July 4th at Portland Junction Heninger Home -- Harold Sr., Virginia, Clarence, Electa, and Edgar.
HENINGER FAMILY MEMORIES OF VICTOR, PORTLAND JUNCTION, & INDEPENDENCE: 1909-1916
By Virginia Heninger and her older brother, Edgar Heninger
Part One--Excerpts from "My Life History" by Virginia Heninger, 1906-1998.
As I get older I find I am remembering things from my past that I haven’t thot of in years. I decided to try and write some of them down. I am the fourth of five children born to Harold Perry Heninger and Electa Ruth Roby. They were married on Sept 3, 1891 in Provo, Utah. [Their children were] Ruth Frances--born April 12, 1893 in Provo; Harold Dexter--born Oct 17, 1895 in Provo; Edgar Jennings--born in Mercur, Utah on Sept 23, 1900; me [Lorna Virginia]--born on Sept 3, 1906 in Delmar, Nevada; and Clarence Jeramiah--born in Victor, Colorado on April 17, 1910.
My father was in the milling end of the gold mining industry. We went from Delamar to Bingham Canyon, Utah and then to Colorado. He was in charge of the mills at the Independence Mine in Independence, CO, just a few miles from Victor.
We went to Victor and Cripple Creek for all shopping except what was ordered by mail. I remember father had a lot of special things sent from Colorado Springs and Denver. I do remember a man that sold Hot Roasted Peanuts from a cart in Victor. I don’t know what his name was but I called him Tom Thumb. I guess his name was Tom tho. Dad bought peanuts when we went to the show. I remember seeing the old Harold Lloyd and Charley Chaplin pictures there.
By Virginia Heninger and her older brother, Edgar Heninger
Part One--Excerpts from "My Life History" by Virginia Heninger, 1906-1998.
As I get older I find I am remembering things from my past that I haven’t thot of in years. I decided to try and write some of them down. I am the fourth of five children born to Harold Perry Heninger and Electa Ruth Roby. They were married on Sept 3, 1891 in Provo, Utah. [Their children were] Ruth Frances--born April 12, 1893 in Provo; Harold Dexter--born Oct 17, 1895 in Provo; Edgar Jennings--born in Mercur, Utah on Sept 23, 1900; me [Lorna Virginia]--born on Sept 3, 1906 in Delmar, Nevada; and Clarence Jeramiah--born in Victor, Colorado on April 17, 1910.
My father was in the milling end of the gold mining industry. We went from Delamar to Bingham Canyon, Utah and then to Colorado. He was in charge of the mills at the Independence Mine in Independence, CO, just a few miles from Victor.
We went to Victor and Cripple Creek for all shopping except what was ordered by mail. I remember father had a lot of special things sent from Colorado Springs and Denver. I do remember a man that sold Hot Roasted Peanuts from a cart in Victor. I don’t know what his name was but I called him Tom Thumb. I guess his name was Tom tho. Dad bought peanuts when we went to the show. I remember seeing the old Harold Lloyd and Charley Chaplin pictures there.
Harold P. Heninger with children--Clarence, Virginia, and Edgar. Big snow storm, June 17, 1912.
[After initially renting a house on S 5th Street in Victor] We lived below the mill near the railroad tracks [at Portland Junction]. I guess it was the ore train that went there. The houses were quite far apart and built on the hillsides as I remember it. Some of my playmates were Austrian; there were foreigners that worked in the mines.
We had to walk a mile or more to school [in Independence], and in the winter the engineer would put us kids in the cab and take us to school.
We had a lot of snow. I remember one time we woke up in the morning and were snowed in. The snow had drifted up to the top of the windows; we could just see a little light. My father had brought the shovel in for some reason the night before and was able to dig the snow away from the door.
Our school was two-story, one room on each floor. The first through fourth grades were in the first floor room and the fifth through eight were in the upstairs room. We had one teacher for each room. I don’t know how many students there were. When I first started to school the teacher let me take a nap every afternoon. I would put my head on my desk and go to sleep. The teacher had us send away for sample tubes of Colgate tooth paste. I guess a lot of the kids needed to learn to brush their teeth. We sent for some knitting spools, they were just like empty thread spools and had little nails, four of them, to put yarn around and then we could knit a round chain by passing the yarn over these nails and pulling it through. I remember making hot plate mats this way. After that mother taught me to crochet and I did a lot of chain stitch with yarn and then sewed it into pot holders and mats. Then I learned to do other stitches and make lace.
