Dorothy, Florrie and Rose
I was born on July 24, 1915 in Evanston 16 months after Rose. I weighed six and a half pounds.
While I was learning to crawl I fell against a built-in sideboard at Aunt Dell's and fractured my skull. This scar still remains.
When I was a little girl I had naturally curly hair. Each morning my mother would brush my hair and then, using her finger where my hair left my scalp, she would brush it around her finger until it was a long ringlet. I was ten years old when Pop's brother Mark cut my hair for the first time. I still remember this very vividly. I was no longer a little girl and the wonderful part was that I did not have to stand still while this combing was done each day.
Often during the summer we drove to the farm at Cottonwood to see the family. We also visited Aunt Ethel and Uncle Thad in Salt Lake. We have always been close to their family. Genevieve was a year older than Rose and Evelyn a year younger than I. Genevieve later married Bill Gore and they developed a very successful business based on the use of Teflon. Their son developed the fabric called Gortex.
Ev and her husband Bob Urquhart have taken several exciting trips with us. Among them were rafting down the Colorado River, and going up the Inland Passage between Vancouver Island and Canada. There were six of us with a captain and a cook. It was a great trip. We also took a charter boat trip through the islands just north of La Pas in Baja California.
We had wonderful times at the farm. Often during the summer months I would wake up in the morning with my eyes sealed shut from mosquito bites. It was necessary to use hot packs over my eyes to be able to open them. Rose and I grew up with many family memories as the Walton family came through Evanston going to and from Woodruff to Cottonwood.
Dorothy, Florrie and Rose
The ranch was about 35 miles north of Evanston. We have pictures of the ranch during the early years. There were many log outbuildings. The barn had a cupola which we used to climb to and look out over vast fields and country side.
Evanston is in the southwest corner of Wyoming just a few miles from the Utah border at an altitude of 6800 feet. The winters were long and cold. We often said that summer came in July.
Coal was used to heat the house. There was an opening in the back of the house with a chute so the coal could be delivered to the basement. The house was heated with a coal furnace that heated the water that went to the radiators. There was an upright radiator in each room. Our house had two bedrooms and a bath down stairs and one large room with thirteen windows upstairs. There was an attic on each end partially covered with flooring. The attic held trunks, fishing and hunting equipment, doll buggies, sleds etc.
Evanston was a town of about 3500 people during the early twenties. My mother used to call the Blythe and Fargo store for her groceries. They were delivered to the house later in the day. The store also sold furniture and had both a separate men's and women's clothing department. In the back of the store was a large department stocked with supplies for the ranchers.
There were many large ranches in all directions from town. The Bear River ran through Evanston on the eastern edge of town. It ran from southeast to northwest from Utah through Wyoming and back into Utah. "Up the river", which was south of Evanston, was the Myers ranch. It covered fifty thousand acres, most of which followed Bear River for over twenty miles. Florrie's sister Addie had married Fred Myers who co-owned the property with his brother Charlie. Addie and Fred had two children, Grace and Jack. Aunt Addie died when she was about 35 from complications of measles, which Grace and Jack both had, and pneumonia. Grace was 10 years old at that time. It was in the middle of the winter and roads were impassable except by sleigh. Fred was in the hospital in Salt Lake. It was a very sad time for all of us.
Grace came to live with us and would go back to the ranch on weekends when the weather permitted. At that time, since there was no room for three young girls in the downstairs bedroom, Grace and I shared the upstairs bedroom. We had to go downstairs to the bathroom so we always had a "thundermug", as a chamber pot was called, to use in the night, if necessary. Pam now has this pot. Grace was 10, I was 11 and Rose 12 at that time. Pop now had a household of four girls. There was no lingering in the bathroom to "primp", which meant spending time making our hair look pretty, as he had to be at the office at 9:00 A.M. and we girls to school at 8:00.A.M. Fortunately we lived less than a block from school and could get there when the first bell rang if necessary. We all three remained as sisters from then on, and Grace and I have been especially close.
