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Show Volume XXIII Issue XVI The Ogden Valley news Page 9 September 15, 2016 The Autobiography of Robert L. “Bob” Wangsgard – Part XVIII Note: The following is composed of excerpts from the autobiography of Robert L. “Bob” Wangsgard. This autobiography was written a little more than 15 years ago when Bob was preparing to celebrate his 85th birthday. Part I-XVII ran in earlier issues of the paper. If you missed a section that you would like a copy of, please contact Jeannie Wendell at 801-7452879 or Shanna Francis at 801-745-2688. Bears inhabited what is now Snowbasin and wandered over our adjacent range. We often saw fresh bear tracks and fresh bear scratches on quaking aspen trees. Several times when we visited the pond on our range, we could see the wet ground where a bear had crawled out of the pond and run off in the brush when it heard us coming. One mother bear and two cubs stood erect on the bank of the Ogden River and calmly observed the school bus as we passed 50 feet away coming home from high school. When I was 15 or 16 years old, I was herding the sheep on 640 acres of what is now part of Snowbasin. This was a section of ground adjacent to our range covered with tall aspen and maples and tall oak brush. I was alone and had been alone for a full week. I bedded the sheep outside the trees at night and sent them various directions into the timber each day. About 11:00 a.m. each day, I would get on my horse and ride around where they were grazing. The purpose of this daily ride was to make sure they had stopped and shaded up and had not kept going away from camp. One day I had the horse saddled and was just leaving camp when here came the sheep down the canyon. I first heard the sheep bells indicating they were running. Then I saw the dust that showed exactly where they were and confirmed that they were on the run. All 2,000 of them poured out of the brush and timber and proceeded to stop and graze on the open land surrounding the camp. It was obvious something had frightened the sheep. I put the 30-30 carbine into the scabbard and set out to see if I could determine what had happened. About a mile up the canyon the terrain was getting steeper and the brush was getting so think it was difficult to find a place where the horse and I could proceed. At this point I noticed that something had been dragged along a trail through the brush. I followed the track about 50 feet where I had to tie my horse and proceed on foot. Another 50 feet and I had to crawl to get under the thick brush and follow the trail. As I crawled under a particularly thick and low serviceberry bush, I came within three feet of a lamb that had been killed and torn open. The red meat and the still-trickling blood were three feet from my face and I was on my hands and knees. My fright was compounded by the sudden realization that the meat was surrounded by something black. My first reaction was that I was within three feet of a black bear or mountain lion eating one of my sheep. I then realized that the black was the pelt of the lamb that was a deep black. The damage was done. My heart must have been beating 300 times a minute. My legs would not hold me, but it did not matter; I had to crawl the first 50 feet from this gruesome discovery. I got to my feet and ran to my horse where I tore the 30-30 out of the scabbard. I then scanned the trees and brush, got on my horse and headed out of there. All the way back to camp I held the gun in my hands and looked at every tree and bush before I rode past. Very frankly, I was afraid to go back in that brush and timber. That afternoon Dad rode into camp bringing the week’s fresh supplies. It had been a week since I had seen a living person and oh boy, was I glad to see him! I told him my story and he just had to see where this happened. We rode back to the top of the canyon, tied our horses, and followed the trail. I kept the 30-30 in my hands. We crawled under the bush where I had seen the dead lamb—it was gone. Since Dad was braver than I was, we followed the trail another 25 feet and found what was left of the carcass. The bear had come back after my morning discovery and moved the lamb 25 feet farther into the brush to finish the meal. Dad stayed with me that afternoon and helped gather the sheep to the bed ground. He then went home, but sent Scott back the next day so I would not be alone. I was glad for reinforcements. Another time I was camping in the same area, but the sheep were grazing in a different area north and west form the camp. I set out to ride around the herd about noon. I was about a mile from camp and riding down Richardson Hollow. There was an open area of several acres in the upper part of the hollow. In the middle of the open area there was a grove of aspen trees. The rail ran through the middle of the grove, so I rode into the trees. Suddenly, my horse stopped, snorted and tried to turn around. I didn’t put up with such nonsense, so I dug him with the spurs and he still fought