Show Pioneer Times Were Happy Times Mary Titus 81 Recalls Today A young salesman left the home of 01 Mrs Mary Titus of Moab one morning this summer summer summer sum sum- mer wearing a most baffled ed expression Hed He'd knocked on her door and asked Mrs Titus who Is 81 If J shed she'd be Intel interested ested In buying a certain household appliance callIng calling call call- Ing It by the brand name What is It used for Mrs Titus asked To clean your floors said the salesman To clean dun my floors al asked ailed ed Mrs Mn Titus Then she showed the fht salesman her wor worn work worn lined r hands hand What are these for That's typical of Mary 11 H. H Parker Titus who has lived In southeastern Utah since she was a child Mrs Titus was born Aug 10 10 1874 In Oxford Ala She moved to Monticello with her parents who had become Mormon coverts There in 1894 she was married to Joe M. M Titus Joe Titus had come to Monticello in search of a horse While he was riding for the southwest's famed Hash Knife outfit someone stole his favorite mount He set out to track It down The trail led him through Arizona New Mexico Colorado through Glade Park and Dolores and Into Utah Finally he found his horse In Monticello There he also found his future bride After their marriage Joe and Mary Titus went down nto Montezuma canyon where he had a contract to round up strays for forone forone forone one of the large cattle outfits that was Mas moving out tf d the country By agreement his brand went on the mavericks In 1899 the moved to a ranch t. t on h ht r t i Airs Mrs Mary Titus Mr Titus remembers her 21 years there as asgood asgood asgood good years yea years She didn't think of herself as a III t pioneer She just wor worked worded ed had fun and reared hi her er family We worker worked hard she says But Id I'd always worked My family never so much as paid for a ra rag around my finger after I Iwas Iwas Iwas was big enough to work At Indian Creek there was plenty to eat just eat just wring a chickens chicken's neck or kill killa a beef and divide it with the other families if it were summer The gardens girdens were wonderful although the ears were nubbins compared to the ones in Alabama We had plenty of wood for fuel says Mrs Titus Sometimes It snowed sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times it rained and sometimes it But one thing we could depend or as the wind would blow When the family ran short of some necessity a trip might be he made to Monti- Monti cello But they came to Moab with wagons and four or six horses to load up with supplies for lor the winter What did she do when the children were III Mrs Titus said I doctored them But Dut we didn't have much Illness I think people were stronger In tho those e days She also believes that children of that time probably were better behaved than their counterparts today They worked hard then and did what they were told There were Indians then In the Indian Cr Creel Creek country but they gave gIVe no trouble They were our friends many good friends M. M Mrs Titus re re- calls Life then was busy and good in Mrs Titus' Titus estimation I liked the country and I liked the space I miss all that now We could drive up the dugway from Indian Creek and look across the big ranch and It was pretty I had a good man and he knew cattle We had fun I loved the up round-up and looking over the cattle With a vexed frown she recalled that she sometimes had to leave the up round-up and go home to wash clothes From Indian Creek the Titus family moved moved moved ed to the old ole Richardson ranch out of Moab in 1922 1022 There they lived until 1943 when they moved into town Joe M. M Titus died in Inlay May lay 1945 Mary might have moved In with one of her children but she chose to live alone with memories of the good years years I guess If anyone has earned r t rest I have she said But how can you change I like to try to keep my own house Keep her own house she does does and and with her own hands |