04 - Winter Spring 1993 - Watermark

theOUTLIWTRAIL JOURNAL
VOLUME3 WINTER/SPRING 1993 NUMBER1

The Wild Bunch
InThisIssue:
OutlawStrip
Diamond Hoax
ToyackHouse
Published By The Outlaw Trail History Association
Uintah County Western Heritage Museum
328 East 200 South, Vernal, Utah 84078
www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
THEOUTLAWTRAILJOURNAL
ManagingEditor: John D. Barton
Associate Editor: Michael Kelley
OUTLAWTRAIL HISTORYASSOCIATION
BOARD OFDIRECTORS
WilliamWebb, Chairman
H. BertJenson,Vice-Chairman
Doris K. Burton, Secretary
Richard Horton,Treasurer
JohnD. Barton
ADVlSORY BOARD
Edward M. Kirby
KennethJessen
Gail Olson
AltaWinward
TheOUTLAWTRAILJOURNALissupplied to all membersofthe
OutlawTrail History Association, and is also available through
purchase. Membership in the association is open to anyone
interestedinthehistoryandcultureoftheWest.Applicationsfor
membership should be sent to Doris Burton, Uintah County
Library, OutlawTrail History Association and Center, 155 East
Main Street, Vernal, Utah 84078. Annual Dues are $10.00.
Members receive theJOURNAL, newsletters, and reduced rates
for research and copying fees through the CENTER. For your
convenience the Outlaw Trail History Center has a toll-free
number, 1-800-388-4538.
Publicationofthe OUTLAWTRAILJOURNALis madepossible
throughgrantsandassistancefrom:
Uintah County Library
Uintah County
UintahCountyHistoricPreservationCommission
UtahState University; Uintah BasinEducationCenter
TheOutlawTrailHistoryAssociation
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
~
Volume 3 Winter/Spring 1993 Number 1
Contents
TheOutlawStrip GaryLee Walker 3
TheDiamondHoax KennethJessen 12
TheToyackHouse MichelleMiles 19
WesternPoetry 27
FolkTalesformtheOutlawTrail................................................... 33
BookReviews:
Robbers Roques, and Ruffians .
..... reviewedbyDeronWilkerson 39
Queen Ann Bassett alias Etta Place ~ .
........................................ r viewedbyJohnD. Barton 40
Cowboy Folk Humor reviewedbyNelsE. Carlson 41
"TheOutlawTrailJournal"is a journal of history published semi-annually by the Outlaw Trail
History Association. Itisa journal dedicated to the preservation and research of the history of the
Outlaw Trail, the greater Uintah Basin region and the Intermountain West. Historicinterpretation
of articles are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Outlaw Trail History
Association. Manuscripts for journal articles or folk-tales are welcome. Article manuscripts should
be submitted in duplicate, double-spaced, with footnotes following the Turabum style ofannotation.
a disk if typed on WordPerfect. Please send all manuscripts for consideration of publication to the
Managing Editor, The Outlaw Trail History Center, 155 East Main Street, Vernal, Ut. 84078.
Manuscripts will not be returned unless a self addressed, stamped enrl'1ope is included.
Folk Tale manuscripts need not be annotated. If possible, please include acopy of the manuscript on
Copyright1993
TheOutlawTrail HistoryAssociation
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
2 THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL
RECOLLECTIONS OFTHE
DUCHESNESTRIP
Gary Lee Walkeri
The notorious Duchesne Strip of frontier Uinta Basin days is a
prime example of a western shantytown characterized by the whole-
sale selling of vice and lawlessness. Many people erroneously asso-
ciate these attributes with virtually all western towns of history,
largely due to incorrect portrayals and stereotyping in movies, televi-
sion, and fictional writing. The Strip, however, truly represented
lawlessness, a place where anything illegal could occur with little
danger of repercussion and where those who were hunted by the law
could find indefinit refuge.
The story of The Duchesne Strip begins when gilsonite, a rare,
black hydrocarbon found only in the Uinta Basin, was first examined
and experimented with for possible commercial uses by Samuel
Henry Gilson. The date of his "discovery" is uncertain, but was
sometime between 1870 and 1885, a year before Fort Duchesne was
established. Local Indians had used the material to water-proof their
baskets for generations. Almost at the same time with Gilson's
interest, Bert Seaboldt, who later became post trader at the fort, also
experimented with the mineral. Seaboldt and Gilson, after meeting
and comparing notes on their find, immediately began to make
preparations to mine Gilsonite. Much to their surprise, Indian Agent
T. A. Byrnes rod into their recentl y erected tent city and ordered them
off the property, informing the two prospective miners that they were
on Ute Indian land.
2
Other miners had also staked claims.
Seaboldt contacted an attorney, who concluded that the only way
the two men could ge the mine was through Congressional action,
making the property public land. Through the help of powerful
* Gary Lee Walder, Ph.D., presently teaches history for Brigham Young University.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
business and political leaders, a Congressiona bill, entitled "An Act
to estore to the public domain a part of the Uintah Valley Iridian
Reservation, in the Territory of Utah, and for other purposes," was
introduced and passedonMay24, 1888, which authorized the govern-
ment to purchase the Gi sonite lands from the Utes for $20 an acre, and
the agricultural lands for not less than $1.25 an acre.
3
Instrumental in
the process were five Fort Duchesne officers who swore, in affidavits,
that the land was "utterly worthless for any purpose to the tribes."4 In
addition, the existing mining claims on the property, which were
illegal, were deemed honestmistakes,havingbeen filed "in good faith,
honestly, believing that it was upon the public domain."s
The one flaw in an otherwise smooth land takeover was the
stipulation that every adult member of the Ute tribes would have to
sign the treaty before the land could be transferred into Gilson's and
Seaboldt's name. Knowing that the Utes, already suspicious of
numerous earlier treaties, would never consent in body to sign away
more land, sub-Indian Agent, Harry Clark, suggested a plan that
whiskey be provided to the Indians at the time of signing. Seaboldt
volunteered to supply the whiskey. Also present at the meeting was
Major Chaffee, Commanding Officer of Fort Duchesne, who con-
doned the action but refused to actually purchase the liquor.
6
The plan was an unqualified and, to the perpetrators, a surprising
success. On two separate days, September 1 and 8, 1888, every Ute
who signed the treaty received free whiskey. Soldiers patrolled the
huge Indian encampment, fully expecting trouble, but by 10:00 p.m.
of the first day every Ute was sound asleep. On October 22, the
Secretary of the Interior declared the lands attached to the public
domain? Immediately, Gilson and Seaboldt began full-scale mining
activities. The mine was "The St. Louis," after the home town of one
of the interested parties in the venture, Adolphus Busch of the
Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. Gilsonite was an excellent
sealing material for beer barrels.
8
The 7,040 acres of land set aside as public domain became known
as The Duchesne Strip, sometimes called Sobertown in old newspa-
pers. The latter designa ion was sarcastically applied because every-
one in the shantytown seemed to be under the influence of alcohol.
The east-west boundary was three miles wide, and the north-south
boundar'es extended six miles, forming a triangular-shaped tract. It
was located about three miles east of the fort, near the present town of
Gusher. Thefirstnameoftheshantytown builton The DuchesneStrip
was Moffat. In the early days, it was merely called The Strip.9
Overnight the shantytown became a haven for outlaws, gunfight-
ers, gamblers, prostitutes, and all forms of vice and corruption,
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
including Elza Lay. Lay owned an establishment that has been called
the "Strip's worst gambling-hell saloon." In his spare time, he
counterfeited silver dollars. For the next twenty years, The Strip
would play host to such infamous names as Butch Cassidy, Harry
Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid), Dave Lant, Matt Warner, and Tabby
Weep, the Ute gunfighter known as the fastest gun in the Utah
Territory.lO The big problem at The Strip was law enforcement.
Even though The Strip had been excluded from the Uncompahgre
Reservation and declared public domain, it still lay within its physical
borders. Neither the territorial government nor the Uintah County
peace officers could enforce the law within its boundaries. Techni-
cally, the excluded land was not Indian Country; thus, the Indian
Agents had no jurisdiction. A federal marshall, if he wanted to risk
entrance, could have jurisdiction, but only if federal laws were
broken. Since there were no federal statutes in the 1880's and 1890's
that covered vices such as gambling and prostitution, The Strip was
literally lawless.
ll
All that was needed by The Strip businessmen to
purchase alcohol was a business license from the county, which was
readilyavailableP
The ''business district" of The Strip was located on one street
approximately three-quarters of a mile s u ~ of present day U. S.
Highway 40 in Gusher. In addition to the saloons and gambling hall,
there was one or two brothels, a mercantile store, hotel, barber shop,
stage station, blacksmith -shop, and telegraph office. Drinking and
gambling were twerily-four hour a day activities, and attracted
miners, ranchers,sheepherders, freighters, cowboys, Indians, and off-
duty troops from the fort, as well as outlaws who found refuge from
the lawY
Clarence Dean Powell, nowdeceased, grewup in the vicini tyof the
fort, and recalls visiting his uncle, Mark Morrison, who lived on The
Strip.14 Powell recalls that part of The Strip was buildings, and part
consis ted of tents. On occasion he was allowed to come intdone of the
saloons, which he described as "a fancy bar for a place like that." It was
a long building, with two doors. The beautifullypolished wooden bar
ran the length of the room and"thenitmade a turn, just a beautiful turn
in the bar, and went straight back to the other wall with a gate next to
the wall behind the bar." There was a "great glass" (a mirror) that
covered the side of one wall behind the bar, with all sizes and shapes
of fancy whiskey bottles lined up on the back counter. The walls were
decorated with "regular saloon pictures."
1S
.
When fights would occur in the saloon, which was owned by Tom
Nichols, the workers would try to get the participants outside where
they could not damage the furnishings. Powell would run outside and
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
5 THE OUTLA W TRAIL JOURNAL
watch the fighters come tumbling out the doors, one after another. He
loved observing these brawls:
There were fights,regular old fights. They would just fight until they
couldn't fight any longer. You know you take a couple of old ranchers
come in each other in a fight, a fist fight. Then, you'd see a fight.
16
In December, 1888, Major Chaffee requested that the excluded
land be made part of the Fort Duchesne military reservation, stating
that "theobjectof this requestis toexclude whiskeyranches, which are
now a nuisance."l? He also wrote that the Gilsonite Company had
consented to such an annexation. The request, in light of the fact that
Major Chaffee was knowledgeable of the circumstances surrounding
the signing of the treaty, seems odd. No reply or correspondence has
been found that would shed light on the request, but The Strip
continued in astateoflimbo until 1905, when the government opened
up the Uintah-Ouray Reservation for settlement. The infamous little.
triangle also continued to be a source of trouble for the fort.
