Summer Jobs During World War II--Roma

The summer after finishing high school, Roma had a job working at Box Elder Pack, in the tomato section of the company. Her job was peeling tomatoes, for which she was paid 8¢ a pan. The pans were the size of a very large dishpan.

She said, "They had a big scalding machine outside the plant and the tomatoes would come through a small opening on a belt in pans and we would pull the pans of hot tomatoes off the belt and peel them and put the pans of peeled ones back on the belt to be taken off at their destination. I don't remember how many pans I could peel in an hour. I wasn't the fastest peeler nor was I the slowest, but I never got any pans brought back to redo."

"The tomatoes were easiest to peel while they were hot so there were advantages to getting to work a bit early to get a good place near where the tomatoes came into the building but not too close."

"I worked there another summer as well in the general cannery section where other vegetables were canned as well as frozen. This was one summer during college. The canneries were only open in the summers at harvest times. There I worked as timekeeper which necessitated keeping track of how many people were working and who was working in each position at various times during the day. I had my own office and was also in charge of first aid supplies. Anything other than very minor injuries I was to send to the local hospital."

"Because it was during World War II, there was a shortage of labor for the cannery, so some German POWs were bussed in each day from a camp in Tremonton to fill various positions. A gun-toting guard would come with them. There was a shortage of men to fill many of the jobs which were considered too hard for women to do. There were a lot of things for them to do such as a lot of heavy lifting etc. that had to be done in the cannery and working on various machines that kept things going. One of the POW's was sick one day and they sent an army ambulance from where they were building Bushnell Army Hospital to get him."

"The guard would spend a lot of time in and out of my office also keeping track of his charges and knowing where they were at all times. As I recall the number of POW's varied from day to day, usually somewhere between about 16 and 20--maybe 25. I think they were allowed to keep 10¢ an hour of what they earned and many were eager to come and work at the cannery to earn what they could. Only those that were considered harmless were allowed to come and work at the Cannery. Others were not allowed to leave the compound. Many would send their money home and others just used it for things they wanted and would ask the guard to buy things for them. One was an artist and was always worried about protecting his hands. One day the guard said that the artist wanted painting supplies and something to paint and wondered if I had a photograph he could use to paint a picture of me. He couldn't be paid in money and would do it just for something to do. The guard also suggested that a couple of packages of cigarettes for him would be appreciated however, so that is what transpired. I don't recall what medium he used to do the painting but it was paints of some kind not pencils. He did the painting from a photograph."

(When the broken glass on the front of the picture was replaced, we could see that the artist had signed his name as Rembrandt Suirs. It looks rather like watercolors were used. The matting and backing were cut from what looks like old production schedules from the cannery.)

"To keep track of the POW's I had to check through the cannery as well as Smith Frozen Foods and in the warehouse several times a day to know how many were working and where, for the company expense records. There were both men and women working there. Mostly the women worked on 'belts', like picking out any 'bad' peas or beans or whatever was being canned, as they went by and the men on heavy lifting jobs and machinery. The main person in charge of the whole operation was named Dan. He wasn't around the processing very much but another man named Frank was the foreman and knew everything that was going on and he was everywhere all the time. I now have no idea what their last names were--long since forgotten."

"The cannery was in two sections. The tomato operation was in a building, long since removed, that was across the street from the train station on the west side of the train tracks on West Forest Street and the main cannery was a block or two south of the train station. It is also long gone."

"One day there was an accident upstairs in the main cannery where the bean cutter machine was located. A young boy from somewhere in Wyoming was running the bean cutter. He was a minor I think just age 16 and shouldn't have been running it. His older friend was supposed to be doing it but somehow it was nearly lunch time and he went there to help out for a few minutes. A prod of some kind was supposed to be used to keep the beans going but he stuck his hand down in it to hurry the process along and get it emptied so they could go to lunch. In doing so, he lost his finger in the machine. He ended up in my office which prompted me to immediately call Frank who grabbed him and put him in his car quickly and got him to the hospital. Frank's assistant who I don't even remember, quickly shut down the machinery, After Frank returned I went with him to the bean cutter and Frank got rid of the whole batch of beans, finger and all."


"After my freshman year of college I worked the summer at Bushnell Hospital when they were building that and I got paid $25.00 a week which was almost unheard of at the time. It was as much as Dad was getting paid. I don't recall my exact title at the moment but I was at the beck and call of anyone that needed an errand done and opened mail, and got copies made of various things for various offices."

