INCORPORATION AND GOVERNMENT OF PLAIN CITY

In Utah the community affairs were first conducted by the President Elder, and later by the Bishopric of the L.D.S. Ward.

As all community members wanted a voice in the governing of the town, it became necessary to formulate a system whereby elections could be held and others could be voted into office.

A group public-interested men spent many hours promoting the incorporation of Plain City. Petitions had to be formulated and circulated to gain interest and cooperation of the townspeople.

A Committee had been chosen to help beautify the Plain City Cemetery. They found that the only way service could be maintained was to incorporate and thereby secure money through a tax levy.

On January 13, 1944, the Articles of Incorporation for the town of Plain City were filed in the Weber County Clerk’s office in Ogden, Utah.

Adoption of a resolution designating Palin City as an incorporated town was made and action was taken by Weber County Commissioners, George F. Simmons, Lyman M. Hess and Joseph Peterson. Appointment of a “President of the Town Board” and four “Trustees” was made to serve as a governing body until the next municipal election two years later.

A nomination was made by L. Rulon Jenkins that Dean Baker serve as President. The following were appointed to serve:

President of the Town Board . . . Dean Baker

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. Rulon Jenkins

Floyd A. Palmer

Albert Sharp

Fred L. Singleton

The cemetery district was officially created on July 19, 1945.

Town board meeting were held in the Plain City School.

Formerly, the county had jurisdiction over road improvement. Now, the town board had to assume the responsibility or road upkeep and new construction. The state tax funds, based on the population of the town, could now be secured for improvement of roads and culverts. Later, it would be used law enforcement, public works, recreation, etc.

In November, 1945, the first municipal election was held in the plain City. In 1946, the following elected men took office:

President of the Town Board . . . Elmer Carver

Trustee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floyd A. Palmer

Albert Sharp

Elwood “Dick” Skeen

Fred L. Singleton, Town Clerk

In November, 1948, the following elected men took office:

President of the Town Board . . . Elmer Carver

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floyd A. Palmer

Lawrence W. Jenkins

Clair Folkman

Lewis Vincenti

In 1948, the town board directed a beautification project on the Town Square. The five-acre park was leveled and sodded in the spring of 1949. Dairy Days had to be held on the school grounds and on neighboring property.

A granite monument was erected on the Church ground honoring those who had served in World War II.

In November, 1948, President Elmer Carver was elected to the position of Weber County Commissioner. On April 12, 1949, the duties of President of the Town Board were taken over by Floyd A. Palmer, who was appointed to succeed Mr. Carver to the post. Meetings were held with three Trustees until a fourth could be appointed. They met in the home of President Palmer.

On January 1, 1950, the following men took the oath of office:

President of the Town Board . . . . . . . . Clair M. Folkman

Trustees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lewis Vincenti (4-year term)

Lee Olsen (2-year term)

Elvin H. Maw (2-year term)

Dean Baker (2-year term)

Elvin H. Maw was appointed Town Clerk. Meetings were held at Clair Folkman’s home.

Plain City’s assessed valuation for 1950 was $390,220.00

An annual celebration was held each year on July 4^th. It was called “Potato Day.” A queen and her attendants were chosen to reign over the day. The affair was sponsored by the Town Board and the Cemetery Committee to raise funds for the upkeep of the cemetery and other purposes.

Walter Johnson was employed as caretaker of the cemetery.

On October 2, 1950, Frank Anderson became the Town Marshall. He served until August of 1951.

In 1951, Plain city joined the Municipal League. It was made up of cities and towns in the State of Utah. Years later, the name was changed to “Utah League of Cities and Towns.”

The population of Plain “City in 1951 was 829. The elected men of Plain City would now hold office four years instead of two years.

In January, 1952, the Trustees elected to the Board were:

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lee Olsen

Earl Hadley

Holdover Trustees. . . . . .Elvin H. Maw, Town Clerk

Lewis Vincenti

On April 7, 1952, Frank Hadley was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Earl Hadley, who passed away April 4, 1952.

On April 6, 1953, Rulon Chugg was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Lewis Vincenti, who passed away December 1, 1952.

In May 1953, a flagpole was installed at the Plain City Cemetery.

The Town Board discussed the possibility of bringing the following elected officers:

President of the Town Board . . . . . . . . Lee Olsen

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Merrill Jenkins

Blair Simpson

Frank Hadley

Elvin H. Maw, Town Clerk

Town Board meetings were now held at President Lee Olsen’s home and at the L.D.S Church.

Gordon Thompson was serving on the Mosquito Abatement District.

Plain City voted to have supervised control of the town dump. Victor Lund, Ezra Richardson, Elwin Taylor, Verl Stokes, and later Carston Illum have been employed as supervisors.

Plain City signed an application for culinary water.

Lights were installed on the town square for night games and recreation. A dedication ceremony was held and President Lee Olsen threw the switch for the first time on July 2, 1954.

On November 7, 1954, the new L.D.S Church was dedicated.

In 1955, public restroom were constructed on the north side of the recreation hall.

On October 25, 1955, the new addition to the Plain City School was dedicated.

A motion was made that the Town Board assist the Lion’s Club in building a water tower.

On January 2, 1956, Elvin H. Maw, Town Clerk, administered the Oath of Office to the following-elected trustees:

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . Floyd A. Palmer

Elvin Maw

Holdover Trustees. . . . Merrill Jenkins

Blair Simpson

The Town Board sponsors and assists the Plain City “Dairy Days” show each year.

Floyd A. Palmer was assigned to serve on the Board of Trustee in the Bona Vista Water District. Theron Palmer was Superintendent of Bona Vista.

The Town Board assisted the Lions Club and the Palin City Ward in building a bowery and fireplace south of the Town Square in 1957. This was completed in 1958.

Property was purchased from Llewellyn Hipwell, located west if the Lions Clubhouse for the purpose of building a Town Hall.

In January, 1958, Town Clerk, Elvin H. Maw, administrated the Oath of Office to the following elected officials:

President of the Town Board . . . . . . . . . Kent Jenkins

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . Glen Charlton

Holdover Trustees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floyd A. Palmer

Elvin H. Maw, Town Clerk

The Board signed an ordinance with Bona Vista Water District and construction of a culinary water system was begun. Surface wells and pitcher pumps would soon be a memory. The above information was taken from:

A book “ A Historical Study of Palin City “ by Fern Olsen Taylor.
Ogden Standard Examiner news clipping
Research by Clara Olsen

In 1958, Lee Carver contracted the building of the 20’ x 44’ Town Hall. In May, the new municipal building was completed to serve the Town of Plain City, under the direction of President Lee Olsen, Trustees: Floyd A. Palmer, Glen Charlton, Kent Jenkins, Elvin H. Maw, Town Clerk.

Zoning ordinances were passed.

Work on the Willard Bay was underway.

On March 17, 1959, Plain City celebrated its Centennial year. It was observed with a week of outstanding events. We wore pioneer clothing, walked to church and enjoyed many programs as we honored pioneer ancestors. One special feature was the presentation of a pageant written by a Plain City native, Mrs. Gwendolyn Jenkins Griffin, called “Sand In The Shoes.” A large cast of characters, choir, and band members participated. Wheatly and Fen Taylor were program chairmen.

A large water tower storage tank is now an important new part of the scenery in the Plain City area.

In May, 1959, letters were sent to all residents of Plain City, informing them that they were required to obtained building permits. Walter Moyes was assigned to be the building inspector.

On January 2, 1959, Theron Palmer reported that the water was turned into Plain City water lines.

In 1960, two newly-elected Trustee took Office:

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keith Blanch

Dee Cook

Holdover Trustees . . . . .Kent Jenkins

Glen Charlton, Town Clerk

The Plain City Ward was divided June 12.

The Plain City Town Board is now working with Mountain Fuel Supply Company to have natural gas piped into the town. The project is to be completed in 1961.

Plain City board members are organized a “Zoning Board.”

Palin City Improvement Council for community development was organized with executive committee members as follow:

Mayor, Lee Olsen Merrill Jenkins

Rulon Chugg Carl Taylor

Lyman Cook Clair Folkman

Mrs. Rosella Maw

In 1961, it was decided that the 40-year-old Recreation Hall would be renovated. Many hours were spent by dedicated men and women on this project.

The Plain City Town Board considered purchasing property from Bernard Poulsen for a park. It was voted down.

The population of Plain City now is near 1,5000. (Standard Examiner)

The 1962 elected officials for this term were:

President of the Town Board . . . . . . . Kent Jenkins

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glen Charlton

Holdover Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keith Blanch

Dee Cook

The Town Board approved an ordinance governing subdivisions. The board is stressing enforcement of building permits.

In January 1964, Trustees were elected to the Board:

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keith Blanch

Dee Cook

Holdover Trustees . . . . . . Kent Jenkins

Glen Charlton

Cherrill Knight became the City Recorder.

In 1965, George Fisher was hired as the Plain City Chief of Police, Later, Howard Zeigler was hired as a deputy.

In 1966, the following men were elected and took office in January:

President of the Town Board . . . . . . . Keith Blanch

Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kent Jenkins

Vernal Moyes

Holdover Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dee Cook

Rulon Chugg was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Keith Blanch.

The Town Board is supporting the Summer Recreation Program, and junior Posse activities.

George Weatherston was the first Justice of the Peace in Plain City. He resigned in 1966, and Keith Daley was appointed to that office.

On June 3, 1967, Plain City received a proclamation signed by Governor Rampton:

“Where Govern Rampton did declare Plain City a City of the Third Class.”

The former title of “President of the Town Board” will now be changed to “Mayor”. Keith Blanch was the first to be officially called “Mayor of Plain City.”

The title of “Trustees” will be changed to “Councilmen”. There will now be five councilmen instead of four.

In April 1967, the recently renovated recreation hall was destroyed by fire.

In 1968, three new councilmen were elected and installed. The Oath of Office was administered by Keith Daley:

Councilmen . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rulon Chugg

James E. Brown

Lynn P. Folkman

Holdover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kent Jenkins

Vernal Moyes

In November, 1968, Palin City approved the “Sewer Bond Issue” by a 228 to 69 vote. Plans for the project are underway with work to be completed in 1969.

Mayor Keith Blanch became the manager of the Plain City-Farr West Sewer System.

“Mans First Trip To The Moon” – July, 1969.

In January, 1970, the following officials took the Oath of Office:

Mayor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keith Blanch

Councilmen . . . . . . . . . .Kent Jenkins

Melvin Cottle

Vernal Moyes

Holdover Councilmen. . Lynn Folkman

Rulon Chugg

Cherrill Knight resigned her position as City Recorder and Lucille White took her place.

Plain City annexed 57 acres of land bordering on the South of the town to become “Pioneer Village.”

A Railroad line was constructed along the north side of Plain City extending to little Mountain where the Great Salt Lake Minerals and Chemical Corporation is located.

On November 27, 1971, the new Bank of Utah was dedicated in Plain City.

Two newcomers and one incumbent won elections in 1972. Keith Daley administered the Oath of Office to :

Councilmen . . . . . . . . . . . . .Darwin Taylor

Wayne Cottle

Lynn Folkman

Holdover Councilmen. . . . . .Vernal Moyes

Kent Jenkins

On October 23, 1973, the council asked for bids and plans for new restrooms to be constructed west of the concession stand on the Town Square. They accepted the bid of Verl Rawson for $5,000.00

In January 1974, Keith Daley, justice of the Peace, administered the Oath of Office to the following who were elected in November, 1973:

Mayor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lee Olsen

Councilmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Thomas

William VanHulten

Holdover Councilmen. . . . . . . . Wayne Cottle

Darwin Taylor

Lynn P. Folkman

In 1974 Kelly Hipwell was hired as full-time “Public Works Director” for Palin City. Walter Johnson and Elbert Moyes have served as Public Works’ employees. Carson Illum is presently “Plain City Public Works” employee.

Lucille White resigned and Diane Taylor became the City Recorder.

Plain City endorsed the Mass Transit Proposition.

The new Weber High School was dedicated March 28, 1974, in Pleasant View. Plain City students attend Weber High School and Wahlquist junior High School.

England Builder’s Lumber Company was heavily damaged by fire on April 6, 1975.

The Lions building was restored by the Plain City Lion’s Club. The building was formerly the Episcopal Church built in 1877.

Residents of Plain City were asked to post “House Numbers”.

Ground breaking was held for the new “Pioneer Park” racetrack in the northeast part of Plain City, in 1975.

“The Bicentennial Year” – 1976 – three new councilmen were elected:

Councilmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ralph A. Taylor

Delmar L. Tanner

Holdover Councilmen . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Thomas

William VanHulten

In July, 1976, the assessed valuation of Plain City was $2,862.521.000.

New subdivision ordinances have been formed.

The property of Bernard Poulsen was purchased for a park. The 20 acres will be developed for posse drills and future recreation.

The Utah Transit Bus Service was initiated in Plain City in 1977.

The population in March of 1976, was approximately 2,300.

Those now serving on the Plain City Planning Commission are:

Boyd Parke, Chairman

Frank Hadley

Paul Knight

Darwin Taylor

Farrell Bingham

Those now serving on the Plain City Board of Adjustments:

Orlo Maw, Chairman Lee Painter

Garry Skeen Farrell Bingham

Archie Hunt

The above information beginning in 1959, was taken from the Ogden Standard Examiner newspaper articles and the Palin City Council minutes.

Clara Olsen

Mayors

Ball Park with Concession Stand built by the Town in the background

Bowery built by the Town and the Lions Club [Milo James Ross finished off cement on Bowery]

Dean A. Baker

Submitted By Beverly B. Eddy

The town of Plain City was incorporated, approved and effective January 13, 1944. Dean A. Baker worked many long hours helping to organize the Town Board when Plain City was incorporated and served as Plain City’s first mayor, January 13, 1944.

During World War II (with the help of scouts) Dean gathered scrap iron from all over the surrounding area, hauled it to Plain City and piled it in the town square, to help in the was effort. According to a letter he has from the Governor of Utah, Plain City collected more iron than any other community in the state of Utah. When the iron was sold, the money was used to help finance the incorporation of the town and to build a monument (located in the center of town) honoring all the Plain City men and women who served in the armed services.

Dean Baker helped organized the first Plain City cemetery District in the State of Utah, July 19, 1945.

The Plain City Lion’s Club was chartered May 11, 1948 with 65 charter members. Dean Baker was chosen for their charter president. The history of the Plain City Lion’s Club is an inspiring one of unselfish service to the community.

Some years ago, Dean was asked (in an interview concerning the Lion’s International) how he felt about his Lion’s Club activities? His answer was “I’ve enjoyed everything I have ever done in the Lion’s Club and was always well paid in the satisfaction that comes from doing something for others. But the Lion’s have done more for me that I ever did for them. When I was seriously ill and recovering at home after some major surgery, the Plain City Lion’s came down to my place and harvested over 20 acres of corn for me. They showed up here with over 20 trucks, tractors and corn Choppers, harvested my crop, hauled it to the pits and put it away. Then they all went home and harvested their own crops. But nine was the first crop harvested. You ask me what I think of the Lion’s Club? Mister, I love ‘em.” –and great big tears rolled unashamedly—the guy really meant it. The Lion’s Club has done this for many other people. The Lion’s Club is the largest service club in the world.

Some years ago Dean Baker acquired the old Episcopalian Church building (built in 1878) in Plain City. He offered this building to the Lion’s Club for a club house. In order for the club to finance the purchase (which would return only his investment in the property) he deeded the property to the club and allowed them to sell two-thirds of it. This raised part of the funds and the club put on queen contest and other promotions to raise the balance. Dean organized and helped with these promotions until the money was raised.

The Lion’s have completely remodeled the building several times. They now have a beautiful clubhouse, which they have turned over to the Town Board for use as a Civic Center available to all.

Dean Baker was an Air Raid Warden in Plain City and went to meetings every week. Just about the whole time of the war. Meetings were held at the City and County building in Ogden.

Dean was chairman of the first Potato Day Queen Contest Celebration, which was held for many years thereafter. At this celebration there were well over one hundred horses. They held horse shows, children’s races and parades. The celebration committee gave away horses and saddles and other prizes and still made $1,000 or more for the town. This was one of the biggest events of the year and everyone participated. There were wrestling matches. Flag raising ceremonies to start the day off. Later in the day, Dean held a Rodeo in his pasture just west of the town square by his barn. Many of the young boys and girls riding calves. Horse races were also held. Everyone had a great day.

The old Singleton Home, and is presently owned by a daughter, Art and Florence Singleton Simpson

Picture of Merlin England Milk Truck in front of the Cream O’ Weber Diary located between 25th and 26th Street on Ogden Avenue. He hauled milk for many, many years. Many people would ride into town and home with Merl England in those days.

It was nearly one hundred years ago that a small band of families broke away from the Mormon Church in Plain City, Utah, to once again embrace the Episcopal faith. That summer of 1876, representatives of these 13 families met with the Rev. James Gillogly to ask his help in forming a new congregation.

Rev. Gillogly encouraged the brethren by traveling to Plain City from Ogden, where the tiny congregation would hold church services in the public school house. The ten mile trip was made regularly, regardless of weather conditions.

Finally, an appeal was made through the “Spirit of Missions” asking church members in the east for money to build a church. A corner lot of one acre was purchased for $150, and another $100 was all it took for the people of Plain City to build their long-awaited church.

The resulting dusty red, adobe brick building is a monument to the perseverance of those early settlers. Erected in 1877, the building still stands today—and is in better shape than ever because of the recent Bicentennial efforts of the Plain City Lions Club. [Built by William Sharp]

The Lions actually took an active interest in the old church on 1952. Members needed a place to meet, but with no other space available, decided that the church was the most likely spot.

They intended to buy the building, but were hampered by the lack of funds in the club’s coffers. Turning down the offer of a loan from two businessmen in town, the club raised their funds through a Memorial Day celebration and the sale of two lots from the church’s one acre of ground.

The building was finally theirs. Members fixed it up, and even added a modern new kitchen, restrooms and a furnace room. By 1974, however, the old structure had nearly succumbed to weather, time and vandalism.

The Bicentennial restoration of the original church was voted to be a most appropriate way to celebrate America’s heritage. A new roof was put on. Double doors decorated the front entrance. Aluminum windows and screens were attached to keep the harsh weather out. Cement windows sills were built to replace the rotting wood. Inside, a new hardwood floor and draperies finished the church’s now-modern décor.

Wheatley Taylor, club president, took a personal interest in the church’s “memorial bell,” carted to the little western town in 1878 to sit atop the building’s belfry. “We believe it is the first church bell to ring in Plain City,” he said, adding, “When we took the bell down, the wood just came apart in our hands.”

Taylor scoured the state in search of a craftsman who could repair the cracks in the metal bell. While cleaning the bell, he found an inscription which explains the bell’s name. Engraved on the huge 500 pound bell is the inscription, “in Memorial Rev. James Lee Gillogly Obit XIV Feb. MDCCCLXXXI.”

The bell now sits atop the church, nestled in a new belfry.

Once again, the Lions Club coffers were exhausted. The club made application to the Bicentennial Committee for funds and also asked that the building be named a historical site. Cooperation was received on both counts, Lions report.

The building has turned into a true civic center for the 2,000 residents of Plain City. The Lions Club entertains townspeople by scheduling special programs in the completely-renovated building.

Other civic groups also use the center for their special purpose. When town meetings draw an overflow crowd, they are naturally moved next door to the larger quarters of the Lions Civic Center.

Clean, light and airy, with sparkling new metal chairs, the interior belies the building’s historic façade.

Although most of the work was done recently as part of the club’s Bicentennial efforts, members’ original restoration work back in the 1950’s has not been forgotten. In 1962, the Plain City Lions Club was presented with the state’s D. A . Skeen Award, in honor of the past International President who spent his childhood years in Plain City.

Through much hard work and effort by the Lions, not only is the building now restored, but so are the integrity and strength that forged it in the beginning a hundred years ago.

DAVID ALFRED SKEEN

Submitted by Roxy Heslop

David Alfred Skeen was the sponsor of the Plain City Lions Club. He was born 13 May 1885 in Palin City, the son of Lyman Stoddard Skeen and Electra Phelomila Dixon Skeen. His father came to Plain City with the first group that arrived 17 March 1959.

The family seemed to be very interested in education when few people thought of attending college. D. A. Skeen was an attorney in Salt Lake. His brothers, Jedidiah D. and W. Riley were also attorneys. His oldest brother Lyman, 14 years older, was a medical doctor who was very brilliant but passed away at the age of 35.

There were eleven children born in Plain City and were very progressive people. At thew death of their mother, their father married Annie Skelton and they had eight children all born in Palin City. Ivy Marsden, Leona Freestone, Jennie Cook and Elwood Skeen are living (1977) and are happy to claim Plain City is a choice place.

D. A. Skeen, founder of Lionism in Utah, charter member and first president in 1921 of the Salt Lake City Lion’s Club is a native Utah son. He was born at Plain City. Lion D. A. Skeen served as District Governor of District 28 in 1922. At that time District 28 included all of Utah and part of Idaho. He continued to be very active in Lionism and was elevated to the position of International President in 1944.

During the United Nations Conference held in San Francisco in 1945 he served with Melvin Jones, founder of Lionism, as a Consultant and Special Delegation. He was a Consultant and Special Delegate to the Paris Peace Conference in 1946. He was an ardent supporter if the United Nations and was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association for the United Nations.

Past President Skeen has served with distinction and has witnessed the growth and development of Lionism throughout the World.

Sunday, 11 February 2024 by Sagacity

History of Plain City Pt 5

One copy belonged to my Grandparents Milo and Gladys Ross. My Grandpa has written various notes inside the history which I intend to include in parenthesis whenever they appear. They add to the history and come from his own experience and hearing. This one is fun as it includes the history of my Great Great Great Grandparents William and Mary Ann Sharp and also references my Great Great Grandfather Milo Riley Sharp.

History of Plain City March 17th 1859 to present, pages 58 through 75.

William MATHERS

Submitted by Augusta Nash

William Mathers was born in Scotland and came here as a convert to the church. He was a sort of an eccentric man, but he had many special talents and hobbies. He had the finest gun collection for many miles around and loved to decorate the stock with designs of inlaid gold. He was very efficient in this. He also was a taxidermist and did beautiful work in this field. There were few who could match this hunting abilities and the days when few men had enough money to engage in the sport, he became the guide and leader for many well to do men from the city when they came out to hunt. He also was the quarantine official in the days when contagious diseases were quarantined, and he filled this capacity with the utmost integrity, believing absolutely in the law.

Mr. Mathers withi his bag of ducks in front of his shop where he displayed his guns and taxidermy

FRED J. KENLEY

SUBMITTED BY AUGUSTA NASH

Fred J. Kenley started working as a rural mail carrier in 1902, from the main Post Office on Twenty Fourth Street in Ogden. A branch was soon established at Five Points known as Station A. From there two rural Carriers (Routes 2 and 3) and one city carrier sorted their mail and left for their routes. Mr. Kenley’s route (2) consisted of delivery through Harrisville, Farr West, Plain City, Slaterville, and Marriott. A distance of about thirty miles. His first conveyance being a horse and cart, later a buggy and horse. In 1916 he purchased his first Model T Ford. There is much that could be written about the difficulties of delivering the mail; bad weather, bad roads, etc., but he never missed one day. I became his substitute for a long time. He was retired in 1933 by Pres. Roosevelt to help provide jobs to younger men.

Mr. Kenley served the community in other ways. He was a great lover of music and played the clarinet. He with his brother William, who played the violin, and a friend Seth Harper, who played the piano, played for dances all over Weber County. For m any years they entertained in activities all over. Then Mr. Kenley had a choir. In those years almost everyone belonged to the choir. Their weekly practices were held and nothing took place over them. They sang for church, and for entertainment all over Weber County. He took great delight in the accomplishments of this choir. It was second only to the Ogden Tabernacle choir. He was a great scholar and teacher and a Scout Master.

Fred J. Kenley-his first conveyance being a horse & cart

Fred J. Kenley-his later conveyance being a horse & buggy

HISTORY OF PLAIN CITY AS SEEN BY MERLIN ENGLAND

I was born on December 17, 1895, on the same lot that now live on, in a little adobe room. Walter Draney was born on the same day in Plain city. We went to school together and he was a very dear friend. When I was six years old the school was where Walt Christensen lives now. If memory serves me right, Elmer Carver and I are the only two left that attended that school. I can remember three of my teachers; one was Merrill Jenkins’ mother, one was Mae Stewart, who lived just across the road from where I live now. The other was Mrs. Skeen, Ivy Carver’s mother. I can remember Dad tell about the first school which was on the south side of the square. Every Monday morning each of the students took 25 cents to pay the teacher for her wages.

When I was a Deacon, our Quorum took care of the meeting house. There were two stoves, one on each side. It was the Deacon’s work to keep coal and wood for the fires in the wintertime. Richard Lund was the Quorum teacher. Our meeting was Monday night. He had a good singing voice and we had to sing or he wanted to know why. On Saturdays, we would take two horses, a hay rack and our lunch to the north range and cut sagebrush for all the windows in Plain City. The next Saturday we would go in groups and cut the sagebrush into kindling for these ladies. We had a lot of good times and as I remember, there was very little swearing or taking the Lord’s name in vain at any time.

When we went to school, a child’s birthday was celebrated by a surprise party. We had many good times together. Our parties usually broke up at no later than 9:30, I can remember when the dance hall stood where Lynn Folkman’s new home is now. Sometimes later a dance hall was built west of where the church now stands. It later burned down. Many people enjoyed good times at the old dance hall. We had a picture show on Saturday nights. Pete Poulsen and William Hunt took charge of the tickets.

In those days my Father ran a store on the lot where I now live.

It would take all day with team and wagon to bring the dry goods from Ogden. I can remember when the first telephone came to Plain City. My Father gave the telephone company permission to put the switchboard in the back of the store. They took two of my sisters to be switchboard operators. Father and Abram Maw’s grandfather owned the first two telephones. When the phone was put throughout the town, it cost $1.00 a month. Many the night my Father came and got me out of bed and I saddled my pony and delivered a telephone message of a death or of a sick friend to someone in Plain City at all hours of the night. If you needed a doctor, it would take an hour for him to get out this far because it was all horse and buggy. If he needed to stay into the night, it was up to the person who called him to see that his horse was taken proper care of.

Some of the women brought their butter to trade for groceries. Mostly it was a 20 cent a pound trade. Salmon was 10 cents and 15 cents a can. You could buy a work shirt for 65 cents, a pair of shoes for $2.00

The first job I had to earn money was driving cows. I had to drive Father’s cows, so William Hunt and James Stewart hired me to drive their cows. I received 50 cents a month from each of them.

At one time in Plain City there were many people orchards. A lot of the apples were hauled to Salt Lake by team and wagon. It would take three days to go. If you were lucky, you could sell the apples in one day at anywhere from 40 cents to 60 cents a bushel. It would taker a whole day to get home again.

I can remember the first canning factory. They had to haul the cans from Ogden by team and rig with canvas wrapped around them. After the tomatoes were canned, they had to haul to West Weber or Ogden by team to the railroad.

My father, Thomas England, John Maw, and Lyman Skeen were the three men appointed to the committee to bring the railroad from Harrisville to Plain City and Warren. That increased the sugar beets by many acres because the railroad would do the hauling out.

The first gravel roads we had in Plain City were made with rock that was crushed at the west end of Pleasant View, North Ogden, and Ogden, and was hauled to Plain City and Hooper by team and wagon. The men would do it in the winter when work was hard to find. One man would put in three days a week, and then another would work the other three.

I married Florence Taylor February 4, 1914, in the Logan Temple. In 1916, I bought the old Boyd place where the family then lived. There was no school bus at the time, so the children had to get to school the best way they could. Then they would hurry home from school to do their chores and help their mother with dinner. I spoke to the picture shows they had on Saturday nights. Our car would leave home with our girls in it. By the time we got there, the car was full with one or two on the running board besides.

I hauled milk by team and wagon to Farr West to the skimming station and then hauled the whey back to the farmers. The plant was located near where Ernie Jensen now lives. Two years later, Weber Central Dairy brought the ole Black and Griffin Building on 26^th and Wall, and I hauled milk there for six years.

When I was hauling milk, George Palmer, who was crippled quite badly, was put in as Bishop. He didn’t have an automobile and so once a month when I would pick up his milk, he would put the Church money in three different money sacks to three different banks and give it to me. I would take the money to the banks and being the receipts and the sacks back to him. Bishop Palmer told me many a time that he didn’t know how he could have done that service.

I am 80 years old. I have a wonderful family and I think the world of them. I good health and I am thankful for my parents and my name. I have lived in Plain City all of my life and I have many wonderful friends.

The year 1905 is the date given that the first telephone came to Plain City. The first telephone switchboard was located in the store owned by Thomas England. There were three long-distance lines. A system of record keeping was to have twenty calls, then registered.

The first exchange was operated by the family of Mr. England. Lillian England was the chief operator. Her salary was $25.00 a month. Lester England, Wilford England, and Hazel Kennedy were relief operators. They were paid $15.00 a month for their services. Service was provided for Weber, Warren, Palin City, Farr West, and possibly Slaterville.

Later, the telephone company lent money to build a telephone exchange building on the spot where marvel England’s home now stands. It was dismantled when no longer needed.

Telephones were few and far between in early Plain City. Mr. Thomas Jenkins told of walking from his home to the home of Henry T. Maw to use the phone in the middle of the night.

Later on, more telephones were installed; party lines with 8 to 10 families were common. The telephones helped to bring the boundaries of the town closer together.

The box-on-the-wall type of telephone was later replaced with the more modern cradle-portable phone. Then, a great step was taken with a few people having private lines, and reduction of parties on a line. This really helped to have all those rings eliminated for every other party on the line. Then more recently, many homes have telephones in the various rooms of their homes.

In the summer and fall of 1973, the biggest change took place. The old telephone lines were replaced with an underground cable with many lines in it. This helped most families to now have a private line. This removal of the old poles and wires has added much to the appearance of the town.

On December 17, 1976, Merlin England said, “today is my eight-first birthday, and it’s the first day in my life I have ever known when there wasn’t a telephone pole one-third of the way through the lot on the east side. Other poles have replaced the original one during my life time, but today the telephone company came and finished putting our lines underground and removed that pole.”

There are a few places in Plain City where the cable is still in the air. The initial project for private line services with the cable placed underground was during the spring and summer of 1973. The completion date for the big push was October of 1973.

The first telephone switchboard for Plain City was located in the back of the store owned by Thomas England. It was located on the same lot where Merlin England was born and lives, 4275 W 2650 N. The store was just west of the England home. The first two telephones in Plain City were those of the Senior Abram Maw and Thomas England. The charge of service was $1.00 per month. If a connection was wanted outside of the Plain City area, Lillian England, the switchboard operator would connect with the Ogden operator who would make further connections. There was no dial system at that time.

The telephone office and switchboard was later moved to the location on the lot where Marvel England now lives.

Merlin England and his wife, Florence, lived in this telephone building part of 1914 and 1915.

WILLIAM DOLBY SKEEN

SUBMITTED BY BEVERLY B. EDDY

William Dolby Skeen and Mary Davis Skeen were among the first settlers of Plain City. William Skeen owned the first settlers of Plain City. William Skeen owned a race track in the south end of Plain City, which was then called four mile, now known as Pioneer Village. He owned two famous race horses, which he brought from Europe.

William Dolby Skeen also built the first rock house in Plain City. The rocks used to build this house were hailed from the Hot Springs Mountain area.

Old Rock House build by William Dolby Skeen as it appears today.

THE OLD ROCK HOUSE

SUBMITTED BY NELDA ETHERINGTON

William Dolby and Caroline Skeen’s log house was one of the early ones in Plain City. After living in it for a short time, he added an adobe section to it. In 1862 he erected a stone house securing his rock at the Utah Hot Springs and hauling it in by oxen. William Sharp, an early brick mason, laid the stones and helped Thomas Singleton in doing the carpenter work. Mary Anne Skeen Etherington was born in the log cabin and was one of the first babies in Plain City.

Ebenezer Clawson Richardson purchased the rock house from William Skeen in 1868 and it remained in the Richardson family for almost a hundred years. The rock house is now owned by John Etherington, a Great-Grandson of William Skeen.

Two of Ebenezer’s three wives shared the house. Polly Ann Child, wife #2, had the west three rooms and her sister wife #3 Phebe, had the east rooms, with the kitchen in the center. Both shared the “Front Room”. There had been a stairway in the Front Room, but, it was taken out to make more room so the boys had only a ladder to a small balcony on the south side to get to their bedrooms.

The Richardsons were noted for their hospitality, and many parties and dances were held in the big front room. Ebenezer played the fiddle and also played it for the community dances and entertainment. At one time the boys had no shoes, which was not unusual for that day, so they pooled their money and bought a pair of shoes and the boys took turns wearing them at the dances.

Ebenezer was forced to go to California to work in the gold mines in 1873. While he was there his foot was crushed by a falling rock. Infection set in and he died on September 27, 1874. Two sisters Polly and Phebe continued to share the home until 1905 when Polly Ann died and Phebe bought her share.

The children grew up and one by one left to make homes of their own. Some of the boys brought their brides home for awhile. While one of the boys and his wife were living there, they had a set of premature twins which were buried under the grape vines that used to be in the center of the lot.

In September, 1907, Phobe’s son Charlie, decided to buy the Old Rock House with his wife Amanda, and their six children Joe, Sarah, Mary Lodisa, Orpha, and Angeline. They left Pocatello, Idaho with all their worldly belongings in two covered wagons. The Old Rock House was alive again with the clatter and clamor of children after having stood empty for a few months.

They loved it there and soon had a lot of dear friends. The three Grieve girls, Laura, Emma, and Ellen, the three Mc Elroy girls, Zara, Vesey, and Helen, and the Richardson girls all grew up like one happy family, sharing fun times and sometimes some squabbles, but always making up like real sisters. The Grieves’ had three tots, Willie, Violet, and Pete, little cherubs, mothered by all the girls until they didn’t know which house was their home. It was a lot of fun to sleep in the spooky upstairs in the hayloft in Mc Elroy’s barn, while Mary and Zara competed in who could tell the scariest ghost stories.

Sometimes, Mr. Mc Elroy would bring his Edison Phonograph over and play records all evening. Amanda Richardson always found something to serve for refreshments and Charlie would bring in a long plank to place across two chairs to make seating room for the neighbors and children. One of the favorite records was “Wearing of the Green” by Henry Louder.

The first Richardson to live I the Old Rock House were Ebenezer and Polly. Their children were Warren, Ebenezer, Angeline, and Levi. Phebe’s children were Amanda, Charles, Franklin, Cornelius, Chancy, Alfred, Myron, William Ezra, and Joseph having been born in the rock house. Ebenezer C. Richardson was the father of 34 children, not all which lived to maturity.

