The Sidney herald., 1955-11-03

LaAAo 6SACW ~
pumping plant and landed on this
side we'll up on the main land
where the old cottonwood trees
still stand. The river as l re-
member it now was very high
and occasional chunks of ice were
still floating. Nick Comfort row.
ed US over. A man sat at the stern
who used an oar as a rudder to
steer the boat clear of ice which
at that time was quite thick. It
was my first boat ride. I do not
remember that I was afraid al
though those ice cakes did not
look good to me. BY noon we
we're on our way down the val
ley. Crossing Deer Creek the wat
er came up into the wagon box
which gives some idea of the kind
Of roads we were to encounter
farther down the valley.
We reached the Slawson ranch
on the creek just below the pres
ent site Of Intake, the first night,
where I slept on the floor in the
front room. On leaving the fol-
lowing morning I met in the yard
a man who had lost his arm at
the shoulder. In answer to my in
CURRY I was told that he was
Owen Lowering, the father of
the baby who had cried all night.
I did not meet Leslie Lowering
then but I we'll knew his voice
from the lusty manner in which
he exercised it.
This is not an attempt to tell
his age, but 1 can vouch for what
I say about the matter for be-
tween that hard floor and his
crying all night I did not get the
sleep to which I believed I was
entitled.
There was still some water in
Burns Creek when we crossed it
the next morning. Mr.. Meadors
stopped for a few minutes at this
ranch and I saw John l.. Burns
at this time. I met him again
later when he was a candidate
for some county office in which
I was interested at that time
and did not charge my mind with
it.
We reached Dunlap Creek fo1
dinner. Here I met George Grant
for the first time. He lived Their
on the place now known as the
Frederickson place on the upper
road above Savage. The Postof-
flee was on the river road ant
was known then as Dundee anC
was kept by some people whose
names were Scott. 1 did not NEE
them then. George Grant wa.
married then and I was to know
him better in the years that fol
lowed.
We resumed our journey aftel
dinner and stopped that nigh
with Jimmy Crane on what i
still known as Crane Greek. Hi
ranch was located on the bencl
land west of the present N. P
tracks but we'll down on tn,
point. There was with him ant
stopping there at that time on,
Charley Tilyou and wife and hi
father Joe Tilyou. Mrs. Tilyol
referred to him always as Pap
Joe and he is fixed in my mine
as Papa Joe still. Near him liveC
another settler about where thu
Varco ranch is located, a maj
whose name was Tom Sims whom
I will have occasion to mention
later. If there was anyone els,
in the immediate vicinity at tina
time I did not learn of them then
We again resumed our journe,
in the morning. The weather il
the mean time had caught a Sc
we're cold and I nearly froze b.
the time we reached the Newlol
postoffice where we stopped t
get warm before going on. Her
1 met w. w. Newton whom I wa
to know quite well later. I re
membered quite well Matte an,
Eta and the eldest boy who wa
about my age, Robert. There wer
other children whose names
did not get then but whom
knew better as the years role,
by.
Here I saw my first yoke o
oxen. The road from the Newlol
office crossed the creek here di
rectly to the John O'Brien rancI
less than half a mile northeaster
ly from the p~ostoffice. I did no
stop at the O'Brien store then bu
my father bought some COWS her
a month later and I helped driv
them home from there. Ted wa
in long dresses at this time j
my memory does not serve m
wrong. We did not pass an
ranches till we came to the grow
on Lone Tree Creek where on
C. c. Titcomb lived on the ban
. just north of the grove. M
Meadors loghouse, a one roor
building, stood 80 rods west bu
up on the bench from the Tit
comb place. Two miles below thi
we stopped at the Austin Dit
ranch which I afterwards pu1
chased and made my home fo
many years. We approached tn
ranch from the sand bench whic
lay between the river bcttomlan
: and the upper bench. This hous
was a four room house, two sto1
les high and stood about 20 fee
south and east of the large hous
l afterward built in 1914 and sol
to the Holly Sugar Co. There WE
a buggy shed south of the hous
on the gable of which rested
nnln r11nnnrAnL - LA-AALA.