Life History of Judge Samuel Swanner. Tape #126

Transcription

1 Voices from the Past Life History of Judge Samuel Swanner Interviewee: Sterling Swanner July 11, 1978 Tape #126 Oral Interview conducted by Harold Forbush Transcribed by: Amanda Hoffmann November 2009 Edited by: Lisa Blaylock May 2010 Brigham Young University- Idaho

2 Harold S. Forbush: This tape contains an interview with Sterling C. Swanner, S-W-A-N- N-E-R. Who s a son of Samuel Swanner the one whose life is being considered in this interview. It s my opportunity invite and welcome Mr. Swanner the son to my home this evening the 11 day of July, 1978 here at Rexburg, Idaho. It s interesting to note that his father lived two or three years here in Rexburg, when Rexburg was just a little settlement and then he went on into Teton Valley, but we ll get into that. Mr. Swanner it s a real privilege to have you here tonight to talk about your father. First of all where do you live? What s your residence and what has been your principle occupation? Sterling Swanner: Well I live about a mile and a half north of Rigby by the Jefferson Hill golf course. I got a couple acres there on the dry bed. I live there. HF: And your principle business down through the year s occupation: SS: Well for the last forty years it s been a mechanic worked as a mechanic. Now I am a shop foreman for the State of Idaho Department of Highways in District 6 for twenty three years I retired four years ago. HF: That s very interesting. Now I think you ve told me you were the youngest of your father s children SS: Right HF: The son of his second marriage. SS: Right HF: And we ll get into that in just a little bit but there s quite a lot of interest of Sam Swanner, Samuel Swanner and its with that purpose of gaining knowledge about this man that we re here tonight. First I d like to have you tell me where he was born and where he lived during the years of his life and then his death date. SS: Well he was born in counsel bluff Iowa January 28, Then he came to Utah I think he said he was 13 or 14 years old he came to Salt Lake and I don t know I guess he didn t stay home very much or very long until he went to the parade outfit all the prairie of Idaho Montana. HF: He lived at Smithfield that s where he was married SS: Yeah he lived at Smithfield for a while I don t know how long I can t; I never did know I guess. HF: Then he apparently came into Idaho when Idaho was still a territory. SS: I think so yeah.

3 HF: 86 I believe it says there and lived in Rexburg for three years then rest of his life he spent in Teton Valley didn t he? SS: Yeah when he moved up there and took that homestead why he never left, I mean he made that a permanent home. HF: And he died what s the date of his death? SS: I believe the 8 th of January, I think he lived about 20 days of being 89 and then he died. HF: I see. SS: I m pretty sure it was the 8 th of January the 7 th or 8 th. HF: You know it s kind of interesting to think about how he was born in Council Bluff. Was his people Mormons? SS: Yes HF: Were they? SS: Yeah that s the reason they come to Salt Lake. HF: Came to Salt Lake. Yeah. Okay and I suppose he was baptized when he was a child or something and was a member of the church. SS: Well I imagine I m not sure but I imagine he was. HF: Umhum SS: And I know his brothers and sisters were stanch Mormons. HF: Would you classify him as an active Latter-day Saint? SS: No, he wasn t a Mormon at all. HF: He wasn t. SS: I don t know what you call it but he left the church I guess. HF: I see, but when you knew him and as far as you know he didn t remain active in the church. SS: No

4 HF: Did he have kinda negative feelings towards the church do you think? SS: Well more or less yeah I think so. HF: More or less. SS: Course when he was a deputy marshal he had to arrest polygamists. HF: Right, right. SS: and all that stuff he couldn t very well have been one. HF: well it sounds a little bit if it would be kinda like being what does they say Dr. Hyde and Jekyll, and Dr. Hyde or something like that he wasn t that (laughing). SS: So he was you know in kind of bitter against the church. HF: Yeah SS: as I remember his folks came out here and then his dad and mother some way I think go over to the church or something they separated and his old man went back to Iowa. He left his family. HF: That would be your grandfather. SS: yeah, but I don t dad ever knew what became of him he just left and went back to Iowa I don t know if we ever heard from him again or not. HF: That s interesting um let s describe your father as you remember him. First of all what was his approximate height? SS: About six feet HF: Weight SS: 165 lbs. HF: Was he a thin rugged type of individual? SS: Well no he wasn t. HF: Not to thin well he d be kinda thin though if he was 165? SS: He wasn t fat no he wasn t skinny either he was a pretty solid built. HF: Yeah. What color of hair?