Bushnell General Army Hospital was a 1,500 bed military hospital built in 1942. It had 60 buildings and cost $9,000,000. The administration and medical staff were military personnel, and local residents were hired to work in such areas as the kitchen, bakery, and laundry as well as in maintenance and clerical positions. Patients were primarily sick and injured military personnel from Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, in keeping with the government's policy of locating patients as close to home as medically feasible so that their families could more easily visit them. Brigham City residents provided room and board in their homes for out-of-town relatives of patients. The medical staff specialized in orthopedic and neuro-psychiatric cases and in tropical diseases. It was the first military hospital to use penicillin, and the facility provided training for medical doctors being sent to the European and Pacific combat areas. Approximately 13,000 patients were treated during the hospital's life of less than four years. Some POWs worked at the hospital as well. It closed in 1947.

Roma's nephew, Bert, was born at Bushnell Hospital in 1943....but that is another story.

The Cowper Birthday Book -- Ernest Freeman

The Cowper Birthday Book

   The birthday book was a gift to a young Ernest Freeman just a year or so before his family left their home in England forever.  Some kind person probably presented the book to him as a remembrance of his first home in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England, back in 1900 when he was just seven years old.

   The book was special to him for two reasons
.  The right hand pages had dates, three to a page, where friends and relatives could write their names on the date of their birth.  The left hand pages had verses from William Cowper (pronounced Cooper), a well-known poet who lived in Olney.
   As young boys often do, he inscribed his name and a message in youthful handwriting at the beginning of the book:

Ernest Freeman

Wellsville

Utah

Cash Co

     

         

Then he added this admonition:

Steal not

This Book for fear

Of shame for

In it stands

The owners name

For if you do

The Lord will

Say where

Is that book

You stole away

   The tragedies and joys of life are hinted at throughout the pages of the book.  In boyish writing is the name of Ernest’s younger brother, James Bert Wallinger Freeman, born 1897 with a note that Bert died March 28, 1919.  He died in an army camp in Wyoming of complications from the Spanish ‘flu.  Ernest, recently returned from the war in France, was sent by his family to bring his brother’s body home.
       

                                                     James Bert Wallinger Freeman


   In mid-January my grandmother’s handwriting appears with an entry telling of the birth of her oldest granddaughter.

Grandma was a dedicated genealogist, so she helped Grandpa write in the names of various ancestors and relatives, such as his aunt, Sarah Elizabeth Carter Davis Wood, his family’s only pioneer ancestor.
   On January 25th, the name Sarah Wyatt is inscribed.  We have often wondered just who she is as she is not a relative, but now with modern technology, we find that Sarah Wyatt was born January 25, 1829 in England and died in 1914 in Wellsville, Utah.  Her husband, John and grandson, Tom, are listed in May as well as John’s brother, William in July.   Ernest’s two older brothers, came to the US a year before the rest of the family.  One of his brothers worked for the Wyatt family, so this is likely why the Wyatt family is in the book.  In more modern times, the Wyatt farm became the American West Heritage Center where we volunteer.
   Though we now feel far removed from the Freeman family left behind in England, it is clear from the pages of the book that family ties were still maintained in earlier years.  Joyce Sybil Burrows, daughter of Ernest’s 2nd cousin, Harry, is mentioned in March.  She is one of the few of those left in England who made it to visit the American branch of the family.  When she visited our home when we were children, we thought it so entertaining to listen to her British accent.
   Also in March is the birthday of Jane Carter Freeman in 1857.  What a relief to see her called Jane, her middle name, instead of her first name, Euphemia!  If I search far enough back in my memory I can still envision her sitting on her front porch making french-cut green beans.  I was impressed that she could make three complete lengthwise cuts through each bean at age 98!
            

                                                     Euphemia Jane Carter Freeman

   August 4th was a busy day in our family as it is the birth date of my grandmother, Ruby Kotter Freeman, as well as my aunt, Marilyn Farr Freeman, and my father Verlin Clark Stephens, who married into the Freeman family when he married my mother.  I recall many triple birthday celebrations for these three.
   Ernest’s cousin, Rose Freeman Gibbons, was the only other English relative who came to visit in the US.  Her entry is in November.  I was just 12 or 13 when she came to see our family.  We were so excited to meet her.  My young sister, Eileen,  was about 4 years old at the time, so we told her a special cousin, named Rose, was coming to visit.   When Rose at last appeared, Eileen kept calling her ‘Flowers’.

