Can You Remember or Did You Know Stories
By Lyman Cook
The
following articles are a collection of stories and events that have been a part
of
Please, as readers, do not take any personal offense
or injury to any of the stories. They were not written with any unkindness in
mind, but hopefully you will enjoy them.
The stories are, in reality, a tribute and a
compliment to the early settlers of Plain City. I cannot comprehend the
magnitude of courage and strength, and the hardships those early pioneer men
and women endured. How unselfishly they worked and planned for the betterment
of Plain City to make it a better place for you and I to live todays. I have a deep personal feeling that we owe
them everything.
The most interest and pleasure that the book has
brought to me has been the fact that I have had an opportunity to visit in the
homes of so many wonderful and interesting people. Compiling, reading, and
writing the history has so fascinated and compelled me that I have stayed up
all night, only to find in the morning that I am justices refreshed as if I had
slept all night.
The following people have been so kind and helpful to
me in writing the stories. They have told me stories, and refreshed my memory.
I feel a deep appreciation for them, and I feel that they should be recognized.
They are: Mrs Lavina Thomas (on tape), Lyle Thomas, Byron Carver, Lee Carver,
Laura Musgrave, George Knight, Clyde Hadley, Amy Robson, Harvey and Jennie
Cook, Dick and Luella Skeen, Bill and Nonie Freestone, Irene Skeen, Ivy Skeen
Marsden, and many others: Kris Ewert, for her printing. A special thanks to
all. And also Ina Poulsen.
"TRUE STORIES
AND COLORFUL EVENTS OF
SLEIGH BELLS
One of the pleasant memories of a cold, crisp, clear
pioneer winter night, was the jingling of sleigh bells as families made their
way to church or to visit with friends or neighbors. The rich sound of their
ringing through the hollow night air could be heard all over town. First
starting out faintly and then increasing in volume as they approached their
destination. It would seem that the still, peaceful night was just made for the
ringing of the sleigh bells.
1
Almost all the families had a string~of sleigh bells
that were a prized possession, and a family treasure. Some of the larger
strands would go across the back of the horses and around underneath the
stomach, also a strand would fit on the hames. The quality of the workmanship
that produced the full, rich tones will continue to enrich our memories of the
past. Maybe if we let our minds be calm and drift back through the years, we
can still hear the tinkling of the sleigh bells.
PIONEER HOMES, WASH DAYS, FEATHER TICKS, COLD BEDROOMS,
OLD COAL OR WOOD STOVES
The pioneer home was usually built with two rooms, and
as the family income and new family members came along, they would add an
addition of bedrooms, and a dining room, parlor, or living room. There was
usually a large cook stove for the parlor and dining room. The kitchen was the
center of activity in the home, and only on special occasions, or when company
came, would they build a fire in the other rooms. They would usually bank the
stoves with wood or coal to last as long as possible. But by morning, the fire
was always out. They would have two or three coal buckets, and a kindling box,
and some member of the family had the chore to see that they were always full.
It took a strong constitution to roll out of bed on a cold winter morning and
make the fire, and wait for it to get warm.
Monday morning in the home was washday. It would start
very early and last all day. They would heat the water in a copper bottom
boiler and would usually boil the clothes to help get them clean. They used a
homemade lye soap. The women scrubbed the clothes on a scrub board usually
pieced in a metal washtub, and after scrubbing, would rinse the clothes two or
three times. They would then be hung on the clothesline to dry. There was a
special pride taken in the wash and to tell a woman that she hung out a pretty
wash was to pay her a special tribute.
The pioneer families would usually wait until cold
weather to kill their meat. They would cure it, salt brine it, or dry it. For
fresh meat, they would put it in a flour sack and hang it high on the north
side of the house. When they wanted fresh meat they would go outside, climb the
ladder, or use a pulley to bring the flour sack in. They would cut off what meat
they wanted and return the flour sack out on the north side. It was not
uncommon to see flour sacks hanging from the north side of most homes.
The bedrooms were usually located on the north side of
the house, and were the furtherest from the stoves. It was like going into
another world, or the north pole to go to bed. If you slept with a brother or
sister, you would try to get them to go to bed first so they could warm the
bed. The frost and ice crystals would collect on the window glass usually forming
in the fall and never leaving until spring. It would usually be about a half
inch thick on the glass. The frost crystals would form in beautiful designs and
patterns on the windows.
The straw tick or mattress was made with a cover and
filled with straw. Each year they would empty the straw, wash the cover, and
refill it with new straw when they thrashed in the fall. They would place a
feather tick on top of the straw tick, and it was filled with feathers from
geese and ducks. It was really warm and soft. The sheets, blankets, and quilts
were piled on the bed until they were so heavy that it was hard to turn over.
