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Show SALT FLAT NEWS, DECEMBER, 1970 5 Reeky Rides Rails out for hot boxes and worn wheel flanges. A good brakeman, says Rockwell, can watch a train whiz past and point out every wheel that needs replacing. Rockwell is 61 and wears the uniform of his profession Big Mac overalls with a gold watch, and chain and a forest of ball- By Richard Menzies A familiar face in Wendover is C. M. Rockwell, better known as Rocky Rockwell, who has been riding the rails for thirty-on- e years. A flagman for the Western Pacific Railroad, Rockwell lives in Elko and regularly point pens and pencils sprouting makes the run. from the top pockets. Hes the n But just like home to Rocky of Orrin Porter and his friends are the cafes and Rockwell, chief of Brigham casinos of Wendover, where the Youngs destroying angels and crewmen hang out waiting to early settler of the Wendover catch the westbound freight. area. Time was when a mans caRocky grew up on a ranch boose was. his castle and he rode on the west Utah desert, where the train to the end of the line. he used to ride nine miles horse-- , But things have changed, says back to watch the train go by. Rocky. For one thing, modern They were steam engines in more interesting signal systems have relieved the those days, flagman of a lot of ungl amorous and a lot more dirty. You take the engines today, duties. No longer must he stand ,a mile and a half down the said Rockwell, its just like track, lantern in hand, on a driving a car. Fireman sits on winters one side, lookin' out the window; thirty night, at some godawful hour engineer sits on the other. They in the morning. even dress up nice, some of em. . But a brakeman is still essenMe, I usually look about the tial to railroading. He must look same as 1 do now. . Elko-Wendov- er great-grandso- egree-below-zero martin An excellent selection of Martin Guitars tonal qualities Fine craftsmanship For more than a century Unsurpassed 65 South West Tempi Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 8 Phone: 364-651- ACROSS FROM THE SALT PALACE Utah's Radio Personality MEMO: Dear Sirs . . . Due to wide spread violence and an overall lack of love and human compassion, my father and I will not celebrate my birthday this year. Signed: J. Christ. (Herb Cane, S. F. Chronicle.) And the cry from all quarters is, Why not put Christ back in Xmas? From what I see, I really dont think he wants anything to do with it. Is he really responsible for the hanging of Christmas decorations in July? Is he really left holding the bag for the Rockwell holds lantern, traditional tool of the brakemans trade. Hes descendant of Great Basin pioneers, among them Mormon gunfighter Orrin Porter Rockwell. C. M. Store, "Snaggle Tooth" Reminders of Grouse Creek Co-o- p By Lee H. Greenwood . GROUSE CREEK, dependent UTAH-Archaeo- logy, being a discipline on a good deal of field work, often lures its followers away from the city and into deserts, swamps, high mountains n and any other -- God-forsake- environment that deems itself promising in the light of new discovery. The valley and town of Grouse Creek is where archaeology led me one summer. I remember my first day in that quaint, Nineteenth Century town. As the small p inwheel on the ancient gas pump spun around, I found myself involved in the striking contrast between our shiny new trucks and the dilapidated old co-o- p store leaning against the nearby shade tree. The hot sun danced back at me from the greying whitewash on the stores high fake front, and I could see small streaks of red whore the paint d had run from the sign. Through the wrinkled glass window, I could see an antique scale standing near an elaborate cash register, and the neatly stocked shelves displayed everything from canned peas to Levis. Outside, an old, iron hand pump was offering a cold drink of water to three children on their hand-painte- second-han- d bicycles. . I really didnt notice Mr. Kimber right away. I guess it was his horse that caught my attention. He was talking to a few of the men on my crew, so I sauntered over and listened to the old gentleman. Mr. Kimber, or Snaggle Tooth, as we were later to affectionately call him, became one large grin as he surveyed our shaggy hair and bearded faces. His dark eyes sparkled beneath a tanned forehead, displaying the deep furrows that, have channeled sweat over his brow for eighty years. The two hands holding the leather reins showed signs of heavy work; yet they were