 

English cousin, Rose Gibbons "Flowers" visits Indiana

Back:  Roma, Verlin, Rose, Ida, Ruby

Front  Eileen, Nancy, Karma, Mark, Rebecca

   The last entry on December 31st is a sad one.  It is for Ernest’s cousin, Fred Freeman, whose family remained in England.  Fred was born December 31st, 1892.  Under his entry it says “Killed in action in France - September 1914.

   Interspersed with all these memories of people long since gone are the words of the poet, William Cowper.   As I was reading the book one day, a particular verse struck me at a time when troubles seemed to overwhelm.  He wrote:

Ye fearful saints fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

I loved  the visual image of a veritable cloudburst of blessings.  I didn’t recall ever hearing that verse before, but when I looked it up to see where it came from, the familiar first verse appeared - “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.”  I had sung the verse many times, but hadn’t noticed it before!
   Another poem I liked said,

Have you no words? Ah! think again,
Words flow apace when you complain,
And fill your fellow creature’s ear
With the sad tale of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent
To heaven in supplication sent,
Your cheerful song would oftener be,
“Hear what the Lord has done for me.

   William Cowper died nearly 100 years before Ernest was born, but he was still well remembered in the town of Olney as one of the most popular poets of the time. He also wrote many hymns.  He wasn’t born in Olney, but lived there for a time where he became friends with  John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace. Newton and Cowper collaborated in a volume called Olney Hymns.

                

                                                         William Cowper

   He wrote a famous, semi-autobiographical poem called “The Task”  after recovering from  a bout of severe depression.

                  The Task
I was the stricken deer that left the herd
Long since, with many an arrow deep
    infixed
My panting side was charged when I
    withdrew
To seek a tranquil death in distant shades.
There I was found by one who had himself
Been hurt by archers. In his side he bore
And in his hands and feet the cruel scars. 

With gentle force, soliciting the darts
He drew them forth, and healed and bade me live.

              
Birthdays in the book.  Any relationships are given in relation to Ernest Freeman, the original owner of the book, or his wife, Ruby Viola Kotter Freeman.
2 Jan.  Norma Kotter Hodson - Ruby’s
   sister
3 Jan. James Bert Wallinger Freeman-
   Ernest’s younger brother
7 Jan. Roland Gyllenskog- first cousin,
   once removed
10 Jan. Richard Green - great-
   grandfather
14 Jan.  Nancy Lynne Stephens -
   granddaughter
16 Jan. William Colse - unknown
19 Jan. Carolyn Morris - Ruby’s
   niece
19 Jan.  Ben Hodson - Ruby’s brother-
   in-law
22 Jan.  Sarah Elizabeth Carter Davis
   Wood - Ernest’s aunt
23 Jan.  Darwin Wayne Freeman -
   grandnephew
24 Jan. Charlotte Rosetta Stratton -
   first cousin, once removed
25 Jan.  Richard Andrew McLain-
   spouse of niece
25 Jan. Sarah Wyatt - Alf Freeman’s
   employer in Wellsville
28 Jan.  Charlotte Emma Goss Freeman
   - grandmother
28 Jan.  Mary Ann Wall-grandniece
30 Jan.  Mary Ann (Polly Carter) Ogden
   - Aunt

2 Feb.  Sister Baker - unknown
6 Feb.  Duane Stephens - grandson
7 Feb. Wynn George Freeman -
   nephew
11 Feb.  Linda Dattage - 1st cousin,
   twice removed
11 Feb.  Eileen Marie Stephens -
   granddaughter
13 Feb.  Florence Freeman -
   grandniece
15 Feb.  Lois Gyllenskog Hess Humphrey
   -  first cousin, once removed
16 Feb. Enoch Goss - great-grandfather
19 Feb.  Colleen McCrary - niece
21 Feb.  Robert Christensen -grandnephew
22 Feb. Gail June Kotter - niece
24 Feb. Eugene McCrary - nephew
25 Feb. Dean Bert Freeman - son
25 Feb. Clara Wall- unknown
26 Feb. Ida Freeman - sister
27 Feb. Ileen Rhodes Freeman -
    nephew’s wife
27 Feb.  J. D. Morris - nephew
28 Feb. Doris Kotter Nuttle (Nuttall) -niece
28 Feb. Doyle Lind Kotter - nephew

