Think Round

The Story of David B. South and the Monolithic Dome

As told to

Freda Parker

Monolithic Dome Institute www.monolithic.com

Italy, Texas

Think Round: the story of David B. South and the Monolithic Dome

As told to Freda Parker

ISBN 0-9679171-3-1

© 2004 — Monolithic Dome Institute

Monolithic Dome, Monolithic, Airform, Crenosphere, and EcoShell are all Trade-marks of Monolithic Constructors, Inc.

All photographs and illustrations shown in this publication are the exclusive property

of the Monolithic Dome Institute unless oth-erwise speci!ed. Additional copies are avail-

able from the Monolithic Dome Institute.

Cover: David South. Photo by McGraw Clark Studios, Italy, Texas.

Monolithic Dome Institute177 Dome Park Place

Italy, TX 76651972-483-7423

Order online:http://www.monolithic.com/

For Judy

Contents

Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii Acknowledgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Events in the Life of David B. South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi Who’s Who . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii Maps and Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi

Chapter One — A Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3That Fine Blond Hair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Our Household . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4My First Ri"e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5If the Shoe Fits, Buy It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5My Dad’s Side of the Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6My Mom’s Side of the Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Samuel and Hannah South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Sam and Hannah’s Sawmill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Justin and Mabel Knapp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chapter Two — Sawdust in Our Veins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Barry and I: Kid-Helpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Mischief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Back to Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20More Mischief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20The Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22The Car Horn Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Changes at Our Sawmill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Giddy Up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter Three — My Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Barney and the Skillsaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Barney Shoots an Owl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Barney Shoots a Moose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Barney Buys Two Old Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Barney and the Dugway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Barney Turns a Neighbor into a Friend . . . . . . . . . . . 33Barney the Barber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Barney the Musician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Barney the Prize Fighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Thar’s Uranium in Them Thar Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Marj, My Mom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Fond Memories of Marj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40M’Jean Writes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Chapter Four — Two Centuries, Two Countries . . . . . . . . . 45Three Very Di#erent Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Island Park, Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Idaho Falls, Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Friends and Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Chapter Five — Think Round — The Start . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Chapter Six — Life without Barney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Snow Blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62A Might Have Been . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62After Barney’s Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Request for Absence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66More Changes, More Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Getting Randy Dressed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70No License to Practice Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Chapter Seven — College and Marriage . . . . . . . . . 75A Renewed Struggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76A Disappointing Phone Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77A Memorable Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Ticktock, Ticktock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Judy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Judy’s Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83One Smelly Visitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Chapter Eight — Children and Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Sarah Remembers and Writes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Out of the Sawmill Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Our Lost Baby: Julie South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92My Biggest Real Estate Venture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Not a Halloween Baby! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Chapter Nine — Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Operating a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98David — The Reluctant Farmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99The Appaloosa Horse Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Frosty Tips, Navajo and Flaxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Star — Our Paso Fino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Back to College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Legal Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104A Slightly Not-So-Legal Shortcut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Last and Toughest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Dressing the Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105An Intriguing Stranger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Our Cooperative Nanette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Chapter Ten — Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109New Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Life in Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Working for the Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Out with The Boys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Not All Fun and Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Considering a Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114A Boy — What a Surprise! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Dave Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Big Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Something Old; Something New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119The New — A Goal that Wouldn’t Die . . . . . . . . . . . 120Magic Stu#: Polyurethane Foam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Chapter Eleven — Back to Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Too Close for Comfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Melinda Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125A Thought-Provoking Incident and a New Job . . 126The Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128A Turning Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Chapter Twelve — A New Company: South’s, Inc. . . . . . . 131Shelley, Idaho and the Rock Building . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Talk about Roadkill! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Early Bird Bob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Held Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134The Case of the Missing Foam Machine . . . . . . . . . 136

