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Show PAGE 14 THE ZEPHYRJAN-FE-B My Personal History Life & Times in Southeast Utah By Verona Stocks (continued) We were looking for some place to graze our sheep that summer so we moved toward La Unde Vidor Murphy and family were renting the Dill Hammond ranch. There were a lot of abandoned forms dose by him. We thought we would visit him for a few days and ask around about different areas. When we got there Bob bedded the sheep down then he went to sleep and never woke up for two days, only to eat two meals. I visited with Ethel and Unde Vide herded the sheep. When Bob was feeling better Unde Vick introduced him to Jack Loomis who lived in Lisbon Valley. He thought it would be a good place for our sheep. Bob caught a ride to Moab and brought our car to La Sal and left it with Unde Vide. Our camp outfit was loaded on a wagon. I never did like to drive a team, but I drove. Bob had a mean little half broke horse he rode to drive the sheep. The first form we came to in Lisbon Valley belonged to Mr. Wise. They were friendly and asked us to stay for dinner. Mrs. Wise came SaL My i Xi- i came back and told me he had a good camping place by the spring and we were moving not take the wagon. It was a mile up the canyon. He put the packs on the hones there but but I was wondering. When he was except the one he told me to ride. I did not say anything still I was sitting in the wagon. I told him I did not ready to go he said "Well, are you coming?" think I could, so he helped me off the wagon and onto the horse, put our two year old baby girl in front of me, gathered up the lead ropes of the pack horses and I did ride that mile to the new Bob camp. He set My Life as a Sheepherder V' 1994 up the camp and I cooked supper, washed dishes, then went to bed. At daylight the I sheep moved out to feed and Bob went with them. I did not want to move but knew I had to. I sat down stomach. arm and I got a fire going, heated some water, and put hot packs on my rinwp to the stove and anything not dose to me Vee brought. I always marveled at her understanding. I understood Bob's problem. He knew so little about range or where to camp that the sheep would like. Sleep are really very choosy about their bed grounds. He had to depend so much on me. Three days after that stupid tumble off file wagon Bob went out with the sheep as usuaL When he came bade Jack Loomis was with him. They had the car down by the wagon and told me they were taking me to the Moab Hospital That really made me mad. I still hurt all over and I did hate to move Vee handed me things so that I did not need to. I was beginning to sort out die wont pains and knew I was getting better and I was sure all the time I was going to live. I told them I was staying right there and if I died they could do as they pleased. Frankly I did not want file pain a ride on horse back for that mile would cause me. I had not showed Bob my arm and now he insisted. It was black, blue, green, and all shades an arm should not be. I think file bone was cracked My stomach was Hack and blue too but he never saw that I believe I was very confusing to him. I never cried or complained or asked him to do anything. (That's the way Dad raised Mary and me; never ask someone to do for you what you can do for yourself, and no one can share your pain so why complain). About a week later we moved on down the valley and camped across from the old Silvey dace. It was rather a long way from Moab where we did our shopping. Our tires were wearing A .ftf Otho Murphy from Ireland. It was interesting listening to her and Bob talk Irish. That is when I learned the Irish language was so different from the English. I could not understand a word they said. We moved on and met Jack Loomis. He took us to his place and showed us a place to camp dose by. While I herded the sheep Jack and Bob went for our car. There was lots of good grass. The sheep did not move around much so Mrs. Loomis and I did a lot of visiting. There were two or three children for Vee to play with. In all of Lisbon Valley there was only three families. Wise's at the beginning, Loomis's in die middle and another family at the end a mile or two from Three Step Hill We visited them alL They were friendly and lonesome, especially the women, because none of them had good cars. All had stock and when something was needed from the store the men went after it about every two or three weeks, often on horseback with a pack animal Someone had to stay to milk the cows and feed the chickens and pigs. When we moved it was toward a spring Jack Loomis had told Bob about, for in Lisbon Valley there is very little