1 Mar. Elsie Freeman Knowles -niece
3 Mar. Annie Lucas Goss-wife of first
   cousin, once removed
4 Mar.  Samuel Freeman- great-
   grandfather
7 Mar. Dwight Carl Freeman, Jr.-
   grandnephew
14 Mar. Randy K. Peterson - grandnephew
14 Mar. Annie E. Freeman Peters-sister
15 Mar. Blaine McCrary- Nephew
15 Mar. DeLar Morris - nephew
17 Mar. Kalona Kellogg Freeman - sister-
   in-law
17 Mar.  Joyce Sybil Burrows- second
   cousin, once removed
18 Mar. Richard E. Kotter - nephew
21 Mar. Keith Freeman - nephew
23 Mar. Jane Carter Freeman-Ernest’s
   mother
26 Mar. Ethel Mayo - unknown
27 Mar. Fontella Taylor Kotter- sister-in-
   law
31 Mar. Wendell Carl Kotter - brother

6 Apr. Effie Tingey Freeman-  sister-in-law

6 Apr. Wilhelmina A. Erickson Kotter-
   Ruby’s mother
7 Apr. Ella J. Kotter - first cousin’s wife
7 Apr. Florence May J. Freeman - daughter
   -in-law
11 Apr. Kent Dee Brimhall- grandnephew
11 Apr. Gary Frank Kotter- nephew
14 Apr. Elizabeth Branson Green - great-
   grandmother
16 Apr. Linnea Freeman - grandniece
16 Apr. Rinnea Freeman - grandniece
17 Apr. Richard Freeman - grandfather
17 Apr. Frederick A. McCrary- brother-in-law
20 Apr. Olga Olson Freeman - sister-in-law
20 Apr. Garth K. Morris - nephew
22 Apr. Gertrude Kotter Morris - sister
25 Apr. death of poet William Cowper
26 Apr. Joseph Gyllenskog- first cousin
27 Apr. Richard Charles McLain- grandnephew
27 Apr. Rebecca Lynne Freeman - granddaughter
27 Apr. Julie Anne Freeman - granddaughter
28 Apr. Cleon M. Kotter - nephew
29 Apr. Ruth Kotter Peterson Poore - niece

1 May Eval(e) Peterson - unknown
2 May  Ronald Hodson - nephew
2 May  Benjamin Carter- great-grandfather
3 May  LaMar V. Kotter - nephew
4 May  Henrietta Kotter McCrary - sister
5 May  Scott Ernest Freeman - grandson
6 May  Bernard Kotter - nephew
7 May  George Knowles - nephew-in-law
9 May  Tom Wyatt - Alf Freeman’s employer
   in Wellsville
10 May Donna Andreasen Curtin - grandniece
10 May Hen(e)ry Carter - grandfather
22 May  May Freeman Wright -first cousin
22 May  John M. Wyatt-Alf Freeman’s
   employer in Wellsville
25 May  Richard Brent Freeman- grandnephew
26 May  Josephine Kington- Wyatt family
26 May  Myrtle Kington - Wyatt family
27 May  Virginia Flint Kotter - sister-in-law
31 May  Frank Freeman - first cousin

1 June  Linda Whatcott - grandniece
1 June  Ernest Freeman - b. 1893
2 June  Mary Loenza Wassom Freeman -
   niece-in-law
3 June  Craig Ernest Freeman - grandson
7 June  Verle Glen Kotter - nephew
7 June  Ada Erickson Laudie - first cousin
8 June  Elizabeth Ann Wallinger Freeman-
   great-grandmother
14 June  Beth Peters Brimhall- niece
14 June  Gerald Clive Hartmann - nephew-in-law
16 June  LueJean Christensen -grandniece
19 June  Dale Richard Brimhall - grandnephew
19 June  Jerry K. Peterson - grandnephew
24 June  Mark Jerold Stephens -grandson
26 June  Nellie Taylor - unknown
27 June  Marilyn Kotter - niece
29 June  George Freeman - father

