My Brother

This was June 13, 2009: Chad in his diesel truck at the Burley Tractor Pulls. :)

More insanity

Just when you thought it was safe to read the newspaper. Today in the delightful Times-News, Twin Falls appeared a section called "Law & Disorder... in Cassia County."

"From June 18 police reports: Driving under the influence: Police responded to Annie's Saloon in Albion regarding a fight. The primary suspect, Cory Wayne Allen, 43, of Burley, was pulled over for various alleged traffic infractions. 'Mr. Allen had urinated in his pants and had blood on the top of his head and on his hands. His shirt was ripped on the left shoulder and the buttons were pulled off,' Deputy Wayne Winder's report reads: 'I asked how he got the blood on his hands and face and he said he did not have blood on his hands or face. I began to instruct Mr. Allen in the start position for gaze nystagmus test and he told me to just arrest him.'

He was arrested for excessive driving under the influence. His breath tests indicated results of .248 and .243, the report notes, well above the .08 legal blood-alcohol content limit. The fight, according to witness statements in the report, involved Allen calling a woman a whore, then throwing her on the ground by her hair and hitting her before, after several people attempted to intervene, punching the woman's mother in the face."

I typed the story exactly as it appears. I'm not sure if the other people tried to help before or after he threw the woman on the floor or exactly when he punched her mother in the face. But now all of Burley knows Mr. Allen is a big jerk who beats up women and peed his pants. Apparently also cops are not fond of ontological arguments concerning the reality of blood on one's hands and face. I also like how he was "arrested for excessive driving." J.D. suggested that this sort of thing happens everywhere, but it just gets attention here. I agree to an extent. But I also find it entertaining that the Twin Falls paper has a special section on "Cassia County" crime.

Also appearing in "Law and Disorder" was a story about two 49-year-old men stealing bicycles from Wal-Mart. They were going to sell four of them for $100. "One of the arrested men, according to Deputy Kenny Emery's report, said his accomplice was 'up to no good' and promised to testify against him. Regardless, both men were arrested."

I'm impressed he was flipping on his partner before they even got to jail.

My Heritage

Information summarized from "The Life Histories of Wade & Afton Baker" Compiled by LaRinda Anderson

Afton Ethel Garner was born August 27, 1914 in Roy, Utah. She was the oldest of eight children. She had three sisters and four brothers. Her parents were William Charles and Hannah Ethel Bowen Garner. She wore gingham dresses to school and loved to read and sing. She also enjoyed swimming and dancing, but not riding horses. Growing up she had to help her father change water, hoe and thin beets, cultivate, drive horses, stack hay, and harvest grain. She picked potatoes and filled sacks even as a child. She would stay out of school during harvest in order to help. They would go on summer vacations to Red Fish Lake, but Afton only recalled ever catching two fish in her life. She got her first perm by electricity from a large machine and loved having curly hair. She played the piano and attended Brigham Young University for a year pursuing a business major. Then Afton served a mission to Minneapolis, Minnesota and Winnipeg, Canada. On her mission Afton helped convert Brother and Sister Cake in Winnipeg. She served a long mission. Instead of the 18 months like the rest of her companions, they kept her for 25.5 months. (pages 1-10)

Wade Baker was born January 20, 1916 in Roy, Utah. His parents were Thomas Parley Baker and Celestia Pearl Child. He had seven older siblings. His mother died when he was only six years old. His dad remarried a woman with two children, and they had four more kids together. Wade's oldest sister died when her fourth child was born, so his father and step-mother also raised this baby. He said of growing up: 'Work was plentiful but money scarce' with 15 kids (12). Wade enjoyed basketball, dancing, and rollerskating. He helped his father farm and worked for .18 cents an hour at the Roy Canning Factory peeling onions. He knew how to train horses and one winter broke 55 wild horses from Montana. (pages 11-13)