living water. The grass was good and that summer it rained often. Bob got up at daylight arid left with the sheep. I harnessed up the horses, loaded the camp on file wagon and followed him. When I caught up I was going to cook breakfast. I had gone about a mile when the wagon wheel hit a chuck hole. I was sitting on an empty water keg, it bounced up, I flew out of the wagon and under the front wheeL I still had the lines in my hand. The wagon wheel passed dear over my left arm and was on my stomach, but all I could think of was if it kept going it would run over my little girl too. I pulled on the lines, the horses backed up and stopped. The wheel had gone over me again. I passed out The next thing I knew Vee was looking down at me and the sun was up. I was still where, if the horses had started up, that wagon wheel would have gone over me again. I crawled out and unhooked the horses from the wagon. I was so sick at my stomach. The next thing I remember Bob was there and so cross, he was hooking the horses back to the wagon. He told me to get in the wagon which I did. It was past eleven o'dock and he was both tired and hungry. When we got to where he had left the sheep he fixed himself some breakfast. I asked him to He got on his horse and started to leave, then he get the baby out of the wagon, which he did. turned and affked me if I had broken anything. I told him only my gall bladder. He looked at me for a moment then said "Well you will be dead soon I guess". Then he turned and rode away. That made me so mad I dumped his coffee into a pan, put a towel in the hot coffee, then on my stomach which was hurting so bad. I? ;: out so Bob took Vee with him to get new ones and buy groceries. I herded the sheep. In Lisbon Valley there were lots of dove?, mourning they mourned from dawn to dark. Coyotes that howled all night and all kinds of owls, some of them could make your hair stand up with their hideous screeching. The chipmunks were friendly. One night I woke up suddenly, the tent was alive with too much activity. I struck a match. There were at least 25 or 30 chipmunks, some were on my pillow and in my hair, that is what woke me. Well another lesson learned. I had been giving crumbs to a number of them and they were never wild They should not have invited so many of their friends to the party. The next night the coyotes howled more than usual and there was a lot of can at the ranch across the valley. The sheep were restless so I did not much get sleep. Bob came back that day and told me the man who lived on the ranch had died, he had miners Our next move was onto Middle Mesa. The days were hot withconsumption. no air stirring. After sundown the wind came up and blew hard all night Vee was cross and bored and needed lots of attention and I was very pregnant and did not even want to move. Bob went exploring one day and when he came back he said we were moving off that Mesa. His reason for leaving fast was he had found a bunch of stolen cattle penned in a side canyon and heard two men talking. We already knew we were being watched. We ran into a strange horse track too often. Sometimes very dose to our camp. I went to Moab one time while we were in Lisbon Valley that summer and that was far my sister's wedding July 19, 1928 when Neva and Earl Martin were married. Then my brother Felix came back to the sheep camp with me and helped with one of our longer moves. By the middle of August it was time to start a slow journey back to Spanish Valley. Bob scouted a way into East Coyote Wash. We had liked that camp ground. I was doubtful if we could hold the sheep there. We woke before daylight. Bob went to get the horses which we had hobbled. (To hobble a horse, the front feet are tied together with a soft rope or leather straps with about 6 or 8 inches of chain in between so the horse can only take small steps). They could hop, however, and they traveled that night back to Lisbon Valley and good grass. Bob had to walk back after them, only I did not know that at the time. I had just started to eat my breakfast and Vee was not even awake when the sheep left the bed ground. I grabbed her up anyway and tried to him those sheep. I couldn't, of course, not on foot and carrying a two year old child. I never even thought about taking any food alone. That was a day, I paid for it too. After about three miles going as fast as I could we were out of the sage brush and cedars. We had reached a little sidetraveling wash with dear, cold water, plenty of grass around it too. Some of the sheep had to go exploring the main Coyote Wash, quick sand toa I pulled out the few that had got in before I was able to turn them back. They |