1 July Nellie Wilhelmina Stoneman Freeman -
   niece-in-law
2 July  Kathy Kay Christensen - grandniece
3 July  Sterling K. Morris - nephew
4 July  Grace H. (Goss) Bonham - great aunt
9 July  Tiffany Freeman- great-granddaughter
10 July  DeAnn Christensen - grandniece
10 July  Edwin Erickson - first cousin
11 July  T(homas) Stratton - first cousin once
   removed
12 July  Maud Freeman - first cousin
17 July  Arthur Henry Stratton - first cousin,
   once removed
18 July  William Wyatt - Alf Freeman’s
  employer in Wellsville
18 July  Kent Val Freeman - grandson
20 July  Herman B Kotter - brother
21 July  Keith Kotter - nephew
23 July  Paul Wendell Kotter - nephew
23 July  Charlotte Stanley Marshall - great-
   grandmother
24 July  Mary Rose E. Stratton -  first cousin,
   once removed
24 July  Sharlene Andreasen Gillis-grandniece

1 Aug.  Patti Ann Freeman - granddaughter
4 Aug.  Ruby Viola Kotter Freeman - b. 1895
4 Aug.  Verlin Clark Stephens - son-in-law
4 Aug.  Marilyn Farr Freeman - daughter-in-law
5 Aug.  Wanda Freeman Whatcott - niece
5 Aug.   Larene Kotter Hook - niece
7 Aug.   Leola Whatcott Freeman- niece-in-law
9 Aug.   Dwight Carl Freeman - nephew
11 Aug. Ann Freeman - grandniece
12 Aug.  Brent  F. Christensen-grandnephew
13 Aug.  Irene Freeman Wall - niece
14 Aug.  Thomas Charles Freeman- uncle
15 Aug.  Ida Denton - first cousin, once removed
16 Aug.  Edna Hammer Kotter - sister-in-law
19 Aug.  David Herman Kotter - nephew
21 Aug.  Nora Kotter Biddulph - half-sister
21 Aug.  Elizabeth Green Carter- grandmother
21 Aug.  George Dwayne McLain - grandnephew
24 Aug.  Elmer H. Kotter - brother
25 Aug.  John Bonham - great uncle
27 Aug. Carol Call Freeman-granddaughter-in-
   law
30 Aug.  Glen Freeman - nephew
30 Aug.  Paul Fred Moynier, Jr. -grandnephew

1 Sep.  Florence Davis(Wood) Gyllenskog-first
   cousin
1 Sep.  Wilford Lee Freeman - nephew
2 Sep.  Robert Don Freeman - grandnephew
4 Sep.  Eliza Timpson - unknown
5 Sep.  LaRee Kotter - niece
6 Sep.  Matt John Gillis - great-grandnephew
6 Sep.  Annie Cook - unknown
7 Sep.  Ida Freeman Christensen - niece
7 Sep.  Colleen Ann McLain - grandniece
10 Sep. Earl Richard Freeman - nephew
10 Sep. Wilford Freeman - brother
17 Sep.  Karma Jean Stephens - granddaughter
18 Sep.  Harry Freeman - brother
19 Sep.  Kathleen Freeman - grandniece
20 Sep.  Fern Hinchcliff Kotter-sister-in-law
20 Sep.  Harry Ogden- first cousin
21 Sep.  Afton Peters - niece
22 Sep.  Frederick Stratton - first cousin, once
   removed
26 Sep.  David Bert Freeman - great-grandson
27 Sep.  Loa Freeman Hunsaker - niece
27 Sep.  Roma Freeman Stephens-daughter
28 Sep.  Dorothy Robinson-first cousin,
   once removed
29 Sep.  Fred Stanley Freeman- grandnephew
29 Sep.  Kent Hodson -nephew
30 Sep.  Carol Freeman -grandniece

1 Oct.  Dianne Freeman - grandniece
4 Oct.  Elizabeth Freeman Burrows - first
   cousin, once removed
4 Oct. Bert L. Christensen-nephew-in-law
6 Oct.  Ada Gyllenskog Johnson - first cousin,
   once removed
11 Oct.  Carolyn Jane Freeman- granddaughter
16 Oct. Sarah N. (Goss) Denton - great aunt
19 Oct.  John Robert Morris - brother-in-law
19 Oct.  Nancy Waite Freeman - granddaughter-
   in-law
20 Oct.  Gladys Gyllenskog - first cousin, once
   removed
24 Oct.  Paul Fred Moynier - nephew-in-law
25 Oct.  Joseph George Toombs Davis - uncle
26 Oct.  Elaine Freeman - niece
27 Oct.  Annie Knight Freeman - aunt
27 Oct.  Alan Brent Freeman - grandson
29 Oct.  Reed Henry Kotter - nephew
30 Oct.  Frank Bott Freeman - nephew