It was especially nice when the dog would sleep on your side of the bed, as he
made an excellent foot warmer. What a breed of people to survive the cold, hard
times of pioneer life.
INDIANS
There seems to be no evidence of any Indian violence
or hostilities in Plain City. However, they would visit the homes of the early
settlers and ask for food. As a sign of friendship to the Indians, they would
always give them food. It was a very frightening experience for the pioneer
women to have the Indians call when the men were in the field working and they
were home alone. The children were especially scared, and were taught to be
very careful when they were around.
There are people alive today in Plain City that can
remember when Indians would come into town and camp. Some favorite campgrounds
were across from Paul Costley's garage, and across the street north of George
Cook's home. The white kids always played close to home when the Indians were
in town, and they never went anywhere at night.
The Indian squaws would go to every home and ask or
beg for food. The homes that were generous would be visited several times. The
Indians would stay for several days, and they would then load their treasures
and leave and go north. The Indians must have liked the people of Plain City
because they returned each year for many, many years.
FERRY BOAT
The ferry boat and landing was located near where the
river bridge crosses the Weber River on the Plain City, West Weber road on 4700
West. It provided a river crossing for people, cattle, sheep, horses, and
wagons. The ferry was made of logs tied together, and a large molasses boiler
and a pole was used to push the ferry across the river.
In the spring when the flood waters covered all of the
low lands, the ferry would run from the hill on the north side near the Warren
canal to the hill on the south as you enter West Weber. When the water
reseeded, the ferry returned to the channel. It has been said that in the
spring the Indians would come to the hill and if the ferry was on the West
Weber side, they would call across the river until the ferry came to get them.
Sarah Richardson Hodson could imitate the Indian's call for the ferry. She seemed
to know more about the ferry than anyone we knew of.
The people who traveled the main routes from the
Oregon Trail to Salt Lake City in the early days used the ferry. The route ran
from Hot Springs about where North Plain City Road is today, along 4700 West to
the river, crossing the Weber River on the ferry. It then went to Taylor,
angled southwest to Hooper, continued through West Point into Syracuse along
the bluff road into Layton. The reason this route was used was because of the
sand hill through Wilson, Roy, Sunset, and Clearfield. The wagon wheels would
cut into the soft sand, and it made it almost impossible for the oxen and
horses to pull the wagons. A Mr. Higbee operated the ferry.
It might be important to include information about the
times before all of the reservoirs were built to hold back and store the early
runoff water. Almost every spring the river would leave its channel and flood
the low lands of Slaterville, Plain City, West Weber, Warren and West Warren.
During some years the water would be so deep the road was closed. As a boy I
can remember traveling 4700 West when the water would be up to the running
boards of the Model A. The last year of excessive high water was in 1952.
Not too
much is known about the ferry, but it lends itself to another colorful era of
interesting Plain City history.
POST OFFICE
The Plain City Post Office was located where Neta
Charlton's home is located, or one block North of the school on the northeast
corner. It was run by Charlie Neal and his wife, Pussy Neal. He ran the Post
Office for 25 years from 1877 or 1878 until 1902 or 1903 when the government
closed the Post Office and the mail was brought into Plain City by Fred Kenley
and delivered by horse and buggy.
Merl
England has in his possession a letter that was postmarked Plain City, Utah,
August 8, 1891.
Pussy Neal had, and kept a start of live yeast and
would sell it to the women of the town to use in mixing bread. Annie Skelton
Skeen would send her daughter, Nonie Skeen Freestone, down to the Neal's for
yeast. It didn't take many trips before Nonie developed a real taste for live
yeast. She would buy a three pound lard bucket full, but by the time she walked
five blocks home, she would have half of the bucket drank. She claims that it
was quite a tasty drink.
EARLY BAPTISMS
A very important date in the lives of young eight year
old people was their baptism. Nowadays, this ordinance is performed in a stake
center with a very beautiful font. Before this time, this ordinance was
performed in canals, rivers, lakes, and ponds. One of the most popular places
to be baptized was the First Rock Crossing, or seek, as it was called. This was
located on Center Street next to George T4est's home, long before the canal was
cemented. There was a row of poplar trees along the street, and the children
would dress behind the trees. Some people would take their children up the
street in the buggy and dress them, and then return for the baptism.
There were usually just two baptisms a year, one in
the late spring and the other in the early fall. As a result, there were
usually several children to be baptized at a time. The children would sit on a
log and wait for their turn.
