Voices from the Past

Life History of Judge Samuel

Swanner

Interviewee: Sterling Swanner

July 11, 1978

Tape #126

Oral Interview conducted by Harold Forbush

Transcribed by: Amanda Hoffmann November 2009

Edited by: Lisa Blaylock May 2010

Brigham Young University- Idaho

Harold S. Forbush: This tape contains an interview with Sterling C. Swanner, S-W-A-N-

N-E-R. Who’s a son of Samuel Swanner the one whose life is being considered in this

interview. It’s my opportunity invite and welcome Mr. Swanner the son to my home this

evening the 11 day of July, 1978 here at Rexburg, Idaho. It’s interesting to note that his

father lived two or three years here in Rexburg, when Rexburg was just a little settlement

and then he went on into Teton Valley, but we’ll get into that. Mr. Swanner it’s a real

privilege to have you here tonight to talk about your father. First of all where do you live?

What’s your residence and what has been your principle occupation?

Sterling Swanner: Well I live about a mile and a half north of Rigby by the Jefferson Hill

golf course. I got a couple acres there on the dry bed. I live there.

HF: And your principle business down through the year’s occupation:

SS: Well for the last forty years it’s been a mechanic worked as a mechanic. Now I am a

shop foreman for the State of Idaho Department of Highways in District 6 for twenty

three years I retired four years ago.

HF: That’s very interesting. Now I think you’ve told me you were the youngest of your

father’s children

SS: Right

HF: The son of his second marriage.

SS: Right

HF: And we’ll get into that in just a little bit but there’s quite a lot of interest of Sam

Swanner, Samuel Swanner and its with that purpose of gaining knowledge about this man

that we’re here tonight. First I’d like to have you tell me where he was born and where he

lived during the years of his life and then his death date.

SS: Well he was born in counsel bluff Iowa January 28, 1852. Then he came to Utah I

think he said he was 13 or 14 years old he came to Salt Lake and I don’t know I guess he

didn’t stay home very much or very long until he went to the parade outfit all the prairie

of Idaho Montana.

HF: He lived at Smithfield that’s where he was married

SS: Yeah he lived at Smithfield for a while I don’t know how long I can’t; I never did

know I guess.

HF: Then he apparently came into Idaho when Idaho was still a territory.

SS: I think so yeah.

HF: ‘86 I believe it says there and lived in Rexburg for three years then rest of his life he

spent in Teton Valley didn’t he?

SS: Yeah when he moved up there and took that homestead why he never left, I mean he

made that a permanent home.

HF: And he died what’s the date of his death?

SS: I believe the 8th

of January, 1941. I think he lived about 20 days of being 89 and then

he died.

HF: I see.

SS: I’m pretty sure it was the 8th

of January the 7th

or 8th

.

HF: You know it’s kind of interesting to think about how he was born in Council Bluff.

Was his people Mormons?

SS: Yes

HF: Were they?

SS: Yeah that’s the reason they come to Salt Lake.

HF: Came to Salt Lake. Yeah. Okay and I suppose he was baptized when he was a child

or something and was a member of the church.

SS: Well I imagine I’m not sure but I imagine he was.

HF: Umhum

SS: And I know his brothers and sisters were stanch Mormons.

HF: Would you classify him as an active Latter-day Saint?

SS: No, he wasn’t a Mormon at all.

HF: He wasn’t.

SS: I don’t know what you call it but he left the church I guess.

HF: I see, but when you knew him and as far as you know he didn’t remain active in the

church.

SS: No

HF: Did he have kinda negative feelings towards the church do you think?

SS: Well more or less yeah I think so.

HF: More or less.

SS: Course when he was a deputy marshal he had to arrest polygamists.

HF: Right, right.

SS: and all that stuff he couldn’t very well have been one.

HF: well it sounds a little bit if it would be kinda like being what does they say Dr. Hyde

and Jekyll, and Dr. Hyde or something like that he wasn’t that (laughing).

SS: So he was you know in kind of bitter against the church.

HF: Yeah

SS: as I remember his folks came out here and then his dad and mother some way I think

go over to the church or something they separated and his old man went back to Iowa. He

left his family.