We had to walk a mile or more to school [in Independence], and in the winter the engineer would put us kids in the cab and take us to school.
We had a lot of snow. I remember one time we woke up in the morning and were snowed in. The snow had drifted up to the top of the windows; we could just see a little light. My father had brought the shovel in for some reason the night before and was able to dig the snow away from the door.
Our school was two-story, one room on each floor. The first through fourth grades were in the first floor room and the fifth through eight were in the upstairs room. We had one teacher for each room. I don’t know how many students there were. When I first started to school the teacher let me take a nap every afternoon. I would put my head on my desk and go to sleep. The teacher had us send away for sample tubes of Colgate tooth paste. I guess a lot of the kids needed to learn to brush their teeth. We sent for some knitting spools, they were just like empty thread spools and had little nails, four of them, to put yarn around and then we could knit a round chain by passing the yarn over these nails and pulling it through. I remember making hot plate mats this way. After that mother taught me to crochet and I did a lot of chain stitch with yarn and then sewed it into pot holders and mats. Then I learned to do other stitches and make lace.
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There was a store near the school where my father had a charge account. They used to pay the bill every month and the owner gave them a box of candy. One month I got the idea that I could buy candy for the kids and charge it. I took the slip and put it down a grate over a running water ditch so I wouldn’t have to pay for it. I thought if you didn’t have the slip you didn’t have to pay for it. When my father got his bill there was the 25₵ for the candy, I don’t remember how many times. Father explained the credit process to me and that was the last time I tried to get something for nothing.
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Party at neighbor's house -- Virginia Heninger (front row, right).
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When we learned our multiplication tables we had a test, the way the teacher did was when we could say them through from the ones to twelves we could go out and play. I was the first to be able to say them. I thought I was really smart. I liked school and it was always easy for me. We jumped rope and played games at recess. I remember on Valentine’s Day we exchanged valentines and I got more than anyone else. I got one from the cutest boy in school. I always remembered his name, Harold Woods.
Virginia Heninger and her father in Colorado Springs.
I was spoiled by my parents, my sister, Ruth, had married when I was about 3 ½ and moved to California so I was the only girl. My father was active in the Woodman of The World Lodge and the Eagles Lodge. He went to a lot of conventions in Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Denver. One time he brought me a little gold locket and chain to stay home. He put it on and the next morning I went in and ask him to take it off. He wanted to know if I didn‘t like it. I said yes but I didn’t have anywhere to wear it, so he told mother to take me as I wasn’t any trouble. We went to Colorado Springs for a few days and when we got home I had chewed the locket as the chain was just long enough for me to get it in my mouth. It was full of little teeth marks, so mother kept it for a long time.
Virginia Heninger and father in Colorado Springs.
Father always had a woman come in to do the washing and cleaning for mother so she would not have any excuse to not go with him on trips. We also had a woman that came and stayed with us when they were gone. They did go without me some times. This habit of father’s made a great impression on my older brothers, they were always very considerate of mother and I and also their wives.
My father died of pneumonia on the 6th of April, 1916. He was taken ill on the first and just lived six days. Mother said he told her he wasn’t going to live and told her what to do. He wanted to be buried in Colorado Springs Evergreen Cemetery. He said the happiest time of his life had been in Colorado. He also told mother to take us children to Utah where our relatives were. They had his service in the evening as we had to catch the train early in the morning to go to Colorado Springs. There were so many flowers, that the aroma was over whelming to me. It was years before I could stand to have cut flowers in the house. When we went to restaurants and there were carnations on the table I would move them to another table. Ruth was ill and couldn’t come to the funeral. I think she had Typhoid fever.
We went to Utah and first visited with mother’s sister …
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My father died of pneumonia on the 6th of April, 1916. He was taken ill on the first and just lived six days. Mother said he told her he wasn’t going to live and told her what to do. He wanted to be buried in Colorado Springs Evergreen Cemetery. He said the happiest time of his life had been in Colorado. He also told mother to take us children to Utah where our relatives were. They had his service in the evening as we had to catch the train early in the morning to go to Colorado Springs. There were so many flowers, that the aroma was over whelming to me. It was years before I could stand to have cut flowers in the house. When we went to restaurants and there were carnations on the table I would move them to another table. Ruth was ill and couldn’t come to the funeral. I think she had Typhoid fever.