Some of the young people went down to the river and
were baptized. The location on the river was near where the present bridge is
located, They used willow trees to dress behind. Laura Musgrave and Royal
Carver were two that were baptized in the river.
George
Knight told me that he was baptized in the Warren Canal about where the present
pump is located. This was a colorful era of the past and should help to
rekindle some pleasant memories for those who participated.
THE PRIVY, CRANNY,
HOLER OR THE TWO HOLER
There was a great deal of social status involved and a
real pride taken in building, caring for, and beautifying the outdoor privy.
Some of the seats were made of select lumber and sanded and smoothed to the
point where they were quite comfortable. And on the other extreme, some seats
were rough and slivery. Some families were careful to make the privy weather
proof, while others you could look out the cracks in every direction.
You could usually tell the size of the family in the
house, whether it be large or small, by the size of the privy. Is it a one or a
two holer?
Some of the families, to prove to the world that their
cranny was something special, biddy, and a respected place, would cut beautiful
designs in the top of the door. I never quite figured out whether the hole in
the door was for ventilation, or simply to study the wonders of the sky at
night. Some of the designs were a half moon shape, a diamond shape, star, or just
a round circle.
The Skeen girls, Ivy Skeen Marsden, Lenora Skeen
Freestone, and Jennie Skeen Cook, still maintain to this day that their little
brother, Dick Skeen, learned to throw the baseball so very well by practice
throwing at the privy. He would wait until the girls would get inside and lock
the door, then he would open up with rocks, clods, green pears, or anything to
keep them pinned down. Dick's favorite was the dirt clod. He would aim for the
hole in the door and throw the clod through. The clod would hit the wall, break
up and shower the girls with dust and dirt. He would then really laugh when the
girls would cry, scream, and holler for their mother to come and rescue them
from their brother.
Halloween was a risky time for outdoor privies. One of
the favorite Halloween pranks for the kids was to spend the night tipping over
crannies. The only thing that I would like to say on the subject now is that I
am ashamed and sorry, and I must report that I am one of those parents who
feels like the kids of today are going to the dogs.
During the depression and late thirties, and prior to
World War II, the government had a P.W.A. and W.P.A. program. Workmen would
come to your home and build outside crannies. They had a cement floor and a lid
on the seat. They were weatherproof, and most people who owned one felt like
that was the next best thing to running water. They were called
"Roosevelts."
Usually an old Sears catalog would act as a years
supply of toilet tissue.
Some of the more discreet families would keep a pot,
or thunder jug in the house for emergencies during the cold stormy winter
nights. This fact was considered the family's dark, deep secret, and was
usually emptied before dawn.
With the exception of two years in the Navy, I used
the outdoor privy for 26 years, and first four years after I was married. We
sometimes hear it would be nice to go back to the good old days, but certainly
not to the days of the outdoor privy.
SCHOOLS
1. The first school was in George Musgrave's dugout.
He later held school in a one room adobe.
2. The first public school was built on the south of
the square. It was built out of adobe. It was one room.
3. There was a school located on the northeast corner
of the square. The town and ward used this building for some social functions.
It was built out of adobe in 1873 or 1874.
4. The North school was located where Walter
Christensen now lives.
5. The South school is still standing and was remodeled
by Harvey Cook into a home. It is located where Gordon Sorensen now lives, and
across from Eldon Weston's home. This home was built out of brick.
6. The Poplar School was located across from Augusta
Nash's home.
I have been led to believe that there was school
classes being held in all these four schools at the same time, This would be
shortly before and after 1900,
EARLY STORES
There have been at least ten stores and meat markets
in Plain City up the present time. Some of the stores have stayed in the same
place r but have had several different owners, I'll just mention where the old
stores were located, There were two Coy Stores. They were owned by Sarah Coy
and Eliza Coy. One was where Irene Skeen now lives, and the other one was
across the street about where Mildred Sparks now lives. This is about 9200
North and 4650 rest. The old ZCMI store was where B & C Foods is now
located. Carner's store was where the pool hall is now. England's store was
where Merlin England now lives. McElroy's store was where Jack's Garage is now
located. Stoker's was located one block behind the school where Cordon
McFarland lives. Maw's store was located just west of the bowery.
John Vause built and operated a meat market just north
of Adela Carver's home. Some of Steve Knight's family operated a meat market
about where White's Cafe is today. Peter M. Folkman had a meat market across
from the school on the east side.