Chapter Thirteen — Ups and Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139How Upjohn Picked South’s, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140South’s, Inc. Spurs Development of a New Foam 140The Potato Storage Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Feathers and Flames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Another Beautiful Daughter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Rebecca Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Chapter Fourteen — Some Diversifying . . . . . . . . . . . . 147The Sensitive Potato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147A Farming We Will Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Foam Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Not a Good Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150More Lessons Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152A Lesson for the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Another Smelly Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1541974: Two Business Ventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155A Memorable Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156A Unique Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Up, Up and Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Idaho’s Answer to Indiana Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Our Impatient Jessica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161Jessica’s Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Chapter Fifteen — The Monolithic Dome . . . . . . . . . . . 165The Disastrous Drawstring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168First Monolithic Dome Gets Media Coverage . . . . 170No Instant Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171The Inventing Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Hearing from the Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173The Second Monolithic Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Our Flight from Idaho to Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Michigan Truck Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176The Black Sheep Tavern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Our Flight from Ann Arbor to Idaho Falls . . . . . . . . 1771976 — A Very Good year! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178The Wisdom of Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Chapter Sixteen — Doing and Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Marj’s Monolithic Dome Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181New O$ce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Gotcha! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182First Dome with a Stem Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185A Monolithic Dome on U.S. 66 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186A Monolithic Dome and Its Fertilizer Blanket . . . . 187Two Incidents — a Bad and a Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187The Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Chapter Seventeen — Progress — of Sorts . . . . . . . . . . 191A Second Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194A Third Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Cli#dome — Our First Monolithic Dome Home . . 195Judy Remembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Jenny Remembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Nanette Remembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199Rebecca Remembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201Kaboom! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Even More Lessons Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204The Patent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204The Helping Hand that Got Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Jack Boyt and Precision Air Structures . . . . . . . . . . 208Michael Jay and Jamie Lynne — Our Youngest . . 208Michael Jay South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209Mike Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Jamie Lynne South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Jamie Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Chapter Eighteen — More Progress — of Sorts . . . . . . . . 213A Topless Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214A Trip to Indonesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Jailhouse Blues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219Here She Comes — Miss Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Some of Nanette’s Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Chapter Nineteen — California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229California Here We Come . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229California Here We Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Chapter Twenty — Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Complications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234The Mormons Are Coming! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235The Waxahachie Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Oooops! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236The Death of Marj South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237Ruth and Naomi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239Another Amicable Parting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Charca Casa — Our Home by the Pond . . . . . . . . . . 240

Chapter Twenty-One — Sounding O# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Roast Beef or Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Batter Fried Pickles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244More Philosophizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246A Family Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Signi!cant Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Barry South and Randy South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248My Brother Barry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249My Brother Randy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Judy Lynne South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251Dr. Arnold Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252Jack Boyt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Our Corporate Culture and My Management Style 254

Chapter Twenty-Two — Rounding O# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257The Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258Monolithic Dome Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258Monolithic Dome Builders Association . . . . . . . . . . 258Worldwide Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259Our Website: www.monolithic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259Monolithic — Present and Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260The Crenosphere Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261The Far View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Our Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

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Forward

From our birth through life’s experiences, we grow and develop into the persons we become. The path we follow through life — with its many turns, mountains to climb and crossroads to choose — eventually leads us to our place today and to our !nal destination.

Think Round describes the path David B. South chose and still follows — from his beginning and through many of his experiences. It allows you to evaluate some of the many choices he has made thus far and to glimpse the aspirations and hopes he has for the future.

The book tells how David’s family and the people he met in"uenced his decisions and choices. Responsibilities he was given and accepted played a shaping role as well. For example, challenging tasks early in life, such as those that David tackled, taught him that work can be interesting, exciting, productive and even fun.

Just as we are in"uenced by others, we also in"uence them. David gained much from the many people he has been involved with. Con-versely, he has in"uenced, assisted and guided many through his training programs, the expertise he shares so willingly and his example.

Good ideas — called inspiration by some — come to each of us during our life. When acted upon with persistence and determination, such ideas often result in great accomplishments that bene!t many.

David had an idea about domes that started in high school and continued to interest him for many years. He !nally acted upon that inspiration and started his own company that developed a unique and superior structure called a Monolithic Dome. It has bene!ted thousands and will continue helping thousands more in generations to come.

But as Think Round demonstrates, good ideas, such as using Mono-lithic Domes for jails, sometimes are delayed by individual power strug-gles, political in"uences or greed. The best product — the one that o#ers great !nancial savings and lasting durability — often is not selected because some people are sel!sh and greedy.

David South has demonstrated what it takes to develop good ideas into successful accomplishments: Be honest with yourself and all who come in contact with you; Dedicate your time and talents to your ideas; Have faith and trust in good people and, !nally, persist, persist, persist and success will come.

