Christmas In Bannock Valley

By L. K. Wood
Published on November 1, 1966

The moon rising in majestic splendor, sheds her silvery beams o’er hill and dale, lightly touching the white crowned forests and trimming the snow covered fields in a shimmering sea of pearls.

We left the city of noise and gaudy glare and were permitted to look on Nature’s handwork fleety white preceding the long winter night.

Onward and upward in the sturdy bob-sled. The shriek made by the heavily laden sled as it was drawn by the draft horses over the already frost covered ground pierced our ears. We neared the typical homestead. A hearty welcome greeted us, and as they rendered the necessary assistance, we emerged from our wraps and blankets.

We were ushered into a room with a blazing fire place by the good hearted lady. Typical experiences of the men were related of their fall runs of Threshing, while the ladies chatted merrily of interests of their own.

‘You remember the old time three wheeler gas tractor?’ said Juilous as we were comfortably seated in front of the fire place. It used to take all the crew on the belt and they would make a run to spin the fly wheel. Sometimes we didn’t get started until 10 o’clock. We didn’t dare stop as we might not get her started again. We endured that until we found a good old Russell 10 horse power engine over in Malady at the consolidated Implement Co. It had been taken in on a trade. We filled her with water, built a fire and soon the steam rose to 50 lbs. pressure. There was no sign of a leak. We opened the throttle and away she went.

We decided that our problem was solved. After procuring a six barrel water tank which we hooked on with a good supply of coal and raised the pressure to 80 lbs. we started on our trip ascending the rugged divide that separated the Malady Valley from Bannock. It took ten days winding up the Elkhorn, fording the Malady River and ascending the rocky road (where four or six head of horses used to travel heretofore with 60 bushels of grain). We camped on the river bank and got a good start the next morning. separator wheels to rolling. Coal being forty miles to haul and a high price, we decided to burn Maple wood, so it kept old man Lawrey, a real man with an ax from Indiana, busy the rest of the fall run. We finished up Alex Izitts job which was no regret as the fare got down to salt bacon and black coffee. From there we moved to Bill Mathews about seven miles. The water man and the Indianaian kept us stalked up. As we approached Bill Mathews place he saw us coming. A nice fat porkers juggler was stuck. By the time we pulled in and got set the porker was hung and dressed.

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