THE Page 12 OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume XII Issue IX June 1, 2005 the post with the sharpened tip which was jammed into the ground as securely as possible. Finally, an ax or - SHEEPHERD cont. from page 9 way up Hardy Canyon. In places, the overhanging maple bushes and aspen trees mixed with a few pines, the pounding would drive it before the ne shattered the top completely. Our posts looked funny in acathenal like feeling of oe ly in the steep upper end of the oe at an unlikely location selected for its neamess tove place where water could f theti lowed the usually dry cobb rock bed of the a we approached, the cabin’s only window looked at us from under the eves on the west wall. The door was on the east side by the south end. Walki first noticed the stove at the center of the south wall. A Wwe x, grub box, table, chairs an Is tookup the rest of the roughly 200 square feet of space. This me of cabin must have been popular because in the 1930’s we built another one in Sheepherd similar to it out of used lumber from an old grocery store owned by uncle Jess ced 4 Tooele. Raft Acer ang made of unplaned, exposed 2 x 4’s. The gable roof had wood shingles nailed to inch sheathing covering the rafters. For stability and to minimize the likelihood of Each year it was necessary-to re-stretch the wire because the pressure of the heavy snows pared on the wire making ne lesson learned I early isi that on this kind of ies, it is best ap | the way in.n. By leaving alittle space possit for the barbed i i is wire for: e4L ji with one 1 tackle type, nor a bar and ratchet kind. It was me a neta rod about one-half inch in ane and twenty inches long bent into a wide “U" s hape with a ninety i if i Much like two cranks:welded together at the wrench ends. p wire through were drill od in each end I i in one end of the broken wire, putting the ‘other end — Following this, the stretchers was tumed like a rank te secure diagonally to t LI 1 wasnailed on with the boards tuning horizontally. The The surface of“the one mile square Homestead rapes and uncovered, probably had better lumber in it than houses constructed today. Although I was not personally involved in the work during those early summers on the Homestead, my chores as an “almost” teenager provided me with more than my share of first hand information. Some of the west approximately in the middle of the section. The large draws. The eastern most draw called “Road Hollow” gets its name from early usage as the only, though almost impassible, route from the cabin over a saddle in the ridge line and down the other side of the Homestead into the Cottonwood Creek drainage. Miner’s Hollow starts higher along the ridge in a pine checle the cattle. Most was the more difficult task of buildin; or of a large pine hollow which extends west out of the Homestead and makes an abrupt right turn into Hard Canyon 3/4 ofa mile below the cabin. All of these draws and hollows have steep = es Te fence i | course, runs north, so he ni drainage and lay of the tol runs= dg about 15: degrees which positions the lary fence in sometimes steep and illogical places. A Led on the fi eth about four to five inches in diameter were plentiful all over thehills and were cut where needed for ' fencing. the post as we sharpened it. Muscles become toned up in a hurry with this kind of work. We held the post 1 bal ith ur left hand leaving the right hand free to hold the ax and chop the end of the post into a fairly sharp point. I was never able = ¥ ae ed = tes tt t 1 the head of Miner’s Hollow is so remote it has never been fenced)we stumbled over ae ay hisboys did a job and None of | of water that invariably escaped from the bag and fall down your neck. It is more accurate to say that we gulped rather than drank. The water bag was passed among the crew without any thought given towhose After sae could cut more scrub oak, stretch more wire, tie more including his horse, old “Tony” and the other vhistling or beginning of the hole. This process was repeated using eis. on right track of the trail until it became wedged between the box and right front wheel of the buggy. Stopped in our tracks, Chuck now a ave we tried to back ‘up recall,i and more manpower oa tons rsepower to get the job done. We never told Edgar, not wanting to jeopardize our chances of borrowing the buggy again. for two three hours i in the hot sun on an arid hillsi a nesta d. mind. And one drinks wath feria a feeling or gratitude indicative