By Arnold Wilson

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Acknowledgments

I once heard a speaker say that it’s easy for others to support you, if you stay in the mainstream — in the prevailing current, with the accepted and the expected. But leave that mainstream and you just might !nd that you have also left your support.

I have been most fortunate. That never happened to me. I never lost the support of my family and my friends.

In fact, the opposite happened. My wife not only supported but encouraged me to believe in my dreams and stick to my goals, though they de!nitely were not mainstream. I thank her for that.

I also thank my children, parents, siblings, extended family and friends. The friends include the many !ne men and women in Monolith-ic’s family -- employees who work or have worked with us; as well as gifted professionals, contractors and suppliers; and our many clients. It indeed takes a village.

I’m equally appreciative of the support of all domaphiles -- people enamored with domes and dome construction, who can see the bene!ts. They cheer the rest of us on, and, in doing so, they help the world go round, or at least think round.

Thank you — one and all,

David B. South

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CHRONOLOGY

Events in the Life of David B. South

1939 — Born on February 20 in Idaho Falls, Idaho to Barney and Marjorie South.

1944 — Began school at Riverside Elementary in Idaho Falls.1955 — Barney, David’s dad, died on February 21, the day after David’s

sixteenth birthday.1956 — Heard a radio broadcast with Buckminster Fuller talking about

Geodesic Domes. Was immediately and permanently intrigued.1957 — Became Idaho’s youngest licensed real estate salesman.1957 — Graduated from Idaho Falls High School.1959 — Married Judy Lynne South on February 20, his birthday, at the

Idaho Falls Temple.1960 — Earned an Associate Degree at Ricks College, now called Brigham

Young University, Idaho.1960 — Sarah Robin, David and Judy’s !rst daughter, born August 9 in

Ashton, Idaho.1961 — Marj, David’s mom, and her children sold the sawmill.1961 — Julie, David and Judy’s second baby, died within 24 hours of her birth

on December 3 at the Idaho Falls Hospital.1962 — Jenny Lynne, third daughter, born on November 1 in Idaho Falls.1963 — Worked as computer operator for Phillips Petroleum at the National

Reactor Testing Station west of Idaho Falls.1966 — Nanette, fourth daughter, born on April 23 in Idaho Falls.1966 — Entered Idaho State University (ISU), Pocatello.1967 — Completed on-campus course work at ISU. Graduated in 1970 with

Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Engineering Degree.1968 — Job with Chicago Northwestern Railway as Manager of Unit Record

Operations. Souths moved to Chicago.1968 — Son David Barney South, Jr. born on May 7 in Evanston, Illinois.1970 — David “discovered” polyurethane foam. Quit his job with Chicago

Northwestern Railway.1970 — Melinda, !fth daughter, born June 24 in Idaho Falls.1970 — Job with Ready-To-Pour Concrete, selling polyurethane foam insulation.

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THE FAMILY

Who’s Who

Samuel Rich South (1871-1949) Hannah (Corless) South (1876-1956)

Justin Willis Knapp (1886-1969)Mabel (Hale) Knapp (1889-1969)

Barney South — married — Marj Knapp(1905-1955) (1917-1993)

Children

David

Barry

M’Jean

Myrna

Susan

Randy

David South — married — Judy South

Children

SarahJulieJennyNanetteDavid, JrMelindaRebeccaJessicaMichaelJamie

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Alphabetical OrderFrequently mentioned members of David’s family:

The Knapps Justin (Jesse) - David’s maternal grandfather Mabel - maternal grandmother

The SouthsBarney - fatherBarry - brotherDave, Jr. - sonHannah - paternal grandmotherJamie (Cooper) - daughterJenny (Semenza) - daughterJessica - daughterJudy (South) - wifeJulie - daughterMarjorie - motherM’Jean (Lund) - sisterMelinda - daughterMichael - sonMyrna Lynne - sisterNanette - daughterRandy - brotherRebecca (Peterson) - daughterSamuel - paternal grandfatherSarah - daughterSusan - sister

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Maps and Illustrations

MapsIsland Park Map by Vickie Dawson and Melinda SouthSoutheastern Idaho and Northern Utah Map by Melinda South

