| Show t f t t tt 1 i ii i i ss is r MINNIE LONG 87 81 Wednesday Minnie P. P Long celebrates birthday Minnie P P. P Long was born on her fathers father's homestead in In Ashley Ward November 12 2 1888 She was the eldest child of William S. S and Nellie Luckey Powell HEU FATHER FATTIER was raised in Missouri where he had been educated to become a minister in the Methodist Church But he couldn't see being tied down at ata a time lime when there was so much adventure and challenge for a ayoung ayoung ayoung young man at hand so taking Horace Greeleys Greeley's advice of the day Go West young man go West he did He made his way way first to Puget Sound Washington then later to Ogden and from Crom there to Ashley Valley arriving here her in 1876 to tobe tobe tobe be among the first settlers of this valley He homesteaded in Ashley and was one of the first to Introduce introduce introduce in In- bees into the valley A Afew Afew few Cew years later he married Nellie E E. E Luckey who along with her folks were also very early settlers to this valley To this pioneer couple there were five children born Minnie Elizabeth John Bud and Nellie Minnie attended school at the little log school house 1 d i School ol il down on on Er Ernest est Se near her fathers father's homestead Her first teacher was Zel Campbell and her se second ond teacher was her aunt Rose Luckey Walker who resides today in Roosevelt and andis is well up in her Her lIer Sunday School teacher was Mrs George Thorne Thome who taught school and Sunday School at the white school house near old Ashley Town up near the Dodd Ranch a distance of over two miles This required either walking or riding a horse to attend MRS LONG recalls how her father and mother would load their honey and take it to Salt Lake City by wagon each year to sell it They would purchase supplies to last another year then return home The journey required approximately two weeks each way taking close toa to toa toa a month to make the round trip She recalls how they would camp in Salt Lake City near the Temple and that the temple was the highest building around in those days They made five such trips but after the year 1900 they didn't go any more They had their honey freighted out over the old Carter road down Young Springs dugway to Fort Bridger in Wyoming She said her mother was quite a horsewoman horsewoman horsewoman hor hor- being able to ride and drive teams learns as well weIl as most men Minnie well weIl remembers the days of Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch Although she never met any of the more noted ones she can recall Matt Warner and Elza Lay being in and out of Vernal along with Butch Cassidy on many occasions She personally knew Elza Elma Lays Lay's first wife Maude Davis and remarked that she was a pretty prelly woman MINNIES MINNIE'S TO ItE SE Porter D Long came to the valley with his family from Iowa in 1905 1903 to settle This was the year the Indian reservation was open for homesteading After quite a lengthy courtship they were married on St St. Patricks Patrick's Day in 1908 1906 Her lIer sister ister Elizabeth Lizzie had married Mr Longs Long's twin brother Pete two years pervious per ivious Within a couple of days dars following their wedding Mrs Longs Long's father took them by buggy to Dragon some 70 78 miles southeast of Vernal where they caught the famous narrow gauge Uintah Railway train from there to Mack Colorado They then trav traveled led by standard gauge train to Iowa The They made madeth th their lr home in Iowa for the nex next eight years ears near Oskaloosa low Iowa While there three children were born to them Nora Ruby and Eugene IN 1915 the Longs moved back to Utah where they made their home ever since They made the trip by train again It as cars were ere still in their infancy Here in Vernal three more children were born to them Porter orter Jr Albert and George Albert died in infancy Mrs Long remarked how the doctor only charged 5 to deliver her first child Nora back in Iowa and he made ahouse a ahouse ahouse house call to boot All of ot her children were born at home On one occasion when Porter Jr was born the doctor had to cross Ashley Creek Creck on planks set on logs and the remains of ot otan an old bridge abutment as high highwater highwater highwater water had washed the bridge away in order to get to the Long residence This was quite an undertaking especially when the doctor was a woman Dr ODonnell O'Donnell There was no bickering over hospitals in those days states Mrs Long We took care of our sickness at home the best we could The doctors came to our homes in man many cases and several times limes The bills were paid with farm produce Delivery of one of my sons was paid for with a large load of alfalfa hay MRS LONG has seen many changes in her day and one could write pages about them She can well remember the early-day early happenings Probably few people today can recall when they used water waterwheels waterwheels waterwheels wheels to irrigate on the Green River She She states father had a large one at at his ranch on on the the east side of Green River a afew afew afew few miles below Jensen and how they would work to try to protect it from the ice jams in inthe inthe inthe the spring Sometimes the ice would take them out and even the ferrys before the days of the Jensen bridge When Minnie Minni was a young woman living here in the basin the travel for the most part was wasby wasby wasby by wagons buggies or on horseback ck Cars were just being introduced and were practically unheard of here in in E Eastern stern Uta Utah t r i r em m Jip tr bY some of the members of her family and herself when when they went to Lone Tree Tee Wyoming She had an uncle who had homesteaded there so they decided to go visit a few days with him a distance of nearly 90 miles The first night out they camped at an old deserted cabin high up on the mountains Just as darkness was setting in two large wolves came near the cabin They could look across the small smail clearing and see them in the high grass near the timbers timber's edge The door to the cabin was missing so they tied their dog in the doorway knowing he would warn them if the animals came too close during the night They spent the night with no further interruptions interruptions interruptions in in- outside of being somewhat uneasy The next day they made their way down the Young Springs dugway it being quite an ordeal itself then on towards Lone Tree Mrs Long and her husband Porter traveled all ail over the countryside by buggy attending dances Mr Long played the fiddle and would furnish the music They would go to Brush Creek Jensen Old Town and even Lapoint The more distant places they would stay overnight overnight overnight over over- night and then return the following day The Longs had three sons who served in the armed forces during World War II Each one of them served in active combat duty overseas One son Eugene was wounded in Germany Mrs Longs Long's husband died in October of or 1963 One son Porter Jr died in February of this year Her brother John and sister Lizzie are both deceased Lizzie died in January of this year Lizzie and Minnie both lived in Iowa during the early years of their lives and also as neighbors on adjoining farms in Ashley Ward Sill SHE HAS liAS two living daughters Mrs Willard Noral Nora and Mrs Charles Ruby Freestone of Vernal and two sons Eugene of Sunnyvale Sunnyvale Sunnyvale Sun Sun- California and George of Vernal She has one brother William Bud Powell and one onel l sister bister Nellie Kloeppel of Vernal and an un aunt Rose Walker of 01 Roosevelt Mrs Long has 13 grandchildren 30 great grandchildren and four lour great great- great great grandchildren grandchildren She Six l dues oes her best to keep in touch with them all ALTHOUGH arthritis has bothered her for many years and has limited her capabilities she still finds many things to do She keeps busy crocheting writing and keeping abreast of the activities of the community She takes pride in voting on the election days d She may very well have a record as far as being in the hospital is concerned Her only experience outside of visiting is that of having her heart checked a little over a year ago This required about one hour to todo todo todo do She has many friends InVernal in inVernal inVernal Vernal and is proud of them all She enjoys the Vernal radio station and especially its Operation Opinion which she has participated on several times Fred Brown plays her favorite tunes from time to time which helps keep her cheered up She also has her favorite TV shows which she watches daily She has a very full and busy life for Cor one past 87 years rears During the birthday celebrations a long life-long friend of Minnies Minnie's Mrs Joe Laura Luck 77 played old time tunes on the piano for all the residents Minnie was presented a birthday cake and I flowers |