HF: That would be your grandfather.

SS: yeah, but I don’t dad ever knew what became of him he just left and went back to

Iowa I don’t know if we ever heard from him again or not.

HF: That’s interesting um let’s describe your father as you remember him. First of all

what was his approximate height?

SS: About six feet

HF: Weight

SS: 165 lbs.

HF: Was he a thin rugged type of individual?

SS: Well no he wasn’t.

HF: Not to thin well he’d be kinda thin though if he was 165?

SS: He wasn’t fat no he wasn’t skinny either he was a pretty solid built.

HF: Yeah. What color of hair?

SS: White ever since I knew him.

HF: Is that right?

SS: White as could be and curly.

HF: And he had quite a lot of hair a full head of hair?

SS: No he was bald on top, but he had a pretty good head of hair except right on top.

HF: Right on top. Now what color eyes.

SS: Grey

HF: Grey eyes, was he kind of full faced or thin faced.

SS: He was thin faced I’d say.

HF: Kinda thin faced.

SS: Quite a large nose.

HF: Complexion, what kind of complexion?

SS: kind of long nosed, light complexioned.

HF: light complexioned. Do you recall him having a kind of a boomy voice? Did he have

a loud voice was he how ‘bout his voice do you remember?

SS: It wasn’t too loud no

HF: Soft spoken kinda

SS: Yeah mostly

HF: Mmhmm. Do you think he was quite a strong willed man?

SS: Yeah

HF: Quite strong willed, was he a disciplinarian?

SS: Yes

HF: He believed in applying the rod?

SS: No, he didn’t need to.

HF: Didn’t need to?

SS: He said something, why you better do what he said.

HF: I see.

SS: But he never was you know, he never went around whipping kids or nothing.

HF: Was there quite a close relationship between himself and his sons and daughters?

SS: No, not too close no.

HF: After the kids grew up and moved away they didn’t come back to much?

SS: It wasn’t a very close nit family no.

HF: Wasn’t it?

SS: Because my half brother, the one just older than me he went to Main about, 1918.

Then we never seen him again he never come back and nobody ever went out there. He

got a family back there in Main.

HF: Is that right.

SS: He’s dead now we communicate sometimes with his widow?

HF: I see.

SS: And does he have kids?

HF: mmhumm

SS: But I never seen him since 1917 or 18 when he went to Main. The oldest one of the

family Willard he went to Colorado, Longmont, Colorado. He run a shop there had his

own garage and he died down in Forts Scout Kansas and I haven’t seen him for 20 years.

I guess before he died.

HF: I see well now how many children were there to the first marriage? Let’s see we

indicated that he had married Celia Morrell, M-O-R-E-L-L.

SS: Right.

HF: In a 1873, and she was a girl of Cash Valley and they lived at apparently they lived

at Smithfield.

SS: Mmhmm

HF: For a while didn’t they?

SS: Yeah.

HF: Now you showed me a little card, Sterling, of an invitation that was sent out in 1885.

Now you might read that it fixes a date at least that he and his family were still living at

Smithfield, Utah.

SS: Yeah, “A grand inauguration ball will be given in the Smith Field home by the

Smithfield drill band, on Wednesday evening march 4, 1885; to which yourself and ladies

are cordially invited tickets will be forty cents. Committee: S. Swanner, T.C. Kragen, E.

Elkington, and P. Jones.”

HF: And who was that card sent to, to Samuel Swanner?

SS: It isn’t addressed to anyone.

HF: I see, I see.

SS: Well now wait a minute.

HF: It sounds like yourself, see it sounds like…

SS: There’s a name W.A. Thomas on the back, whatever that means I don’t know Its

hand written.

HF: Hand written

SS: Yeah written in pencil

HF: It’s really something isn’t it; it’s well preserved too isn’t it.

SS: Yeah it’s a nice card

HF: It’s in good condition yet and my gosh that’s almost 100 years old.

SS: Right

HF: That’s fantastic you’ve kept really good care of that.