IllustrationsDerrick drawn by Merrisa Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Icosohedron drawn by Melinda South . . . . . . . . . . . 59Seekscan drawn by Harry Ames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119South’s, Inc. ads drawn by Lynn Clapp . . . . . . 140, 148Jail Floor Plan drawn by Larry Byrne . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Crenosphere exterior drawn by Frederick Crandall 263Crenosphere interior drawn by Dave South, Jr. . . 263

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CHAPTER ONE

A Beginning

People sometimes say they wish they could remember their births. From what I have heard about mine, I’m glad I don’t. My dad Bernard Eugene, who liked to be called Barney, and my mother Mary Marjorie, who insisted on being called Marj or Marjorie, often fondly recalled the freeze at Idaho Falls, Idaho on the night of February 20, 1939. In fact, our National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) says temperatures plummeted to one degree Fahrenheit the night I was born.

In 1939, Barney was thirty-four and Marj was twenty-two. Three years earlier, on New Year’s Eve 1936, they had eloped to Randolph, Utah and married.

The reason for the elopement was strictly economics. At that time, many Americans were still recovering from the Great Depression. Barney and Marj and their families were no exception. To complicate matters more, during the Depression, the State of Idaho had a rule that could have created a new hardship for both families. Idaho would not allow a woman married to a man who had a job to work for the State, and Marj, a certi!cated teacher, was considered a State employee.

So Barney and Marj eloped to Utah to keep the State of Idaho from knowing about their marriage. They spent their wedding night at a cousin’s home, where Marj slept with the wife. Later, they did enjoy a one-week honeymoon at Yellowstone National Park. But for a time after the marriage, Marj kept her maiden name, continued to live apart from Barney at a boarding house in Sugar City, Idaho, taught school and sent her income to her parents.

On weekends, the couple began building their cabin. That project often had them working into nightfall. At such times, they felt rewarded by the twinkling stars they could see through their un!nished roof.

The next winter, Barney and Marj moved into their primitive, 576-square-foot, four-room, log cabin at 950 Ada Avenue in Idaho Falls. Over the years, my parents and grandparents owned or lived in several di#erent homes on Ada Avenue, but this was Barney and Marj’s !rst. It had no indoor plumbing, and building an outhouse within the city limits was illegal. So Barney built the outhouse into a corner of a storage shed,

David Barney South born February 20, 1939. Age 18 months.

4 A Beginning

located in back of the house. A year later, he installed plumbing inside the home.

But in 1939, the year of my birth, Barney and Marj were still count-ing their pennies. They simply could not a#ord many things we consider necessities. For example, Barney had a 1937 Ford truck that he needed for work, but he could not a#ord to buy antifreeze for it — which at that time was considered a luxury that sold for almost $3 a gallon.

So, to prevent the truck’s freezing, Barney drained it of its water every night and poured in a fresh supply every morning. The night of my birth proved no exception.

In the wee hours of February 20th, when Marj woke Barney to tell him she was in labor with their !rst child, he had to !ll the truck with water before they could drive the half-mile to the Idaho Falls Hospital where I was born.

That Fine Blond HairI don’t have memories of things as a one-, two- or even three-year-old. My earliest recollection is of an incident that happened when I was about four, in which Barry, my two-years-younger brother, played a major role.

One day, Marj, our mom, left us alone in our Ford truck for just a few minutes. Barry and I immediately started battling, as little boys do, and I began pulling his hair. When Marj got back, she found Barry laughing and hollering with glee, and feathery strands of really !ne, extremely blond hair "oating about the truck’s cab. To this day, I wonder if that was why Barry went bald so early, or if it’s just something that happened!

Our HouseholdI was the oldest child. At two- and three-year intervals, Barry, M’Jean, Myrna Lynn, Susan and Randy followed. That made me nearly sixteen

New Year’s Eve 1936: Barney and Marj’s elopement and wedding day. Standing before the o$ce of the Justice of the Peace in Randolph, Utah, they shake hands to start the deal.

A Beginning 5

years older than Randy, our caboose.My brothers and I worked with the men in the sawmill and in the

woods. The girls helped Marj with the huge amount she had to do — washing, cooking and caring for everything and anything, including meals for part of the mill crew.