clean and surely gentle. Certainly the most noticeable feature of Mr. Kimber, however, was the single, gold, front tooth protruding from an upper set of perfect, yet lonely gums. That occasional flash of bright yellow metal seemed inconsistent with flannel his fading, shirt. I never did figure out how Snaggle Tooth enjoyed all that sweet com he grew each summer in his north field. . Daily conversations on the steps. of the general store with Mr. Kimber became a growing source of pleasure for me as the summer sped on and afternoons turned humid. He talked of his boyhood, and eagerly pointed out the little log houses against all-seas- - economic stability of the American economic system? Thats just too much to hang on one mans back. So some forgotten pagan invented Santa Claus . . . and he encouraged the spirit of giving. But I dont think he wanted it to go this far. Santa must have a great sense of humor to put out wind up toys on Christmas that Day and tremendous boxes loaded with self-destru- the hill where he learned to work the land given to him by pioneer father. Proud to point out the stone church and school, he reflected the Mormon heritage that built his town when the Indians were as much a part of' the land as the juniper and his ct population' every year. Snaggle Tooth and all of the townspeople with him back on the steps of the old co-o- p store g bask in the sun and their memories. Their fields still grow alfalfa, and the alfalfa continues to nest the wild grouse, so their world is still a beautiful place. Inside the stone church, the children still say their prayers, asking for a little rain here or there at their parents prodding, or asking for a blessing on their home for the coming week. life-lon- Cedar trees. Yet, even though Mr. Kimbers past was tilled with hope and accomplishment, his future is dark and not .easy to discuss with him. The individual rancher is dying out, he used to say. Time doesnt seem to move Every year that National Forest in the Grouse Creek Valley at Service cuts his grazing allotment by a few more acres and opens least it moves so slowly that the changes it ushers in are the door to the large corporate ranchers who persist in trying really not noticeable. The names to buy Mr. Kimbers land. This on the headstones in the cemeyear he didnt sell. I wonder tery certainly dont change much. what he will do next season? Theyre all either Kimbers or The Grouse Creek people have Tanners; Montgomerys or Pratts. no one to pass their lands on to 'The same names also appear on the post office boxes. They because their children are captured by the Twentieth Century wasted space building twenty-fiv- e of these boxes when only when they leave home to attend school. Grouse Creek is the only fifteen are ever used. town I know that decreases in People usually dont believe -- gifts gifts -- ra CANDLES CANDLES CAN DLES CANDLES CANDLES S' B60 candles In educational toys. Simply attach part A to screw B. And Daddy, the same Daddy with the Ph. D. in mechanical engineering, is driven to the solitude of the bottle after ten frustrating hours on the dollar ninety-eigh- t simple assemble toy. Theres a flicker of hope this tinsel year . . . the sale of toy weapons is down this year. The cute little that really work! are losing their appeal' . . . But to fill the needed gap . . . the toy makers are fabricating baby transplant folk . . . where you buy the initial body and a lung and all then a heart vital the other organs ... so now when your child is playing doctor, he really is! Have a wonderful antiseptic green Christmas . . . As for me I will take a drive to the vast solitude of the salt flats and in the cold clear of the night I will pause and reflect and hope . . . and who knows . . . it might catch on. flame-throwe- rs ... ... Classifieds Greetings to all my good friends in Wendover. BJ ARTIE PHOTO, RFD, Box 93, Kaysville, Utah, 84037 will sell you an arty little photo ready to hang for $4.50 prepaid. People would be reading your classified ad in this space if you had sent in a SALT FLAT NEWS classified. Do it today! me when I tell them about Grouse Creek. They laugh at the thought of such a town existing in 1970. Grouse Creek is, however, a real place. Dont take my word for it; just visit it and see for yourself. If you decide to pay Grouse Creek a visit, however, dont go on a Sunday because the general co-o- p store will be closed. paraphernalia - Olympus hills 3971 wasatch blvd and downtown salt lake city -- Print |
