The Wild Bunch InThisIssue: OutlawStrip Diamond Hoax ToyackHouse Published By The Outlaw Trail History Association Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center THEOUTLAWTRAILJOURNAL ManagingEditor: John D. Barton Associate Editor: Michael Kelley OUTLAWTRAIL HISTORYASSOCIATION BOARD OFDIRECTORS WilliamWebb, Chairman H. BertJenson,Vice-Chairman Doris K. Burton, Secretary Richard Horton,Treasurer JohnD. Barton ADVlSORY BOARD Edward M. Kirby KennethJessen Gail Olson AltaWinward TheOUTLAWTRAILJOURNALissupplied to all membersofthe OutlawTrail History Association, and is also available through purchase. Membership in the association is open to anyone interestedinthehistoryandcultureoftheWest.Applicationsfor membership should be sent to Doris Burton, Uintah County Library, OutlawTrail History Association and Center, 155 East Main Street, Vernal, Utah 84078. Annual Dues are $10.00. Members receive theJOURNAL, newsletters, and reduced rates for research and copying fees through the CENTER. For your convenience the Outlaw Trail History Center has a toll-free number, 1-800-388-4538. Publicationofthe OUTLAWTRAILJOURNALis madepossible throughgrantsandassistancefrom: Uintah County Library Uintah County UintahCountyHistoricPreservationCommission UtahState University; Uintah BasinEducationCenter TheOutlawTrailHistoryAssociation Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center ~ Volume 3 Winter/Spring 1993 Number 1 Contents TheOutlawStrip GaryLee Walker 3 TheDiamondHoax KennethJessen 12 TheToyackHouse MichelleMiles 19 WesternPoetry 27 FolkTalesformtheOutlawTrail................................................... 33 BookReviews: Robbers Roques, and Ruffians . ..... reviewedbyDeronWilkerson 39 Queen Ann Bassett alias Etta Place ~ . ........................................ r viewedbyJohnD. Barton 40 Cowboy Folk Humor reviewedbyNelsE. Carlson 41 "TheOutlawTrailJournal"is a journal of history published semi-annually by the Outlaw Trail History Association. Itisa journal dedicated to the preservation and research of the history of the Outlaw Trail, the greater Uintah Basin region and the Intermountain West. Historicinterpretation of articles are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Outlaw Trail History Association. Manuscripts for journal articles or folk-tales are welcome. Article manuscripts should be submitted in duplicate, double-spaced, with footnotes following the Turabum style ofannotation. a disk if typed on WordPerfect. Please send all manuscripts for consideration of publication to the Managing Editor, The Outlaw Trail History Center, 155 East Main Street, Vernal, Ut. 84078. Manuscripts will not be returned unless a self addressed, stamped enrl'1ope is included. Folk Tale manuscripts need not be annotated. If possible, please include acopy of the manuscript on Copyright1993 TheOutlawTrail HistoryAssociation Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 2 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL RECOLLECTIONS OFTHE DUCHESNESTRIP Gary Lee Walkeri The notorious Duchesne Strip of frontier Uinta Basin days is a prime example of a western shantytown characterized by the whole- sale selling of vice and lawlessness. Many people erroneously asso- ciate these attributes with virtually all western towns of history, largely due to incorrect portrayals and stereotyping in movies, televi- sion, and fictional writing. The Strip, however, truly represented lawlessness, a place where anything illegal could occur with little danger of repercussion and where those who were hunted by the law could find indefinit refuge. The story of The Duchesne Strip begins when gilsonite, a rare, black hydrocarbon found only in the Uinta Basin, was first examined and experimented with for possible commercial uses by Samuel Henry Gilson. The date of his "discovery" is uncertain, but was sometime between 1870 and 1885, a year before Fort Duchesne was established. Local Indians had used the material to water-proof their baskets for generations. Almost at the same time with Gilson's interest, Bert Seaboldt, who later became post trader at the fort, also experimented with the mineral. Seaboldt and Gilson, after meeting and comparing notes on their find, immediately began to make preparations to mine Gilsonite. Much to their surprise, Indian Agent T. A. Byrnes rod into their recentl y erected tent city and ordered them off the property, informing the two prospective miners that they were on Ute Indian land. 2 Other miners had also staked claims. Seaboldt contacted an attorney, who concluded that the only way the two men could ge the mine was through Congressional action, making the property public land. Through the help of powerful * Gary Lee Walder, Ph.D., presently teaches history for Brigham Young University. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 3 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL business and political leaders, a Congressiona bill, entitled "An Act to estore to the public domain a part of the Uintah Valley Iridian Reservation, in the Territory of Utah, and for other purposes," was introduced and passedonMay24, 1888, which authorized the govern- ment to purchase the Gi sonite lands from the Utes for $20 an acre, and the agricultural lands for not less than $1.25 an acre. 3 Instrumental in the process were five Fort Duchesne officers who swore, in affidavits, that the land was "utterly worthless for any purpose to the tribes."4 In addition, the existing mining claims on the property, which were illegal, were deemed honestmistakes,havingbeen filed "in good faith, honestly, believing that it was upon the public domain."s The one flaw in an otherwise smooth land takeover was the stipulation that every adult member of the Ute tribes would have to sign the treaty before the land could be transferred into Gilson's and Seaboldt's name. Knowing that the Utes, already suspicious of numerous earlier treaties, would never consent in body to sign away more land, sub-Indian Agent, Harry Clark, suggested a plan that whiskey be provided to the Indians at the time of signing. Seaboldt volunteered to supply the whiskey. Also present at the meeting was Major Chaffee, Commanding Officer of Fort Duchesne, who con- doned the action but refused to actually purchase the liquor. 6 The plan was an unqualified and, to the perpetrators, a surprising success. On two separate days, September 1 and 8, 1888, every Ute who signed the treaty received free whiskey. Soldiers patrolled the huge Indian encampment, fully expecting trouble, but by 10:00 p.m. of the first day every Ute was sound asleep. On October 22, the Secretary of the Interior declared the lands attached to the public domain? Immediately, Gilson and Seaboldt began full-scale mining activities. The mine was "The St. Louis," after the home town of one of the interested parties in the venture, Adolphus Busch of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. Gilsonite was an excellent sealing material for beer barrels. 8 The 7,040 acres of land set aside as public domain became known as The Duchesne Strip, sometimes called Sobertown in old newspa- pers. The latter designa ion was sarcastically applied because every- one in the shantytown seemed to be under the influence of alcohol. The east-west boundary was three miles wide, and the north-south boundar'es extended six miles, forming a triangular-shaped tract. It was located about three miles east of the fort, near the present town of Gusher. Thefirstnameoftheshantytown builton The DuchesneStrip was Moffat. In the early days, it was merely called The Strip.9 Overnight the shantytown became a haven for outlaws, gunfight- ers, gamblers, prostitutes, and all forms of vice and corruption, Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 4 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL including Elza Lay. Lay owned an establishment that has been called the "Strip's worst gambling-hell saloon." In his spare time, he counterfeited silver dollars. For the next twenty years, The Strip would play host to such infamous names as Butch Cassidy, Harry Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid), Dave Lant, Matt Warner, and Tabby Weep, the Ute gunfighter known as the fastest gun in the Utah Territory.lO The big problem at The Strip was law enforcement. Even though The Strip had been excluded from the Uncompahgre Reservation and declared public domain, it still lay within its physical borders. Neither the territorial government nor the Uintah County peace officers could enforce the law within its boundaries. Techni- cally, the excluded land was not Indian Country; thus, the Indian Agents had no jurisdiction. A federal marshall, if he wanted to risk entrance, could have jurisdiction, but only if federal laws were broken. Since there were no federal statutes in the 1880's and 1890's that covered vices such as gambling and prostitution, The Strip was literally lawless. ll All that was needed by The Strip businessmen to purchase alcohol was a business license from the county, which was readilyavailableP The ''business district" of The Strip was located on one street approximately three-quarters of a mile s u ~ of present day U. S. Highway 40 in Gusher. In addition to the saloons and gambling hall, there was one or two brothels, a mercantile store, hotel, barber shop, stage station, blacksmith -shop, and telegraph office. Drinking and gambling were twerily-four hour a day activities, and attracted miners, ranchers,sheepherders, freighters, cowboys, Indians, and off- duty troops from the fort, as well as outlaws who found refuge from the lawY Clarence Dean Powell, nowdeceased, grewup in the vicini tyof the fort, and recalls visiting his uncle, Mark Morrison, who lived on The Strip.14 Powell recalls that part of The Strip was buildings, and part consis ted of tents. On occasion he was allowed to come intdone of the saloons, which he described as "a fancy bar for a place like that." It was a long building, with two doors. The beautifullypolished wooden bar ran the length of the room and"thenitmade a turn, just a beautiful turn in the bar, and went straight back to the other wall with a gate next to the wall behind the bar." There was a "great glass" (a mirror) that covered the side of one wall behind the bar, with all sizes and shapes of fancy whiskey bottles lined up on the back counter. The walls were decorated with "regular saloon pictures." 1S . When fights would occur in the saloon, which was owned by Tom Nichols, the workers would try to get the participants outside where they could not damage the furnishings. Powell would run outside and Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 5 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL watch the fighters come tumbling out the doors, one after another. He loved observing these brawls: There were fights,regular old fights. They would just fight until they couldn't fight any longer. You know you take a couple of old ranchers come in each other in a fight, a fist fight. Then, you'd see a fight. 