After Barney, my dad, died, Marj tackled just about any task that she felt she could handle. She did a major part of the lumber selling and even helped move the wood. That was a tough time; everybody had to pitch in to get the work done.

My First Ri"eDuring the World War II years, when I was four to six years old, we lived in various California towns, and Barney worked for several di#erent companies that built defense plants.

One such job took us to Susanville, where we lived at a trailer campground. There, a neighbor gave me my very !rst, personal ri"e — a 25-rim!re, single-shot that measured about forty inches and weighed about !ve pounds — a real collector’s item today. I remember packing that ri"e home, holding it half way down the barrel and strutting proudly. But when I look back on this exciting time, I suspect Barney probably had paid that guy for the ri"e and asked him to give it to me.

If the Shoe Fits, Buy ItWhen I was about eight years old, I remember Barney took me to the Bellamy Shoe Store for new shoes. Bellamy was absolutely the hottest shoe store in Idaho Falls — maybe even all of Idaho — or so I thought.

When you got there, you got seated in a plush chair. Then the clerk

1943: David and Barry standing before the 1937 Ford truck — the scene of the hair-pulling incident.

David’s grandson, Michael South, examining David’s !rst ri"e. Here, Michael is about as tall as David was when he !rst got the ri"e.

6 A Beginning

measured your foot, disappeared into the rear of the store, returned with one or two boxes of new shoes, and placed a pair on your feet so you could try them.

Once you thought you had found the pair that !t best, you would walk over to this machine, step up onto it and place your feet on its designated spots.

Then — as if by magic — you could look down through this glass scope and actually see your feet — and I don’t mean just the shoes. This "uoroscope process actually made it possible to see your feet inside the shoes. You could see the bones. You could wiggle your toes and see the bones move.

Of course, all this was not just entertainment. It was done so parents could see just how the shoes !t before they bought them. But for me, it was fascinating and great fun. Needless to say, all this was in the days before we had to worry about how much X-rays we should have.

My Dad’s Side of the FamilySawmills play an important role in the South Family’s history. In 1922, Samuel Rich South and Hannah Corless South, my paternal grandparents, were !fty-one and forty-six years old, respectively, and the parents of seven. Nevertheless, they sold much of what they owned in Randolph, Utah, bought wagons and leased land from the federal government for a sawmill they planned to operate in Island Park, Idaho. They had to lease and could not purchase this land because it was part of the Targhee National Forest. Concerned about dwindling timber, the federal govern-ment had created that national forest in 1908 and named it Targhee, after a prominent, peace-loving, Bannock Indian leader and signer of the Fort Bridger Peace Treaty. In 1923 the Souths moved there.

My Mom’s Side of the Family Justin and Mabel Knapp, my maternal grandparents and their family, moved to Island Park, Idaho in January 1924. There, Grandpa Knapp became a hauler, hauling hand-hewn rail ties about ten miles, from a cutting site to a rail site. His employer, the Targhee Tie Company, cut

February 1931 at Sam South’s Split Creek sawmill. Front, Sam’s grandson Bob Junior held by his dad Robert Tate. Back, Sam.

A Beginning 7

About 1926: A Sam South Family and Jesse Knapp Family get-together after a Sunday school session at the tie camp at Island Park Siding. Notice that while everyone else looks at the camera, Marj’s eyes remain on Barney.

1. Theolia Hale 2. Arch Hess? 3. Mabel Hale Knapp4. Ruth Biorn South5. Sam South6. Claudia Knapp Hess7. Lella Hale8. Sarah Allison

9. Jim Allison10. Hannah South 11. Thelma Knapp 12. Marjorie Knapp (South) 13. Anna Knapp14. Probably Ren South15. Barney South16. Charlie South

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8 A Beginning

railroad ties in the Island Park area from about 1918 to about 1930. So both of my grandfathers were similarly employed — geographi-

cally and economically. That was fortunate, since it led to my parents, Barney and Marj, meeting, falling in love and marrying.

The following is an excerpt from Mabel Knapp’s autobiography which she compiled in 1941. We added the parenthetical information and some editing as a convenience for our readers:

Mabel wrote: Jesse (Justin Knapp) kept getting worse each summer (Jesse had hay fever), so he decided to leave the place (their farm in Hibbard, Idaho) with Bunker Cox, who had been with us for a year and half, and !nd work elsewhere. So in October 1923, we started for Alexander (Idaho) where a power plant was being built. It was stormy and we were heavily loaded, so we had a rather bad time getting through some of the roads.