18
Uintah County records indicate that at least sixteen men were
killed in gunfights on The Strip, but these were only the deaths that
were officially investigated. Recollections by earlysettlers accountfor
many more, particularly inside the saloons. These activities never
came to the attention of any authority. Elza Lay's establishment was
particularly infamous for such shootouts. When the soldiers were off-
duty, they would go to The Strip to drink unrestricted and associate
with the prostitutes. Confrontations between the white settlers and
the military personnel, including the black Buffalo Soldiers, often
occurred, sometimes resulting in deaths.
19
By 1894, the lack of law
enforcement on The Strip, particularly as it affected the soldiers,
prompted Major James F. Randlett, then Commanding Officer at the
post, to write a letter to the United States Attorney for Utah:
Sir:
I have the honor to invite your attention to the fact that the strip of
land cut from the Uintah Indian reservation by act of Congress, May
2, 1892 (incorrect date) has become the location of a tough class of
squatters, men and women without any means of existence except
gambling, selling whisky to Indians and prostitution. Some of the
whisky sellers have been operating under license granted by the
Uintah County officials, which license it is doubtful if the authorities
of the county had any right to issue. The women have the vilest
reputation known in their class, and altogether they make up the
dirtiest community I have ever known in thirty years experience in
frontier service.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
The situation has become very grave, and unless vigorous means
are exercised to suppress the selling of whisky to Indians, serious
troubles are almost certain to be the result of the traffic. There is no
hope of suppressing this evil place except through actionof the Uni ted
States authorities, and that a cleverU. S. Deputy Marshall might work
here successfully.
The county officials appear very tame nd are too indolent in this
matter; probably they hesitate because they are not up in legal
knowledge; I therefore present this matter for y ur consideration of
His excellency, the Governor of the Territory, and other officials
interested in the peace and dignity of the Territory, and that some
means may be devised for removing the nuisance referred to and
thereby averting more serious trouble.
The strip of land where these squatters have located, when cut
from the reservation, reverted to the public domain, but it has never
been legally declared open for settlement.
Very respectfully,
Major James F. RandletfO
Although the letter was forwarded to the U. S. Marshall in Salt
Lake City, no action was ever taken. Maj r Randle t finally ordered
a guard to be placed on theDuchesne River Bridge, in an effort to
prevent soldiers from going to The Strip. The innovative troops
merely walked beyond the bridge and swam across the river. When
caught at the saloons, the soldiers were arrested, thrown into the post
guardhouse, and fined a month's pay.22
Major Randlett did not allow liquor on the post. Thus, when the
soldiers would make their way to The Strip, they purchased bottles of
whiskey and drink all the way back to the post. Just east of the
Duchesne Bridge, in a small, shallow ravine alongside the road, the
troops tossed their empty bottles after a final drink. Through the
years, the piles of bottles grew and the local residents named it Bottle
Hollow.
22
Clarence Dean Powell also recalled, as a boy, see'ng and hearing
the drunken soldiers returning to the fort, and, upon reaching the
Hollow, throwing their empty bottles into the ravine. He said they
were not plain bottles, but "fancy bottles, they looked like they were
glass cut." Powell would get agunny sack and fill it "as full as I could
drag it." He then took the bottles to the saloon owned by TomNichols,
who would pay the boy from three to five cents a bottle.
23
Today, not
a bottle can be found in the ravine.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL 7
Hauling Gilsonitefrom the UintahB sin 1900.
OutlawTrailHistory CenterCollection
A letter, dated June 1,1899, written to Governor of Utah, Heber M.
Wells, from a Uintah County road and bridge commissioner, reported
that, upon investigation, The Strip seemed to be "deserted," and that
''business was ceased." This was due to major Randlett stationing
troops at the Duchesne bridge, according to the official. The tone of
the letter placed the responsibility of soldier discipline on the com-
manding officer. The only assist that could be expected from the
county, in the event "that the army officers cannot control the sol-
diers," was to refuse the issue licenses to the businesses on The Strip.
According to the commissioner, these businesses flourished because
of soldier patronage, and not county. In effect, the letter blamed the
military for The Strip, and declared the innocence of county persons
and the Indians. The commissioner concluded by stating that "the
reports sent out in regard to the 'Strip' are greatl yoverdrawn."24 Other
than this letter, there is no evidence that The Stripshut down for a time
in 1899 or 1900, although business could have been dampened by
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
Randlett's actions. It is likely, then, that the letter presented a
somewhat false picture to the Governor, with the reasons for such a
response remaining speculative.
The Strip also created a problem with the Indians, specifically
egarding the alcohol traffic. Major Randlett, who also served as
Indian Agent, reported to the Interior Department that the Utes had
'"'a good number among them who will drink whisky whenever they
can get it."
2S
Calling the suppliers "miserable white vendors (sic)," he
accused the Uintah COUilty civil authorities of allowing the business
to exist. Their only interest was "in obtaining a good sum of license
money for the benefit of the county treasury," referring to the fact that
those i di viduals involved in the sale of liquor had to obtain a business
license from the county in order to legally operate.
26
Mostof these "businesses" were found on The Strip itself. Randl tt
was also aware that these same merchants sent whiskey peddlers
"within the lines of the reservation by stealth to retail the stuff by the
drink."2? He accused the countyofficers of not only ignoring this trade,
but also of the "indifference" of these same officials to the stealing of
Indian horses by white men. Randlett further stated that these same
persons were writing inflammatory material about the Indians with
the intention of influencing the government to deal unjustly with
them. In 1895, the Major wrote an official letter to the Interior
Department, with the following accusation and recommendation:
Nine years of observation with these Indians justifies an announce-
ment of the conclusion that whatever hereafter of trouble is experi-
enced by the authorities of the Government from them the cause will
be traced to acts of greed and wanton injustice committed against
them by white men bent upon their destruction without regard to
consequences. Such trouble can only be avoided by maintaining the
garrison of Fort Duchesne from preservation of peace until the Indians
are properly located upon their lands in severalty and placed in a
condition to become self-s pporting.
28
After 1895, the whiskey vendors began to feel pressu e from m re
stringent laws adopted by locallaw enforcement officers. In addi tion,
the local p pulation became more supportive of Randlett's efforts to
curb t e liquor traffic, and the ndians themselves began to recognize
the problem. 29 More arrests of both intoxicated Indians and white men
suspected of illegal traffic were made, along with the stationingof five
or six oldiers on The Strip to guard against sales and to search
suspected Indians and whites.
30
In 1897, Congress introduced bills
which provided "more stringent and unequivocal restriction of the
sale of liquors to Indians."31 The result was more arrests, convictions,
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
9 THE OUTLA WTR.4IL jOURNAI
and better suppression of the liquor traffic.
32
Occasionally, however,
the "mysterious death" of an Indian would be discovered, which
would only reaffirm that the illegal liquor traffic sf existed.
33
Major Randlett, in his report to the Interior Department as Indian
Agent, in 1897, nhesitatingly noted that the very source of the
problem, The Strip, would not exist if not for "the patronage and
encouragement received from the garri on of the Fort, which it is
understood goes withoutrestriction."34 As noted above, Major Randlett
attempted to curb the garrison traffic by stationing guards at the river
bridge in an effort to stop the soldiers from going to the saloons.
Randlett blamed the enlire problem on theWar Department' s decision
to close post The reason for this action is unclear.
Between 1899 and 1902, the problem of illegal liquor traffic and
Indian drunkennes dramatically lessened, and, as noted earlier, The
Strip appeared to be "out of business," or, more rea i tically, in a
business decline. By 1902, Major Randlett was convinced that he had
"succeeded in breaking up the liquor traffic among these Indians,"36
along wilh drasticall y curbi ng The Strip's acti vi ties. Such was not the
case.
The who e problem surfaced again in 1903 when the reservation
opened up to seltlers, causing The Str:p to be reactivated. By the end
of the year, the new Indian Agent, Captain W. A. Mercer reported that
freighters, miners, and others who periodically pas d through the
area were smuggling liquor in small bottles to the bus'nesses on The
Strip and then to the Indians. The latter's reluctance to testify against
a white man made the situation even worse, for no hard evidence
could be obtai ed for indictments. The end result was a dramatic
increase in liquor-related brawls, shootings, and deaths. In addition
to these problems, the smuggled liquo was often a concoction that
was capable of killing or at least ruining the digestive system of a
drinkerY This was undoubtedly the situation in 1901, when a case of
smallpox wa reported at the fort. It was later diScovered that the
"disease" was actually an "overdose of rotten whiskey":
One of the boys had lffibibed too freely and the next morning had a
high fever. He poked hiS head out of the window and told a passing
sentry that he has smallpox and from that the rumor arose.
38
The next eight years saw little improvement in curbing the illegal
liquor business that centered around TIle Strip, althoug the increased
support from the local residenlsand betterstatelawsdi have positive
results. The best deterrent was the presence of the fort itself, for the
military could at least enforce the law and push for prosecution of
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
violators. Still,bytheendofthefirstdecadeofthetwentiethcentury,
illegal bootleggingcenteringat The Strip remaineda seriousproblem,
withbothfreightersandsoldiersparticipating. CaptainH.J. Brees,
CommandingOfficerandIndianAgent from1910to1911, discovered
illegal shi pments of whiskey coming inonthefreight lines of the Wells
Mining and Stage Company. Examination revealed that several
freighters were workingwith atleasttwosoldiers atthe fort anda
civilian from Whiterocks Agency. Captain Brees wrote a letter to
EdwardLee, managerofthestagecompany,askingfor his help in
stopping the shipments. Leewas thoroughl ysupportive and commit-
tedtodoingallthathecouldtoassist,butnotedthat,asalegalcarrier
of goods,itwasimpossibleforhismentoopeneverypackagetocheck
for illegalshipments.
39
Ironically, through the presence of Fort Duchesne acted as an
overalldeterrent intheillegalliquortrafficandthelawlessnessonThe
Strip,theproblemcontinueduntilthepostwasabandonedattheend
of 1911. Wi th the removal of the military, the businesses had no
support and rapidly disappeared. This time the shutdown was
permanent, and the infamous little triangle, know as The Strip,
becamepartofthehistoryofthe frontierWest.
ENDNOTES
1Dr. WalkeriscurrentlyteachinghistoryatBrighamYoung University.