Dorothy Walton
Age 10
During the winter when the snow was particularly heavy, milk as delivered by sleigh. The street in back of our house was where the horse and sleigh stopped and it was great fun to attach our sled (a Flexible Flyer) to the back of the sleigh and ride a few block where the street was level. The coal was also delivered by sleigh but we were not allowed to hook on to them. We also made angels in the snow by lying down on our backs and moving our arms up and down on the snow to make wings. A game we loved to play was "fox and geese". The object was for the fox to catch the goose. We marked out bases in the snow that became safe places for the goose to stop. When it was too cold to play outside we would set up school on the stairs leading to the upstairs bedroom. There was an opening half way down just above the landing where we could sit and look into the front hall. The person playing teacher stood on the landing. Naturally, Rose being the oldest was teacher and we were her pupils.
Each spring my mother had what they called spring house cleaning. One by one each room was emptied of furniture. The rugs were taken up (we did not have wall to wall carpeting). The rugs were carried out to the clothes line and beaten with a rug beater, a wire tool that looked like a tennis racket. This removed the dirt and dust that had accumulated during the winter. They were vacuumed each week but that did not take care of the dust that went through the carpeting onto the floor. We girls also helped with this job. Every year or so my father calsomined the walls throughout the house. It was a different product from paint, but the results were similar.
During the summer Rose and I played with our friends and dolls, went to the library, learned to roller skate and in general had a very good life. Our home was on a hill about nine blocks west of the center of town. We did not have bicycles but did have roller skates. They were separate from our shoes and had to be attached with clamps that were part of the skate and adjusted with a key to the shoe. The wheels were metal. When I was older I had a pair of skis which were quite different from those used in the 90's. We had a nice life with very good parents.
Rose and I started to school when we were six years old. There was no kindergarten or nursery school in town at that time. I have given Mara a picture of my first grade class. The school, where I spent all 12 years, was less than a block from our home and we always came home for lunch. My first grade teacher was Dorothy Abbott who, years later, married a Mr. Smith and lived in the house Uncle Dyke had built across from our house on Walton Avenue. When we were in High School we used to baby sit for her two daughters. Our home was at 819 Walton Avenue.
During those years we saw members of Pop's family often. At that time Donal was the owner of the ranch at Woodruff. Grandmother (Frances) and Evy and Blanche lived at the farm at Cottonwood and soon after they were married Ethel and Thad had a ranch near the family home at Woodruff. They later moved to Salt Lake. Remember, Pop came from a family of thirteen, 10 boys and 3 girls. The main road between Woodruff and Cottonwood came through Evanston which was three miles into Wyoming. Our home was the stopping off place between the two homes. Family members always stopped at our house on their trips between the two homes. My mother, Florrie, would fix lunch for however many members of the family came by. During the summer she canned peaches or pears and she could somehow come up with fresh bread, and whatever else was available.
Many family vacations were planned at Bear Lake near Woodruff on the Idaho/Utah border. We all slept in tents and the cooking was done over camp fires. Pop told us of the times when he was a boy of their family vacations. Many times there were a half dozen tents and 20 or 30 family members there. Fishing was great so the meals usually consisted of fresh lake trout, and fresh vegetables and fruit that were grown in the area during the summer. Bear Lake was at a much lower elevation than Evanston. Florrie would buy lugs of fruit when we went to Salt Lake and or the Bear Lake area. One of our favorites was fresh raspberries.
The first car my father bought in the early 1920's was a Baby Overland. It had two seats and a soft top but was not enclosed on the side. Cars at that time were open and had side curtains with eisingglass windows. These were always snapped on when it started to rain or the weather was cold. The back had permanent eising-glass windows.
When we drove to Salt Lake to visit the farm it was a full days trip. We had a favorite stopping place about halfway down Echo Canyon where we would stop for lunch. There was a large pine tree that gave us shade. It was 85 miles to Salt Lake. The roads were gravel and were called "wash board". Travel was slow and, with the small tires that were used at that time, the ride was very rough. The roads got their name because they resembled a rippled board that was used to hand wash clothes. That trip can be made in an hour and a half on the freeways now. In the winter of the years during the 1920s, travel was by sleigh and horses so the trips to Salt Lake were very few.
When cars first became available, few families could afford one. Grandfather Walton, during the course of several years, had many cars. We have pictures of at least four or five taken at the farm. The first car I remember at the ranch was a Model T Ford. Pop was one of the older boys in the family being the third child. He was also one of the first to have the privilege of driving. In Evanston he was often asked to drive people because he usually had one of the family cars available.