16 In December, 1888, Major Chaffee requested that the excluded land be made part of the Fort Duchesne military reservation, stating that "theobjectof this requestis toexclude whiskeyranches, which are now a nuisance."l? He also wrote that the Gilsonite Company had consented to such an annexation. The request, in light of the fact that Major Chaffee was knowledgeable of the circumstances surrounding the signing of the treaty, seems odd. No reply or correspondence has been found that would shed light on the request, but The Strip continued in astateoflimbo until 1905, when the government opened up the Uintah-Ouray Reservation for settlement. The infamous little. triangle also continued to be a source of trouble for the fort. 18 Uintah County records indicate that at least sixteen men were killed in gunfights on The Strip, but these were only the deaths that were officially investigated. Recollections by earlysettlers accountfor many more, particularly inside the saloons. These activities never came to the attention of any authority. Elza Lay's establishment was particularly infamous for such shootouts. When the soldiers were off- duty, they would go to The Strip to drink unrestricted and associate with the prostitutes. Confrontations between the white settlers and the military personnel, including the black Buffalo Soldiers, often occurred, sometimes resulting in deaths. 19 By 1894, the lack of law enforcement on The Strip, particularly as it affected the soldiers, prompted Major James F. Randlett, then Commanding Officer at the post, to write a letter to the United States Attorney for Utah: Sir: I have the honor to invite your attention to the fact that the strip of land cut from the Uintah Indian reservation by act of Congress, May 2, 1892 (incorrect date) has become the location of a tough class of squatters, men and women without any means of existence except gambling, selling whisky to Indians and prostitution. Some of the whisky sellers have been operating under license granted by the Uintah County officials, which license it is doubtful if the authorities of the county had any right to issue. The women have the vilest reputation known in their class, and altogether they make up the dirtiest community I have ever known in thirty years experience in frontier service. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 6 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL The situation has become very grave, and unless vigorous means are exercised to suppress the selling of whisky to Indians, serious troubles are almost certain to be the result of the traffic. There is no hope of suppressing this evil place except through actionof the Uni ted States authorities, and that a cleverU. S. Deputy Marshall might work here successfully. The county officials appear very tame nd are too indolent in this matter; probably they hesitate because they are not up in legal knowledge; I therefore present this matter for y ur consideration of His excellency, the Governor of the Territory, and other officials interested in the peace and dignity of the Territory, and that some means may be devised for removing the nuisance referred to and thereby averting more serious trouble. The strip of land where these squatters have located, when cut from the reservation, reverted to the public domain, but it has never been legally declared open for settlement. Very respectfully, Major James F. RandletfO Although the letter was forwarded to the U. S. Marshall in Salt Lake City, no action was ever taken. Maj r Randle t finally ordered a guard to be placed on theDuchesne River Bridge, in an effort to prevent soldiers from going to The Strip. The innovative troops merely walked beyond the bridge and swam across the river. When caught at the saloons, the soldiers were arrested, thrown into the post guardhouse, and fined a month's pay.22 Major Randlett did not allow liquor on the post. Thus, when the soldiers would make their way to The Strip, they purchased bottles of whiskey and drink all the way back to the post. Just east of the Duchesne Bridge, in a small, shallow ravine alongside the road, the troops tossed their empty bottles after a final drink. Through the years, the piles of bottles grew and the local residents named it Bottle Hollow. 22 Clarence Dean Powell also recalled, as a boy, see'ng and hearing the drunken soldiers returning to the fort, and, upon reaching the Hollow, throwing their empty bottles into the ravine. He said they were not plain bottles, but "fancy bottles, they looked like they were glass cut." Powell would get agunny sack and fill it "as full as I could drag it." He then took the bottles to the saloon owned by TomNichols, who would pay the boy from three to five cents a bottle. 23 Today, not a bottle can be found in the ravine. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL 7 Hauling Gilsonitefrom the UintahB sin 1900. OutlawTrailHistory CenterCollection A letter, dated June 1,1899, written to Governor of Utah, Heber M. Wells, from a Uintah County road and bridge commissioner, reported that, upon investigation, The Strip seemed to be "deserted," and that ''business was ceased." This was due to major Randlett stationing troops at the Duchesne bridge, according to the official. The tone of the letter placed the responsibility of soldier discipline on the com- manding officer. The only assist that could be expected from the county, in the event "that the army officers cannot control the sol- diers," was to refuse the issue licenses to the businesses on The Strip. According to the commissioner, these businesses flourished because of soldier patronage, and not county. In effect, the letter blamed the military for The Strip, and declared the innocence of county persons and the Indians. The commissioner concluded by stating that "the reports sent out in regard to the 'Strip' are greatl yoverdrawn."24 Other than this letter, there is no evidence that The Stripshut down for a time in 1899 or 1900, although business could have been dampened by Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 8 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL Randlett's actions. It is likely, then, that the letter presented a somewhat false picture to the Governor, with the reasons for such a response remaining speculative. The Strip also created a problem with the Indians, specifically egarding the alcohol traffic. Major Randlett, who also served as Indian Agent, reported to the Interior Department that the Utes had '"'a good number among them who will drink whisky whenever they can get it." 2S Calling the suppliers "miserable white vendors (sic)," he accused the Uintah COUilty civil authorities of allowing the business to exist. Their only interest was "in obtaining a good sum of license money for the benefit of the county treasury," referring to the fact that those i di viduals involved in the sale of liquor had to obtain a business license from the county in order to legally operate. 26 Mostof these "businesses" were found on The Strip itself. Randl tt was also aware that these same merchants sent whiskey peddlers "within the lines of the reservation by stealth to retail the stuff by the drink."2? He accused the countyofficers of not only ignoring this trade, but also of the "indifference" of these same officials to the stealing of Indian horses by white men. Randlett further stated that these same persons were writing inflammatory material about the Indians with the intention of influencing the government to deal unjustly with them. In 1895, the Major wrote an official letter to the Interior Department, with the following accusation and recommendation: Nine years of observation with these Indians justifies an announce- ment of the conclusion that whatever hereafter of trouble is experi- enced by the authorities of the Government from them the cause will be traced to acts of greed and wanton injustice committed against them by white men bent upon their destruction without regard to consequences. Such trouble can only be avoided by maintaining the garrison of Fort Duchesne from preservation of peace until the Indians are properly located upon their lands in severalty and placed in a condition to become self-s pporting. 28 After 1895, the whiskey vendors began to feel pressu e from m re stringent laws adopted by locallaw enforcement officers. In addi tion, the local p pulation became more supportive of Randlett's efforts to curb t e liquor traffic, and the ndians themselves began to recognize the problem. 29 More arrests of both intoxicated Indians and white men suspected of illegal traffic were made, along with the stationingof five or six oldiers on The Strip to guard against sales and to search suspected Indians and whites. 30 In 1897, Congress introduced bills which provided "more stringent and unequivocal restriction of the sale of liquors to Indians."31 The result was more arrests, convictions, Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 9 THE OUTLA WTR.4IL jOURNAI and better suppression of the liquor traffic. 32 Occasionally, however, the "mysterious death" of an Indian would be discovered, which would only reaffirm that the illegal liquor traffic sf existed. 33 Major Randlett, in his report to the Interior Department as Indian Agent, in 1897, nhesitatingly noted that the very source of the problem, The Strip, would not exist if not for "the patronage and encouragement received from the garri on of the Fort, which it is understood goes withoutrestriction."34 As noted above, Major Randlett attempted to curb the garrison traffic by stationing guards at the river bridge in an effort to stop the soldiers from going to the saloons. Randlett blamed the enlire problem on theWar Department' s decision to close post The reason for this action is unclear. Between 1899 and 1902, the problem of illegal liquor traffic and Indian drunkennes dramatically lessened, and, as noted earlier, The Strip appeared to be "out of business," or, more rea i tically, in a business decline. By 1902, Major Randlett was convinced that he had "succeeded in breaking up the liquor traffic among these Indians,"36 along wilh drasticall y curbi ng The Strip's acti vi ties. Such was not the case. The who e problem surfaced again in 1903 when the reservation opened up to seltlers, causing The Str:p to be reactivated. By the end of the year, the new Indian Agent, Captain W. A. Mercer reported that freighters, miners, and others who periodically pas d through the area were smuggling liquor in small bottles to the bus'nesses on The Strip and then to the Indians. The latter's reluctance to testify against a white man made the situation even worse, for no hard evidence could be obtai ed for indictments. The end result was a dramatic increase in liquor-related brawls, shootings, and deaths. In addition to these problems, the smuggled liquo was often a concoction that was capable of killing or at least ruining the digestive system of a drinkerY This was undoubtedly the situation in 1901, when a case of smallpox wa reported at the fort. It was later diScovered that the "disease" was actually an "overdose of rotten whiskey": One of the boys had lffibibed too freely and the next morning had a high fever. He poked hiS head out of the window and told a passing sentry that he has smallpox and from that the rumor arose. 38 The next eight years saw little improvement in curbing the illegal liquor business that centered around TIle Strip, althoug the increased support from the local residenlsand betterstatelawsdi have positive results. The best deterrent was the presence of the fort itself, for the military could at least enforce the law and push for prosecution of Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 10 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL violators. Still,bytheendofthefirstdecadeofthetwentiethcentury, illegal bootleggingcenteringat The Strip remaineda seriousproblem, withbothfreightersandsoldiersparticipating. CaptainH.J. Brees, CommandingOfficerandIndianAgent from1910to1911, discovered illegal shi pments of whiskey coming inonthefreight lines of the Wells Mining and Stage Company. Examination revealed that several freighters were workingwith atleasttwosoldiers atthe fort anda civilian from Whiterocks Agency. Captain Brees wrote a letter to EdwardLee, managerofthestagecompany,askingfor his help in stopping the shipments. Leewas thoroughl ysupportive and commit- tedtodoingallthathecouldtoassist,butnotedthat,asalegalcarrier of goods,itwasimpossibleforhismentoopeneverypackagetocheck for illegalshipments. 