2.RobertL. Foster, "TheDuchesneStrip: Part1, The WhiskeyTent Treaty," TrueWest
(August 1988): 27-28;The Vernal Exvress,July14,1982;MildredMilesDillman,
EarlyHistoryofDuchesneCQunty(Springville, Utah: ArtCityPublishingCo.,
1948),27.
3Department of the Interior,AnnualReoon oJtheCommissioner ofIndianAffairsto
theSeCretaryof the Interior for the Year, 1889(Washington,D.C., 1889),280.
HereafterabbreviatedAnnualReoQrt.
4.TheVernalExoress,July14,1982;U. S. Congress,House, 50thCongress,1st
Session, 1888,HouseReport791, Serial2600,2. Fortwo excellenthistoriesof the
. Gilsonite industryin the UintaBasinseeCraig WoodsFuller, "Landrush in Zion:
Openingofthe Uncompahgre andUintahIndianReservations" (PhD. diss., Brigham
Young University, 1990),andNewellC. Remington, "A History of the gilsonite
Industry" (M.S. thesis, Universityof Utah, 1959).
5.Fuller,38. .
6.Foster, I, 28-29.
7.AnnualReoort.1889,280.
8.TheSaltLakeTribune. September29.1968;Foster, I
9.fuller,38-39;josier,f, 29;The Vernat'Express.July14. 1982;The SaltLake
Tribune.September29, 1968.
10,TheSaltLakeTribune. September29,1968;Foster, "TheDuchesneStrip: PartII,A
lawlessland," 53,
II.TheSaltLakeTribune. September29,1968.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
11 THE OUTLAW TRAIL JOURNAL
12.Annual report 1895, 310.
13.Foster,l/, 53; The Salt Lake Tribune, September 29,1968; The Vernal Exoress, June
15,1983.
14.0ral Interview o/Clarence Dean Powell, OClOber 20,1990, Duchesne, Utah,
conducted by Dr. Gary Lee Walker. A transcription of the interview can be found in
appendix D of Gary Lee Walker, "A lIislOry of Fort Duchesne, including Fort
Thornburgh: The Military Presence in Frontier Uintah basin, Utah," Volume II
(PhD. diss., Brigham Young University, 1992). The interview took place just three
months before Powell died, on January 31, 1991.
15.Powell, 2, 8,10-lJ.
J6.fbid.,10.
ll.Major Adna R. Chaffee, Commanding Officer, to the Adjutant General, U.S. Army,
December 5,1888, Record Group 394, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
18.The Salt Lake tribune, September 29,1968; The Vernal Ewress, June 15,1983.
19.Foster. .lI, 53-54; The Vernal Express, May 4,1889. although the Post Returns and
official notices of court martials give statistics as to arrests and confinements, they do
not indicate the location of the offenses. Thus, this information is difficult 10 obtain.
20.The Vernal Exvress, July 5,1894.
21.joster, II, 55.
22.fbid.
23.Powell, 7-8.
24.Chairmar., Uintah county roads and Bridges, 10 Heber M. Wells, governor of the
State of Utah, June I, 1899, Regional Room, Uintah County Library, Vernal, Utah.
25.Annual Reoort 1894,310.
26.Ibid.
27.AnnuaIReport 1895, 3lJ.
28.Ibid.
29.Secretary of War, Annual Reoort [Qr year1B2f2, 1,142; The Vernal Express. March
26, Apri/9 and 23, May 2, and November 26,1896; Annual reOQrt 1896, 619.
30.The Vernal Exoress, March 26 and April 9, 1896; May 6,1897; january 12. 1901.
31.RepQrt of the CQmmissiQner oflndian Affairs, Annual ReoQrt 1897,56-57.
32.RepQrt ofIndian Agent in Utah, Ibid.. 285.
33.The Vernal Exvress, January 2,1896.
34.RepQrt ofIndian Agent in Utah. Annual RePQrt 1897.285.
35.Ibid., 1901, 381.
36.Ibid., 1899.351; 1900,391: 1901, 381; 1902, 352.
37.Ibid., 328.
38.The Vernal Express. July 13 and 20,1901.
39.Captain H. 1. Brees 10 Edward lee. Manager Wells Mining and Stage Company.
December 25.1910 and January 10,1911; E. C. Lee, Wells Mining and Stage
cQmpany 10 Captain H. 1. Brees, January I, 1911, Record Group 393, National
Archives, WashingtQn, D. C.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
T 'E REAT DIAMOND HOAX
Kenneth Jessen *
Tht:. h13lory of ,02 American West is filled wid stories of thousands
of men walkingand ridin hor eback t rough virgin forests, crossing
crysta1clear mountainstreams, and enduringevery imaginable weather
condi tion. In the process, these men looked at virtually every exposed
piece of rock searchingfor quick riches. When 1870 rolled around, the
West still had not been fully explored and was full of mystery in the
minds of those willing to endur its many hardships. Some men
attracted to the frontier w re not above any means of making a quick
dollar, and itdidn't take long for orne to figure outa way capitalizing
en the greed of others.
A pair of dirty, bearded, disheveled prospectors came to San
Fr ncisco one foggy morning in 1872. Philip Arnold and John Slack
looked like they had run out of luck as they waited near the front door
of a prominent bank. When lhe first employee arrived, they asked to
be let in. The pair first looked up and down the street and seemed
wary of anyone who might be watching. Once inside, Arnold
cautiou 1y pulled out a small leather pouch. The men asked a young
cler ifthe pouch could be kept in the bank's vault. Based the actions
of the men, the employee was curiou about the contents of the pouch
and asked what the poueh contained. Arnold and his partner scanned
the bank's em ty lobby as if to seek out someone in hiding. The
employee swore he would never tell another soul about the pouch or
its con nts. The prospectors poured the contents on a tableland much
to the amazement of th young employee, out cam a substantial pile
of raw diamonds.
PI ilip Arnold and John Slack left the amazed clerk and vanished
into the San rancisco fog to remain out of sight for several weeks.
They counted on human nature, and sur enough, the employee
quickly broke is promise and showed the sack full of diamonds to the
bank's offi rs. Th y were also amazed and contacted some wealthy
* Kenneth Jessen is aut! or of numerous books and articles dealing with western
outlaws. lie is a resident ofLoveland, Co.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
to Rnck -"PrJ
H),().\fING "
- -----,- -- - -- - _.. - -- - -- - -- - -- --- - --- --- (-- - -- -'- --- ----
I COI.,OR/lf)() -,
I
LocationoftheGreatDiamondHoax
\
DruwinEj by 1\('1111('(11 Jessen
to DutchJohn !
--",, 1
I
I
+ Middle Mounrair1
\
I
1
I
I :c
I
r
<- I
is
I
I
z )
f..:1 ,
:::>1 ,
--._-_.... -- ...... I
I

I scale
,
I
I
I
I
0
miles
",
I I
\
I
\
I \
I
,
investors. A frantic search was made for the prospectors. Arnold and
Slack came out of hiding and appeared at the bank to collect their
pouch. The bank officers approacbed them and they resisted any
.offers to let others in on the location of their diamond field. Finally,
they agreed to become a part of a new company called th New York
and San Francisco Mining and Commercial Company. Their new
colleagues paid them $600,000 (in today's dollars, more than $6
million) to be let in on heir secret discovery. More payments
followed. The gems were sent to Tiffany and Company in New York
City and appraised at some fabulous amount.
One of California's best-known geologists, Henry Janin, hired
as a consul tant to inspect the newly discovered diamond field. Arnold
and Slack swore Janin to secrecy and took him to their find. Itwas a
long trip into a very remote area. When they returned, Janin boldly
proclaimed the diamond field to be genume. the discovery now took
on an air of legitimacy.
News of the discovery was leaked to the newspapers, and to keep
rumors of the diamond field alive, the prospectors appeared in
Laramie, Denver, and Salt lake City during 1872. They showed their
precious stones, and the newspapers spread the latest informanon far
and wide.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
14 THE OUTLAWTRAIL JOURNAL
Speculation held that the diamond field was located in northeast-
ern Arizona, or in New Mexico, or possibly in the San Luis Valley in
southern Colorado. Had the reported diamond field been in any of
these locations, it would have been of little interest to Clarence King
and his team of government geologists. But one rumor held the
location to be inside the boundaries of the Fortieth Parallel Survey that
King and his associates had just spent six hard years working to
complete. Thesurvey wasan effort to discover exactly whatwas in the
one-hundred-mile-wide land grant for the Union Pacific and Central
Pacific railroads. Not asingle precious stone had been discovered, nor
had the members of the survey team found a geologic formation in
which gems were likely to occur. But if they had accidentally
overlooked a diamond field, their professional reputations would be
on the line and their credibility destroyed. Before King could issue his
final report on the Fortieth Parallel Survey, he had to determine the
validity of the discovery.
Samuel Emmons and fellow geologist, James Gardner, were part
of King's elite team. On October 5, 1872, the pair took a westbound
train fr m Battle Mountai ,Nevada, where they had been doing field
work. At first, they paid little attention to their fellow passengers, but
at breakfast the following morning, they n ticed a group of men in
rough clothes. Their tan faces suggested they were returning from
some type of outdoor work. By sheer coincidence, Emmons and
Gardner had boarded a train with surveyors returning from the secret
diamond field.
Fellow ge logist, Henry Janin, was in the party. Emmons and
Gardner que'stioned him and learned that he had been unable to visit
the claim because he was being followed. The rest of the party took
a roundabout route. Once at the diamond field, the men were given
one hour to look for jewels using only their pocket knives. The ten
surveyors returned with 280 diamond and many rubies. The stones
ranged in size from a pea to a small grain. Janin did not, however, gi ve
the slightest clue as to where the diamond field was located.
Emmons and Gardner immediately told Clarence King. King
quickl y gathered asmall teamof government g'eologists t.o investigate
the alleged diamond field. It did not take longbefore King determined
that the Janin party had taken a train across Wyoming and had left the
train between Green River and Rawlins. Emmons and Gardner had
extracted a general description of the area where the diamonds were
located from one of the members of the Janin party.
Armed with a meager. amount of information, the government
geologists, including Emmons and Gardner, set out f om San Fran-
ciscoin Octo er, 1872, t find the diamond field. They reasoned that
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
the location was south of the railroad, to the base of a peak, and about
ten miles north of Brown's Park. This placed the diamond field just
inside the state of Colorado. To avoid suspicion, their code word for
diamonds was "carboniferous fossils."