After returning from her mission, Afton married Wade Baker at 11:00 p.m. Nov. 10, 1937 in the Salt Lake City Temple. They were going to be married at 2:00 p.m. but had an Idaho Marriage License, so they hurried to the Utah courthouse but didn't make it back in time. They then wanted the 6:00 p.m. time. To pass a few hours they went shopping for a reception suit and dress. They also went to a car exhibition, which caused them to miss getting married until 11:00 p.m. that night (15). After their wedding they lived in a 12' x 12' granary with a coal stove and "furniture painted on the walls" (15). They parked a truck next to the granary at night to help prevent the wind from blowing it over. They were paid partially in grain. (pages 15-16)

Over the years they rented land and tried many farming / ranching enterprises. They raised 600 turkeys one year and then Hereford cattle for a number of years (17,18). Eventually they worked and saved enough to built a house south of Burley and settle over 6,000 acres of land. They took out the sage brush and plowed the fields with horses. They dug wells and were among the first to irrigate the Idaho desert. A lot of people were afraid to drill wells, but they knew there would be water. Wade prayed in a field one day and upon rising from the ground noticed his knee print in the earth and thought "Why not here"? (21). He drove a shovel into the spot and went to find Afton and show her. It turned out to be a wonderful well that still waters many fields to this day. They grew primarily wheat, potatoes, and sugar beets.
Wade and Afton had eight children, seven survived to adulthood:
Larry Wade
LeLand C.
Shirlene Afton
Dwaine Dale
Ronald Garner
Dennis Lee (died 8 years old)
Rell Dean
Loren Devon

Wade and Afton were very dedicated to the LDS Church. Over the years Afton served as choir director, drama director, mutual chorister, Stake Inservice Leader in Primary, and Relief Society President (23). Wade also had many callings including Stake President of the Cassia Stake in Oakely with counselors Tom Clark and Monroe Adams (23). He also served as Multi-Regional Director of Welfare Services, counselor in the Unity Bishopric for seven years, a member of the Stake High council for four years, and manager of the Stake Farm (26). General Authorities of the church would visit every few months and stay in their home. (This is why I have a copy of the Book of Mormon from my father with Ezra Taft Benson's and Thomas Monson's signatures, among many others).

My grandparents' family history ends with my Grandpa's death in 1992. I was 14 and don't have too many personal memories of time with Grandpa. I do remember him sitting happily at family events at the Baker Pool, watching over all his grandkids. By the 90s, there were 30 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren (27). So one-on-one time with Grandma and Grandpa was limited. I had one in-depth conversation when I was older with him, as Grandpa recalled his childhood friends that died from epidemics. Over the years, he would occasionally visit us at our farm in his tan pickup, B1, and we always got a big hug from Grandpa whenever we visited their house.

With my Grandma I remember a few more details. Grandma made the best pea and potato soup. She liked to watch Wheel of Fortune and discuss Vanna's (usually inappropriate) clothing choices. She always had the cookie bin full and would pack little bags of treats for us kids to take home. Grandma had purple irises by her bedroom window. And like me, Grandma had two baby teeth throughout her adulthood. Grandma loved to dance. She discussed dancing with fondness and animation until she grew quiet when her memory turned to dancing with partners before she met Grandpa. Grandma passed away when I moved to grad school. The last time I saw her was at my wedding. She hugged me and wished me a happy marriage.

Cassia County Trivia Answers

I thought I should post these while I have a chance. Thanks to Catherine for playing.

1. How did the town "Declo" get its name? Originally it was called "Marshfield." "When the town applied for a post office in 1917, the general post office in Washington, D.C. said there were too many towns with the name Marshfield. No one could decide on a name, so a group of men visiting the Gillett Mercantile decided to take the initials of the first five men to walk into the store and form a name. The first five men were August Detlef, George Eldredge, James Cooley, Hyram Lewis, and Carl Osterhout" (66) -- hence DECLO. Hey, they could have gone with AGJHC.

2. What was the full name of the college in Albion? Albion State Normal School (ASNS) 1893-1951.

3. When was alcohol illegal in Burley? Alcohol was illegal in all of Cassia County by 1909, long before prohibition. Law enforcement officers confiscated moonshine and whiskey stills to pour out the contents and destroy the equipment (44). But they didn't get it all.