39 Ironically, through the presence of Fort Duchesne acted as an overalldeterrent intheillegalliquortrafficandthelawlessnessonThe Strip,theproblemcontinueduntilthepostwasabandonedattheend of 1911. Wi th the removal of the military, the businesses had no support and rapidly disappeared. This time the shutdown was permanent, and the infamous little triangle, know as The Strip, becamepartofthehistoryofthe frontierWest. ENDNOTES 1Dr. WalkeriscurrentlyteachinghistoryatBrighamYoung University. 2.RobertL. Foster, "TheDuchesneStrip: Part1, The WhiskeyTent Treaty," TrueWest (August 1988): 27-28;The Vernal Exvress,July14,1982;MildredMilesDillman, EarlyHistoryofDuchesneCQunty(Springville, Utah: ArtCityPublishingCo., 1948),27. 3Department of the Interior,AnnualReoon oJtheCommissioner ofIndianAffairsto theSeCretaryof the Interior for the Year, 1889(Washington,D.C., 1889),280. HereafterabbreviatedAnnualReoQrt. 4.TheVernalExoress,July14,1982;U. S. Congress,House, 50thCongress,1st Session, 1888,HouseReport791, Serial2600,2. Fortwo excellenthistoriesof the . Gilsonite industryin the UintaBasinseeCraig WoodsFuller, "Landrush in Zion: Openingofthe Uncompahgre andUintahIndianReservations" (PhD. diss., Brigham Young University, 1990),andNewellC. Remington, "A History of the gilsonite Industry" (M.S. thesis, Universityof Utah, 1959). 5.Fuller,38. . 6.Foster, I, 28-29. 7.AnnualReoort.1889,280. 8.TheSaltLakeTribune. September29.1968;Foster, I 9.fuller,38-39;josier,f, 29;The Vernat'Express.July14. 1982;The SaltLake Tribune.September29, 1968. 10,TheSaltLakeTribune. September29,1968;Foster, "TheDuchesneStrip: PartII,A lawlessland," 53, II.TheSaltLakeTribune. September29,1968. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 11 THE OUTLAW TRAIL JOURNAL 12.Annual report 1895, 310. 13.Foster,l/, 53; The Salt Lake Tribune, September 29,1968; The Vernal Exoress, June 15,1983. 14.0ral Interview o/Clarence Dean Powell, OClOber 20,1990, Duchesne, Utah, conducted by Dr. Gary Lee Walker. A transcription of the interview can be found in appendix D of Gary Lee Walker, "A lIislOry of Fort Duchesne, including Fort Thornburgh: The Military Presence in Frontier Uintah basin, Utah," Volume II (PhD. diss., Brigham Young University, 1992). The interview took place just three months before Powell died, on January 31, 1991. 15.Powell, 2, 8,10-lJ. J6.fbid.,10. ll.Major Adna R. Chaffee, Commanding Officer, to the Adjutant General, U.S. Army, December 5,1888, Record Group 394, National Archives, Washington, D.C. 18.The Salt Lake tribune, September 29,1968; The Vernal Ewress, June 15,1983. 19.Foster. .lI, 53-54; The Vernal Express, May 4,1889. although the Post Returns and official notices of court martials give statistics as to arrests and confinements, they do not indicate the location of the offenses. Thus, this information is difficult 10 obtain. 20.The Vernal Exvress, July 5,1894. 21.joster, II, 55. 22.fbid. 23.Powell, 7-8. 24.Chairmar., Uintah county roads and Bridges, 10 Heber M. Wells, governor of the State of Utah, June I, 1899, Regional Room, Uintah County Library, Vernal, Utah. 25.Annual Reoort 1894,310. 26.Ibid. 27.AnnuaIReport 1895, 3lJ. 28.Ibid. 29.Secretary of War, Annual Reoort [Qr year1B2f2, 1,142; The Vernal Express. March 26, Apri/9 and 23, May 2, and November 26,1896; Annual reOQrt 1896, 619. 30.The Vernal Exoress, March 26 and April 9, 1896; May 6,1897; january 12. 1901. 31.RepQrt of the CQmmissiQner oflndian Affairs, Annual ReoQrt 1897,56-57. 32.RepQrt ofIndian Agent in Utah, Ibid.. 285. 33.The Vernal Exvress, January 2,1896. 34.RepQrt ofIndian Agent in Utah. Annual RePQrt 1897.285. 35.Ibid., 1901, 381. 36.Ibid., 1899.351; 1900,391: 1901, 381; 1902, 352. 37.Ibid., 328. 38.The Vernal Express. July 13 and 20,1901. 39.Captain H. 1. Brees 10 Edward lee. Manager Wells Mining and Stage Company. December 25.1910 and January 10,1911; E. C. Lee, Wells Mining and Stage cQmpany 10 Captain H. 1. Brees, January I, 1911, Record Group 393, National Archives, WashingtQn, D. C. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 12 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL T 'E REAT DIAMOND HOAX Kenneth Jessen * Tht:. h13lory of ,02 American West is filled wid stories of thousands of men walkingand ridin hor eback t rough virgin forests, crossing crysta1clear mountainstreams, and enduringevery imaginable weather condi tion. In the process, these men looked at virtually every exposed piece of rock searchingfor quick riches. When 1870 rolled around, the West still had not been fully explored and was full of mystery in the minds of those willing to endur its many hardships. Some men attracted to the frontier w re not above any means of making a quick dollar, and itdidn't take long for orne to figure outa way capitalizing en the greed of others. A pair of dirty, bearded, disheveled prospectors came to San Fr ncisco one foggy morning in 1872. Philip Arnold and John Slack looked like they had run out of luck as they waited near the front door of a prominent bank. When lhe first employee arrived, they asked to be let in. The pair first looked up and down the street and seemed wary of anyone who might be watching. Once inside, Arnold cautiou 1y pulled out a small leather pouch. The men asked a young cler ifthe pouch could be kept in the bank's vault. Based the actions of the men, the employee was curiou about the contents of the pouch and asked what the poueh contained. Arnold and his partner scanned the bank's em ty lobby as if to seek out someone in hiding. The employee swore he would never tell another soul about the pouch or its con nts. The prospectors poured the contents on a tableland much to the amazement of th young employee, out cam a substantial pile of raw diamonds. PI ilip Arnold and John Slack left the amazed clerk and vanished into the San rancisco fog to remain out of sight for several weeks. They counted on human nature, and sur enough, the employee quickly broke is promise and showed the sack full of diamonds to the bank's offi rs. Th y were also amazed and contacted some wealthy * Kenneth Jessen is aut! or of numerous books and articles dealing with western outlaws. lie is a resident ofLoveland, Co. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 13 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL to Rnck -"PrJ H),().\fING " - -----,- -- - -- - _.. - -- - -- - -- - -- --- - --- --- (-- - -- -'- --- ---- I COI.,OR/lf)() -, I LocationoftheGreatDiamondHoax \ DruwinEj by 1\('1111('(11 Jessen to DutchJohn ! --",, 1 I I + Middle Mounrair1 \ I 1 I I :c I r <- I is I I z ) f..:1 , :::>1 , --._-_.... -- ...... I I
I scale , I I I I 0 miles ", I I \ I \ I \ I , investors. A frantic search was made for the prospectors. Arnold and Slack came out of hiding and appeared at the bank to collect their pouch. The bank officers approacbed them and they resisted any .offers to let others in on the location of their diamond field. Finally, they agreed to become a part of a new company called th New York and San Francisco Mining and Commercial Company. Their new colleagues paid them $600,000 (in today's dollars, more than $6 million) to be let in on heir secret discovery. More payments followed. The gems were sent to Tiffany and Company in New York City and appraised at some fabulous amount. One of California's best-known geologists, Henry Janin, hired as a consul tant to inspect the newly discovered diamond field. Arnold and Slack swore Janin to secrecy and took him to their find. Itwas a long trip into a very remote area. When they returned, Janin boldly proclaimed the diamond field to be genume. the discovery now took on an air of legitimacy. News of the discovery was leaked to the newspapers, and to keep rumors of the diamond field alive, the prospectors appeared in Laramie, Denver, and Salt lake City during 1872. They showed their precious stones, and the newspapers spread the latest informanon far and wide. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 14 THE OUTLAWTRAIL JOURNAL Speculation held that the diamond field was located in northeast- ern Arizona, or in New Mexico, or possibly in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. Had the reported diamond field been in any of these locations, it would have been of little interest to Clarence King and his team of government geologists. But one rumor held the location to be inside the boundaries of the Fortieth Parallel Survey that King and his associates had just spent six hard years working to complete. Thesurvey wasan effort to discover exactly whatwas in the one-hundred-mile-wide land grant for the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. Not asingle precious stone had been discovered, nor had the members of the survey team found a geologic formation in which gems were likely to occur. But if they had accidentally overlooked a diamond field, their professional reputations would be on the line and their credibility destroyed. Before King could issue his final report on the Fortieth Parallel Survey, he had to determine the validity of the discovery. Samuel Emmons and fellow geologist, James Gardner, were part of King's elite team. On October 5, 1872, the pair took a westbound train fr m Battle Mountai ,Nevada, where they had been doing field work. At first, they paid little attention to their fellow passengers, but at breakfast the following morning, they n ticed a group of men in rough clothes. Their tan faces suggested they were returning from some type of outdoor work. By sheer coincidence, Emmons and Gardner had boarded a train with surveyors returning from the secret diamond field. Fellow ge logist, Henry Janin, was in the party. Emmons and Gardner que'stioned him and learned that he had been unable to visit the claim because he was being followed. The rest of the party took a roundabout route. Once at the diamond field, the men were given one hour to look for jewels using only their pocket knives. The ten surveyors returned with 280 diamond and many rubies. The stones ranged in size from a pea to a small grain. Janin did not, however, gi ve the slightest clue as to where the diamond field was located. Emmons and Gardner immediately told Clarence King. King quickl y gathered asmall teamof government g'eologists t.o investigate the alleged diamond field. It did not take longbefore King determined that the Janin party had taken a train across Wyoming and had left the train between Green River and Rawlins. Emmons and Gardner had extracted a general description of the area where the diamonds were located from one of the members of the Janin party. Armed with a meager. amount of information, the government geologists, including Emmons and Gardner, set out f om San Fran- ciscoin Octo er, 1872, t find the diamond field. They reasoned that Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 15 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL the location was south of the railroad, to the base of a peak, and about ten miles north of Brown's Park. This