of the felng most people have of Sheep Dad’s affinity some extent, explain his willingness to work umbelio. ably hard for what it produced. We enjoyed being there “a : honich j woi for Fencing was not the only task on the Hotresieal Directly up stream from the cabin in Hardy Canyon and over the hill at the bottom of Miner's Hollow were watering ponds. TThese f and diking two rnalliima in a seep area in Miner’ s Hollow.S silt in,making the pond a mud hole rather than a place where the livestock could get a drink. Annual maintenance consisted of putting on boots and with a shovel i I il f th 1 1 t d; ad’: downstream side of the pond. ‘Material dug ¢ out of the pond was put between the poles to form a water tight dam thatwould not wash out. Aspillway was fashioned We mowed the hay in dune. Hauled it dry to the stac Wagons were pulled and the buckrake pushed with the reliable strength of their back. th 1an th 1e top 7 the dam. bl }Naeid : aS IS Tocal | 1 lati thne cabin in aie was built. 7 brother Bill, Franz Johansen, wy Fuller, Monroe McKay, Norman | Montgomery and vacation ho! I +4 Sheepherd. Dad Eee to our ¢ use of the cabin and old Chuck to al A in exchange Jisen'the pond. We stayed in the cabin enjoying a completely undisciplined experience of cooking our meals, TED AND DICK Ted and Dick, my big friends and I, started our days with a playful trot. Around the pasture each summer aay we ran, turned and ducked, till they got caught. Finally, a rope around their necks and, from their great lungs, a rush of air. Then with harness and bridle in place, an uneasy truce for the day we declare. dams were made of materials available to him. Aspen two parallel pole barricades one-and-a-half to two feet HH through the pines and fought through the clutches of patches of scrub oak. The determination of dad to sur: hain i «dino nl dona He tending the horse and goofing around with stunts and conversation common to boys no longer children and not yet adults. We drove the buggy to the Homestead the second | day. Like Tom Sawyer’ Sfence, Dad’ 's pond got leaned After digging, splashi i pond for several hours, we headed old Chuck and the buggy down the narrow brush lined road to the Sheepherd field and cabin. Along the way, Chuck eased over to the right as hesleepily (aswas his custom) trotted down the trail boulders, through brush and up ridiculously steep hills caused the day to be a sweaty, muscle cramping ordeal : donly b sonal drink from th Pp by water bag. The process of drinking the canvas flavored water from the bag held above your head while squint- Ah], apolog' Our fencing tools were simple; an ax, claw hammer, pincers (pronounced pin-churl), wire stretcher, crowbar d Ht 1. ani } i: a fe I, P ples. Whenever a post was needed, a hole in the ground was yd} 7m «thet 4 of th bar. Driving it with as much force as possible into the lained ab displayed any lack of enthusiasm for what, at the time, seemed to me a senseless attempt to grow things and ale in a nlace f tee ped 1anal he pt 1 ef | Hard work welded a bond between the two big ao ses and boy. A union just like fami that time fails to esor destroy. The pasture was sold many years ago. The hay is long since gone. But in a heart and mind now old, the summers and Ted and Dick live on. THINK OF THE FUTURE f The Ogden Valley Land Trust a non-profit organization Irish Rose.” It was not uncommon for him to get mad at a stubborn cow ora balky horse but he seldom, ifever, For more information, call (801) 745-2048 PCE Tere Bet led eter) PRT Rae 4 Priority Festival Concert $15 ee eA ees lcd PSUR har eee ickets Ava Fy] EDT JULY OGDEN err rly rl aed Concert $20 UR a ers Utah BurgerPia neha el STADIUM UTAH’S MOST oo aaa dled Gas . pha a Your Winter SkiChale Wale Rte) Three Family Ski Resorts. All One Hour from Salt Lake! at Wolf Creek Resort O¢den Valley F Se “ae Trappers! Jide dpe Bob Whitney CREDIT _ to “ae owder Mout and Woreic Valley sk hens and Area Snowmobiling Trails 801-205-7111 in Marketed by Watts Group FAMILY FUN PLAZA INTERACTIVE TREE HOUSE MUSEUM UA a PM ee eM PMA UNION Concert 801-272-7111 / www.trappersridge.com AWatts Enterprises Community evin Watts Architects aq uu 8:30 PM ALSO FEATURING - MELISSA JONES, KAPP BROTHERS AND OTHER LOCAL ENTERTAINERS! Follow Signs from Wolf Creek Club House One Mile East to Trappers Ridge Models Open Daily Except Sunday La ee hy Pa tel SPONSORS SG \ BANK of UTAH ra [nonina Dream (Reenlation ES. vt BuD LIGHT pee vonsy WeesTianp a [ice ug Qual & nae