The old Rock house has been a home to many people, its memory will live on for a long time.

Skeen Family, Back (l-r) Alex, Catherine, and Frenz Denial Skeen; Front: Clara Loretta, Mary Davis, and William Delbert

Mary Davis Skeen was born in Llanelly, Wales, and arrived in Salt Lake Valley, Christmas Day 1856. On March 17, 1859, she arrived in Plain City with the first settlers. She was then a girl of thirteen years and was one of two single girls in the entire company.

Mary Davis Skeen went through all the hardships incidents to a pioneer life, but always bore these hardships bravely.

During an epidemic of small pox, she buried her last child. Three boys in all. Two of these children died in the same night. They were all buried at night and through fear of the dreaded disease, friends dared not to go near to offer their sympathy, in this dark hour. Six children were born to her after this.

It is believed that Mary Davis’ mother, Mary Eyenon Davis, had the first flower garden in Plain City.

MARY ANN BAILY PADLEY SHARP

WILLIAM SHARP

William Sharp, born December 10, 1825, in [Misson], Nottingham, England, married Mary Ann Padley in St. Louis. She was born November 28, 1828, in [Mattersey], Nottingham, England. They came across the plains in the Moses Clawson Company arriving in Salt Lake on September 15, 1853. They went to Lehi but the land was not too good and there was no good grazing for their cattle, so they left with the main group that settled in Plain City, arriving March 17, 1859. The children that came with them were Lorenzo Padley, Annie Elizabeth, and Milo Riley. Their daughter, Evelyn was the first white baby girl born in Plain City on October 12, 1859.

The family lived in a wagon box while they built a log and adobe cabin. William Sharp was a carpenter and mason and made some of the first adobe. He helped build many of the first buildings in Plain City.

Submitted by Albert Sharp

JOHN MAW

SUBMITTED BY IRENE SKEEN AND

DOROTHEA DeYOUNG

Many many men did a great deal to make Plain City what it is today and one of these was John Maw.

He was born in Plain City, January 16, 1868, the second son of Abraham and Eliza Tripp Maw, who had migrated here from Root, Lincolnshire, England. He received his formal education in the Plain City Public School and the Weber State Academy.

He married Annie C. Poulsen, daughter of Andreas Peder and Hansene Hansen Poulsen, November 5, 1890, in the Logan Temple. From this union came eight children, Wilmer J., Abram, Irene, and Ira (twins), R. Rufus, Gilbert E., George C., and Dorothea.

Mr. Maw, soon after his marriage, was associated with ZCMI store in Plain City for five years, following which he spent many years in the sheep business, along with farming. He had a large farm and gave many young men, at that time employment. To some, it was a lifetime career. At that time John Maw was given credit for “having taught many young men in Plain City to work”, because he was such a hard worker himself, he expected an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay from those who worked for him. It was often said, “We receive extra pay for working for John Maw because of the extra good food his good wife serves.”

Much of his farming during his lifetime also included truck gardening. He was also engaged in the cattle business which he remained active in until the time of his death. One unfortunate experience he had with cattle happened in 1932. The cattle were crossing Frist Creek, north-west of Plain City, when the ice broke. He lost 42 head of cattle. He made the statement “Well, those who have them have to lose them, because the ones that don’t have them can’t.”

In 1896, Mr. Maw, with others, was instrumental in building canning factory in Plain City. He was a member of the board and later was appointed manager. In the spring of 1920 he purchased the building and moved part of it to be used as the John Maw & Sons Store (later known as W.J. Maw & Sons). This store stood on the property west of the present bowery and extended back to the south end of the present church parking lot. As time went on the building was added on to. The store began as a grocery, hardware, lumber, coal, potato, and onion business. In 1928 the company became a Case Farm Machinery Dealer. After 1937 additional machinery lines were added and in 1948 the Surge Dairy Equipment line was taken over. In the early days of the store there was a wrestling ring in the upstairs of the store and wrestling and boxing matches were held. Roller skating also took place in the upstairs. The warehouse across the street was built in 1940 for potato, onion, and equipment storage. In 1963 the property was sold to the LDS Church and the buildings were later torn down. He also owned the store for some time that is now the Plain City Confectionery in which was sold mainly dry goods and confections and items not sold in the other store.

In 1907 & 1908 John Maw, Lyman Skeen and Mr. Eccles, head of the Utah – Idaho Railroad Company, negotiated for a railroad to Plain City. On Nov. 15, 1909 the first railroad was built into Plain City. This made a great difference in the lives of people living in the town because goods could be brought in and sent out more rapidly and people had transportation. Mr. Maw traveled to the east each spring to buy and ship home seed potatoes for the farmers, so with the railroad they could be brought directly to Plain City.

He served as Sheriff of Palin City for 16 years. Along with others, he was involved with overseeing the building of the addition to the old church, and upstairs amusement hall and classrooms. Some years later he helped to raise the money and helped to oversee the construction of the old dance hall. It was known, at the time, as the open-air dance hall because so much of it was screen with drop shutters. It was later closed in and modernized some. Still later it was completely remodeled and used by the church for various reason, but later burned down.

At the time the Utah Power & Light Company was wiring the town of Plain City for electricity, in about 1912, four men lived at john Maw’s home while working here. They first wired the town and then began wiring the houses. They hadn’t planned to connect any homes to the main line until all the homes were wired, but the working men found out that it was Mrs. Maw’s birthday on June 13^th and decided to surprise her with the first lights in Plain City. They completed the hookup, even installing the light globes, and while the family were eating their evening meal one of the men slipped away and pushed the switch that turned all the lights on, inside and out. Every room of the two story house was lit up. Also Mrs. Maw’s family presented her with an electric washing machine that night. Because everyone had looked forward a long time with anticipation to having electricity there were many visitors at the Maw home that night.

With all the many things John Maw was interested in and accomplished, one would have to say that his great love, his greatest concern and his ability to look into the future was with the irrigation work he did. He was connected with the Plain City Irrigation Company and the Weber River Users Association. He was president of the Plain City Irrigation Co. for about twenty-five years and a director of the Weber River Users Association, generally spoken of as Echo Project, for the most of thirty-five years. In this time, he served as vice president and also a member of the executive committee. He was greatly involved and worked on installation of siphons under railroad tracks and under the Ogden River, enabling farmers of the district to get their irrigation water direct from the Weber River. During this project, which was a tremendous one, he lost of one of his best horses in quicksand. In this association with the Echo Dam Project, he purchased much of the land for that project.

One of the highlights of Mr. and Mrs. Maw’s married life was their trip to Europe to meet their youngest son George as he was returning from a mission to South Africa. They were able to visit the native lands of their parents and many others. They were gone for three months.

Mr. Maw was a very thoughtful man and deeply concerned about the welfare of others. While in business, for Christmas he would deliver a ton of coal to the widows and needy families. He would also kill some of his beef cattle and take meat to those people. Of course, he didn’t limit this to only Christmas time but as he saw peoples need.

At the time of his illness, he was in the hospital in extreme pain but even then he was worried about the water situation. We had such a dry spring and the crops were not coming up, so everyone was praying for rain, and whenever anyone entered his room he would say “Is it raining?”

He passed away May 27, 1936, at the age of sixty-eight. His funeral was held May 31^st in the old Ogden Tabernacle. It was very strange – whether it was I answer to people’s prayers, a coincidence that it happened at that time, or as many people thought a tribute to him for his great work in irrigation and his concern for other people, that the rain came down in torrents, before, during, and for some time after the funeral. It was like the very heavens had opened to let down rain.

One speaker at the funeral said in tribute to him, “I think I can properly say that John Maw is as near a human dynamo as I have ever met. He was full of energy and spent an unusual active life. He thrived on obstacles. It seemed no obstacle was too great for him to tackle, and he usually succeeded. It just seemed to whet his determination to be under difficulties, and he always wanted to carry his load.” He has been missed greatly by his family, his friends and associates.

LYMAN SKEEN HOME

The home was built about 1870 and was added onto several times. It is still standing and is owned today by George and Charleen Cook.

Right to Left… Lyman S. Skeen (1850), Sabra Alice Skeen (1887-91), Electa P. Dixon (1852), Isabelle Skeen (Charlton) ( 1889), Lyman Skeen (1871)-away at medical school, Charles Skeen (1872), Joseph Skeen (1876), David Skeen (1885), Emma Jane Skeen (1881), Electa Skeen (Johnson) (1879), and Mary Ellen Skeen (Rawson) ( 1883). Picture was taken in the summer of 1889.

AUGUSTA K. KENLEY HOME

Augusta K. Kenley was born in Germany and came here as a convert to the church. On September 23, 1894 there was a small church located directly across the road from her home. It was called the Poplar Branch and Sunday School, primary, Religious Classes, as well as day school were held here. Room was scarce and so for many years she prepared two or three rooms of her home every Sunday morning for the smaller children who marched over and had their classes in her home. She had small benches made to fit her children and each Sunday as she cleaned her rooms the benches were put into another room to be kept clean and dry for the next week. They were never put outside. It is not known exactly how many years this was carried out, but the church did away with the Poplar Branch and was joined with the Plain City people. The picture shows Augusta K. Kenley and her home. It was later moved by Lynn Folkman to 2230 North 4350 West and is still owned by him.

EARLY HOMES

Home of Andrew Peter Poulsen. Karan Kirstina, Pedar, Annie, Petra, Sena, Andrew Peter, Hans P. Poulsen

Later the home of Hans Poulsen, and now the home of Bernard Poulsen. The home has been remodeled.

The addition on the north or left side was the store run by Jens P. Folkman, and later by Peter M. Folkman. Peter M. Folkman built an addition to the store with a meat market and cooler for the meat.

HENRY JAMES GARNER

SUBMITTED BY RULON B. GARNER

Henry James Garner was born June 9, 1855, in Ogden, Utah. He was the son of Henry Garner and Melvina M. Browning. Henry Garner Sr. was the son of Phillip Garner who was a member of the Mormon Batallion. When mustered out in California, he returned to Utah, bringing the first pound of alfalfa seed to Utah.

Henry J. Garner was married to Eliza Ann Ballantyne January 31, 1884. Eight children were born by this union.

In 1894, Henry J. Garner came to Plain City as store manager for Zion Cooperative, where he worked from 1884 to 1894. The Plain City store was located on the northwest corner of his block from the town square. Later he and Robert Maw bought the store together and operated it as a partnership. They also owned some sheep. About a year later, Henry J. Garner bought a farm and a house (the O. J. Swenson property). He operated this first store until he bought one of the old smelter buildings out near the Utah Hot Springs. This was about 1906. The building was too large to move in one piece, so he employed George Streeter, who sawed the building in half, and he put bob sleighs under each half and when the snow was sufficient, they moved the smelter building and set it up about a half block south of the first store. There it was set on a foundation and reconditioned as a General Merchandise Store. The name of the store was Henry J. Garner & Sons. He operated this store and farm until 1922, when he sold them, and retired. He then operated a chicken business until 1925. He then sold out in Plain City and bought a house in Ogden, Utah, at 3135 Ogden Avenue.

In 1897, he was elected school trustee with S. P Draney and Milo Sharp. He served four years. The school districts were then consolidated and one large school house was built. Prior to this time, school was conducted in three, one-room school houses. On June 16, 1901, the L.D.S. Sunday School was organized with Henry J. Garner, Superintended, O. C. Raymond, first Assistant. and L. R. Jenkins, Second Assistant, Clara Jenkins as Secretary, and George Hunt, Treasurer. He served as first counsel to Bishop George W. Bramwell, with Peter M. Folkman as second counselor. On June 28, 1906, Bishop Bramwell resigned, and Henry J. Garner was selected as Bishop to fill his vacancy. Peter M. Folkman was first counselor, Peter B. Green, second counselor. Stake authorities present were L. W. Shurtliff and C. F. Middleton.

Henry J. Garner’s wife Eliza died of an accident with an electric washing machine on October 23, 1916. He married Jane Liddle Warner, May 1, 1918, in the Salt Lake Temple.

After Henry J. garner was released from the Bishopric, he was a member of the North Weber Stake of the L.D.S. Church until he moved to Ogden in 1925.

Henry J. Garner died April 6, 1934 at the age of 79.

Henry James Garner when he moved to Plain City in 1894

Henry J. Garner and wife Jane L. Warner Garner, Milton Garner, Leona Warner

LYMAN SKEEN CONSTRUCTION CAMP

These are part of the men and women, teams of horses and equipment, that worked and built the railroad near the Hot Springs. Left To Right: The man holding the hand plow on the left is Sant Manson. Charles Skeen is holding the white team. Blaine Skeen is the boy in front. Lyman Skeen is the man standing in front. Louis Carver, a son-in law of Lyman Skeen. He also served as timekeeper for the company. We cannot identify any of the others.

THE MC ELROY STORE

George and Martha Mc Elroy moved to Plain City from Philadelphia, Pa., with their two sons, George Jr. and Bill. They purchased the land where the garage and the “Old Mc Elroy Home” stands, from William and Mina Gampton for $600.00 in September, 1903.

Mr. Mc Elroy was a cabinet maker and some of his original carpenter work is still found in the front of the garage. He was an inventor and had several of his inventions patented, he build several homes in the Plain City area, some of which are still in use.

The carpenter shop was in the rear of the building and they had a candy shop in the front. Helen, Vesey, and Zara Mc Elroy worked in the candy shop after school, but when “Mas Mac” was there, she gave the candy away. Mr. Mc Elroy liked to tease the youngsters from school and would nail pennies on-to the counters. One of the old displays counters is still in use in the front of the garage.

The Mc Elroy store was the first building in Plain City to have electric lights. Mr. Mc Elroy was an agent for Modern Electric Company of 2422 Hudson Ave. in Ogden (now called Kiesel Ave.).

The Mc Elroys lived in Plain City for 28 years before moving to California. Their Son-in -Law Roland Etherington bought the carpenter shop and turned it into a garage, building onto the original shop several times. It was known as Roll’s Garage until 1959 when Roland died and his son John Etherington took it over and the name was changed to Jack’s Garage.

ROLL’S GARAGE

Roland Etherington purchased the “Mc Elroy Store” from Geo. Mc Elroy and opened Roll’s Garage in 1931. Roll Graduated from the Sweeney Automotive School, Kansas City, Mo.,

Some of the people who have worked for Roll are:

Lawrence Carver

Clair Folkman

Homer Poulsen

Don Jensen, from 1939 to the present

John Young

Sam Hori

Elmer Ericson

Marshall Ericson

And many others.

Additions were made to the garage in 1938, 1944, and 1955. The bulk Gas and Oil Plant was started in 1951. It was known as Jack & Roll’s Gas & Oil Company.

Roland Etherington died in 1959 and his John Etherington took over the business and changed the name to jack’s Garage.

Sunday, 14 January 2024 by Sagacity

History of Plain City Pt 4

History of Plain City March 17th 1859 to present, pages 44 through 57.

THE LIFE STORY OF MARY ANN CARVER GEDDES

SUBMITTED BY HER GRANDDAUGHTER

SELMA GEDDES SUMMERS

“SAND IN HER SHOES”

This is a task I have always wanted to do yet now I sit down to write the facts of my Grandmother’s life, I feel quite inadequate to do justice to her story.

There are some things about her life that even she has forgotten. There are other things I am sure she would ask me not to write just now. There are many things that should be written but that are difficult to put into this account. I will do then the best I can from my memory of her stories and from accounts written by others who have seen fit to write of her life.

“It’s a good world, but it takes a lot of grit to get along in it. Sometimes you just have to put a little sand in your shoes.”

Have you ever had Aunt Min tell you this? Then you are one of the lucky ones, for that means you are one of the lucky ones whose paths has crossed the path of a woman whose influenced must have made you a little better.

Perhaps you were fortunate enough to spend some time in her friendly old kitchen. Were you tired when you came, or blue, or a little discouraged? Even the sight of the old adobe house with its trim neat lawns and bright flowers must have mad you feel a little better and when her white head appeared (it’s been white so long) and both hands were stretched out to greet you, whatever burden you were bearing must have felt a little lighter. And while you were rested or unburdened yourself, Aunt Min bustled about and soon you found yourself sitting at a table loaded down with large pink slices of the most delicious ham you ever tested, tiny new potatoes cooked in milk with sprinkles of parsley and crusty slices of bread fresh from the oven and juicy thick wedges of black currant pie. One’s troubles are never as bad when the stomach is full she often said. And then she listened if you wanted to talk or she told you of experiences that were similar to yours that would help solve your own problems, then she told you of God and you left with a loaf of warm bread under the other, knowing that truly you been helped by a good woman.

And when you had gone, more than likely, she out her old blue sun bonnet on her white head, tied a bucket round her waist and went out into the hot sun to pick more currants and strawberries or apples, so that the next time you came she would be ready for you.

This remarkable woman was born on October 2, 1857, in Kaysville, Davis County, a daughter of John and Mary Ann Eames Carver. Her parents were deeply religious who left England and came to America because of love of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Her only recollection of her Kaysville home was her nightly prayer when she asked God to bless “the Weavers, the Carvers, and stubby legged Jones.”

When she was two years old, the family moved to Plain City. Here they lived in a dirt cellar furnished with furniture made by the father’s own hands—table, beds and even a little chair for little Minnie. The cupboards were a ledge dug in the dirt wall. At the side of a four-poster bed made of posts set upright and rawhide strips crosswise to support the tick was Minnies bed. Two poles placed horizontally one end resting on edge of Mother’s bed, one end driven in the dirt wall and rawhide strips on which the straw tick was placed. The blue and white calico valance was quite stylish as it hung in folds from the high posts and hid the boys’ trundle bed which was pulled out at night and hidden in the daytime.

She loves to tell the stories of her childhood, especially those she remembers of a beloved mother who passed away far too young. She tells of how her mother reared in England by parents who were considered in those days to be financially fairly well off, had the grit and determination to make a good life for her husband and children out in the wilderness. She likes to tell how her mother sold her beautiful dresses that she had brought from England to obtain food for her children and how her mother crawled to the cabin door to milk a cow to obtain milk for her children when she had a new baby, when the father had been delayed. Yet one of the strongest recollections in her life was the suffering of her mother during frequent child birth and it was one of the things which influenced her entire life.

Her early girlhood was spent much as all pioneer children. She helped make soap, starch, candles, she learned to spin cord and knit besides there was milking, churning, sewing, shoe making and cooking to be done. Most of the water was carried from the spring below the hill, but sometimes she would carry water from the well driven by Thomas Singleton because it made better tea than the spring water.

With the other children she helped gather greasewood for soap because ashes from this bush had more lye content that sagebrush.

From Aunt Rachel, her father’s second wife, she learned much of knitting and crocheting. Years later her children and many of her grandchildren’s clothes were made prettier and fancier by her spinner – it was always lumpy, but she knit her own stockings when she was ten years old. Her first crochet hook was made from the hard inner core of sagebrush, scraped with a piece of glass. Lucky too are her children and grandchildren who own one of the beautiful hand made quilts she has made.

Along with the other children she went to school under Mr. McQuire and took turns with what few books and smooth boards to write on that were available. In the winter there were shoes to wear made from leather from hides her father took to worn, but in the summer she and her brothers ad sisters went barefoot to save the shoes.

Her first pair of button shoes were purchased at a store owned by Jappa Folkman. It was in an adobe house that has since been destroyed. It was there too she tasted her first piece of peppermint candy which Mr. Folkman broke up and passed around for all to taste.

Some of her earliest recollections are of the days when the railroad first came in 1869. The school children saw the smoke rising from the engine stationed at the Utah Hot Springs. They mad one bound out of school, ran across to the Hansen’s and stood upon a shed to get a better view. On the way back, Mr. McQuire waited at the door and as the children filed past each received a crack on the hand. Next day, however, school was dismissed so that all could go to the Springs and see this new wonder.

Another exciting event was the day the smoke could be seen at Promontory where the railroads met and the golden spike driven.

She also likes to tell how the grasshoppers came and she says, “sharpened their teeth on the fence at night to be ready in the morning”. The grasshoppers plague lasted for about seven years. She says, “We drove grasshoppers when they were little, we drove them when they were big—from morning until evening with the exception of a few hours during the middle of the day at which time hoppers would rise, circle about in the air with a humming sound much like the noise of the airplanes you now hear overhead. They were in such numbers they shadowed the sun making a shady spot on the ground below. At night the group would light on fences covering boards until it looked black with their bodies. The settlers tried to plant fruit trees and bushes, currants, gooseberries and such to replace the natural shade the hoppers destroyed but it seemed almost a losing battle. She remembers covering a lone strawberry plant almost ready to bear in the morning the grasshoppers had crawled under the pan and eaten the entire plant. Broken-hearted she went to her mother who told her not to worry, God would take care of things and sure enough He did, she says.

When she was 12 years of age her mother died, leaving John, George, Minnie, Willard, Joseph, Parley and Nancy. Nancy passed away when she was 11 years old with inflammation of the bowels or appendicitis. Although Aunt Rachel was very good to the children it seemed that her brothers turned more and more to sister Minnie and continued to do so all the days of her life and she has lived to see them all pass to their reward.

At 15 years of age, she began her public career as a teacher in the Sunday School. John Spires was the First Superintendent, Mr. Boothe Assistant. The Bible, Testament, 1st and 2^nd Reader were the text books used. She remembers her Father going to Salt Lake to buy books. He took with him a big barrel of molasses, corn and wheat which had been donated by townspeople to be exchanged for books. She taught Sunday School from 1872 until 1879, teach Book of Mormon and Arithmetic.

In 1875 the M.I.A. was organized in Plain City and she was among its first members. By this time she was a lovely young lady of 18 years and she had a great dramatic talent. The best entertainment of the day was the dramas enacted by the young people and in these she always had a leading part. Her eyes still sparkle when she gives small excerpts from these old plays. Another popular form of entertainment was the band concerts and the young neighbor of the Carvers, William Geddes took a leading part in these, William was a steady quiet boy who paid court to her in great seriousness. But there were other young men who took sought her hand and it wasn’t until she was almost 20 years old she decided that William was the man to whom she wanted to entrust her life. She married him in August of 1877 and went to live in Salt Lake where her husband was working as a stone cutter on the L.D.S. temple. This was a special mission and the men who received their call from President Brigham Young were required to stay there and only return home on special occasions. Her husband became an expert stone cutter. It was particular work done with a chopping knife and dust blown away until the desired shape was obtained. Some of the balls on the outside of the temple were made by William Geddes.

It was in Salt Lake that her first baby Elizabeth was born and in a few short months died. This too was another experience that was to have a direct influence on the activities of her entire life. Because of her mother’s difficulties in child bearing and her own difficult time at Elizabeth’s birth, she was always and forever trying to find ways and means of helping at the time of birth. It became a common thing in Plain City to “run for Aunt Min when a new baby was coming to town.” How many times she helped at the coming of a new life would be impossible to estimate. It has been said that she helped at the birth of children in practically every family in Palin City.

She was familiar to all the early doctors of Ogden and they came to rely on her to such an extent that many times before a doctor would make the long trip to Plain City from Ogden with horse and buggy, they would instruct patients to have Aunt Min come and see if the services of a doctor was necessary and then if she said it was essential, the doctor came.

After a short time in Salt Lake, she returned to Plain City to the two room adobe house her husband had built for her and here she has spent nearly three quarters of a century. Her home was built on the spot which had once been the camping ground of an Indian tribe, but the Indians gave them very little trouble now.

In 1879 she became Secretary of the Y.L.M.I.A. She was editor of the paper known as the “Enterprise” which was read at Conjoint meetings. After this position she became First Counselor in the same organization. In 1906 she became Superintendent of the Religion Class for one year and then became President of the Palin City Relief Society from September 5, 1907 until December 2, 1911.

At this time the Relief Society was an organization which was primarily interested in taking care of the sick and those unable to do for themselves. Aunt Min was one of the first women to see in this organization an opportunity for women to, as she said “improve their minds and further their education that they could become better wives and mothers”, and she was one of those who were instrumental in planning and beginning classwork in Relief Society.

In 1911, she was released from the Presidency of the Relief Society that she might spend more time with her ailing father.

In February 1912, she became an aid in the Stake Board of the North Weber Stake which position she held for 12 years.

In 1882 her husband was called to fulfill a mission for the church in Scotland. She was happy that he had this opportunity to serve the church and she took care of their home and little family while he was gone in cheerfulness and love. He returned in 1884.

If there were hardship in her married life or moments of discouragement, never have you heard her speak of them. Nothing but words of deep devotion, love and respect for every member of the entire family have ever passed her lips.

Fiercely loyal she has been to every one who bears the Geddes name, yet her own family would be the first to tell you that if they needed correction or chastisement they need look no further than home to receive it, for she has been one to council and advice, instruct and scold if need be, every member of her family even down to the third generation. Wise has been her council and direction. Never has she discussed the problems or imperfections of any member of her family with any other member.

She has had an almost Christ-life virtue of seeing some good in the worst of us. Intensely religious herself, she was always tolerant when she sought to understand the other fellows point of view.

After the death of her husband in 1891 leaving her five children and another little soul on the way, her need for the grit and determination she was born with was greater than ever, for it was not easy for a woman to make a living for a family in those early days.

She did much hard work and early trained her children that it was by the sweat of the brow that there was bread to be eaten. More and more she turned to the kind of work for which she was a natural and it became a common sight on the dusty roads of Plain City to see Aunt Min—in summer a blue sun bonnet on her head, in winter a knitted shawl around her shoulders—tramping from one end of town to the other, tending the sick, the dying, and the new born. Usually under one arm was a loaf of fresh bread, in her hand a pot of warm gruel, in her apron —– from a hot water bottle to a bottle of Castro Oil. Down the middle of the dusty road she trotted to bring comfort and aid to those who needed her. Morning, noon, or the dead of night, cold or heat, snow or rain made no difference to her and Aunt min became and “Angel of Mercy” to a whole community.

She labored long and hard to get the money necessary for her children’s living yet money for moneys’ sake has never meant a thing to her. She was as proud of the home her husband built her as had it been Buckingham Palace. The new things her children brought her in her later life meant more to her for the thoughtfulness in their hearts than the convenience it meant to her. She gave of her means as freely as she gave of her times and talents.

She has always been an admirer of others life herself who could take adversity and make of it a triumph, and she has always had an open heart and in any moral or spiritual sickness as well as physical illness.

Her natural sunny disposition has been lightened by a ready wit and a quick tongue. As a girl she was vivacious and her quick wit is best described by a story she tells of a conversation between she and her husband. He once said to her, “Minnie—You’ll have to admit I’ve been a good husband to you, I’ve never said a cross word to you in my entire life”. And then she answered, “Well, I’ve been a better wife than you have a husband then, for I’ve had to say lots of cross words to you”.

Nearly a century of living has dimmed her eyes and slowed her feet, but for you who would still find the time from the hectic living of this day and age to sit at her feet for but a few moments, you would find that you came away from her more akin with the Lamb for didn’t He say Himself, “Even as ye have done it unto the least of Mine, Ye have done it unto Me.”

So pause for a moment and lend an ear for there is much you can learn from she who has lived with—

Sand in her shoes,

Healing in her hands,

Wisdom in her head and

The love of God in her heart.

Second log cabin built in Plain City. Built by John Carver Sr. Restored [have to search for Carver Cabin in 1997 history] by Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Plain City Camp.

EARLY SETTLERS

SUBMITTED BY NORA POULSEN

Andrew Peter Poulsen one of the early settlers of Plain City, Utah was born June 12, 1842 at Ronne, Bornholm, Denmark. In his late twenties, he was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and with his brother Hans left their beautiful land of Denmark and came to Utah in 1869.

They worked on the railroad from the mouth of Weber Canyon to Ogden and then on west of Hot Springs and north to Promontory Point.

Late in the fall of 1869, Andrew married Sena Henson and their first home was a sod hut at the northwest part of Plain City. They lived there until they bought land east of the center of town and built an adobe house. This was a project that relatives and friends helped with as all the adobe bricks were made by hand.

This house still stands today having been remodeled and extra rooms built after World War I by his son Hans Peter Poulsen. Today a grandson Bernard H. Poulsen lives in the home.

Andrew Peter Poulsen loved horses and took great pride in keeping them well groomed. He had two fine teams of horses, one a white team and the other one a dark pair. For years, he was active in church and community work and used his “long back” surrey and fine white team of horses to carry the deceased to the church and cemetery. He gave freely of his time and money for the building up of the church and the community. He died September 20, 1922 at his home of stomach cancer.

Andrew’s parents, Pedra Poulsen and his wife Karen Kirstine Rettrup also came to Utah from their native Denmark and settled in Plain City in the late fall of 1869. They brought their daughter Andrea Marie Poulsen with them. She later married Christine Olsen in 1872.

Andrew Peter Poulsen’s team of white horses pulling the “long-back” surrey.

Hans Peter Poulsen was born April 19, 1875, in Plain City, Utah a son of Andrew Peter Poulsen and Sena Benson. He was the second oldest and only son in a family of four children, three of whom lived to adulthood. He was educated in the Weber County schools and also attended Brigham Young Academy where he was on the first football team at that school. He fulfilled an L.D.S. mission to Denmark from June 26, 1901 to October 3, 1903. He left his wife and young son at home with her mother in Ogden, Utah.

Hans Peter or H. Poulsen, as he went by to distinguish himself from his Uncle Hans was a farmer and dairyman. He was one of the charter members and a director of the Weber Central Dairy Association. For years, he was a director in the Farm Bureau Association. Most of is life he was active in church and community work. He was a loving and devoted father and husband. For over 50 years, he was married to Ellen K. Maw and they were the parents of seven children.

Hans Peter Poulsen was the first constable of Plain City, from 1916 to 1920, and was also a Deputy Sheriff of Weber County. While he was constable one of his first jobs was to round up several young men for stealing cattle from the towns people and selling them to the slaughter house in West Ogden.

Traveling in those days by horse and buggy was much slower than the fast cars of today but within a short time, the young men were taken into custody and placed in the Weber County Jail which was located in Ogden between Washington Blvd. and Adams Avenue on 24^th Street.

White team of horses owned by Hans’ father, Andrew Peters Poulsen

HISTORY OF THE DUMMY

Submitted by Ivy Skeen Carver

Between 1897 and 1910 one could buy a round-trip ticket from Ogden to hot Springs for 30 cents on a train called “The Dummy”. It left Washington Blvd. and 19^th Street to Hot Springs via North Ogden.

This “Dummy” train line was extended to Plain City via Harrisville, in 1909. There was quite a celebration; Royal Carver remembered his uncle, Jim Carver, standing on the platform around the engine, pulling the whistle and ringing the bell. One of the engineers was William Clark, the conductor was “Moonie” Holmes, and other engineers were Charles Tracy of William Lane, Charles Lunt and others.

The “Dummy” would start grass fires along the line, with its twice a day trips. One fire was started in the grass on Charles Taylor’s home on the 4^th of July, 1915, which burned his barn sheds, pig-pens the old sow and her brood. This disrupted the celebration in Plain City center as the ball team and other men went to Poplar Lane to fight the fire and save the house. The railroad was held negligent and they paid Charles Taylor $1500. After the fire in 1915, and before 1918, they electrified the “dummy” as a precaution to prevent other fires. One amusing tale of the Taylor fire was the Milkman, George Moyes, coming from the dairy with some of his cans full of sour milk and his using this milk along with water from the slough to pour on the fire.

Along the Railroad line from Harrisville to Plain City there were several wooden platforms for loading and unloading freight. There were two newspapers, Morning and Evening, which the “dummy” brought out to be delivered by boys on horses such as Royal Craver, Vern Palmer, Edward Kerr and Charles (Chuck) Skeen and others. The train was so slow that kids would out-run the train on their farm horses and even on foot, running until they gave out.

The “Dummy” worked as a freight engine. The road-bed was laid and rails set by residents along the line. They were paid by Script, which was good for a ride on the train.

More History of the “Dummy”

Submitted by Irene Skeen

In 1909 John Maw, Lyman Skeen and Mr. Skeen and Mr. Eccles, then head of Utah-Idaho Railroad company, negotiated for a railroad to Plain City. On Nov. 15, 1909, the first railroad was built into Plain City.

A big celebration was held in the adobe school, on the north east corner of the town square.

The tracks came along the side of the road through Harrisville and down Plain City to the cemetery, then north to the square. This railroad was used for produced, beet-hauling, lumber, coal and transportation. It was known as the “Dummy” by everybody in Plain City. It was one car pulled with the engine. The inside had a coal stove and kerosene lamps. The car was divided by a partition; one end for the men and the other for ladies. However, it was not restricted as such.

A foggy morning, in 1915, as they were on their way to Ogden and traveling on the old Harrisville road, the “Dummy” ran head-on into an engine pulling railroad cars full of coal. Naturally, everyone was thrown from their seats and some were injured, however, not seriously.

There were two houses nearly where the people went to keep warm. The ladies at the homes bandaged the cuts, where needed, and the people were returned to their homes on bob-sleighs.

Most of the passengers were students going to Weber Academy or to Ogden high School. The “Dummy” stopped at the depot located about one-half block west of the Post Office on 24^th Street and the passengers walked to their destination or to Washington Blvd and caught a city street-car.

***

ENGLAND STORE

Merlin England’s grandfather, his mothers father, had a store in Logan. Mrs. Ellen England persuaded her husband to go into the business in Plain City. The store was located west of the England home. Mr. England left for L.D.S. Mission early in 1896, and left the store, coal-yard and farm for Mrs. England to supervise. Merlin England was 3 months at that time.

AGENDA OF THE 50^TH CELEBRATION OF THE SETTLEMENT OF PLAIN CITY

MARCH 17, 1909

The citizens of Plain City met in the L.D.S. Church on March 17, 1909, at 10:00 am to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the settlement of Plain City.

Masters of ceremony: Bishop Henry J. Garner, Josiah B. Carver, James L. Robson

Singing by Choir: “Let the Mountains Shout for Joy”

Fred Kenley directing, Bertha Robson organist.

Prayer: Alonzo Knight

Ladies Quartet: Ruby Ipson, Pearl Taylor, Jessie Kenley, Sylvia Richardson

Speech of Welcome: Bishop Henry J. Garner

Speech: Pioneer, John Carver

Song: Evelyn Harding Christensen

Recitation: Martha Hansen

Speech: Lewis W. Shurtliff, First Bishop of Plain City

Song: Willard Lund

Reading of Poem: Peter M. Folkman, composed by David Booth

Speech: George W. Bramwell, Past Bishop

Josiah B. Carver announced that today work was begun on the railroad for Plain City.

Humor Speech: Charles H. Greenwell of Ogden

Singing by Choir:

Prayer: Charles Weatherston

All of the people went it the Adobe Hall to the banquet, the first day for the old people, and the second day for the children. About 1000 people were fed.