SS: Mmhmm

HF: But that fixes him still in Smith Field, Utah. Apparently at that time and it’s kind of

interesting. Now as I understand it what we might do here is have you read from that

book, a little biographical sketch of Sam Swanner. You can indicate the name of the book

and the page so on where it’s found.

SS: Shall I read the whole thing?

HF: Yeah, why don’t you read the whole thing on tape, just a minute here.

SS: Well the name of the book is progressive men of Idaho, dated 1904:

“The ancestral chain of Mr. Swanner runs back through two generations of life in

America to Germany. For centuries the ancestral families have been resident ever

contributing to the welfare of the respective communities and to the enhancement of the

general good. The paternal grandfather James Swanner immigrated to America in the

beginning of the 19th

century and located as a farmer in Pennsylvania, where he lived to

be an old man long surviving his wife and standing high in the community.

His son Samuel the father of the junior post master of Haden Fremont County Idaho

attained mature life and married in the neighborhood of the parental homestead in

Pennsylvania. Thereafter moving to Iowa in 1848 and becoming an early pioneer settler

of Monona County, where he developed and cultivated a fine farm until 1863 when with

his family he joined the migration to Oregon. Thereafter settling at Smith Field, Cash

County Utah, and identifying himself in farming operation till his death in 1878 at the age

of 68 years.

His wife in maiden hood Ms. Mary Cole was born in Pennsylvania where she was reared

and educated and married, being the faithful and uncomplaining companion of her

husband through all there married experiences and dying in 1894 at the age of 73 years.

The mother of nine children the eldest being Samuel the immediate subject of this

narrative. Mr. Swanner was early taught the dignity of labor exemplifying the theory by

studious practical attention to the duties and the various homesteads of his parents until

he was 15 years of age, when he took up the rigorous and strenuous life of a freighter,

conducting this to many points and with large financial success until 1873. When marring

he made his residence in Smith Field, Utah and engaged in the prosecution of carpentry

until 1886 which year marked his event in Idaho.

As he then made his family home in Rexburg there continuing operations in contracting

and building until 1889 when the possibilities of securing advantages is presented in the

Teton Basin, induced him to remove thither, secure a homestead, and engage in a

productive branch of the stage grade industrial, the raising of stock.

From that time to the present he has been intimately concerned in every enterprise of the

public movement of the basin, receiving the commission of post master of Hayden in

1901, also holding the office of justice of the peace and the important educational run of

school trustee. In the republican political party he takes a distinctive rank as a member of

the Connie committee of the same party, being universally recognized as a man of strong

character, fertile resources, and great executive ability.

Further evidence of his capability to successfully and credibly hold official trust is given

by his efficient service as deputy United States Marshal to Blackfoot Idaho, for a period

of eight years; as undersheriff of Bingham County for four years, under Sheriff Samuel

Taylor and by his capable administration of the duties of stock inspector of Bingham

Country for two years.

On August 31, 1873 were solemnized the marriage rights uniting Mr. Swanner with the

most estimable lady, Ms. Celia Morrell a native of Utah, the daughter of William and

Matilda Kelsey Morrell. In her death at the age of 44 years on November 22, 1901 the

whole community sustained a superior loss Mr. and Ms. Swanner were parents of the

following children; Elijah, Willard, Clarence, Harold, Elvira, Claudine, Glen, and Shirley.

HF: Thank you very much that’s very interesting. Now as I understand it from you

Sterling lets see how many children does that make? Eight, eight children and then the

mother of these children died in August of 1901 and I take it that she passed away in

Haden or up in that area. She’s probably buried in the Hayden cemetery.

SS: Right.

HF: Okay then when did your father, how quickly did he remarry?

SS: I’m not sure, about 1906 I would guess.

HF: It was about four or five years later that he remarried.

SS: Yeah

HF: To whom did he marry?

SS: Rosina Shafer from Salt Lake

HF: Schafer how do you spell that

SS: S-C-H-A-F-E-R I believes the way they spelled it.

HF: And this was your mother

SS: yes

HF: How many children were born of that marriage?

SS: One just me.

HF: Just you. And when were you born?

SS: April 5, 1909.

HF: April the 5th

1909 and where?

SS: In Hayden.

HF: You indicated the death date of your father, did your mother continue to live after

him?