1 Nov.  Wayne Freeman - nephew
3 Nov.  Victor M. Kotter - brother
4 Nov.  Kay Ernest Freeman - son
4 Nov.  Rose Freeman - first cousin
12 Nov. Donald Harry Christensen -grandnephew
16 Nov. Richard David Peters - brother-in-law
18 Nov. Beth Gyllenskog Dattage - first cousin,
   once removed
20 Nov.  Henry Herman Ludvig Kotter- Ruby’s
   father
21 Nov.  Gordon Kotter - nephew
22 Nov.  Homer Leon Kotter - nephew
24 Nov.  Ada Goss Denton-first cousin,
   once removed
26 Nov.  Homer C. Kotter - brother
27 Nov.  Arthur Goss-first cousin, once removed
28 Nov.  Harry Burrows - second cousin
30 Nov.  Dennis Kay Freeman - grandson
6 Dec.  Vernice Kotter - niece
7 Dec.  Roslyn Carol Brimhall - grandniece
7 Dec.  Josephine Kington - Wyatt relative
8 Dec.  Doreen Gibson-first cousin, once removed
9 Dec.  Anne Esther Freeman- grandniece
10 Dec. Esther Bott Freeman - sister-in-law
12 Dec. Alma DeVoe Brimhall - nephew-in-law
12 Dec. Alf L. Freeman - brother
13 Dec. Charlotte Ann Marshall - unknown
20 Dec. Arthur Winter - brother-in-law
20 Dec.  Hazel Freeman McLain - niece
20 Dec.  Ruth Gyllenskog - first cousin, once
   removed
21 Dec.  Dean Bert Freeman, Jr. - grandson
22 Dec.  Rhoda Freeman Robbinson Smith-
   first cousin
23 Dec.  Rita Freeman- grandniece
23 Dec.  Richard Carter Freeman - grandnephew
23 Dec.  Janice Kotter - niece
25 Dec.  Thelma Tingey Kotter-sister-in-law
26 Dec.  John Wilford Wall - grandnephew
26 Dec.  Beth McCrary Walker - niece
27 Dec.  Mae Freeman Moynier - niece
30 Dec.  Mary Ann Carter Ogden - aunt
31 Dec.  Fred Freeman -  nephew
31 Dec.  Fred Freeman - first cousin