5 SS: White ever since I knew him. HF: Is that right? SS: White as could be and curly. HF: And he had quite a lot of hair a full head of hair? SS: No he was bald on top, but he had a pretty good head of hair except right on top. HF: Right on top. Now what color eyes. SS: Grey HF: Grey eyes, was he kind of full faced or thin faced. SS: He was thin faced I d say. HF: Kinda thin faced. SS: Quite a large nose. HF: Complexion, what kind of complexion? SS: kind of long nosed, light complexioned. HF: light complexioned. Do you recall him having a kind of a boomy voice? Did he have a loud voice was he how bout his voice do you remember? SS: It wasn t too loud no HF: Soft spoken kinda SS: Yeah mostly HF: Mmhmm. Do you think he was quite a strong willed man? SS: Yeah HF: Quite strong willed, was he a disciplinarian? SS: Yes HF: He believed in applying the rod? SS: No, he didn t need to.

6 HF: Didn t need to? SS: He said something, why you better do what he said. HF: I see. SS: But he never was you know, he never went around whipping kids or nothing. HF: Was there quite a close relationship between himself and his sons and daughters? SS: No, not too close no. HF: After the kids grew up and moved away they didn t come back to much? SS: It wasn t a very close nit family no. HF: Wasn t it? SS: Because my half brother, the one just older than me he went to Main about, Then we never seen him again he never come back and nobody ever went out there. He got a family back there in Main. HF: Is that right. SS: He s dead now we communicate sometimes with his widow? HF: I see. SS: And does he have kids? HF: mmhumm SS: But I never seen him since 1917 or 18 when he went to Main. The oldest one of the family Willard he went to Colorado, Longmont, Colorado. He run a shop there had his own garage and he died down in Forts Scout Kansas and I haven t seen him for 20 years. I guess before he died. HF: I see well now how many children were there to the first marriage? Let s see we indicated that he had married Celia Morrell, M-O-R-E-L-L. SS: Right. HF: In a 1873, and she was a girl of Cash Valley and they lived at apparently they lived at Smithfield.

7 SS: Mmhmm HF: For a while didn t they? SS: Yeah. HF: Now you showed me a little card, Sterling, of an invitation that was sent out in Now you might read that it fixes a date at least that he and his family were still living at Smithfield, Utah. SS: Yeah, A grand inauguration ball will be given in the Smith Field home by the Smithfield drill band, on Wednesday evening march 4, 1885; to which yourself and ladies are cordially invited tickets will be forty cents. Committee: S. Swanner, T.C. Kragen, E. Elkington, and P. Jones. HF: And who was that card sent to, to Samuel Swanner? SS: It isn t addressed to anyone. HF: I see, I see. SS: Well now wait a minute. HF: It sounds like yourself, see it sounds like SS: There s a name W.A. Thomas on the back, whatever that means I don t know Its hand written. HF: Hand written SS: Yeah written in pencil HF: It s really something isn t it; it s well preserved too isn t it. SS: Yeah it s a nice card HF: It s in good condition yet and my gosh that s almost 100 years old. SS: Right HF: That s fantastic you ve kept really good care of that. SS: Mmhmm HF: But that fixes him still in Smith Field, Utah. Apparently at that time and it s kind of interesting. Now as I understand it what we might do here is have you read from that

8 book, a little biographical sketch of Sam Swanner. You can indicate the name of the book and the page so on where it s found. SS: Shall I read the whole thing? HF: Yeah, why don t you read the whole thing on tape, just a minute here. SS: Well the name of the book is progressive men of Idaho, dated 1904: The ancestral chain of Mr. Swanner runs back through two generations of life in America to Germany. For centuries the ancestral families have been resident ever contributing to the welfare of the respective communities and to the enhancement of the general good. The paternal grandfather James Swanner immigrated to America in the beginning of the 19 th century and located as a farmer in Pennsylvania, where he lived to be an old man long surviving his wife and standing high in the community. His son Samuel the father of the junior post master of Haden Fremont County Idaho attained mature life and married in the neighborhood of the parental homestead in Pennsylvania. Thereafter moving to Iowa in 1848 and becoming an early pioneer settler of Monona County, where he developed and cultivated a fine farm until 1863 when with his family he joined the migration to Oregon. Thereafter settling at Smith Field, Cash County Utah, and identifying himself in farming operation till his death in 1878 at the age of 68 years. His wife in maiden hood Ms. Mary Cole was born in Pennsylvania where she was reared and educated and married, being the faithful and uncomplaining companion of her husband through all there married experiences and dying in 1894 at the age of 73 years. The mother of nine children the eldest being Samuel the immediate subject of this narrative. Mr. Swanner was early taught the dignity of labor exemplifying the theory by studious practical attention to the duties and the various homesteads of his parents until he was 15 years of age, when he took up the rigorous and strenuous life of a freighter, conducting this to many points and with large financial success until When marring he made his residence in Smith Field, Utah and engaged in the prosecution of carpentry until 1886 which year marked his event in Idaho. As he then made his family home in Rexburg there continuing operations in contracting and building until 1889 when the possibilities of securing advantages is presented in the Teton Basin, induced him to remove thither, secure a homestead, and engage in a productive branch of the stage grade industrial, the raising of stock. From that time to the present he has been intimately concerned in every enterprise of the public movement of the basin, receiving the commission of post master of Hayden in 1901, also holding the office of justice of the peace and the important educational run of school trustee. In the republican political party he takes a distinctive rank as a member of the Connie committee of the same party, being universally recognized as a man of strong character, fertile resources, and great executive ability.