After the long train trip, they traveled south to Fort Bridger,
Wyoming. The officers and soldiers at the fort weren't very surprised
that the team was after "carboniferous fossils" since rumors were
common about the discovery. And just as they were leaving the fort
on horseback, the post surgeon whispered into Emmon's ear, "Bring
me back a couple of solitaires, will you?" It was simply hard to keep
the expedition a secret.
The weather turned bitterly cold with temperatures below zero
combined with a relentless wind. The bleak, treeless expanse of
prairie offered no protection or relief from the elements. The animals
were worn out, and their legs became encased in ice from crossing
streams. After four days, the party crossed the Green River. Finally,
one of the men found a written claim signed by Henry Janin. This led
them to a table rock area, and the men were encouraged by the
discovery of a few diamonds and rubies. It was late in the day on
November 2, 1872, and Emmons wrote in his diary, "That night we
were full-believers in the verity of Janin's reports, and dreamed of the
untold wealth that might be gathered."
The following morning the men came to a startling concl usion: the
number of gems decreased rapidly outside the windswept table rock
at the center of the claim. The frequency of occurrence was studied.
There were always about one dozen rubies for every diamond found.
Nature certainly doesn't maintain a ra tio of precious stones. By using
their sieves, the men were only able to find gems where the earth had
been disturbed. Nothing more than common quartz crystals were
found where the soil was untouched. The anthills gave yet another
clue that the area had in fact been salted. Some of the hills had a
footprin t close by and small holes had been made near the entrance
produced by the ants. At the bottom of each hole, a ruby or two could
be recovered, buton any other place on the ant hill, there were no gem
stones. Anthills with no footprints yielded no gemstones.
In King's party was a middle-aged German. He was not wealthy
and had never been in a place where diamonds could be simpl y picked
up from the ground. He didn't want to leave despite the intense cold
and constant wind. While he was washing dirt and occasionally
pocketing a sparkler, he came across a stone that caught his eye. It
filled him with wonder since it bore the marks of the lapidary's art. He
immediately called out, "Look here, Mr. King. This is the bulliest
diamond field as never vas. It not only produces diamonds, but cuts
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
16 THr OUTLA WTRATL JOURNAL
dem moreover also." King snatched the stone from the German's
hand, looked at a polished facet, and everythIng was as clear as day;
the area had been salted. King quickly fund more evidence that a
wholesale fr ud had be n committed.
A problem faced King. If he accused the prospectors of fTa ud when
there was no fraud, his entire survey would be discredited and six
years of hard wor would go down the drain. Henry ]anin had
publicly pronounced the diamond field to be real and his reputation
as a geologist was without fault. King elected to stay in the cold and
wind one more day to gather conclusive evidence. .
A hole three feet wide and ten feet deep was dug. All of the dirt
was examined, a d no gems w re found below the surface. The area
had been sal ted. King released his men, returned toSan Francisco, and
exposed the diamond hoax. He sa ved many smalt potential investors
from losing money, and he may have saved the lives of prospectors
trying to endure the hard winter by hunling gems in this remote part
of Colorado. King was heralded a a hero and a credit to the
government urvey team.
The trustees of the San Francisco and ew York Mining and
Commercial Company began an extensive investigation to ferret out
and punish those guilty of this fraud. n accomplice of Arnold and
Slack by the name of Cooper stepped forward and admitted with
Nobel candor that he was the author of the entire scheme. He felt he
was deprived of his double-cros ing parMers of his just share in the
spoils. Salfng gold and silver mines was nothing new and had been
overworked. Cooper suggested to Arnold and Slack that salting a
diamond field would be a pleasing variation. Hesuggested that small
industrial grade diamonds could be used for this task. Once the fraud
wasunderway,Cooperwasexc1udedfromthedetail.s. Hisconfession
was motivated by revenge and wa given first to the investigating
committee, then to a grand jury in San Francisco.
The diamonds nd other gems were purchased in bulk from
dealers in London and Amersterdam. One dealer even identified a
photograph of Arnold. Using $35,000 raised through the sale of some
mining property, Arnold and Slack invested in Cl sack of industrial
gemstones of the ]owestquality. They carefullyselected a very remote
area which they reasoned was not fully explored. A ter they had been
paid, a profit (after expenses) of $600,000 was reaped from the
diamond field.
Once Arnold received his booty from the San Franosco and New
York Mining and Commercial Company, he retired to his horne in
Elizabethtown in Hardin Coun ty, Kentucky. He purchased some fine
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
property and had a safe installed in his home. He was surrounded by
a host of relatives and friends.
After the fraud was exposed by King, attorneys were hired to
recover the money. A suit for $350,000 was brought against Arnold.
He publicly denied the charges in the Louisville .ill-.urnal on December
20, 1872. Arnold, however, admitted his safe contained $550,000
which he said was the result of arduous labor as a prospector and
miner. He acted outraged that men from California were trying to take
his wealth and to connect him with a fraudulent act. Arnold was quite
clever and quoted from Janin's report and the appraisal from Tiffany.
He claimed he turned over a perfectly good diamond field to the
investors and if any salting had been done, it took place later.
Hardin County applauded Arnold's spunk for sticking up for his
right and for standing his ground unflinching against outside intrud-
ers from a big city. Eventually, the lawyers became convinced that not
a dollar could be wrung from Arnold no matter what proof was
submitted in court. From a political and legal standpoint, Arnold
lived in an impenetrable fortress. To gain immunity from any further
litigation, Arnold surrendered $150,000.
The way was now paved for Arnold to live out his life in luxury,
but he wanted to enter the world of finance. He opened a bank in
Elizabethtown and did a good business based on his popularity. He
loaned a rival bank $8,000, and when the collateral for this loan was
not paid on time, Arnold brought suit. An officer of the bank, Harry
Holdsworth, apparently made some derogatory comments in a letter
about Arnold's character. One thing led to another, and on a street in
Elizabethtown, August 14, 1878, Arnold attacked Holdsworth with a
cane, striking him a good number of solid blows.
The next day Arnold was drinking beer in a local saloon when
Holdsworth entered. Arnold threw him to the floor and hit him with
his fists. Holdsworth was so bloody he could not see, and he begged
Arnold to stop. Only after a lawofficer interceded did Arnold stop his
cruel attack.
After getting cleaned up, Holdsworth went back to his bank and
retrieved a double-barreled, sawed-offshotgun. He promptl ymarched
back to the saloon wi th the weapon in the crook of his arm. Arnold was
standing in front of the building, and when he saw Holdsworth, he
drew his pistol and fired two shots. Both shots missed, but so did
Holdsworth's first load of buckshot. Holdsworth quickly took cover
behind a tree as Arnold advanced down the street. Possibly thinking
that Holdsworth was a coward, Arnold continued to get closer. The
second discharge from the shotgun, delivered at only two feet, badly
lacerated Arnold's shoulder. Holdsworth dropped his weapon and
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
18 THE GUTLA WTRAIL /GURNAL
ran for his life in a hail of bullets from Arnold's revolver. All of
Arnold's shots missed, but a local farmer was seriously wounded by
a stray round.
Possibly weakened by the wound, in February, 1879, Philip Arnold
caught pneumonia and died.
As for John Slack, every effort was made to track him down.
Eventually, the lawyers gave up on finding him, besides Arnold had
all or almost all of the money. Slackcould not have recei ved much over
$30,000. It was assumed that the two men must have planned on a
fifty-fifty split. Maybe Arnold died before Slack could collect his
share. Slack eventually surfaced and worked as a coffin maker in St.
Louis then moved to White Oaks, New Mexico, to work at the same
trade. He died at the age of seventy-six.
BIBliOGRAPHY
Bartlett. Richard A. Great Surveys ofthe American West. Norman. Oklahoma:
University o/Oklahoma Press. 1962. pp.197-205.
"Great Diamond Swindle." The Rocky Mountain News. January 27,1875.
Wilkins. James H. ed. The Great Diamond Hoax and Other Stirring Incidents in the Life
ofAsbwy Hamending. Norman. Oklahoma: University o/Ok/ahoma Press. 1958.
pp.145-187.
Woodward. Bruce A. Diamonds in the Salt. Boulder. Colorado: Pruett Publishing Co.,
1967.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
The Toyack House, located in Roosevelt, Utah, is one of only two sites
listed on the National Register in Duchesne County. The National
Register of Historic Places is the ojficiallist of the nation's cultural
resources worthy ofpreservation. The Toyack House deserves to be
preserved and restored because it is a story of struggle and
accomplishment in Duchesne County during the Depression.
THE TOYACKERS OF 1932-1936
Michelle Miles*
InDecember 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, 87Uintah
Basin residents made plans to attend the 1933 World's Fair entitled,
"Century of Progress," in Chicago. They were the Future Farmers of
America members from the Toyack Chapter, Central Union School,
Roosevelt, Utah, and their goal was nothing less than the longest
* Michelle Miles completed a history major at USU-UBEC in 1991. She resides with
her family in Mi. flo me Utah.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
20 . THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL
journey and largest project any chapter of FFA had yet undertaken.
The idea for the trip was born when Harold Behunin, 1932 President
of the Toyack Chapter, told advisor, Walter E. Atwood, that he "would
like to do something big for our chapter, something different and
worthwhile."l
Most of the Toyackers had not been out of the Uintah Basin prior
to this trip. "I was a well-traveled man. I had been to Vernal, Salt Lake
City, and the high Uintah Mountains," Walt Redmond, a 1933 Toyack
member said. "Most of the kids going on the trip had only been to
Vernal, if that far from home.,,2
When the idea of the trip was first conceived, the nation was
awaiting the inauguration of President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt.
On Inauguration Day, March 4,1933, practically all the nation's banks
were closed due to failure or impending failure. "One could not cash
a check, make a deposit, or withdraw deposited funds."3 The nation
was enduring a financial disaster, yet the Toyackers of the Uintah
Basin were planning a trip to Chicago that would cost hundreds of
dollars. "Roosevelt's personality and character were to be important
in the life of the nation... Perhaps the outstanding aspect of his
personality was self-confidence... confidence both in one's self and in
the future of the nation..."4 In part, Franklin D. Roosevelt's forward-
looking presidential campaign and its promise that "happy days"
could be here again, motivated these young men and their advisors to
raise the money required for the trip.