SS: Yes she lived several years after him.

HF: Do you recall the date of her death?

SS: I can’t tell you exactly.

HF: Alright, now so with your birth in nine in 1909 you were oh thirty years old or so 12

years old, wait a minute how old were you when your father passed away?

SS: I was 29

HF: You’d be about 29 so you…

SS: 30

HF: About 30 yeah, so you can recall much about your father his personality and his

appearance as you’ve given it to me and quite a lot about it. Now when the family moved

from Rexburg they went to Teton Valley do you know where they settled in Teton Valley?

SS: Yes, on that ranch on the river.

HF: On the river

SS: Now there was it belonged to a fella as I recall his name was Tim winters and he had

started to homestead and my dad bought him out and took up his homestead and he told

my dad I’m getting out of here, he says it’s getting to thickly populated he said, “I’m

going over to Green River, Wyoming there’s too many people around here.” There’s

probably dozens of people, dozen families in the whole valley.

HF: Yeah they say that when you could see smoke across the valley or on the other side

of the hill it was about time to move on. Did your dad ever comment on what things were

like when he went to the valley in 1889?

SS: Oh yeah quite a bit. When he first built he built right down on the river.

HF: What did he build?

SS: On the bank of the river he put up the log house and a barn corral stayed there a year

or two and he couldn’t stand the mosquitoes. So he had to move up on the east side of the

place a half mile from the river. Got away form the mosquitoes a little you know got

there in the wind where a little breeze kept them away, but down on that river in the

brush why he said they couldn’t stand it. They stayed there two or three years then moved

up on the east side of the place.

HF: But he still retained the ranch?

SS: Yeah 160 acres.

HF: 160, now would you say that would be how far south of the bridge that crosses the

Teton.

SS: Highway Bridge?

HF: mmhmm how far south would that be?

SS: Be about a mile and a half I imagine.

HF: Along with the river, as the river moves along there.

SS: Well as the crow flies it be about a mile and a half, tow or three miles if you

following the river

HF: Because it meanders quite a bit in there doesn’t it.

SS: Yeah

HF: Did he become a stock raiser.

SS: Yeah he had cattle and he had horses. In my time he had horses but before my time

he had cattle.

HF: What kind of horses did he raise?

SS: Well he had a…

HF: Specialize in any breed?

SS: Pretty much Percheron he had a Percheron stallion.

HF: Big horses work horses.

SS: Mostly.

HF: Now would that ranch have produced any, any real crops such as grain and so on or

was it pretty much cattle.

SS: We never had a plow in it while he had it.

HF: I see.

SS: Well he tried to plow some of it in the beginning and he plowed up alkali couldn’t

raise up anything. And it took years before he got that alkali washed away until he could

raise hay on it again. So there’s never a plow other than the garden spot.

HF: Now you say he built first a log house on the bank and then he moved on up the east

side of the place and built another home.

SS: Well he moved the same one the same log house.

HF: He moved it up there

SS: Yeah right the buildings too.

HF: And the buildings?

SS: The logs we just had a log stable that we moved up on the east side, he built a big

frame barn.

HF: But still kept the old log home?

SS: Well they kept it till I was, oh I don’t know six, seven years old then, when they built

a new one.

HF: On the east side of his, in that same area.

SS: Yeah same location.

HF: Did he continue living there till he moved into Driggs?

SS: Yeah he lived there until ‘37 when we moved to Tetonia.

HF: To Tetonia?

SS: mmhmm

HF: Who were some of your close neighbors there, during the years you were growing up

Sterling?

SS: You mean on the ranch?

HF: uhu right.

SS: well there was Breckenridge was on the north then there…

HF: That’d be Jim, Bill…

SS: Preston…

HF: and Preston.

SS: And then on the east there was Hadwicks and then further up the crick half a mile

there was the McCracken place.

HF: Jim McCracken

SS: Yeah, right.

HF: …and his family. Harrop was on…

SS: They were down the river.

HF: Down the river from you?

SS: Yeah they were down by the bridge.

HF: That was that would be Frank’s dad.

SS: Sam Harrop, yes.

HF: Sam Harrop.