9 Further evidence of his capability to successfully and credibly hold official trust is given by his efficient service as deputy United States Marshal to Blackfoot Idaho, for a period of eight years; as undersheriff of Bingham County for four years, under Sheriff Samuel Taylor and by his capable administration of the duties of stock inspector of Bingham Country for two years. On August 31, 1873 were solemnized the marriage rights uniting Mr. Swanner with the most estimable lady, Ms. Celia Morrell a native of Utah, the daughter of William and Matilda Kelsey Morrell. In her death at the age of 44 years on November 22, 1901 the whole community sustained a superior loss Mr. and Ms. Swanner were parents of the following children; Elijah, Willard, Clarence, Harold, Elvira, Claudine, Glen, and Shirley. HF: Thank you very much that s very interesting. Now as I understand it from you Sterling lets see how many children does that make? Eight, eight children and then the mother of these children died in August of 1901 and I take it that she passed away in Haden or up in that area. She s probably buried in the Hayden cemetery. SS: Right. HF: Okay then when did your father, how quickly did he remarry? SS: I m not sure, about 1906 I would guess. HF: It was about four or five years later that he remarried. SS: Yeah HF: To whom did he marry? SS: Rosina Shafer from Salt Lake HF: Schafer how do you spell that SS: S-C-H-A-F-E-R I believes the way they spelled it. HF: And this was your mother SS: yes HF: How many children were born of that marriage? SS: One just me. HF: Just you. And when were you born?

10 SS: April 5, HF: April the 5 th 1909 and where? SS: In Hayden. HF: You indicated the death date of your father, did your mother continue to live after him? SS: Yes she lived several years after him. HF: Do you recall the date of her death? SS: I can t tell you exactly. HF: Alright, now so with your birth in nine in 1909 you were oh thirty years old or so 12 years old, wait a minute how old were you when your father passed away? SS: I was 29 HF: You d be about 29 so you SS: 30 HF: About 30 yeah, so you can recall much about your father his personality and his appearance as you ve given it to me and quite a lot about it. Now when the family moved from Rexburg they went to Teton Valley do you know where they settled in Teton Valley? SS: Yes, on that ranch on the river. HF: On the river SS: Now there was it belonged to a fella as I recall his name was Tim winters and he had started to homestead and my dad bought him out and took up his homestead and he told my dad I m getting out of here, he says it s getting to thickly populated he said, I m going over to Green River, Wyoming there s too many people around here. There s probably dozens of people, dozen families in the whole valley. HF: Yeah they say that when you could see smoke across the valley or on the other side of the hill it was about time to move on. Did your dad ever comment on what things were like when he went to the valley in 1889? SS: Oh yeah quite a bit. When he first built he built right down on the river. HF: What did he build?

11 SS: On the bank of the river he put up the log house and a barn corral stayed there a year or two and he couldn t stand the mosquitoes. So he had to move up on the east side of the place a half mile from the river. Got away form the mosquitoes a little you know got there in the wind where a little breeze kept them away, but down on that river in the brush why he said they couldn t stand it. They stayed there two or three years then moved up on the east side of the place. HF: But he still retained the ranch? SS: Yeah 160 acres. HF: 160, now would you say that would be how far south of the bridge that crosses the Teton. SS: Highway Bridge? HF: mmhmm how far south would that be? SS: Be about a mile and a half I imagine. HF: Along with the river, as the river moves along there. SS: Well as the crow flies it be about a mile and a half, tow or three miles if you following the river HF: Because it meanders quite a bit in there doesn t it. SS: Yeah HF: Did he become a stock raiser. SS: Yeah he had cattle and he had horses. In my time he had horses but before my time he had cattle. HF: What kind of horses did he raise? SS: Well he had a HF: Specialize in any breed? SS: Pretty much Percheron he had a Percheron stallion. HF: Big horses work horses. SS: Mostly.