the spurs and the bridle to get turned. My full attention was on the horse when I realized dry aspen sticks were falling on us. Although fully occupied with controlling the horse, I glanced up and there was a black bear backing down the tree not more than four feet above my head. I let go of the reins and grabbed for the 30-30 carbine in the scabbard. The horse turned and ran back the direction we had come. By the time I got the gun out of the scabbard and the horse stopped, I turned to see if the bear was chasing us. The bear was as scared as I was. It was just disappearing into the oak brush on the other side of the clearing. Several years after these encounters, I rode into a sheep camp in Snowbasin. The herder had the hides of a mother bear and two cubs drying on stretchers. I never saw any bear signs or heard of any bears in the area after that day. In 1996 when I was 80 years old, I invited Kent and Dan and grandchildren Ben, Michael and Brian to walk with me to the areas where the bear incident took place. There was still quite a thrill to be on the spot of these boyhood scares. From The Past . . . Bishop Gérald Caussé Appointed Chairman of the O. C. Tanner Gift of Music Committee The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced August 31 the appointment of Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop, as Chairman of the O. C. Tanner Gift of Music Committee. He succeeds President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, who has served as committee chairman for 23 years since his appointment in 1993. The O. C. Tanner Gift of Music Committee was formed in 1983 to implement the direction of a trust established by Obert C. and Grace Tanner in cooperation with former LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley. The trust’s purpose is to provide periodic concerts by the Utah Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as a free gift to the community. To date, there have been 17 concerts in the Tanner Gift of Music series, the latest being Mahler’s 8th Symphony presented in February of this year. President Eyring, who made the announcement at a recent meeting for the full Tanner Gift of Music committee, said, “The Tanner Gift of Music is treasure given to our community by the foresight of Obert and Grace Tanner with help of their friend and neighbor, President Hinckley. We are delighted to have the chairmanship of this committee pass to Bishop Caussé who will guide this important work into the future.” Of his appointment, Bishop Caussé said, “I am honored and humbled to follow President Eyring in this significant community endeavor. I look forward to working with the committee and to many wonderful concerts in the Tanner Gift of Music series.” Bishop Caussé became the fifteenth presiding bishop of the Church in October 2015. He received a Master’s Degree in business from ESSEC in 1987. He was called to be General Authority of the Church in April 2008 and was called as first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric in March 2012. His career has been in the food industry, where he has worked with several supermarket chains and food distribution companies. At the time of his call to full-time Church service, he was the general manager of Pomona, a food distribution company in France. The Tanner Gift of Music concert committee consists of six members: A chairman appointed by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, two members appointed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, two members appointed by the Utah Symphony, and one member appointed by the Governor of Utah. Other current members of the committee are from the Utah Symphony, Paul Meecham, President and CEO, and Thierry Fischer, Music Director; from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Ron Jarrett, President, and Mack Wilberg, Music Director; and the Governor’s appointee is Ed Thompson, professor emeritus, former chairman of the University of Utah Department of Music. For information about upcoming events, visit <www.lds.org/church/events/templesquare-events?lang=eng> The Ogden Valley News is looking for Ogden Valley and Ogden Canyon historical biographies, stories, and photos to use in its publication. Please mail, email, or call Shanna at 801-745-2688 or Jeannie at 801-745-2879 if you have material you would like to share. Saturday Night 5:00 p.m. Sunday Morning 9:30 a.m. Tuesday Night 5:00 p.m. followed by The Rosary and Adoration Fr. Ken Vialpando 801-399-5627 Tuesday 5:30-6:30 p.m. or by appointment. Saint Joseph Catholic Elementary, Middle School, and High School Providing a challenging, college-focused education in the proven tradition of Catholic schools, for the families of the Ogden Valley. We want to teach your children! For information on our program, financial assistance, tours, or application, please call at 801-393-6051 or 801-394-1515. Can you help identify any of these people? If so, please call Shanna at 801-745-2688 or Jeannie at 801-745-2879. Photo courtesy of Glenda Collins. |