Most of these early stores would trade merchandise for
eggs and butter. This was especially nice for the kids of the town because they
could take one egg or more and trade for candy. There wasn't a hen's nest that
was safe in Plain City. Laura Musgrave tells of how she would get Nonie
Freestone and they would raid Nonie's father's chicken coop for eggs to go to
the store for candy. There was real safety for Laura, as she always has been
real sharp in having Nonie in her own father's coop with her.
BLACKSMITH
SHOPS
1. Christopher Folkman was the first one in Plain City.
He learned his trade in Denmark. It was located near Leslie Maw's home and
Elmer Carver's home.
2. Janus Lund's Blacksmith Shop was located near
Dennis Lund's home. He died in 1908.
3. Rall J. Taylor started his shop in 1908 and the
building still stands just north of Kirt Knight's garage.
4. Lew Ericson's shop was located on the property of
Neta Charlton.
5. George Davis' shop was near Phil Alsup's old home
and across the street from Thomas'.
6. Lee Gould's shop was located where Florence and
Carl Hodson now live.
7. Farley's shop was located near where Sterling
Thompson now lives.
8. Lyman Skeen's shop was located just south of his
old home. The property is now owned by George Skeen Cook.
THE EARLY DENTIST
Lyman
Skeen acted as the early dentist, and his only specialty was pulling teeth. He
had a special pair of forceps which are still in the possession of the family.
People came from all of Plain City to have their teeth
pulled. In those days they didn't have any dental checkups, or fill any decayed
teeth. If a person got a cavity, they endured it until the tooth would ache and
then Lyman Skeen would pull the tooth.
He was a large man and once he hooked onto the tooth,
he had very little trouble getting it out.
Some of his children report that when anyone came to
have their teeth pulled, they would run into the house and hide under the bed
and hold their ears so they couldn't hear the person holler or scream.
Lee Carver tells the story about as a boy going down to
Lyman Skeen's and having a tooth pulled. He was told if he would sit still and
not holler or scream, and act like a man, that Lyman would pay him 25˘. It
certainly must be one of the rare cases of a dentist paying his patients
George Knight told me he made a trip to Lyman Skeen's
home to have his tooth pulled. He was told that if he would take it like a man
and not holler or yell, that he could drive the mules and wagon. After the
tooth was out they went out and harnessed the mules and hooked them to the
wagon and George drove the mules to his home. George said that there was
nothing that Lyman could have done to make him feel more important and give him
a bigger thrill than to sit on the seat with Lyman and drive those large mules
home. He was so excited that he forgot what he had gone down there for.
Ina Poulsen tells the story of her toothache when she
was a girl. It was a large double tooth, and it had ached for days. She finally
decided that having it pulled couldn't hurt any more than the ache, so she went
to see Lyman Skeen. She walked down to his place in the evening and they were
eating supper. She said he got right up from the table and didn't even finish
his meal to pull her tooth. Annie got the forceps and sat her in his large
grandfather chair. Again, the Skeen kids scattered and hid from the noise. Ina
did mention that she did holler and scream, but it was all over in a minute.
She said he was really good at pulling teeth. It also gives some insight into
the quality, character, and gentleness of Lyman Skeen.
ICE HOUSE
An interesting part of the history of Plain City was
the old ice house. It was located across from the school on the property where
Clara Folkman now lives and sat behind the old home. In the winter when the
Four Mile reservoir, river and other water would freeze hard enough, they would
cut it with ice saws. They would then haul it by ~ m and bobsleigh to the ice
house for storage.
Peter M. Folkman owned and operated the ice house, and
in the winter he would have as many as twenty men working for him. They would
work through the winter and would fill a rather large building with ice. They
would cover it with wild hay and sawdust so it wouldn't melt so fast in the
heat and it would last all summer.
They would sell it to the people of Plain City for
their use in the old wooden ice chest, for making ice cream, mainly for
parties, and for whatever else their need was.
Peter M. Folkman also ran a meat wagon in Plain City
for three years. He would use some ice to keep meat cool. He had a bell on the
wagon and as he got to the house, he would ring it and the lady of the house
would come out and buy the meat. He later had a meat market business next to
his home.
MARTIN
SMITH AND THE MEAT WAGON
One of
the colorful characters that would come into Plain City was Martin Smith. He
owned a team of skinny horses and a closed in meat wagon, and peddled fresh
meat from door to door. He would come into town two or three times a week. He
always carried a green willow switch, and would open the meat box, and use the
switch to chase the flies out.
The lady of the house would come out to the wagon and look over the variety of cuts, or I would imagine he would cut whatever they wanted. A favorite pass time of the kids of the day was to try and sneak weenies when he was busy with their mother. He was a sharp enough businessman that he made sure he always got enough money to pay for the wieners.