The first step was to prepare financially. It was decided that each
boy would need to furnish $12.50 on his own, and "On to Chicago"
fund raisers would raise the rest of the money. The fund raisers
included local dances where the orchestra would play for free or a
small fee. The other fund raiser, boxing matches, was not too popular
with lady folk, but quite popular with the men. The Toyackers put on
boxing matches in the various communities and fought one another.
Walt Redmond remembers the group made most of their money this
way. He said, "The room would always be filled and it cost twenty-
five cents to watch."s
The group fund raising was the easy part. The individual $12.50
was difficult. Twelve dollars and fifty cents was a lot of money in a
day when economic depression was everywhere. The Basin was
especially poverty stricken. It was a farming region just getting
started. The area had been open to homesteaders for only twenty-
three years. To say the least, the area had not yet seen prosperity. Walt
Redmond raised two calves as a FFA project to raise his quota of
money. He had to raise both calves to keep the profit from one. His
profit was enough topayhis$12.50, buy clothing for the trip, and have
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
$10.00 spending money. Victor Brown, another Toyack member,
remembers' earning his quota of the money along with four other
Toyackers by working for his father harvesting hay. "The average
rural American farmer during the depression made approximately
one hundred to two hundred dollars a year."6 Twel ve dollars and fifty
cents was quite a sacrifice for these young men in 1933.
Walt Redmond remembered the $12.50 went for "transportation
and grub." Sometimes the meals were not good as told through
excerpts from a Toyacker's diary. "I am so hungry and gaunt that my
pants are wearing blisters on my hips from rubbing... all Oral and I got
for supper was bread and butter... We got 2oranges for supper. !twas
just enough to torment us..."?
The boys were required to buy a "ten gallon" hat as a means of
identification and a symbol of coming from the West. Also, it made
spotting the boys in a crowd easier. The hats were purchased from J.c.
Penney's for a reduced price of $5. As well as the hats, the boys were
required to have one outfit, a blanket, a tarp, and a pillow. Once the
money was raised and supplies were purchased, the boys could start
their trip.
Two Native American boys, Albert LaRose and Dwight
Copperfield, were invited to go as the chapter mascots. "The reason
for taking an Indian mascot had as its background the chapter name.
Toyack is the Ute equivalent for good enough, or as near to the English
express "OK" as can be had."B Also, the Uintah Basin was still
commonly referred to as "the reservation"--another reason to include
the Indians. Native Americans, at this time, were not enrolled
members of the Toyack Chapter of FFA. (When the Toyackers were
only a few days away from home, Albert LaRose got homesick and
returned home.)
The Toyackers and their advisors started on the twenty-one day
journey August 11, 1933. They traveled in two buses and a flat bed
truck known as the cook truck. Their advisor, Walter E. Atwood, was
a WWI veteran, so he ran everything in a mili tary manner. The bugler,
Fred Gagon, sounded his horn every morning at 5:00 a.m. He only
missed one day, Fred "... had to forego playing his bugle one day
because of a fat lip someone gave him."9 Even in the 1930's, bugles
were annoying at five o'clock a.m. Their nurse, Martha Shanks, was
an old army nurse. Her only medical emergencies were boils on the
young men's feet and homesickness.
The Toyacker's traveled through six states and saw land they did
not know existed. The further east the boys went, the bigger novelty
they became. They performed a special march to the sound of the
bugle in towns where the American Legion hosted them. Walt
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
Redmond noted in his diary, "Boy are we attracting attention. I guess
they shore [sic] think we are hayseeds."lD Imagine seventy-five young
farm boys marching down the street in overalls, flannel shirts, and ten-
gallon hats! One preacher prayed for them: "Oh, Lord, take these boys
out of the saddle and make preachers of them."11 The proverbial "you
. can take the boy out of the country, but not the county out of the boy"
rang true.
The Toyackers visited two state fairs and a rodeo in their travels.
They were awed by the fat cattle, the likes of which they had ot seen
in the drought-stricken Basin. They repeatedly praised the farming
techniques they saw. Redmond's diary notes, "There were rolling
fields of corn... as far as you can see; not five or ten acres, but five or
six miles. It makes one wonder how they ever get it cultivated... Saw
some queer sights today; ten or fifteen stacks of hay in each field wi th
not more than 5 tons in the stack. They put rubber tires on mower
machines and truck wheels on rakes."12
Often the boys would have to spend the night in a stock yard with
the smell of cattle under head. The Toyackers doubled up to sleep so
they could put one blanket under them and cover themsel ves with the
other. The nights were uncomfortable and cold. 'Wood (Woodrow
Lawson) and Ispread our beds together," Redmond remembers. "The
ground felt like the cobble rocks of Bennett. It was so cold that we
up a sweat until we passed into the land of happy dreams."13
An advisor, Raymond Wiscombe wrote in his journal about "...sleep-
ing on soft horse manure at the various fair grounds along he way to
and from Chicago."14 Conditions did get better when the caravan
reached Chicago.
. The Toyackers were to stay at Maple Lake, a resort area formerly
owned by Al Capone. When the gangster was imprison d, he gave the
lake resort to the American Legion. The American Legion helped the
Toyackers all along the way, providing lodging, meals, movies, and
swimroing. Walter E. Atwood, a LegIonnaire, ad made arrange-
ments for this hospitality. Maple Lake was a beautiful area twenty-
seven miles out of Chicago. The boys were able to sleep under a roof
for three' nights. On the way to Maple Lake, the Toyackers got lost in
of the "big city" and had to be escorted by a policeman.
. The Toyackers decided to attend a world's fair for everal reasons.
One reason that fairs were very popular during the 1920's and
fairs, state fairs, anci co'unty tail'S. These young FFA
men were used to entering their . livestock in fairs asa form of
competition. It surprised the boys that a world fair didn't have much
livestock. They were impressed by the size of the World Fair. 'We
were unable to take in everything on account of time. It would take
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
at least two weeks to cover everything,"lS one participant wrote. The
fair had exhibits from every country--everything from: a Chinese
temple to Admiral Byrd's ship. Light from a star turned on the lights
at the fair, a wonder sponsored by the electric company. The Chrysler
building demonstrated automobile construction. Another reason the
world fair was chosen was because it was a time of great mental
motivation in the United States. World fairs were an exciting part of
this motivation. The theme of the fair, "Century of Progress" shows
how positive the nation was about moving forward.
The boys had a cultural experience in Chicago as well. They rode
streetcars, which they had notseen before. On the way to the fair, they
drove through the black ghettos of Chicago and would go for miles
wi thout seeing a whi te person. Imagine how this opened the eyes and
minds of rural farm boys who rarely saw a black person let alone the
conditions they lived in. One Toyacker wrote in his diary, "... had to
ride by a negro woman all the way out to the fair."16 The experience
of going to the world's fair was not only educational as far as seeing
exhibits, it also broadened the minds of these young men racially,
culturally, and economically.
The Toyackers were as excited over the start homeward as they
had been at the beginning of the trip.
The country over which we traveled was much different that the west.
The corn fields of Iowa were a sight to behold. Then there was Kansas
with wheat stubble or plowed ground as far as the eye could see. I
recall fertile valleys, wooded areas with many trees, huge rivers, but
nothing looked as great as the Rocky Mountains as they appeared on
the journey homewardY
The last breakfast was held in Craig, Colorado. The local American
Legion prepared breakfast for the travelers. After breakfast, there was
a chapter meeting. It was decided to do something special to com-
memorate the journey. It was proposed that the Toyackers build a FFA
Chapter house. It would be the first one in the nation. The proposal
was voted on and unanimously accepted.
After the meeting, the boys started home. The last hundred miles
seemed endless. At dusk the party pulled into Roosevelt where they
were heartil y welcomed. The boys did their march down main street
and were invited to a free picture showby the Basin American Legion
Post. Their 3400-mile journey was over, but a new project--the
building of the chapter house--would absorb their youthful energies
for the next few years.
After the young men had a short rest, plans for the Toyack House
got under way. "For several years Mr. Atwood felt the agriculture
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
department needed its own building for projects and acti vi ties, but the
school district was unable to fund the construction. The boys' goal to
construct their own building would not only provide the needed
facility, but would also give the boys and community another group
project to become involved in. Atwood hoped that his earlier obser-
vation, 'the boys had been so busy doing things... that they have
forgotten the era of hard times,' would prove true for the entire
town."18
The Toyackers had $300 left when they returned. They decided to
donate the money to the local American Legion Post for all of the help
they had given the boys. The American Legion took the money,
doubled it and presented the Toyackers with a check for $600. This
money was used to start the Toyack House. The boys were assigned
to three different stations in securing the materials for the building
process; bricks, rock, and lumber.
The lumber came from Mosby Mountain. Mosby Mountain had a
"free use" permit where a sawmill had been built. The "free use//
permit cost thirty cents per thousand board feet. The chapter needed
17,500 board feet for the building. The boys cut and hauled 35,000
board feet of logs to the sawmill and gave half to the mill to pay for
their share. While waiting for their logs to be sawed, the boys worked
in the mill to pay for the milling of their lumber.
Another group of boys went to Pleasant Valley with their fathers
to gather stone for the foundation. 'When passing through that area
some time earlier, Mr. Atwood had noticed a very unusual stone
deposit which looked to him like the pavement of an ancient city. The
stone, which covered approximately an acre, was flat and about six to
eight inches thick. The stone could easily be pried up with a crowbar
or even a screwdriver.//
19
They hauled ninety-one loads of rock. Each
load required two days for the trip, one day out and one day back.
The third group of boys went to an area where an old brick yard
hadbeen located. They cleaned out and built over a quarter-mile di tch
and directed it toward the brickyard. They also rebuilt a mud mill.
The Toyackers built over 10,000 adobe bricks to line the inside of the
house walls.
The most outstanding feature of the Toyack House was its fire-
place. Over forty bricks from FFA chapters in different states were
sent to Utah to build the fireplace. Each brick was different and had
an inscription on it. "Alabama sent the first stone of polished white
marble wi th the state name carved in it. The stone carne by airmail and
special delivery.//2o
Work on he Toyack House began in 1933 and was completed in
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
l
THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL 25
1936. Theentirecommunity,theCCC,andWPAhelped. WalterE.
Atwood, the advisor ofthe FFA at the time of the building ofthe
ToyackHousesaid,"Everycommunityandtownin theBasinwere
\
concerned or involved in the completion of the Toyack Chapter
House."21 In1936,whentheToyackHousewascompleted,ournation
wasseeingtheendoftheDepression;andwe,asanation,wereabout
readytoelectFranklinD. RoosevelttoasecondtermasPresidentof
the United States. The U.S. was a positive nation and ready for
progressasthetheme "CenturyofProgress"hints. CarlBougher,a
photographerduringthedepressionsaid,''Therewasexcitementin
themidstofdespair."22 Howelsecouldournationprogress,unlessit
had a positiveoutlook? WalterE. Atwoodsummed upthestrong
outlookAmericaandtheBasinneededtohave.