On November 22, 1924 my grandmother Lewis (Catherine) died from a series of strokes at our home in Evanston. Her body laid at state in the front room for friends to view before the funeral. This was customary in those days. She is buried in the Evanston cemetery.
In 1927 I was confirmed by Bishop Thomas in the Episcopal Church. I was twelve years old. That year also Rose won the Uinta County spelling bee. She went on to be in the top ten for the state.
In July of 1927 we took our first trip to Yellowstone National Park. This was a real experience at that time. The roads going up the canyon to Yellowstone were narrow with many dugways. We caravaned with Uncle Fred Lewis (Florrie's brother) and his family from Evanston. We had our "Baby Overland" and Fred and family were in a Model "T" Ford. The Fords at that time had more power in reverse so sometimes it was necessary for Uncle Fred to back up the hills. The road up the Hoback Canyon was a one way "washboard" road. In order to pass it was necessary for the car coming down hill to pull over to the side of the road and wait so the car going up could pass.
One summer we met Florrie's brother Mortie and wife Edith with their two daughters Vivian and Gwen, our cousins, at Lake Lewis which was south of the park. We parked the three vehicles in a tree-covered, park-like area on the shore of the lake.
One afternoon a violent storm came up. The men were all out in a boat fishing. They were very lucky to arrive back at camp as the waves were almost swamping the boat. Many trees were uprooted where the cars were parked. One hung over our car and another along side the Ford. We, the women folks, as they called us, were in Mortie's Reo Camp Car. This was a Reo truck converted to a camping car. It was one of the first of the motorhomes as we know them now with cooking and partial sleeping facilities. The tents were carried on the outside and most of the sleeping was outside. We were frightened for the men's safety in the boat. My cousin Bob had lost one of his legs in a hunting accident and couldn't swim. Fortunately they made it back safely. The trees all missed a direct hit on the cars.
In June of 1928 the Union Pacific Railroad had a special to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Pop thought this was a wonderful time to take the family to visit California and see the family members who now lived there. Dell and Dyke lived in San Jose. We got off the train at San Francisco. Dell and Dyke met us and took us sight seeing and then to our hotel. After that we visited China Town, a Vaudeville Theatre and went to see the ocean where we went swimming.
In a few days we took the train on to Los Angeles. Pop got us a room at the Roslyn Hotel in downtown L.A. He was amazed at the price of a room. The family joke goes that when the clerk said $l0.00 per night, Pop said he didn't want to buy the place, he just wanted a room for the night. Grandmother Walton lived in Inglewood with Blanche and Evy at this time. One of the places we visited while with her was the Ostrich Farm. I had my picture taken on an ostrich. We also went to Redondo Beach where we went in the ocean. We also have pictures which were taken of the area at that time. The Red Car ran along the beach front so it was easy to get there without a car.
My father Reuel played in the Evanston Band. They had concerts on the grounds at the court house. We looked forward to these evenings. Many years later Mara and Pam had the time of their lives at concerts when we vacationed in Evanston. There was plenty of grassy space to run and meet other young people.
Rose, Grace and I all took piano lessons for many years. There were recitals where we played for small groups but we did not inherit the musical talent of our father. Often when we practiced, Pop would stand behind us and occasionally we would get a tap on the head with the violin bow to tell us we were not paying attention to the timing.
When I was in high school - both as a Junior and Senior I took vocal lessons from Irene Garrett, the music teacher at school. She became a close friend of the family. One summer I went with her to Ft. Collins for a week when she was visiting her parents. I sang in the glee club and we performed several operettas in the High School gym. One year I played the lead in a musical called "Pickles." I remember portions of the lyrics to this date.
When we were 15 and 16 Pop taught us how to drive. We would go up the river where there was very little traffic. However, there were numerous small hills. We would practice changing gears and learn how to back up, etc. on those roads. He was very generous that way and was very proud when we could drive. Mom never learned as she was bothered with migraine headaches most of her life. When she and Pop went out together he always drove.
