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Show Emery County Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday April 17, 2001 IB Emery County JaneMcCIenahan Jane McClenahan has been chosen as the Senior of the Week. Those who know Jane say she is always a kind and classy lady in every respect. She has never been heard to raise her voice or say an unkind word. Jane was born in Orangeville, the daughter of Maysie and Herbert Moffitt. She attended school in Orangeville, until her family decided to move to Castle Photos by Phil Follow the Leader Dale. She said she vividly Young remem- bers making the change from one school to another. She had a difficult time accepting the fact that she no longer lived in Orangeville. Jane attended high school at Central High in Castle Dale. She had developed an outstanding talent for By PHIL E FAUVER Special to the Progress enthusiasts Young gathered at Huntington State Park recently to learn how to ride their ATVs safely and responsibly. four-wheel- er playingthe piano. She was always willing to help out both at school and at church, playing either the piano or the the organ. Atthat-43e-, most popular thing to do was to go to the theater and watch silent movies that were accompanied by music from the piano. Her goal at that time, was to one day be the accompanist for those wonderful movies. Due to technology, that goal was never accomplished. Jane attended Snow College and BYU, working her way through playing the piano for dances. She also found a little time to date Owen. Jane graduated with abusiness degree. She then began teaching in Milford, Utah. About a year later she married Owen. They moved to Los Angeles, where they were both employed. It wasnt too many years later until they were back home in Castle . Dale. . The ATV training, sponsored by the Cleveland and Elmo Youth City Councils, brought 2H young people ages 8 through Hi to the park March 24, where Cody Patton, a Parks and Recreation education instructor, and Mark H. Williams, of the Southeastern Utah OHV Club, offered them instruction. The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation provides the instructional materials for the training, which is required for all riders 8- - 16. The group of ATV riders were then taken to the training course. This course allowed Patton to observe the ability of each student to control his or her machine. Some of the riders had to share ATVs as there were more students than vehicles. This training consisted of driving around a track, makingturns to the left and right, startingand stoppingon signal and driving along a slight hillside. Spring in Emery County By SYLVIA NELSON , Spring in Emery County is much different these days than 100 years ago. Yes, the trees still leaf out, theres still mud, and farmers still get anxious over lambing and want to be out there on the land tilling and preparing the soil. They still look toward the sky and the mountains worrying if the water will last through summer. The men working on the irrigation canals now drive up with their heavy equipment and have a job done in a day that would take whole teams of men a week of hand shoveling or ditch cleaning and earth moving with a team and scraper. The water is regulated out of the mountain reservoirs so there isnt the worry and danger of canals flooding over or bursting out head ditches. Water in ditches are regulated with head gates that have very accurate measurement. The new gated pipe, rotary watering systems, and livestock guzzlers are changing the landscape even more. Flooding down the rivers and steams used to cause many problems: washing out ditches, flooding fields, and even washing away homes and corrals some places, some years. Rocks and trees of giant proportions were and sent crashing up-root- ed copy! offroad enthusiasts gather for ATV training BITS OF HISTORY ; Their daughter, Shauna, was a happy addition to the family. When Shauna was about three, Jane went back to teaching business at North Emery High in Huntington. When the schools consolidated to ' Emery High, Jane was could pleased that she transfer back to Castle Dale. Jane was not only a favorite teacher amongthe students, she was considered an outstandingteacher. , Throughout the years, many of her students have thanked her for teaching them skills which guided them in successful careers in the business world. After Jane and Owen retired, they enjoyed going to the desert and traveling around the county They spent time writing a book, Utah 8 Scenic San Rafael,," about the local desert. Jane was the editor. Jane has many close . neighbors, friends and family. She has always ' given more than she has received. She has been active in the senior citizens programs, especially the AlcaClub. E. Fauver down the muddy waters, cutting new paths and creating dams that were dangerous to dislodge later, and that formed pools