The following is a list of living pioneers:

John Carver * George H. Carver
Christopher O. Folkman * Minnie Carver Geddes
Jens P Folkman * Victoria Musgrave
Charles Neal * Alonzo Knight
Lyman Skeen * Catherine Knight
Caroline Skeen * William Knight
Susanna Booth * Isabell Draney Bramwell
George P. Folkman * John K. Spiers
Jeppa Folkman * Edwin Dix
John Davis * Winfield Spiers
Robert L. Davis * William L. Stewart
Robert Maw * Mrs. Thomas Singleton
Joseph S. Geddes * William Sharp
Aggie Peterson * Emma (Singleton) Richardson
John Carver Jr * William Van Dyke
Milo R. Sharp
Present at this celebration.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN THE OGDEN STANDARD EXAMINER IN 1930 ENTITLED:

“HOMECOMING OF PLAIN CITY IS WELL ATTENDED”

ONLY SURVIVORS OF ORIGINAL SETTLERS IS GUEST OF HONOR

Twelve annual homecoming of Plain City, celebrating the seventy- first anniversary of the settlement of the town held Tuesday, proved to be a very enjoyable affair and was attended by a large gathering of residents and former residents from other Utah towns and Idaho and Oregon.

Lyman Skeen, 79, only survivor of the original settlers, was guest of honor and gave a brief talk. Mr. Skeen is a son of Joseph Skeen who built the first log cabin in Plain city. Other early residents of Plain City, now residents of Smithfield, who attended the celebration, were Mrs. Tillie Collette Merrill, 81, and her sister, Mrs. Julia Collette Cantrell, 79.

Plain City was founded on March 17, 1859, by a group of people from Lehi. A history of the founding of the town and many interesting incidents connected therewith were given by P.M Folkman.

A tribute to the pioneers of the town and to the pioneers of Utah was given by Miss May Taylor. A talk on community loyalty was given by Lawrence Jenkins. Wilmer Maw presided at the morning session. Invocation was given by Gilbert Thatcher.

March 17, the date on which Plain City was founded, was also the date on which the Relief Society of the L.D.S Church was organized in Nauvoo by the Prophet Joseph Smith and this subject was discussed by Mrs. Sarah Larkin of the North Weber Stake Relief Society Presidency.

Mayor Ora Bundy, City Commissioners Fred E. Williams and W. J. Rackham, and County Commissioners F. W. Stratford, Harvey P. Randell and I. A. Norris were among the distinguished guests.

Luncheon was served at noon. Dancing was enjoyed at night. Music and readings and other features were on the program which continued throughout the day.

Lyman Skeen came to Plain City with his father Joseph Skeen with the original settlers on March 17, 1959 at the age of nine on his pony. He was the last living original pioneer of Plain City. He died in 1933.

ANNE CATHERINE HEDEVIG RASMUSSEN HANSEN

SUBMITTED BY HER GRANDDAUGHTER

LAVINA TELFORD THOMPSON

Anne Catherine Hedevig Rasmussen Hansen was the first wife of Hans Christian Hansen and was born October 1, 1823, in Millinge, Cavanninge, Svendborg, Denmark.

On October 7, 1849, she married Hans Christian Hansen in the Parrish of Horne.

Hedevig and her husband were among the first people in their community, Helsinger, to give willing ears to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were baptized October 25, 1851. She supported her husband in preparation for leaving their homeland and families and their immigration to America. They left Demark, December 20, 1852, and sailed for Utah on January 16, 1853 on the “Forest Monarch”.

Pioneering in Utah was not easy, particularly to one who has experienced the upper middle class level of circumstances since her marriage. After living a pioneer life in Utah for a little over a year, Hedevig was thrilled with the birth of her child and first daughter, Josephine.

During the next three years, they moved several times, first in Ogden, then to Bingham’s Fort and finally to Harrisville. It was there that her third son, Nephi, was born.

August 28, 1857 became a special day in their lives. They were sealed together in the Endowment House. The first born in the covenant and her second daughter, Anne Margarethe, arrived April 6, 1859, in Harrisville.

Early in 1869, a great challenge came into the home, when Hedevig’s husband was called to fill a mission in his native Denmark. Hedevig made a shirt for her husband from material of one of her petticoats. She dyed it in juice from bark and roots, and Hans wore it as he left for his mission.

The following was taken from Josephine’s writing:

It was known that mother could wait upon women in confinement cases. It was a natural gift with her. They came for her to go to Plain City to care for a lady there. This was four miles away. She did her work so well that the woman paid her $2.00 in silver. Her career was established and they kept coming for her to go around nursing. Two bushel of wheat was the price usually charged. Then the Bishop came to our place from Plain City and wanted mother to move down there so she would be nearer to wait on women in their confinement cases. They tore our log house down, moved it to Plain City, and put it up again. They also built us a dugout, and now we lived in a settlement and could go to school. Two or more children blessed Hedevig’s home in Plain City. Hans Christian was born August 14, 1863, and Chauney Ephrian was born May 8, 1866.

Hedevig lived a full life and was taken in death March 31, 1899, being buried in Plain City.

HISTORY OF PLAIN CITY FROM THE LIFE OF

CHARLES NEAL

I, Charles Neal, son of Job Neal and Harriet Smith Neal, was born September 7, 1834, in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England. I was baptized August 10, 1849, at Stratford-on-Avon by George Smith, and confirmed by Elder John Freeman. About 1853, I was ordained a Teacher by Elder Weeks.

I, with other immigrants left England on the 22^nd day of March 1857 on the ship George Washington with Captain Cummings in command. We arrived in Boston about April 12, then proceeded on our journey to Iowa City, which was the Western terminus of the railroad. There we had to wait about three weeks for the handcarts to be finished before we could start our journey across the plains. There were about 125 handcarts and 275 men, women, and children in the company. Israel Evans was Captain, and Benjamin Ashley, Assistant Captain. I was teamster most of the way. After a long and tedious journey on the plains, our food supply became exhausted so that we had to live four days on buffalo meat without salt. We arrived in Salt Lake City on September 11, 1857, from which I further continued my journey to Lehi.

On the 24^th of September I returned to Salt Lake City and found Miss Annie England who came across the sea and plains with me. We were married the same day by Elder Israel Evans., Captain of our company and then returned to Lehi and went to work for him.

On March 10, 1859, a small company left Lehi in search of a new home. We were in that company which settled in the place now known as Plain City.

Upon arriving on March 17, we took up the arduous labors of fencing in the Big Field and making Plain City Irrigation Canal, besides fencing in our own lots and planting them. Being of an ambitious character, I carried stakes from the Weber River and fenced in the first lot.

The first year we lost our crop. I then went in search of work and got a job from President Brigham Young on the wall around the Eagle Gate in Salt Lake City. Two weeks later, my wife, Annie England Neal, followed me on foot to Salt Lake, and learning I was working for President Young, she obtained work in the Lion House in Brigham Young’s family where she remained for eighteen months.

When we were about to return to Plain City, Sister Eliza R. Snow, recommended that we have our endowments. Accordingly, before leaving, we were endowed and sealed by President Brigham Young on October 24, 1860. On the same day I was ordained an Elder by Elders J. V. Long and George D. Watt.

We then returned to Plain City where I was appointed with a company of three to oversee the water ditches, in which capacity I served about three years. I was then appointed watermaster in Plain City. I served one year with credit and satisfaction.

I was one of the first appointed Sunday School teachers in Plain City, and at the Sunday School Jubilee held in Salt Lake City in 1899, I received my badge for having been a Sunday School worker for thirty-five years.

From 1864 to 1899, I served as organist in the Sunday School and Ward.

In 1860, I helped to build the first school house, which was adobe. I also helped to build the second school house which was fifty by twenty-five feet. I was Chairman of the committee to construct the present meeting house. I was one of the school trustees for eight years and road supervisor for about nine years.

In 1866, I was called to go to the Missouri River with four yolk of oxen to bring some immigrants, which made my third trip across the plains. While at the Missouri River I met the two orphan children of my sister, Ellen Eggerson, who died and was buried at sea on July 4. Her infant baby died on the 21^st of July in Nebraska and was buried there. I returned and brought with me my sister’s little son, two and one-half year old. When about four days out from the Missouri River, I was taken very sick and was not expected to live; in fact Captain Harden was about to leave me there with provisions that should I recover, I would be brought in on the stage. But I begged the Captain to bring me along with them, telling him if he would, I should recover. So they brought me along and after traveling for about three hundred miles, with good care, I was able to drive my own team and get back all right.

When home again, I assisted in starting the first martial and brass band in Palin City. We purchased a second-hand set of brass band instruments from the old Camp Floyd Band in Salt Lake.

I WA Postmaster in Plain City for many years. The following was published by the President of Ogden in 1903.

“Charles Neal, the retiring Postmaster of Plain City, has a most enviable record of service. The post office at Plain City was discontinued today and that town will be furnished with rural delivery. Charles Neal, who has been Postmaster in Plain City for the past twenty-five years, retires from service with an enviable record. He has served continuously under five Presidential administrations and that is sufficient evidence of his ability. He has a record in the Government of which he may feel proud”

My first wife, Annie England Neal, died November 5, 1900. She was a faithful and devoted wife, and endured many hardships and privations in our pioneer days in this, our mountain home. She was a true and faithful Latter Day Saint. Having no children of her own, she raised my sister’s child, Emily Neal Eggerson, from two and a half years old until about nineteen. We raised my brother, Willard, from eight years old until he married at the age of twenty, and Sophia England, her niece, from three months old to about fifteen years old; also Ella Jerimah Neal, my niece, from nine until she was about nineteen. We also raised William Neal, my nephew, from two and a half years to about twelve when he went away with his sister, Ella, who married Thomas H. Cottle.

In 1901, I married Miss Myra Swingwood. About 1907, my wife’s sister, Annie Swingwood Brown, died, leaving two children-a boy and an infant baby girl. We adopted Myra, the baby girl, who is now six years old.

At present, I am the oldest handcart pioneer in Weber County.

(Dictated shortly before his death)

Thomas Singleton’s home now owned by Elmer Singleton

Sunday, 5 December 2021 by Sagacity

Jonas History: William Nelson Jonas

This is another chapter of the Jonas history book compiled by Carvel Jonas. “The Joseph Jonas clan of Utah (including – early Jonas family history; early Nelson family history)” This one is on William Nelson Jonas.

“William had the same name as his great grandfather, William Jonas, although he never knew it in his life. Most likely he was named after his Uncle William Jonas. William Nelson Jonas, the second son and fifth child of Joseph Jonas and Annette Josephine Nelson, was born 2 December 1889, He was called “Bill” by his friends at church and “Willie” by his family at his home. His parents had, two years before his birth in 1887, sold their property 3 miles south of Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington State. But the family must have stayed in the area because William went to the public school in Ellensburg his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd elementary grades. The family then moved to a little town named Bristol, which is northwest of Ellensburg. When he was in his 4th grade the family was living in another town named Thorpe and he attended the school at Thorpe. Thorpe is another town northwest of Bristol. Sometime during this time William and his two brothers went to a neighbor’s place and swiped some apples. The kids also helped themselves to their cousin’s watermelon patch. in 1895, he went with his family to pick hops in Yakima. The 1900 census tells us that William and his family lived in another town which also is northwest of all the other towns mentioned. It is called Cle Elum. The family was renting a house in this western city. As far as we know the family always rented.

“William arrived in Crescent, Utah with his entire family 3 July 1901. He attended the public school in Jordan School District for the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. He graduated 8 grade in Sandy. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10 January 1902, the same day his two brothers were baptized. When he was baptized he had just turned 12 years old by a little over a month. Up to that time he had been raised a Catholic. He was baptized in the Jordan River in South Jordan by his Uncle, Nels August Nelson. He was confirmed a member the same day by William Fairfard. There were no records found for William at the St. Andrew church in Ellensburg, so it is likely that his baptism was performed elsewhere. Shortly after he was baptized he was ordained a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. He remained a deacon until 6 January 1908 when he was ordained an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood by Bishop James P. Jensen. He was never ordained a Teacher or a Priest, which are the two offices traditionally held by young people in the Mormon Church before they are ordained an Elder. While he was a deacon he was called to be the secretary of the quorum. He was also the President of the deacons quorum for a few years. Perhaps after being raised in another church it was good training for William to remain a Deacon a little longer than usual. He belonged to the 7th Quorum of Elders in the Crescent Ward in Salt Lake County.

“During his stay in Crescent from 1901 to 1908 when he moved to Richmond, Utah, William helped his Uncle August on the family farm. According to August’s life story William and his brothers worked hard. It was understood that William and his brothers were to be given some land for the work they did on the Nelson farm. But the farm wasn’t given to anyone else because much of it was sold.

“William knew many of his cousins on his father’s side of the family until he was 12 years old. After July of 1901 he became familiar with all of his cousins on his mother’s side of the family by living with the Nelson family. William’s mother and this Uncle were the only two siblings in the Nelson family who had children of their own. One of his cousins from his mother’s side, Virgil Homer Nelson, wrote in his autobiography, “They (Rosa, John, William, and Joseph) gave me plenty of companionship. Our chief amusements were swimming, playing baseball, and skating.”

“William had a lot of farm land to discover. Virgil, August’s son, wrote that their farm, “…extended a mile along the east side of State Street and far to the east…a thousand acres of land in East Crescent and into the hill there.” On one occasion when William was in the area he found a dead man laying in a ditch.

“In the school year 1907 William went to the L.D.S. College, his first year in High School before moving to Richmond, Utah. William and his two brothers left Crescent and went to live with their only living sister, Rosa Jonas Andersen. When William had just turned 19 years he made this trip. One cold, snowing day in 1908 the three boys finally arrived at their sister’s home in Richmond, Utah. William worked four years for an August Larson in the summer and went to Brigham Young College at Logan for five years. Each year he received a sports letter in baseball.

“On 19 September 1909 he was ordained a Seventy by Charles H. Hart, the same day his brother, John, was also ordained a Seventy. He remained a Seventy for over 40 years. On 1 May 1908 he received a Normal Diploma at Logan, Utah, Brigham Young College. 2 June 1911 he graduated from the BYU College and received a General High School Diploma. Two years later he received a college diploma. On 4 September 1913 he received a Grammar Grade County Teacher’s Certificate for Public Schools of Utah. His graduation diploma states that he “passed an examination satisfactory in writing, arithmetic, pedagogy, physiology, reading, drawing, orthography, English, grammar, U.S. History, geography, nature study, psychology, and history of Education.”

“The following post cards have survived since 1912. This is the year prior to his graduation from the college and gives a few insights into his personal feelings and activities. All the cards are written to Karen Marie Thompson whom he later married.

“Logan, 4 October 1912 “Dear friend, The first dance will be given Friday night. It was announced in chapel this morning. I do wish you could be here. I’ll be up Sat. noon and we’ll go, if not say so. I have a fine place to stay, with aunt Felelia and my cousins. With best wishes Wm. N. Jonas.”

“Logan 240 E. 3rd North. Oct 11. 1912 “Dear friend: School is fine and full of life. How is work, school and everything in particular? There will be an oration given this morning, you ought to hear it. I’ll not be up Sat. would certainly like to, but– Wishing you an enjoyable time. Your Friend William”

“Logan240 E. 3rd N Oct 18, 1912 “Dear Friend: I would like to come up Sat. but as I have work and a class entertainment Sat. It is impossible. Then too I’ll be up a week from tonight. I wish you could be down here tonight, a lecture and a dance. Work Sat. and have a dance. Have a good time, Don’t be angry. With best regards and wishes as ever, your friend, Wm”

“Logan, Oct 30, 1912 “Dear friend, Hoping you a most happy birthday and many good wishes. There is a dance tonight, a lecture Thur. night and another dance Fri. Always something doing in Logan. Tell everybody hello. as ever your friend Wm. N.”

“Logan, Nov 7, 1912 “Dear friend, Congratulation on Nilson and the De. We had a good conference here Sun. Joseph F. and his son Hyrum will speak. How are all the folks? We are all fine. How is the candy mouse? Well, how is school life and activities…as good as ever here. With best wishes from Wm. N”

“Nov 19, 1912 “Dear Friend, your card was only rec’d. Hope the best of health for your Pa. I won a quarter on the game between 1st and 2nd yrs R.H.S. Sat or Fri. We have a couple of excellent Musical recitals the last week at the Logan Tab and Nibley Hall. Wm N. How do you like the house work for a change or are you a hallo kid?”

William Nelson Jonas, sitting middle, President of Wisconsin or Minnesota Conference, 1915 or 1916.

“William graduated from college soon after the above post cards were written, when he was 23 years old. 4 September 1913 when he received a Grammar Grade County Teacher’s Certificate for Public Schools. During 1913 he taught school at Lewiston and was principal of Wheeler School District. During this first year of teaching he received his endowments 22 May 1914, in the Logan Temple. After teaching for one year he was called on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served for 27 months in the Northern States Mission. His only grandson who served a full time mission was called to the same mission about 60 years later. The mission was called the Minnesota-Wisconsin Mission in 1973. William was first given a minister’s certificate which was dated 2 June 1914 and was signed by the First Presidency of the Church. Several months earlier 16 April 1914, he had been called to the Switzerland and Germany Mission. He was to prepare to leave by 1 July 1914 and had a meeting with the Prophet at 9:00 A.M. that first day. However, he never went to Europe on his mission because of the First World War. He was then reassigned to the Northern States Mission, which had it’s mission headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. While he was on his mission he was called to preside over the Wisconsin Conference, 23 September 1915. He was next called to preside over the Minnesota Conference. 10 January 1916. While serving on his mission he lived at 2707 Clarke St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin; 31 South 5th Street La Crosse, Wisconsin; 247 North Gretto Street, St. Paul, Minnesota, and no doubt visited the mission home at 2555 North Sawyer Ave, Chicago, Illinois. He was released from his missionary service 20 August 1916.

William Jonas, seated with girl in white standing in front of him.

“After his mission he went to Cowley, Wyoming and served as a school principal. There were 18 graduates from the school that year. During the summer of 1917 he went to Provo, Utah, for 12 weeks of summer school. About this same time William went to Richmond, Utah for his father’s funeral. William was the person who gave the information for Joseph Jonas’ death certificate. He then went back to Wyoming and on the 28 February 1917 he registered in Big Horn County to teach school. Soon after that in the beginning of the school year of 1917 he accepted an offer to become coach of baseball and basketball teams at Dixie Normal College in St. George, Washington County, Utah. We have several pictures from the Dixie College School yearbook which was called “The Dixie”. Also, the following tributes from the same book. “Drafted (Class 1 A) It was under Coach Jonas that Cedar met their match in the Dixie basketball team. Favors the “Windsor Tie”.” And this one which was entitled “First Years”. “In September 1917, the D.N.C. found on hundred and five First Year’s invading it’s halls, with bewildered excitement. We did not remain in this state of unrest, however, for Father Jonas and Mother Watson soon had us under their protecting care. With their willing aid and the help of every Freshie, we came off the field on Founder’s Day, flying one blue ribbon and two red ones. The loyalty of our First Year Class was made evident by our purchase of a $100.00 Liberty Loan Bond and $75.00 in Thrift Stamps. We are justly proud of a Freshie lad who is a member of the D.N.C. debating team. Our class part early in December was very successful. If you do not believe us, As Jonas, Jr., and his partners.”

“The following 20 May 1918 William was inducted by the draft into the Army. On 25 May 1918 he was in a training camp. He went to camp Louise and then to Camp Kearney in California. On August 16, 1918 he left for France. Before he left he expressed to members of his family that he wouldn’t mind serving in the service if he didn’t have to kill people. To his relief he was a member of the medical detachment 145 artillery. He stayed five months in France. His army serial number was 3,127,617. He was a resident of St. George, but was inducted in Cache County. He was in Btry A 145 Fa by July 15, 1918. He went overseas from August 16, 1918 to January 4, 1919. He was honorable discharged January 24, 1919. He remained a private during his short stay. His Military records tell us that he was 28 8/12 years of age when he was inducted. He had brown eyes, brown hair and medium complexion. He was 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall. He received paratyphoid shots 10 June 1918 for typhoid and was not wounded while he was gone. He is character was considered excellent. He was paid 24 dollars and 40 cents 24 January 1919 and was given travel pay back to Logan. During the voyage home William was so sick that he thought he might die. So he promised the Lord he would do whatever He wanted if his life would be spared. And he was faithful to that promise all his life.

“While William was in France he sent letters and post cards. One that still survives was sent to his cousin, Hubert Jonas, who lived in Washington State. The following is quoted from that card. “Camp DeSavage, France November 24, 1918. “Dear Cousin and Family, A Joyous Christmas from France. notice our gun ‘4 point 7’. 1898 date. The Regiment was organized 1916 on the Mexican border. 1918 France from the Beehive State Utah. had six weeks work in the hospital, am well near Bordeaux. Expect to move soon may be ‘over there’ too. Sure tickled. Best wishes and Love W. N. Jonas Sanitary Det. 145 FA Am. Ex. France.”

“While William was gone to war his older brother, John Jonas, died. John died 19 December 1918 and William arrived in New York 4 Feb 1915. He missed seeing his older brother for the last time by a little less than two months.

William Nelson Jonas and Karen Marie Thompson

“Two years after he got back from the Army he married Karen Marie Thompsen, 6 January 1921. They were married in the Logan Temple. Karen Marie was born 31 October 1892. She went to school in Richmond for eight years. She started when she was 8 years old and graduated at 15 years old. She had passed the sixth, seventh, and eight grades in two years. She worked in the Utah Condensory called Sego Mile, which canned milk. She worked for 13 years. Part of the time in the factory and part in the office. The company had an office in Logan in which she worked most of her 13 years. While she was working at Logan she also went to New Jersey Sewing Academy for nine weeks at night. On 9 March 1920 she received a patriarchal blessing. While she lived in the Murray area she was the quilt chairman in Relief Society for many years and went visiting teaching for many years. She loved flowers and had a flower garden most of the time.

“Mary, as she was called, was blessed by William G. Plonallsen 5 Jan 1893. She was baptized by Clarence L. Funk 1 September 1901. She was confirmed by Wallace K. Burnham 1 September 1901.

“Mary’s mother was named Jensine Caroline Christensen. She was born 11 April 1864 in Aarhus, Denmark. She joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1890 and came to America 6 July 1891. While she was sailing she met her husband, James Thomassen, who later changed his last name to Thompsen. They were married 24 December 1891. James Thompsen was never a member of the Church. He was immigrating to Richmond, Utah, to be with his older brother, John, and his younger sister, Johane Caroline. His brother, John Thomassen had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10 February 1869. He later immigrated to Utah to join the Saints. He was endowed 12 October 1875. John must have immigrated to America about that same year. It took his brother, James, about 16 years to follow his older brother to Utah. Caroline was converted to the Church by August S. Schow who was from Richmond Utah. That is one very important reason she moved to Richmond. Their children were the following: Karen Marie born 31 October 1892 ; Ebba born 31 April 1894; James born 6 September 1896; Alta born 12 August 1902; Leland and Stella were both still born April 1898; Michael born 13 July 1906. Caroline was a milliner in Denmark. She sold her hat shop and paid her ticket across the Atlantic to America. James was a carpenter and died at the age of 59. He was bitten by a pig and was poisoned. He suffered a great deal for four years before his death. James was born 19 August 1854 in Vildmose, Denmark and died 8 January 1913 in Richmond, Utah. Caroline died 17 July 1951 at 4:30 A.M. at daybreak on a Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

Vaughn, Gaylen, Karen, Maynard, William, and Delwyn Jonas with Alta, James, and Caroline Thompson

“William and Mary lived in Richmond, Utah, when they were first married. They went to the Benson Stake of the L.D.S. Church. In August of the same year (1921) they moved to Franklin, Idaho, so William could teach school. Mary worked checking ledgers for the Milk Condensory in Franklin, Logan, Richmond, and Hyrum during her life. By September of 1921 they moved to Thatcher, Idaho. They went to the Thatcher 2nd Ward in the Bannock Stake of the L.D.S. Church. William, his brother Joseph and his sister, Rosa with their families tried farming. William tried farming from Sept 1921 to Jun 1923 when they moved back to Logan. Apparently discouraged with farming William went to Park Valley, Utah, so he could teach school for one year. After school was over they moved back to Logan for a short while and then to Avon, Utah, for another teaching assignment. September 1924 William took an examination at West High School for the Post Office. He rated 3rd in his class with 93% – he got 5% for being a veteran. In August 1925 he started work for the post office. He worked there for 33 years and accumulated many days for not being sick. He worked the afternoon shift and would take the trolley car to town. He retired in 1958. His work consisted of being a supervisor and worked with the public weighing packages. His hours were from 3:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.

“L.D.S. Church records show that they moved into their home at 120 West Burton Ave in Salt Lake City the same month he was hired at the post office, August 1925. Mary’s mother also lived on Burton Ave. They were in the Burton Ward, Grant Stake. After they had lived on Burton Ave. where their son, Vaughn, was born they moved to 1854 East Clayborne in Salt Lake City in 1928. About 1931 they moved to 906 East 39th South in the Murray area. Then the family moved to 2964 South 9th East (where Carvel was born) in 1933. They lived there from 1933 to about 1942-43. Then they moved into the new home next door at 3974 South 9th East. When William first bought land in the Murray area he purchased 6 1/4 acres. William and his brother-in-law, Christian Andersen, built the home at 3974. Then they moved again to 3954 South 9th East in 1951. All three of the homes on 9th East were next door to each other. The home at 3954 was originally an Army barracks which was moved from Kearns and later remodeled by their son, Maynard. On 29 April 1962 they then moved to 1005 East 4025 South which was still in the Murray area. There they lived until each passed from this life to the next.

“William and Mary were the parents of 6 sons. The last son, William Thompson Jonas, was born what has been called a “blue baby”, and lived only 31 1/2 hours. He weighed 6 1/2 pounds and is buried in the Elysian Burial Grounds in Murray, Utah. He was blessed by his father the 22 October 1937. Their 3rd son, Gaylon Thompson Jonas, was killed 19 September 1944 on Peleliu Island in the Pacific Ocean. He had enlisted 19 August 1942 with the 2nd Mormon Battalion. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Navy Citation Award, Pres. Citation, Navy Unit Cit., American Theater, Pac. with 3 stars. He was killed by a Japanese sniper’s bullet while removing a wounded man. He was killed while he was helping the fourth man that he helped that day. He had volunteered for the assignment.

“William blessed all six of his sons. He also confirmed 5 of them after they were baptized. Delwyn was blessed 2 April 1922 and confirmed 1 February 1931. Maynard was blessed 14 March 1925 and confirmed 3 December 1933. Vaughn was blessed 7 November 1926 and confirmed 4 November 1934. Carvel was blessed 17 September 1934 and confirmed 2 May 1943. William also ordained several of his sons to different offices in the Priesthood. Gaylen was ordained a Teacher 29 January 1940. Carvel a Deacon the 22 September 1944 and a Teacher 30 October 1949.

“William was actively involved in work for his Church all his life. He was Superintendent of the Sunday School of the Mill Creek Ward for 2 1/2 years. He served as Stake Supervisor of the gospel doctrine classes. During his gospel doctrine classes he would compare Catholic point of view with the L.D.S. view quite often according to his neighbor who attended his class. He also served as one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy in his stake. He was a leader of the cottage meetings. And taught the genealogy class for many years and became one of the senior teachers of these genealogy classes. He was baptized for some of his dead ancestors and his wife’s dead ancestors. He served as a ward teacher for many years. He did all of the above including serving a full time mission for the Church before he was 50 years old (1940). After that on 20 Mary 1943 he received a missionary call from the Mill Creek Ward, Cottonwood Stake for a stake mission. He was set apart 26 March 1943 in the stake office at about 8:00 P.M. Afterwards he received another stake mission calling (this was his third mission). He and his wife Mary, were both called. William was set apart 12 May 194?. One of grandpa’s neighbors said that grandpa was considered a scriptorian by those who knew him in their ward, and that he had a hard time understanding why people didn’t recognize the truth in the scriptures. He was set apart Wednesday May 18, 1944 in the stake office at 176 Vine Street for this third mission. While William was on this stake mission his son, Gaylen, who was killed in World War II appeared to him twice requesting that his temple work be completed. His wife, Mary, was set apart 31 August 1949 so they could serve on a mission together. They received honorable releases from their stake missions 3 June 1951.

“When William was called on his second mission he wrote a letter which was printed in the Millcreek Courier, which was the ward paper. The following is quoted from that letter written March 1943, the same month he was called on his second mission. “Faith Unshaken Greetings to the boys in the service from Mill Creek; Recent events have not shaken my faith in the ultimate triumph of freedom and justice, for I was reared in a church where faith in God and belief that right will triumph eventually is too deeply ingrained in me to doubt its final victory. As long as we have faith at all in God, we must know that his is All-Powerful. That his will for the world is Justice and Right, and that eventually His purposes will be established here on earth. Good emerges slowly, but we must not doubt its victory.”

“”As to our country, my faith is our America, in its people, and in the American Way of Life, is unwavering. The United States is the greatest country on the earth, not because it is our country, but by comparison. It’s founding I believe to have been divinely ordained and that God had a mighty mission for the United States among the nations of the world.”

“”America was founded by our forefathers in prayer, in faith, and in the heroic spirit of sacrifice. Lives of comparative ease in their old country might have been theirs had they been willing to surrender their convictions. They chose the Hard Right rather than the Easy Wrong, and were ready to lay down their lives for freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience. No matter what lies ahead, we must carry on to the best of our ability, doing our utmost from day to day, each in his own niche.”

“”After the Hard War No. I was over and the happy Peach had come, I experienced the most wonderful day of my life. February 4, 1919 we first saw the light reflections in the distance, then the lights, buildings, the land. Oh the shouts, “America”, “God’s country”, “Zion”, “Home Sweet Home”, ect. Believe me the statue of Liberty certainly faced the right way–in fact everything we saw was just O.K.”

“”I am now praying for a second great day to come soon, when this Hard War No. II is over and happy Peace is declared and my sons, Delwyn of the Army, Maynard of the Navy, and Gaylon of the Marines come marching home. Parents, fill in the names of your sons, and my God grant the day soon. Sincerely, William N. Jonas.”

“On 17 December 1950 William was ordained an High Priest making little over 40 years that he was a Seventy. He was ordained by Verl F. McMillian of the Mill Creek 2nd Ward in the Cottonwood Stake. After he was ordained an High Priest he was asked to teach the High Priest class for many years. He also became interested in doing the Jonas genealogical line. Around 1960-65 he wrote to places where his grandparents, Hubert and Mary Jonas lived after arriving in America. On 26 October 1960 he received a returned letter from the research department of the L.D.S. Church. He had paid people to help in the research. From this letter we were able to learn about the 1880 census of Nebraska where the family had lived. Another letter was received 13 April 1961 from the Register of Deeds, Monroe County, Michigan, written by the Genealogical Society research department. In behalf of William many land records for Hubert and Mary were then found. William wrote to the Texas State Department and Historical Society of Wisconsin hoping to find more information about our family. Also, he had driven to his place of birth, Ellensburg, Washington for some research and visited his cousin-in-law, Regina Jonas who was living in Vancouver at the time. The following is a quote from a letter he had written which shows the sincerity of his desires. “…this seems to be asking a lot. However, I will be glad to pay for services. Have you someone who is available for such work? I shall try to come to Ellensburg this summer if necessary. I thank you. William N. Jonas.” Many attempts were made to find out where the Jonas family had lived in Germany. Unfortunately, William never was able to discover that genealogy. But because of his efforts there were many clues for the author to use in what eventually lead to the discovery of the Jonas genealogy pedigree, and also this history book.

“The following are some observations about William that his children and friends have told me. William liked to garden. During hard economic times, and especially during the Great Depression, they always had a large vegetable garden. Although we don’t have the exact figures it was close to an half acre. They were able to provide for their family and also provided for a neighbor and his family who were experiencing financial difficulty. He enjoyed excellent, physical health all his life. He was in a car accident when he was older, about 1953-54. During the car accident the gear shifting know of a late model Cadillac punched his side. The knob was shaped like a tear drop. He was a passenger and had slid across the seat with his left side hitting the knob.

“After some of his children got back from their military service they thought they were in better physical shape than their father, who was in his 50’s. They oldest thought he could out arm wrestle his dad now. But William won the match.

“While he worked for the post office he played for the baseball team on the Industrial League. He was a good baseball player and had large knuckles on his left hand from catching baseballs.

“William was instrumental in helping his oldest son to get a job at the post office. He also helped his younger brother, Joseph, financially so he could go to college. William paid for the first month rent for his son, Carvel, when he was first married. Also, William and his wife, Mary, both visited Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Clayton and took pictures on several occasions of their grandson, Carvel Lee Jonas.

“William, when he lived on 9th East raised chickens, pigs, had a cow and an horse. Their children had pigeons and also dogs. They had an orchard of mostly apples, and grew hay and grain; potatoes and lots of vegetables. They had a chicken coop that was heated with a kerosene heater. On one occasion the chicken coop burned down and they lost all the chickens (perhaps as many as an hundred). While the chicken coop was burning William and his son, Maynard, tried to removed the heater and William was burned.

“One time William had bought a new pitch fork. He was able to carry so much hay at one time that the weight of the hay broke the handle of the new pitch fork.

“When William would read or study a book he would read with a pen or pencil and underline and make notes in the margins.

“A neighbor of William’s for over 25 years, Otto Hansen, said the William was very helpful in getting him a job for the post office. William had told him about the civil service test, and encouraged him to try and pass. This neighbor and his wife said that William and Mary were good neighbors and would do anything they could to give a helping hand to someone in need. They considered them to be very honest people. A story that they remember was when William was teaching the gospel doctrine class. Apparently, for a practical joke Mary would remove William’s notes that he had prepared to teach class with from his book. They said that they remember Bill saying, “Mary’s done it again.” Then he was left to use the scriptures and rely on memory and past study to make up a lesson on the spot.

“William died 14 April 1972. He suffered from senility for a few years before he died. Grandma had a neighbor put locks on the doors to keep grandpa Jonas from leaving without knowing where he was going. Even when he wasn’t at his best at the end of his life his thoughts were to go to the Church welfare farm and work. William had received an award for doing over 100 hours of volunteer work for the Church welfare farm in one year (1962), which made him 72-73 years of age.

“Even with the differences in personality of his sons, the one thing that they all agree on is that they had a very good father. Gaylen before he was killed in the war told his friend, “Blondy, I want you to (meet) my folks when we get a furlough, they are the best parents a guy could want.” His sons don’t agree on many things, but they all agree about how lucky they were to have such a wonderful father. That in itself is one of the finest tributes that a man could have.