"The Depression and droughthad found manypeopleleavingthe
Uintah Basin and many of those whostayed were dismayed and
discouraged. The trip to the World Fair attracted a great deal of
attention and gave the Basin a hope, an interest, and a belief that
conditionswouldimprove."23
The "Centuryof Progress" trip and the Toyack House were a
community'swayoffightingwithanAmericanspiritandnotfalling
toadversecondi tions. .
The Toyack Chapter House continued in use as the agricultural
departmentuntil1952,whenthenewhighschoolwasbuiltattheeast
endoftown. Theold facilities, includingthe ToyackHouse, were
takenoverbythejuniorhighschool. Itservedfor manyyearsasa
classroomforthejuniorhigh. Forapproximatelythelast12years,the
buildinghasbeenvacant.RooseveltCityandtheDuchesneHistorical
Societyare currentlyinvolvedintryingtoraisefunds torestorethe
buildinginhopesthatitwillsomedaybealocalmuseum.
\ NOTES
!
1.Walter E. Atwood, "Toyack Visits The Century ofProgress." The Roosevelt
Standard. Jan. 11,1984.
2.Walt Mason Redmond, Personal1nterview, "Trip to World Fair 1933." May 19,
1987.
3David Shannon, Between the Wars' America. 1919-1941,(Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1979)p.180.
4.Shannon, p. 175
5Redmond, May 19,1987
6.Carl N. Degler, "Behind the Farm Problem: Rural Poverty." The New Deal (New
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
York: New York Times, 1937) p. 171-179.
7.Wall Mason Redmond. Personal Journal, Aug. 15,19, 27,1933.
8.Waller E. Alwood, Open Leller Duchesne County School District, Nov. 10, 1983.
9Raymond Vriscombe, Personal Journal, July 25,1984
10.Redmond, Aug. 18, 1933
l1.Redmond, Aug. 15,1933
12.Redmond, Aug. 11.1933
14.Wiscombe,July25,1984
15.Leona Jorgensen, personal Journal, Aug. 1933
17.James F. Secome, Open Leller Duchesne Co. School District, July 30,1984
18.Uniled Siaies Deparlmenl oflhe Interior Herilage Conservation and Recrealion
Service. Nalional Regisler ofHistoric Places Inventory--Nomination Form. Toyack
FFA Chapter House, p. 2
19.1bid
20.Atwood, Nov. 10, 1983
21.Atwood, Ibid
22.Carl Bougher, "The Long Winter and Short Spring of1937," NBC Our World, May
19.1987
23.Alwood, Nov. 10,1987
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
A REPRIEVE ON THE OUTLAW TRAIL
1888-1905
AstripoflandinthemiddleoftheUteReservation
wassetasidebythegovernmentforagilsonitemine.
Awildtownsprungup,outsidejurisdictionofstate,
Indianreservation,armyorlocallaw.
OnlyabsentFederalMarshalshadauthority.
BlacksoldiersstationedatFortDuchesne(Du-shane),
andtheoutlawsridingtheOutlawTrailfoundahaven.
Ourearlysettlerstell a tale
ofmenwhorodetheOutlawTrail.
TheyrodefromPrice,withgunonhip,
PastFortDuchesnetoMoffatstrip:
Alawlessspotwheretheywerefree
Togamble,drink,andhaveaspree.
Therewasahouseofill repute
Wherelustfor womenclaimedtheirloot.
SaloonwasownedbyElzaLay
Whereyoungmenoftenwentastray.
Layranacounterfeitingring,
BecametheSilverDollarKing.
Ourangrylawmencriedtheblues
WhileNegrosoldiersdrankthebooze.
Theyhadtodrinkwithinthestrip.
Soastheyrodedownthroughadip,
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
-----
Thesoldierstookonelonglastswallow
Andthrewtheemptyinahollow.
ThusBottleHollowbecamenamed;
ThestJ:ip atGusherbecamefamed.
Theoutlawsslippedoutin thenight
AndpassedthroughVernalontheirflight.
Theytraveledeastpastthreatsofjail
ToBrown'sHole,onTheOutlawTrail
Theseformerbadmannowrenown.
Haveearneddistinctionforourtown.
...DorisKarrenBurton
Vernal,Utah
... .,
- - ~ ."
-
~
~ f / -
~ . - ~
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
CAMPMEAT
"
WhenIlivedinacowcamp
Waybackupacanyon
Idinedoncottontails
tatersandvenison
Longhoursinthesaddle
Makeyoueatlikealion
Sometimesoutofbacon
Yerdowntothefryin's
Jerky'sjustfine
Forasnackonthetrail
Butitgetsprettyold
Whenyerhuntin'tripfailed
An'rabbi tsgetscarce
Whenwintersetsin
Yerbeltbuckle'srubbin'
Yerspinalcordthin
Abuckskin'lkeep
Whentheweathergetscold
SoYerlookin'for tracks
Atspringsanwaterholes
Andreamofadrydoe
Orevenafawn
Thelastcaseofsardines
Isprettyneargone
Bakedinapit
Wrappedinburlapanflour
Orbreadedwithgravey
An'simmeredfor hours
Hangin'backoftheshack
It shorewouldlookgood
I'dagotonetoday
If onlyIcould
Beenprayin'forsnow
Tobringernbackdown
Butit'stowarmandry
I'mawearin'afrown
JustwhenI'ma thinkin'
I'llstarveplumtodeath
An'earlyfallblizzard
Blow'dinfromthewest
It'sdownbelowzero
Thatwetsnowisdeep
Tohellwiththecows
An' tohellwiththesheep
I'mleavin'fordaylight
Withscabbardstrappedon
Beenneglectin' mystomach
Forwaytoodurnlong
I'maridin'acolt
Wi thalongpicketrope
Hehumpsupalittle
Weleaveonalope
I'mdressedfor theweather
Inangorabri tches
Sheepskinan'woolcoat
We'reahittin' theridges
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
Olebronc'sfeelin' snorty
Thewindsblowin'hard
Ican'tonlysee
Foradozenyards
Whilecrossingaclearing
Norfarfrom theshack
Brownieslidestoastop
Frozedeadinhistracks
Wedurnnearcollided
Withafourpointbuck
Thesun'sbarelyshowin'
I'malreadyinluck
Igrabfor therifle
Withnumbfrozenhands
Thatolebucksnorts
An'changesmyplans
Squeezeoneofffrom thehip
Asmymountpullstheplug.
WhileI'mpullin'leather
Bucksdownwithathud
Whentherodeo'sover
Coltsnubbedtoaquakie
Gohuntfortherifle
Onkneesstillshakey
Ain'thadnobreakfast
Can'tfindmyhat
thedeerdisappeared
Don'tknowwherehe'sat
There'stracksan'blood
Sohecan'tgetfar
Justgotrackhim'down
Whereeverheare
Whenafeller'shungry
Hedon'tthinktoostraight
All Ihadinmybrain
Wasfresh venisonsteak
Thereisfive feetonsnow
Inthatbrushcoveredswail
Wi thonlytracksin
ThistimeIcan'tfail
Can'tfind nomoresign
Butcan'tseehimnowhere
Hedidn'tcomeout
Guesshe'sgottabethere
Withall theseclothes
Can'thardlygetaround
Keepyouwarmwhileridin'
Butnotmeantfor theground
If Iwassmart
I'dbegoin' tocollege
An'havin'fun
Achasin' themdollies
Insteadoflonesome
Hungryan' cold
Astupidcowpuncher
Nowherean' broke
WullI'vekilledenoughtime
Outhereinthewind
Onlythinglefttodo
Isjustwaderightin
You'dhavetobecrazy
Tofollow themtracks
Inthatdeepsnow
Ain'tnocomin'back
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
Can'tjustrideaway
Withmeatsoclose
thefrost'ssettin'in
Tomyfingers an'nose
Don'tgettenpaces
Wi thha:t:nmerpulledback
'TillSatincomeschargin'
Withloweredrack
He'sabreathin'fire
Withlungsblowin'crimson
I'mpumpin'lead
It'smeorhisin'
Hestrikestherifle
Rightoutofmyhands
Ripsmywoolcoattoribbons
OnmybuttI lands
Grabsforhishorns
Hookmyspurstohisneck
It'shardtostaywithhim
He'smovin'tooquick
Themhoovesarelikelightin'
Theycutlikeaknife
Igripwithnumbfingers
An' fightformylife
Gropefor thebutcherknife
Stuckinmybelt
Sawathisjugular
An'praylikehell
I'vedonestupidthings
Inmylifebefore
Butthismaybemylast
I'mathell'sdoor
Nolongercold
KnowI'mdrippin'withsweat
Thesnow'sredwithblood
Butheain'tsloweddownyet
Iain'tevenhungry
As Ifeel hishotbreath
Throughwhat'sleftofmycoat
Andasheepskinvest
Possessedbythedevil
Heshouldabeendead
Islithisthroat
An'filledhimwi thlead
It'smeorhim
Onthismountainside
Theageolddrama
Offighttosurvive
Thisstoryain'tover
ThoughIgothimfield dressed
AsIsitinthesnow
Forasmokeandarest .
Thatbigolebrowncolts'
Tryin' topulldownthattree
Withrollersinhisnose
Snortsatbuckskinan'me
Walleyedanscared
He'sa throwin'afit
Istillgottapackhim
Thewreckain'tcorneyet
Can'tevengetnearhim
Withbloodonmyhands
'Boutsawedofftherope
Onlyheldbyfewstrands
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
32
Snubshimuphigh
An'tighttothattree
An'getskickedinthechest
Withbothhindfeet
Blindfold hiseyes
Withwhat'sleftofmycoat
Jackupahindleg
Withapieceoffrayedrope
Afterloadin' thegroceries
An'pullin'theblind
Ijustcuthimloose
Towatchhimunwind
Withonlythreelegs
Hedon'tgotoohigh
ThoughIdespisewalkin'
Gotnoyentoride
THE OUTLA WTRAIL JOURNAL
Thetrailis all downhill
As Ifollowbehind
Seemslikeabaddream
Inmyburnfuzzledmind
Backin thecabin
Rockbackinmychair
Asmellin' thembiscuits
An'steakfryin' there
I'mcontentwithmylife
An'thechancesItake
It weren'tnobigdeal
Justapieceofcake.