When we reached Lava Hot Springs (Idaho), it was raining so hard we stopped overnight there. Morning brought no change in the weather, and the people there told us it would be impossible to get through over to Alexander. So we turned back and went to Smith!eld (Utah). Jesse obtained work in the sugar factory, so we moved into town. While living there, we had a chance a few times to go to the (Mormon) Temple. When the factory run was over, Jesse worked at the dam at Alexander. My father, Alma Helaman Hale, Jr. was working there too. We found there was no use trying to hold the farm when we could not stay and take care of it, so we let it go. After the pea-canning factory had started, Jesse obtained work there to be at home and in a Ward (Mormon church community). But that was as bad as the farm. Soon Jesse was so ill. He had to get into the hills among the pines — so he and Warren (their son) left for Island Park, Idaho. A few weeks there and he was well again, so we decided to move to Ashton (Idaho) which was the nearest community to his work that had a school. (Mabel and Jesse wanted their children to attend school regularly.)

Spring 1926 at the tie camp: Left to right, Mabel Knapp with sisters Lella and Theolia, Jesse Knapp holding Al, Marj and Thelma.

A Beginning 9

We were there until January, when a school was established in the camp where Jesse was working for the Targhee Tie Company. He went to Hibbard (Idaho) to get what things we needed to move up with and bring our cow. He couldn’t get anyone to help him move, only so far as St. Anthony (Idaho); it was so cold, about 40 degrees (below zero), and the snow was very deep. So he had to phone to the camp for a team to come from there. We had one covered camp out!t with a stove in it and one open sleigh and one balky team. They had to take the team back and double up the hills. We stayed over night on the road. Next day we reached the Railroad Ranch about noon. Mrs. Brower gave us a lunch, and we then continued on in the open sleigh till next day. We arrived in Island Park camp a little after dark. The people had our house warm, helped unload and take care of the horses. Ruby Smith had supper ready for us, everyone was very kind.

Samuel and Hannah SouthBefore actually moving his family to Island Park, Sam South sent people ahead to build a small log cabin and horse barn. Then, on a cold winter day they loaded all their belongings onto a railcar in Randolph, Utah and headed north. But when Sam and Hannah arrived, they found only a horse barn and a lot of snow. So having little choice, they lived in the horse barn and continued constructing a cabin and the sawmill at Split Creek.

Island Park’s Split Creek is about twelve miles long. Its water origi-nates near Yellowstone Park and burbles west into a big area called The Flat, where it sinks into the sand and disappears. On its way, the creek splits into forks several times — thus the name! The Souths established their !rst sawmill at the upper reaches of Split Creek’s south fork (where else?) about eight miles from Island Park’s railroad siding.

Justin Willis Knapp harvesting wheat with a 26-horse-power combine on a Rexburg, Idaho farm in about 1917.

10 A Beginning

In those days, there was no highway to Island Park. The rail and its siding were the center of all transportation. After the Targhee Tie Company left Island Park, the Souths moved their sawmill to the siding, which usually got a lot less snow than the higher elevation of Split Creek.

I remember Grandpa South as quite old. He had had his arm broken and had lost the shoulder-end of the upper arm bone, so he could not raise his left hand above his waist. Despite that handicap, he would take an ax and saw and cut trees. But often that was wasted e#ort since he’d forget where he left the cut wood.

Nevertheless, Sam South was an educated man, who had !nished col-lege, earned a teaching certi!cate at Brigham Young Academy in Logan, Utah, taught and knew music, and loved to work in the timber. Sam taught school in Argyle, Sage Creek and later Randolph, Utah, played a violin for dances, and served as Justice of the Peace. He and Hannah ran the Randolph Post O$ce. Hannah loved to do handwork, such as quilts and braided rugs.

Sam died in 1949 when I was ten. It will be interesting to meet him in heaven some day and ask him about his reasons for selling his Randolph, Utah property and moving his family to rough Island Park.

Sam and Hannah raised tough kids, including their Number Four: Barney, my dad.