SS: That’s Frank and Ray’s dad

HF: Frank and Ray’s father, who else lived down a long there, recall?

SS: Well between Breckenridges and Harrops there was Ronnald’s, Walkraullunds and I

can’t think of the other two or three.

HF: Do you remember the event of the Rail road coming to Tetonia.

SS: No that was in 1911, I wasn’t very old then.

HF: About 1911 or 12 along in there and you don’t specifically recall that.

SS: No

HF: Because of the rail road move, Tetonia was formed and started settlement.

SS: Right, the move to town of Hayden part of it up there.

HF: Up to Tetonia.

SS: To Tetonia to be on the railroad.

HF: Now this infers that your father was a post master there at Hayden.

SS: Right

HF: Do you recall him serving as a post master?

SS: No, that was before my time.

HF: That was before your time.

SS: I can’t remember anything about Hayden.

HF: Can’t you?

SS: All I can remember there some old building there, I went to school there for eight

years at the school house that’s still in Hayden. The town itself moved up to the railroad

tracks.

HF: Now Richfield is that what it was called Richveil?

SS: Richveil

HF: Rechveil was what on further south and west across the river.

SS: It was across the river about well it was just about due west of us, but it was oh a

couple of miles west of the river.

HF: Where do you locate the town site of Hayden, with reference to Sam Harrops place?

SS: Well it would be south and east, it would be about a mile south and a half mile east I

would guess.

HF: I see now when the old stage lines and so forth came up through Hayden did they

cross the river on south of where the Harrops bridge is. You know where Sam Harrops

place is where the bridge is now it must have been further south wasn’t it?

SS: Well no, but there used to be a kind of a half way house there where Sam Harrops

ranch is at one time. I don’t remember it, but I’ve heard of them tell about it

HF: A half way house where the stage coach would stop.

SS: I think so, yes.

HF: you would get a new…

SS: Get something to eat or a room or something.

HF: Fresh change of horses’ maybe or whatever.

SS: Yeah right they had a big barn there.

HF: That wouldn’t have been in Hayden then.

SS: No.

HF: Hayden was on further south and east.

SS: Right.

HF: Have you heard your dad talk about how many years he served as a post master there

at Hayden?

SS: No I’ve never hears him say.

HF: Was there any comment as you recall how they got the mail into Hayden?

SS: Well they carried the mail for a year or two.

HF: From where to where? Did he have to come out to Rexburg to get it?

SS: He came to Rexburg or St. Anthony.

HF: To get it

SS: Right. He carried it on skis in the winter went over the point of the mountain. He

didn’t follow the road through Clemensville like we do now.

HF: Yeah that’d shorten it a bit I guess didn’t it.

SS: Yeah, he crossed Canyon Crick a little way above where we cross to the south.

HF: Do you recall your dad ever talking about any experiences that he had as a mail

carrier? That’d be a pretty lonely life it’d be a pretty daring life I think.

SS: No I’ve heard him tell one time about running into some elk in the west hills there

and he drove some of them down to the river on the skis and the snow was crusted. The

reason he could drive them was because if they go along walk slowly stay on the crust, if

they try to run why they break through. He drove two or three of them down off the river

and then let them go I think I don’t think he bothered them. He did it for the fun of it, a

cow or two.

HF: Do you ever recall him making any comments about Ed Trafton and up in there? See

Ed lived around the point of the mountain somewhere around there.

SS: Yeah he had a ranch up there; oh I’ve heard him mention him yes.

HF: He knew him I suppose didn’t he?

SS: Yeah he knew him.

HF: Do you get the impression that he felt that Ed was a pretty good Indian at that time,

pretty good injun as they might say. He was law abiding wasn’t he?

SS: No not too law abiding I guess, if ya ask me.

HF: I see.

SS: He robbed the stage coach you know, in the park.

HF: Yeah this was in 1915 or 16 when that happened; you’d just still be a kid.

SS: Then he dynamited a store in St. Anthony supposedly.

HF: Oh

SS: He didn’t do much damage, he put dynamite on the window sill I guess he didn’t

cover it up so it didn’t do much but blow out the window.