It sounds rather primitive in todays world, but it
filled a need and is another colorful chapter out of the past,
GEORGE MOYES AND HIS MILK TRUCK
George Moyes had the
first milk truck in Plain City. He delivered the milk to some of the homes in
Plain City. It was George that was coming home from the dairy and discovered
the fire in the dummy had started and burned Charlie Taylor's barn. He used his
load of milk to help put out the fire. I don't know of anyone today who
wouldn't like to own that little truck.
THE EARLY THRASHERS
A colorful time on the farm was thrashing time. The
first machines were horse powered, and were a great improvement over the hand
method. These colorful pictures are of some of the early steam powered
thrashers. There were men who owned their own machines and would do custom work
for their neighbors. When the thrashers would move onto a farm, it would
usually take several days to complete the farmer's field.
While the thrashers were at the farm, it was the
responsibility of the farmer to feed the men three meals a day. This consisted
of many of the neighbors who helped each other. They worked hard and they required
large meals. The women worked all day long to prepare the meals. The phrase,
"I have cooked enough food for the thrashers," was probably coined
during this era. The farmer had to take care of the horses also. The men usually carried their own bedrolls and
slept on the new fresh straw. Arthur
Skeen and Frances Thomas owned and operated thrashing machines that I remember.
THE GYPSY HORSE TRADERS
The horse traders would come into Plain City once or
twice a year. They would arrive in large white top wagons leading a large
number of horses. Some of the camping areas where they would stay were; out by
the old beet dump, by the water tower, on the square, and in the lot across
from the Lyman Skeen home where George Cook now lives. They would stay for
about a week and would camp or live in their wagons.
The kids were frightened at the sight of the traders
and the week they were in town they played close to home and never ventured far
from home at night. The traders were famous for taking things that didn't
belong to them.
As a boy I can remember the traders camps and walking
through them with my father. Because of the shady characters and the stories I
had been told, I can remember of never letting go of my father's hand. To see
the people involved and the many horses there were, made a lasting impression
upon my young mind.
If any of the townspeople needed a horse or team, or
wanted to sell any horses, they would bring their horses, or come to the
traders camp. They would barter, trade, or sell. In order to make a sharp deal
they would dicker all day. There were many stories told of how sharp a deal
they made or how badly they got stung by the horse traders.
LYMAN DUMP
There were two beet dumps in Plain City. One was
located across from the water tower, the other was the Lyman Dump located
one-half mile west of the canning factory where the railroad tracks crossed
5100 West. It was named after Lyman Skeen because of his work on the railroad
to that point, and on into Warren. John Vause was the weigh master and was more
or less in charge of the dump. They would haul the beets with teams and wagons
to the dump, where they would be loaded on to the rail cars and taken to Wilson
Lane for processing. At times the cars were not available and they would pile
the beets by hand. The pile had to be six feet high and stacked just right. When
cars were available, the factory would pay the farmers thirty cents a ton to
load the beets by hand and then into the cars.
A story is told of a certain farmer that would bring
beets to the dump. The drivers were supposed to stay on the wagon to weigh
their beets over with the wagons loaded, and then back their wagons across
empty. This farmer would get off the empty wagon, stay on the scales, but would
reach up and take hold of a board on the scale house, and pull most of his weight
off the scales. John Vause used to say, "Look at that fat old . He thinks
he is fooling me, but I always take 200 pounds off whether he is on the scale
or not."
Sherwin Thompson was there and tells a story about
Lyman Skeen hauling a large beet rack full of beets to the dump with a
four-horse hitch. The lead team was fine large horses and the back team was
large mules. The dump was elevated with a steep incline up to a platform where
the wagon would stop and be unloaded. It was high enough to clear a rail car
and the beets ran down into the car. The decline from the platform was steep.
He made his approach with the team struggling to pull the heavy wagon up the
incline. As the teams topped the platform, something spooked them and the teams
lunged forward down over the decline. Lyman sprang to his feet and held the
mules back so the wagon rode up against the rumps of the mules, and he moved
the lead horses out fast enough to keep out of the way. He never lost a sugar
beet. It was truly a great display of fine horsemanship. It was truly his
ability with the horses that saved him and his team from death or injury.
He calmly made a circle around to the approach incline
and took the teams up the incline. This time he was ready for them and the
mules and horses stopped where they were supposed to. As the teams came down
off the decline, they knew they had been taught a valuable lesson by a skillful
master.