placed the diamond field just inside the state of Colorado. To avoid suspicion, their code word for diamonds was "carboniferous fossils." After the long train trip, they traveled south to Fort Bridger, Wyoming. The officers and soldiers at the fort weren't very surprised that the team was after "carboniferous fossils" since rumors were common about the discovery. And just as they were leaving the fort on horseback, the post surgeon whispered into Emmon's ear, "Bring me back a couple of solitaires, will you?" It was simply hard to keep the expedition a secret. The weather turned bitterly cold with temperatures below zero combined with a relentless wind. The bleak, treeless expanse of prairie offered no protection or relief from the elements. The animals were worn out, and their legs became encased in ice from crossing streams. After four days, the party crossed the Green River. Finally, one of the men found a written claim signed by Henry Janin. This led them to a table rock area, and the men were encouraged by the discovery of a few diamonds and rubies. It was late in the day on November 2, 1872, and Emmons wrote in his diary, "That night we were full-believers in the verity of Janin's reports, and dreamed of the untold wealth that might be gathered." The following morning the men came to a startling concl usion: the number of gems decreased rapidly outside the windswept table rock at the center of the claim. The frequency of occurrence was studied. There were always about one dozen rubies for every diamond found. Nature certainly doesn't maintain a ra tio of precious stones. By using their sieves, the men were only able to find gems where the earth had been disturbed. Nothing more than common quartz crystals were found where the soil was untouched. The anthills gave yet another clue that the area had in fact been salted. Some of the hills had a footprin t close by and small holes had been made near the entrance produced by the ants. At the bottom of each hole, a ruby or two could be recovered, buton any other place on the ant hill, there were no gem stones. Anthills with no footprints yielded no gemstones. In King's party was a middle-aged German. He was not wealthy and had never been in a place where diamonds could be simpl y picked up from the ground. He didn't want to leave despite the intense cold and constant wind. While he was washing dirt and occasionally pocketing a sparkler, he came across a stone that caught his eye. It filled him with wonder since it bore the marks of the lapidary's art. He immediately called out, "Look here, Mr. King. This is the bulliest diamond field as never vas. It not only produces diamonds, but cuts Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 16 THr OUTLA WTRATL JOURNAL dem moreover also." King snatched the stone from the German's hand, looked at a polished facet, and everythIng was as clear as day; the area had been salted. King quickly fund more evidence that a wholesale fr ud had be n committed. A problem faced King. If he accused the prospectors of fTa ud when there was no fraud, his entire survey would be discredited and six years of hard wor would go down the drain. Henry ]anin had publicly pronounced the diamond field to be real and his reputation as a geologist was without fault. King elected to stay in the cold and wind one more day to gather conclusive evidence. . A hole three feet wide and ten feet deep was dug. All of the dirt was examined, a d no gems w re found below the surface. The area had been sal ted. King released his men, returned toSan Francisco, and exposed the diamond hoax. He sa ved many smalt potential investors from losing money, and he may have saved the lives of prospectors trying to endure the hard winter by hunling gems in this remote part of Colorado. King was heralded a a hero and a credit to the government urvey team. The trustees of the San Francisco and ew York Mining and Commercial Company began an extensive investigation to ferret out and punish those guilty of this fraud. n accomplice of Arnold and Slack by the name of Cooper stepped forward and admitted with Nobel candor that he was the author of the entire scheme. He felt he was deprived of his double-cros ing parMers of his just share in the spoils. Salfng gold and silver mines was nothing new and had been overworked. Cooper suggested to Arnold and Slack that salting a diamond field would be a pleasing variation. Hesuggested that small industrial grade diamonds could be used for this task. Once the fraud wasunderway,Cooperwasexc1udedfromthedetail.s. Hisconfession was motivated by revenge and wa given first to the investigating committee, then to a grand jury in San Francisco. The diamonds nd other gems were purchased in bulk from dealers in London and Amersterdam. One dealer even identified a photograph of Arnold. Using $35,000 raised through the sale of some mining property, Arnold and Slack invested in Cl sack of industrial gemstones of the ]owestquality. They carefullyselected a very remote area which they reasoned was not fully explored. A ter they had been paid, a profit (after expenses) of $600,000 was reaped from the diamond field. Once Arnold received his booty from the San Franosco and New York Mining and Commercial Company, he retired to his horne in Elizabethtown in Hardin Coun ty, Kentucky. He purchased some fine Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 17 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL property and had a safe installed in his home. He was surrounded by a host of relatives and friends. After the fraud was exposed by King, attorneys were hired to recover the money. A suit for $350,000 was brought against Arnold. He publicly denied the charges in the Louisville .ill-.urnal on December 20, 1872. Arnold, however, admitted his safe contained $550,000 which he said was the result of arduous labor as a prospector and miner. He acted outraged that men from California were trying to take his wealth and to connect him with a fraudulent act. Arnold was quite clever and quoted from Janin's report and the appraisal from Tiffany. He claimed he turned over a perfectly good diamond field to the investors and if any salting had been done, it took place later. Hardin County applauded Arnold's spunk for sticking up for his right and for standing his ground unflinching against outside intrud- ers from a big city. Eventually, the lawyers became convinced that not a dollar could be wrung from Arnold no matter what proof was submitted in court. From a political and legal standpoint, Arnold lived in an impenetrable fortress. To gain immunity from any further litigation, Arnold surrendered $150,000. The way was now paved for Arnold to live out his life in luxury, but he wanted to enter the world of finance. He opened a bank in Elizabethtown and did a good business based on his popularity. He loaned a rival bank $8,000, and when the collateral for this loan was not paid on time, Arnold brought suit. An officer of the bank, Harry Holdsworth, apparently made some derogatory comments in a letter about Arnold's character. One thing led to another, and on a street in Elizabethtown, August 14, 1878, Arnold attacked Holdsworth with a cane, striking him a good number of solid blows. The next day Arnold was drinking beer in a local saloon when Holdsworth entered. Arnold threw him to the floor and hit him with his fists. Holdsworth was so bloody he could not see, and he begged Arnold to stop. Only after a lawofficer interceded did Arnold stop his cruel attack. After getting cleaned up, Holdsworth went back to his bank and retrieved a double-barreled, sawed-offshotgun. He promptl ymarched back to the saloon wi th the weapon in the crook of his arm. Arnold was standing in front of the building, and when he saw Holdsworth, he drew his pistol and fired two shots. Both shots missed, but so did Holdsworth's first load of buckshot. Holdsworth quickly took cover behind a tree as Arnold advanced down the street. Possibly thinking that Holdsworth was a coward, Arnold continued to get closer. The second discharge from the shotgun, delivered at only two feet, badly lacerated Arnold's shoulder. Holdsworth dropped his weapon and Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 18 THE GUTLA WTRAIL /GURNAL ran for his life in a hail of bullets from Arnold's revolver. All of Arnold's shots missed, but a local farmer was seriously wounded by a stray round. Possibly weakened by the wound, in February, 1879, Philip Arnold caught pneumonia and died. As for John Slack, every effort was made to track him down. Eventually, the lawyers gave up on finding him, besides Arnold had all or almost all of the money. Slackcould not have recei ved much over $30,000. It was assumed that the two men must have planned on a fifty-fifty split. Maybe Arnold died before Slack could collect his share. Slack eventually surfaced and worked as a coffin maker in St. Louis then moved to White Oaks, New Mexico, to work at the same trade. He died at the age of seventy-six. BIBliOGRAPHY Bartlett. Richard A. Great Surveys ofthe American West. Norman. Oklahoma: University o/Oklahoma Press. 1962. pp.197-205. "Great Diamond Swindle." The Rocky Mountain News. January 27,1875. Wilkins. James H. ed. The Great Diamond Hoax and Other Stirring Incidents in the Life ofAsbwy Hamending. Norman. Oklahoma: University o/Ok/ahoma Press. 1958. pp.145-187. Woodward. Bruce A. Diamonds in the Salt. Boulder. Colorado: Pruett Publishing Co., 1967. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 19 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL The Toyack House, located in Roosevelt, Utah, is one of only two sites listed on the National Register in Duchesne County. The National Register of Historic Places is the ojficiallist of the nation's cultural resources worthy ofpreservation. The Toyack House deserves to be preserved and restored because it is a story of struggle and accomplishment in Duchesne County during the Depression. THE TOYACKERS OF 1932-1936 Michelle Miles* InDecember 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, 87Uintah Basin residents made plans to attend the 1933 World's Fair entitled, "Century of Progress," in Chicago. They were the Future Farmers of America members from the Toyack Chapter, Central Union School, Roosevelt, Utah, and their goal was nothing less than the longest * Michelle Miles completed a history major at USU-UBEC in 1991. She resides with her family in Mi. flo me Utah. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 20 . THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL journey and largest project any chapter of FFA had yet undertaken. The idea for the trip was born when Harold Behunin, 1932 President of the Toyack Chapter, told advisor, Walter E. Atwood, that he "would like to do something big for our chapter, something different and worthwhile."l Most of the Toyackers had not been out of the Uintah Basin prior to this trip. "I was a well-traveled man. I had been to Vernal, Salt Lake City, and the high Uintah Mountains," Walt Redmond, a 1933 Toyack member said. "Most of the kids going on the trip had only been to Vernal, if that far from home.,,2 When the idea of the trip was first conceived, the nation was awaiting the inauguration of President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. On Inauguration Day, March 4,1933, practically all the nation's banks were closed due to failure or impending failure. "One could not cash a check, make a deposit, or withdraw deposited funds."3 The nation was enduring a financial disaster, yet the Toyackers of the Uintah Basin were planning a trip to Chicago that would cost hundreds of dollars. "Roosevelt's personality and character were to be important in the life of the nation... Perhaps the outstanding aspect of his personality was self-confidence... confidence both in one's self and in the future of the nation..."4 In part, Franklin D. Roosevelt's forward- looking presidential campaign and its promise that "happy days" could be here again, motivated these young men and their advisors to raise the money required for the trip. The first step was to prepare financially. It was decided that each boy would need to furnish $12.50 on his own, and "On to Chicago" fund raisers would raise the rest of the money. The fund raisers included local dances where the orchestra would play for free or a small fee. The other fund raiser, boxing matches, was not too popular with lady folk, but quite popular with the men. The Toyackers put on boxing matches in the various communities and fought one another. Walt Redmond remembers the group made most of their money this way. He said, "The room would always be filled and it cost twenty- five cents to watch."s The group fund raising was the easy part. The individual $12.50 was difficult. Twelve dollars and fifty cents was a lot of money in a day when economic depression was everywhere. The Basin was especially poverty stricken. It was a farming region just getting started. The area had been open to homesteaders for only twenty- three years. To say the least, the area had not yet seen prosperity. Walt Redmond raised two calves as a FFA project to raise his quota of money. He had to raise both calves to keep the profit from one. His profit was enough topayhis$12.50, buy clothing for the trip, and have Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 21 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL $10.00 spending money. Victor Brown, another Toyack member, remembers' earning his quota of the money along with four other Toyackers by working for his father harvesting hay. "The average rural American farmer during the depression made approximately one hundred to two hundred dollars a year."6 Twel ve dollars and fifty cents was quite a sacrifice for these young men in 1933. Walt Redmond remembered the $12.50 went for "transportation and grub." Sometimes the meals were not good as told through excerpts from a Toyacker's diary. "I am so hungry and gaunt that my pants are wearing blisters on my hips from rubbing... all Oral and I got for supper was bread and butter... We got 2oranges for supper. !twas just enough to torment us..."? The boys were required to buy a "ten gallon" hat as a means of identification and a symbol of coming from the West. Also, it made spotting the boys in a crowd easier. The hats were purchased from J.c. Penney's for a reduced price of $5. As well as the hats, the boys were required to have one outfit, a blanket, a tarp, and a pillow. Once the money was raised and supplies were purchased, the boys could start their trip. Two Native American boys, Albert LaRose and Dwight Copperfield, were invited to go as the chapter mascots. "The reason for taking an Indian mascot had as its background the chapter name. Toyack is the Ute equivalent for good enough, or as near to the English express "OK" as can be had."B Also, the Uintah Basin was still commonly referred to as "the reservation"--another reason to include the Indians. Native Americans, at this time, were not enrolled members of the Toyack Chapter of FFA. (When the Toyackers were only a few days away from home, Albert LaRose got homesick and returned home.) The Toyackers and their advisors started on the twenty-one day journey August 11, 1933. They traveled in two buses and a flat bed truck known as the cook truck. Their advisor, Walter E. Atwood, was a WWI veteran, so he ran everything in a mili tary manner. The bugler, Fred Gagon, sounded his horn every morning at 5:00 a.m. He only missed one day, Fred "... had to forego playing his bugle one day because of a fat lip someone gave him."9 Even in the 1930's, bugles were annoying at five o'clock a.m. Their nurse, Martha Shanks, was an old army nurse. Her only medical emergencies were boils on the young men's feet and homesickness. The Toyacker's traveled through six states and saw land they did not know existed. The further east the boys went, the bigger novelty they became. They performed a special march to the sound of the bugle in towns where the American Legion hosted them. Walt Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 22 THE OUTLAWTRAIL JOURNAL Redmond noted in his diary, "Boy are we attracting attention. I guess they shore [sic] think we are hayseeds."lD Imagine seventy-five young farm boys marching down the street in overalls, flannel shirts, and ten- gallon hats! One preacher prayed for them: "Oh, Lord, take these boys out of the saddle and make preachers of them."11 The proverbial "you . can take the boy out of the country, but not the county out of the boy" rang true. The Toyackers visited two state fairs and a rodeo in their travels. They were awed by the fat cattle, the likes of which they had ot seen in the drought-stricken Basin. They repeatedly praised the farming techniques they saw. Redmond's diary notes, "There were rolling fields of corn... as far as you can see; not five or ten acres, but five or six miles. It makes one wonder how they ever get it cultivated... Saw some queer sights today; ten or fifteen stacks of hay in each field wi th not more than 5 tons in the stack. They put rubber tires on mower machines and truck wheels on rakes."12 Often the boys would have to spend the night in a stock yard with the smell of cattle under head. The Toyackers doubled up to sleep so they could put one blanket under them and cover themsel ves with the other. The nights were uncomfortable and cold. 'Wood (Woodrow Lawson) and Ispread our beds together," Redmond remembers. "The ground felt like the cobble rocks of Bennett. It was so cold that we up a sweat until we passed into the land of happy dreams."13 An advisor, Raymond Wiscombe wrote in his journal about "...sleep- ing on soft horse manure at the various fair grounds along he way to and from Chicago."14 Conditions did get better when the caravan reached Chicago. . The Toyackers were to stay at Maple Lake, a resort area formerly owned by Al Capone. When the gangster was imprison d, he gave the lake resort to the American Legion. The American Legion helped the Toyackers all along the way, providing lodging, meals, movies, and swimroing. Walter E. Atwood, a LegIonnaire, ad made arrange- ments for this hospitality. Maple Lake was a beautiful area twenty- seven miles out of Chicago. The boys were able to sleep under a roof for three' nights. On the way to Maple Lake, the Toyackers got lost in of the "big city" and had to be escorted by a policeman. . The Toyackers decided to attend a world's fair for everal reasons. One reason that fairs were very popular during the 1920's and fairs, state fairs, anci co'unty tail'S. These young FFA men were used to entering their . livestock in fairs asa form of competition. It surprised the boys that a world fair didn't have much livestock. They were impressed by the size of the World Fair. 'We were unable to take in everything on account of time. It would take Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 23 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL at least two weeks to cover everything,"lS one participant wrote. The fair had exhibits from every country--everything from: a Chinese temple to Admiral Byrd's ship. Light from a star turned on the lights at the fair, a wonder sponsored by the electric company. The Chrysler building demonstrated automobile construction. Another reason the world fair was chosen was because it was a time of great mental motivation in the United States. World fairs were an exciting part of this motivation. The theme of the fair, "Century of Progress" shows how positive the nation was about moving forward. The boys had a cultural experience in Chicago as well. They rode streetcars, which they had notseen before. On the way to the fair, they drove through the black ghettos of Chicago and would go for miles wi thout seeing a whi te person. Imagine how this opened the eyes and minds of rural farm boys who rarely saw a black person let alone the conditions they lived in. One Toyacker wrote in his diary, "... had to ride by a negro woman all the way out to the fair."16 The experience of going to the world's fair was not only educational as far as seeing exhibits, it also broadened the minds of these young men racially, culturally, and economically. The Toyackers were as excited over the start homeward as they had been at the beginning of the trip. The country over which we traveled was much different that the west. The corn fields of Iowa were a sight to behold. Then there was Kansas with wheat stubble or plowed ground as far as the eye could see. I recall fertile valleys, wooded areas with many trees, huge rivers, but nothing looked as great as the Rocky Mountains as they appeared on the journey homewardY The last breakfast was held in Craig, Colorado. The local American Legion prepared breakfast for the travelers. After breakfast, there was a chapter meeting. It was decided to do something special to com- memorate the journey. It was proposed that the Toyackers build a FFA Chapter house. It would be the first one in the nation. The proposal was voted on and unanimously accepted. After the meeting, the boys started home. The last hundred miles seemed endless. At dusk the party pulled into Roosevelt where they were heartil y welcomed. The boys did their march down main street and were invited to a free picture showby the Basin American Legion Post. Their 3400-mile journey was over, but a new project--the building of the chapter house--would absorb their youthful energies for the next few years. After the young men had a short rest, plans for the Toyack House got under way. "For several years Mr. Atwood felt the agriculture Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 24 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL department needed its own building for projects and acti vi ties, but the school district was unable to fund the construction. The boys' goal to construct their own building would not only provide the needed facility, but would also give the boys and community another group project to become involved in. Atwood hoped that his earlier obser- vation, 'the boys had been so busy doing things... that they have forgotten the era of hard times,' would prove true for the entire town."18 The Toyackers had $300 left when they returned. They decided to donate the money to the local American Legion Post for all of the help they had given the boys. The American Legion took the money, doubled it and presented the Toyackers with a check for $600. This money was used to start the Toyack House. The boys were assigned to three different stations in securing the materials for the building process; bricks, rock, and lumber. The lumber came from Mosby Mountain. Mosby Mountain had a "free use" permit where a sawmill had been built. The "free use// permit cost thirty cents per thousand board feet. The chapter needed 17,500 board feet for the building. The boys cut and hauled 35,000 board feet of logs to the sawmill and gave half to the mill to pay for their share. While waiting for their logs to be sawed, the boys worked in the mill to pay for the milling of their lumber. Another group of boys went to Pleasant Valley with their fathers to gather stone for the foundation. 