HF: And the purpose of that was what?

SS: I don’t know.

HF: To cause commotion so he could take whatever he wanted?

SS: I don’t know it was that or just revenge I guess. He was kind of vengeful maybe he

was mad and wanted to get even.

HF: Do you recall of your father ever saying anything about any form of education he

may have had?

SS: I think he said he went through 4th

grade.

HF: There, maybe in Iowa.

SS: In Iowa.

HF: The book there that you read in infers that he was a US deputy marshal; I don’t think

it said to whom to.

SS: Didn’t say no.

HF: But he was for eight years a deputy marshal. Has he ever told you and his family

about those years of being a deputy marshal some of the experiences he had.

SS: Not too much. He told about one experience I don’t know if he was marshal then or

sheriff or undersheriff

HF: Of Bingham county?

SS: They got some fellas for stealing horses. They was up the river from our ranch where

our ranch was what they call the island. And they went up there and camped there in the

night and got in his stable and the next morning when they come out there was some

shooting and one of them was shot. His name was Lum Nickerson one of the fellas they

was after. That happened before he moved to the Basin before 89 I know that cause they

come from Blackfoot went up there to get these guys and in the process they shot one of

them

HF: Lum Nickerson.

SS: Yeah.

HF: He was quite a horse thief wasn’t he?

SS: Yeah, I can’t remember who was with him there was two or three more with him, but

anyway they hauled him out in a wagon and he died a few days later I think they took

him to Blackfoot and the jail there.

HF: He died later?

SS: He died yeah.

HF: Do you remember him ever telling you about a Roberson, Robinson, or Robeson? He

was another outlaw I think up in there.

SS: Yeah I can’t remember but a…

HF: Well now your dad a must have been a deputy while he was in the valley.

SS: He was yes, because I’ve heard from my older brothers tell about him being gone for

months you know. They’d be alone on the ranch because he’d be gone away from the

ranch on law business.

HF: I see. When he would leave how would he go? By horse back?

SS: Yeah.

HF: Do you recall traditionally if he had a special horse that he particularly had for years

that he had a lot of trust in or something? Do you remember any comments about

anything like that? A horses he road?

SS: Well I know after I was big enough I know he had a horse or tow that he would ride.

He had a black horse which was part Hambltonian he’s real, real live horse he liked to get

out and go real proud lively.

HF: Do you remember any saddles riding equipment that was handed down that your dad

still had after he more or less retired. Keep sake or something like that of his former days

of activity.

SS: He had a good saddle, but he sold it to someone I don’t know who to. He couldn’t

ride so he sold his saddle.

HF: You showed me a little riffle or a little gun that he used during his years as a deputy I

suppose. Would you pick that up and describe it the year and some of the workmanship

on it I think it would be helpful in describing it on the tape.

SS: Well it’s a colt the barrel is inscribed colt frontier six shooter it’s a caliber 44 four

and five eighths inch barrel single action nickel plated ivory handles.

HF: Have it mark as to the year it was issued?

SS: The cereal number is 1002500597 the latest patent date on it is January the 19th

’75.

HF: If he owned that, actually it would have been about 23 years old the date that was

issued. You have no idea when he acquired it?

SS: No it’s an early model though because of the cereal number. It’s what is known as in

the trade as a black powder gun that old cereal number is black powder they don’t

recommend smokeless powder loads then.

HF: With black powder they had to load each time didn’t they?

SS: What?

HF: With black powder did they had to load each time?

SS: No they had fixed ammunition just like now only it was black powder.

HF: Oh, only black powder.

SS: Yeah right. That kind of design for black powder some of them were not quite strong

as smokeless powder.

HF: Has your dad commented about that gun when he used it and what years did he use it?

SS: Well he stopped carrying it oh I don’t remember him carrying it after my time he

went to more modern guns then. I remember he carried a 22 automatic and he had a 32 20

colt that he carried. Then later years he had a 22 colt woodsman he liked that really well.

That was the last gun he ever had.

HF: Now these years you were talking about, what he used them just for hunting

purposes.

SS: mostly.

HF: He wasn’t involved in any law enforcement capacity was he?