THE SWIMMING HOLES
If anything in this world can turn a man into a boy
again, it is the pleasant memories of the old swimming hole. The warm summer
days with friends and the happy, carefree times are the most memorable in a
life time. There seems to be a special magnetic force that pulls and draws boys
to water. It is especially difficult to try and explain to parents that special
force, and why it was so necessary to go swimming so much. We lived in the
water and the longest part of the day was the one hour we had to wait for our
dinner to digest before we could go in swimming again.
Every irrigation canal, pond, river, or creek had
their favorite swimming hole. The favorite holes in Plain City were out by the
First and Second Rock Crossing, the canal, by Four Mile, Draney head gates, and
the Anderson hole in the river. The Anderson hole was located just below the
Warren pump by the bend in the river and northeast of the bridge. One could
tell by the number of ponies, wagons, and buggies, that there was always a
large crowd, and from the laughter and the noise, you could tell they were,having
a great time. The Anderson hole was secluded enough, and no girls around. For
the men and boys it was pure skinny dipping. If any boy had shown up with a
swimming suit in those days, they would have laughed him out of town.
The
Wilford, or "Wiff" Skeen was considered the
most gifted and powerful swimmers around this country. During World War I he
swam on a Navy swim team. Gordon Thompson and George Knight said that Wiff was
the most beautiful swimmer they had ever seen. Fred Kenley, I think, was in the
Navy and traveled throughout the world He said in all his travels that Wiff was
the best swimmer he had ever seen. He would put his little brother, Dick Skeen,
on his back and I swim out into the middle of the river. Dick must have been
real little then, but he would dump him off and Make him swim to shore while he
carefully watched. Someone lost a shovel in Anderson hole and Wiff dove down to
the bottom and brought it up, supposedly the only man to ever touch bottom.
Ogden City, Swifts, and the By Products, began to dump
raw sewage into the river and ruined probably the greatest memory maker in all
of Plain City. It just seems so strange that man has a habit of always
destroying his own best things in life.
DRIVING THE COWS TO THE PASTURE
The people who milked cows for their own use or who
later on milked cows to sell the milk to the creamery, would usually drive
their cows to pasture during the summer months. The pasture was located one,
two, or three miles from home. It would require taking the cows out in the
morning and returning them in the evening. This responsibility usually fell to
the younger members of the family and required a cow pony. In those days
everyone's home, yard, and farm area were fenced so the cows traveling to and
from the pastures did not create a problem. During the hot, dry summer weather,
the roads and trails of the cows were very dusty. It was very difficult to
follow the cows very closely as the dust was so heavy.
L
One of these pastures was called the West Pasture. It
was located north and west from Ivan Moyes' home. This pasture was owned by
several different people. The number of cattle they would put in the pasture
was based on the amount of the pasture that they owned. In the evening the
first person to the gate would open it and let the cows out. The cows, from
force of habit, would follow the same trail to the town park where they would
feed. It was not uncommon to see twenty five or thirty milk cows feeding on the
square in the early evening. The farmers would go to the square, collect their
cows, and take them home. ~
For those who played baseball, football, or just
played on the square, there were some real hazards involved after the cows had
been there.
Modern feeding and milking techniques have eliminated
the need for the daily move to the pasture and also the need for the fenced in
yards.
CANNING FACTORIES
Another very important industry in Plain City was the
growing and canning of tomatoes. The first factory built in Plain City was
across the street from Loyd Olsen's at 1900 North 4700 West. Laura Grieves
Muegrave tells of working in this factory filling the cans with tomatoes. She
was just a girl at the time, and expressed how happy she was to be able to earn
money in those days. At that time there were no child labor laws.
Part of this factory was later moved near the square
and used by the Maw family for their store and other buildings.
The second canning factory still stands at 1975 North
4650 West, and was used for many years. The sandy loam soil of Plain City
seemed to be ideal for the tomatoes to grow and helped to give them the flavor,
quality, and yield that rarely can be equaled. Times were very tough to earn
money in those days, and many men and women would work at the factory in the
fall of the year to help supplement their income. This factory was built in
1925.
The empty cans would be shipped in by railroad and the
processed tomatoes would be shipped out on the railroad. The events that impressed my memories most
about the factory, were the lines of loaded wagons and trucks waiting to be
unloaded. While the farmers waited for boxes, or to be unloaded, or for their
tomatoes to be graded, they would visit by the hour. The stories and the tall
tales that would be told during that time will long be remembered. It used to
fascinate me to watch the women peel the tomatoes. The full pans would be
scalded and go around on a belt. The women would take a full pan, core and peel
the tomatoes~and when their pan was full, they would put their number in the
pan and return it to the belt. They were paid by the pan! and it amounted to
five cents a pan. In later years it raised from eight cents to ten cents a pan.
