Some Memories from Birth to Age Seven

 

I recently celebrated my 84th birthday, so am starting my 85th year of life. Many times throughout the years I have written journals, but none were written while I was a child on Ross’ Fork and West Fork of Rock Creek. As I recall that life, it is amazing to think about how many things have changed in my lifetime and continue to change rapidly. I was born at Mrs. Martin’s birthing house in Philipsburg and Dr, Knight dropped by carrying his little black bag shortly after to sign my Birth Certificate. My parents (Harry and Nina Stevens, Kammimura Bentz) took me home at a few hours of age, to the Ranch on Ross’ Fork. Grandpa, Billy Bentz and Granny (Mae Downing Bentz) had leased the ranch on the foothill of Mr. Amerine (Emerine) from Al Rupp in 1929. 

Billy had made many improvements over the years and the bathroom had an actual tub installed even though it only had cold water. Neighbor ladies often came and enjoyed soaking in the tub with hot water heated on the cook stove. I was almost five before the indoor toilet was plumbed and shortly after Grandpa died. The lease was not able to be renewed. Dad turned almost 40 head of horses loose to roam the mountains and we left the ranch. 

We lived for a short time in the teacherage at Porter’s Corner. Lucky Strike, Dad’s Quarter Horse put his head through the large front window one morning because we did not feed him as early as he wanted. Norman Bohrnsen helped Dad build a wooden structure in the pickup bed, then we went with Dad who participated in rodeo’s on the weekends and we camped in the parks during the week all that summer. When the rodeo’s were done for the season we returned to an old cabin on the south side of Amerine (Barney Dougherty’s) and the parents started their trap lines. Winter became very harsh and Dad decided we had to get out before we were snowed in. Attempting to navigate the very snow bound road the truck slid and the wooden structure on the back caught on a tree. Dad had to finally saw a corner of the structure off before we could continue. We made it out of the area and traveled up West Fork to the Sutherland ranch on West Fork where they put us up for the night. They informed us that the Berthouds had left the Sapphire Ranch and Dad went to town and found Walt Kaiser who gave us permission to live on the Sapphire ranch the rest of the winter. 

Amenities were few but we had shelter and were able to cut plenty of wood. Water needed to be carried in buckets from a spring about a half mile down the lane and that was my half sister Rosalie and my task every day and multiple times on wash day. A full bucket of water sloshed a lot on five year old legs and it was a miserable task. At least the out door toilet was only a few feet from the main house. Clothes were washed on a washboard placed in a galvanized tub. This same tub served as the bath tub. Clothes were wrung out by hand and then pinned on the clothes line hung out doors. Ironing was done by a flat iron placed on the wood stove until it got very warm and you wet a dish towel and placed over the area you were ironing so it did not get scorched while pressing out the wrinkles. 

When summer came Dad went Rodeoing and Mom, Rosalie, Corky and I fixed fence, irrigated and in August hayed the entire meadow. Mom used a team of horses to mow (Cap and Tom), then rake into rows and then Bull rake the hay to the hay stacker. Rosalie and I sawed down jack pine and peeled them to make teeth for the bull rake; sharpened the mower blades and assisted with the pitch fork to stack the hay. Rosie was able to drive the car hitched to the stacker really fast to carry the hay up and dump it onto the stack. It was not funny watching her try to back up to get in place for the next load, but we somehow always managed to get the car back before Mom returned with another load on the bull rake. 

By fall, even though rural schools were supposed to close, the neighbors were able to get enough students and Jewel Ball to teach us and the Berry house in the sapphire meadow was set up as a school house. Jewel and Bill were allowed to live at the Ewing bungalow (owned by Walt and Irene Kaiser) for the school season. The students were: Wesley Sutherland 6th grade, Naomi Sanders 7th grade (from Trail Gulch), Bill Christensen 4th grade (from Ross’ Fork) , Helen Christensen and Rosalie 3rd grade and Helen Sanders and I were first grade. 

 I received my one and only D in my many years of school from Jewel in Deportment. As school ended one day I still had crayons to put away and asked Rosie to wait for me. Jewel informed me she did not need to wait for me and I responded: “It is none of your business you old SOB.” (but I did not use initials, .stating the full word.) Jewel slapped me sharply across the face and I left her to pick up the crayons. Years later my oldest son was two and went visiting with his paternal grandmother and great grandmother. As they got out of the car Jewel Ball’s dog jumped up on Tim and he stated “Get down you SOB!” Jewel started laughing and said “I know whose kid that is! The in-laws brought Tim home laughing that they knew what I did in the first grade! Dad got a job at the Phosphate mine’s in Avon and we moved to a house north of Avon, after I had my 7th birthday. 

To be continued....