---Robert Peterson
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
THE OUTLA VI TRAIL JOURNAL 33
FOLKTALES
FROMTHEOUTLAWTRAIL
PAGES FROM THE PAST
Research & Interviews
by Outlaw Trail History Center Director Doris Karren Burton
Note: We will be publishing a folktale in this andfuture issues of the
journals of accounts of peopl who have reported seeing Bulch Cassidy after he was
supposedly kiI/ed in South America. If you have any such slories would you please
share them with usfor the Journal.
The following story has been taken from a taped interview by Daun
DeJournefle, Rosalie DeJournefle, and Earl DeJournelfe with Edith MacKnight Jensen,
the widow of Chick (Herbert) MacKnight in 1979. Chick was the son ofJosie Basself
MacKnight. Chick would have nothing to do with his mother as he said she left him for
a long period of time when he was a small child. After Ann Basself returned to Brown's
Park, Chick lived with her.
In 1928 Ann and her husband, Frank Willis, were living in Huntington
Beach, California, where Queen Ann was running a rooming house for oil workers.
Chick and Edith were also living in California running a riding academy near
Hermos Beach. QueetJ Ann invited them lojoin her and Frankfor a sightseeing
tour.
Edith recalled they traveled to Pahrump l l e y ~ Nevada, which is
sixty miles north west of Las Vagas. In 1928 there wasn't much of
anything there except an old ranch at Pahrump Springs, which was a
ot spring.
Theycamped not far from the old ranch at anold mining town. The
houses were all tumbled down. Ann went there supposedly to do
work to hold her mining claims. They went over to a little, old cabin
which reminded Edith of an Indian cabin. There was an old fellow
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
there "that looked like a desert rat." Ann called him Albert. When
discussing him, Ann referred to him as "Old Albert."
Edith s.1id Old Albert just happened to be Butch Cassidy, but Edith
was not told this at the time. She said Ann and Frank just went to see
Butch not to do mining claim work. Edith recalled Queen Ann was
very tight mouthed when any of the outlaws were mentioned. Edith
stated she was taught to be the same.
Edith didn't find out she has seen Butch Cassidy until much later
after Queen Ann and Josie were both dead. When asked who told her,
she insisted the tape recorder be turned off. Then she smiled and said,
"Who was left to tell?" Edith had also learned to guard the secret well
for the sake of Butch Cassidy and his family. Queen A n made the
statement in later years that she had seen Butch in Johnny, Nevada.
Why was he using the alias"Albert?" This is purely speculation
but in Brown's Park there was an old man who ran the ferry boat. He
was a black man known as the "speckled nigger." He was referred to
as "Speck" or "Old Albert" and was a friend of the Bassetts and the
outlaws. Ann may have first seen Butch covered with dirt from
mining and told him he looked like Old Albert, and the name ShICk.
Chick made the statement to Edith that once you have seen Butch
that you know him by his eyes even if he is covered with dirt and
whiskers. Edith alsostated she could look at Butch's pictures now and
recognize the eyes of Old Albert.
Another time Queen Ann called Edi th and Chick and invited them
down to Huntingto Beach for the weekend to meet their friends, Elzy
Lay and his wife. Therefore, we know that Queen Ann was keeping
in contact with all her outlaw friends. Edith made this finals atement
on the tape concerning Elzy. "They were nice, well dressed people.
I was never around any nicer-appearing people than they were. He
wasn't like a bank robber, he was more like a banker."
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
TRAGIC DROWNING
F THREE WOMEN
In 1879 several Mormon families moved into the Uintah Basin and
settled at the direction of their Church leaders. One of the placed
settled was the region along the banks of the Green and White rivers,
now called Ouray. One such was Samuel Joseph Campbell. He and
his two wives, Leona and Matild France, who were sisters, and their
five children, one boy and four girls all settled there. Theybuilt a cabin
on the north side of the river where it would be protected from sever
weather by the hills found there. On the south side of the river, with
the abundant water available for irrigation, hey planted their crops
and gardens.
OnJuly 15,1880, after Joseph had left on a freighting trip, his wives
decided they needed some fresh vegetables from the garden. The
usual method of crossing the White Ri ver was by a small rowboat kept
at the banks for that purpose. Leona and Sarah, along with their sister-
in-law, Henniott asked a neighbor boy to row them across. At
midstream, a herd of cattle started across the stream and the water
became very rough. The little boat capsized and the three women
were drug under, never to resurface. The boy grasped the boat and
held on until help came. Joseph's mother and the mother of his wives
both watched this tragic incident from the banks of the ri ver and were
unable to do anything to help. All three women drown and their
bodies were never found.
Joseph, upon returning spent several days searching the river
banks for the bodies of his wives and sister but to no avail. He
recorded: "I stayed searching and walking the banks long after others
\
had left the river. HowI longed tojust get themand give thema decent
j
burial. At last I was lead home exhaustedand heartbroken tomy little
motherless children, four girls and one boy. No one will ever know
the emptiness I felt, and as though the very foundation ha gone from
under me. My sadness and loneliness conti ued for two years, with
the hardships and sickness of a motherless fami ly." Joseph's grief left
him inconsolable for several weeks and during this time a teen-aged
neighbor girl, Clarissia Reynolds cared for his children. Soon Joseph
asked Clarissia to marry him and she and hd parents consented even
though she was young. She and Joseph raised his children and several
of their own. In the spring of 1885, the government took the Ouray
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
Valley for the White River Indians and the little band of pioneers
moved on to what is now Vernal, Utah."
Adaptedfrom the files held at the Outlaw Trail History Center, Vernal, Utah. Edited by
John D. Barton. Original story found in the Uintah Basin Standard, July 31,1958.
The Chick-o-fee
by H. Bert Jenson
Over the years, kids have al ways found inventi ve ways of keeping
themselves entertained. Some of these activities have been as benign
as reading a book in the apple tree, others, verging on havoc: running
underwear up the flag pole, tacks on teacher's chair, stealing water-
melons, and tipping over out-houses. My grandfather, Wallace
Hyrum Dennis, was born in 1898. He told of dismantling wagons by
moonlight and reassembling them on roof tops, all for the joy of
watching the owner's surprise and consternation the next morning.
Before he passed away, I had shared several experiences with him of
horseplay I had done. All such 'pranks' required secrecy, were
viewed by there perpetrators as harmless, and were all in fun.
Ranking right up there with the best of these shenanigans was the
"Chick-o-ree."
This tomfoolery led kids into war games not unlike stealing
watermelons or many of the other gags. The idea was to use stealth
in sneaking into a farmer's chicken coop and making off with several
of his feathered fare. Once the chickens were in the bag and the get-
away secured, they were taken to some remote and prearranged hide
out. Here, they were roasted on an open fire or fried in a skillet, but
always, enjoyed by the pirating tricksters.
There are hundreds of stories of how certain chicken heists were
performed. One self-confessed chick-o-ree-er described his tech-
nique. It would normally start when a group of boys got together and
set out to pick up some dates spur-of-the-moment. While one of the
suitors would work at convincing his girlfriend's parents to let their
daughter go out, the others would hit the chicken coop. Once they
were all together wi th dates, they would gotosome favori te haunt and
fry the stolen chickens.
The one rule of all chicken thiefs is that anyone is game, and no one
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
37 THE OUTLAWTRAlL JOURNAL
exempt. When my grandparents were just newly-weds, they home-
steaded on the South Myton Bench near Pleasant Valley. On one
occasion they were approached by younger, unmarried brothers and
sisters, and a bunch of their friends, tojoin in a chick-o-ree caper. They
declined outright participation in the taking of chickens, but agreed
that if the others wanted to corne back to their house to cook them, that
would be alright.
The younger mob left, descending the hill towards the town of
Myton, to get chickens. The young-marrieds began building a fire in
the stove and waited. The kids soon returned with several chickens,
which were enjoyed by all. But the next morning, when the married
couple went to do chores, they found they hadbeen duped. It was their
chickens that had been eaten the night before. The larcenist siblings
had stopped just below the crest of the hill, decei tfullyout ofsight, and
had snuck back to their brother's hen house for the chickens.
A quick glance at the Myton Free Press during the nineteen-teens
and into the twenties, will reveal several accounts of persons who
carne up missing some fryers, and the taking labeled as "a problem."
The chick-o-ree was not limited to the Myton area, however, nor did
it stop in the twenties. This writer has been all over the Basin, and
stories of the chick-o-ree are everywhere, and this antic was still being
pulled in the forties. But like watermelons, chickens reproduce in
numbers; many early Basin farmers raised them; and a chick-o-ree
was not a theft of all the farmer's poultry, but the taking of only a few-
-a prank--something that an outwitted farmer could live with. It is
very much a part of our folk history.
The Scorpion
by H.Bert Jenson
Joshua, "Buck" Stewart, lived with his parents near Ouray just
after 1900. As a kid, he loved to run in the hills and explore the
topography of the badlands. One thing he learned very early was to
stay away from scorpions, especially the very large desert variety that
grew to four or five inches, or more'. Even around the yard, one could
encounter these poisonous denizens of the wilderness.
It was while he was working in the garden one fall, that Buck had
the scare of a lifetime. As he walked from the garden to the cellar wi th
an armload of cabbage for winter storage, one of the giant scorpions
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
attached itself against the boys leg and inside his new bib overalls.
Dropping the cabbage, he immediately grabbed his pants at the knee
in a bunching motion. The scorpion was thus contained and isolated
from his leg where it could not sting. Buck hoped it would not sting
his hand through the denim folds.
"Mother," he called, "come quick. Its a scorpion. On my leg. Oh
gees, hurry, do something." Fear stalked his face, and his mother
scattered produce helter-skelter as she ran for the house. Buck
impatiently waited for her to rescue him, all the while, looking for the
dark stinger end of the scorpion to penetrate the cloth and probe
menacingly in the air seeking his hand. His mother soon returned
from the house with a pair of scissors. She was sick tocut the new bibs,
they had been specially bought large to make room for the growing
boy over the next year. But to let the scorpion 10 se to be shaken out
of the pant leg only invited a sting, and danger. In he excitement, she
could envision no other al ter a ive that would protect her son quicker
than to cut away the bundled up material containing the creature.
Carefully, so as not to get stung through the fab ie, Buck's mother
severed the bunched pant leg. A huge gapingh Ie fell over the youth' s
exposed knee, and was followed by their joint groan at the waste of it
all. Buck jumped up, and back, as if preparing for an impending blow
in a kids' street fight.