4. What was "Diamondfield Jack Davis" accused and found guilty of? Right on this one Catherine, "murder" (said in a sinister voice). He worked for the "Sparks-Harrell Cattle Company in the late 1890s" and was responsible for keeping sheep off cattle land. "He was accused of killing two sheepherders" (12). He was found guilty on circumstantial evidence and sentenced to hang. His pardon arrived only hours before the execution was carried out, even though others had confessed to the murders (12).

5. When did Burley become the county seat? Nov. 5, 1918. They started petitioning in 1912 and even invited the entire town of Oakley over for dinner in order to win their votes. Oakley came to dinner, but they still gave their votes to Albion (36).

6. The Chadwick building built in 1917 had a pool hall and cigar store on its ground floor; what was upstairs? "Upstairs was the Kettering Sanitarium. The patients were treated with electroshock therapy" (41).

7. The corner of Main and Overland where men gathered to exchange gossip used to be known as what? "The Loafing Corner" (45). Mom remembers going with her dad and siblings on Saturday nights to watch drunks bumbling and stumbling around there. They would take some Pepsi and peanuts and be entertained for free.

8. Intersections of roads used to have signs warning people against what crime? I'll have to post this picture when I get a chance because it's funny. It's a huge pillar in the middle of the road that reads "Drive Carefully. Don't Commit Manslaughter" (48). "Manslaughter" is written in exaggerated, pretty cursive.

9. How many known Jewish families settled in Burley prior to 1930? According to this source, three families (52).

10. How many children were necessary in a community before the state would send a teacher?
Apparently Cassia County residents don't just ask to borrow each others' cats. They borrow kids too! It took a minimum of 10 children for the state to send a teacher (60). A family in Declo "brought a Rasmussen child home to live with them. This gave them 10 children between themselves and their neighbors. They only had to 'borrow' the child for one year, as more families moved in (60).

11. What was the original name of "Elba"? Beecherville

12. What was the reasoning for the town name "Malta"? This source explains that "it seemed like an island in a wide expanse of sea, so they named it Malta after the island in the Mediterranean" (79).

* Source: Images of America: Cassia County. Valerie K. Bowen and the Cassia County Historical Society. Arcadia, 2009.

Burley Controversies

"In response to last week's comment regarding the long winded man and the golf ball. I am the man he is referring to" (page 6).

So begins the "Sound Off" page of the Burley Weekly Mailer. Since the South Idaho Press (SIP) went out of business, I suppose this weekly publication gives Burley citizens a chance to have their voices heard. Mostly, this week at least, saying very silly things.

Mr. Long Winded goes on to write a diatribe over four columns in length. He's complaining about not being called upon at a city council meeting, in which he raised his hand and was ignored. The council decided "to pay for damage done to a private vehicle on public city property by a private citizen on public city property" (6). Perhaps the snide among us see some ways that sentence could be edited. Anyway, he was going to tell the city council that paying would set a dangerous precedent. He offered to pay the $300.00 dollars himself and flashed a golf ball around to underscore his point. (Apparently a car was damaged by a golf ball). Then he goes on to defend himself against someone who apparently complained about him in the previous week's Mailer:

"What I find most interesting about this personal attack towards me in the paper is that the 'Burley Citizen's' real intent is not a commentary on the golf ball but rather a long standing grudge about my personal financial situation and my company's lease of the former 'Rite Aid' building. I am truly sorry that this person is carrying around a grudge all this time against me, cankering their soul. I seriously doubt they really know the depths of my pockets (my own wife doesn't even know), and how much meat is in my 'bluster' as they called it. Jealousy is a dangerous thing Mr./Mrs. Burley Citizen. Luckily I don't take my mood meter from anonymous sound off writing individuals" (6). -Brek Pilling

Also of great concern in Burley are the new flower pots that line Overland. Helen Bowcut wrote to express her delight in "the beautiful flowers in the big cement containers" (6). Apparently, "They really give Overland a new look and something to enjoy driving through town" (6). Helen concludes with a big "Hooray!" (6). Most everyone else thinks the flowers are a waste. I've heard from family sources they cost $28,000 and will cost $6,000 to replant each year.

