The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-04
IN EARLY DAYS
7 Of MACKAY TOWN
How. 1t Appeared Nine Years
Ago, When Houston Was
in Its Heyday.
ADVENTURES OF A POET
IN SEARCH OF WORK
Sun, Sand, Sage and Solitude
Settled Supreme on the
Smoky Site.

MACKAY, Ida, Aug. 24-The fol
lowing reminiscence of early days at
Mackay is given to Tribune CORE
spondent by Clarence Z, Eddy, the
poet-prospector:'
1t Is nine years ago this summer since
sun. sand, sage and solitude reigned su-
preme on the present site of Mackay.
1t was In fact the haunts OF the coy
otes. who came because II was the home
OF the jack rabbits, who lived here be-
cause the jumping was good and they
had a chance 10 handle themselves. But
even the jack rabbits knew that some
thing was about TO happen.
Houston was then In its hey-deys lt
was the metropolis, not only or Lost
river. but OF all Custer county. It had
tural resources. 1t was the home OF the
frcighter and the trading point of the
White Knob mine. But, more than this,
the railroad was looming upon the hori-
zon and the town was crowded with all
kinds of strangers. 1t had half dozen
saloons and all the luXuries and delights
of civilization.
Houston in It's Glory.
In order to give a pen picture OF Hous.
ION in all its pristine glory L must at
this time depend solely upon my own
memory and personal experiences i had
been on campaign OF hay-pltching ana
prospecting on the Little Lost river ana
Pahsamarci and having heard frequent
it over through the Pass creek cany on
and on a sunny afternoon early IN sep
tember came in sight OF the broad val
ley. streaked with the smoke or purn-
Ing sage and reverberatinG with the boom
Of blasts.
Arriving at the suburbs Of Houston.
the shadows were falling, cooi from tne
willows. and evening camp fires were
beginning TO glow. The loud hee-haW
of mules told that II was feeding time,
and. passing a water-wheel where some
IL IY1DkN
was in the metropolis, for there was a
rolden-haired young lady with blue
dress. and the town was full OF teams ana
men. The buildings. old and new, were
evening progressed tho town filled up
mysteriously with men from the Jun
giles" All the seats were filled IN the
saloons and drinkers were three deep
at the bar Everywhere there was eat
ine and drinking with a zest, conee
boiling and beef-steak Sizzling, ana le the
cooks were not all men. either, Tor tne
cheerful presence OF women was no. i'1o -
able feature. and the most faVoraple
lodging and eating houses were those
kept by the ladies.
Pioneers of Prohibition.
got the Houston bcef-steak habit;
and after broiling several by SuourDan u
sage brush fire l slept soundly In a
wagon box and next morning in lieu OF
breakfast l took cold bath In an It'll It'll
eating ditch and started out 10 loon loon
for work I found John Jones, VINO "aS
running a newspaper In the town. ana
he Invited me up to interview myself. so
/ stepped TO the case and set sonletIllilS
near a column on the great scenic beau-
tIes of Little Lost river and IaSS creek
canvon the need of a better road from
that direction and tho general posslDlll-
ties of the country through lrrIe5''3tl., ttl ~, !.
etc Someone afterwards reyampcd the e
article for outside papers. ana maue tite
walls OF Pass creek thousands OF lee'
In height and Lost river capable OF sup
porting In luxury a vast popmlatlon' ! ne iic
papers about that m tune al az mi nI If sI, ac-
counts of President MckinleYs asSasSiha-
tIon Jones had plan 10 Eel ouI ~ r.
cial edition on Houston ana was So,ns
10 bace mo stay and write IL, but events
were shaping fast for tho new town OF
Mackay, and as a matter OF newspaper
enterprise about the first building H;ae .fSae
was rushed to completlon as INC bn knnlvn ntlu
OF Jones's paper. henceforth TO be Know, ", u
Nc "The Mackay Telegraph. WIN the
fIo Jones brothers and their printer as
the pioneers OF prohibition.
A Mackay "Mule- Skinner"
II was now pretty hard TO find work.
for harvest was closing and the couiltIS
was overrun with men from the railway
nov drawing to completion. l climbed
tho long road up by Cliff and was one Oh
a dozen men that tackled foreman ~ pay a
OF the White Knob mine. Wherever MI
0,ray Is now he will remember that at
taat tnat,acbe pStI and when l, as first of those
present applied for work ne sald: -
-, - we amt hirin any men To-
dav.'' "That settles it," said the others
and hack we all started for Houston,
some planning to go where JoDs were
more plentiful, but as Tor mysells l IT, ~
solved TO stay and grow up WIN tne m
country" L borrowed a shotgun on
shares" and went over In the Swauger
field and thought I was In line 10 nave
fried duck for supper puueo tne 'Iis
ger and the gun belched iIS contents' ~ ,
10 nv surprise. the duck flew away Win
a loud uuack and Mr.. Swauger came our
and forcibly informed me that trespassins
was not permitted on those premises; he
said he didn't really care about the dncks @
but that strangers shooting In there
were lust as apt to hit q steor and he had
10 put a stop to it, j then skirted around
toward the present site OF Mackay: mop
ing I could induce some )ack-TaDoit "
hold still long enough for my aim, But
I found that the, confidence or tho jack
rabbit had already been so abused that
ho was 10th to bestow It upon strangers.
When / came about the memorable spot
where south Maclay" afterwards STOOD
there was a camp of the Utah Construc-
ton company and one OF their teamsterS
having taken a layoff TO see IF ne could
Houston. | was appointed mule skinner"
In his place They set me out some sup
per and warned mo to not wash as IL
was against the rules OF the camp and
HnTODG
a "tcnderfoot." I was set to feed the
mules out of nose bags and currS them
that night so we would be mutually
acquainted. One was mouse colored
mule with white belly and ears large as
the paddles OF an alrship. The other was
O. slab sided. solemn. thoughtful sort OF
bay mule who seemed to brood over some
deep wrong that had been perpetrated
upon him in his youth. But ! was told he
was all right so long as l didn't let the
line get under his tall and the best way
TO prevent that was TO keep MIN busy
We got out to work while the dew was
on the valley and with some kind of Il
brief interim at noon we kept at IT toll
the shades of evening, making emoank-
ment for the railroad to Macsay. 1t WIS
a constant circling round and round In u
choking dust with IL big Irishman filling
the scrapers and swearing In high soprano
for there was multitude OF teams, l
didn't have AIRY trouble with the mules,
Their disposition harmonized with mine
remarkably In fact there must havo
been n mutual understanding between all
OF the mules that they wouldn't work
overtime for they always set up loud
"he- -haw'' right in accordance with the
regulator.
put inst when all the mules were be-