Show rambling thoughts of a Rim rocker title copyrighted 1938 by frank silvey there comes a voice that awakens my soul it is the voice of years that are gone they roll before me with all their deeds ossian A bit of early pioneer history of san juan co utah noted characters in the pioneer settlement of san juan county utah joe bush in the early settlement of la sal bluff city monticello and blanding we find a number of outstanding characters leaders who did their part in the early settlement of san juan county ithe the homesteaders planted ards aras and ana shade trees surveyed yea jin in crude manner ditches to get water on these lands built schools churches and entertainment halls and crude roads and trails the cattle interests at that time were active active in building cabins developing water and placing large pine watering troughs for stock building real honest to goodness corr corrals als building trails and passable roads to practically unexplored districts and in fact all interests did their part in helping to develop a country that only a few years back had been claimed by the clutes aiutes or renegade indians during this period of early settlement tl 1877 to 1887 few if any outlaws visited this district the ranges broadly speaking were a wave of grass cattle and horses were in good condition the year around arc rund and while the iett settlers lers endured some hardships as a rule they were happy and more socially inclined than today about 1887 88 came a change outlaws of various types began to be evident in this county and a few years later it came to be a rendezvous of outlaws working from the canadian border to old mexico they came from many different states some passed thru san juan county others stopped here and would rustle from the pioneers our local officers of san juan and grand counties were powerless to cope with these outlaws so at this time joe bush a deputy U S marshal of salt lake city was sent down into our district to help the local officers get some of these outlaws joe bush had a reputation of always getting his man and he proved this over a period of several years in his visits to southeastern utah by arresting and taking out to salt lake city a number of so called outlaws having met joe bush at hatch ranch and moab a number of times this writer remembers him as being about 6 feet tall weighing about lbs ibs rather light complex boned steel blue eyes a loud and gruff voice rather slow motion although at times he showed a quick nervous action that showed he could move fast in case of emergency he always carried a sawed off shotgun and his method was to walk straight up all the time talk ing to an outlaw and disarm him bush seemed successful in this procedure as he always arrested his man without bloodshed with one exception john gibson outlaws like curtis bill bowen bob parker and others had been ar rested d b by y bush and taken out for trial and generally convicted although all got off with very light 1 sentences early in the winter of 1889 bill bowen frank denby and john gibson were seen by mem turn to page 13 column two 4 r isaf is Bf t RAMBLING THOUGHTS OF A continued from page ons one bers of the cross canyon pool branding a bunch of LC calves coming on them so suddenly as to fligh f lighten ten th rn ahe rusle ra made a brush run and got away this case of calf rustling was soon reported to the salt lake authorities and joe bush was sent down I 1 to anest the rustlers we must here note that utah was 3 yet et a tc territory r not admitted to she he union until january 3 1896 1696 and the general orders were given at washington and salt lake city joe bush succeeded suc ceded eded in getting bill bowen bowan with very ittle difficulty but frank denby and john gibson on escaped arrest for a time about a month after the arres arrest of bill bowen and bushs buchs trip to salt lake with his prisoner bush returned to san juan county to get gibson and denby learning that gibson had broken his leg and was staying ath with his suter mrs tom roach at monticello bush decided at once to attempt the arrest of gibson john gibson was noted in southeastern utah as a gunman fearless and brave and would surely shoo when crowded bush knew new this and also that gibon was on crutches and could not make h s get away so would be doubly desperate W tho thoat at a moment of hesitation bush his sawed off shotgun in hand and ready for instant use knocked at the door and called for gibson to come out with his hands up gibson replied come and get me if you dare bush kicked in the door but could not see gibson as he had concealed himself behind a curtain again bush demanded that gibson come out with his hands up and again gibson refused and stuck his six shooter and a part of his body out from behind the curtain at that instant bush tired fired and gibson fell with a badly shot up shoulder blood gushing from the wound temporary aid was given to the man and a rider was dispatched for a doctor at grand junction joe bush made a number of ar tests in southeastern utah for a number of years after this event and be became noted and feared by the outlaws in general A few old timers of today remember joe bush and the saying me joe bush frank silvey some data furnished by mrs charles walton and W lliam hyde also personal knowledge of the writer what san juan county needs the pioneers of san juan county have see seen h the indians and outlaws crowded out and real settlements established new highways and many roads improved good schools and churches established but we are still in a way in a pioneer state san juan county has an area of sq mi about five million acres with a population of only about three thousand or about three eights person per square mi so we are not crowded for room we have a fine rich sandy loam soil a good climate the year around undeveloped mineral and perhaps oil wealth scenery unsurpassed in all the world the leading wonders of nature being the natural bridges goosenecks Goos enecks organ rock mexican hat and the cataract canyon of the colo rado river many cliff ciff dwellings and prehistoric luins that would excite excite the wonder of geologists scientist and all classes of tourists that love nature in the raw we also have the pi ute uie indians in their native state and environment that can be found in no other district in the united states san juan county needs new blood and new capital to help develop her many rc resources sources so we must advertise and let the world i know what we have our neighboring ne gh boring county grand is doing this and she also has won I 1 darful scenery the arches national monument the colorado canyon river load to cisco and many other othe r scenic wonders many have been photographed graphed and thousands have been sold to tourists during the last year and this is I 1 going to help has san juan county any photos of her own scenery no or at least but few what is the matter with us take a look at our colorado neighbors neighbor the cortez district and the he grand junction district mesa verde cortez last year had a tourist trade of A few years ago cortez was a sleepy little town today she is a I 1 prosperous little city with many fine buildings how did she do it by advertising acting co operatively and pulling together the same ca can n be said of grand junction that now has a population of and is a real little city how did they do it acting cooperatively and adver adverting tsing we here in southeastern utah can do the same but will we it is up to us to act operatively cooperatively co pull together and with all our neighboring districts regardless of imaginary county and state slate lines |