SS: No when he carried his 32 was when he was judge up at Driggs and sometimes he’d

carry that 32 automatic.

HF: Now what you say when he was judge was he the first probate judge of Teton

County?

SS: Right he was appointed by…

HF: He was appointed by the governor in July of 1915 and did he serve was he ever

elected?

SS: I don’t think so.

HF: So he served for two years until 1917 and then Mike Burn became the magistrate or

became the probate judge

SS: Right

HF: And you mentioned that he carried a 32 when he was judge.

SS: Well he owned one yeah I remember he bought one at that time a 32 automatic.

HF: And by that time this particular 44 colt is that what you call it?

SS: Yeah

HF: Was more or less a kind of an antique in the home.

SS: Well in fact he gave it to my brother Harold, he had it for years and then my dad

wanted me to have it so he traded Harold another gun and got it back and gave it to me.

HF: We’ve talked about jurisdiction here a little bit of coarse between 1885 and 1893 this

country up here was all Bingham County. Let’s see your dad very likely could have been

a deputy of Bingham County, a deputy sheriff of Bingham County. He could have been at

the same time a US Marshall in the territory between ‘86 and ’89 along in there. It’s hard

to know. In ’93 I know Fremont County was created and Fremont County embraced all of

the counties that are now known as Jefferson, Madison, Clark, Fremont, and Teton that

was in 1893 and by that time your dad had gone into the Basin hadn’t he.

SS: Mmhmm

HF: Is it your kinda your understanding that he was, well let’s see, he was a post master

wasn’t he.

SS: Right.

HF: Up in Hayden. Was he a Justice of the Peace at any time?

SS: I think he was at one time yeah I think he motioned it in the book here.

HF: And then he was um he was a first probate judge of Teton County.

SS: Right.

HF: Wasn’t he, he was named by the governor appointed by the governor as a probate

judge. Now are there any stories that come to your mind about your father in his role as a

probate judge? Let’s see you would have been let’s see 1909 you would have been six or

seven years old

SS: I remember one story he told. Idaho was dry at the time under local option and they’d

run booze from Wyoming into Idaho and they caught a car load coming from Jackson

between Driggs and Victor. Somewhere they caught them loaded with wine and whiskey

and the rest of the people in the car brought the whole works into Driggs ‘cept the booze

as evidence and the sheriff had the booze in his custody and after the trial it was supposed

to be destroyed.

HF: Mmhumm

SS: And it was the judges’ duty to see that it was destroyed.

HF: Mmhmm

SS: So he said he kept after the sheriff to get rid of that booze, but he kept putting it off

and putting it off. Finally they he got him to take it out and destroy it, but when they

destroyed it there was hardly anything left in any of the bottles most of them were empty.

(Laughter) They didn’t know where the whiskey and wine went they just busted a lot of

empty bottles.

HF: Did your dad continue to be quite actively engaged as he got older in life.

SS: Oh yeah, yeah.

HF: You have a little ribbon there read what’s on that this would indicate a little bit what

he did.

SS: Well this democratic state convection Idaho Falls, Idaho August 24, 1920 he was a

delegate to that. Then he used to lead the parades on the 4th

of July here’s a picture of him

on his horse here. I don’t know when it was taken in the early 1900 I’d say, picture of

main street of Driggs.

HF: Now what kind of horse did he have what color of horse this was a black and white

picture wasn’t it?

SS: Yes it’s either a black or a dark brown horse it’s a dark horse anyway.

HF: Nice saddle nice a bridle it shows this. Was your dad wearing a hat?

SS: Yeah with a plume in it.

HF: With a plume.

SS: A white ostrich feather or something.

HF: I see was he dressed quite in a regal outfit.

SS: No he had a suit on.

HF: Is he the only one shown in the picture on his horse.

SS: He’s the only one you’d recognize there’s some in the background there but you

can’t recognize, but there too small too indistinct.

HF: Mmhmm are there any other items you got there?

SS: Here’s one of him playing his drum he used to play drum a lot.

HF: For a little orchestra a little music band

SS: So he played snare drum.

HF: Oh I see.

SS: I still have the drum.

HF: The end of the interview.