Idaho

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79’ers at Albion

Photo of the 79’ers at Albion on 1 September 1926

Cleo Gallegos, Mayor of Heyburn, had this photograph in her office one day earlier this year.  She snagged it for a day or two for me to see it.  I snapped a couple of photographs of it.  I have tried researching it or determining some of the individuals and I fear they may be too far in the past for me to try and get it independently.  Unless someone has a list of individuals in the photo, it is just good for conversation.  I don’t have a clue of a single individual included here.  But this organization was a new piece to southern Idaho history I was unaware.

The 79’ers first meeting was held 28 September 1921 in Burley, Idaho.  73 pioneers from Cassia, Twin Falls, Jerome, Minidoka, Gooding, and Lincoln Counties signed the roster as qualifying members.  In order to qualify, you had to arrive in Southern Idaho before 1880.

Between 1921 and 1924, meetings were held in Burley or Twin Falls.  After 1924, the annual meetings were held in Albion.  Hence the photo above dated 1 September 1926, this would have been the annual meeting.

In 1941 a special reunion was held where over 200 people attended.  Judge Alfred Budge and Idaho Governor Chase Clark were made honorary members.

Not much history after that is available online.

Cassia County was created in 1879 and originally I thought that was what the group was referring to.  However, membership was permitted from Minidoka, Jerome, and Lincoln Counties which territories were never part of Cassia County.  I am still unclear why 1879 or 1880 was a year to commemorate in southern Idaho.

I also found Hyrum Smith Lewis (1868 – 1955) served for 26 years as President of the 79’ers.  He is buried in Declo.

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Idaho Capitol 2019

Idaho Capitol from North 25 October 2019

I walked from the place I stayed near the Federal Courthouse early on the morning of 25 October 2019 to some meetings in the heart of Boise, Idaho.  I contemplated how my life drastically changed 21 years before on that very date.  As I worked south to the location of my meetings I thought how very lucky I am to be alive and that I have since walked in some placed I would never have contemplated 25 years ago!  Shortly after I came around a corner and was caught by this sight.

This is the north side of the Idaho Capitol, not quite as majestic as its south side, but still beautiful.  Sworn in as a lawyer in this building, variety of meetings over the years in this building, and still happy Idaho spent the money on such a magnificent temple to the law.  It is an honor and privilege to serve within the reaches of this symbol of Idaho’s rule of law.  I hope we can maintain it and continue to build upon it.

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Building a Fort!

Living Room fort 12 October 2019

We have a family routine that every Saturday we vacuum all the floors in the house.  Once and a while I get a while hair and decided to move furniture and vacuum beneath them as well.  I have learned with our new hardwood floors and poorly secured carpets, it is better to just tip the couches into the center of the room than it is to try and scoot, drag, push, or pull them around.  Plus it dumps out the couches and also let’s me vacuum the bottom.  The kids were goofing off with the pillows and building a fort so I thought I would help them out.  Thus, you see the couch fort.  I never got something this cool when I was a kid!

Inside the Living Room Fort 12 October 2019

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Pleasant View School 1909-1910

Pleasant View School 1909-1910

This was an interesting find.  This was in a stack of photos I scanned related to the Andra family recently.  The interesting part is that it says Pleasant View School, which I am unable to locate.

In the middle of the photo is William Fredrick Andra (1898 – 1990) with the tie.  I cannot find the school, yet hope to get names of others in the photo.

Here is a snippet from Bill’s autobiography:

“I was baptized in the Elbe River in [16] April 1909; came to the United States in the following month of May.  Upon arriving here, I went to Fairview, Utah to work out my board and room from John R. Anderson, who was a former missionary in Germany.  After being in Fairview for one year, I went back to Salt Lake to meet the rest of the family when they arrived.  We had quite a struggle at first, but we made out when the rest had learned the language.”

I had always thought he meant Fairview, Idaho, which is just west of Franklin, Idaho, south of Preston, Idaho.  Since they spent and lived their lives in the Preston area, I just made that assumption.

However, in further research, there is a Fairview, Utah, in Sanpete County.  He also mentions a John R Anderson who was a missionary that served in Germany.  I found John Rees Anderson (1879 – 1954) who was born in Fairview, Utah, and called as a missionary from Fairview.  John was set apart as a missionary 21 June 1904 and released 20 April 1907.  Which is entirely in the time frames for which the Andra family was taught.  Bill’s mother was baptized 2 November 1906 and could certainly have been one who assisted in Christiana Wilhelmina Knauke Andra’s baptism.

