American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-10-26

~ t+~'f ~ boof4 Aht pains III llE ulSl
handcart company Of 1856 and came
direct to Salt Lake City. His mother,
Annie %Shackleton. a native of England.
came to America in 1860. crossed the
plains in an Ok team emigrant train
me same year, and also came direct
70 SAT- AXE City. The father died in
1910 and is laid TO res. in Logan, Utah:
the mother still resides in Logan.
aged II years. David j. Bowen lived
in Salt Lake City with his parents
until 1869 in which year the family
moved TO Henderson creek. Malad val
ley Idaho, the head OF the family en-
gaging in farming and stockraising.
AFTER seven years of residence there
the family removed TO Samaria. near
Malad. In 1884 David J. Bowen was
married to Mary S. Smith. a native O.
spanish Fork, Utah, and in 1855 thes
went to the Salt river country i'm
wyoming, the intention being to go in
70 farming but the conditions were SO
u~nGaVorable that after three years they
returned to Spanish Fork. Utah. ana
IN 1892 again took up residence az
Samaria, Idaho. In June. 1892. Mr.
Bowen made his first trip into what
was then known as Bannock valley.
now Arbon valley, accompanied by 5
D and H. E.. Davis Of Samaria. 5. D.
Davis had been in the district where
Mr.. Bowen's ranch is located now some
time previous in company with a
Spanish teacher at the Brigham Young
academy in Provo, Utah, and this
%Spaniard had reported a running
stream in n Of the canyons of the
mountain. When Mr.. Bowen found
That this stream-nOw known as Knox
creek-was a permanent water course
and not a mere freshet from melting
snow, he staked out his claim on the
unsurveyed land. S. D. Davis. now
an attorney of Malad, staked out a
claim just to the north. Mr.. Bowen
lived on his claim and began improv-
ing it, building in the fall of 1898 the
first settlers log cabin erected in Ar
bon valley north of the west fork of
BannOck creek. Cowboys had built
small shacks in the valley near the
creek bottoms, but they were not set
tiers cabins, and to Mr.. Bowen be-
longs the credit Of being the pioneer
rancher of the valley. The logs for
this cabin We're cut from a quaken
aspen grove in Knox canyon and the
old cabin still stands on its original
location. The pioneer and his family
lived in this cabin three summers.
spending the winter months in Sa-
maria. The third season enough hav
and grain was grown TO winter the
stock and the family remained on the
mountain ranch that winter. Mr..
Bowen's brother-in-law. W. T. Haw-
kins, and his family stayed on the
ranch that winter and occupied the
cabin. while the wner and his family
took up their quarters in a log struc-
ture now used as a stable.
Was First Postmaster.
r In 1897 a larger log cabin wa.
2 erected and three or four years latel
: another was added to it. and thi,
= roomy and neat cabin is now occupie,
$ as the home. In this log cabin wa.
installed the first %postoffice of Arbol
valley. with Mr.. Bowen the first post
S master. in 1898. David Bowen. Z. Fl
r. Davis. George Arbon. J.. r. Bailey. l.
p. Evans. the Ward brothers and tn
I Anderson brothers We're the settler
I then living in the vicinity. and Georg
. Arbon being the oldest in point o
years the pOstOffice was named ArbOl
in his honor and subsequently the val
ley was also named after him. Nj
e Bowen served as postmaster about
d ear and a half. J.. r. Bailey succeed
$ ing him and serving II years. Tn.
government would not give a cOntrac
e for carrying the mail, for six month.
requiring the patrons to take turn
g about in carrying mail from Malad, 81
p miles away, Fred Paine being the frs
carrier hired by the settlers. In tn.
d spring of 1899 the government let
q contract for the carrying of the mail
p d. B. Evans being the first officia
S carrier. In those days the mail wa.
carried on the saddle or in a wagon
K but now the mail is brought in by au
tomobile three times a week. Nh
= Bowen relates that the cancellation
for the first quarter of his term a
postmaster amounted to S1.32. Mis-.
r. Louie Leavitt, the present postmistres
Of ArbOn. states that the quarterl.
revenue from cancellation and none.
, order fees goes we'll over 500 now.
e Mr.. Bowen tates that last winte
vas the longest and the most sever
Of any endured by him since he frs
located on his ranch. On the who'll
the winters have been endurable AM
e the hardships Occasioned by them ha
been not too severe. In all the year
Of his residence on the ranch the In
dams have been his good friends. hunt
ing and camping near his ranch an
never causing any trouble.
Mr.. Bowen comes from that part o
Utah where irrigation is practiced il
its most perfect form and he at frs
believed that dry farming in the noun
tain country was an impOssibility. H
{ stated TO the Pilgrim that it was tn
mountain stream running down Kno
E canyon which decided him to locate OF
j. his claim. Notwithstanding his frs
belief, he has made good both as a dr.
5 farmer in the growing of grain and j
the growing of irrigated alfalfa. TIL
mountain stream of Knox canyon ha
y for many years been put 10 use i'm il
a rigating alfalfa fields. Work on tn