On one occasion when I was 17, Pop let me take the car to Salt Lake with my Mom to see Rose who was at the University of Utah. However, he insisted that Mr. Coutts, a town banker and good friend of his, go with us. Mr. Coutts did not know how to drive but he came in handy as we had a flat tire and he was able to fix it. It was not an easy job to put the car on a jack and repair the inner tube so I was glad he was along. I had never changed a tire. I always preferred doing outdoor jobs and working with Pop in the garage to being in the kitchen or house helping do dishes or cleaning. Also I can remember times when I was accused of retreating behind a book rather than acknowledge where I was.
Often, on Sundays, during the ensuing years we drove up to the Myers' ranch. Grace and I rode the horse bareback. Rose did not care for horses, so as a rule, did not go with us. However, one day Grace, Rose, cousin Gladys and I took a short ride above the ranch, all on one horse. Grace decided to be a bit of a show off to her town cousins so as we were going up a small hill she kept sliding back. One by one we were pushed off the back of the horse. This did not make Rosie any more fond of horseback riding. I was in back of Grace and, as I remember, stayed on and, like Grace, thought it was a fun thing to do.
One Sunday when we were in high school Pop drove us up the river about fifteen miles above the Myers' ranch where we planned to picnic by the side of the river. We did not know how to swim but waded in the shallow part of the river close to shore. That afternoon, Pop's Aunt Mayne, (my grandmother Frances' sister) and family, saw us there and joined us. They had their son and his friend with them. Both boys were seniors in high school. Grace had been dating his friend. The boys did not have swim suits nor did they know how to swim. They decided to go up stream where we wouldn't see them if they rolled up their pants legs. It wasn't long before we heard a scream. One of the boys had stepped into a deep hole and the other had tried to reach him. They both went under and disappeared. By the time Pop and the rest of us could reach the spot they were no where in sight. They were caught under a ledge and not knowing how to swim never had a chance to get out. Pop was the only one who knew how to swim. He dove until he was exhausted and we were afraid we would lose him.
We girls were sent to the nearest ranch to call for help. Many people came, even the Fire Department from Evanston 25 miles away. Aunt Mayne had to be restrained from going in the water. That night about midnight, under flood lights from the fire trucks, the bodies were found. It was a terrible experience for all of us. Many nights after that I woke up with nightmares and it was a real shock for Grace.
I remember one Sunday a young boy from school had asked me to go to the movies with him. The family was going on a drive up the river. At that time we had a DeSoto. Pop suggested that I would really have more fun with them. He did a good job of convincing me without saying no.
We often took hikes in the hills around Evanston but had to be extremely careful to check our clothes and bodies when we came home as the sagebrush was full of woodticks. When a tick got on your body he would bury his head beneath the skin. The way we got them off, so we could kill them, was to hold a lighted match as close as possible to them. When they felt the heat they would back off and were easy to remove.
Remember I am now talking about the late 1920's and early 1930's. Dances and other school activities were held in the gymnasium. The Senior Prom was always held in the gym and many parents acted as chaperones. The gym was decorated. This was a special event. Many mothers and dads came to sit in the balcony above so they could see the fancy dresses the girls were wearing and see the boys dressed up with shirts and tie.
When I was a senior and Grace a junior we, with several other friends, decided we would skip school for the afternoon. One of the boys had a car and six of us headed to Lyman, a neighboring town, to visit the school there. The next day our principal, Clyde Kurtz, called Mom to tell her what we had done. He was laughing because we were all good students who were not the kind to get in trouble. The other students knew what we had done so he told her he had to discipline us because of the precedent it would set for the other students. Each of us were kept after school for an hour in separate rooms. At the time we really thought we were being severely disciplined.
When Pop was Judge of the Third Judicial District Court in the 1930's we went with him several times when Court was held in Pinedale, Jackson and Star Valley. One of the trials involved a murder. The man was found guilty and the jury sentenced him to death. This was later commuted to life imprisonment. Seeing the legal system work made quite an impression on us. Daniel now has the murder weapon. We found it when we cleaned the Evanston house and garage after my parents died and we were selling the house.
I graduated from Evanston High School on May 26, 1933 in a class of sixty boys and girls. I was 17 years old.
Continue to Chapter 9, Laramie and the rest of the history,
Return to the Dorothy Walton Bishop page, or
Return to the Lewis Family page.