Dealing with Wyoming...Since 1856

   It was mid-afternoon when we pulled into Little America, Wyoming, for a quick bathroom break.  After all, they have the nicest restrooms around, with individual marble stalls.  A spot was open right next to the curb near the doors of the little gift shop and cafe.  Numerous children were thronging the playground, overseen by a huge statue of a bison.  Their parents were probably glad to let them stretch their legs and play before continuing their journey.
   We passed a man standing near the door of the gift shop as we headed directly to the back of the store to utilize those fine restrooms.  The entry to the store is a bit congested, with the cash register area to the right and a half wall, hung with numerous tourist trinkets to the left.  On the other side of the half wall were tables and chairs where folks could sit down to eat the food they purchased, but it is not visible from the entry because of the wall.  A number of people were standing there near the line to buy soft ice cream.
   The ladies room is lovely, with a small lounge area before the actual restrooms.  As I walked in, I smiled and said hello to an older lady sitting there with her cane.  The acoustics of the room were such that there was no such thing as a private conversation.  I heard a mother telling her child to wash her hands and another woman complaining that places like Little America should have emergency responders there at all times.  I thought it a strange comment since no one really lives there. When I went back through the lounge area, the lady with the cane was gone.  As we walked to the front of the store, I could see her sitting in the cafe area looking at the floor.  That is when I realized the people in the ice cream line were not really in line and the man by the door was watching intently for something.  I looked down at the floor and saw him..an older man with a beard, wearing shorts and sneakers.  His t-shirt was partially pulled up, exposing his belly.  A young woman in her twenties or maybe thirties was vigorously performing CPR on the man.  Suddenly the comment in the restroom made more sense.  Where DO you get emergency help in Little America, Wyoming. 
    After a few minutes we heard sirens in the distance.  As they pulled up in front of the building, the man waiting at the door waved them in to our location.  He mentioned it had been 18 minutes since they were called from the closest town of Green River.
    We didn’t stay to see how things came out but from what I saw, a positive outcome seemed unlikely.  We decided we’d help best by getting out of the way.
    Wyoming can take its toll on people and vehicles.  As a child, I never considered that as we drove through every other year when we went to visit our grandparents in Utah.  After the long drive through Nebraska, Wyoming was just another long, long time in the car.  I can think of only four positive highlights.  Whenever we got to Little America, we went in so everyone could get a 10¢ ice cream cone.  (Now they cost 75¢.)  It was before the interstate system, so at some point, out in the middle of nowhere, my  parents would pull over to the side of the road, open the doors and tells us to run and play out in the desert for 15 or 20 minutes before traveling on.  We enjoyed looking at sagebrush, which was foreign to us, as well as picking up bits of shiny mica.  We also watched for antelope and Burma Shave signs.  That was about it. Crossing the border into Utah was our biggest joy.
   I didn’t really pay much attention to Wyoming until some of our children moved to Colorado, which meant numerous trips through Wyoming to go visit in Colorado.  Suddenly the road became much more familiar.  Previously trips over that road had pretty much been in summer, but special occasions in Colorado meant driving it in other seasons, and some of those are not kind. 
    It should have been a warning…seeing the barricades along the side of the road with a sign saying to immediately exit the highway if the barricade was down.  Of course, we never saw them down in summer.  They just seemed like a some sort of useless road decoration.  I was pretty much in denial until that day when we checked the weather report to see the road conditions before leaving Colorado for Utah.  Conditions seemed doable, so off we went.  Shortly after leaving Cheyenne, the wind started to howl, causing near whiteout conditions from blowing snow.  We debated whether we should stop or not, but decided we were committed to continuing our journey.  We noticed that some large trucks had pulled off the road to wait out the gusts.  Maybe they knew something we didn’t know?  After Cheyenne there is really nowhere to stop until you get to Laramie, so we motored slowly and cautiously onward.  We were amazed that in spite of the road conditions, some trucks went speeding right past us.  Even a truck pulling a long horse trailer went whizzing past.  We decided to stop in Laramie to get gas before going on, but as we got to the exit to get gas, we discovered we had no choice but to exit there as the barricade was down.  They had pretty much shut the road right in front of us.  While getting gas, we chatted with the truckers at the truck stop who told us the road to the west was horrible, so we looked around and discovered a motel right there at that exit and went and checked in for the night.
   What is there to do in Laramie for most of a day while waiting for the road to open?  We went to the grocery store and got food for lunch and dinner.  Then we noticed an ad for a movie we had been wanting to see, so decided to do that.  On the way to the theater we toured the campus of the University of Wyoming and then went in to one of the most forlorn theaters I have ever seen.  I think we were the only customers, so we had our choice of seats.  We sat in the middle about two-thirds of the way back.  The row of seats about four rows down from us sagged badly in the middle.  I don’t know if the problem was the seats or the floor.
   When we returned to our motel we noticed the trucks lined up for about a mile along the road leading to the freeway exit with their engines running.  Clearly the truckers were planning a night in their trucks, ready to roll as soon as the barricade was lifted.
    By morning when we were ready to leave, the road was open again and the line of trucks had moved on.  Shortly after leaving Laramie, we saw some of the trucks and the horse trailer that had passed us the day before, blown off the road and on their sides.
    Another time the weather was okay, but shortly after leaving Cheyenne, the traffic was terribly backed up.  A check of the local radio station revealed that the pass leading to Laramie was closed by a horrible accident.  They had no idea how long the road would be closed.  A quick check of the map showed an alternate back road, so rather than sitting there for hours we decided to take the scenic route.  We were glad to have our lunch with us for the two hour journey to cover what usually takes about 45 minutes.
   If it isn’t one thing, it’s another in Wyoming.  Last October as we traveled through, the freeway was lined with emergency vehicles for about 50 miles.  Smoke was billowing across the road, causing reduced visibility.  We never saw the actual wildfire they were waiting to fight, but we were glad  to get past all the smoke.
   Of course there is more to Wyoming than traveling along I-80.  Sometimes we went to Yellowstone National Park and the Tetons.  As a child, Yellowstone seemed a magical place where mud bubbled, geysers spewed and bears mooched marshmallows from passing cars.  As an adult, it is still a place of wonder, but with a dark side.  Who would imagine that the whole area was really part of a vast,  ancient volcanic caldera that could threaten to blow up at any time?  It began to remind me of a scene from a Jonathan Edwards sermon called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. 
   A few years ago we decided to do a bit of hiking in Yellowstone, so we first watched Old Faithful erupt and then set off through the geyser basin toward another geyser area where our ride was to pick us up.  As we walked we saw a wolf eyeing us from the other side of a small geyser and hoped that he was more scared of us than we were of him.  We made it a point to stop at Morning Glory Pool, a beautiful childhood memory, only to find it a dingy brown rather than the beautiful blue I remembered.