12 HF: Now would that ranch have produced any, any real crops such as grain and so on or was it pretty much cattle. SS: We never had a plow in it while he had it. HF: I see. SS: Well he tried to plow some of it in the beginning and he plowed up alkali couldn t raise up anything. And it took years before he got that alkali washed away until he could raise hay on it again. So there s never a plow other than the garden spot. HF: Now you say he built first a log house on the bank and then he moved on up the east side of the place and built another home. SS: Well he moved the same one the same log house. HF: He moved it up there SS: Yeah right the buildings too. HF: And the buildings? SS: The logs we just had a log stable that we moved up on the east side, he built a big frame barn. HF: But still kept the old log home? SS: Well they kept it till I was, oh I don t know six, seven years old then, when they built a new one. HF: On the east side of his, in that same area. SS: Yeah same location. HF: Did he continue living there till he moved into Driggs? SS: Yeah he lived there until 37 when we moved to Tetonia. HF: To Tetonia? SS: mmhmm HF: Who were some of your close neighbors there, during the years you were growing up Sterling? SS: You mean on the ranch?

13 HF: uhu right. SS: well there was Breckenridge was on the north then there HF: That d be Jim, Bill SS: Preston HF: and Preston. SS: And then on the east there was Hadwicks and then further up the crick half a mile there was the McCracken place. HF: Jim McCracken SS: Yeah, right. HF: and his family. Harrop was on SS: They were down the river. HF: Down the river from you? SS: Yeah they were down by the bridge. HF: That was that would be Frank s dad. SS: Sam Harrop, yes. HF: Sam Harrop. SS: That s Frank and Ray s dad HF: Frank and Ray s father, who else lived down a long there, recall? SS: Well between Breckenridges and Harrops there was Ronnald s, Walkraullunds and I can t think of the other two or three. HF: Do you remember the event of the Rail road coming to Tetonia. SS: No that was in 1911, I wasn t very old then. HF: About 1911 or 12 along in there and you don t specifically recall that. SS: No

14 HF: Because of the rail road move, Tetonia was formed and started settlement. SS: Right, the move to town of Hayden part of it up there. HF: Up to Tetonia. SS: To Tetonia to be on the railroad. HF: Now this infers that your father was a post master there at Hayden. SS: Right HF: Do you recall him serving as a post master? SS: No, that was before my time. HF: That was before your time. SS: I can t remember anything about Hayden. HF: Can t you? SS: All I can remember there some old building there, I went to school there for eight years at the school house that s still in Hayden. The town itself moved up to the railroad tracks. HF: Now Richfield is that what it was called Richveil? SS: Richveil HF: Rechveil was what on further south and west across the river. SS: It was across the river about well it was just about due west of us, but it was oh a couple of miles west of the river. HF: Where do you locate the town site of Hayden, with reference to Sam Harrops place? SS: Well it would be south and east, it would be about a mile south and a half mile east I would guess. HF: I see now when the old stage lines and so forth came up through Hayden did they cross the river on south of where the Harrops bridge is. You know where Sam Harrops place is where the bridge is now it must have been further south wasn t it?

15 SS: Well no, but there used to be a kind of a half way house there where Sam Harrops ranch is at one time. I don t remember it, but I ve heard of them tell about it HF: A half way house where the stage coach would stop. SS: I think so, yes. HF: you would get a new SS: Get something to eat or a room or something. HF: Fresh change of horses maybe or whatever. SS: Yeah right they had a big barn there. HF: That wouldn t have been in Hayden then. SS: No. HF: Hayden was on further south and east. SS: Right. HF: Have you heard your dad talk about how many years he served as a post master there at Hayden? SS: No I ve never hears him say. HF: Was there any comment as you recall how they got the mail into Hayden? SS: Well they carried the mail for a year or two. HF: From where to where? Did he have to come out to Rexburg to get it? SS: He came to Rexburg or St. Anthony. HF: To get it SS: Right. He carried it on skis in the winter went over the point of the mountain. He didn t follow the road through Clemensville like we do now. HF: Yeah that d shorten it a bit I guess didn t it. SS: Yeah, he crossed Canyon Crick a little way above where we cross to the south.