“Merlin Andersen told me that he always had admired William’s language. William spoke as an educated man who had a firm grasp of the English language. William loved kids.

“Once William and Merlin were walking and they came to a creek. Merlin was wondering how he was going to cross because he didn’t feel like he could jump across and make the other side. Merlin was a young boy, but he remembers that William grabbed him and threw him easily to the other side of the creek.

Sunday, 19 September 2021 by Sagacity

20 Year Class Reunion Luncheon

Back (l-r): Jacob Catmull, Trevor Cook, Kent Hansen, Adam Haynes, Emily Neibaur Haynes, Mindy Van Tassell Robertson, Arriann Peterson Edgar, Charlyn Robinson Darrington, Paul Ross, Brooke Noble Christensen, Bobie Jones Story, Tiffany Cooper Darrington, Erin Zemke McKindree, Nicole Whitesides Wallace. Front: Patty Brown May, Cassie Tundag, Salvador Avila, and Jeremy Reeves

On 1 August 2017, the Minico Class of 1997 had a 20 year reunion luncheon. I am sharing this photo to preserve names in the photo and so others have a copy.

Sunday, 16 August 2020 by Sagacity

2020: The Year of the Dead

This wasn’t intentional. Not sure why or how it happened, but it did.

Anyone who knows me knows that I stop and visited deceased people and ancestors anytime I am in the neighborhood. Kinda like stopping in to visit any other cousin or friend when you are driving through, are in town, and have some time. Ancestors are very accommodating whenever you want to stop in and visit. Maybe COVID-19 just gave us more time.

I have the following ancestors who are buried somewhat nearby, western United States. I will link each ancestor I have written about previously if you want additional information. Here are my ancestors and where they are buried.

As of this writing, I see there are two ancestors that I haven’t stopped and visited in the last few years and got pictures with the kids and the tombstone, Christiana Andra in Salt Lake City and William Sharp in Ogden (I now have the goal to get it done before the end of the year). I also have a couple of known ancestors without tombstones, David and Gwenllian Jordan in Ogden, Utah, Hubert Jonas in Ellensburg, Washington (but we got pictures at the grave), and Damey Ross in Olivehurst, California (who we visited after hours and couldn’t even locate the grave). We should remedy that but we may just have to stop and get pictures with their grave locations.

I also cheat and use the 2016, 2018, and 2019 photos with three ancestors, Johanna Benson in Spring City, Utah in 2018, John William Ross in San Bruno, California in 2016, and James Thomas Ross/Meredith in Fresno, California in 2019. I could do a 2020 photo for Johanna, but I am not going to California just to redo a tombstone photo with the two Ross ancestors.

Grandparents

Milo & Gladys Ross – Plain City, Utah

Lillian, Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Gladys Maxine Donaldson (1921-2004) and Milo James Ross (1921-2014) on 23 May 2020.

Norwood Jonas – Richmond, Utah

Hiram and Aliza Ross with tombstone of Wilburn Norwood Jonas (1924-1975) on 26 July 2020.

Colleen Lloyd – Dingle, Idaho

Lillian, Hiram, James, and Aliza Ross with tombstone of Colleen Mary Andra (1928-1999) and Ivan W Lloyd (1919-2011) on 25 July 2020.

Great Grandparents

John Ross – Golden Gate National, San Bruno, California

Paul Ross with tombstone of John William (Jack) Ross (1890-1948) on 24 May 2016.

Ethel Ross – Plain City, Utah

Hiram, Aliza, and Lillian Ross with tombstone for Ethel Sharp Ross (1898-1925) on 23 May 2020.

Delos & Dena Donaldson – Ogden, Utah

Aliza Ross with tombstone for Berendena Van Leeuwen (1898-1959) and David Delos Donaldson (1894-1953) on 28 June 2020.

Joseph & Lillian Jonas – Richmond, Utah

Hiram and Aliza Ross with tombstone of Lillian Coley (1898-1987) and Joseph Nelson Jonas (1893-1932) on 26 July 2020.

Bill & Mary Andra – Whitney, Idaho

Lillian (in background by Wanner tombstone), James, Aliza, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Mary Louise Wanner (1901-1991) and William Fredrick Andra (1898-1990) on 26 July 2020.

Great Great Grandparents

James Ross/Meredith – Belmont Memorial, Fresno, California

Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of James Thomas Ross (aka James R Meredith)(1869-1951) on 10 May 2019.

Damey Graham Ross – Sierra View, Olivehurst, California

Damey Catherine Graham Ross doesn’t have a tombstone, but we visited her grave in 2016 in the evening. No photo.

Milo & Lillie Sharp – Plain City, Utah

Aliza, Paul, Lillian, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Mary Ann Bailey (1828-1913), Mary Ann (Lillian “Lillie” Musgrave) Stoker (1861-1935) and Milo Riley Sharp (1857-1916) on 23 May 2020. Mary Ann Bailey is the mother of Milo Riley Sharp, don’t confuse mother Mary Ann with spouse Mary Ann. We shorten our Lillian’s name to Lillie’s spelling in her honor.

William & Mary Donaldson – Ogden, Utah

Aliza Ross with tombstones of Mary Elizabeth Williams (1869-1951) and William Scott Donaldson (1865-1913) on 28 June 2020.

George & Minnie Van Leeuwen – Ogden, Utah

Aliza Ross with tombstones for Hermina Jansen (1860-1921) and George Henry (Gerhardus Hendrick) Van Leeuwen (1856-1932) on 28 June 2020.

Joseph Jonas – Richmond, Utah

Tombstone of Joseph Jonas (1859-1917) on 26 July 2020. The S is a mistake put there by someone. Some have put his mother’s maiden name “Schumacher” there, but we have yet to find any evidence of that middle initial or name.

Annie Jonas – Crescent, Sandy, Utah

Lillian and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Annetta Josephine Nelson Jonas (1864-1907) on 11 July 2020.

Herbert & Martha Coley – Richmond, Utah

Lillian Ross with tombstone of Martha Christiansen (1879-1961) and Herbert Coley (1864-1942) on 26 July 2020.

Christiana Andra – Wasatch Memorial, Latona Section, Salt Lake City, Utah

Aliza Ross, Jill Hemsley, Lillian Ross with tombstone of Christiana Wilhelmina Knauke (1869-1957), widow of Friedrich Theodor Andra, on 6 September 2020. She went by Wilhelmina in the United States and married Johann Wendel, as I have written previously. The other grave is her daughter-in-law and grandson, Rebecca Emelia Christensen (1904-1931) and Otto Carl Andra (1929-1929).

George & Regina Wanner – Whitney, Idaho

Hiram and Aliza Ross with tombstone of Regina Frederike Nuffer (1869-1942) and John George Wanner (1870-1947) on 26 July 2020.

Great Great Great Grandparents

William Sharp – Ogden, Utah

Lillie, Paul, Aliza, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of William Sharp on 27 November 2020. This was the first time I had ever been to William’s grave.

Mary Sharp – Plain City, Utah

Aliza, Paul, Lillian, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Mary Ann Bailey (1828-1913), Mary Ann (Lillie Musgrave) Stoker (1861-1935) and Milo Riley Sharp (1857-1916) on 23 May 2020. Mary Ann Bailey is the mother of Milo Riley Sharp, don’t confuse mother Mary Ann with spouse Mary Ann. We shorten our Lillian’s name to Lillie’s spelling in her honor.

William Stoker – Plain City, Utah

Hiram, Paul, Lillian, and Aliza Ross with tombstone of William Edward Stoker (1827-1899) on 23 May 2020.

David & Gwenllian Williams – Ogden, Utah

Aliza, Lillie, Paul, James, and Hiram Ross at the graves of Gwenllian Jordan (1842-1900) and David D Williams (1832-1911) on 27 November 2020. Neither have a tombstone.

Hubert Jonas – Holy Cross, Ellensburg, Washington

Lillian Ross with tombstone of Emma Schriber Jonas (1855-1898), wife of William Jonas on 5 August 2020. William and his father Hubert both do not have tombstones and are buried next to Emma.

John & Annie Nelson – Logan, Utah

Hiram, James, Lillian, and Aliza Ross with tombstone for Agnetta Benson (Bengtsson)(1832-1873) and John Nelson (Johann Nilsson)(1827-1902) on 25 July 2020.

Stephen & Hannah Coley – Lewiston, Utah

Aliza Ross with tombstone of Hannah Maria Rogers (1832-1894) and Stephen Coley (1830-1913) on 26 July 2020.

Olle Christiansen – Richmond, Utah

Lillian Ross with the tombstone of Olle Christiansen (1853-1900) on 26 July 2020. This tombstone notes his wife’s burial in Portland, Oregon.

Constance Christiansen – Multnomah Park, Portland, Oregon

Paul, Aliza, and Lillian Ross with tombstone of Constance Josephine Eliza Jorgensen Christiansen (1857-1932) on 8 August 2020. Portland apparently isn’t watering their cemeteries this year.

John & Anna Wanner – Logan, Utah

James, Aliza, Hiram, and Lillian Ross with tombstone of Anna Maria Schmid (1849-1929) and John George Wanner (1845-1922) on 25 July 2020.

John & Eva Nuffer – Preston, Idaho

Aliza, Hiram, and Lillian Ross with tombstones of Eva Katharina Greiner (1835-1893) and Johann Christoph Nuffer (1835-1908) on 26 July 2020.

Great Great Great Great Grandparents

John Williams – Ogden, Utah

James, Lillie, Aliza, Paul, and Hiram Ross at the tombstone of John Williams (1797-1876) on 27 November 2020.

David & Margret Jordan – Brigham City, Utah

Paul, Aliza, Lillian, and Hiram Ross with tombstones for Margret Watkins (1816-1902), David Jordan (1820-1893) and Thomas Jordan (1857-1880) on 23 May 2020. Thomas is the son of David and Margret.

Johanna Benson – Spring City, Utah

Paul, Aliza, Hiram, and Lillian Ross with tombstone of Johanna Johannsson Benson (Bengtsson)(1813-1897) on 7 September 2018. I know I am cheating, it wasn’t 2020. But it was recent.

Olavus & Hanna Jorgensen – Richmond, Utah

Aliza Ross with tombstones of Hanna Mathea Christensen (1831-1900) and Olavus Jorgensen (1830-1904) on 26 July 2020.

Others visited this year.

Garrett Lee Smith – Weston, Oregon

Paul Ross with tombstone of Garrett Lee Smith (1981-2003) on 9 August 2020. Garrett was my last missionary companion.

Eli Benjamin Stoker – Mullan, Idaho

Tombstone of Eli Benjamin Stoker (1870-1952) on 3 August 2020. Eli is the half-brother to my Mary Ann Stoker Sharp.

Mary Nelson Jonas – Holy Cross – Ellensburg, Washington

Aliza Ross with tombstone of Mary Nelson Jonas (1885-1899) on 5 August 2020. Mary is the sister to my Joseph Nelson Jonas.

Ezra & Flora Benson – Whitney, Idaho

Aliza and James Ross with tombstone of Flora Smith Amussen (1901-1992) and Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) on 26 July 2020. Many know Ezra as the 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Secretary of Agriculture under President Eisenhower.

Spackman Plot Marker – Lewiston, Utah

Aliza Ross with the Spackman Plot Marker. She recognized and wanted a picture with the Pacman tombstone on 26 July 2020.

Walter Theodor Andra – Logan, Utah

Aliza, Hiram, and Lillian Ross with tombstone of Walter Theodor Andra (1896-1967) on 25 July 2020. Walter is brother to my Bill Andra.

Charles Wilson Nibley – Logan, Utah

Aliza, Hiram, James, and Lillian Ross with tombstone of Charles Wilson Nibley (1849-1931) on 25 July 2020. Charles is known for various positions and business interests, but most will know him as a member of the First Presidency (non-apostle) to President Heber J Grant of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Moses Thatcher – Logan, Utah

Lillian, Hiram, and Aliza Ross with tombstone of Moses Thatcher (1842-1909) on 25 July 2020. Moses is known for various positions and business interests, but most will know him as a an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Allison Ann Parker – Logan, Utah

Tombstone of Allison Ann Parker (1976-1997) on 25 July 2020. Allison is a friend and brother of my high school friends Ryan and Russell Parker. She passed away after a tragic accident driving back to Utah after our Senior Prom date night in 1997.

Peter Maughan – Logan, Utah

James, Aliza, Lillian, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Peter Maughan on 25 July 2020. Peter is known for various positions and business interests, as one of the founders of Cache Valley, Utah.

Ezra Benson – Logan, Utah

Aliza, James, Hiram, and Lillian Ross with tombstone of Ezra Taft Benson (1811-1869) on 25 July 2020. Ezra is known for various positions and business interests, but most will know him as a an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Nels Nelson – Crescent, Sandy, Utah

Hiram and Lillian Jonas with tombstone of Nels August Nelson (Nilsson)(1857-1935) on 11 July 2020. He is the brother to my Annetta “Annie” Jonas.

Stanley Spatig – West Warren, Utah

Tombstone of Stanley Hazen Spatig (1940-2013). Son of Eva Virtue Wanner Spatig, sister to my Mary Louise Wanner Andra.

Joseph & Ann Wayment – West Warren, Utah

Bryan Hemsley, Amanda, Aliza, and Hiram Ross with tombstones of Ann Reed (1852-1931) and Joseph Wayment (1844-1931). Amanda’s Great Great Great Grandparents on 24 May 2020.

Louis & Martha Hansen – West Warren, Utah

Bryan Hemsley, Aliza, Amanda, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Sarah Eveline Judkins (1886-1943), Louis Alma Hansen (1876-1951), and Martha Ann Wayment (1877-1908) on 24 May 2020. Louis and Martha are Amanda’s Great Great Grandparents.

Walter & Myrtle Hansen – West Warren, Utah

Bryan & Jill Hemsley with Aliza, Lillian, Amanda, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Myrtle Thompson (1902-1959) and Walter Wayment Hansen (1904-1995) on 24 May 2020. Walter and Myrtle are Amanda’s Great Grandparents.

Evan & Lona Jonas – Lindquist Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, Ogden, Utah

Aliza and James Ross with tombstone for Lona Rae Jensen (1930-2012) and Evan Reed Jonas (1928-1999) on 23 May 2020. Evan is the brother to my Norwood Jonas.

Spencer & Jimmie Jonas – Lindquist Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, Ogden, Utah

Aliza Ross with tombstone of Viola Amelia (Jimmie) Cole (1920-1996) and Spencer Gilbert Jonas (1919-1988) on 23 May 2020. Spencer is the brother to my Norwood Jonas.

Melvin Thompson – Lindquist Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, Ogden, Utah

Amanda, James, Aliza, Lillian, Hiram Ross, Bryan and Jill Hemsley, and Alyssa Smart with tombstone of Melvin J Thompson (1925-2018) on 23 May 2020. Mel is Amanda step-Grandpa.

Merle & Belle Hemsley – Lindquist Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, Ogden, Utah

Bryan & Jill Hemsley, Hiram, Lillian, Aliza, and Amanda Ross with tombstone for Belle Sarah Peterson (1917-2003) and Richard Merle Hemsley (1912-1962) on 23 May 2020. Merle and Belle are Amanda’s Great Grandparents.

Ellen Weller – Hooper, Utah

Tombstone of Ellen Watton Weller (1828-1894) on 23 May 2020. I stumbled upon this tombstone in Hooper. I was walking around, felt inspired to walk over, and looked at this one knowing there was a link. Name looked vaguely familiar. Half-sister to my Hannah Maria Rogers Coley. Didn’t know she was buried in Hooper, FamilySearch didn’t have it either. Her and Joseph Weller are now documented and updated.

Dee Hemsley – Hooper, Utah

Alyssa Smart, Bryan and Jill Hemsley, Aliza, Lillian, Amanda, and Hiram Ross with tombstone of Richard DeLece Hemsley (1936-2013) on 23 May 2020. Dee is Amanda’s grandfather.

William & Martha Wayment – Plain City, Utah

James, Amanda, Lillian, Aliza, and Hiram Ross with tombstones for Martha Brown (1823-1905) and William Wayment (1822-1883) on 23 May 2020. William and Martha are Amanda’s Great Great Great Great Grandparents. The tombstone above Aliza’s head is William Edward Stoker mentioned above, my Great Great Great Grandfather.

Lorenzo Snow – Brigham City, Utah

Hiram, Lillian, and Aliza Ross with tombstone for Lorenzo Snow (1814-1901) on 23 May 2020. Lorenzo Snow is known as the 5th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

David & Ruby Haight – Wasatch Memorial, Salt Lake City, Utah

Aliza & Lillian Ross, Jill Hemsley, with tombstone of Ruby Olson (1910-2004) and David Bruce Haight (1906-2004) on 6 September 2020. David Haight is known as an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I previously interacted with him regarding marriage.

Charlotte Sharp – Ogden, Utah

James and Paul Ross at the tombstone of Charlotte Elizabeth Earl (1816-1907) on 27 November 2020. Charlotte married my William Sharp (1826-1900) after she was widowed of her first husband Charles James McGary (1808-1875).

Lorin Farr – Ogden, Utah

Paul Ross with tombstone of Lorin Farr (1808-1907) on 27 November 2020. Lorin Farr was the first Stake President of the Weber Stake which covered all the territory of all my ancestors in Ogden and Plain City. He was also the first Mayor of Ogden.

Thomas Marsh – Ogden, Utah

Paul Ross with tombstone of Thomas Baldwin Marsh (1800-1866) on 27 November 2020. Thomas Marsh is known as the first Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who had he remained faithful, would have been President before Brigham Young.

Sergene Sorenson – Pleasant View, Burley, Idaho

Lillie, Hiram, Aliza, and James Ross with tombstone of Sergene Sorenson (1932-2013) on 2 January 2021. Sergene is the sister to my Grandma Colleen.

Scott Sorenson – Pleasant View, Burley, Idaho

James, Lillie, Hiram, and Aliza Ross with tombstone of Scott Sorenson (1951-2001) on 2 January 2021.

Lillie, Hiram, Aliza, and James Ross with tombstone of Bert Sorenson (1924-1991) on 2 January 2021.

Sunday, 26 April 2020 by Sagacity

Milo Ross 1997 Interview

Interview of Milo Ross

Wayne Carver

08-13-1997

Tape I – A

University of Utah Veterans Commemoration in 2009

Wayne: Okay. I’m at Milo Ross’ home in Plain City, which is just through the lots from where I grew up at and the date is what, August the 13^th?

Milo: Probably the 13^th today.

Wayne: Wednesday August 13^th. This is tape one, side one of a conversation I’m having with Milo.

(tape stopped)

Milo: Should have put on there Plain City.

Wayne: Oh, well, I’ll remember that. But I have trouble if I don’t do that little preliminary stuff, is I get the tapes mixed up. You have a quiet voice, so I think I could find a book or something to – oh—

Milo: Here’s one right here.

Wayne: Just to prop this –

Milo: How about this? What do you need?

Wayne: Just something like this.

Milo Ross in uniform at Fort Lewis, Washington

Milo: Oh

Wayne: Since I want –

Milo: Here’s some more book. You know, you said you was talking to Aunt Vic Hunt. I’ll tell you a story about her. She’s over to the rest home, see. Yardley, he came in and he says – he and an attorney came in and he says, Mrs. Hunt, he says, you sure got a rhythm out of heart. He says, you gotta start moving around taking it a little more easy, don’t hurt yourself. She says, “listen you young punk.” she says, “Why don’t you tell me something I don’t know anything about. I’ve lived with that all my life,” she says.

Wayne: Well Paul – or Milo, can I just ask you a few obvious questions for the — and then – can you tell me your full legal name?

Milo: Do you wanna start now?

Wayne: yeah.

Milo: My name’s Milo James Ross.

Wayne: And what date were you born?

Milo: February the 4^th, 1921.

Wayne: So, you’re two years older than I.

Milo: Born in ’21.

Wayne: Right, I was born in ’23?

Milo: ’23.

Wayne: Yeah. Where were you born?

Milo: Plain City.

Wayne: And who were your parents?

Milo: My mother was Ethel Sharp Ross. That’d be Vic Hunt’s sister. Ed Sharp’s sister, Dale Sharp’s sister. My dad was Jack Ross. And he came from Virginia. They came out west and settled over in Rupert and Paul, Idaho. When they found out they was gonna have a sugar factory in that area. So, they run the railroad track a ride out. What they really done, they bummed their way out on the railroad, flat cars at that time. They was bringing coal and stuff out from Virginia out into that country. And Dad and Grandad and all the relatives that could decided to come out. And that was the only way they could afford to come out because nobody had any money. So they settled around Paul and Rupert, Idaho area. And that’s where my dad met my mother, Ethel Ross, because she had that store I was telling you about in Paul.

Wayne: Yes, go back and tell me again for the tape how your mom got up in Paul running a store.

Milo: Well, the – when they were going to work and back and forth from Plain City in to Ogden, they used to ride the Old Bamberger track out here. And when they – when the first came out, they had a – it was an electrical trolley car, you probably remember it had an arm on top that had –

Wayne: Right, yeah.

Milo: — Track. I remember riding the car once and I was down to Wilmer Maw’s helping them unload coal and stuff like that out of the boxcars down there. But that old dummy car used to bring them cars down there. They had a spur at Wilmer Maw’s store and also at Roll’s garage. Stopped right there.

Wayne: That’s right, yeah, I remember that.

Milo: Then they used to ship vegetables and stuff out from the railroad track from there out. But mother was going to Ogden on this – I don’t know how – how you call it a Bamberger Track Car, Trolley Car, or whatever you call it. But when they got making a turn and transferring, probably around 17^th street in there where they used to be the headquarters, they got bumped and some of them got knocked down and hurt. I never did find out how bad my mother was, but the railroad company settled out of court and give them all so much money apiece, the ones that got hurt.

Well, my mother, she knew of a place in Paul Idaho that had some property. She decided to go there and buy that little store front and live in Paul, Idaho, because she married this Mark Streeter at that time. Maybe you remember him.

Wayne: oh, yes, yeah.

Milo: Mark Streeter. They went into Paul, Idaho and –

Wayne: Was she married to Mark?

Milo: She got married to him –

Wayne: When the accident occurred:

Milo: No. not – not – just after.

Wayne: uh-hu.

Milo: But she got the settlement and he found out that she had the money and everything and she had gone to Idaho, so I figured he – he probably figured she was a rich old dog, he went to Idaho to marry her.

Wayne: I see yeah.

Milo: So he went to the – up the store, Paul, Idaho, up there and they got married. And then they had a child, June Streeter, that lived with Dale Sharp, if you remember, for a long time.

Wayne: Yeah, vaguely.

Milo: But – and then she stayed with the Streeters in Ogden most of her life, June did. And then the war broke out, World War I. Mark Streeter, her husband, joined the army and left my mother, Ethel Ross, Sharp Ross Streeter, abandoned in Idaho without a husband with this daughter, and he never did return. So after so many years, my dad met my mother in Paul, Idaho at the store because the Ross had come there to work at the sugar factory from Virginia, the grandparents and the whole family, Phibbs and the whole – lot moving out, have a moved out down to there to try to get work. So that’s how my dad met my mother was in Paul, Idaho, because they had Streeters confectionery. And that’s (unintelligible).

Wayne: Did your mother have no contacts up at Paul? Were there Plain City people or-

Milo: That’s something I never did know because Uncle Ed Sharp never told me.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: See, I was – mother came back here after she married dad, Jack Ross, we lived down by Abe Maw’s in an old log cabin house.

Wayne: With your father and mother?

Milo: Yes, Jack and my mother, Ethel. And then mother got sick with childbirth. There was – here mother had Milo – well, she had June to start out with Streeter.

Wayne: With Streeter, yeah.

Milo Ross in Canada 1986

Milo: And then she had Milo, my name, Milo James Ross, with Jack Ross, dad. And then there was Paul Ross.

Wayne: Little Paul?

Milo: Paul Ross, the blond, he fell out of Ed Sharp’s barn, broke his arm, fell on his head and concussion and he died when he was about 11 or 12 years old.

Wayne: I remember that, yeah.

Milo: And that was up at Ed Sharp’s barn. Then there was Harold Ross, and then baby John Ross. But John Ross died at childbirth with female trouble. And that was down in Abe Maw’s property where the old log cabin house was.

And then when Mother died, my Dad, he had no way of feeding us down here because he’d come from Idaho down here with her to come back to live in Utah around her folks. They decided to – he didn’t’ know what to do. He couldn’t feed us. So he went to each one of the Sharps families and Os Richardson ad everybody else and they said they wouldn’t help him.

Wayne: Os had married Mary—

Milo: Mary –

Wayne: –yeah.

Milo: — Sister to Ethel.

Wayne: Mary Sharp.

Milo: So – and Ray Sharp, he didn’t want us. Over in Clinton.

Wayne: Oh, I didn’t know him.

Milo: Well, he was Ed Sharp’s brother. There was Ed Sharp, lived out here, and Dale Sharp.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: But it was hard times for everybody. They didn’t have no money to feed nobody extra.

Wayne: This would be in the twenties?

Milo: That would be back in nineteen twenty – I was born in ’21 and I was five when I come back here, when they brought – the Sharps brought us back here from going back to Idaho. But when I was five, my dad took us to the hot springs and carried us kids – took us to the hot springs, and put us on an old – I don’t know whether the church built a railroad track into Idaho or not. But they got on a dummy or a car and they went into Paul, Idaho, from the hot springs at that time.

Wayne: And you went up on that?

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: And –

Milo: My dad?

Wayne: — Harold.

Milo: — Harold.

Wayne: And Paul.

Milo: And Paul.

Wayne: And you went back up to Paul?

Milo: Paul, Idaho. I was – I was in the neighborhood about four years old at that time when he took us back.

Wayne: Now, he went with you?

Milo: He took us back there because dad – Grandpa and Grandma lived in Paul or Rupert, right in that area.

Wayne: Grandpa and Grandma –

Milo: Ross.

Wayne: –Ross?

Milo: Ross.

Wayne: Okay, yeah.

Milo: And they was from – Where’d I tell you?

Wayne: Virginia:

Milo: Virginia.

Wayne: Uh-huh. And how long did you live up there?

Milo: About a year. But you see, there was no money to feed kids. They couldn’t buy groceries and stuff. They came out here poor people.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And they was working at the railroad – sugar factory trying to make a dollar. And Mother, she figured maybe send the kids – when she got sick, send them back up to Grandpa and Grandma. And see, Grandpa and Grandma was old and they couldn’t take care of us, so she – she just couldn’t make a go of it with the store and because she was sick, you know, with childbirth. And then they – I don’t know what they done with the store and everything back up there, but it really wasn’t a lot, but still it was a place they was making a little money.

Wayne: But had your mom passed away by –

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: – – When you went back?

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: Did she die down here?

Milo: She died in the log cabin house.

Wayne: So she’s buried in the Plain City Cemetery?

Milo: Right on Ed Sharp’s lots next to Ed Sharp and his wife. (Telephone rings.) Let me catch that.

Wayne: Can I borrow – –

(Pause in Tape.)

Milo: … Ross and gas station there at five points. And this is his boy, Nick Kuntz, married this Rhees girl and the lived right across the street.

Wayne: I probably know her aunts and uncles up in Pleasant View.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Beth and – –

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: – -Dorothy and – –

Milo: See, her dad helped build these homes here for Jones when they built this housing unit when they bought that ground from Blanch Estate there.

Wayne: Oh, the Wheeler – –

Milo: Wheeler Estate.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But I was telling you about my mother.

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: Go ahead and tell me what you want.

Wayne: No, that’s fine because I don’t know this story. Harold told me some of it years ago, but – –

Milo: But – – are you still on tape?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: I’ll tell you a little bit more about dad and mother. My dad, he always walked to work. They had no cars then. They had horses and buggies and that’s about all. And he walked from Plain City over to Wilson Lane to work at the sugar factory.

Wayne: Oh, yeah.

Milo: And let Folkman – –

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: – – Mark Folkman, them guys used to walk through the fields to Wilson Lane every day.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Or ride a horse.

Wayne: Yeah, that’s four miles or so.

Milo: Four or five, yeah.

Wayne: Four or five, yeah.

Milo: Used to go over there to work at the sugar factory.

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: And whenever they come home or anything like that, they’d bring groceries and stuff home and carry it, you know, they – – nobody had transportation at that time. But it was tough for everybody. You don’t – – you talk about money, there was no money. They used – – they used scrip money, you remember, for a long time they give them kind of a paper money. If you took a veal or something to town, they’d give you scrip money for it, and then you could trade it back for groceries.

Wayne: Can you remember the scrip money?

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: I don’t think I can.

Milo: I’ve got – – I’ve got some papers and stuff like the stamps they used to save, sugar stamps and stuff – –

Wayne: During the war.

Milo: During the war – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – You had to have a stamp and stuff like that.

Wayne: Remember those tax tokens:

Milo: I saved – –

Wayne: Plastic – –

Milo: I tacked some of them with a hole in them, you know.

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: They called them Governor Blood money or something, your dad did – –

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: – – Mr. Carver. But there was no money for nobody around the country. And my Dad tried to feed us kids when we went back to Idaho wit Grandpa and Grandma. And they was – – they was probably like some of us today, didn’t have shoes – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – You know what I mean?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Hard going.

Wayne: Did your Dad go back with you to Paul

Milo: He rode back to Paul and stayed back there. He worked at the sugar factory for a long time with Grandpa.

Wayne: Uh – huh

Milo: And the Phibbs, there used to be a Judge Phibbs that married into the Ross Family. And they stayed in that area there for a long time. But I’ve – – my son now, Paul Ross, Milo Paul Ross, he’s – – he lives in Paul, Idaho.

Wayne: Oh, does he?

Milo: And it’s quite a coincidence, you know, and – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – I went back and I was gonna try to buy the building, one thing another, but it’s so hard to get the records and everything. But I do have the records and plot plan and some papers of my mother’s.

Wayne: Is the old store building – –

Milo: The old – –

Wayne: – – Still there?

Milo: The old store is there. I wanted to try to buy it, but Paul, Idaho, wants to restore the – – that street. Kind of run down, dilapidated, you know. They don’t wanna do anything right now until they get the money to go ahead and do things like that with it. But my dad called and said for the Sharps to come and get the boys because they couldn’t feed us. So that’s why Ed Sharp, Dale Sharp, and Fred Hunt, Aunt Vic Hunt, they took each one of us a kid. Ed Sharp took me Milo.

Wayne: Uh – huh.

Milo: Dale Sharp took Harold.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: And Fred Hunt, that would be Aunt Vic, my mother’s sister, Vic Hunt, they took Paul. And then June, she stayed with the Streeters all the time.

Wayne: Now, they’re in Ogden.

Milo: In Ogden.

Wayne: Uh – huh

Milo: So that’s how – – that’s why June didn’t stay here with us all the time.

Wayne: Now, this Streeter business, did – – Mark you say disappeared.

Milo: Right.

Wayne: Did he never come back?

Milo: He came back later on in years. He went as prisoner – – He went A.W.O.L.

Wayne: Uh – huh.

Milo: Do you understand me?

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: They called him a traitor of the country. They figured he spied against the United States.

Wayne: Was he overseas?

Milo: I don’t know.

Wayne: Good heavens, I – –

Milo: But, you know, you hear these stories.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And then in World War II, he done the same thing. He collaborated with the Japanese out of San Francisco, see.

Wayne: Good Lord.

Milo: Yeah, Mark Streeter. But he says he didn’t, but he did. You understand me?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: He – – He seemed like he always had his nose with the enemy. You understand what I mean?

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: Trying to make money that way.

Wayne: What did he do to make a living when he came back?

Milo: He’s just a dog catcher, something, picked up side jobs, Mark Streeter.

Wayne: Of course mother had divorced him then – –

Milo: right.

Wayne: – – on grounds of desertion.

Milo: desertion.

Wayne: Okay

Milo: That’s why she married my Dad.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: But, see, Dad called the Sharps and asked them to come and get the kids. So that would be in the wintertime they come and got us, and Ed Sharp took me, Fred Hunt took Paul, Dale Sharp took Harold.

Wayne: And June?

Milo: Stayed with the Streeters.

Wayne: In Ogden.

Milo: Grandma Streeter.

Wayne: And she was – – she was a Streeter. Her father had been Mark Streeter.

Milo: My sister is a Streeter. I’m a Ross.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: We’re half.

Wayne: Yeah. Is – – is June still alive?

Milo: June’s still alive. She lives down in California.

Wayne: I don’t think I ever knew her, but I’m sure she was in Plain City a lot.

Milo: She stayed around with Fern Sharp all the time.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: They used to come out and stay there. And – –

Wayne: When she went – – when she came down from Paul and you guys went to the Sharps, she went – – did she stay with Mark Streeter then her father.

Milo: Mark Streeter’s mother.

Wayne: Oh, not with Mark?

Milo: Well, Mark Streeter lived with his mother.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Do you understand it?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And, oh, you remember Christensen, lives down by the store.

Wayne: Pub?

Milo: Yeah

Wayne: And Cap – –

Milo: He – – he lived down below Jack’s garage. But he had a brother that lived up by – – Ralph Taylor lives there now.

Wayne: Well, Cap Christensen – –

Milo: Cap Christensen.

Wayne: A – – (Unintelligible)

Milo: That was Cap, wasn’t it?

Wayne: Yeah, that was Cap.

Milo: Yeah. But you see, they had a daughter, would be Harold Christensen and – –

Wayne: And Max.

Milo: Max and all them – –

Wayne: Artell.

Milo: Artell.

Wayne: (Unintelligible)

Milo: Artell used to run around with my sister, June, and Fern Sharp – –

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: – – The three of them. You probably remember them together.

Wayne: I just spent an afternoon with Fern.

Milo: Did you?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Fern Sharp?

Wayne: Yeah. Shields.

Milo: Yeah

Wayne: Well, I’ve got that straight at last then. But do you know how long Mark Streeter was away before he came back?

Milo: Mark Streeter must have been away about four, five years, a deserter of the country.

Wayne: I wonder what he did in those – –

Milo: They – – they figured he was a traitor to the United States.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But he said he was sick in the hospital. They – – I really never did know.

Wayne: Yeah. I wonder if anyone does.

Milo: The only way you could ever find out would be to go through court records.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Weber County.

Wayne: Yeah. Okay. So that you’re with Ed, Paul’s with – –

Milo: Fred and Vic.

Wayne: – – Fred and Vic, and Harold’s with Dale and – –

Milo: Violet. She was – –

Wayne: Violet.

Milo: Her name was Violet Grieves before she married Sharp.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: She’d be related to Pete Grieve and them.

Wayne: Uh – huh

Milo: And they would be related to the Easts in Warren. And Ed Sharp’s wife was East from Warren.

