Earl & Eliza Halls
The following article appeared in the San Juan Record in October 1919:
LOCKERBY DRY FARMER LOSES HIS CROPS BY FIRE
Granary and Stacks of Earl Halls
Consumed When Owner Was Away
Word came in from Lockerby the first of last week that the granary of Earl Halls together with stacks of grain from thirty acres of land had been consumed by fire. Mr. Halls has certainly had an uphill job since starting to replace the sage brush with useful crops. He lost three head of horses and a cow since attempting to make a home on the flats, but feels that he will yet come out on top of the heap.
How the fire started is not known though it is thought that some children who were herding cattle in the field had made a fire to get warm, there being a cold wind blowing at the time and they having gone for matches to make a fire so they could keep warm.
The whole community condoles with Mr. Halls over the loss and sincerely hope it will not seriously cripple his efforts at building a home, well knowing that the labor of clearing sage from land is about all a homesteader can get away with in order to comply with Uncle Sam’s requirements to secure title to land.
(Eliza) While I was visiting in Huntsville, I got a letter from Earl saying our grain stacks had gone up in smoke, set on fire unintentionally by the McDonald girl who was herding their two cows on our east farm. It was one of those bitter, cold, windy days and she and her brother were cold, so they started a fire where one had been before. She thought she was doing okay, but she didn’t take into consideration the wind direction. So our summer’s work and winter’s groceries went up in smoke.
I telegraphed Earl that we were coming, so he could make arrangements for us from Thompson Springs on. When we got up the next morning, there had been a big snow storm all the way through Utah and the roads were closed. Earl sent word that he couldn’t get through, so his father suggested I borrow $40 from my dad and send for Earl. I presume he didn’t have it or didn’t want to lend us any more. Dad let me have it and Earl decided to come north. There was not much to stay for. The grain was gone, so what should we do? No feed. No work. But in the meantime he wrote and said he had got the loan and bought a tractor from June Parson. Chris Christensen offered him a job clearing the school section. I guess that is how they sold the tractor to him. He always visualized how much he would make, but sometimes he forgot the expenses. Anyway, the money was spent. But his father was a bit disappointed. All turned out well, but who can see that far ahead? Also, there was already much snow in San Juan. It was a bad winter, but not as cold as in Huntsville. Earl got the Dean family to come and live in our home for the winter. They were living in a big tent. They could have all the beans they wanted, but were to leave all else alone. I don’t remember what was done with the horses, but they were to care for the chickens. When we came back, everything was as we left it, except they had used a bit of the corn fodder.
1920. We stayed that winter in Huntsville, a few weeks in one place, then the other, so as not to wear them out. In the meantime, before Earl’s mother came home, I remade a couple of her castoff skirts for Pearl and Ruby. The narrow skirts were then in style. Pearl forgot and jumped a ditch. Hers needed some more stitching.
Earl got a job in Ogden Canyon with other guys from Huntsville, old acquaintances. It was a cold job, and along with that he got the flu bug. He got sick one day and had to be brought home. He had them take him to his folks. He was really a sick man. One day Burton came with a bottle of bootleg whiskey. That seemed to do the job. That and plenty of fresh air were the best cure for that influenza.
The kids and I were at Dad Winter’s. I also visited Grandpa Petersen and Burt a couple of weeks, always taking my family with me. They missed Margaret so much. They had found a women to stay with them. Burt let his sister, Anna, in Kaysville, take the baby. Although he married again, he never brought the boy home to live. Burt asked me if I would like Margaret’s clothes, as his hired woman was taking them home one at a time, so I took them.
One day I had to go to town for something and thought I would go on down to Spring Creek and see how Earl was, but when I got to town I just didn’t feel like going further. I was too tired. I think we had been washing that day and I blamed it on that. So instead, I went into Doctor Shield’s office and asked how Earl was doing, and went back. The roads were covered with snow, but well sleigh-tracked, but I have never walked a road that seemed to have no end as on that day. That night I came down with the flu. I was hot and smothering, so I got up and took out the upstairs window, just the right kind of medicine. I was not very sick; neither were Lyle or Dora. We all lost our appetites about the same time. Glenn and Elden didn’t get sick. Father Halls never did get the flu. I told the folks not to let the Halls know we had the flu because with Earl being sick, he would only worry about us, but Ma gave us away. I don’t know why. So Mother Halls came in a bobsled and took us all to her place. She covered us up with a quilt so we couldn’t get the cool air. Lyle and I were isolated in the big bedroom with Earl where there was a stove. They were never very big on the fresh air the way I liked it, and the transom was opened only slightly. But she took good care of us and also Glenn and Elden. It took some time before we were back on our feet again and things were back to normal. Some doctors said plenty of fresh air was the best cure for that flu. Ma had it also and was quite sick. I could tell when I saw her again.