16 HF: Do you recall your dad ever talking about any experiences that he had as a mail carrier? That d be a pretty lonely life it d be a pretty daring life I think. SS: No I ve heard him tell one time about running into some elk in the west hills there and he drove some of them down to the river on the skis and the snow was crusted. The reason he could drive them was because if they go along walk slowly stay on the crust, if they try to run why they break through. He drove two or three of them down off the river and then let them go I think I don t think he bothered them. He did it for the fun of it, a cow or two. HF: Do you ever recall him making any comments about Ed Trafton and up in there? See Ed lived around the point of the mountain somewhere around there. SS: Yeah he had a ranch up there; oh I ve heard him mention him yes. HF: He knew him I suppose didn t he? SS: Yeah he knew him. HF: Do you get the impression that he felt that Ed was a pretty good Indian at that time, pretty good injun as they might say. He was law abiding wasn t he? SS: No not too law abiding I guess, if ya ask me. HF: I see. SS: He robbed the stage coach you know, in the park. HF: Yeah this was in 1915 or 16 when that happened; you d just still be a kid. SS: Then he dynamited a store in St. Anthony supposedly. HF: Oh SS: He didn t do much damage, he put dynamite on the window sill I guess he didn t cover it up so it didn t do much but blow out the window. HF: And the purpose of that was what? SS: I don t know. HF: To cause commotion so he could take whatever he wanted? SS: I don t know it was that or just revenge I guess. He was kind of vengeful maybe he was mad and wanted to get even.

17 HF: Do you recall of your father ever saying anything about any form of education he may have had? SS: I think he said he went through 4 th grade. HF: There, maybe in Iowa. SS: In Iowa. HF: The book there that you read in infers that he was a US deputy marshal; I don t think it said to whom to. SS: Didn t say no. HF: But he was for eight years a deputy marshal. Has he ever told you and his family about those years of being a deputy marshal some of the experiences he had. SS: Not too much. He told about one experience I don t know if he was marshal then or sheriff or undersheriff HF: Of Bingham county? SS: They got some fellas for stealing horses. They was up the river from our ranch where our ranch was what they call the island. And they went up there and camped there in the night and got in his stable and the next morning when they come out there was some shooting and one of them was shot. His name was Lum Nickerson one of the fellas they was after. That happened before he moved to the Basin before 89 I know that cause they come from Blackfoot went up there to get these guys and in the process they shot one of them HF: Lum Nickerson. SS: Yeah. HF: He was quite a horse thief wasn t he? SS: Yeah, I can t remember who was with him there was two or three more with him, but anyway they hauled him out in a wagon and he died a few days later I think they took him to Blackfoot and the jail there. HF: He died later? SS: He died yeah. HF: Do you remember him ever telling you about a Roberson, Robinson, or Robeson? He was another outlaw I think up in there.

18 SS: Yeah I can t remember but a HF: Well now your dad a must have been a deputy while he was in the valley. SS: He was yes, because I ve heard from my older brothers tell about him being gone for months you know. They d be alone on the ranch because he d be gone away from the ranch on law business. HF: I see. When he would leave how would he go? By horse back? SS: Yeah. HF: Do you recall traditionally if he had a special horse that he particularly had for years that he had a lot of trust in or something? Do you remember any comments about anything like that? A horses he road? SS: Well I know after I was big enough I know he had a horse or tow that he would ride. He had a black horse which was part Hambltonian he s real, real live horse he liked to get out and go real proud lively. HF: Do you remember any saddles riding equipment that was handed down that your dad still had after he more or less retired. Keep sake or something like that of his former days of activity. SS: He had a good saddle, but he sold it to someone I don t know who to. He couldn t ride so he sold his saddle. HF: You showed me a little riffle or a little gun that he used during his years as a deputy I suppose. Would you pick that up and describe it the year and some of the workmanship on it I think it would be helpful in describing it on the tape. SS: Well it s a colt the barrel is inscribed colt frontier six shooter it s a caliber 44 four and five eighths inch barrel single action nickel plated ivory handles. HF: Have it mark as to the year it was issued? SS: The cereal number is the latest patent date on it is January the 19 th 75. HF: If he owned that, actually it would have been about 23 years old the date that was issued. You have no idea when he acquired it? SS: No it s an early model though because of the cereal number. It s what is known as in the trade as a black powder gun that old cereal number is black powder they don t recommend smokeless powder loads then.