Wayne: She was.

Milo: So see, there’s kind of a – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Intermarriage through the – – each family down through that line down – – but when Dad told the Sharps to come and get us out of Idaho, they came up to get us. And I was about five years old when they come. And before – – before we was ready to come home to Utah again, us kids was playing in bed and I got a – – a fishhook caught in the bottom part of my eyelid here.

Wayne: Good Lord.

Milo: And I was only maybe five years old and – –

Wayne: yeah.

Milo: – – I remembered it. And I can remember my Grandpa telling me, do not pull, leave it alone, leave it alone, and he said, I’ll have to get you some help. So, they went and got some help and these guys come back and I heard one of them say, you take his feet and I’ll take his arms. You know. And somebody else hold his head. So, what they done, they – – they – – I think they must have cut the hook or something and then reversed and took it out. I don’t know what they done. But it was caught in the bottom of my eyelid. But they – – I was sore of that when I come to Utah. And then when – – I don’t know whether Dale Sharp was with Os Richardson when they come up to get us or not. But they come up in a big car to Paul, Idaho, and they brought us home across the Snake River at Paul, between Paul and Rupert there someplace to bring us back home. And every so often, I’d look back and I – – I thought I could always see Grandpa and Grandma and my Dad waving goodbye to me.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And farther down the road we got, it seemed like we were always stopping, the car had trouble or something, tires or something. Putting water in it and that this – –

Wayne: This is Os and Mary’s car.

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: Did Mary come up?

Milo: I don’t remember whether Aunt Mary was with us or not. I don’t remember who was in the car, but I do remember Os Richardson because he was kind of a heavyset man and he was quite blunt.

Wayne: Yeah, I remember him.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: He was our neighbor down at Warren.

Milo: Yeah

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: He was quite blunt. And he’s – – I figured him a mean man.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: And when I’d wave, he’d also say, put your arm down, you know, don’t distract me, and this and that, you know.

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: But we rode in the back seat, but I’d look back and didn’t matter which hill. I could see my Grandpa and Grandma.

Wayne: Yeah. Yeah.

Milo: But it was quite an experience. We came home and they.

Wayne: How old you were then, Milo?

Milo: Five years old.

Wayne: Five.

Milo: But they – – they brought me back and give me to Ed Sharp. And they took Paul down and left him with Fred and Vic. And then they took Paul – – Harold down and give him with Dale Sharp. But I think Dale Sharp went us with us – – them to bring us back. And we were only within what, two or three blocks of each other, and yet I couldn’t go see him. They was afraid I’d run away.

Wayne: Oh

Milo: So I was kind of quarantined, you know, and you’ll get to see him on the weekend. You know, they was trying to separate us.

Wayne: Could be, yeah.

Milo: And when Paul come here, he had a hernia down right this side of his groin. And when he’d cough or sneeze, it’d pop open like a ball inside.

Wayne: He’s just a little boy.

Milo: Little boy. And it would pop open and they had kind of a – – like a leather strap or something around there and a pad around it to kind of hold it in – –

Wayne: A truss.

Milo: – – Truss or something.

Wayne: A trust, yeah.

Milo: But it was tough for us kids.

Wayne: I’ll bet it was tough.

Milo: It was tough.

Wayne: You – – you were the oldest.

Milo: I was the oldest, five.

Wayne: Five and – –

Milo: Four and three.

Wayne: Harold was four – –

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: No, Harold was – –

Milo: Paul.

Wayne: Paul.

Milo: And Harold. Five, four, three.

Wayne: Five, four, three. Yeah and June was maybe six?

Milo: She was probably two years older than us.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Three, I don’t remember just what.

Wayne: Did you ever see your dad – –

Milo: Yes, sir.

Wayne: – – Again:

Milo: After the war, I went into the service, World War II, and I received a letter from Livermore, California, and it stated that my Dad was a veteran, World War I, and he was in Livermore, California not expected to live over maybe a week, three, four days. And he would like to see one of his boys if they’d like to come and see him before he died. And the Sharps and everybody told me leave him alone because he was a no good man. He never cared about us.

Well, I’d married my wife, Gladys, and we had this son, Milo Paul, but her dad Donaldson says, “Heck, Milo, if you wanna go down see your dad,” he says, “I’ll give you the greyhound bus fair down. $55, $80, whatever it is.”

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: He said you’ll have to thumb your way back. I said, well, if I get down there I’ll get to see him, that’d be fine. I asked my wife, if it would be all right to go, and she said yes.

Wayne: Were you living in Plain City?

Milo: Living in Plain City. And we were renting at that time just a house, you know. And I says to Dale Sharp and them, I says, I thought maybe I’d go down and see my Dad. And they says, forget about him. Him he’s no good son of a bugger, you know, they called him by a name – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – So I decided to go and I went to Livermore, California, and I jumped a ride out with an army truck and to Livermore, California, Hospital. I got there late – –

Wayne: Was this an army hospital?

Milo: Yeah. Veterans’ Hospital, Livermore. And I got there late in the evening. And nothing was going around and nobody was doing anything, it was on the weekend. So I go into the hospital and nobody’s around so I just kind of walked through the – – it was late and maybe 1:00, 1:30 in the evening, night. And I walked down through the halls and went up on the second floor and walked down the aisle a little bit, and I thought, well, maybe what I better do is just sit here in the corner, and maybe have a catnap for a while. Then I heard somebody cough, and heard them say, “what time is it?” And somebody said, “it’s about 1:30, 2:00 o’clock,” see? So I heard this talking and I walked down the hall a ways and I seen the one light on one of the beds and I says – – stepped towards the door, and I says, “Does anybody happen to know a Jack Ross or anybody in here, is anybody here can hear me?” And a voice come back and it says, yes. “Come on in, Milo or Harold. I’m your Dad.”

Wayne: Oh, boy.

Milo: And I walked right to that man’s door.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And It’s – – And about that time, two guys grab me by the arm and escorted me out of the room. And they gonna have me put in jail because he had no visitors. You understand me? He was on oxygen and this and that. So I says, “Oh, what difference does it make?” I said, “I’m his son. I don’t remember my dad.” I says “At least you could do is let me tell him goodbye. If he’s gonna die, what difference does it make?” So these two orderlies says, “you stay outside for a while.” So I stood there by the door and they hurried and they put some needles and stuff in his legs. Was probably giving him morphine or something. I don’t know what they were doing, trying to do keep him alive longer, something, I don’t know what they were doing. But I says to the one gentleman, he run past me fast, and I says, “Couldn’t I just say goodbye to my dad anyway?” And he said, “Well, just wait a while.” So pretty soon there was about three of them over my dad working with him, and finally the one young man says to the rest, he says, “Oh, let the kid come in and say goodbye to his dad.” So I walked in, talked to dad. He says, “I’m sure glad you come.” And I said, “Well, I’m Milo.” And I said, “I don’t remember you, Dad,” but I says, “I decided after reading the Red Cross letter I would come and see and you tell you hello. Tell you thanks for letting me have a Dad, anyway.”

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So he says, “Well, Milo,” he said, “I’m gonna tell you a secret.” He says, “When I took you kids to Idaho, I was a son of a bitch.” Then he says, “When I got into Idaho, he says, I was a son of a bitch.” And he says, “It didn’t matter what I done, I was a son of a bitch.” He said, “Then they told me if I ever come back to see my kids after I sent you down to Utah, they would kill me.”

Wayne: The Sharps told him?

Milo: The Sharps. I says, “Which one of the Sharps?” And he says, “It’s best not to say, Milo.” But he says, “I’ll tell you secret, if you don’t think I ever come to see you, ask Betty Boothe.” He says, “You remember Betty Boothe?” And I said, “She’s been in my home, many, many, many times.” And he says, “I come out in a taxi cab three times, and I got Betty Boothe to go with me to see you kids.” And he said, “I rode out to Ed Sharp’s Farm and I didn’t dare get out of the taxi. Because I – – I was threatened I’d be killed.” So he says, “I did wave out of the taxicab and sit there and watch you out in the field,” us kids. And says, “If you don’t think I did,” he says, “ask Betty Boothe.” And then I got a different feeling towards my Dad – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – when he said that.

Wayne: Yeah, I can imagine.

Milo: Because I could see – – now I have letters that was sent to the Sharps and the Hunts and they hid the letters from us kids. They would not tell us that Dad and Grandpa sent us letters or anything. And I have these letters. And in these letters it’s Grandpa and Grandma asking please, tell us how the little kids are. And then my Dad, he wrote a letter and he says – –

Wayne: Now, were there – – they up in Paul all this time.

Milo: Paul, Idaho, all that time.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: But the Sharps and them, they’d never read us the letters and everything because they – – they wanted us to be with them. The Sharps and Hunt. Do you understand?

Wayne: Yeah, I understand.

Milo: Kind of hard – – but I have those letters.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And when – –

Wayne: He was thinking about you a lot more than you thought he was.

Milo: Well, this is the bad part about life. Now, Aunt Vic Hunt, when Fred Hunt died, Howard Hunt got killed in the war, her son – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Fred Hunt got – – died. Bert Hunt, their son, got electrocuted and Bob, the grandson, got electrocuted.

Wayne: I remember that.

Milo: The night before they got electrocuted, I helped Bert Hunt carry the milk from the barn to the milk parlor where Bert and his boy got electrocuted. And I helped carry that milk cans the same as they did the night before.

But Aunt Vic Hunt says, “Oh, Milo, she says, I just feel like I – – I’m being punished for something.” She says, “I’ve got a box here that came from you folks.” And she says, “I’ve got all these letters and everything.” She says, “I’ve read them. And I’ve never told you about them.” But she says, “I’m not gonna give them all to you now, but I will give you some of them.” So she give me some of the letters. And she had kind of an old cigar box. Remember the old cigars boxes with a lid on it? And she says, “I’ll give you this, too.” She says, “I think maybe I’ve been punished long enough now.” She says, “I’ve lost too many in my family. Maybe I’m being punished because I haven’t been fair to you kids.” She says, “Here’s the box, the gifts and everything they’ve sent to you.” I says, “Aunt Vic, if that means that much to you,” I says, “You keep the box. And then when you’re dead and gone, you tell your family to give it to me.” But I says, “I will take these letters. And I sure love you for it. And thanks for being good to us kids.” And I says, “Gladys and I will go now.” My wife was with me. She was really brokenhearted. I told her she was forgiven and everything. I says, “Live you life out.” I done a lot a work for aunt Vic after that. Helped her wire the house and anything went wrong, I’d go help her, help her, help her, help her, help her.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But when she – – she died, the family never did give me the cigar box of stuff back. They kept it. And I think today Archie Hunt probably has it.

Wayne: Now who would – – who is he?

Milo: That would be Vic Hunt’s boy, grandson. Bret Hunt – –

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: – – That got electrocuted. This is my wife and daughter, if you’d shut that off a second I’ll help them.

(pause in the tape.)

Milo: The letters and stuff that my wife and I got from my aunt Vic Hunt. And when I read them, I – – I felt a lot better towards my dad and my family because it’s – – they wanted to separate from us that Ross family altogether. But I have an old, old bible on the Ross side that’s a great big hardback bible from Virginia. And I have a half-brother back there. And my dad had married a day lady back there. When my mother died, he went back to Virginia to see if he could make ends meet to bring the family maybe to Virginia. But he couldn’t make a go of it with the day. And this son of his, Hobart Day, he told him about having a family here, Milo, Paul, and Harold, and John that died. Well, all these years, Hobart, the half-brother back there, instead of keeping the Ross family, he kept the Day family. So he kept the old bibles and everything back Virginia at the home back there. So I got Hobart, after I made contact with him after doing genealogy work after the war, then he – – I bought his way out here, him and his wife out here twice to visit with us. And he brought this old, old bible out here and it’s one of the King James, I’d say it’s about five, six inches deep, hardback. You’ve probably seen them.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But I that have of the Ross Family there, but it’s quite a deal, you know.

Wayne: Did you ever see your Ross grandparents?

Milo: Not after. See, they were old and feeble.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: I never even got to go to their funeral. That’s what makes it bad. But my brother, Harold Ross, his wife, Colleen Hancock, she done a lot of genealogy work and she’s the one that got us together on genealogy to get the Ross family back to Virginia.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And Hobart Day, the half-brother.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But it’s – – and then I have – – I have my grandparents’ old china cabinet. And I have the old wooden washing machine. And I have the old cream separator they used to turn the handle on.

Wayne: Now, Which grandparents?

Milo: The Ross and the Sharps.

Wayne: After the – – your Ross grandparents passed away?

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: And Paul.

Milo: Yeah, I’ve got part of their – –

Wayne: How did you get those – – That?

Milo: Through the – – through the people in Idaho.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: See, they – – they set them aside.

Wayne: In the ward – – well, they weren’t church members, were they?

Milo: No. They were Presbyterians. They were not LDS. But I have this old wooden wash machine. I’ve recent – – redone it and put it together. Made new stays for it so every part works on it and all the metal.

Wayne: Did you go up and bring them back?

Milo: No, they were given to me from Paul or Rupert, Idaho. On the Phibbs side family or something like that.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So I do have – – And then on the Grandma Sharp side, I have parts of her old stuff, too, books and stuff. I have my mother’s records of Paul, Idaho store where they – – where they sold eggs, a dozen eggs like for two and a half, three cents.

Wayne: A dozen.

Milo: A dozen.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Yeah. They – – It’s amazing. I have – – I have a lot of old antiques and stuff. Before you leave, I’ll show you lot of my old antiques and let you see the washer and stuff like that.

Wayne: I’d like to see that.

Milo: Then maybe someday you’d like to come by and take a picture or of them or something. Or you can talk to them – – while we’re looking at them, talk to us.

Wayne: While we’re on family, your mother was a Sharp.

Milo: Ethel Sharp. Her dad was – – they lived where Ernie Sharp lived. Milo Sharp.

Wayne: Oh, yes. Now, was it Milo – – Milo Sharp was one of them group that separated from the church, was he not? And they became Episcopalians.

Milo: Right.

Wayne: Do you know anything about the cause of that split?

Milo: One Bishop.

Wayne: Really: I’ve not been able to pinpoint it.

Milo: The way I understand it, they – – they asked them to pay a tenth of the tithing of everything. And he – – he told them if they killed a beef, he wanted a certain part of that beef.

Wayne: The Bishop told them?

Milo: The Bishop.

Wayne: Do you know who the Bishop was?

Milo: I think Thatcher. Does that sound right?

Wayne: That sounds too late. Gil Thatcher was Bishop, we’re back in 1869 and ’70 when this Schism, this Split, so it wasn’t Gil Thatcher.

Milo: Well, I don’t know for sure.

Wayne: Shurtliff, maybe.

Milo: I was back in that area. But the Bishop at that time, the Hunts excommunicated from the church also. Fred Hunt, Vic Hunt, all them, they went to Episcopal Church.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They build the Episcopal church down by Dean Baker’s there. They use that for the Lions Club now.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: My mother used to be the organist for it for many years, they said.

Wayne: Your mother Ross?

Milo: Uh-huh. But she was a Sharp, Ethel Sharp.

Wayne: Of course, Sharp.

Milo: She was a Sharp. She played the organ for them when she was younger. And she played the organ and kind of led the music and everything like that.

Wayne: You know, Vic didn’t know for sure what had caused – – it was her father, Milo.

Milo: Right, Milo.

Wayne: And he – – she said, oh, Wayne, they liked their – – to play cards and they did a lot of things that church didn’t like and they just finally got tired of it. But I think there was some – – something somewhere.

Milo: It was over – – it was over the meat. Dale Sharp – –

Wayne: Uh – huh.

Milo: – – Took care of Harold and Ed Sharp took care of me. And Ed Sharp gave the church an awful lot. He used give them the asparagus, he used to give them potatoes. When they harvest or anything like that, he’d say, Bishop Heslop, Bishop Maw, whoever the Bishop was, come up and get sacks of stuff for some of the people. But Ed Sharp and them, they always give to the Mormon church.

Now, when they built the Plain City church down here, they used to sell cakes and stuff, raffles.

Wayne: The new one?

Milo: The new one.

Wayne: That’s gonna be torn down.

Milo: Yeah, but I – – see, I helped build that. I was a carpenter on it and Lee Carver was the supervisor on it. And I was – – George Knight was the Bishop on it. But when they auctioned these cakes and that off, Fred Hunt was probably one of the ones that bought the cakes probably more than anybody. He probably paid four, five hundred dollars for a cake.

Wayne: Yeah, yeah.

Milo: So you see, it wasn’t religion against religion because they did – –

Wayne: Not by that time.

Milo: – – They were together.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: But the earlier Sharps and some of them, And I think some of the Taylors pulled away from the church, too – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – And they went farther east.

Wayne: The Thomases.

Milo: Thomases, they pushed out, too, on account.

Wayne: But then they slowly worked back.

Milo: Come back in.

Wayne: Yeah. As a little guy then living in a family that was not LDS – –

Milo: Right.

Wayne: – – What was your religious upbringing, Milo?

Milo: Never had much. We did go to church.

Wayne: To the LDS?

Milo: No.

Wayne: Or to the Episcopalian?

Milo: Episcopalian – –

Wayne: Really.

Milo: When we went to Idaho, see, they didn’t have a Mormon church there. See, the Presbyterian, whatever it is. But I’ve got some of my mother’s song books and stuff, some of the old songs books.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They sing the same songs there as we do today in our church.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: It’s kind of nice.

Wayne: I can remember as a kid, we would hear the bell ring, the bells – –

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: – – Ring, and we’d run down to the end of the lane – –

Milo: To look at it.

Wayne: – – And look at the people going to church.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: But that – – those were – – those were only maybe once a month or whenever the minister could come out – –

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: – – From Ogden. And that someone told me, I think, oh, Leslie’s wife, Ruth – –

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: – – Poulson, that there was a lady lived out in Plain City, lived in that house where Leslie and Ruth lived, who was kind of she – – the representative of the Episcopalian Church, and she taught school.

Milo: Uh-hu.

Wayne: Did you go to that school?

Milo: I didn’t.

Wayne: Might not have been around when you – –

Milo: If you reach down there to your right side down there’s a little tiny book right there.

Wayne: This one?

Milo: I got a lot of little books like that. That book right there came from Huntsville. That came from the Joseph Peterson’s library in Huntsville probably, huh?

Wayne: Yeah, yeah.

Milo: But I’ve got – – I pick up all these books and stuff like this when I’m out around traveling, and I buy them and get them.

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: Now, I’ve got a lot of books like this and I’ve got a lot of mother’s books and stuff where she’s wrote poetry and stuff. My mother wrote a lot of poetry. And Albert Sharp got almost all the poetry and everything of my mother’s. So if you got on the Sharp – –

Wayne: I did talk to Albert, but I didn’t see any of your mother’s poetry.

Milo: She wrote a lot of poetry.

Wayne: Uh-huh. Well, that was probably true of Harold growing up with Dale Sharp – –

Milo: Non Mormons.

Wayne: But Harold went to Mutual with us.

Milo: We went to Mutual.

Wayne: You went to Mutual.

Milo: I went to Mutual.

Wayne: Uh-huh. And Harold became a member of the LDS Church.

Milo: Right. So did I later.

Wayne: Do you know – –

(End of Tape I-A.)

Wayne: …Of a conversation with Milo Ross in Plain City.

Milo: See, when we were – – When we went to school, we – – they’d always ask us to go to Sunday School or Mutual or whatever they had.

Wayne: Primary.

Milo: Primary.

Wayne: Did you go across the square – –

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: – – to – –

Milo: Yeah, we always – – he went anyway.

Wayne: Sure.

Milo: You know, because everybody kind of went together. Then we went to Weber High. I took Seminary.

Wayne: You did?

Milo: So – – well, Ruth took Seminary too. Your sister, Ruth.

Wayne: Oh sure. So did I.

Milo: So we took – – we took Seminary – –

Wayne: Floyd Eyre.

Milo: – – Together. We took seminary from Mr. Eyre, he was the principal, he was the teacher of it. But, you know, I enjoyed – – I enjoyed listening to the stories. Then I enjoyed taking the assignments, reading certain scriptures and things that they give us.

At that time, they did not press the Book of Mormon like they do now.

Wayne: No, I think that’s true.

Milo: See, And – – But I enjoyed it.

Wayne: And Ernie didn’t object to this?

Milo: Nobody ever – – nobody ever objected to anything.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: It’s like the Martinis and the Ropalatos in West Weber, I’ve done a lot of building for them. The old grandpa and grandma and them guys, you’re not gonna convert them, but you see the young girls and the young boys are joining the Mormon church.

Wayne: Uh-huh, yeah.

Milo: See, the Martini girls marries the Dickemores that’s Mormons. So see they – – but the old – –

Turn that off just a minute.

(Tape pauses.)

Milo: …Truck – – truck and trailer all loaded. And I seen aunt Vic get hit. She came up to the stop sign from the west side and she stopped. And then she went to go across the road, and when she went to go across the road, there was a car came from the north, I’d say hundred miles an hour, some young girl. And the young girl was gonna pass her on the front as aunt Vic went ahead. She throwed on her brakes a little tiny bit and she got caught Aunt Vic back, just back of the door, back of her car. And that throwed Aunt Vic’s car around in a spin and the young girl come right on down to where I was at watching it.

Wayne: Where were you?

Milo: I come from the south. And see I – – I seen it all.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Well, I knew it was Aunt Vic’s car, and this young girl, she come down to road, and she was unconscious laying over the steering wheel. And she come down the road, so I pulled off the side the road so that she wouldn’t hit me, then she made kind of a slump over on the wheel and she pulled to the right side and got off the side the road and that’s where her car stopped. So I opened the door there and a kid come up on a motorcycle and I said, run back down to the store on your bike, motorbike, and get some ice and let’s put on her and see if we can revive her. So the kid, he went back and got ice and the called the cops and that. I told them to call the cops. And he come back with this bag of ice and I was putting ice and that on when policeman came, and she came to by that time.

Wayne: Now, is this the young girl or Vic?

Milo: The young girl.

Wayne: Oh. Where’s Vic all this time?

Milo: She was up at the intersection about 50 – – oh, a hundred, hundred feet farther up the road.

Wayne: In her car.

Milo: In her car. But she had spun around and she had went on the east side of the road facing south.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: It spun her completely around.

Wayne: Didn’t tip over.

Milo: Didn’t tip over. But I seen it.

Wayne: Yeah. Her sister Mary was with her – –

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: – – That day, I talked – – and I did – – I asked Vic what was it like growing up in Plain City as a not only a non Mormon, but as the daughter of one of the ringleaders in the separation. And she said, oh, made no difference. She said, I never had any prejudice. And Mary wouldn’t agree with her. Mary said they looked down on us.

Did you ever have any sense of being looked down on because you were not a member of the church?

Milo: I don’t think anybody ever looked on any of us.

Wayne: Did you hear Vic or Dale or any – – or Ed – –

Milo: Nobody ever – – nobody ever looked down on the church.

Wayne: Did the church look down on them?

Milo: I don’t think so.

Wayne: Dad was a great friend of Ed’s.

Milo: Every – – they were the closest buddies in the world.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And Joe Singleton.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: You dad and Ed Sharp and Joe Singleton was probably the first appraisers and supervisors of the home loan administration or something like that, weren’t they?

Wayne: Dad as a – – worked for the assessor’s office.

Milo: Okay.

Wayne: In Weber County.

Milo: That’s why they got Ed Sharp and Joe Singleton to work with him then.

Wayne: Oh, I guess, yeah.

Milo: But they went around and appraised property and one thin another, when these guys was trying to get home loans for farms and stuff.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Now, when they got the loans and stuff like that, they got them on a loan, real low interest rate. And then when they settled my grandmother Sharp’s estate and one thing another, my estate money from my mother’s side, us kids being young, they decided instead of giving us kids the money, the one that was taking care of us would get the money and they could put – – apply it on their home loan – –

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: – – To keep their farms because a lot of people was losing their farms because a lot of people was losing their farms at that time.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Mr. England and some of them had lost their farms, you know, and the Maws and some of them, they’d – – that’s when the banks went broke.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: And so when they settled the estate and one thing anther, my share went to Ed Sharp. And Harold’s share of his when the split it up amongst us kids went to Dal Sharp. And Fred Hunt took Paul’s share, see?

Wayne: Right.

Milo: And they applied that to their home loans. To keep them from losing their farms. Then after Ed Sharp, these guys die, Vic settled the Sharp Estate on their side, Ed Sharp’s Estate, and Ed Sharp’s girls and boys, they didn’t wanna pay me back the loan that they had taken from me as a youngster. They said I wasn’t entitled to it because I hadn’t applied for it. You know, they go back to the legal deal.

Wayne: Yeah, yeah.

Milo: So I says, well. I’m not gonna fight nobody. But I said,tell you what I’d like you to do. Why don’t you just pay me four or five percent interest on it all those years.

Wayne: Just give you the interest.

Milo: Yeah, but it was kind of a sore thumb.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I told them I don’t care.

Wayne: It was a loan that you had made without knowing it.

Milo: I – – I didn’t know anything about it.

Wayne: Right. That’s an odd way of handling that, you know, anyway – –

Milo: Well – –

Wayne: – – If it should have been put in a trust of some sort and the – – so you would be sure to get it.

Milo: I didn’t really want it because I helped my uncle Ed save his farm that raised me, you understand?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: So I – – I said, oh, he was good enough to give me a home, I don’t care.

Wayne: Just to – p for the tape and to jog my memory, who were Ed’s kids? I remember liking – – there was Ruby.

Milo: Louise, start with Louise.

Wayne: Okay. She the oldest.

Milo: Louise.

Wayne: Louise.

Milo: She married Ralph Blanch.

Wayne: Oh, okay.

Milo: Florence, married Nielson.

Wayne: From Taylor?

Milo: West Weber, Taylor.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Leonard Nielson.

Wayne: Did he used to pitch.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah, stiff-armed and – –

Milo: Yeah. And then there was Marjorie, she married Ferrel Clontz, big tall guy, went to Idaho.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Then there was Ethel Sharp.

Wayne: I remember Ethel.

Milo: She married Garth Hunter. Then there was Ruby Sharp. She married Norton Salberg. There was Milo Sharp. You remember Milo Sharp.

Wayne: Mutt?

Milo: Mutt Sharp.

Wayne: Okay.

Milo: That’s Milo.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And then there was Dean Sharp – – no, there was Josephine.

Wayne: Josephine.

Milo: Josephine Sharp, she married Darwin Costley, Paul Costley’s brother.

Wayne: uh-huh.

Milo: Then Dean Sharp, the baby.

Wayne: Dean.

Milo: Dean Sharp. And Louise took care of Dean when Ed’s wife passed away.

Wayne: Oh, who was Ed’s wife.

Milo: She was Lilly East.

Wayne: Right, okay. From Warren.

Milo: From Warren.

Wayne: Yeah?

Milo: Yeah

Wayne: So there were two Milos in your house.

Milo: Both Milo, Milo Ross and Milo Sharp.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: I was older. Now, they had another son, Elmer Sharp, that died young with scarlet fever or something, around 12 or 13 years old, but I don’t remember him. When we were kids at that – – living with Ed Sharp’s at that time, they had diphtheria, they had different things that they used to have this doctor that used to come out, Dr. Brown or somebody, and they’d always give us a shot and medicines and stuff, you know.

Wayne: Yeah. So how – – you were – – you were five when you went to live with Ed?

Milo: I was five when they brought me back down here to live with Ed Sharp, five.

Wayne: So those kids were your brothers and sisters in effect.

Milo: Not that close.

Wayne: Weren’t you?

Milo: Un-unh. They always – – I don’t know, they – – they felt like Ed Sharp showed me a little more prejudice or something. When he got his truck, I got to jump in the truck and go with him once in a while to feed the cattle and stuff, do you understand that?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Then had he his truck and he’d – – he’d get the neighbors they’d all get in the truck and go for rides and camp overnight up in the canyons. And they used to go down to Warren, pick up the Easts and Caulders. And they used to get in this truck and they’d go up to Pineview Dam, up to the wells – –

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: And they’d stay overnight.

Wayne: The old artesian wells.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Yeah, before the dam.

Milo: And Jack Singleton, do you remember him?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Now, Ed Sharp, he had a salt mine out at Promontory. And he used to – – he used to run that through the winter and harvest salt. And I was with Ed Sharp – – you got a couple minutes: I was with Ed Sharp once when we was coming back with a load of salt from Promontory up on the hill, and there was a place there we always stop and get a drink. And there was a note there. And Uncle Ed read it and this Charlie Carter, and old hermit out there, that used to prospect, mine, and one thing another, decided to end his life so he jumped down in the well and killed himself. So Ed Sharp and I went down the railroad to Promontory, and Uncle Ed had them – – done something on teletype or wherever you call it, code, and they sent a message back to Brigham City to Sheriff Hyde, and he came out and told us to stay there until he came back out. But they – – they took ropes and everything and lowered lanterns down in this here well. When they’d get down so far where uncle Ed was down there trying to tie the rope around Charlie Carter, these lamps would go out. No oxygen, I guess – –

Wayne: yeah.

Milo: So – –

Wayne: But body was there, huh?

Milo: It was down in there.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But Uncle Ed Sharp, after he went down in there and tried it a few times, the lights would keep going out, they said, well, we – – there’s no use putting down anymore because they’re gonna go out all the time. But Charlie Carter, he came out there, the Sheriff, and he had somebody with him. But Ed Sharp, he went down – –

Wayne: Not Charlie Carter, he’s the body. Hyde.

Milo: Hyde.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: But he went down, Ed Sharp went down in the bottom to get Charlie out, Tie a rope on him, get him our if he could. And we let the ropes down and then when Ed Sharp pulled on the rope or this or that, they could holler down and talk to him. It was a deep well. And they tied these ropes together three or four times, lowered him down in there and – – and finally they signaled, and they said, help us pull. So, I was a little tot, maybe 14, 15. I really don’t remember, but I remember helping pull on this here rope, and they worked a long time to get him up out of the well. Then when we get him right just up here to the top of the well to get him up of there, we couldn’t get him out over the well. And somebody jumped up on that wooden platform there and took a hold of him and helped pull him out and over. And Ed Sharp was underneath him, helped pushed him up out, dead Carter. They pushed him out on the ground and he just kind of flopped out there on the ground where we were at. And these – – Hyde and his friend took a hold of Ed Sharp and helped him out of the well, they untied the ropes from around his body because they – – If anything went wrong, we could pull him back up. And soon as he got out on the ground, he went into a cold shock because he’d been down in that cold water. And when he – – he started to shake and tremble and just – – he couldn’t control the nerves in his body. And they made Ed Sharp lay down on the ground and they took his clothes off and they took blankets and gunny sacks and stuff and rubbed him and rubbed him and rubbed him and tried to circulate his blood or something. I don’t know I’d – – hardly what was the matter. I remember I was crying. But remember I was so scared and – – And when he got out, they laid him down like that, I got down and I give him a big love, you know, and I told him, I said, I’m sure glad you’re out of there, you know, I – I was scared and I – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – I’m sure glad – –

Wayne: How old were you?

Milo: I don’t know. I must have been about 12, 14, I don’t remember.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But I was just thinking about it, and Mr. Hyde and that guy, they rubbed him and rubbed him and rubbed him. And they got him so he wasn’t trembling so much. And then they – – they changed clothes around from one to another so he could have some dry clothes on. But little things like that in life, you never forget it.

Wayne: No. Lord.

Milo: But see, nobody knows about Ed Sharp going down in the well and sav – –

Wayne: No.

Milo: – – Saving a dead man’s life and give him a burial.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Now he wasn’t a Mormon.

Wayne: Well, he was dead.

Milo: He was dead.

Wayne: Didn’t safe his life. Saved the body.

Milo: Saved the body, but he give him – – he give him life, he give him burial.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But you see now, he wasn’t Mormon.

Wayne: No.

Milo: But see, he went down in there – –

Wayne: What did Ed – – what did they do with the body.

Milo: Sheriff Hyde, they – – Sheriff Hyde had that – – looked kind of like a square – – like an old square Hudson or something, Graham or something, I don’t remember. An old square car. And we had to help them put him on – – put his Charlie Carter on the back seat. And they rolled him up in canvases, put him on the back seat and took him to Brigham.

Not long ago there was a piece in the paper about Mr. Hyde, they – – somebody wanted to get a little history about Sheriff Hyde, and I was just thinking, well, maybe I should let them people know that – –

Wayne: Right.

Milo: – – I was – –

Wayne: He was Sheriff up there for a long time.

Milo: And then his boy took over after that, they tell me.

Wayne: Oh, did he?

Milo: They tell me.

Wayne: Maybe that’s why – – wasn’t it Warren Hyde or – –

Milo: Warren, something like that.

Wayne: Yeah. I didn’t know about Ed’s salt operation.

Milo: That was one of the biggest in the state.

Wayne: Really?

Milo: Yeah. Then they opened that one up down towards Wendover. And see, they – –

Wayne: Ed did?

Milo: No. Morton Salt or somebody – –

Wayne: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Milo: – – opened up a big one down there. But we – – in the winter, they used to load boxcars, salt out – – out at promontory.

Wayne: Now, did Ed own this operation.

Milo: Ed Sharp and Ray Sharp. They took – –

Wayne: Who’s Ray.

Milo: A brother. Ed Sharp’s brother, Ray Sharp.

Wayne: He never lived in Plain City?

Milo: They lived in Clinton, Sunset. But they run that salt pond and they – – but they had this salt pond out there and they – – they’d harvest the salt. They took the horses out there to use the horses to plow the salt loose so they could harvest it. It used to come in layers after water would evaporate. They take the horses out there, but the horses hoofs would get coated up with salt so bad the horses got so sore they had to bring the horses back out.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So they rigged up the trucks and tractors and made little tractors and ski-doos to maybe haul maybe a half a ton out at a time – –

Wayne: uh – huh.

Milo: – – without using horses.

Wayne: Did they – – they just sold it in gross weight or did they bag it?

Milo: We bagged a lot of it.

Wayne: Did you?

Milo: 100-pound bags.

Wayne: And you worked out there.

Milo: Oh, I had to work out there.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: They had a pond – –

Wayne: Did all the other kids?

Milo: The girls never did. Let’s see, Eddie Sharp, Milo’s brother, Eddie Sharp, walked from Promontory across the cutoff to West Weber out here to back to Plain City. He got homesick. He wouldn’t stay out there.

Wayne: He went over on the Lucin cutoff?

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: How far is that”

Milo: That would be about 75 miles – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Going down to Brigham, down around there. But he cut across the railroad track this way. What is it, about 12 miles? Maybe four – – oh, it’d be 12 miles to Little Mountain – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Then the cutoff’s be about ten miles.

Wayne: Little Eddie, huh?