                                                                      Old Faithful

   All along the way, signs reminded us to stay on the designated paths due to the dangers of the thin crust in the geyser basins.  We were almost to our pick up point when the narrow path was blocked by two massive bison.  They were enjoying their place there and seemed in no hurry to leave.  We couldn’t walk out around them because of the danger signs.  We couldn’t walk near them because they didn’t seem all that happy to see us.  Eventually we had to do our entire hike in reverse and call our ride to get us at our starting point.  We didn’t see a single bear.
   Many years ago, my grandparents, Grant and Myrtle Stephens, homesteaded in a lovely mountain valley with deep, rich soil near Alpine, Wyoming.  They were married in November of 1908 and settled into their homestead the next Spring   The homestead was on the banks of the Snake River and included  land on each side of the river. The nearest post office was about 14 miles away and the nearest store about 20 miles either way, at Freedom, Wyoming, or at Irwin, Idaho.
   Grant says, "Before summer was through we had moved into our new house which we thought pretty nice. We lined it with lumber and covered it with shingles. I got the logs out and took them to the mill and had them sawed for $9 a thousand for the lumber and $5 for the shingles. We put in about 20 acres of oats. On our place there was many springs and several acres of high quaking aspens and of course along the springs were willows and the ground along the bottom was a heavy dark soil covered with big thick brush and was very fertile."
   By 1910 enough people had moved nearby that the Alpine area got a post office. Grant got the contract for carrying the mail for the first 5 years. He got $20.22 per month for making the 16 mile trip twice a week. In summer he rode a horse and buggy and sleigh or skis in winter. Grants says, "I had a lot of tough times while carrying the mail. Nearly every winter I would have to carry it on skis for several months. I remember one time I started out on the 2nd of January with a team and bob-sleigh. The snow was over 4 feet deep and snowing and blowing until I could hardly see the team so they could hardly follow the road at all." He eventually had to leave behind his sleigh and start off with just the horses. "I tied one horse to the other one's tail and started them for home. I was holding to the last horse's tail. It took me all that day to get home."
    Eventually their homestead was swallowed up in the Palisades Reservoir, never to be seen again, except in a painting Grandpa made from memory many years later.

                                                                Palisades Reservoir

                                                       Stephens Homestead Painting

   It should be no surprise to anyone in the family that Wyoming could be so treacherous.  It was in 1856 that our family first encountered difficulties there.  James Mellor was just 37 years old when he traveled through Wyoming with his wife, Mary Ann, and their seven living children as part of the Martin Handcart Company.  Their food supply was short and Mary Ann was still recovering from the birth of stillborn, conjoined twins during their journey.  They had no money for a team and wagon, so they  had only two handcarts to bring food and supplies for the journey.  Due to Mary Ann’s poor health, James and a ten year old, daughter, also named Mary Ann, pulled one handcart together.  Sixteen year old Louisa and 14 year old Charlotte Elizabeth pulled the other.  The rest of the children were too small to help.  At one point along the way, the mother became so weak and discouraged that she could no longer struggle along.  She sat down by the side of the trail and begged her family to go on without her.  When they couldn’t convince her to keep trying, Louisa stayed behind with her while the rest of the family trudged off along the trail.  Not knowing what to do, Louisa knelt and begged Heavenly Father for help.  As she walked back to where her mother was sitting she found a pie in the middle of the road.  She took it to her mother and fed a bit of it to her.  After a time, her mother felt enough strength to arise and try again.
   Their handcart company had left late in the season and was still on the high plains of Wyoming when winter weather came early, making the handcarts even harder to pull.  Their food supplies were almost gone. At night they slept huddled together for warmth.  One morning, Louisa found herself unable to rise because her long braids had frozen to the ground.  In their hurry to be on their way, there was no time to thaw the ground to release her braids, so someone just cut them off.  I suppose they are still part of the Wyoming landscape somewhere.  A rescue party eventually got them to their destination, but it was noted that 37 year old James, who started the journey with dark hair, arrived at his destination with hair as white as snow.

                                                             Louisa Mellor Clark


Seems like our family has been dealing with Wyoming…since 1856.