American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-10-26
ARROWS FIRST SETTLER
Is 4 GOOD FARMER
d. J.. Bowen, Builder OF First Cabin,
and First Postmaster, Still a Resi-
dent OF the Valley.

Some people who have been in the
county less than a score Of years
count themselves as among the pio-
neers. In a Measure they are, but they
are not in a class with David ]. Bowen
of Arbon, who was one of three men
to begin the making of a home there
t%wenty-four years ago.
From nearly any point of Arbon val
LEY north of the west fork of Bannock
creek can be seen a row of tall Lom-
hardy poplar trees at the foot OF
Bowen's peak, at the west edge of the
valley. These tall trees mark the
home of David ]. Bowen, the pioneer
settler and rancher of Arbon valley,
and on the home site still stands the
little log cabin erected by him in the
fall of 1893. This rancher is a de-
scendant of the pioneers who came to
Utah in the years from 1S47 to 1860
and being a true son of these men he
followed their precepts to the letter
and has himself done "his bit" and
more in developing an unproductive
area into a productive tract and caus-
ing others to follow his lead.
Mr.. Bowen owns 800 acres of lane
three miles southwest of Arbon post
office, at the foot of the eminence OF
the Bannock range which has been
named Bowen's peak in his honor. OF
this acreage all but 70 acres is broken
up, and grain and alfalfa growing is
the main object on the ranch, which
embraces the original pioneer claim
of Arbon valley, taken up as a squat
ter's right on unsurveyed land in 1892
r..-,--s,or - NJ nau~anfc Yanrh his
son Brigham, owns a ranch of GAG
acres, filed on in 1915, and father ano
son operate the entire $50 acres in
conjunction. OF the sons ranch about
40 acres are in cultivation, the balance
being principally pasture land eX-
tending we'll up the slope of the noun.
tain to the west. The altitude of the
tillable lands on these ranches i:
around $500 feet and the grain is al
raised by dry farm methods, while
the alfalfa fields are irrigated.
Good Yield for Off Year.
This year father and son had abou
100 acres seeded to wheat, so acres il
Turkey Red and 20 acres in Bluestem
The winter wheat gave an average o
Is bushels and the spring wheat of Il
bushels per acre; from a field of vol
unteer wheat six bushels per acr'
we're threshed. The season of 1871
has not been propitious to wheat grow
ers and Mr.. Bowen and his son ar,
satisfied with the results obtained il
such an adverse year. In past year
Mr.. Bowen has harvested ~excellen
crops of wheat and other cereals OIL
his ranch. In 1913 he harvested al
average of 211a bushels per acre from
140 acres of Turkey Red, and the haul
ing of wheat to market continue,
throughout the winter following. Dat
and barley that year also gave fin,
yields, one patch of seven acres o
barley going so bushels per acre.
Mr.. Bowen will have at least 10
acres on his own ranch and 40 acre
on his sons ranch in wheat in 1915
Owing to the encroachment of weed
he has decided that spring seedin.
Snl be resorted to in order to over
come the menace OF course, some O
the land will be plowed in the fall an
some of it will be summer fallow, bu
the land will in the main be cultivate