Milo: After that – – that’s be Ed Sharp’s young boy.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: But he got homesick and we were working in the salt and Ed Sharp and them guys, see, they was trucking salt over to Brigham and over to Corrine, they was stockpiling it.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: See, they’d truck pile it in, then they’d go get rations and stuff and come back.

Wayne: Did you stay out – –

Milo: We stated out there.

Wayne: – – overnight:

Milo: They had a big cave back in there. Charlie Carter and them guys had dug their caves. And the Indians had had caves back in that area, Indian caves and stuff back in there, and lived back in these caves for a long time at Promontory. Then they had big tents and stuff that they had out in there. They had the kitchens and stuff out there for the laborers.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: In the wintertime, they had probably ten, 15 guys – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: That’s come out with their trucks. They all – – they all bought small trucks and – – they weren’t big trucks, you know, they – – young kids get these trucks and they’d come out there and try to make a dollar.

Wayne: And he loaded them all with this scoop shovel.

Milo: Scooped, everything was scooped.

Wayne: uh-huh.

Milo: No tractor.

Wayne: No.

Milo: It was all shovel. We done a lot of work at nighttime. Nighttime, lot of wok at nighttime.

Wayne: Why? Why nighttime?

Milo: Cool.

Wayne: Oh, yeah. Did that go on the year-round?

Milo: Just in the winter.

Wayne: Just in the winter.

Milo: Uh-huh. Through the winter months.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: The summertime, see, the – – you could fill your ponds up and then keep – keep your ponds full through the summer.

Wayne: That’s when they make the salt?

Milo: That’s when the evaporation (unintelligible) to salt there.

Wayne: So the winter’s the harvest.

Milo: The harvest.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But in Promontory, when they put that track across to Promontory, they went across and left a part of the lake with salt and everything in it, deep salt, and Ed Sharp and them harvested a lot of that slat right in there.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: And one time we was there and it was – – they had this pond of salt and they piled it up to dry, make it white. And the pelicans used to come around. They used to feed them. And they put the dynamite in to blast this salt, and uncle Ed Sharp says, oh, he says, there’s the pelicans. Shoo them away, shoo them away. And they all flew away but one. And he says oh, John, he says, I gotta get you out of there. He ways, gonna blow you up. So Ed Sharp he run back to where the dynamite was and he grabbed this pelican. And he grabbed the pelican and he run, I don’t know how far, not very far when this blast went off, the salt blowing it up. But the – – he fell, fell down on the salt and the bird went away. The birds couldn’t fly because they had salt on their wings. So they’d take these pelicans up and they’d wash them so the pelicans could fly again. But he saved that pelican’s life. But he could have got killed himself.

Wayne: Yeah, I’ll say.

Milo: But I – I’ve often thought about Ed Sharp doing things like that. But he raised me to be a good – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Boy.

Wayne: Dad used to love to talk to Ed. We’d sometimes leave here, Grandpa’s place, headed for Warren. But we’d sometimes end up at a – –

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: – – Ed’s and I would set there on the hay rack waiting for those two people to stop talking.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: They really, genuinely liked each other, I think.

Milo: But see, Ed Sharp, he – – he rented ground off of Bill Freestone down in Warren.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Where Milton Brown lives, there used to be a house out in the back.

Wayne: Oh, okay.

Milo: And Bill Freestone lived out in the back of there and Ed – –

Wayne: I remember that.

Milo: – – Ed Sharp – – see, I was a kid, we used to go down there and he planted – –

Wayne: Just across the creek from uncle Earl – –

Milo: – – Potatoes and stuff.

Wayne: – – Hadley’s.

Milo: Yeah, down by uncle – – now, where your uncle Earl Hadley and his wife lives, me and Howard Hunt seen that twister that come through the country and tore down the creamery. The old pea vinery.

Wayne: Down on the salt flat or on the – – in the pasture.

Milo: Yeah. Me and Howard Hunt seen that cyclone pick that building up. We was in Howard’s dad’s car. We seen that twister come through the country. And we was kind of watching it, riding through the dirt roads, and we rode over here by the dump road going down to Hadley’s, and that picked that building right up and it twisted it around tight up in the are and twisted it around and then it just set it down and then it crumbled.

Wayne: I remember that.

Milo: And it went right – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And it went right down, this twister went down across the road and then it come back towards your uncle Earl Hadley’s and it come – – missed his house. But it went – – his barn was kind of front and north of the house, and it went right through there and it picked up part of that barn on the west side, it picked that sloping part up. Mr. Hadley and his wife had just come in to have dinner, and they put the horses in there with the harness, hames and that all on – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – And that picked that shed up and set it back down on them horses. And me and Howard run in there to help Mr. Hadley, we pried that up. Mr. Hadley reached in and talking to them horses and his wife, Liz, I think is her name – –

Wayne: Right.

Milo: – – But each one of them talked to them horses so they didn’t jump around. And me and Howard helped pry that roof up, and he took them horses right our of there. And them horses – – I often thought about that. If nobody was around, see, the horses would have probably died.

Wayne: Yeah. And you were down there working on Ed – –

Milo: No – –

Wayne: (Unintelligible)

Milo: Me and Howard was in the car. He’d borrowed his dad’s car. We was – – we had the water our there by uncle Ed Sharp’s, and Howard said, come and ride down to the store with me. So we go down to buy the ham – – the baloney to make a sandwich.

Wayne: Just down to Olsen’s or Maw’s?

Milo: Maw’s Store.

Wayne: uh-hu.

Milo: And we seen that twister coming.

Wayne: Oh, you – – oh.

Milo: You could hear it.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: You could hear it. And we was startled. We was dumb. We wanted to drive in it.

Wayne: Yeah, you bet.

Milo: If we’d a drove in it, see, it’d a probably picked us up.

Wayne: Yeah. That’s how you got such a good view of it though. You were chasing – – out there chasing it.

Milo: Well, we was watching it.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But we got to see the creamery – – the vinery go down.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And we got to see the barn pick up, the lean-to on the west side and then we seen it set – –

Wayne: That’s right.

Milo: We could see the horses.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And then it set that right back down. And them horses, I guess the rafters and that probably wedged just so that it didn’t kill them, you know.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Then you see, right after – – right after that, see, we had to go into the war.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: World War Two.

Wayne: I wanna cut back. Taking much more time – – of your time that I meant to. But can you tell me briefly what you know about how Howard got killed in the war?

Milo: Howard – – Howard Hunt, they tell me, got killed by our own ammunition.

Wayne: They were in Italy?

Milo: In Italy.

Wayne: And he was with the Gibson kid and Arnold Rose?

Milo: Also Folkman. I think Folkman was in the – –

Wayne: Oh, I thought he was in Navy.

Milo: I don’t know.

Wayne: Leon?

Milo: They were all close together at that time.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Whether they was on the move or what, I don’t know. But Archie Hunt could tell you.

Wayne: Probably – – Archie’s Vic’s son.

Milo: Yeah, grandson.

Wayne: Grandson.

Milo: But he could tell you.

Wayne: Gee, I maybe oughta go see him. Who did he marry?

Milo: He’s remarried Ez Hadley’s wife. Now, you know Harold Hunt?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Harold Hunt might be able to tell you about Howard.

Wayne: Yeah, I’m not gonna be able to see Howard. I’m going home tomorrow.

Milo: Are you? I can run you down to Archie Hunt’s. But see I went into the war. Howard went into the war.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Out of all of us guys from Plain City that went in on the first draft, they sent us down to Fort Douglas, Utah.

Wayne: When did you go in?

Milo and Gladys Ross, 30 May 1942

Milo: In what was it, ’41? Took us all in town the first draft.

Wayne: Howard went with you?

Milo: No. No, they come in later.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: But the first draft, they sent us all out, we went out of the Bamberger tracks.

Wayne: Who was with you, remember?

Milo: Ellis Lund.

Wayne: Yeah.

(l-r): Kenneth Barrow, Ellis or Keith Lund, Milo Ross, Jim Jardine, Unknown, Victor Wayment, Earl Collins 16 Oct 1942

Milo: Yeah, Ellis Lund and – – now I’ve lost it. But we all went down to Fort Douglas. We got down to Fort Douglas. They examined us, shoot us, and everything else like that. Put us in barracks. And they called my name our after they examined and tested us on everything, they called my name out to come up the office. I go up to the office. I was supposed to go get my duffel bag, be ready to move out so – – so many minutes. I run back to the barracks, got my bags and everything, and come back up where I was at. They put me in a jeep with four, five other guys. They took us right down to the railroad station in Salt Lake. They shipped us out to Fort Lewis, Washington, the same day, night we got down to Fort Douglas, they shipped us to Fort Lewis, Washington. And I was the only one out of the whole group that was sent out. And the rest of them guys all stayed here a week or two down here to Fort Douglas, Utah and they sent me up to Fort Lewis.

Wayne: You were just at Douglas long enough to get a – –

Milo: Examination.

Wayne: – – Uniform and – –

Milo: Yeah, they hurried me right through.

Wayne: Why?

Milo: I don’t know whether they had a call they wanted so many to go on this troop, Illinois outfit, National Guard outfit coming through, I don’t know.

Wayne: What, so you did basic training at Fort Lewis?

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: That’s where Norm and Paul – –

Milo: They came there, yeah.

Wayne: uh-huh. For the 41^st division.

Milo: Yeah. But they come up a little later.

Wayne: If we’re on your war career, we might as well stay with it, then we can cut back. What else did you do in the war besides go in early and – –

Milo: Well – –

Wayne: – – Get hijacked in Salt Lake?

Milo: Well, here’s the deal. What I was gonna tell you about. They asked us these questions about putting these pins together. If you open a window, how many panes would you have if you opened – – as a window over there, if you open that there window over there halfway, how many panes would you have? You understand it? Like a sliding window?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: If you opened that there window, how many panes would you have if you opened it halfway? How would the four – – would you have it if you opened it halfway? You understand it?

Wayne: Has that army general intelligence (unintelligible)

Milo: Intelligence stuff.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And I didn’t care. I was mad. You understand it? I – – I really didn’t care anything about that. And they – – they says, do you like to shoot a gun? And I says I’m – – I’m an expert rifleman. And maybe that there’s why they throwed me out, you know? They didn’t like me down there.

Wayne: This is at Fort Douglas?

Milo: Fort Douglas. And they put me on a train and I went from here right on the – – tight up to Fort Douglas, Utah, and done all my basic training there.

Wayne: Fort Lewis, Washington.

Milo: Fort Lewis, Washington.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: And I spent my time there, and then after we done our time at Fort Lewis, we went down to Needles, California, Barstow, and opened up a big army training camp down there. We dug great big latrines and trenches and they brought wooden boxes in for toilets and stuff like that.

Wayne: What kind of outfit were you in?

Milo: That was with the 33^rd division.

Wayne: In an infantry – –

Milo: National Guard. Illinois National Guard.

Wayne: Oh, okay.

Milo: 33^rd, Golden Cross.

Wayne: Okay. Is that you?

Milo: Yeah. I’m a highly-decorated soldier.

Wayne: Yeah, you are.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Well, tell – – let’s stay with that.

Milo: But.

Wayne: tell me about your war.

Milo: We was – –

Gladys: Before he leaves, I’d like you to show him the plaques that you made (unintelligible).

Milo: Okay.

Gladys: (Unintelligible)

Milo: Okay. He can hear you. At Fort Douglas, Utah, they had an air base there also. They had the B-51’s and P-38’s and they were training the pilots and everybody. And we were training there. And they put me in the infantry. And I done a lot of – – lot of latrine duty. We was in barracks.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Fort Douglas – – Fort Lewis.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And didn’t matter what I done, the company commander, whoever it was, he liked me. If we go out on maneuvers, rifle shooting, anything like that, they liked me because I could hit the targets. They could pull a target up and I could shoot it.

Wayne: Like Plain City kids, you’d grown up – –

Milo: I done it.

Wayne: Sure.

Milo: If we run infiltration course or anything, get down on your guts and crawl.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Go under the barbed wire and this and that – –

Wayne: Right.

Milo: – – I done it. And they liked me. And they – – they come along with the 60- millimeter mortar. Told me all about that, an one thing another. And they said, do you know how far that is down to that tree down there? And I says, yeah, I say, it’s probably about 150 yards. And didn’t matter what they done, they’d fire this mortar, 150 yards, they’d be on their target. You know, I wasn’t doing it. But they was asking me these things.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And they’d say, how far away is that tree over there. I’d say, well, it’s close to a thousand yards. But I was good on – –

Wayne: Right.

Milo: – – Distance.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: And it didn’t matter what I done. And as soon I was there, I was the soldier of the month the first month.

Wayne: Wow.

Milo: I got a pass out of it, you know, and then they made me a private first class and then a corporal and then a buck sergeant, you know.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Then when I got down to Barstow, they made me a Tech Sergeant. Give me a weapons platoon. And that was your 30 machine guns and your 60-millimeter mortars, see? But they give me a platoon down there. And then when they give me the platoon, they put us on guard duty one night. And they took me way out in the desert and left me. Now, you’re gonna stay here until certain hours and then you’ll be relieved. Well, I was gone through the night. The next morning at about noon, here they come to get me. And they said, well, why didn’t you walk in? I said, walk in? Why walk in? I was told to stay here. Was you scared? I had an order. I done it. I get back to camp, they give me a five-day pass for being a soldier of the month down there. You see?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So they give me a platoon sergeant. They made me a two-striper. One stripe under at that time.

Wayne: Oh, a staff – –

Milo: Yeah, a staff sergeant.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Then. And then they made us a two star later on. Two stripe after.

Wayne: And that’s the tech.

Milo: Tech, yeah. After that. But they was changing at that time. But they give me a five-day pass. And I come back to Utah.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They give me a five-day pass, but I could only have three because we were shipping out. So I hurried home see my wife, Gladys. She’d come back from Washington so she could be with me just that – – say hello.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: And I come home to see my wife and I had to go right back the next morning so I’d be able to ship out.

Wayne: You went back to Barstow?

Milo: Barstow.

Wayne: Your outfit was – –

Milo: Barstow.

Wayne: – – Still there.

Milo: We was ready to ship out. But I’d received this five-day pass that had – – soldier of the month award.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So that’s why I got to come home and to go back. So then they – –

Wayne: When had you got married?

Milo: Well, we got married in ’41. See, then – –

Wayne: Just before you went in?

Milo: Just before we went in. And see, I never seen my boy, Milo, he was born while I was overseas. I didn’t see Milo until he was three years old.

Wayne: Uh-huh. Who did you marry?

Milo: Gladys Donaldson.

Wayne: From Ogden?

Milo: Ogden, yeah. Dave Donaldson’s daughter. Dave Donaldson. They lived on – well, Norm, he used to go up there. They used to pick Gladys up. And Frank Hadley, they used to go pick Gladys and their sisters all up. They used to go up there. But they – – they shipped us out of Barstow and they was gonna send us – – they was gonna send us in to Alaska. They give us all this here heavy equipment and everything, go to Alaska. Then when we get on the ships, the first thing the do is give us new clothing and everything, and we’re going to the southwest pacific. So we went into the Hawaiian Islands. So that’s where – – where we started out at, Hawaiian Islands.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Then we went from Hawaiian Islands down through – – down Past Kanton Island, Christmas Island, Fiji Islands. We was gonna go into Australia, then they decided instead of going into Australia, they had kept the Japs from going into Australia, so they sent us back up into the Coral Sea, back up into New Guinea.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And so we went up into Finch and Lae and Hollandia. And while we were in there, we unloaded ships and stuff for the ship guys and everything like that. And then while we were in there, I got the soldier of the month award because I got the guys to help dig trenches to get water down out of the – – the fields so that it wasn’t swampy all the way through. And we dug these trenches and they gave me soldiers of the month down there.

We went down to the ocean front in these trucks and we brought coral rock and gravel stuff and made us sidewalks and stuff in our camps. And then the next thing you know, the whole outfits’s done it. And then we put poles and that up and so we didn’t have to have tents, we put a canvas over the top, more like a roof, so everybody done that.

Wayne: And this was in New Guinea.

Milo: In New Guinea. But you see, we went down to Finch Haven, down to Lae, then over to Hollandia, see, and helped unload ships. Then over – – when we was unloading ships, we – – I was in charge of unloading the ships. We unloaded at nighttime so the Navy could sleep and then get their rest, we worked through the nights for them. And we was unloading different things, and one of the guys down below, one of the buck sergeants, I heard him say, hey, this casket here, I put old Sergeant Ross’s name on it, he says make sure this son of a bitch gets it. You see, you could hear them talking.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And I knew who it was. So when we got through off the ship, we have about 50 guys I was in charge of, and another shift come on to relieve us, we go on for four hours, so when we go to load up, I says, say, Sergeant so and so, you gotta come over here a minute, I got a detail for you. Yes, Sergeant Ross. I said, bring three buddies with you. So he brought three buddies over with him. And I says, I got a detail for you. I says, you ride back down to camp with us. I says, it’s only a mile and a half. But I says, I heard you guys talking down – – down in the ship down there, and I says, I got this casket with my name on it and I wanna be sure and keep it. I want you to carry this back to my tent. Maybe I’ll sleep in it a night or two. And he says, oh, Sergeant Ross, I didn’t mean that. You know, but he was mad, you know, he’s irritated to think that the Sergeant would have to go down there and work.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But little things like this happens.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But we unloaded tires, 50-gallon drums of oil, gas, out in trucks and they took it out into the bamboos, you know, out in the – – out in the mud swamps.

Wayne: What port were you at?

Milo: Finch Haven.

Wayne: Finschhafen. Now Port Moresby’s on the other side.

Milo: That’s on the upper – – back down farther.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But when you go up into Coral Sea, you go up kind of towards Borneo, the Big Island. Now, Borneo from where we were at, Finschhafen, you could see Borneo Volcano eruption 24 hours a day.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Borneo. And then after we – – after we stayed in there, they said there was no Japs in there. But me and Palke, my friend, army buddy, we was down to the ocean and this native guy come and asked us if we’d shoot two Japs. That these two Japs had taken these native girls prisoners. And we thought he was just kidding we says, yeah we will. So we go with this native. They call them fuzzy tops, New Guinea. We go back, back over here where he’s at and he’s pointing to us. He says, right here, right here. See, this native. And I says, well, thems Japanese. They’re not supposed to be any Japs here. And he says, two of them. I says, Palke, you take the left one, I’ll take the right one. So we shot them. You understand me?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And then we got – – we got a Japanese flag apiece. My buddy Palke and my – – myself – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And Then – –

Wayne: They had captured two native girls?

Milo: Yeah. They were shacking up with the native girls, these Japs.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And this here native fuzzy top, he didn’t want these Japanese there.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So he asked us to shoot them.

Wayne: You just sneaked up on them in their – –

Milo: Well, we – – we thought he was kidding us.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So I says to Palke, I says, you take the left one, I’ll take the right one. And we never did tell nobody. You understand me? We didn’t dare. We was scared. We was chicken. We was afraid we’d get in prison. You understand it?

Wayne: uh-huh.

Milo: But see – –

Wayne: You probably broke an article of war.

Milo: We broke an article of war – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Because we didn’t talk to the commander in the first place.

Wayne: Right. And it was not a combat situation.

Milo: We were in combat.

Wayne: Were you?

Milo: We were loaded with ammunition at all times ready to fire you see, the Japs come across with their airplanes and strafe us and bomb us and they said – – they said the planes and that wasn’t in there, but – –

Wayne: It’s a combat zone.

Milo: It’s a combat zone.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: But we – – wherever we went, we had to have a gun and two of us had to be together.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: You understand? At all times.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: If we went down to the ships to unload everything like that, we ha a patrol, guard duty. You had five men, guard duty besides you’re unloading guys stuff like that. But see, after we left Finschhafen, Lae, we went to Dutch East Indies, Morotai, and that used to be a Leper Colony, British Colony. Used it be a Leper Colony. And we went to Morotai, Dutch East Indies, and we had big airstrip there we had to guard.

Wayne: All this time you were in the 33^rd – –

Milo: 33^rd Division.

Wayne: – – Division National Guard from Illinois.

Milo: Illinois. 130^th Infantry. But everything that I’ve done, I got the solder of the month award. I even got a soldier of the month award for fixing up the drain ditches and fixing the gravel sidewalks and stuff like that.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And then the Latrines and stuff, we fixed them back farther away. Then I took the drums and we took – – cut the drums in half and put them by our tents to save the water that came off the tents.

Wayne: Oh, the oil drums.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: We saved all these drums and stuff.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And we got our own water to wash our clothes and stuff with. And I got a soldier of the month award for that, and I had a chance to go to Australia for five-day pass, but what can you do? You don’t have no money. You – – no way to go. I could have went down with the Australian boy to fly down and back – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But, you know, I didn’t go.

Wayne: You weren’t getting paid?

Milo: Army?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Oh, yeah, they paid.

Wayne: Fifty-two – – well, you were – – you were a staff sergeant.

Milo: But we send money home. We was taking out insurance and sending most of it home. We was maybe getting $20 a month, you know, not much.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: But we went from – – from New Guinea we went up into Dutch East Indies, Morotai, and we guarded the airstrip. And the Australian boys, when the would take off the with their airplanes, they would always do a barrel roll. They’d roll their plane over and – – plane over and – – and we had this guard duty to guard this airstrip. And then when the Japs started to giving the airstrip a bad time, we had to make a drive back up through the airstrip and up through the country in towards – – I don’t remember the town now. Morotai. But we made a drive back up through there to locate the Japanese and get them our of there. And they killed quite a few of the Japanese did, the leading forces. We always brought up the rear, the weapons platoon. But we always had to be on the guard duty.

And then when we got back in farther, they had more Japanese farther back up into Morotai in Village, so they put us in ducks and took is out in the water in the lake, in the ocean, and put us in P.T. Boats. And there was I think about 12 of us. We had a lieutenant Early that went with us. And I volunteered to go as a weapon platoon tech Sergeant. They put us in there p.t. boats and they too us up to this city – –

Wayne: There were 12 of you in the – –

Milo: About 12 of us. About 12 of us, if I remember right that volunteered to go up.

Wayne: In one p.t. boat?

Milo: No. They had the two p.t. boats.

Wayne: Two.

Milo: They brought the two p.t. boat in.

(Tape I-B ends. Tape II-A Begins.)

Wayne: . . . two side one of a conversation with Milo Ross at his home in Plain City.

Milo: Number three.

Wayne: What?

Milo: One, two, three.

Wayne: One, two – – third side.

Milo: third side.

Wayne: Tape two.

Milo: Yeah. But they took us up in these p.t. boats out of the ducks, then we get out, starting out towards to where we was supposed to go, up to the city, this kid, he pushes a handle down on that p.t. boat and that thing just sat back on its tail, you know, and we – – we though it was gonna tip over backwards. You know I mean?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Because we’d never been in a p.t. boat. And he rammed us right up in on the beach. And we got up in there and we – – we make a beach landing, war-type landing for the Japs, we go in there Bayonets and rifle ready to go, and nobody was there. We run through the – – around the buildings. Run down through the streets like we was trained to do. Run our – – right on down along the side the beach, clear down where the boats and everything was at. And when we got down where the – – they’d tied their boats and all that all up, there was a great big open well, and it was lined with rock and everything, beautiful, beautiful picture. If you ever seen anything in the – – a picture of a open well water, and that’s where they got their drinking water out of, out of buckets and ropes. And then no Japs, no people around at all. So one the follow – –

Wayne: This is – – this is a native village then.

Milo: Native village on Morotai.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Dutch East Indies.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They have Gilden money, Gilden and different type. But one of the fellows hollered and says, come quick. O the five or six of us that was looking at this water and well and stuff broke and run to where he was at with our rifles, we figured he had some Japs pinned down. But he got to the bank. So we go over to the bank and they had a great big standing vault. And he says, look it here, all the money in the world. So without thinking, we took our ammunition, we put armor-piercing ammunition in our clips. And we cut a hole in this vault to take the money out. You understand me?

Wayne: Yeah. Was it Japanese money?

Milo: It was New Guinea – – not New Guinea, but – –

Wayne: Dutch?

Milo: Dutch East Indies.

Wayne: Paper money.

Milo: Paper money.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So we – – we loaded this all up in our coats and, you know, your fatigues and stuff like that, we loaded ourselves all up. And the lieutenant Early, he says, well, I gotta have some, too. See, he’s – – he’s in charge. And I’m the platoon sergeant. We even put it in our pants down to our leggings, we had these leggings on. So we – – we robbed the bank. But we did accomplish our mission, no Japs, nobody around. We go back and get into the p.t. boats, go back down, he kicks us off into these ducks. And then the ducks take us back and puts us on the beach down there on Morotai. And as soon as we get down there, we’re under arrest. They strip us off completely. Nude. We’re ready to be court martialed.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And here’s Lieutenant Early stripped off just like we are. Somebody had went down the ground from the bank, down to where we come back in at. It probably wasn’t very far. They came back down and told them that we’d robbed the bank. So when Lieutenant told them what it was, we give them the money and everything like that, they was all satisfied and contented. Lieutenant Early kind of shut it up some way. I don’t know how they done it. But we was – – were under army arrest. Then they tell us, go ahead and get dressed back up in uniform. No charges will be pressed. You’ve returned the money. So they release us.

And about that time, another ship, barge, came in, and it was artillery guys coming in to observe for artillery. Sergeant Ross, go with them. Set up. Yes, sir. I tell the guys, must have been about six of them, I said, just head straight out through here, and I said we’ll go out about 40, 50 yards and stop. Then I says, we’ll call in one shell and find out how close you are with us. So they called in the one shell.

Wayne: What are they gonna fire on if there were no Japanese?

Milo: Well, we have to have artillery wherever we go. For our own protection. They know there’s Japs in Morotai.

Wayne: But you didn’t find any.

Milo: We didn’t find them, but we wanted artillery.

Wayne: You wanted (unintelligible).

Milo: Around us.

Wayne: Okay.

Milo: And they have a shell that they throw in there that’s a smoked shell.

Wayne: Right, you’re just spotting target.

Milo: Just spot – – spot target.

Wayne: Yeah, okay.

Milo: And they – – the one – – the observation man says, I’m gonna run over here to the side and he says, I’ll – – I’ll be right back. I gotta go to the bathroom a minute. So he left us and he just started to walking maybe 20, 25 feet, and boom. We thought the artillery shell had come in and got us. But where – – we looked back to see where it was at, and there was booby trap that this observer had booby trapped, and it had jumped up out of the ground and it had exploded just about his waist height. And it looked like it blew him all to hell. We ran over there to see if we could help him, and his hands and his legs – – the one leg was almost completely off, you know, and his hands was just strung out, you know, you could see the bones and all that in there. And he – – he was conscious, and he says, oh, what did I do wrong? And then he passed out. And then we hollered for the medics and the medics come up, and they decided they’d have to finish amputating his leg because the – – these cords and everything was bothering, hindering, and everything, so they bandaged him all up and tourniqueted him up and fixed him all up. And while we were there, I says, listen, you better get that shell in here on us pretty soon now because, I says, the Japs will know we’re here. So the observation guy from the artillery guy, he called in for this shell and they brought one in and it was close enough to us to where we are at, we knew where it was at, and I says, don’t bring it in any closer, that’s fine.

But all the time we’re talking on the radio back to the company commander, our company commander Kelly, and told him what had happened. With probably booby traps all the way around, watch your area back there, too, because there is booby traps. So the artillery guys, they back out, we go back down to where the company’s dug in, and they call in for two or three shells, artillery shells. They fired way back from the distance off another island back to you, and you can hear them old guns go boom, boom. Then pretty soon you can hear them coming in, shoo, shoo, shoo. And then they boom, you know. And I flag them off and say, that’s enough, that’s – – that’s right where we need it so we know we got some protection and the Japs’ll know we got some protection. And I told the company commander on the radio, I says, we’re zeroed in, sir, right about where we need to be. Good go, sergeant Ross, he says, have the men dig in for the night.

So we stay in this here area for two or three days, then we go back down to Morotai, the airport. And we’re still down there until after Christmas. Christmans eve, they used to have a wash machine Charlie bomber come across, Jap bomber, he’d drop bombs on Morotai. And then after he got so far across and about so high up, they’d turn these search lights on him. They had these great big search lights. They’d turn about six, six to 12 of them if they had all fired up ready to light, and they’d turn these lights up on there and then when the lights would get on the Jap plane, then our planes would be able to spot the bomber and then the P.51’s and 38’s, P.38’s would shoot them down. But that was in the best side in the world if I ever seen in my life was to see a Jap bomber shot down in Morotai. To see – – to see the light on him, to see him explode, and then see a flash, the black – – black explosion then a flash, then hear the motors revving up and going down into the ocean. Then you see your airplanes do their tip of their wings and everybody turns their lights off, follows this airline right on down to the ocean, you know. But it was quite a thrill, something different for us to be able to see how the air corps and everybody worked as a unit.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And we stayed – –

Wayne: What Christmas would this be?

Milo: Oh – –

Wayne: ’42, ’43?

Milo: Let’s see, ’43, ’44.

Wayne: ’44.

Milo: ’44.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Then we went from – – they told us – – they told us we’d be loading out – – we stayed there and guarded the airstrip (Pause in tape. Unintelligible) we killed all them Japs up the side there. Those Japanese let us go through them in that cocoon grass.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They let that first group go right on past them, about the first squad. And after we got about the first squad past, we always have a signal, we stop. We talk to them on the radio. You have your walkie-talkie and you have everybody stop. And when you stop, one faces one way and one faces the opposite way. Back to back. Combat. And one of the fellows radioed on and he says, I just seen movement in the grass. Japanese to our left front.

The orders were hang by, on signal, everybody fire to our left, mover forward. So when the signal come, every – – everybody starts to shooting and they stand up and they go, walk through the cocoon grass. But they took the Japanese by surprise right on the ground. We never lost a man at Morotai. Them riflemen, them riflemen really protected us, I’ll tell that you. They – – they just done a good job. But the Japanese let them go right through. But if us guys in the back hadn’t seen it, them guys would have been cut off.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: From Morotai we went – – they was gonna take us up into different islands and they kept us on the ships for quite a while. We’d go from one island to another to make landings, and they’d hold us out. And then after so many days, they told us they told us we would be going up to – – into Luzon.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So then they went up into Luzon, and Harold’s Bunch, 32^nd, and probably Norm’s bunch from the 41^st and that bunch that Norm and Paul Knight’s and them, they went down into Manila.

Wayne: I’m not sure – –

Milo: Down by Clark Air Base, Subic Bay, they probably come in down there. But we went up above and come back in Lingayen Gulf where MacArthur came back in.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And they sent us back up in Lingayen Gulf as guard duty, so when MacArthur comes back in on his, I shall return – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – That, that is the 33^rd division where he comes back in there, if you know the history of it. That is your golden cross assignment, the return of MacArthur, right in there. That’s where MacArthur comes back in the 33^rd division.

Wayne: Did you have to fight your way in there?

Milo: Never. Not there. We could hear the Japs’ artillery fire coming back out of the hills out of Baguio City down into the valleys. But see, Harold and them guys, they come through clear down into Subic Bay, down in Manila, and they worked their way back up through the island. And Milo Sharp and them guys, they went back to Kibachiwan, the prison camp. Milo Sharp, his bunch went over to Kibachiwan and relieved all the prisoners of war over in that area.

Wayne: Oh. You know what outfit Mutt was in?

Milo: I don’t remember. But Harold was with the 32^nd division. And Harold and them went over to Galiano Valley, wasn’t it?

Wayne: I don’t know.

Milo: Galiano Vallley. They went – – they went past Kibachiwan, the concentration camp, and they went back into Kibachiwan and we went over into Baguio City. So we were all close together. And I – – that’s – – that’s when I – – I met Harold down in Luzon.

Wayne: Oh, did you?

Milo: Up in – – but up in Lingayen Gulf. He come up through there. And I was in charge of distributing the trucks and stuff as they come off the ships, and I was in charge of having them relay the companies, to companies into certain areas and – – but I seen Harold and these guys come through, his buddy.

Wayne: Was that just by chance?

Milo: By chance.

Wayne: No kidding?

Milo: But he knew we was coming in.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: See, he had a radio. And on the radio you communicate with each other.

Wayne: Uh-huh

Milo: And he picked up our code and he was so many miles away and they came through the field.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Instead of going around the road, they come through the field to us. And I throwed my glasses up and I says to Lieutenant Early, I says, there’s a couple soldiers coming down through there and they’re not Japs, you know. And I was bringing these trucks in, keeping them going where they was supposed to go, and hollering the different guys where to put them. And pretty soon, these two soldiers got up close enough and I throw my glasses on there and I thought, hell, hell, oh mighty. And then I say to Lieutenant Early, I says, what’s going on here? He says, aw, don’t pay no attention to them, they’re all right. So pretty soon, Harold and them guys, they got, oh, probably here to the road, and I heard Harold say, God, big brother, don’t you even know me? See, he had his glasses.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And he’d come down to a dentist probably.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And see, I was just coming in off the ships, but – –

Wayne: So he had an idea you were in the area.

Milo: Well, we have radios.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: See, they knew, they knew we were coming in there.

Wayne: Did you ever run into any other guys from Plain City.

Milo: I didn’t know – – Raymond Bitton from West Weber. He married Beth Skeen.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Now, he was in the 33^rd division also.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: He got a bronze star, yeah. And see, we went – – we – – after we left Luzon, they sent us up into Aringay. We stayed at Aringay and prepared to drop to – –

Wayne: Milo, I gotta use your – –

(Pause in tape)

Milo: They sent us from Luzon after – – after MacArthur and them came in, they relieved us out of there as guard duty and they sent us over into Aringay. They sent us over into Aringay to go through the homes and villages through there, house by house, and searching for the Japanese.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Outside of Aringay. And outside of Aringay, we trained to go from one house to another, and we had to take – – go in in twos. One of you walk into a house. These are only one – or two-room building shacks. One would go one way and one go the other way, and you had your rifle and bayonet and go right on in, ready to pull trigger any time. And that was the hardest thing in the world for me is to go in a house ready to shoot in case you see a Japanese or somebody in there. And it was pretty hard, but we – – we searched these villages, we searched the houses, we searched the outside and everything around Aringay.

And then around Aringay, we dug in. And after we’d dug in for one day, the Japanese threw artillery shells in on us, and one of the shells exploded down by the – – a trail, being and it left something burning. And the fellows went down to see what it was, and it was money. The had hit a cache of money that the Japanese had buried, and the paper money and that had caught on fire and the silver coins and that was scattered all over. And I’ve got clippings on that where they found over half a million dollars in coin the Japanese had buried.