The fastest peelers could peel about 60 pans a day.
Some of the fastest peelers were Dorothy Christensen
Thelma Hodson Wayment, Doris Hodson Chugg, and Ruth Arave Taylor, deceased.
Whether peeling tomatoes, cutting potatoes, thinning beets, wall papering, or
whatever, Ruth Taylor, as I remember her, had to be the hardest working woman I
ever knew. I always marveled at her ability.
Can your
minds eye visualize the smoke coming from the tall stack, and the pleasant tomato
odor that drifted along the air currents through the town of
PEA VINERS PEA
WAGONS
One of the early industries, or cash crops of Plain
City was from the raising of peas. It must be remembered that in the very early
times, the settlers were only interested and concerned about food to keep them
through the winter. AS they worked and improved their homes, the roads, and the
irrigation system, their ability to produce more and vary their crops
increased. It was then that they branched out into the pea industry.
The main pea viner was located on 2200 North, about a
half mile west of 4650 West, on the north side of the street. It provided work
for some of the men of the community, to stack the pea vines. In the winter the
farmers fed the vines to their cattle.
The farmers would plant the peas in the early spring,
and the harvest would begin about the 4th of July. The pea vines would be cut
with a horse drawn mower. They would pitch them on a wagon and haul them to the
viner by a team of horses.
AS young boys we would look forward to the horse drawn
pea wagons on their way to the viner. We would run out into the street and
catch the wagon, pull off a big armful of peas, carry them into the shade, and
eat peas all day long. I don't believe that peas gave you as severe a belly
ache as green apples, but it ran a close second. More important, we were ready
to go after the first wagon the next day. AS a young man, I pitched the peas on
the wagon in the fields, and off at the viner.
Later, another viner was built out east. It was
located about one half mile east of the water tower.
In 1949, I was building my house and my friend and
neighbor, Louis R. Jenkins, would come frequently and visit. He said, "You
have a nice location, but when the wind is right you may be able to smell the
pea viner, but you know, that's a good smell." I never forgot his
statement though the pea industry lasted only a very few years after that date.
But, who could ever forget the potent odor that came after the vines and the
juices fermented. No wonder the people who hauled pea vines had very little, if
any, sinus trouble.
Epilogue. Included should be the smell and the people who would haul and feed fresh beet pulp.
TRAPPERS
The Plain City area is situated where there are many
creeks, drains, sloughs, ponds, and water areas for the muskrats to live. It
seemed to me at one time or another, about every young man was involved in
trapping. This could have been an inborn spirit in each young boy to be a
trapper or a mountain man. The season would usually start in the fall until the
water froze, and then again in the spring when the ice left. It came at a time
when jobs were hard to find for young men and provided spending money for them.
Trapping provided a good source of money for me when I was going to high
school. The hide buyers would usually pay from thirty five cents to a dollar
and a quarter, depending on the size of the hide.
A good trapper could usually catch around 100 rats a
day. I know one trapper that bought and paid for a new car during one trapping
season. Some of the better trappers in Plain City that I can remember were,
Elwin Taylor, Everett Taylor, Lyman Thomas, and Joe Wheeler.
NICK NAMES
Practically no one grew up in Plain City without
having a nick name tacked on to him or her, because of something they did,
said, or the way they acted, or some mannerism. It was not at all uncommon for
a group of Plain City boys, just to impress a girl friend, to talk and call the
individual by their nick name, and the girls never knew who they were talking
about. On the other hand, someone may come into the town and ask for Don
Singleton, Darrell Christensen, Boyce England, Elwin Taylor, Horace Knight,
LaGrand Hadley, George Cook, Clair Folkman, Lynn Folkman, Eldon Weston, or Jay
Freestone, only to be told that they didn't know anyone living here by that
name. But had they asked for "Seebo," "Breezy," "Buzz,"
"Bunny," "Skinner," "Gandy'Goose or Pety Hadley,"
"Joe," "Ober," "Homer, or "Grass," the
townspeople could tell them right away where they lived.
Some of these people whose names will be mentioned
have passed away, and it is my purpose to pay tribute, and add to their good names,
rather than take anything away from them. Some have also moved away, but they
got their name in Plain City.