19 HF: With black powder they had to load each time didn t they? SS: What? HF: With black powder did they had to load each time? SS: No they had fixed ammunition just like now only it was black powder. HF: Oh, only black powder. SS: Yeah right. That kind of design for black powder some of them were not quite strong as smokeless powder. HF: Has your dad commented about that gun when he used it and what years did he use it? SS: Well he stopped carrying it oh I don t remember him carrying it after my time he went to more modern guns then. I remember he carried a 22 automatic and he had a colt that he carried. Then later years he had a 22 colt woodsman he liked that really well. That was the last gun he ever had. HF: Now these years you were talking about, what he used them just for hunting purposes. SS: mostly. HF: He wasn t involved in any law enforcement capacity was he? SS: No when he carried his 32 was when he was judge up at Driggs and sometimes he d carry that 32 automatic. HF: Now what you say when he was judge was he the first probate judge of Teton County? SS: Right he was appointed by HF: He was appointed by the governor in July of 1915 and did he serve was he ever elected? SS: I don t think so. HF: So he served for two years until 1917 and then Mike Burn became the magistrate or became the probate judge SS: Right HF: And you mentioned that he carried a 32 when he was judge.

20 SS: Well he owned one yeah I remember he bought one at that time a 32 automatic. HF: And by that time this particular 44 colt is that what you call it? SS: Yeah HF: Was more or less a kind of an antique in the home. SS: Well in fact he gave it to my brother Harold, he had it for years and then my dad wanted me to have it so he traded Harold another gun and got it back and gave it to me. HF: We ve talked about jurisdiction here a little bit of coarse between 1885 and 1893 this country up here was all Bingham County. Let s see your dad very likely could have been a deputy of Bingham County, a deputy sheriff of Bingham County. He could have been at the same time a US Marshall in the territory between 86 and 89 along in there. It s hard to know. In 93 I know Fremont County was created and Fremont County embraced all of the counties that are now known as Jefferson, Madison, Clark, Fremont, and Teton that was in 1893 and by that time your dad had gone into the Basin hadn t he. SS: Mmhmm HF: Is it your kinda your understanding that he was, well let s see, he was a post master wasn t he. SS: Right. HF: Up in Hayden. Was he a Justice of the Peace at any time? SS: I think he was at one time yeah I think he motioned it in the book here. HF: And then he was um he was a first probate judge of Teton County. SS: Right. HF: Wasn t he, he was named by the governor appointed by the governor as a probate judge. Now are there any stories that come to your mind about your father in his role as a probate judge? Let s see you would have been let s see 1909 you would have been six or seven years old SS: I remember one story he told. Idaho was dry at the time under local option and they d run booze from Wyoming into Idaho and they caught a car load coming from Jackson between Driggs and Victor. Somewhere they caught them loaded with wine and whiskey and the rest of the people in the car brought the whole works into Driggs cept the booze as evidence and the sheriff had the booze in his custody and after the trial it was supposed to be destroyed.

21 HF: Mmhumm SS: And it was the judges duty to see that it was destroyed. HF: Mmhmm SS: So he said he kept after the sheriff to get rid of that booze, but he kept putting it off and putting it off. Finally they he got him to take it out and destroy it, but when they destroyed it there was hardly anything left in any of the bottles most of them were empty. (Laughter) They didn t know where the whiskey and wine went they just busted a lot of empty bottles. HF: Did your dad continue to be quite actively engaged as he got older in life. SS: Oh yeah, yeah. HF: You have a little ribbon there read what s on that this would indicate a little bit what he did. SS: Well this democratic state convection Idaho Falls, Idaho August 24, 1920 he was a delegate to that. Then he used to lead the parades on the 4 th of July here s a picture of him on his horse here. I don t know when it was taken in the early 1900 I d say, picture of main street of Driggs. HF: Now what kind of horse did he have what color of horse this was a black and white picture wasn t it? SS: Yes it s either a black or a dark brown horse it s a dark horse anyway. HF: Nice saddle nice a bridle it shows this. Was your dad wearing a hat? SS: Yeah with a plume in it. HF: With a plume. SS: A white ostrich feather or something. HF: I see was he dressed quite in a regal outfit. SS: No he had a suit on. HF: Is he the only one shown in the picture on his horse. SS: He s the only one you d recognize there s some in the background there but you can t recognize, but there too small too indistinct.

22 HF: Mmhmm are there any other items you got there? SS: Here s one of him playing his drum he used to play drum a lot. HF: For a little orchestra a little music band SS: So he played snare drum. HF: Oh I see. SS: I still have the drum. HF: The end of the interview.