Show Gunnison Valiev NewsSalirta Sun Wednesday January 10 1996 Page G 3 Q CENTENNIAL M'lS96-i- 9 - jp Celebrating Utah's Centennial Remembering Utah's first born Grover Jensen - a Gunnison native -- A Grover Jensen loved to show the picture of himself in his uniform from World War Jensen was the first baby born the day Utah's statehood was declared by Anita Lyons When Grover was thirteen he was set to work driving the dump rake during haying time on the farm His father Antone got after him for not Grover told the driving straight story often that when his father turned to the field “He found the horses tied to the fence” Grover had followed a herd of sheep out of town Four days later his family received word that Grover was herding sheep at Willow Creek with his uncle Chris Frcderickson Thus began a lifelong love of sheepherding for the first boy to be bom after Utah became a state Grover Jensen was born in Centerficld at 8:10 a m on January 4 1896 just six minutes after the first girl in the state Sarah Hemingway was born in Salt Lake City The Salt Lake Herald awarded them silver loving cups The portrait of Grover as a baby holding the cup now hangs in his son Kenyon’s home For 30 years except for time spent in the military Grover’s occupation was shcepherder He camped near the sheep in a tent equipped with a small stove for cooking and heating He spent summers at Salina Creek in the east mountains and winters in Pine valley in the western desert For six to nine months at a time he would herd spend a few days at home then He would herd go back to herding 200 alone in the summer and in the winter he and one other man would herd as many as 3000 sheep Grover told a story that one winter in the west desert the temperature dropped to 50 below The sheep piled on top of each other to keep warm Producer's Auction Salina Producers Auction Tuesday Feeder Heifers: Frame Receipts: 319 Last Week: No Sale Last Year: 1261 No price comparison with last week auction not held due to the Holidays Feeder Steers: Medium and Large Frame 1: lbs 450r500 lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs 5300-5- lbs 50600-65- lbs lbs lbs 00 Hcifcrcttcs 4750-- and young feeder cows: Stock Cows: few average bred Heifper head few pairs ers lbs per head Slaughter Cows: Boning Utility Commercial 24 lbs Holstein Steers: 50 100 lbs scarce lbs lbs lbs lbs Medium and Large lbs 1: Cutter and Low Dressing 4050-900-- 5 The sheep warmed the snow’ enough to melt it and the outer sheep in the pile froze to the ground Their w'ool naa to dc cut to set them free Another winter the snow was so deep the sheep couldn’t walk in it Grover had to cut down a cedar tree and drag it through the snow to make a path for the sheep to walk Miles Jensen Grover’s nephew would sometimes camp for a few days with Grover One time Grover vited Miles to come and hear his new phonograph player “He loved music” said Miles At his camp just under the peak of Mary’s Nipple Grover wound up the phonograph and played his favorite record “May Day Hey Day in Hawaii" “I think the outdoors loves music” Grover told Miles Grover loved being outside Miles remembers him saying “The outdoors was made for people and they should enjoy it” Miles has fond memories of his uncle “He gave me my first pair of Grover thought it cowboy boots” fitting forMilcs who was learning to be a cattle rancher to hat e cowboy boots “So many people didn’t know him because he ived out there” said Miles “He was gentle and extremely quiet" he continued “He could go for days without saying anything to you but he commanded respect from everybody w ho knew him" Grover w as drafted in 9 8 during the first World War Twenty two years old he had just completed training in Washington state as an ambulance crew member when the war ended Grover was proud of the time he spent in the serv ice and loved to show the picture of himself in uniform When he was about 40 years old Grover quit herding and took a job managing a pool hall his brother Ralph owned in Centerficld One night in 1938 Grover went to a dance in Axtcll with his friend Truman Sorensen There he met Rcva Harding Andrews a widow in fell love Grover’s friend They Bruce Fjeldstcd remembered “When he w anted to go girling I had to do his pool work” Bruce managed the hall the day Grover and Reva were married December 21 1939 Grover was 43 years old “He handed me a gallon of wine and told me not to left that night” said open it until Bruce Grover and Reva about the time of their marriage the camp with his Dad There he learned the art of making sourdough bread In 1964 at the age of 68 Grover retired He stayed at home in Gunnison where he had a beautiful garden He enjoyed giving produce to his neighbors and friends “He was aw ful said Kenyon “He’d give you anything” Grover was proud of his family “He liked our kids’’ said LaVon Grover Jensen celebrating his 80th birthday money (for making change) out of his pocket and hand it to Bruce Bruce would put the money in his pocket and give Grover what was there at the end of the night “1 didn't ever see him count it” said Bruce Bruce stated “We always had the best beer there ever was” Grover instructed Bruce to give away the old beer if it wasn’t gone at the end of the week “I want fresh bccrcvciy week” he would say For fifteen years Grover ran the pool hall “I really liked old Grover” said Bruce “He’d be telling you something and then say ‘and stuff and things like that’ it w as sort of his by word” Grover and Reva raised her four children and had two of their ow n Karen and Kenyon They bought a farm in Axtcll which Grover farmed immaculately true to his Danish heritage “He always wore striped bib overalls and a felt hat” remembered LaVon “I don’t think I ever saw him dirty” Grov er’s love of music remained Kenyon remembered listening to the radio program “Polka Party” every week Grover liked polka music the Mills Brothers and Lawrence Wclk In 1953 Grover sold the Axtcll farm and returned to his beloved For three summers sheepherding beginning in 1958 Kenyon stayed at Granddaughter Julie Y oung recalled “He liked to tease us a lot” Grover would ask the kids if they wanted chewing gum “Then he would pull out his tobacco and laugh and laugh” she said “But he always had candy in another pocket” Grover died January 30 1983 at the age of 87 His granddaughter Michelle wrote "Grover saw parallels between his life and the life of the state of Utah Before he died he commented 'We'veboth cornea long wav’’’ Util- ity Slaughter Bulls: Yield Grade lbs 37254175 Feeder Bulls lbs Our Lower Total Price Includes a FREE 10 x 13 9(0 Our Entire Portrait Package is Just 2195 You get our best poses in the advertised package We NEVES bold back the better pictures to sell at a higher 300 1895 2195 LOCAL INCOMING CALLS AND UNLIMITED WEEKEND USE price deposit when photographed balance on delivery omtecUtt (focc toSv&upMe £(A&lfC(6e'ief - FULL PRICE Your 3 Pose Package Includes 10s 7s ' DAYS FREE! leaden 12 Billfolds a 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