There are so many names that I simply can't remember
them all, but here are a few "Buss" Lyman Skeen, "Rip"
Ronald Skeen, "Geg" Garry Skeen, "Brig" Orson Knight,
"Snide" Elmer Carver, "Suitcase" Blair Simpson,
"Hues" Harold Hadley, "Tubby" Frank Hadley, "Duke"
"Frog" Kenneth Christensen, 'iFooz" Grant Lund,
"Hazel" Kenneth Lund, "Bud" Richard Dallinga,
"Cirk" Keith Lund, "Sodie" Elmer Hipwell, "Duff"
Jack Etherington, "Tiff" Clyde Skeen, "Taa" Jack Freestone,
"Sunny" Lyman Freestone, "Bub" Howard Freestone,
"Cork" Carl Hodson, "Tumbleweed" Don Van Sickle,
"Red" Lyman Cook, "Chic" Dee Cook, "Heater" Bert
Cook, "Beef" Wheat Taylor, "Big Chub" Charles Fulmer,
"Little Chub" Robert Fulmer, "Buddies" Rulon Jenkins,
"Curley" Quenten Jenkins. "Bun" Ray Hadley, !'Weiny"
Dwaine Hadley, 'mustard" Bill Hadley, "Napkin" Dennis Hadley. "Punken" Elmer Crimson,
"Elf" Kent Jenkins, "Perk" Ray Coy, "Bear" Ronald
Hogge, "Stine" Wayne Skeen, "Hinke" Verl Rawson,
"Toad" Loyd Knight, "Tarzan" Thayne Knight' "Dob"
Blaine Robins, "Ikee" Ivan Hodson, "writ" Dean Moyes,
"Bub" Knight, "Lym" Skeen, "Beaver" Gordon
Hadley, "Trapper" Durland Hadley, "Deddy" Darrell Thompson,
"Pubby" Vernal rioyes, "Sam" Lyle Thomas,
"Gonnie" Kenneth Woods, "Jim" Theron Rhead, "Mag"
Noel England, "Jim" Elwin Skeen, "Bones" Bob Folkman,
"Swede" Brent Taylor, "Curly" Davis, "Kingfish"
Wilmer Maw, "Misery" George Maw, "Tooley" Louis Poulsen,
"Dick" lwood Skeen, "Mud" Claude Rhead, "Weeser"
Gene Lund, "Fiddler" alto Rhead, "Hook" Harold Johnson,
"Roan" Harold Ross, "Mike" Milo Ross, "Wheeler"
Keith Blanch, "Luke" John Nash, "Tom" Vadel Maw,
"Joe" John Maw, "Judge" Thayne Robson, "Bushy"
Wayne Cottle, "Pickus" Paul Coy, "George" Cliff Folkman,
"Willie" Warren Williams, "Wally" Wallace Knight,
"Cruzz" Kent Robson, "Evert" Bill England, "Tom"
Merrill Jenkins, "Aus" Bob Wade, "Cougar" Norman Carver,
"English"iWay:ne Carver.
Something
more interesting than the names is how each one got their nickname. You should
ask some of them sometime, We should announce from Plain City to the world that
we have had for the last 55 years, the original "Jaws" Paul Knight.
It is very distressing and disturbing to read where some outsider has taken the
name "Jaws" and capitalized on it, made a film, and grossed more than
25 million dollars, when the original "Jaws" has been in Plain City
all along.
When we analyze the personality, the good times, and
especially the stories, I doubt that anyone in Plain City would take 25 million
for our original "Jaws."
THE PEST HOUSE OR PRIMATIVE HOSPITAL
The constant underlying fears that pioneers and early
settlers lived with daily was the threat of disease, illness, or sickness.
There just weren't any doctors or medicine available, and if anyone got sick,
they either got well on their own, or they didn't make it.
If a dreaded disease, or plague, as it was called,
struck the early settlers, many of them felt like it was God's way of punishing
them for things they had done or for the things they had not done. There were
so many mysteries and superstitions concerning that, that the people acted and
responded in what now might be considered strange ways. The people felt the
best thing to do was to isolate the sick people, and as a result of this type
of thinking, the pioneers built the Pest House. To make sure it was really
isolated, the people went about a mile west of town on the bank of First Creek
and built Pest House. The Pest House was located about one block north of Clyde
Hadley's house on the bank of the creek. There were some tall poplar trees
surrounding the building, but have since been removed. Clyde tells me that
information was handed down and told to him about the spot where~the Pest House
was located. Years ago there was some evidence of a building there.
When a person would get sick, they would take him to
the Pest House to get better. They were usually left alone to care for
themselves. Someone from the town would take food and water! and provide some
care, but for the most part, it was just a kill or cure method. In most cases
the patients, if they died, expired from exposure or lack of care rather than
from the disease because the building was poorly constructed.
During the Smallpox epidemic of 1871, or about then,
there weren't any public meetings held in Plain City from September until the
next [larch. The people lived in total fear of the disease.