The Mailer is also obviously a place to voice random jabs at the opposite sex: "Happy in Burley got it right about men. I really like Dolly Parton's take on men: You can always tell when a man is in love, he's getting ready to divorce his wife" (6). -Twice divorced and kept the kids in Burley

Finally, we end with the terrible news that tyrants dwell in little Burley. The worst sort of tyrants-- evil, mean, down right despotic-- "karaoke tyrants"!!!! An adult guitar student of Marcus Meek writes: "I find it sad and disgusting that the karaoke tyrants at the Cassia County Fair will not allow him to provide a venue for his students (some of them are your children) to showcase the efforts they have worked so hard for. It is time for there to be something other than a whining drug store cowboy 'singing' his rendition of our favorite songs" (6).

This is followed by a letter from Mr. Marcus Meek himself. He argues his students have performed at such prestigious events as "the Heyburn 4th of July celebration, Declo Days, Rupert Square, and for the Wilson Theatre Christmas Show" (8). So why aren't they good enough for the Cassia County Fair? After all, his students "can be as much as 12% of Burley's population" (8). Humm... maybe the problem would be having 12% of Burley's population all playing guitars?

Anyway, Mr. Meek also addresses the fiendish karaoke brutes (or make that brute): "One person has control of nearly every musical event for the entire week and promotes mostly karaoke. This is not the American way" (8).

While karaoke may not be the American way, fortunately, Mr. Meek is here to remind us what is at least the Burley way: "My kids have learned good, tasteful music, and I'm now old papa bear fighting for them on this issue" (8).

Thank you Burley.

Home Again

I'm back in Burley. Not much really changes here, at least not quickly. They're tearing down the Overland Elementary School that my father attended. I guess they're taking it down brick-by-brick to reuse. Burley as a whole fits that sort of general slow, brick-by-brick pace.

I love seeing my family. Everyone is doing well, and Madison is a little angel. She's sweet and cute with lots of lovely dark hair. She's a quiet baby. I sleep upstairs right above their room and have not heard her cry in three nights. Candice said she went to sleep around 11:00 p.m. and slept until 3:00 a.m., then until 6:30 a.m., and finally woke up at 10:30 a.m. Mom, Candice, and I gave her a bath today, and she didn't cry or fuss a bit. Candice is also doing very well.

Yesterday for fun Mom and I went to the grand Burley Museum. We bought a book they published that has a picture of my Grandma Afton harvesting potatoes in her high heels. She and my Grandpa Wade were among the first to really turn a lot of Burley desert into good farmland. They also had a picture of my Grandpa's truck hauling sugarbeets.

In the actual Museum they had old machinery, farm equipment, clothes, journals (I was interested in one woman's who quoted Matthew Arnold), arrowheads, multiple buffalo skulls, supposedly the train car that carried John Wilkes Booth's body (and was later used to raise pigs), and an early settler's log cabin with a dirt floor rebuilt log-by-log for display. They also had a lot of items that were random and somewhat junky. Mom and I laughed for quite a while over their "fabulous pencil collection." Of course it wasn't labeled that, but they looked like regular pencils from local businesses circa the 1980s. Ah, such is Burley.

I'll post some of the interesting information I found in the book later. But does anyone want to venture a guess about Cassia County trivia?

1. How did the town "Declo" get its name?

2. What was the full name of the college in Albion?

3. When was alcohol illegal in Burley?

4. What was "Diamondfield Jack Davis" accused and found guilty of?

5. When did Burley become the county seat?

6. The Chadwick building built in 1917 had a pool hall and cigar store on its ground floor; what was upstairs?

7. The corner of Main and Overland where men gathered to exchange gossip used to be known as what?

8. Intersections of roads used to have signs warning people against what crime?

9. How many known Jewish families settled in Burley prior to 1930?

10. How many children were necessary in a community before the state would send a teacher?

11. What was the original name of "Elba"?

12. What was the reasoning for the town name "Malta"?