According to Bill’s own record, he would have been in Fairview, Utah from summer 1909 for about a year, which puts this school somewhere near Fairview, Utah.  Guess that is the next step in the search.  If we can find records of the school, the class looks small we might be able to name classmates.

 

 

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Dapper Dan

Judy, Dale, Mary, Bill, and Ross Andra

Here is a classy photo developed September 1962.

Bill and Mary Andra, my great grandparents.

On the far left are Judith (“Judy”) and Dale Andra, they were married in June 1962.

On the far right is Ross Andra.

Sounds like this was just going to church, no special occasion.  This is in the yard of the home at 422 E 400 S, Preston, Idaho.

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Logan Temple, June 2019

Aliza and Hiram Ross, Logan Temple

In June this year, we had an appointment to meet up with Ross, Dale, and Larry Andra in Preston.  The evening went much longer than anticipated and we still had to drive to Kaysville for the evening.

On the way through, we stopped and took pictures with the Logan Temple, Brigham City Temple, and Ogden Temple.  It was late, they closed the gates right behind us after they shooed us out after this photo.

Beautiful picture of the temple, Hiram has his shoulders back in a bold statement, Aliza is cold.  Beautiful, accomplished children.

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40 Years Old

Gladys, Judy, Caroline, and Milo Ross in 1961

I was reviewing these photographs recently and noticed the August 1961 printing date on the photos.  You never know how long before development the photos were taken, but I presume these are the same year.  It dawned on me, both Grandpa and Grandma were born in 1921, which means Grandpa turned 40 in February 1961, Grandma would turn 40 in September 1961.

I turn 40 this month.  My Grandpa and Grandma Ross both turned 40 once!

I look at the photo below of Grandpa and Grandpa and see the reflection of their backs in the window behind.

Looking back, what do I see.

Were my grandparents really 40 at one point?  All now deceased?  Were my parents really 40?  My father was 36 when I was born, my mother 25.  I remember my Mom turning 40, it was a crazy year in 1994.

I started looking through other photographs of both sets of grandparents, but most photos are undated so trying to peg at exactly 40 is hard to do.

Gladys and Milo Ross in Aug 1961

Here is a picture of Dad in 1982, or 39 years old with our family.

Sandy, Milo, Andra, and Paul Ross in Paul, Idaho

Here is a picture of Mom in about 1994, probably a few months after she turned 40.

Paul, Milo, Sandy, Andra Ross

I don’t really have a photo for my Grandpa and Grandma Jonas than I can pin down to 1964.  The 1960s are almost a lost decade in the photos for my Jonas grandparents.  Jackie seems to jump from 2 years old to 14 in photos, or at least where Grandpa and Grandma are in them.

I have photos for Great Grandparents, but they are usually more distant photos or I don’t know the exact year to get close to 40.

Anyhow, 40 is here.  Since men live to the average age of 72, I am well over half dead.  What will my remaining 32 years possess and what story will be told, lived?

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1958 Bonneville

Once and a while, something in a photo catches your attention more than what the photo was intended to capture.  This is one such photo.

Doug and Sandy Jonas behind a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville with Phyllis McKinney Andra holding Vickie Andra

This photo is fun as it shows the back of a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville.  This car belonged to my Great Uncle Donald Andra.  Donald’s wife, Phyllis McKinney Andra, stands behind holding Vickie, who was born in September 1958.

Looking at Vickie, she could be pushing a year old, so fall of 1959.  Doug as born in 1952, Mom in 1954, which would put them at 7 and 5 years old at the time.  This is likely when the photo was taken.

Vickie was born in Preston, Idaho and her brother was also born there, this photo was at the Andra home in Preston at 422 East 400 South where Bill and Mary Andra lived and raised their family.  Donald and Phyllis must have been visiting as was Norwood and Colleen Jonas.

The 1958 Pontiac Bonneville was one of the classic space-race inspired, behemoth, beautiful, land yachts that were produced during the chrome infested heyday of flashy cars.

Larry indicates this car has a special lever that you could pull to raise the car so it was less prone to be stuck in snow drifts, or you could get out of them then.