But in this artillery barrage that they throwed around us, they throwed the 90’s artillery and whatever it was in on us. And that was on February the 14^th in the morning about 8:00 or 9:00 o’clock, February the 14^th. That’s when the one shell knocked me down and about four other guys got – –

Wayne: This is 1945?

Milo: ’45.

Wayne: yeah.

Milo: knocked us down, and – – February the 14^th. And then I realized I was down on the ground and wanted to get up to help, and then my one leg, I couldn’t get it up. I was paralyzed in the one leg. I’d been wounded. So I go get up, and I go crawl over to help my buddy because he was bleeding on the side quite a bit on his neck. And I put this compress on there as tight as I could, and told him to hold it. And I says, I’ll have to help Fred, my buddy Palke over here – – not Palke, but one of the other fellows, said to come and help him. I crawled over to help him and I thought, well, I’m stand up. And when I went to stand up again, then another shell come in and hit us again. So I got hit once, and then I got hit again, see. So I got hit from the front and I got hit from the back (unintelligible) over that side.

Wayne: Where was the second hit?

Milo: From the back side on the artillery, see, caught me in the back.

Wayne: In the back.

Milo: It was shrapnel, but they – – I think they knocked about 11 of us down. And Palke, he come running over, that’s my buddy here, and I says, Palke, I says, get my pictures of my wife and Gladys and my wallet out of my pack over there, will you? I’d just come back off of guard duty through the night. I went out on a suicide post, and I’d just come back. And I hadn’t had any sleep, and I got wounded as I come, and I was just having a sip of drink with the guys, and I says, you guys, I says, we better split this up. I says, we’re gonna get artillery up here, too. And I no sooner said it than these two shells come in about the same time and got us.

But they shipped me down to 144 station hospital, and I was down there for about a month. And I said, I gotta get out of here. So I volunteered to go back to the company. And then when we got back in the company, they sent us out – – out to San Fernando Valley where the Japanese were out over in that concentration there. We was supposed to make a road block in that area to keep them there. And we waded the Aringay river through the night. And that’s after we’d been wounded. I come back to camp that day, I come back to camp about 3:00 o’clock, and they was preparing to go out. And I was just coming out of the hospital. And they says, what are you gonna do, Sergeant Ross? And I says, well, I’ll go with you. Oh, why don’t you stay with the company? And I said, no, I’ll go with you. So I went and got my ammunition and everything, full pack and everything, and went with them. We waded the Aringay river about 3:00 o’clock in the morning just below the bridge because they knew it was dynamited. Japs was gonna blow it up. We waded the Aringay river and went over into San Fernando Valley and waited until daybreak there to go back up into – – up towards Baguio City where we done most of our fighting. But we done a lot of – –

Milo J Ross

Wayne: So a day after you come out of the hospital, you’re engaged in a fire fight with – –

Milo: Well, the day I come back out, I was loading up my pack that night to go with my company back into combat.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And I was kind of chicken when I waded that river. I had a little fear in me.

Wayne: Yeah. The wounds were – – didn’t – –

Milo: Just shrapnel wounds.

Wayne: didn’t break any bone; they were flesh?

Milo: Flesh wounds.

Wayne: Didn’t shatter any bones or – –

Milo: Just – – just poke holes through you – –

Wayne: uh-huh.

Milo: – – you know, just – –

Wayne: yeah.

Milo: – – poke, poke holes through your body, you know. And my legs was the same way. But I – – they wasn’t gonna release me out of the 144 station hospital, and I said, I’ve gotta get out of here, I’m gonna go nuts. But I went back in and the next, that – – the same night I got out, we waded the Aringay River. We went right over to San Fernando Valley and then we worked our way back up on the ridges, back up through there, and starred to crawling down, down ridges, trying to wipe the Japanese out.

Then we got – – We got – – we had to take Hill X. And Bilbil Mountain. My Company got the Presidential Unit Citation. But I got – – I got the Purple Heart, the Silver Star, and the Good Conduct Medal, and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Wayne: You know, I had no idea you’d got a Silver Star.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: That’s – – that’s impressive, Milo.

Milo: I got the Presidential Unit Citation with the company.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: We had about a 40 – – they tried to take Hill X. About seven or eight times before, and then they called upon Company C to take it. We tried to take that, we got fired on and pinned down. And we had to dig in for the night. We lost quite a few men. And then we stayed and worked our way up the ridge, but we got up on top and on Hill X, we made our mission. We dug in, we built pill boxes and stayed in. We stayed there for seven, seven or eight days. And they dropped ammunition and stuff from the airplanes, the C-47, they dropped ammunition and stuff our to us. And then they had Filipino people bring rations and stuff up on their heads.

Wayne: The Japanese are above you on the hill?

Milo: They was on the – –

Wayne: Dug in?

Milo: – – Hill X. And also on Bilbil Mountain. And that’s where we was getting most of our fire from is Bilbil Mountain. And Hill X, we had to work our way up that. And when we got to our point up here, we dug in, then we built pill boxes with a roof over them. We’d put logs and stuff over them.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: And then the night when they was gonna release us, they told us that high officials would be up. Make room in the foxholes for them after dark. So all the colonels and majors and everybody come up to see what they’re gonna do, so they get in our foxholes with and bunkers with us, and they stay through the night with us, and then the next morning they see what they gotta do, and decide they’re gonna relieve, take us off of this hill, Hill X. So they relieve us off of Hill X. And they bring another company up to take our position. And we go on back, back out of here, back down to rest area. And when we get down to rest area, they feed us and let us drink and have clean up. And about dark, they told us that we’d be combat ready again, with no sleep, after supper we would go back up on Bilbil Mountain where the other company was pinned down.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: After we ate, loaded up, went back toward Bilbil Mountain, we had to walk back up where they let us off. Through the night, we walked up on top towards Bilbil Mountain, made contact with the company that was pinned down. On radio, you’re always on radio, you understand me?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: And they have their patrol back and forth. We make patrol with them right on back up to where their company’s at, pinned down. And they tell us that in morning we would – – all bayonets would be fixed bayonets. Ready to fire and move forward. If anybody goes down, you move on past them, you do not stop, you move right through the company that’s pinned down, our own troops. And the rifleman at daybreak – – you could see movement of the Japanese. And you could see our troops down in the foxholes where we had to go down through. And as soon as they give the signal, our troops went right on down through the first platoon, second platoon, third platoon, and I was the last platoon, fourth platoon. We seen what was going on. Our first squad of men that went down, that – – all that firing was from the hip. They – – they went through there. You know, they caught the Japanese by surprise. They took them right in their foxholes, right through the other company. The other company was told stay in their foxholes.

Wayne: (Unintelligible )

Milo: They had to stay down, let us through them. And C Company went right through them. And when we come through, there was not a soldier of our company that got wounded. We went right through the company that was pinned down and right off of Bilbil Mountain, right on across the ridge, went right down to hill X,that we had been on the day before.

Wayne: Good grief.

Milo: And went right on down.

Wayne : Yeah.

Milo: Back down to camp. I never did know what the company got for that. I’ve – – you know, I – – I come back out of the service right after that because we was up in Luzon fighting on them hills and stuff like that.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But I – – I did have a chance to stand and – – with Captain Kelly when we received his – –

Wayne: He was your company commander?

Milo: Company commander. He got his Silver Star. I got one.

Wayne: And you got one.

Milo: And I got to stand down with him on the platform they fixed for us. P.W. Clarkson, sixth corps commander, pinned that Silver Star on me star. He says, sergeant Ross, come and go to – – with us in Japan, and he says, I’ll give you a platoon – – a company of your own. I’ll make you a lieutenant. I says, sir, let me go home. I got enough points. 65 points.

Wayne: Is the war over by now?

Milo: It’s just about over. I says, the Japs are whipped, they’re coming in. I says they’re coming in. I says, I took a prisoner of war, and I says, 25, 30 others, I had them come up the next morning and I says, they’re coming in, they’re coming in.

And he says, Sergeant Ross, we need more just like you. I says, please let me go home.

But I had the chance to stand on a platform with Captain Kelly and have a division pass by in review.

Wayne: Wow.

Milo: You know, that’s quite an honor.

Wayne: Right

Milo: Each company come by, and you hear then holler, Company C, eyes right.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Right on down through, you know – –

Wayne: Not many tech sergeants get that privilege.

Milo: That’s really a privilege.

Wayne : Yeah.

Milo: I was honored. I felt proud. I am a huge-decorated soldier.

Wayne: Can I look at those pictures?

Milo: You bet.

(Pause in tape)

Milo: Sorry I took so much of your time.

(Pause in tape)

Milo: Some people’s got them, but I’ve never got them.

Wayne: I’m gonna ask Milo to run over these decorations again on the tape. I had it off. So we’re standing in front of a framed kind of collage of photographs and medals from his war – – there’s the – – you have the Good Conduct Medal.

Milo: Good Conduct Medal.

Wayne: The Silver Star.

Milo: Silver Star for gallantry in action.

Wayne: Right. And now that’s just the step below the – –

Milo: Medal of Honor.

Wayne: The Medal of Honor.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Right. And the Purple Heart.

Milo: Purple Heart.

Wayne: And the good – –

Milo: World War II.

Wayne: World War II. Okay. And then there’s a ribbon for a Presidential Unit Citation. And the – –

Milo: Combat Infantry.

Wayne: Combat Infantry badge.

Milo: The picture of P.W. Clarkson, sixth corps commander.

Wayne: And up there’s his hash marks for – –

Milo: Service points.

Wayne: Right. Is that – – I’ve forgotten – –

Milo: I don’t remember.

Wayne: Six months.

Milo: Yes. That’s the old golden cross, 3^rd division, and that’s our – – that’s our battle stars.

Wayne: Two battle stars.

Milo: See the one over here in the southwest pacific.

Wayne : Uh-huh.

Milo: Down into New Guinea. Morotai. And then the Philippine Islands over here.

Wayne: The two battle stars are for the Philippines.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: And the one to the left of the cross is the New Guinea.

Milo: New Guinea.

Wayne: Right. What is this?

Milo: That’s the expert.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: I’m an expert in everything that I used.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I have citations, written citations, I have M-1 rifles, carbine, hand grenades.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I have certificates of everything. I have a plaque made up that I’ll show you in my bedroom. I’ll bring out and show you. But it’s P.W. Clarkson pinning the silver star on me. That’s captain Kelly standing by me. And after he pinned these on me, we had the division, 33^rd division pass by in review.

Wayne: Yeah J.

Milo: Honored me and Captain Kelly.

Wayne: And that was essentially the end of your army career?

Milo: I wanted to get out at that time.

Wayne: Yeah. While you were still whole.

Milo: I’ll show you the plaque.

(Pause in tape)

Milo: His name’s Milo Paul Ross. And he’s an Eagle Scout. And he has a son here named Paul after his – –

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: – – After his dad.

Wayne: Yeah. Is that his Eagle Scout?

Milo: He’s an Eagle Scout.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: And he’s – – he’s a high-decorated Eagle Scout also Milo’s and Eagle Scout and his son’s an Eagle Scout.

Wayne: Where does Milo live?

Milo: Paul, Idaho.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Paul, Idaho. He – – this here bit here received a – – an award out of Minico. This school in Rupert give almost a million dollars scholarship out in high school graduation, and my grandson, Paul Ross – –

Wayne: Paul Ross.

Milo: – – right here received from there clear on down to there.

Wayne: Well.

Milo: About $52,000 scholarships, that the young buck, Paul Ross, received.

Wayne: To USU

Milo: Yeah, up to Logan.

Wayne: Right. What did he do?

Milo: He’s in drafting, engineering, and computers. But you can – – can you read them here? That’s a presidential.

Wayne: Presidential.

Milo: $24,000.

Wayne: For $24,828.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: USU Drafting and Music.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: $1,500.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: USU Academic honors, $250.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: James Dixon Honorary, $1,000. Harry S. Truman Library Institute, $2,000. Colorado School of Mines Achievement, $6,000. Freshman, $2,000. Performing arts, $800. John and Doris Jensen, $750. Conoco, $1,000. Delano F. Scott, $1,500.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: That’s quite a list.

Milo: Well – –

Wayne: Now, is this when he graduated from high school?

Milo: From high school.

Wayne: Then he gets these for the college or – –

Milo: yeah he’s going up to Logan. He has a scholarship here now to go to Logan, tuition paid. But he has to pay $3,000 for his board and room I think up there.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: But other than that – –

Wayne: Is he up there now?

Milo: He’s going this fall.

Wayne: He’ll be a freshman?

Milo: (unintelligible )

Wayne: Oh, this has just happened then?

Milo: Just happened.

Wayne: Oh, yeah, this is June 4^th.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: 1997.

Milo: He’s a brilliant boy.

Wayne: Minidoka County.

Milo: Yeah, he’s been – –

Wayne: Rupert, Idaho.

Milo: He’s been back to Kansas City twice. He went back later year on a scholarship fund. This year he went back to Kansas City with his dad. They spent ten days going back, come back again, and he placed 16^th last year and he placed 16^th this year national.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Scholarships. He got to go back to Harry S. Truman scholarship school back there that they have for scholarships. And he placed 16^th each time. And that’s Milo’s boy. Now, he wants – – what he wants to do now, when he’s going to Logan, if Logan will let him go this fall when he’s a in school to California on a scholarship for Stanford, I think it is – –

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: – – If they’ll let him go to Stanford on a scholarship, oh, like a scholarship deal, he wants to go down there if Logan will let him go long enough out of college to go down there to – – on that time limit for that scholarship down there. He’s gonna try to get it. I don’t know whether he’ll been able to get it or not.

Wayne: Huh.

Milo: But he picked up about $52,000 scholarships.

Wayne: Yeah. Where did your son, Milo, go to school.

Milo: He went to Plain City. See, he had his schooling here.

Wayne: But he – – did he go to college?

Milo: He didn’t go to college.

Wayne: He went to Weber High?

Milo: See, I bought him that ’59 Chevrolet Impala convertible, that red one. Do you remember him driving that around? I bought him that – –

Wayne : No, I haven’t been around.

Milo: I bought him a ’59 Impala convertible to keep him in school. And then I tried to get him to go on a mission. He wouldn’t go on a mission. And I says, son, here’s $5,000, I’ll give it to you now, or I’ll put it in the bank in your checking account if you’ll go to – – go on a mission. He says, dad, I’m old enough to know where I wanna go. So he just went to work for Circle A Trucking outfit, and he’s been with them ever since. He’s the – – he’s their supervisor up at Paul, Idaho, for the big trucking outfit up there. That’s one of the biggest outfits there is in the states is Circle A Trucking.

I’ve got a plaque here that I’ve just kind of put a little junk together.

Wayne: Oh, boy.

Milo: And it really isn’t put together very nice. But come over here.

Wayne: Now Milo’s showing me a mock-up he’s got of some material on a kind if a – –

Milo: Clipping.

Wayne: – – two-part clipboard here. There’s his Chevron.

Milo: I even got a – – I got a clipping of Plain City School play night, see.

Wayne: Oh, my heavens.

Milo: Here’s – – here’s your sister, Ruth, in here.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: She was my leading girl.

Wayne: Right, I remember that play.

Milo: She was – – she was my girlfriend. And you know what? I tease her. I always say, when I was supposed to kiss you, you always used to put a handkerchief up so our lips never touched. She gets a kick out of that. But that was in the school.

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: Can you read what day that was? I don’t remember.

Wayne: Plain City Junior High School – –

Milo: ‘36

Wayne: – – Will present “The Girl who Forgot” in the ward recreation hall tonight. That is something the 3^rd, 1936.

Milo: 1936, Yeah. But I kept that.

Wayne: Rex McEntire.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Keith Hodson.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Ray Charlton.

Milo: Yeah. Van Elliott Heninger, he’s in there.

Wayne: Ray Richard – – Ray – – Ray Richardson.

Milo: Charlton.

Wayne: Oh, Ray Charlton.

Milo: Ray Charlton.

Wayne: Middle row Dorothy Richardson.

Milo: Dorothy Richardson.

Wayne: Right. June Wayment.

Milo: June Wayment.

Wayne: Larne Thompson.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Margarite Maw.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Ruth Carver. Back row, principal J.M. Rhees. Eugene Maw. Director, Van Elliott Heninger. He was our baseball coach.

Milo: Right.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Milo Ross

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: And teacher, Ernst Rauzi.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Who taught us shop, didn’t he?

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Oh, that’s something.

Milo: Isn’t that?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I – – I had some of these pictures made up and give the kids all some.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Then this here one picture here that – –

Wayne: Plain City Clubbers Show ability.

Milo: That’s baseball.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I don’t remember what year that was either. That probably won’t even tell you.

Wayne: No. Are you in there?

Milo: Yes, sir. Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah, there’s Elmer.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: That Freddy?

Milo: Yeah, that’s old Fred.

Wayne: Glen.

Milo: Glen.

Wayne: Norm.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: My brother.

Milo: Frankie Skeen.

Wayne: Oh, is it? Yeah. Claire Folkman.

Milo: Claire Folkman. Dick – –

Wayne: Dick Skeen, Albert Sharp – –

Milo: Albert Sharp.

Wayne: Abe Maw.

Milo: Yeah. Milo Ross.

Wayne: Is that you?

Milo: Yeah, that’s Milo.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Hang onto that there.

(Telephone rings.)

Wayne: And on the front row there is Frankie Skeen, Walt Moyes, Arnold Taylor, Lynn Stewart, (unintelligible).

Yeah, the rest of this caption reads, Plain City’s Hustling Ball Club has many of the bleacherites at the 1938 Utah Farm Bureau Baseball Championship picking it to walk off with the slate – – the state title. Before the joust closes. Yeah, we recognize the Al Warden prose there.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah. I don’t think they won it. I don’t think we ever won that. Played those games up at Brigham City, didn’t we?

Milo: We got placed second.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Denver and Rio Grand got first.

Wayne: Really?

Milo: Yeah. And thus is a picture here of – –

Wayne: Oh, of Luzon.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Now, here’s one of New Guinea. Picture of New Guinea. Here’s a picture – –

Wayne: Now, I can’t pick you out there. Where are you?

Milo: Well, I won’t be in that picture.

Wayne: Oh you’re taking the picture.

Milo: I’m taking the picture. Here’s my brother, Harold Ross, and Milo Ross. We got a little write-up against – –

Wayne: For heaven’s sake. You was all so lean. Yeah. You did.

Milo: Then I got a picture here of me in the hospital, 44 station hospital. And that’s McFarland, Delmar White, and Milo Ross and Lyman Skeen.

Wayne: This was all in the Pacific – – or in the Philippines?

Milo: Yeah. That’s the Philippine Islands right there. 144 Station Hospital.

Wayne: Were they all – – were they in the hospital?

Milo: They came to see me.

Wayne: Oh, they came to see you.

Milo: They – – they – on these radios, you have communication back and forth.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: In the war. And here’s our Japanese flag we took.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I that have there. Here’s – – I have a Silver Star, a citation. Here’s Captain Kelly and Milo Ross here.

Wayne: Yeah.

2004

Milo: Here’s Presidential Unit Citation. I – –

Wayne: Company C., 18^th infantry regiment – –

Milo: one hundred thirty – –

Wayne: – – of the 33^rd – –

Milo: Division.

Wayne: – – Division.

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Okay.

Milo: This here’s the 33^rd division. Here’s the copy of it, that over there. Now, I have a – – oh, here’s a picture where we were at in New Guinea and different places like this. But everything that I – – the ships and that I was on, I kept a record of everything that I rode on.

Wayne: Well, yeah.

Milo: Can you see it?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: I even have the dates and everything that I kept them on. I kept – – I kept it in my helmet so it wouldn’t get destroyed. Isn’t that amazing?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But I got more time on the shop than a lot of Navy boys have got. And then I got the battles that you was in here, see? Different places here. Here’s the 33^rd division strikes gold, see, recovers a half million dollars plot – –

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: – – Uncovered.

Wayne: This is a – –

Milo: That’s what – –

Wayne: – – Newspaper, your division newspaper.

Milo: Yeah. See I was telling you about this one here. But see, I have the certificates, the mortars, and machine guns, and everything.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: These are all nice. But I – – I kind of kept a record of all of it. These here are little clippings like these here. Sergeant Ross leads an attack and all that, you know, and – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I have them all together.

Wayne: Is it – – what paper is this from?

Milo: That’s standard.

Wayne: Oh, Uh-huh.

Milo: But I got a – – I got lot of copies of it. I’m trying to put a bunch of them together.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I was wondering if I could find that one down to – – here’s Morotai right here. That was September the 16^th, ’42. I told you ’44.

Wayne: Was when you were in Morotai?

Milo: Uh-huh. Let’s see, let’s see what I wrote on here.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: This is ’44, in December 1944 in Morotai, that – – I was right when I told you before.

Wayne: Oh, this is from the time – –

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: – – this was when you went in the service.

Milo: Right.

Wayne: September 16, 1942.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: And you were discharged September 30^th, 1945.

Discharge Certificate

Milo: Right.

Wayne: Almost three full years.

Milo: Three years. And then December ’44, see, we was in a battle down in Dutch East Indies, Morotai, our first combat, see, out here. That’s Christmas Eve, see, right here? Under combat fire, February the 14^th. First enemy fire in Rosario, Luzon. The last of February, 202. See, we was on a lot of hills.

Wayne: Hill 18 – –

Milo: – – Yeah.

Wayne: – – 02.

Milo: 1802, near Rosario. Near Arringay, Luzon. And then middle of March, Ballang City. Last of March through April, May, Hill X, with seven unsuccessful attempts, they had tried taking that hill before us – –

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: – – the army, our army, they asked company C., our company , to take it, after what did I say, seven?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: So they tried to take that hill seven times. We went up and we took it ourselves with the company. We had a high casualty rate, about 44 percent if I remember, it’s on one of these here clippings here that says it. This Presidential Unit Citation probably tells me. And we was on Hill X. And then we went back up on top.

Wayne: But you took Hill X. By going up – –

Milo: Walking right up after them.

Wayne: Well, I thought – – weren’t you brought down from Hill X. Then you regrouped and came up where the artillery – –

Milo: We go up to Hill X first. We take Hill X and hold it and dug in. And then after we dug in, they took us out, back to camp area, they take us back up over here and come up on Bilbil Mountain.

Wayne: Okay. I had.

Milo: Right next to it.

Wayne: Okay. You – – so you took Hill X. Before Bilbil Island.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Okay.

Milo: I’ll give you some clippings, if you’ll give me your name and address, I’ll send you copies of them.

Wayne: I will. I’ll be glad to have them.

Milo: Look, here’s the Presidential Unit Citation. They’re just clipped on kind of easy. These are cute. This is my wife here. Here’s one right here. His platoon received the mission to protect from the left flank along this – – also to push forward and capture a section of the hill.

(Tape II-A. Ends. Tape II-B begins.)

Wayne: His platoon received the mission of protecting the left Flank of the company’s assaults, and was also to push forward and capture a section of the hill. The Japs’ positions were peppered with heavy barrages of artillery and mortar fire before the attack. The unit started the attack with Sergeant Ross leading his platoon. After reaching half of the – – just half the distance, the infantrymen were stopped by Japan fire consisting of knee mortars, rifles, and machine guns. During rest of the day, the two groups slugged back and forth at each other with their arms. During the night, the Japs launched an attack against the 130^th perimeter, but were driven off. Sergeant Ross’s machine guns and mortars played an important role in stopping the enemies attack. The following date the Doughboys slowly started – –

Milo: To gain.

Wayne: Oh, to gain yards until by late afternoon they had pushed to the top and captured the positions, killing a large number of Japs. Sergeant Ross’s platoon captured it’s objective before any other of the other units were able to secure theirs. Sergeant Ross has been in the services for nearly three years – –

Milo: Two.

Wayne: – – Two of which have been spent in the Pacific area. Prior to participating in the Philippines liberation campaign, he battled the Japs in Netherland East Indies in the second battle of – –

Milo: Morotai.

Wayne: – – Morotai. Who wrote this?

Milo: These come from – #

Wayne: You don’t know what that’s from?

Milo: I don’t know, but I’ll give you a copy.

Wayne: That apparently is a news account.

Milo: Yeah. Here’s a Presidential Unit Citation. Can you read this one right here? Do you wanna read that?

Wayne: I would like it on the tape, yeah.

Milo: Okay.

Wayne: Is that the same as this?

Milo: Same as that. Turn it over by your light there.

Wayne: Huh?

Milo: Turn it over by your light. Maybe you see it better, can you?

Wayne: Unit Citation, 5 July, 1945, Headquarters 33^rd Infantry Division, A.P.O. 33, General Orders Number 159. Under the provisions of Section 4, Circular Number 333, War Department, 22 December, 1943, the following unit is cited by the Commanding General of the 33^rd infantry division: Company C., 130^th Infantry Regiment, is cited for outstanding performance of duty in armed conflict with the enemy. Bilbil Mountain of Province Luzon – –

Milo: Come in.

Wayne: – – Philippine Islands – –

Milo: Come in.

Wayne: – – An extremely rugged forest covered – -, key defensive positions was occupied by a company of Japs reinforced with heavy machine guns, section – – 90-millimeter mortar section and two sections, two guns of 75-millimeter howitzers. This commanding ground afforded excellent observation and enable the enemy to maneuver it’s forces and supporting- – weapons to advantageous positions, to successfully – – to success – -I can’t read – –

Milo: To seize.

Wayne: To success – –

Milo: Oh – –

Wayne: To success – –

Milo: Important – -oh, two previous unsuccessful – –

Wayne: To successfully repel seven previous attempts – –

Milo: They’d been tried taking it seven times before.

Wayne: All right. To seize Hill X.

Milo: But we took it in the first time up.

Wayne: The strategically important know on the southeastern slope of Bilbil Mountain. Hill X. Was honeycombed with prepared positions from which the enemy observed and harassed our movements along the Galiano-Baguio road. That’s B-a-g-u-i-o.

Milo: Baguio.

Wayne: Baguio, the Galiano – Baguio – –

Milo: Galiano.

Wayne: Galiano-Baguio road.

Milo: Baguio road.

Wayne: On Ap- – on 12 April 1945, company C. Under the sweltering sun laboriously climbed steep mountain trail which followed the crest of an extremely narrow hogback ridge, which except for shot – –

Milo: Cogon Grass.

Wayne: – -Cogon Grass and sparse bamboo growth was devoid of cover, and pushed to within 400 yards of the crest of Hill X. When they were met by heavy barrage of 90-mortimer – -millimeter mortar fire which enveloped the entire ridge. From the simultaneously intense enemy machine gun and rifle fire emanating from the many camouflaged spiders holes and caves astride the trail, evac- – inflicted many casualties forcing the company to dig in. A reconnaissance revealed no other route to the objective, so the company evacuated it’s casualties and aggressively pressed against this seemingly impenetrable fortress throughout the day making the enemy – –

Milo: Disclose.

Wayne: – – Disclose its strong points. On 13 April 1945, despite the fact that the constant watchfulness against the night infiltration – –

Milo: You lost a line – –

Wayne: No, I skipped a line, didn’t I?

Milo: On April first – –

Wayne: It’s my glasses. On 13 April 1945, despite the fact that the men weary from the strenuous climb, the fierce fighting and constant watchfulness against night infiltration, the company launched a dawn attack. Undaunted by the intense fire which inflicted five casualties to the leading elements, the gallant fighting men of company C. Imbued with an indomitable fighting spirit swiftly worked their way up, up – – way up the knife – like ridge, and in the fiercest kind of close-in fighting wiped out six Jap machine gun nests in succession, killing the defending Japs in their hole. The enemy fanatically contested with intense fire every foot of the way to the summit, but undismayed, company C. Seized Hill X. And dug in tenaciously holding on despite continuous harassing fire delivered from the dominating positions on the Bilbil Mountain.

That night the Japs counter-attacked another company sent to assist in the attack on Bilbil Mountain, on 14 April 1945, succeeded in reaching the summit only to be driven off by the fierce Jap counter-attack. The full fury and power of the Japs was again turned on company C. Which alone held its, position, successfully repulsion gallery the severe and determined counter-attacks. The tired fighting men of company C. Exhibiting unwavering fighting spirit despite nearly 50 percent casualties, tenaciously held Hill X. For five days until reinforcements were available to continue the attack and annihilate the enemy.

Milo: That’s right, but I’ll give you a copy of these.

Wayne: Yeah, that would be great.

Milo: I’ll fix you up something.

Wayne: Yeah, they’re kind of hard to take off the tape and – –

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: – – Get accurate.

Milo: But I’ll – – I’ll give you a copy of it.

Wayne: Hi.

A Voice: Hello, how are you?

Milo: This is Dick Skeen’s boy.

A Voice: (unintelligible)

Wayne: How did you do?

A Voice: Cody (Unintelligible)

Wayne: Cody – –

A Voice: (unintelligible)

Wayne: Across the street?

A Voice: Uh-huh.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Trying to do an audio on visual stuff. We should have a video.

Milo: They told about the Philippine Islands people would give you a ribbon, liberation ribbon.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: So I wrote to the Philippine people, that I really appreciated them, one thing and another, see.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Then I thought, well, I’ll just tell something about the people. So I told about the people carrying the water and the stuff up on their heads and that.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And I said, I don’t know whether the Army’s ever told you this or not, but I wanna thank you personally. I never had guts enough to get out of my foxhole, do you understand it?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: To help you carry that stuff up the hill. But the women and the men and the girls that carried the ammunition and water up to us, I’d like at this time to thank you people from the Philippine Islands for helping us while we were in the war to save your country.

Wayne: That was mighty – – mighty thoughtful of you Milo.

Milo: Well, I wrote a letter and I sent it to the Philippine people and I kept this copy.

Wayne: Right, did you get any response?

Milo: Not yet. You don’t get much back.

Wayne: Probably not. I’m sure it was delivered.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Now, is there anything else? But I will, while you’re still on your tape, I will give you a copy of my Presidential Unit Citation. I’ll give you a picture of myself.

Wayne: Right. And if you’re gonna make, you know, I could go into Kinko’s and get copies made in a hurry.

Milo: Well – –

Wayne: If you wanted to trust me with any of this stuff.

Milo: I’d – –

Wayne: But you – –

Milo: Let me get them all together for you.

Wayne: – – Maybe rather have them – – I’d like a copy of that, if you wouldn’t mind my having one.

Milo: Well, it’s not too good a writing.

Wayne: Well, wasn’t gonna grade it.

Milo: Well, professor – –

Wayne: It’s not a theme. But there’s nor many soldiers that wrote letters like that – –

Milo: See I – –

Wayne: – – 40 years after the fact.

Milo: But the idea of it is, the idea of it is, see, I did write to the people.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: And thank them for it.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And I – – I – – where is Gladys? But I did write to the Filipino people, look, I wrote this here April 7, 1994. Can you see it?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Dear Philippine people and the government, do you understand it?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Thanks for not forgetting and out the war, do you understand that?

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Then I put down Milo Ross and my number and everything like that. Filipino. But it’s your country, not my country.

Wayne: Yeah. Have you ever been back?

Milo: No.

Wayne: Yeah, that’s a very, very thoughtful letter, indeed.

Milo: Well, I wanted to write to the people.

Wayne: That’s – –

Milo: That’s my little Milo. This is Mr with the horses. You remember that?

Wayne: This is the guy I knew.

Milo: That’s many years ago, Wayne.

Wayne: You haven’t got one of you in your baseball uniform?

Milo: Yes, sir, that’s the only one down here.

Wayne: I was probably the score keeper for that team.

Milo: You was the scorekeeper – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Wayne, you was the scorekeeper. They called you the bat boy.

Wayne: Right. In English.

Milo: English.

Wayne: I called Ted Christensen and I said I – – it’s a long time ago, and he said, I remember you, English.

Milo: But I – –

Wayne: – – I’ll never live it down.

Milo: If you will get – – give me your name and address and that and I – – I will get you – – I’ll put you a bunch of stuff together.

Wayne: Good, I’d like that. Yeah. Are you gonna have to stop for dinner?

Milo: Beg pardon?

Wayne: Are you gonna have to stop for dinner?

Milo: No. You just tell me what you wanna do and I’ll – –

Wayne: Okay,. Well, I’d like to cut back from Army. You came home in – – from the Army in – –

Milo: ’45.

Wayne: In ’45. In what, July – – what did it say?

Milo: I came home in September.

Wayne: September of ’45?

Milo: Yeah, August.

Wayne: Right. Let’s go back a little bit to – – we’ll have to be a little – –

Milo: He’s on time because he’s gotta fly out.

(Conversation in background.)

Milo: Here, you go here. Do you want that (unintelligible)

Wayne: Well, it might be a little better.

Milo: Why don’t you sit over here?

A Voice: Nice to meet you.

Wayne: Nice to meet you

A Voice: See you later. (Unintelligible)

Milo: Wayne and them used to live where the homes and that’s in here.

A Voice: Over here?

Milo: Carver.

Wayne: We lived in the house where Lorin – –

A Voice: Oh, okay .

Wayne: – – And Carolyn lived. That’s the old – –

Milo: He’s a professor back in Minnesota.

Wayne: Minnesota.

Milo: He’s taking, putting a little stuff together.

Wayne: I’m interviewing all the old people.

A Voice: All the old people, huh? Well, this guy sure is interesting, so I’m sure – –

Wayne: Yeah, he is.

A Voice: – – (unintelligible) lot of information.

Wayne: Fascinating, yeah.

A Voice: Well, I’ll let you go.

Milo: Gladys, it’s 6:00 o’clock. Are you gonna feed Judy?

Gladys: She’s been fed (unintelligible).

Milo: Okay. We got a little bit more.

Gladys: Did you get my dishes done?

Milo: Did you get them dishes done, she says? Did you want (unintelligible)

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I’m gonna tell you – – can you hear me now?

Wayne: I can hear you. I’ll stop in a minute to see if we’re – –

Milo: See if you pick it up.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Then I’ll wanna tell you you two things more.

Wayne: Okay.

Milo: Tell me when you’re ready.

Wayne: Go ahead.

Milo: I wrote to the Philippine people in ’94 and thanked them for the help that they give us on Hill X. The time we were there, we could not leave. You understand me?

Wayne: Right.

Milo: We were pinned down. And when you’re pinned down, the only place you go is crawling. And these natives would bring that water, ammunition up to us, get to a certain place, they’d drop it off and run back. I never seen an Army man jump up to help any of them bring it up, you understand me?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: I didn’t either. But maybe we all should have went and helped them, I don’t know.

Wayne: You’d have got shot.

Milo: You understand what I’m trying to say?

Wayne: Sure.