that ripened for mosquitos. Sometimes, animals, crops, and people were swept away without warning. Children missed many days of school if they lived on the other side of the swollen river. Travel of any kind was inhibited. The Huntington River ran through part of our family farm located north of Huntington but south of the river. Before the bridge was installed, one had to ride a horse, forge it with a buggy or auto, or wade across. I remember well, waking up to a roar that had not been there the day before, and knowing that just over our hill, the river was raging, boiling gray with the mud of a spring flood. We children were accompanied by an adult to view it from a safe distance. For years the river cut more and more away of the large hill behind our house; so much so that the fence had to be moved as it was very dangerous to pasture cows or get too close to the edge when that ground was used for our garden. One year it cut around the old bridge footers and washed out the road rendering the bridge useless and dangerous. The flooding changed the course of the water flow and we had different swimming holes nearly every year. I vaguely remember one year when people were catching tubs full of fish called suckers; they have big ugly mouths. Im sure they were used for food, but as I remember (or someone told me) they were muddy or different tasting and bonier than the mountain trout we were used to eating. Im sure the farm cats and dogs had good pickins" for a few days, too. Some people caught them on purpose to plant with their corn, like, told, the Im In- dians used to do. It was always good to see clear water in the river again. People knew if they didnt get their crops and gardens in at just the right time, that the Seeds could either freeze with a late frost or be too late to ripen for a bountiful harvest, and they also needed seeds for next year. Now, if our gardens fail, we just go to the store and buy tomatoes and zucchini all year long. Oats for the horses and oatmeal for breakfast are never given a thought as to the grain fields someone worried over and worked to harvest. We work for food, but most of us are so detached from it, and we take it for granted every day. All it takes is money and usually not even the time to prepare it. Wow, are we spoiled! Wow, are we blessed! Food was scarce in the spring. The dried beans, corn, and wheat for flour were running low. The po- tatoes, carrots, and winter squash stored in the earth cellars, if not all used up, were now soft, rotting or sprouting and less tasty. Some potatoes, dried corn, and grains had to be saved and used for seed for the next winters meals. Canned (bottled) fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, were prized and rationed out to have some in spring. I remember my Grandma Minnie telling us of picking the first weeds of spring for greens. She even showed me which kind to use. 1 think it was PigWeed; boiled for greens or used like salad. She showed us how the little plants called Indian potatoes were sought, dug, peek'd, and either eaten raw like a radish or cooked or used in soup. 1 enjoy watching how fascinated young people are when my husband points out this plant, then with his trusty pocket knife, digs and peels a root for them to taste. The first dandelions of spring were esx,oially enjoyed by the early settlers - used as salads with vinegar and oil or salt and pepper, or cooked into greens and buttered. Even though they are bitter to us who are used to sweet iceberg lettuce, they were a welcomed source of fresh f(xd to early settlers. My Charlie lY'titti, was a gxxi Italian mik who sauted tender dan step-grandp- a, i delions with his marvelous homemade sausage. Spring cleaning is much different now, too. The straw or feather tick mattresses, pillows, blankets and quilts had usually not been changed, washed, nor aired, probably for months. Wash water was hauled, thawed, and scarce in winter. Cistern water w'as low and mirky or all used up. Rugs, if there were any on the dirt or board floors, were taken up and out, either thrown over a fence or clothesline, beaten to get the dirt and dust out, or washed by hand if they were small enough to be managed; and prob- ably needed to be mended. I don't even w ant to think of washing a rug or quilt by hand. I remember handling large items when we used the wringer washer; even that was hard and cumbersome work. Board w'alls were scrublxxl with a brush, walls were scrubbed then white washed" instead of painted. What is white wrash, anyway? On this note, Ill quit typing and quit procrastinating, put in a batch of laundry while my coffee heats in the microwave, then get out my vacuum and carpet scrubber and get some spring cleaning done before I go to lunch with my friend.. .and order ice cream for dessert. Im spoiled. Ipi blessed. I love spring 2001 and glad didn't live here in 1901 1 ! |