'When passing through that area some time earlier, Mr. Atwood had noticed a very unusual stone deposit which looked to him like the pavement of an ancient city. The stone, which covered approximately an acre, was flat and about six to eight inches thick. The stone could easily be pried up with a crowbar or even a screwdriver.// 19 They hauled ninety-one loads of rock. Each load required two days for the trip, one day out and one day back. The third group of boys went to an area where an old brick yard hadbeen located. They cleaned out and built over a quarter-mile di tch and directed it toward the brickyard. They also rebuilt a mud mill. The Toyackers built over 10,000 adobe bricks to line the inside of the house walls. The most outstanding feature of the Toyack House was its fire- place. Over forty bricks from FFA chapters in different states were sent to Utah to build the fireplace. Each brick was different and had an inscription on it. "Alabama sent the first stone of polished white marble wi th the state name carved in it. The stone carne by airmail and special delivery.//2o Work on he Toyack House began in 1933 and was completed in Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center l THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL 25 1936. Theentirecommunity,theCCC,andWPAhelped. WalterE. Atwood, the advisor ofthe FFA at the time of the building ofthe ToyackHousesaid,"Everycommunityandtownin theBasinwere \ concerned or involved in the completion of the Toyack Chapter House."21 In1936,whentheToyackHousewascompleted,ournation wasseeingtheendoftheDepression;andwe,asanation,wereabout readytoelectFranklinD. RoosevelttoasecondtermasPresidentof the United States. The U.S. was a positive nation and ready for progressasthetheme "CenturyofProgress"hints. CarlBougher,a photographerduringthedepressionsaid,''Therewasexcitementin themidstofdespair."22 Howelsecouldournationprogress,unlessit had a positiveoutlook? WalterE. Atwoodsummed upthestrong outlookAmericaandtheBasinneededtohave. "The Depression and droughthad found manypeopleleavingthe Uintah Basin and many of those whostayed were dismayed and discouraged. The trip to the World Fair attracted a great deal of attention and gave the Basin a hope, an interest, and a belief that conditionswouldimprove."23 The "Centuryof Progress" trip and the Toyack House were a community'swayoffightingwithanAmericanspiritandnotfalling toadversecondi tions. . The Toyack Chapter House continued in use as the agricultural departmentuntil1952,whenthenewhighschoolwasbuiltattheeast endoftown. Theold facilities, includingthe ToyackHouse, were takenoverbythejuniorhighschool. Itservedfor manyyearsasa classroomforthejuniorhigh. Forapproximatelythelast12years,the buildinghasbeenvacant.RooseveltCityandtheDuchesneHistorical Societyare currentlyinvolvedintryingtoraisefunds torestorethe buildinginhopesthatitwillsomedaybealocalmuseum. \ NOTES ! 1.Walter E. Atwood, "Toyack Visits The Century ofProgress." The Roosevelt Standard. Jan. 11,1984. 2.Walt Mason Redmond, Personal1nterview, "Trip to World Fair 1933." May 19, 1987. 3David Shannon, Between the Wars' America. 1919-1941,(Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1979)p.180. 4.Shannon, p. 175 5Redmond, May 19,1987 6.Carl N. Degler, "Behind the Farm Problem: Rural Poverty." The New Deal (New Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 26 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL York: New York Times, 1937) p. 171-179. 7.Wall Mason Redmond. Personal Journal, Aug. 15,19, 27,1933. 8.Waller E. Alwood, Open Leller Duchesne County School District, Nov. 10, 1983. 9Raymond Vriscombe, Personal Journal, July 25,1984 10.Redmond, Aug. 18, 1933 l1.Redmond, Aug. 15,1933 12.Redmond, Aug. 11.1933 13.Redmond, Aug. 18, 1933 14.Wiscombe,July25,1984 15.Leona Jorgensen, personal Journal, Aug. 1933 16.Redmond, Aug. 23, 1933 17.James F. Secome, Open Leller Duchesne Co. School District, July 30,1984 18.Uniled Siaies Deparlmenl oflhe Interior Herilage Conservation and Recrealion Service. Nalional Regisler ofHistoric Places Inventory--Nomination Form. Toyack FFA Chapter House, p. 2 19.1bid 20.Atwood, Nov. 10, 1983 21.Atwood, Ibid 22.Carl Bougher, "The Long Winter and Short Spring of1937," NBC Our World, May 19.1987 23.Alwood, Nov. 10,1987 Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 27 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL A REPRIEVE ON THE OUTLAW TRAIL 1888-1905 AstripoflandinthemiddleoftheUteReservation wassetasidebythegovernmentforagilsonitemine. Awildtownsprungup,outsidejurisdictionofstate, Indianreservation,armyorlocallaw. OnlyabsentFederalMarshalshadauthority. BlacksoldiersstationedatFortDuchesne(Du-shane), andtheoutlawsridingtheOutlawTrailfoundahaven. Ourearlysettlerstell a tale ofmenwhorodetheOutlawTrail. TheyrodefromPrice,withgunonhip, PastFortDuchesnetoMoffatstrip: Alawlessspotwheretheywerefree Togamble,drink,andhaveaspree. Therewasahouseofill repute Wherelustfor womenclaimedtheirloot. SaloonwasownedbyElzaLay Whereyoungmenoftenwentastray. Layranacounterfeitingring, BecametheSilverDollarKing. Ourangrylawmencriedtheblues WhileNegrosoldiersdrankthebooze. Theyhadtodrinkwithinthestrip. Soastheyrodedownthroughadip, Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center ----- 28 THE OUTLAWTRAIL JOURNAL Thesoldierstookonelonglastswallow Andthrewtheemptyinahollow. ThusBottleHollowbecamenamed; ThestJ:ip atGusherbecamefamed. Theoutlawsslippedoutin thenight AndpassedthroughVernalontheirflight. Theytraveledeastpastthreatsofjail ToBrown'sHole,onTheOutlawTrail Theseformerbadmannowrenown. Haveearneddistinctionforourtown. ...DorisKarrenBurton Vernal,Utah ... ., - - ~ ." - ~ ~ f / - ~ . - ~ Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 29 THE OUTLAWTRAIL JOURNAL CAMPMEAT " WhenIlivedinacowcamp Waybackupacanyon Idinedoncottontails tatersandvenison Longhoursinthesaddle Makeyoueatlikealion Sometimesoutofbacon Yerdowntothefryin's Jerky'sjustfine Forasnackonthetrail Butitgetsprettyold Whenyerhuntin'tripfailed An'rabbi tsgetscarce Whenwintersetsin Yerbeltbuckle'srubbin' Yerspinalcordthin Abuckskin'lkeep Whentheweathergetscold SoYerlookin'for tracks Atspringsanwaterholes Andreamofadrydoe Orevenafawn Thelastcaseofsardines Isprettyneargone Bakedinapit Wrappedinburlapanflour Orbreadedwithgravey An'simmeredfor hours Hangin'backoftheshack It shorewouldlookgood I'dagotonetoday If onlyIcould Beenprayin'forsnow Tobringernbackdown Butit'stowarmandry I'mawearin'afrown JustwhenI'ma thinkin' I'llstarveplumtodeath An'earlyfallblizzard Blow'dinfromthewest It'sdownbelowzero Thatwetsnowisdeep Tohellwiththecows An' tohellwiththesheep I'mleavin'fordaylight Withscabbardstrappedon Beenneglectin' mystomach Forwaytoodurnlong I'maridin'acolt Wi thalongpicketrope Hehumpsupalittle Weleaveonalope I'mdressedfor theweather Inangorabri tches Sheepskinan'woolcoat We'reahittin' theridges Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 30 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL Olebronc'sfeelin' snorty Thewindsblowin'hard Ican'tonlysee Foradozenyards Whilecrossingaclearing Norfarfrom theshack Brownieslidestoastop Frozedeadinhistracks Wedurnnearcollided Withafourpointbuck Thesun'sbarelyshowin' I'malreadyinluck Igrabfor therifle Withnumbfrozenhands Thatolebucksnorts An'changesmyplans Squeezeoneofffrom thehip Asmymountpullstheplug. WhileI'mpullin'leather Bucksdownwithathud Whentherodeo'sover Coltsnubbedtoaquakie Gohuntfortherifle Onkneesstillshakey Ain'thadnobreakfast Can'tfindmyhat thedeerdisappeared Don'tknowwherehe'sat There'stracksan'blood Sohecan'tgetfar Justgotrackhim'down Whereeverheare Whenafeller'shungry Hedon'tthinktoostraight All Ihadinmybrain Wasfresh venisonsteak Thereisfive feetonsnow Inthatbrushcoveredswail Wi thonlytracksin ThistimeIcan'tfail Can'tfind nomoresign Butcan'tseehimnowhere Hedidn'tcomeout Guesshe'sgottabethere Withall theseclothes Can'thardlygetaround Keepyouwarmwhileridin' Butnotmeantfor theground If Iwassmart I'dbegoin' tocollege An'havin'fun Achasin' themdollies Insteadoflonesome Hungryan' cold Astupidcowpuncher Nowherean' broke WullI'vekilledenoughtime Outhereinthewind Onlythinglefttodo Isjustwaderightin You'dhavetobecrazy Tofollow themtracks Inthatdeepsnow Ain'tnocomin'back Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 31 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL Can'tjustrideaway Withmeatsoclose thefrost'ssettin'in Tomyfingers an'nose Don'tgettenpaces Wi thha:t:nmerpulledback 'TillSatincomeschargin' Withloweredrack He'sabreathin'fire Withlungsblowin'crimson I'mpumpin'lead It'smeorhisin' Hestrikestherifle Rightoutofmyhands Ripsmywoolcoattoribbons OnmybuttI lands Grabsforhishorns Hookmyspurstohisneck It'shardtostaywithhim He'smovin'tooquick Themhoovesarelikelightin' Theycutlikeaknife Igripwithnumbfingers An' fightformylife Gropefor thebutcherknife Stuckinmybelt Sawathisjugular An'praylikehell I'vedonestupidthings Inmylifebefore Butthismaybemylast I'mathell'sdoor Nolongercold KnowI'mdrippin'withsweat Thesnow'sredwithblood Butheain'tsloweddownyet Iain'tevenhungry As Ifeel hishotbreath Throughwhat'sleftofmycoat Andasheepskinvest Possessedbythedevil Heshouldabeendead Islithisthroat An'filledhimwi thlead It'smeorhim Onthismountainside Theageolddrama Offighttosurvive Thisstoryain'tover ThoughIgothimfield dressed AsIsitinthesnow Forasmokeandarest . Thatbigolebrowncolts' Tryin' topulldownthattree Withrollersinhisnose Snortsatbuckskinan'me Walleyedanscared He'sa throwin'afit Istillgottapackhim Thewreckain'tcorneyet Can'tevengetnearhim Withbloodonmyhands 'Boutsawedofftherope Onlyheldbyfewstrands Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 32 Snubshimuphigh An'tighttothattree An'getskickedinthechest Withbothhindfeet Blindfold hiseyes Withwhat'sleftofmycoat Jackupahindleg Withapieceoffrayedrope Afterloadin' thegroceries An'pullin'theblind Ijustcuthimloose Towatchhimunwind Withonlythreelegs Hedon'tgotoohigh ThoughIdespisewalkin' Gotnoyentoride THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL Thetrailis all downhill As Ifollowbehind Seemslikeabaddream Inmyburnfuzzledmind Backin thecabin Rockbackinmychair Asmellin' thembiscuits An'steakfryin' there I'mcontentwithmylife An'thechancesItake It weren'tnobigdeal Justapieceofcake. ---Robert Peterson Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center THE OUTLA VI TRAIL JOURNAL 33 FOLKTALES FROMTHEOUTLAWTRAIL PAGES FROM THE PAST Research & Interviews by Outlaw Trail History Center Director Doris Karren Burton Note: We will be publishing a folktale in this andfuture issues of the journals of accounts of peopl who have reported seeing Bulch Cassidy after he was supposedly kiI/ed in South America. If you have any such slories would you please share them with usfor the Journal. The following story has been taken from a taped interview by Daun DeJournefle, Rosalie DeJournefle, and Earl DeJournelfe with Edith MacKnight Jensen, the widow of Chick (Herbert) MacKnight in 1979. Chick was the son ofJosie Basself MacKnight. Chick would have nothing to do with his mother as he said she left him for a long period of time when he was a small child. After Ann Basself returned to Brown's Park, Chick lived with her. In 1928 Ann and her husband, Frank Willis, were living in Huntington Beach, California, where Queen Ann was running a rooming house for oil workers. Chick and Edith were also living in California running a riding