Milo: But I thought, wonder if anybody ever thanked those people for doing it for us. Because we couldn’t have stood there. We wouldn’t have – – we wouldn’t have stayed there. So I wrote that letter to them and thanked those people, to let the people know that their help to carry that ammunition up.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Sunday we was up to church services up to the Dee Hospital. I’ve been going up there for six years. I go up there and I help them pass the Sacrament, bless people, or anything like that in the hospital that wants to be blessed or have Sacrament or anything like that for six years. This two Sundays ago a Japanese girl came from Tokyo. Sister Sparrow introduced her to me. And while I was sitting there, I got thinking, I wonder if that young girl would be a relative of – – to the soldier, Japanese, that I took prisoner of war outside of Baguio. So it all run through my mind and finally I think, oh, gee, I’ll write a little letter to her. I made an appointment to meet them next Sunday at the hospital, so they came back next Sunday to the hospital, and I wrote this here little letter there and I told her, I says, you don’t know me, I don’t know you, but I said, during the war, outside of Baguio City, I give a Japanese a soldier to live his life. I took him a prisoner of war. I did not get his name, didn’t get his address, didn’t do anything like that. But I said, I took him prisoner of war late in the afternoon, dark, and I says, I told him to tell his buddies to come up the next morning out of the cave. There’s 25 or 30 more of them in there. Come up with a white flag in the morning, up the trail with their white flag and surrender, because you’re done. You’re gonna be blowed up if you don’t come out. So he took back with me up the hill, and I never bothered me a bit taking him back as a prison of war. I was down there alone.

I get back up to our foxholes and I told, I was on radio, I had my radio, I told them what we was doing, they was, watching me. I get back up on the hill where we were at, dug in, one thing and another, and they have somebody there to take this man prisoner of war. So before they take him prisoners of war, I shared a candy bar with him. I give him a candy bar and shook his hand. And says, good luck, I’m glad you came up the way you did. And I says, your friends will probably meet you tomorrow someplace else.

I never thought anything more about it until I was to church after all these years.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Fifty-two, three years. You understand it?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And I see this Japanese girl, and I think, wonder if she could have a grandpa that I saved his life. Wouldn’t that be something if that young girl goes, back to Tokyo and maybe it’s her grandpa or somebody in her family that I took a prisoner of war. And I give her my name and address and I told her about what had happened. I says, when you go back home, you see in your family or relatives, and around if they know some man that was taken prisoner of war outside of Baguio City, and if he did, I’m Milo Ross. And I’d sure like to write to him. And if he’s still alive, I’d even pay his way over here. You know what I mean?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I would.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I – – But you get attached to this.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And it’s in your heart. Now, lot of guys say, how – – how can you do things like this and do that? You don’t do it. You’re a trained. Day in day out, day in and day out. The guys that trained and stayed trained is the guys that come back home. The guys that was lazy, they didn’t make it too good. It was hard for them. But the guys that stayed alert physical – – there was five tech sergeants, first sergeant, second, third, fourth sergeant, and the master sergeant, the company. Five of us. Trained together. Five of us sergeants came home on the same bus ticket – – boat together.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Isn’t that amazing?

Wayne: Yeah, it is.

Milo: Five of us. And it just shows you, you can do ‘er. And see then, I didn’t get to see my son until he was three years old.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I was gone for three years old. But I have a wonderful wife that sent me letters, encouraged me.

Wayne: It’s amazing, you know, how much the war has stayed with you, though.

Milo: Nobody knows, though. If you told somebody you used your helmet to mess in, do you think they’d believe you?

Wayne: Well, I would.

Milo: See, you have to.

Wayne: Yeah, because I did.

Milo: You had to.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: You had to.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And people don’t realize.

Wayne: But there are a lot of guys from world war two, you know, I think they – – were able to cut it right off.

Milo: Forget it.

Wayne: And forget it. You haven’t. Or you wouldn’t feel that way about that Japanese girl.

Milo: It touched my heart.

Wayne: Yeah, yeah.

Milo: I thought, here’s a young girl. Maybe I saved her daddy to give her a life.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Huh?

Wayne: Yeah, indeed.

Milo: See, I’m – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – I’m kind of a Mormon, you know.

Wayne: When did you become a Mormon?

Milo: Oh, what was it, back in ’36, ’37, when I was going into seminary, you know.

Hi Judy.

But, you know, little things like this in life, if I hadn’t of had a wonderful wife, I would have never come back home.

Wayne: Really?

Milo: Never. I’d have never come back home. I’d have went into Japan – –

Wayne: You mean you’d have – –

Milo: I’d have stayed.

Wayne: You’d have pulled away somewhere.

Milo: I would have stayed in the war. Because I – – I’d have been – – I’d have been up, you know. They – – they wanted me to take over platoons, they wanted me to do this, do that.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They even sent me over to headquarters, you know. And helped me over there. You know, and helped me, helped me, helped me.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They liked me.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But if it hadn’t have been for – –

Wayne: That’s interesting. It didn’t surprise me when Harold became a career soldier. Always thought Harold would like that. But I didn’t – – I wouldn’t have suspected that of you, you know.

Milo: See, Harold got a Bronze Star.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Did he – – you talked to him?

Wayne: Yes.

Milo: He got a Bronze Star.

Wayne: Yeah, over at Dad’s place right after Dad died. Paul Knight got a Bronze Star.

Wayne: Did he?

Milo: He did.

Wayne: Uh-huh, in the Philippines.

Milo: Dale Moyes – – Dale East was there, too.

Wayne: Really.

Milo: Yeah, Dale East was there.

Wayne: Yeah

Milo: Blair Simpson was there.

Wayne: In the Philippines?

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Did you run into all the guys.

Milo: Never met a one of them. Harold, my brother Harold – –

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: I went to Kibachiwan to see Milo Sharp, and the night I got to Kibachiwan, about 2:00 o’clock in the morning, those guys were in trucks going out. And how are you gonna find him?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: See, they’d relieved all the prisoners of war out of Kibachiwan. Them guys, are the ones that caught the devil right there. They – – they had a dirty setup taking prisoners of war there.

Wayne: I didn’t see a soul from Plain City in the three years I was in the service.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Until I got back home. I was in Europe course.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: And I think the Philippines, they cluster together more. We were spread all over, you know. Or I the – –

Can we cut back for a little bit to your life in Plain City – –

Milo: (unintelligible)

Wayne: – – you went to Plain City school, you went to Weber High school. Any big adventures there?

Milo: In school?

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Oh, Mr. Bates, do you remember him?

Wayne: Parley – – Parley Bates?

Milo: Year, I remember Parley Bates.

Wayne: Yeah. Was he a big adventure? I must have missed that part of him.

Milo: He was – – oh, he was kind of like a prophet.

Wayne: Really?

Milo: Yeah understand me? You can do it.

Wayne: Well, we tried to teach me mathematics. And he thought he could. He was no prophet there.

Milo: Well, what I mean is, he – – he tried.

Wayne: Oh, yeah, he tried.

Milo: He tried, tried, tried, tried. Do you understand? Now, in algebra and geometry, I was easy.

Wayne: Really?

Milo: Spelling? I couldn’t even spell mother.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They asked me to – – in school once to draw a Robin. So I tried to draw a Robin, you know, Charcoal, whatever we had. And when I got through drawing this little robin, the lady, sister Stewart, Norma Stewart, she says, Milo, what is this? Is this an elephant. And I said, no, that’s a Robin.

But you know, spelling and English, things like that, I couldn’t go for it, you know. .

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But when it come to building homes and stuff like that, I could take a set of blueprints and I could tell you every board that went into it.?

Wayne: Right. Now, did you – – did you just learn that on your own?

Milo: It’s – –

Wayne: All your building skills and – –

Milo: It’s probably like in your brain, you know, you take school and you take math and one thing another, and you – – you pick it up here and you pick it up there. And Harold Hunt taught me a lot.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Harold Hunt, Del Sharp.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Harold Hunt’s probably one of smartest men there is in the world on a square

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Big framing square.

Wayne: One of the quietest men in the world.

Milo: Quietest men in the world.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Wonderful. They’ve done a lot of good for Plain City. If you want to ask me questions, go right ahead. I’m just talking.

Wayne: No, that’s fine. I – – I’ve wanted to go talk to Harold, you know, but I’ve been scared a little bit.

Milo: I’ll go with you.

Wayne: Well, I’m not sure we will because I’m out here tomorrow.

Milo: Oh, But he’d be tickled to death for you to come over.

Wayne: Really?

Milo : Yes, sir.

Wayne: Yeah, I always feel like I’m butting in on people.

Gladys: You ought to go see him a minute before you leave.

Milo: He’d be glad to talk to you. And you could ask him about Howard.

Wayne: Yeah that’s true.

Gladys: Jump in the car and go over and see him before you go home.

Milo: You got a minute?

Wayne: Oh, boy, I gotta go see Frank Hadley pretty quick. Maybe I could catch a minute tomorrow.

Milo: Okay.

Wayne: I can call you? Or I’ll just go over and – – will he mind if I call him?

Milo: He’d be glad to see you.

Wayne: His wife’s Ina.

Milo: Ina.

Wayne: Who was she.

Milo: She was an Etherington from West Weber.

Wayne: Adele’s – – Ladell’s brother – –

Milo: Right.

Wayne: – – Right. Tell me, you made your life after the war as a builder, right?

Milo: I worked for the American Pack for many years.

Wayne: Oh, did you?

Milo: I was assistant foreman on the killing floor for many years.

Wayne: Oh, that became Swift.

Milo: Used to be the American Pack, then Swift took over. Then when Swift come over, they came in with the union. And I could see what was happening. They put them on piecework. And when they put them on piecework, I could see what was happening and I decided to get out of there. So I got out of there and I went into – – to the carpenter business and I went to work – – second day I quit, I went to work on the 24^th street Viaduct as a carpenter.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: So, I helped on the 24^th street viaduct I built some scaffolding horses for them on them a-frames, on them I-beams and stuff like that, to put the plank and that on – –

Wayne: Is that the – – Are you talking about the new – –

Milo: 24^th street viaduct.

Wayne: When they pulled the old – –

Milo: West side down.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They took that all down right after the war. But I went to work over there for Wheelright’s Toughy Wheelright.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: And they sent me from – – they sent me up on Kaysville up there with another guy and we went up there and we laid out a great big water tank hole. He was a surveyor, and he took me up there and he taught me how to survey, how to use an instrument, you know, and how to lay it out.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And everybody seemed to like they kind of liked me when I got on a job with something like that, and it just seemed like everything fell together. And then I went to work for Westingskow and Clay. And I was a purchaser for them.

Wayne: I’m sorry, who?

Milo: Westingskow and Clay.

Wayne: Westing- –

Milo: Westingskow.

Wayne: Skow.

Milo: Yeah. And Ben Clay. They were builders.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: We built down in Roy, Clearfield, and right in that area there. They- – one of the biggest builders right after the war.

Wayne: Work on all those homes that have filled up – –

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne : – – The country?

Milo: Yeah. And then I – – I went – – I built 1q units, four-plexes for C.R. England in Roy.

Wayne: Really?

Milo: You remember that?

Wayne: Well, I remember Chester.

Milo: Chester England, he had the lumber yard.

Wayne: I wasn’t around when he was in the lumber business no.

Milo: But I- – I went down into Roy right above the old folks’ home there and built 11 four-plexes for him. That’s the first – – first million dollars he made.

Wayne: Really?

Milo: Yeah. He was offered a million dollars for them after we got completed.

Wayne: Well, he just built them on speculation?

Milo: Well, he had me build them and he furnished all the material and everything out of his lumber yard. And he had me as a foreman and I overseen them. And I helped them survey their sewer in for Roy sewer and we run the water and everything. It was kind of new to all of them at that time- –

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: – – to have that many units. And they were kind of glad to have somebody help them, you know, to get their right measurements from the road and everything. And it kind of work out nice. But I worked for Chester England for all those years. And then I work with Chester England in Plain City. See, we built about 15 homes in Plain City for C.R. England. But he financed each one of the homes we built for those people.

Wayne : We’re these just individual lots?

Milo: Individual lots.

Wayne: They’re not side-by-side.

Milo: No, just individuals.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: Down by the cemetery.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: See, he built them down through there. And then after we got through with C.R. England, see, I went into business on myself and I had five guys working for me. And we started to remodeling like Milton Brown’s house and built Dale Moyes’ house and Ike Moyes’ house. We went right on through, Claire Folkman’s house, you know.

Wayne: Where – – did Milton Brown live in Plain City.

Milo: He lived in Warren, down by the creek.

Wayne: That’s what I thought. By third creek.

Milo: By Earl’s.

Wayne: Yeah, that’s right, yeah.

Milo: See we remodeled his house. And but I- – I built Plain City Church with Lee Carver. I built 38, 39^th ward chapel on – – in South Ogden with Lee Carver. He was the supervisor there.

Wayne: He kind of worked for the church, didn’t he?

Milo: He did work for the church.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Worked for the church (unintelligible). I wrote Lee Carver a letter too.

Wayne: I understand he’s in a rest home now.

Milo: He’s in a rest home on 9^th Street with his boy, Brent.

Wayne: Yeah. I’m glad the two of them can be together.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: I tried to call his daughter, Karen, but I can’t get them. I think they’re out – –

Milo: If you wanna get a hold Lee Carver, I’ll go with you. On 9^th Street. Take you right to his room.

Gladys: Lee would be thrilled – –

Milo: He’d be glad – –

Gladys: – – to see you.

Milo: You’d be- – you’d do you good to get some tapes of that.

Wayne: I’ve got – – I’ve got about ten tapes from Lee about ten years ago when he was still working out in his shop.

Milo: They never give Lee Carver credit for building the Plain City church. They didn’t even mention his name, dedication, you know that?

Wayne: No.

Milo: They didn’t even mention Milo Ross name a builder on it when they dedicated our church.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: It’s sad. The guy that does the work and everything, he don’t get – – when we built Plain City Bowery up there, Junior Taylor and I done all the cement work. They didn’t even mention that. They mentioned the other guys that was in Lions’ club and this and that.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Do you understand?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But us guys, Junior Taylor and Milo Ross, they never give us credit for nothing.

Wayne: Was Junior a builder?

Milo: He helped cement, yeah, he helped us. You see Clark Taylor run a housing building outfit up 2^nd Street. They called it Vitt’s Constitution.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Clark Taylor was the strawman of it.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: He was the driver.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: That was up 2^nd Street. And Junior Taylor and Hugh Taylor and all then guys and Wilmette Taylor and all them come in, and he give us all work. And that’s – – it helped each one of us progress. But it’s really special.

Wayne: Yeah. Well, I’m gonna have to go and I’ve kept you long enough. Can you make a – – you’ve lived here all your life except for those four years you were in service.

Milo: Three years.

Wayne : Three years. What do you make of it all?

Milo: I’ve seen – – I’ve even got a picture of Milo, myself, in a buggy, four, five of us in a buggy, one-horse-drawn buggy.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo : I’m back that far. And I remember we only had one light in a house, ceiling.

Wayne: hanging from the – –

Milo: Hanging down. You had to turn that on.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: I remember Merle England gathering up milk after a while, he started gathering up the milk. They used to have to take their milk to the creamery there they separated it, cream and milk.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: I’ve got a cream separator out here I’ll show you before you go.

Wayne: Have you?

Milo: And I remember Ed Sharp getting one – – probably one – – not the first truck in here, but one of the first trucks. Winer Maw, remember that great big truck they brought in here that had hard wheel rubber tires.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: And – –

Wayne: A motorized truck?

Milo: Yes, sir.

Wayne: Not on pneumatic tires?

Milo: It didn’t have on the – – it didn’t have on the air tires. It had on – –

Wayne: Good heavens.

Milo: It had hard pressed rubber, like hard rubber on it.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And the young boy, George Maw, was probably the one that drove it from Ogden out to here. I’m not sure.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Because we used to be able to go down to Maw’s and work a little bit to get a – – some lunch meat, baloney, and black Nigger Babies, and stuff like that, you know.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Used to go help them unload coal and stuff like that to pick up a dollar. We didn’t have money. That’s what makes it bad. But I – – remember the one light and milking the cows by hand. Everybody had cows.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Everybody had chickens. They had animals. Ducks and geese. They traded eggs. They traded wheat and grain. I can remember when they used to grind their grain through that grinder.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: Grind it, you know, and make their own bread. And they’d – – you didn’t have butter and stuff like that. You couldn’t buy it. You make your own butter.

Wayne: Do you remember the old creamery out there.

Milo: Yes, sir. Right across – –

Wayne: That was ruins when we were kids.

Milo: Yeah. That was right where Timmy Folkman lives there now on the north side by Fred Hunt’s house.

Wayne: That’s just about across from Fred.

Milo: Barn.

Wayne: Down by the barn. Whose creamery was that?

Milo: I don’t know.

Wayne: Do you know who started it or – –

Milo: I don’t know. Lee Carver tore that down for the materials.

Wayne: Did he?

Milo: Uh-huh.

Wayne: I remember that.

Milo: Yeah. Lee Carver –

Wayne: Used to go down there and play in the ruins.

Milo: Yeah. He used to go there. And on Saturdays and Sundays, they used to come there, and we used to box. Harold Hunt had boxing gloves and he’d get us to use the gloves and box each other, you know.

Wayne: Yeah, Ted was telling me about that. I hadn’t realized that.

Milo: Yeah, but we was having fun.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And then Harold Hunt and Bert Hunt and Lloyd Robbins and a bunch of them guys had their horses they used to ride. And they’d also play Wyatt Earp and all that and go underneath the horses belly and all this and that.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And Lloyd Robbins – – Lynn Robbins, he went underneath the horse up by uncle Ed Sharp’s, and when he went underneath the horse and came back up, the horse was running, and there’s a guy – wire that comes from the poles down into the ground? And he caught that guy-wire on the side of his face and tore his face open that’s why he had a scar there.

Wayne: I remember that.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: He was a tall skinny kid.

Milo: Tall skinny boy.

Wayne: Was he Dob and Blaine’s – –

Milo: Yeah, brother.

Wayne: Or, no, who was Dob?

Milo: Blaine.

Wayne: Blaine. And it was Blaine and Lloyd.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: And Lynn.

Wayne: And Lynn.

Milo: And Lois.

Wayne: We’re they Ire’s – –

Milo: Ire’s kids.

Wayne: Kids.

Milo: But everybody had cows. Everybody drove their cows from Plain City out to pastures.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Carvers done the same thing.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And – –

Wayne: Some came east, some went west.

Milo: Did I tell you about the log cabin, the Carvers – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Okay. I’ll tell you about the log cabin in Plain City. The kids got into the old log cabin they had a roof over it to protect it. And the kids got in there after the war and they – – they play up on the roof of the old cabin house, between that and the roof that they put over it to protect it. And they got to using it for a latrine. Instead of getting down, they’d urinate. And in summer, you go down there to help fix up the old log cabin house, it smelled so bad, you couldn’t hardly stand the odor. So the daughters of pioneers – – who had it at that time, Gladys? Aunt Vic Hunt?

Gladys: Aunt Vic Hunt was one of the leaders.

Milo: Who was the other one?

Wayne: Mindi?

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: In Moyes?

Milo: Oh, the Carver girl. Bud Carver’s daughter.

Wayne: Beth?

Gladys: Beth.

Milo: Beth.

Wayne: Oh, okay.

Milo: She had me come down and see what to do with the log cabin house, the Carver log cabin house. They wanted to kind of restore it and keep it because it was going down to nothing.

Wayne : Yeah.

Milo: The plaster and everything was falling out of the walls.

Wayne: That’s when it was down here by Walt’s

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But the plaster and everything was falling out of the walls and the roof and the ceiling and all the thing was going down . The windows were broke out and everything like that. So I went down and I told them, I says, I’ll fix it up, but I’m not gonna leave that roof on top because that’s where the kids are doing your damage. I’m gonna take it all down, and make the log cabin, the Carver log cabin, so everybody can admire it. So I – – over years, I’ve kept the log cabin up. And Rosella Maw, Arlo Maw’s wife has a key to it now. Where I used to have a key, now they won’t let me have a key to it anymore. Since Rosella Maw took over, I don’t have a key.

Gladys: (unintelligible)

Milo: Huh?

Gladys: Rosella wants it.

Milo: Rosella Maw.

Wayne: We were in it just Saturday because there was a Carver reunion and Joanne went over to Rosella and got the key.

Milo: You have to get the key.

Wayne: We went in.

Milo: I used to have a key.

Wayne: That’s a shame

Milo: I took care of it all my life, you understand?

Wayne : Yeah.

Milo: Since the war and- –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And I fixed it all up and I put them big heavy shakes shingles on it and everything and I’ve put the mud back in the walls and fixed it up. And I’ve put the steel gate and that on there. And the windows. I’ve fixed it all up. And I’ve put great big long spikes through some of the logs, drove them spikes in through there so they cannot pull them out.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: See, I’ve cut the heads off the spikes and drove them – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – -right in so kids – – and the kids use to tear them apart. They’d take a log out and go through. And that’s why them spikes are in there, put all them in there. But over the years, Harold Carver- – Harold Carver donated money to president Calvert to shingle it and fix it up, some money one time.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: So president Calvert said he had this, money and that for it. And I says, well, let me tear the roof and that all off and, let me fix it so it’s nice. So that’s why theses thick but shingles are on there, them big slate shingles, and that.

Wayne: Uh-huh.

Milo: But otherwise, you wouldn’t have a Carver building.

Wayne: I hadn’t known that, you know, Milo.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: I’m really proud that that’s the Carver thing up there.

Milo: I am too.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Because the Carvers meant a lot to me.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Yeah. Your dad, your mother was – – they were gold to us. They shared their garden with us. She’d pick beans and stuff and say, Gladys, would you like a mess of beans? Gladys says, yes, I’ll be over to pick them. She’d go over to pick them, they were already picked.

Wayne: Yeah.

Gladys: I had to take care of my handicapped daughter and that before I could go pick.

Milo: But you see – –

Gladys: Already had them picked.

Milo: The Carvers- – the Carvers had really been a dad and mother to a lot of us.

Wayne: I remember – – I’ve got a letter, you wrote dad a letter – –

Milo: In the war.

Wayne: – – in the war. A very tender letter, yeah.

Milo: But it come from my heart.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Do you know why I wrote him a letter? Sent me a card. Joe Hunt sent me a card. Do you understand it?

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: You never forget that.

Wayne: No. Yeah.

Milo: But I – – I am a high-decorated soldier. I was turned in for Congressional Medal of Honor and one of the lieutenants wouldn’t sign it.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: You have to have two signatures. But I did get a Silver Star.

Wayne: Right.

Milo: Do you understand me?

Wayne: Yeah. Did you ever meet George Whalen that got the Congressional medal?

Milo: No.

Wayne: The Slater Villegas kid?

Milo: He was – –

Wayne: He was in the navy- –

Milo: – – Paramedics.

Wayne: Yeah, he was in – – oh, well, ever sorry you came back to Plain City?

Milo: Well, I’ve lived in Plain City all my life.

Wayne: I know.

Milo: Plain City’s been our home all of our lives. Its, like I was telling you about my dad, everybody told me not to go see him, I went and seen him. And I’m glad I went and seen him.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo : You understand me? And this Japanese girl I was telling you about, if she is a daughter or relative to that guy that I took prisoner of war, my heart will be full of joy to think that I saved another generation of families.

Wayne: Right, but – – that will be one of the great miracles of all time- –

Milo: It can happen.

Wayne: – – If – -if she finds someone out of that – –

Milo: It’s could be.

Wayne: Oh, it could be. I don’t doubt that it could be.

Milo: It could be.

Wayne: But it’s called a miracle.

Milo: Miracle.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But it does happen every day.

Wayne: Yeah? So I know Harold lives over in West Weber.

Milo: West Weber.

Wayne: Paul was killed, you say?

Milo: My brother Paul? He died in a barn at Ed Sharp’s.

Wayne: Your brother.

Milo: My brother. See, they were playing in the barn up at Ed Sharp’s and he fell out of the barn and broke his arm and concussion of the head, broke his head open.

Wayne: How old was he then?

Milo: Paul would have to be about nine or 11, somewhere in there.

Wayne: So that happened not long after you came back to Plain City.

Milo: We came back home down here.

Wayne: And your sister – –

Milo: June.

Wayne: – – June.

Milo: She’s still alive and living in California. In Anaheim, I think she lived down around Anaheim, (unintelligible) district area. But tell him – – tell him about the letters aunt Vic Hunt was gonna give me, then she didn’t give me the cigar box.

Gladys: I’ve got some letters. And they’re Milo’s, they were sent to Milo’s, and I’ve kept them all these years and I wanna give them to him. Se me and Milo went over this night. And she says, well, they’re upstairs. I’ll have to go upstairs and get them. So she opened that door to go upstairs, then she come back and says, no, Milo, I don’t think I’m gonna give you these letters yet. So Milo never got those letters.

Milo: She’s handed me the cigar box.

Gladys: She handed them to him, then took them back.

Milo: I says, Aunt Vic, if that means that much to you, you take this box back. I never got the box.

Wayne: And you said you think you know who has that?

Milo: I think Archie Hunt’s family got it.

Wayne: Archie.

Milo: But I’m not never gonna say anything to Archie Hunt.

Wayne: Now, who – – yeah.

Milo: It’s Bert. That would be Fred Hunt’s- –

Wayne: Did Archie marry Carol?

Milo: Yeah. Ralph Taylor.

Wayne: Ralph and Elma’s, yeah.

Milo: What’s in that box, little bit of money and that was in that box, do you understand? Were the gifts that they’d sent me.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Gold pieces and stuff like that. I really don’t care. Silver certificate notes, gold notes. You know, they had silver and gold certificates then, you know.

Wayne: I’ve heard of them. I don’t remember seeing them.

Milo: Well, I got some.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But I got – -but I will – – I’ll – – I’ll fix you up a copy of my citations.

Wayne: I’d appreciate that a lot. And I’m not gonna have time to see – –

Milo: Now, Frank – – Frank Hadley has got a lot of history about the baseball playing. And he’s got a lot about Milo Ross pitching the ball game, 13 strikeouts, 12 strikeouts, 11 strikeouts, you know what I mean? No hitters.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: And Frank Hadley has all of that. But I’ve never been able to get him- –

Wayne: has he got the score books?

Milo: Yes.

Wayne: Has he?

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: I’ve gotta go over and talk to him.

Milo: Yeah.

Gladys: He’d love to see you.

Wayne: What?

Milo: You know where he lives.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Down there.

Wayne: Yeah. I see him in the winter at st. George.

Milo: Do you go down there?

Wayne: We’ve been renting a place, so we go whenever we can find a place to live.

Milo: Archie Hunt has a home in – – ground in St. George, Archie Hunt. And they rent that out.

Wayne: Oh.

Milo: So maybe you ought to get a hold Archie Hunt and put a trailer on there once in a while.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: Are you still teaching?

Wayne: No. I retired.

Milo: You’ve retired

Wayne: Yeah. I taught until was 70 and decided that was enough.

Milo: Dr. Burst has a son that he’s – – Nicholas. Just put him in Stanford, California for $31,000 for one year, schooling. Thirty, thirty-one thousand.

Wayne: Yeah, I can believe it. My school is about 28.

Milo: Yeah.

Wayne: Yeah. And there are families that have got two or three kids – –

Milo: Right.

Wayne: – – that – – I couldn’t afford Weber College.

Milo: Well, that’s the way – –

Wayne: Which was 56 a year.

Milo: But I have that grandson there that picks up close to $52,000 on paper – –

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: – – Besides what other he gets. When they went back to these here scholarship meetings and stuff like this, they give them tapes, they give them the recordings, they gave them pamphlets for the computers.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They pick up like- – what did he tell us – – $7,000 in these pamphlets and stuff for the computers, disk and stuff like that.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: They’re gifts to these kids. If you had to buy them, it’s amazing.

Gladys : He’s just a very smart boy and he isn’t a smart alec

He’s just as nice as can be.

Milo: He’s nice like his father and his grandfather.

Wayne: Yeah.

Milo: But you take – – you take the Carver family, probably respected more than any family in Plain City that I’ve ever known, the Carver family.

Wayne: Yeah, well, I’m real pleased to hear that. I’m, you know, it’s been so long since I’ve lived here, I – -and it almost breaks my heart when I see the that the old town has disappeared, you know, bears no relationship.

Milo: You see, I remodeled your dad’s place.

Wayne: Oh, I thought that’s all you did. I didn’t know you worked for contractors.

Milo: Well, I worked for contract- –

Wayne: You built mom’s kitchen that she was so proud of.

Milo: I got underneath the floor, put the floor back together. There wasn’t even any floor under it.

Wayne: I don’t know what’s in there now.

Milo: Your family’s in there.

Wayne: Well, it breaks Joan heart the way Lorin and Carolyn have just let it – –

Milo: They let it go.

Wayne: Yeah. Well- –

(Tape Ends.)

Sunday, 16 February 2020 by Sagacity

Glacus Merrill’s Class

Back(l-r): Ira Hillyard, Unknown, Bob Johnson, Junior Petterborg, Irwin Jonas, Unknown, Unknown. 2nd from Back: Unknown, Ruth Rich, Kaye Funk, Anna Lawrence, Joyce Larsen, Ruth Hutchinson, Nadine Johnson, Darrel Smith. Middle Row: Unknown, Unknown, Eva Kershaw, Lyle Wilding, Unknown, Afton Sorensen, Dorothy Nielson, Unknown, Norwood Jonas. 2nd from Front: Alvin Spackman, Bernice Frandsen, Unknown, Glacus Merrill, Joy Erickson, Unknown, Allen Spackman. Front: Garr Christensen, Oral Ballam Jr, LaMar Carlson, Unknown, Gail Spackman, Ivan Anderson, Warren Hamp.

This is Glacus Merrill’s class from what I believe is 1936. He taught class at Park School in Richmond, Cache, Utah. Several individuals have assisted me to name the individuals I have so far. There are too many unknowns that I hope to clarify in the future. If anyone can help, I would certainly appreciate it. My Grandfather, Norwood, and his brother, Irwin, are both in the photo. Irwin died in World War II, and I assume some of the rest did as well.

I have listed all the individuals below with some limited information I could find on them. At the very bottom is Glacus’ obituary.

Ira William Hillyard (1924-2009)

Unknown

Robert “Bob” Jay Johnson (1924-2009)

Junior “Pete” Lee Petterborg (1923-1990)

Irwin John Jonas (1921-1944)

Unknown

Ruth Rich

Norma Kaye Funk (1924-2002)

Anna May Lawrence (1924-1988)

Joyce Larsen (1924-1968)

Ruth Hutchinson (1924-2002)

Nadine Johnson (1924-2005)

Darrel Wilmot Smith (1924-2008)

Unknown

Eva Kershaw

Lyle Wilding (1924-2002)

Unknown

Mary Afton Sorensen (1923-2008)

Dorothy Nielson (1924-2019)

Unknown

Wilburn Norwood Jonas (1924-1975)

Alvin Chester Spackman (1923-1994)

Bernice Frandsen (1924-2002)

Unknown

Glacus Godfrey Merrill (1905-2002)

Joy Erickson (1924-2010)

Unknown

Allen Elijah Spackman (1923-1997)

Garr Dee Christensen (1923-2002)

Oral Lamb Ballam (1925-2016)

Victor LaMar Carlson (1923-2008)

Unknown

Harold Gail Spackman (1924-1991)

Ivan Carl Anderson (1923-2017)

Warren Thomas Hamp (1924-2009)

Here is a copy of the obituary I found for Glacus. Wow, I wish my school teachers had been this amazing.

LOGAN – Glacus G. Merrill, 96, died of causes incident to age in Logan, Utah on Saturday, February 9, 2002. He was born May 27, 1905 in Richmond, Utah to Hyrum Willard and Bessie Cluff Merrill. He is a grandson of Marriner W. Merrill, a pioneer prominent in the settling of Cache Valley, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the first president of the Logan LDS Temple. He married Constance B. Bernhisel in 1925, and they were later divorced. He married Marie B. Bailey, March 24, 1945 in Washington D.C. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Logan LDS Temple.

While attending school, he participated in track and football at North Cache and Brigham Young College, where he graduated in 1925. Glacus graduated from Utah State University in 1935 and also attended the University of Utah and Chico State College in California. He is a graduate of the REI Radio Engineering School in Sarasota, Florida. He was the principal of the Richmond Park School for 11 years and served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II. He served an LDS mission to California from 1954-1955. While living in the East, he served as President of the West Virginia Farm Bureau and the State Black Angus Association. He is an honorary Kentucky Colonel. He also served as President and District Governor of Lions Clubs in Utah and West Virginia, and was a member of the Lions Club for 42 years. Glacus was Vice President of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association, and is a member of the USU Old Main Society. He established a Scholarship Fund in the Communications Department at USU. The Montpelier, Idaho Jaycees presented him with their outstanding Citizen’s Award. He was also a member of the Montpelier Rotary Club, Utah Farm Bureau, VFW and American Legion. He is a member of the “Around the World Club” having traveled around the world with his son, Gregory. He and his wife, Marie traveled extensively. Merrill was a popular Rodeo announcer in his early days. He authored the book “Up From the Hills” which was finished in 1988 and is available in area libraries.

Honored by the Utah Broadcasters as a pioneer in Radio Broadcasting, Merrill started his broadcasting career in 1938 as part owner and Program Director at KVNU Radio in Logan. After serving four years in the Navy, he built his first radio station Clarksburg, West Virginia. He owned and operated 11 other stations in West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Idaho and Utah, including stations in Montpelier, Idaho and Logan, Utah. He was well known for his frank and outspoken editorials, news and comments on KBLW in Logan. He has given over 7,000 newscasts and editorials always ending them with the saying, “Have Good Day Neighbor.” In 56 years of radio broadcasting, he trained several young broadcasters who are now making good.

As a hobby, wherever he lived, he operated a cattle ranch and farm. He served in many civic and church activities including counselor in the LDS Stake MIA, counselor in the East Central Stake Mission Presidency, 5 years as a Branch President and 11 years as District President in West Virginia. He also served as Deputy Scout Commissioner in Idaho and for 12 years taught the High Priest Class in the Logan 3rd Ward and served for several years as the High Priest Group Leader. He was an avid supporter of many missionaries in the area.

His wife, Marie preceded him in death on April 22, 1993, as well as six brothers and one sister. He is survived by his two daughters, Darla D. (Mrs. Dennis Clark) of Logan; Madge (Mrs. Melvin Meyer) of Smithfield; one son, G. Gregory (Joan) Merrill of Logan; nine grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 12 Noon on Thursday, February 14, 2002, at the Logan 3rd Ward Chapel, 250 North 400 West, with Bishop Grant Carling conducting. Friends and family may call Wednesday evening, February 13th, at the Nelson Funeral Home, 162 East 400 Norther, Logan from 6 to 8 p.m. and on Thursday at the church from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Interment will be in the Richmond City Cemetery.

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