Hunting for Homesteads

Yesterday we decided it would be interesting to go hunting for some homesteads.  We had the BLM descriptions for 2 homesteads taken from the BLM website.  The first site we looked at we thought must be near Wilford, Idaho.  If you look for Wilford on your GPS, you will not find it.  I suppose that is because it is an unincorporated area.

 It is approximately between Teton, Sugar City and St. Anthony, Idaho, so we headed out with a map which showed the section lines in the area.  We had a bit of trouble finding a reference point, so we decided it would be easier to start from the Wilford Cemetery which is about 2 miles from the homestead location.  The owner of the homestead, Coriantumr Stephens, was buried in the Wilford cemetery along with his wife, so we first looked for the headstone.  We drove in on a little access road in the middle of the cemetery and then tried to decide where we should look.  In looking just left of the car, at the first headstone he saw, the woodcarver immediately announced he had found it! Sadly, the headstone records a sad story as you can see that three of the children died within four days of each other in 1896 in a diphtheria epidemic.  They have separate little headstones next to their parents.

A story recorded in the personal history of Grant Stephens, a son of Coriantumr, tells of a neighboring family, the Kershaws, who also lost multiple children to diphtheria.  Their grave is nearby in the same section.

From the cemetery we were able to take the map showing the section lines to determine where the Coriantumr Stephens homestead was located.  Only a couple of modern houses are on the property now along with flat fields.  The road that goes from Rexburg to Yellowstone runs through the property.

I am sure they were all sorry to leave that place, but their own family needs and tragedies prevented them from staying.

From the pile of old wood in the corner of the top homestead picture, the woodworker found a likely branch that he brought home to see what could be done with it.  Here is the result:

Next we headed for another homestead which was filed on by my grandfather, Grant Stephens. We knew when we started out that we would be unable to find the exact location of this homestead as the BLM map shows it right in the middle of the Palisades Reservoir..under water since completion of the Palisades Dam about 1957.

It must have been a lovely place for a homestead, near the Snake River for water and rich bottom land for the crops.  In his older years he painted a picture of how he remembered that homestead.

On our way home we passed through various towns where family members lived or worked in days gone by....Alpine, Etna, Bedford and Freedom.  We did not stop at Etna to find the homestead of Joseph J. Clark as we didn't have the location at the time, but we will leave that for another day.

Baby Rattle

by the Woodworker

A friend of ours is being presented with a baby shower for her first child due in the very near future. As showers are a ladies only affair I decided to craft a souvenir baby rattle for her and have Mrs. Woodworker take it with her to the event. She will also add a gift of her own.

1. Somewhere in this pile of wood lies a baby rattle.

 

2. Here it is. A piece of West Virginia cherry. It been cut to length and properly chucked up in the lathe. Rounding is nearly complete.

 

3. Rounding complete and the top cut off. Note the shoulder on the top so it can be reattached later.

 

4. Hollowing out the rattle.

 

 5. Turning down the top to make it fit the hollowed out bottom.

 

6. The rattling will be provided by old screws.

 

7. Screws put inside and the top installed. Starting the rattle shape.

 

8. Finish sanding and decorative band added. One band is over point of contact between the top and the bottom. Unless you know where to look it appears to be one piece.

 

9. Good old Howard's Butcher Block treatment is the finish. 

 

 

 

10. A turning project can create a huge amount of shaving.

 

11. Project complete.

Bobbin Lace progress

Gradually I am understanding a little more about bobbin lace and how it works although I've still a LOOOONG ways to go.

The trick, of course, is translating a pattern that looks like this:

Into something that looks like this, mostly with no instructions other than a picture to work from, or at best 3-4 lines with very general suggestions on how to get the  job done.

Not entirely true on this one though as it came lavishly illustrated on about 5 pages. 

My goal is to be able someday to do a pattern called Running River which my great-grandmother, Euphemia Jane Carter Freeman remembers learning to make as a lace maker in England.

Rolling Pin Vase

by The Woodworker

For years I have been trying to figure out what to do with old rolling pins. They are available by the score in almost every antique/consignment store. A while ago it occurred to me that maybe they would make good cookie cutters after being cut down and turned on my lathe. I tried turning cookie cutters and it worked. Then today a new idea hit me. How about making them into vases? Here is a chronicle of what happened. What do you think?

1. Start with an antique rolling pin purchased for $6.00 in local consignment store.

 

2. Remove handles and cut in half. Save handles for unknown future projects.

 

3. Rolling pin half firmly chucked up in my lathe.

 

4. Vase shape roughed out and prepared to have inside hollowed out.

 

5. Inside being hollowed out. The lathe is actually turning here before the drill bit is inserted into the rolling pin.

6. Hollowed out and final shaping complete. Rough sanding completed.

 

7. Decorative bands added and final sanding.

 

 

8. Wax and oil finish being added.

 

9. Completed vase.

 

The next problem is figuring out if I should give it away or try to sell it. If I give it away who should I give it to? If I sell it what should I ask for it?

The Woodwright Shop: Building a Coffin

Coffins are included on the list of products the Woodwright Shop produces. Several years ago an old 19th century toe pincher coffin was hastily constructed. It served well but due to the popularity it became battered and started to fall apart. Simply put, it was loved to death.

Initially it was used as a display, but unexpectedly, a huge percentage of our patrons liked to have their pictures taken in it. We even added a bouquet of artificial lilies for the patrons to pose with.

This winter was replacement time for the old coffin with a newer one that was more sturdily constructed. It was constructed in my garage as the Woodwright Shop is closed for the winter.

1. Raw materials. Rough cut, one-inch, pine planks. Total cost; $40 dollars.

2. Tongue and groove cut in the planks.

3. Tongue and groove planks glued and assembled for the sides.

4. Sides standing up to see how they look.

5. Sides and ends cut and temporarily assembled to make sure the measurements and angles are correct.

6. Rough assembly.

7. Cutting the box joints to hold the pieces together.

8. Final assembly with the bottom started.

9. Final assembly on saw horses, The height makes finishing a bit easier.

10. Completed with molding installed and rope handle holes drilled. It was necessary to add molding as the box joints did not fit as well as I would like. Molding is very useful for hiding poor workmanship.

11. Coffin permanently installed in the Woodwright shop. It is safely screwed to the wall and ready for patrons for many years to come. A top was not constructed as it would just be in the way. It would be simple to make as it is essentially a clone of the bottom. 

It took about a week of off-and-on work to complete the project. As the garage door was open and the project in full view there were quite a few comments from the neighbors. It was great fun and probably reinforced my friends and neighbors opinion that I am totally nuts. I suspect Mrs. Woodworker agrees with them. Hopefully the new coffin will be as popular as the old one.