Portrait of the Sam South Family: Back row, Hannah, Ren, Allen, Sam; Front row, Barney and Elgie. 1907, Randolph, Utah.

A Beginning 11

1. Ruth Biorn South (Ren’s wife) 2. Marj South 3. David South 4. Sam South 5. Probably Dorothy South (Barney’s sister) 6. Dorothy South (Charlie’s wife) 7. Keith South 8. Charlie South 9. Ren South 10. Elgie South (Barney’s Sister).

1940: Enjoying a break at Sam and Hannah’s sawmill at Island Park Siding.

Sam and Hannah’s Sawmill Island Park had an abundant supply of lodgepole pine. But while abun-dant, lodgepole pine wasn’t serious commercial timber. The trees grew closely together in rocky ground and were small. If you found a lodgepole pine with a diameter of two feet, you found a monster. Most had diam-eters of only six to !fteen inches.

Like the trees, the South’s !rst sawmill was a small, back woodsy operation on Woodru# Creek, near Monte Cristo. Sam had traded a few cows for that mill, which included a 20-horsepower (hp), Nicholson-Shepherd steam engine, such as farmers used to run their thrashing machines.

Tie Camp was a name given to places where men, called tie hacks, lived and worked cutting rail ties, by hand, for use on the railroad. When Sam moved his operation to a new site in the tie camp at the Island Park rail siding, he abandoned the Nicholson-Shepherd and replaced it with a 25-hp Case steam engine.

A few years later, Sam moved to yet another fresh location at the

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12 A Beginning

siding and replaced the Case with a far more powerful, 45-hp Rumley steam engine.

To make the rail ties, men felled the trees, trimmed o# the limbs and sawed the wood into lengths of 101 inches. Then, using a broadax with a wide blade, they slabbed o# two of the logs’ sides, and peeled the two remaining sides so the ties could absorb creosote, an oily preservative and insecticide they were soaked in. The shaping process enabled the ties to lay "at on the ground, so rails could be spiked to them. Logging was hard work, and virtually every task was done by hand, even into the early 1950s.

But Grandfather Samuel South’s "edgling sawmill soon developed a unique, small-log, lumber product. They cut three sides o# small logs, so the !nished product had one curved side and three "at sides. That made log house construction easier and quicker. Builders simply stacked one log atop another, like you would bricks, and nailed down through them. Besides cabins, those logs and that construction method made good farm buildings, especially for grain storage. Consequently, this small-log product contributed signi!cantly to the sawmill’s pro!tability.

Island Park and the surrounding area still have many of these log cabins — still used today as summer homes.

Justin and Mabel KnappJustin (Jesse) Knapp and Mabel Fidelia Hale Knapp, my maternal grand-parents, came from early Mormon pioneer families who settled in Idaho.

At six feet, Jesse stood a head taller than any of his friends. In his lifetime, he worked on many farms. During the wheat harvesting seasons of 1916 to 1918, Jesse drove a 26-horse-powered combine. He also worked at sawmills. But his real expertise was in handling the horses — the work he loved best.

Jesse, Mabel and their nine children lived at Island Park, until Mabel’s allergies forced her to remain in Idaho Falls. As a ninth-grader who could no longer attend the Island Park School, I lived with Grandmother Knapp and went to school in Idaho Falls.

I got to know Grandfather Jesse by working with him at the mill. At that time, I saw him as a stern, stando$sh man. Now I realize that

David’s broadax with its 12-inch blade.

A Beginning 13

because Jesse worked hard from the time he was little, he probably never learned to play.

But Jesse did tell stories. He told me how they went barefoot because they could not a#ord shoes. In the winter, they wrapped their feet in rags to keep them from freezing. Grandpa said his feet got so tough, he could run barefoot across a newly mown hay !eld. And that’s something you almost cannot do with shoes on! A freshly cut hay !eld is treacherous. Short, sharp spikes stick up from the ground and stab you.

Except for a mission Jesse served in Kansas for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church), he never ventured more than a few miles from home.

The Knapp Family in 1945, soon after Al returned home after World War II. Seated, Mabel Bernie and Jesse. Standing, Warren, Marj, Claudia, Thelma, Anna and Al in uniform.