Tossing the pocket f cloth to the ground, Buck's mother began
stomping the scorpion to death, Buck joining in every chance he got.
"Get it--kill the dirty bounder, Mom. Here, let e at 'im." "Be
careful," his mother warned, ''Don't get too close a d have him get
you anyway, after all this."
With the once-proUd knee of the brand new denim bibs ground
into the dusty earth, Buck's mother hesitantly opened the tattered
piece of cloth. There before them, lay the object of their attack, the
terrible monster that had menaced the boy. Digging in the damp spot
that marked the crushed form, Buck dug it out and held it up on the
end of his greasewood stick; a cabbage leaf! It had fallen down the
front of his bibs. Imagination had done the rest. (Buck Stewart's
mother is this writer's great-grandmother, Nancy Elizabeth Birchell
Stewart, 1879-1962).
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
BOOK REVIEWS
ROBBERS ROGUES AND RUFFIANS: True Tales of the Wild West.
Howard Bryan, Robbers Rogues and Ruffians: True Tales orche Wild West, (Santa Fe,
New Mexico: Clear Light Publishers, 1991,)
Journalist, Howard Bryan, has shared a lifetime of research and
storytelling in his book, Robbers Rogues and Ruffians: True Tales of
the Wild West. As author of the western history article "Off the Beaten
Path", which has appeared in the Albuquerque Tribune since 1953, he
is an expe t n the outlaws ofthe South West. The stor' es for t is book
have beenborrowed from thirty-seven years of "Off the Beaten Path".
Robbers Rogues and Ruffians is an anthology of the outlaws of the
wild west. Included are the stories of famous outlaws such as; Tom
"Black Jack" Ketchum, and Clay Allison, as well as lesser known
outlaws like, Marino Leyba and Gus Mentzer.
The book is valuable for the well researched articles on the outlaws
of the west; but more valuable for the true picture of the wild west the
author paints. Not the Hollywood picture where the outlaws never
miss, where their guns are never empty, and where they act like Robin
Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Bryan's picture of
the wild westis the authentic picture. One where many of the outlaws
are vicious, often killing mercilessly, and sometimes making mis-
takes.
Marino Leyba, the Sandia Mountain Desperado, was one of these
outlaws. When cornered in a creek bed he prepared to fight it out.
Firing the first shot, he grazed the stirrup of a posse member.
However, in his haste he inserted a.45 caliber shell into his.44 caliber
rifle. When he fired, the block was blown off the gun hi tting himin the
arm. Wounded he surrendered.
Another was Antonio Baca, A member of a Hispanic family in
Soccorro. Baca killed a prominent non-Hispanic member of the
community. Surrounded in his house by a posse bent on revenge, he
dressed in women's clothes and tried to escape. He was captured
walking out the front door.
Robbers Rogues and Ruffians is a well researched, well written
collection of thirteen true stories for all history buffs. For the profes-
sional historian i ontains a wealth of information, and gives us a true
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
40 THE OUTLA WTRAfL. JOURNAL
picture of outlaws and the wild west. It is not an interpretive work but
the wealth of primary information gleaned from newspaper accounts
of the time are valuable. For others it is full of action packed, true
stories of some of histories most colorful people.
Deron Wilkerson
Duchesne, Utah
Queen Ann Bassett alias Etta Place
by Doris Karren Burton with Thomas G. Kyle, (Vernal, Utah: Published by Burton
Enterprises, 1992).
In this short book Uintah County Regional Room and OutlawTrail
History Center Director, Doris Burton, has outlined a very plausible
theory that the elusive Etta Place, girlfriend of the Sundanc Kid, is
none other that Ann Bassett from Brown's Park. Burton's thesis is
centered around computer photo analysis done by Dr. Thomas G.
Kyle of Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Kyle, who has done photo analysis for
NASA, the F.B.I., Scotland Yard, and many other agencies, computed
the probability of Ann Bassett being Etta Place by comparing photos
of both. The likelihood being 5400 to 1 that they were the same person.
This was in his words "a conservative figure." In Kyle's opinion there
was no doubt that they were the same person. Burton adds further
weight to the argument by finding absences in the known time frames
of Ann Bassett at the very times that Etta Place was known to be with
the Wild Bunch.
Burton's theory still has some work to be done before it is the
definitive work on Etta Place but certainly poses a better, more
believable case than any presented by other historians to date. One of
the most te ling arguments that Burton presents is that, in all likely-
hood, more than one outlaw moll used the name Etta Place as an alias.
Her argument is that the girl-friend of the Sundance Kid in the photo
taken in New York just before embarking on their South American
journey, was Ann Bassett.
In additio to outlining the Ann/Etta theory, Burton also briefly
profiles Ann Bassett's life. Raised a rambunctious tom-boy on a
Brown's Park cattle ranch, Ann was sent to two different girls' schools
to try and tame her down. While in finishing school, where she was
constantly in trouble, Ann realized that her feminine wiles were often
more effective than temper tantrums in getting what she wanted in a
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
41 THE OUTLAW TRAIL JOURNAL
male dominated world. In her fight with the 2 Bar Ranch over grazing
rights in Brown's Park Ann was dubbed "Queen of the Cattle Rus-
tlers" and was afterward known as "Queen Ann."
Burton's bookis recommended for anyone interested in the history
and folklore of western outlaws. It is easily read and adds signifi-
cantly in the overall story of Ann Bassett. his reviewer hopes,
however, that this short workis a start not the end product of Burton's
research on the topic.
John D. Barton
Roosevelt, Utah
Cowboy Folk Humor; L"Ie and Laughter in the American West
byJohnO. West, (littleRock, Arkansas: August House Pub. Inc., 1990)
reviewed by Nels E. Carlson.
Simply delightful! Cowboy Folk Humor, as written by John O.
West was truly enjoyable. Mr. West wrote it as he gathered or
researched each short story and anecdote after years of research,
visiting and listening to the old timers; particularly the cowboy's of
West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Some of the only true sun
burned settlers of Western America that are left to recall stodes as they
heard them, or were personally involved with them. What a feast!
What a treat! West is meticulous with the color contained in the
cowboy's prose as their story is told for posterity. It makes sense,
although not all of it is humorous.
Some of the stories brought a tear, as naturally they would.
Tragedy and comedy on the open plains; it made sense, and rang true;
farmers, ranchers, cow hands, trail cooks, and the like. It made a lot
of sense! Much of the time, things weren' treal excitingoncattle drives,
for most of the cowboys and folks, as a matter of fact, they were down
right boring; so, what would they do, but pass along stories of their
personal exp riences, as this great country was settled, as they
traversed it from east to west.
Imagine, if you can, sitting as a campfire, after a long day on the
trail. You've been fed bysome cowpoke, who calls himself a trail cook.
The food was, at best, poor! However, remember your on the trail
drive, fed once, maybe twice (if your lucky) a day! The cattle drive is
oring, not what you expected, and the only thing that tides you over,
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
are the stories.
Either, cowboy's told them or heard them, butJ. O. West captures
them in real time; as they were told, as he relates them. "Cowboy
humor wasn't aluxury; it was a necessi ty; according toC. L. Sonnichsen,
since our sense of humor helps us bear the unbearable."
That's the way itwas and we have some of these of stories. Not all
of them surely; manyare lost though the wri ter has done an admirable
job collecting these folk tales.
You may laugh, or cry oreven sing as some are conveyed in lyrical
verse; however, you will most certainly enjoy reading about the tales
of the old west, as it was being settled.
Perhaps some greater understanding of why we're here; perhaps
a greater knowledge of who you are, heck, I don't know! But you will
enjoy, appreciate and probably laugh at the humor in John O. West's
Book, Cowboy Folk Humor.
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
43
THE STRIP
In 1887 Sam Gilson ofSalt Lake City became interested in the
asphaltum in the area near Ft. Duchesne. However since it was part of
the reservation it was unavailable for development. With political
intrigue the land was taken out of the reservation by an act of congress
and the agreement of the Indians. The Strip, as it came to be known,
became lawless within a short time for the only legal jurisdiction came
from the Federal Marshall, who was rarely in the area. Gambling,
prostitution, crimes, and even murder was commonplace while the mining
ofGilsonite continuedform 1888 to just around 1910. This photo is of
Moffat (now called Gusher) August 18,1911.
Outlaw Trail History Center Collection
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
44
ManeuverersatFt. Duchesne
OutlawTrailHistoryCenterCollection
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
45 "LA WTRAIL JOURNAL
Editor'sNote
On the cove is a first-time published photo with an interesting
story. Mr. Erich J. Baumann of Tujunga, California bought an old
broach at an estate sale from an elderly woman in southern California.
Upon the purchase he was told that the photo was of the Wild Bunch,
of whom he had never heard. He did not think of it again for several
years until he happened on a copy of Doris Burton's new book Queen
Ann Bassett alias Etta Place. Here for the first time he read of the Wild
Bunch. Intrigued he sent an enlarged copy of the photo to Doris at the
Outlaw Trail History Center in Vernal. The actual size of the broach
is "about the size of a half dollar." Without computer photo analysis
it is speculative to say who may be in the picture be but there are
obvious similarities to ButchCassidy, 150mDart, and Ann Bassett. We
wish to thank Mr. Baumann for letting us use the photo.
John D. Barton
Managing Edi tor
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
Jensen crossingofthe GreenRiver
OutlawTrailHistory CenterCollection
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
OutlawTrailHistoryCenter
Research Centerfor Outlaws&Lawman
FeaturingHistoryofthe WildBunch
HousedintheRegionalHistoryRoom at
UintahCountyLibrary
155 EastMain
Vernal, Utah 84078
"Ii" 1-800-388-4538
Anew addition was completed in 1992which nearly
doubled the square footage of the Uintah County
Library. The project provided new facilities for the
Outlaw Trail History Center, the Regional History
Collection, and the Children's Collection, with
expanded facilities for the general collections and a
newmultipurposeroom.
800 Number courtesy of

COMMUNICA nONS
: ...
Uintah County Library
Alibraryforall "ages"
. . '.' ,"
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center
Property of the
Outlaw Trail
History Center

04 - Winter Spring 1993 - Watermark

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

04 - Winter Spring 1993 - Watermark

Uploaded by

Copyright:

theOUTLIWTRAIL JOURNAL

VOLUME3 WINTER/SPRING 1993 NUMBER1

You might also like