academy near Hermos Beach. QueetJ Ann invited them lojoin her and Frankfor a sightseeing tour. Edith recalled they traveled to Pahrump l l e y ~ Nevada, which is sixty miles north west of Las Vagas. In 1928 there wasn't much of anything there except an old ranch at Pahrump Springs, which was a ot spring. Theycamped not far from the old ranch at anold mining town. The houses were all tumbled down. Ann went there supposedly to do work to hold her mining claims. They went over to a little, old cabin which reminded Edith of an Indian cabin. There was an old fellow Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 34 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL there "that looked like a desert rat." Ann called him Albert. When discussing him, Ann referred to him as "Old Albert." Edith s.1id Old Albert just happened to be Butch Cassidy, but Edith was not told this at the time. She said Ann and Frank just went to see Butch not to do mining claim work. Edith recalled Queen Ann was very tight mouthed when any of the outlaws were mentioned. Edith stated she was taught to be the same. Edith didn't find out she has seen Butch Cassidy until much later after Queen Ann and Josie were both dead. When asked who told her, she insisted the tape recorder be turned off. Then she smiled and said, "Who was left to tell?" Edith had also learned to guard the secret well for the sake of Butch Cassidy and his family. Queen A n made the statement in later years that she had seen Butch in Johnny, Nevada. Why was he using the alias"Albert?" This is purely speculation but in Brown's Park there was an old man who ran the ferry boat. He was a black man known as the "speckled nigger." He was referred to as "Speck" or "Old Albert" and was a friend of the Bassetts and the outlaws. Ann may have first seen Butch covered with dirt from mining and told him he looked like Old Albert, and the name ShICk. Chick made the statement to Edith that once you have seen Butch that you know him by his eyes even if he is covered with dirt and whiskers. Edith alsostated she could look at Butch's pictures now and recognize the eyes of Old Albert. Another time Queen Ann called Edi th and Chick and invited them down to Huntingto Beach for the weekend to meet their friends, Elzy Lay and his wife. Therefore, we know that Queen Ann was keeping in contact with all her outlaw friends. Edith made this finals atement on the tape concerning Elzy. "They were nice, well dressed people. I was never around any nicer-appearing people than they were. He wasn't like a bank robber, he was more like a banker." Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 35 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL TRAGIC DROWNING F THREE WOMEN In 1879 several Mormon families moved into the Uintah Basin and settled at the direction of their Church leaders. One of the placed settled was the region along the banks of the Green and White rivers, now called Ouray. One such was Samuel Joseph Campbell. He and his two wives, Leona and Matild France, who were sisters, and their five children, one boy and four girls all settled there. Theybuilt a cabin on the north side of the river where it would be protected from sever weather by the hills found there. On the south side of the river, with the abundant water available for irrigation, hey planted their crops and gardens. OnJuly 15,1880, after Joseph had left on a freighting trip, his wives decided they needed some fresh vegetables from the garden. The usual method of crossing the White Ri ver was by a small rowboat kept at the banks for that purpose. Leona and Sarah, along with their sister- in-law, Henniott asked a neighbor boy to row them across. At midstream, a herd of cattle started across the stream and the water became very rough. The little boat capsized and the three women were drug under, never to resurface. The boy grasped the boat and held on until help came. Joseph's mother and the mother of his wives both watched this tragic incident from the banks of the ri ver and were unable to do anything to help. All three women drown and their bodies were never found. Joseph, upon returning spent several days searching the river banks for the bodies of his wives and sister but to no avail. He recorded: "I stayed searching and walking the banks long after others \ had left the river. HowI longed tojust get themand give thema decent j burial. At last I was lead home exhaustedand heartbroken tomy little motherless children, four girls and one boy. No one will ever know the emptiness I felt, and as though the very foundation ha gone from under me. My sadness and loneliness conti ued for two years, with the hardships and sickness of a motherless fami ly." Joseph's grief left him inconsolable for several weeks and during this time a teen-aged neighbor girl, Clarissia Reynolds cared for his children. Soon Joseph asked Clarissia to marry him and she and hd parents consented even though she was young. She and Joseph raised his children and several of their own. In the spring of 1885, the government took the Ouray Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 36 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL Valley for the White River Indians and the little band of pioneers moved on to what is now Vernal, Utah." Adaptedfrom the files held at the Outlaw Trail History Center, Vernal, Utah. Edited by John D. Barton. Original story found in the Uintah Basin Standard, July 31,1958. The Chick-o-fee by H. Bert Jenson Over the years, kids have al ways found inventi ve ways of keeping themselves entertained. Some of these activities have been as benign as reading a book in the apple tree, others, verging on havoc: running underwear up the flag pole, tacks on teacher's chair, stealing water- melons, and tipping over out-houses. My grandfather, Wallace Hyrum Dennis, was born in 1898. He told of dismantling wagons by moonlight and reassembling them on roof tops, all for the joy of watching the owner's surprise and consternation the next morning. Before he passed away, I had shared several experiences with him of horseplay I had done. All such 'pranks' required secrecy, were viewed by there perpetrators as harmless, and were all in fun. Ranking right up there with the best of these shenanigans was the "Chick-o-ree." This tomfoolery led kids into war games not unlike stealing watermelons or many of the other gags. The idea was to use stealth in sneaking into a farmer's chicken coop and making off with several of his feathered fare. Once the chickens were in the bag and the get- away secured, they were taken to some remote and prearranged hide out. Here, they were roasted on an open fire or fried in a skillet, but always, enjoyed by the pirating tricksters. There are hundreds of stories of how certain chicken heists were performed. One self-confessed chick-o-ree-er described his tech- nique. It would normally start when a group of boys got together and set out to pick up some dates spur-of-the-moment. While one of the suitors would work at convincing his girlfriend's parents to let their daughter go out, the others would hit the chicken coop. Once they were all together wi th dates, they would gotosome favori te haunt and fry the stolen chickens. The one rule of all chicken thiefs is that anyone is game, and no one Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 37 THE OUTLAWTRAlL JOURNAL exempt. When my grandparents were just newly-weds, they home- steaded on the South Myton Bench near Pleasant Valley. On one occasion they were approached by younger, unmarried brothers and sisters, and a bunch of their friends, tojoin in a chick-o-ree caper. They declined outright participation in the taking of chickens, but agreed that if the others wanted to corne back to their house to cook them, that would be alright. The younger mob left, descending the hill towards the town of Myton, to get chickens. The young-marrieds began building a fire in the stove and waited. The kids soon returned with several chickens, which were enjoyed by all. But the next morning, when the married couple went to do chores, they found they hadbeen duped. It was their chickens that had been eaten the night before. The larcenist siblings had stopped just below the crest of the hill, decei tfullyout ofsight, and had snuck back to their brother's hen house for the chickens. A quick glance at the Myton Free Press during the nineteen-teens and into the twenties, will reveal several accounts of persons who carne up missing some fryers, and the taking labeled as "a problem." The chick-o-ree was not limited to the Myton area, however, nor did it stop in the twenties. This writer has been all over the Basin, and stories of the chick-o-ree are everywhere, and this antic was still being pulled in the forties. But like watermelons, chickens reproduce in numbers; many early Basin farmers raised them; and a chick-o-ree was not a theft of all the farmer's poultry, but the taking of only a few- -a prank--something that an outwitted farmer could live with. It is very much a part of our folk history. The Scorpion by H.Bert Jenson Joshua, "Buck" Stewart, lived with his parents near Ouray just after 1900. As a kid, he loved to run in the hills and explore the topography of the badlands. One thing he learned very early was to stay away from scorpions, especially the very large desert variety that grew to four or five inches, or more'. Even around the yard, one could encounter these poisonous denizens of the wilderness. It was while he was working in the garden one fall, that Buck had the scare of a lifetime. As he walked from the garden to the cellar wi th an armload of cabbage for winter storage, one of the giant scorpions Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 38 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL attached itself against the boys leg and inside his new bib overalls. Dropping the cabbage, he immediately grabbed his pants at the knee in a bunching motion. The scorpion was thus contained and isolated from his leg where it could not sting. Buck hoped it would not sting his hand through the denim folds. "Mother," he called, "come quick. Its a scorpion. On my leg. Oh gees, hurry, do something." Fear stalked his face, and his mother scattered produce helter-skelter as she ran for the house. Buck impatiently waited for her to rescue him, all the while, looking for the dark stinger end of the scorpion to penetrate the cloth and probe menacingly in the air seeking his hand. His mother soon returned from the house with a pair of scissors. She was sick tocut the new bibs, they had been specially bought large to make room for the growing boy over the next year. But to let the scorpion 10 se to be shaken out of the pant leg only invited a sting, and danger. In he excitement, she could envision no other al ter a ive that would protect her son quicker than to cut away the bundled up material containing the creature. Carefully, so as not to get stung through the fab ie, Buck's mother severed the bunched pant leg. A huge gapingh Ie fell over the youth' s exposed knee, and was followed by their joint groan at the waste of it all. Buck jumped up, and back, as if preparing for an impending blow in a kids' street fight. Tossing the pocket f cloth to the ground, Buck's mother began stomping the scorpion to death, Buck joining in every chance he got. "Get it--kill the dirty bounder, Mom. Here, let e at 'im." "Be careful," his mother warned, ''Don't get too close a d have him get you anyway, after all this." With the once-proUd knee of the brand new denim bibs ground into the dusty earth, Buck's mother hesitantly opened the tattered piece of cloth. There before them, lay the object of their attack, the terrible monster that had menaced the boy. Digging in the damp spot that marked the crushed form, Buck dug it out and held it up on the end of his greasewood stick; a cabbage leaf! It had fallen down the front of his bibs. Imagination had done the rest. (Buck Stewart's mother is this writer's great-grandmother, Nancy Elizabeth Birchell Stewart, 1879-1962). Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 39 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL BOOK REVIEWS ROBBERS ROGUES AND RUFFIANS: True Tales of the Wild West. Howard Bryan, Robbers Rogues and Ruffians: True Tales orche Wild West, (Santa Fe, New Mexico: Clear Light Publishers, 1991,) Journalist, Howard Bryan, has shared a lifetime of research and storytelling in his book, Robbers Rogues and Ruffians: True Tales of the Wild West. As author of the western history article "Off the Beaten Path", which has appeared in the Albuquerque Tribune since 1953, he is an expe t n the outlaws ofthe South West. The stor' es for t is book have beenborrowed from thirty-seven years of "Off the Beaten Path". Robbers Rogues and Ruffians is an anthology of the outlaws of the wild west. Included are the stories of famous outlaws such as; Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum, and Clay Allison, as well as lesser known outlaws like, Marino Leyba and Gus Mentzer. The book is valuable for the well researched articles on the outlaws of the west; but more valuable for the true picture of the wild west the author paints. Not the Hollywood picture where the outlaws never miss, where their guns are never empty, and where they act like Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Bryan's picture of the wild westis the authentic picture. One where many of the outlaws are vicious, often killing mercilessly, and sometimes making mis- takes. Marino Leyba, the Sandia Mountain Desperado, was one of these outlaws. When cornered in a creek bed he prepared to fight it out. Firing the first shot, he grazed the stirrup of a posse member. However, in his haste he inserted a.45 caliber shell into his.44 caliber rifle. When he fired, the block was blown off the gun hi tting himin the arm. Wounded he surrendered. Another was Antonio Baca, A member of a Hispanic family in Soccorro. Baca killed a prominent non-Hispanic member of the community. Surrounded in his house by a posse bent on revenge, he dressed in women's clothes and tried to escape. He was captured walking out the front door. Robbers Rogues and Ruffians is a well researched, well written collection of thirteen true stories for all history buffs. For the profes- sional historian i ontains a wealth of information, and gives us a true Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 40 THE OUTLA WTRAfL. JOURNAL picture of outlaws and the wild west. It is not an interpretive work but the wealth of primary information gleaned from newspaper accounts of the time are valuable. For others it is full of action packed, true stories of some of histories most colorful people. Deron Wilkerson Duchesne, Utah Queen Ann Bassett alias Etta Place by Doris Karren Burton with Thomas G. Kyle, (Vernal, Utah: Published by Burton Enterprises, 1992). In this short book Uintah County Regional Room and OutlawTrail History Center Director, Doris Burton, has outlined a very plausible theory that the elusive Etta Place, girlfriend of the Sundanc Kid, is none other that Ann Bassett from Brown's Park. Burton's thesis is centered around computer photo analysis done by Dr. Thomas G. Kyle of Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Kyle, who has done photo analysis for NASA, the F.B.I., Scotland Yard, and many other agencies, computed the probability of Ann Bassett being Etta Place by comparing photos of both. The likelihood being 5400 to 1 that they were the same person. This was in his words "a conservative figure." In Kyle's opinion there was no doubt that they were the same person. Burton adds further weight to the argument by finding absences in the known time frames of Ann Bassett at the very times that Etta Place was known to be with the Wild Bunch. Burton's theory still has some work to be done before it is the definitive work on Etta Place but certainly poses a better, more believable case than any presented by other historians to date. One of the most te ling arguments that Burton presents is that, in all likely- hood, more than one outlaw moll used the name Etta Place as an alias. Her argument is that the girl-friend of the Sundance Kid in the photo taken in New York just before embarking on their South American journey, was Ann Bassett. In additio to outlining the Ann/Etta theory, Burton also briefly profiles Ann Bassett's life. Raised a rambunctious tom-boy on a Brown's Park cattle ranch, Ann was sent to two different girls' schools to try and tame her down. While in finishing school, where she was constantly in trouble, Ann realized that her feminine wiles were often more effective than temper tantrums in getting what she wanted in a Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 41 THE OUTLAW TRAIL JOURNAL male dominated world. In her fight with the 2 Bar Ranch over grazing rights in Brown's Park Ann was dubbed "Queen of the Cattle Rus- tlers" and was afterward known as "Queen Ann." Burton's bookis recommended for anyone interested in the history and folklore of western outlaws. It is easily read and adds signifi- cantly in the overall story of Ann Bassett. his reviewer hopes, however, that this short workis a start not the end product of Burton's research on the topic. John D. Barton Roosevelt, Utah Cowboy Folk Humor; L"Ie and Laughter in the American West byJohnO. West, (littleRock, Arkansas: August House Pub. Inc., 1990) reviewed by Nels E. Carlson. Simply delightful! Cowboy Folk Humor, as written by John O. West was truly enjoyable. Mr. West wrote it as he gathered or researched each short story and anecdote after years of research, visiting and listening to the old timers; particularly the cowboy's of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Some of the only true sun burned settlers of Western America that are left to recall stodes as they heard them, or were personally involved with them. What a feast! What a treat! West is meticulous with the color contained in the cowboy's prose as their story is told for posterity. It makes sense, although not all of it is humorous. Some of the stories brought a tear, as naturally they would. Tragedy and comedy on the open plains; it made sense, and rang true; farmers, ranchers, cow hands, trail cooks, and the like. It made a lot of sense! Much of the time, things weren' treal excitingoncattle drives, for most of the cowboys and folks, as a matter of fact, they were down right boring; so, what would they do, but pass along stories of their personal exp riences, as this great country was settled, as they traversed it from east to west. Imagine, if you can, sitting as a campfire, after a long day on the trail. You've been fed bysome cowpoke, who calls himself a trail cook. The food was, at best, poor! However, remember your on the trail drive, fed once, maybe twice (if your lucky) a day! The cattle drive is oring, not what you expected, and the only thing that tides you over, Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 42 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL are the stories. Either, cowboy's told them or heard them, butJ. O. West captures them in real time; as they were told, as he relates them. "Cowboy humor wasn't aluxury; it was a necessi ty; according toC. L. Sonnichsen, since our sense of humor helps us bear the unbearable." That's the way itwas and we have some of these of stories. Not all of them surely; manyare lost though the wri ter has done an admirable job collecting these folk tales. You may laugh, or cry oreven sing as some are conveyed in lyrical verse; however, you will most certainly enjoy reading about the tales of the old west, as it was being settled. Perhaps some greater understanding of why we're here; perhaps a greater knowledge of who you are, heck, I don't know! But you will enjoy, appreciate and probably laugh at the humor in John O. West's Book, Cowboy Folk Humor. Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 43 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL THE STRIP In 1887 Sam Gilson ofSalt Lake City became interested in the asphaltum in the area near Ft. Duchesne. However since it was part of the reservation it was unavailable for development. With political intrigue the land was taken out of the reservation by an act of congress and the agreement of the Indians. The Strip, as it came to be known, became lawless within a short time for the only legal jurisdiction came from the Federal Marshall, who was rarely in the area. Gambling, prostitution, crimes, and even murder was commonplace while the mining ofGilsonite continuedform 1888 to just around 1910. This photo is of Moffat (now called Gusher) August 18,1911. Outlaw Trail History Center Collection Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 44 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL ManeuverersatFt. Duchesne OutlawTrailHistoryCenterCollection Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 45 "LA WTRAIL JOURNAL Editor'sNote On the cove is a first-time published photo with an interesting story. Mr. Erich J. Baumann of Tujunga, California bought an old broach at an estate sale from an elderly woman in southern California. Upon the purchase he was told that the photo was of the Wild Bunch, of whom he had never heard. He did not think of it again for several years until he happened on a copy of Doris Burton's new book Queen Ann Bassett alias Etta Place. Here for the first time he read of the Wild Bunch. Intrigued he sent an enlarged copy of the photo to Doris at the Outlaw Trail History Center in Vernal. The actual size of the broach is "about the size of a half dollar." Without computer photo analysis it is speculative to say who may be in the picture be but there are obvious similarities to ButchCassidy, 150mDart, and Ann Bassett. We wish to thank Mr. Baumann for letting us use the photo. John D. Barton Managing Edi tor Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center 46 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL Jensen crossingofthe GreenRiver OutlawTrailHistory CenterCollection Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center OutlawTrailHistoryCenter Research Centerfor Outlaws&Lawman FeaturingHistoryofthe WildBunch HousedintheRegionalHistoryRoom at UintahCountyLibrary 155 EastMain Vernal, Utah 84078 "Ii" 1-800-388-4538 Anew addition was completed in 1992which nearly doubled the square footage of the Uintah County Library. The project provided new facilities for the Outlaw Trail History Center, the Regional History Collection, and the Children's Collection, with expanded facilities for the general collections and a newmultipurposeroom. 800 Number courtesy of
COMMUNICA nONS : ... Uintah County Library Alibraryforall "ages" . . '.' ," Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center Uintah County Western Heritage Museum 328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078 www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org Property of the Outlaw Trail History Center
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