We went to Utah and first visited with mother’s sister …
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Rented house at 325 S 5th Street in Victor. Ruth Heninger (in background peeking around hanging blanket) and Virginia Heninger (right front with two friends).
Part Two--Excerpts from "The Story of My Life” by Edgar J. Heninger, 1900-1997
Virginia Heninger's brother, Edgar, was six years older. As might be expected, Edgar Heninger’s
memories are much more detailed and, in some cases, slightly different than his younger sister.
It all started 23 September 1900 [Edgar's birth date] in the small mining town of Mercur, Utah, which is located in the Ophir Mountains in Tooele County. There is very little left of the town that was the richest gold mining town in Utah with over 5,000 people at one time. Many of the boom towns I lived in while growing up have disappeared. As my father was in the gold milling business, we lived in many of these boom towns. As soon as the gold mines were worked out, there was nothing to do but move on.
The next years we moved around but I don’t remember exactly the places. We left [Utah] and started for Victor, Colorado, where dad had gone to get things going on his new job. He had a house rented [at 325 S 5th Street] and everything was all ready for us when we arrived. I remember the train trip from Colton, Utah to Colorado Springs. Dad was there to meet us as we had to stay at a hotel until the next morning. There was only one passenger train each day to the Cripple Creek District, as that was what the area was called. It included 4 good-sized towns and a few real small ones.
Virginia Heninger's brother, Edgar, was six years older. As might be expected, Edgar Heninger’s
memories are much more detailed and, in some cases, slightly different than his younger sister.
It all started 23 September 1900 [Edgar's birth date] in the small mining town of Mercur, Utah, which is located in the Ophir Mountains in Tooele County. There is very little left of the town that was the richest gold mining town in Utah with over 5,000 people at one time. Many of the boom towns I lived in while growing up have disappeared. As my father was in the gold milling business, we lived in many of these boom towns. As soon as the gold mines were worked out, there was nothing to do but move on.
The next years we moved around but I don’t remember exactly the places. We left [Utah] and started for Victor, Colorado, where dad had gone to get things going on his new job. He had a house rented [at 325 S 5th Street] and everything was all ready for us when we arrived. I remember the train trip from Colton, Utah to Colorado Springs. Dad was there to meet us as we had to stay at a hotel until the next morning. There was only one passenger train each day to the Cripple Creek District, as that was what the area was called. It included 4 good-sized towns and a few real small ones.
Edgar Heninger and older brother, Harold, Jr.
This was one of the richest gold mining districts in the United States. At the time we settled here the mining industry was in the progress of recovering from a real bad strike, that was like a small war, there was a lot of men killed and much property damage. Some of the mines never worked after the strike was settled as the shafts filled up with water to such an extent it would have been too expensive to try to get back in operation. But there were a number of the real big mines that were going strong. The Portland Mining and Milling Company had just built a big new mill and dad had come to see that the machinery he was to be in charge of was set up right. Well our life here in Victor got a bad start, as school had started a few weeks before we arrived but Harold [older brother] and I decided we would walk up town and take a look around, as it was near the end of the week, we were to start to school the next Monday. As we were walking along the street gawking at everything, a man stopped us and wanted to know why we were not in school. We tried to explain that we had just moved there the day before. He told us he was the truant officer an showed us his badge. He asked us where we lived, we told him the best we could as we really didn’t know the street or house number so he must have thought we were not telling the truth. He said you take me and show me where you live. I remember I sure was scared. I was afraid he was going to put us in jail but it all worked out pretty good after mother explained everything to him. The next morning we registered into school but I sure got a bad deal out of it, as I had passed to the 4th grade in Bingham Canyon [Utah] but the principal said as I didn’t start at the first of the year, he would have to put me in the 3rd grade. So from there on through the 8th grade I was 1 year behind what I should have been.
The normal everyday life of families in these towns where I spent the first 15 years of my life and most of the rest was much different than people have now, as there was no such thing as an indoor bathroom. Most of the houses in these large towns had water piped in the house but only to the kitchen sink. All the kids got a bath on Saturday night. We would bring in the wash tub and heat water on the kitchen stove, in all the big pots and pans we had. The younger kids got bathed first an so on up the line. I don’t know when mother and dad bathed as they did it after the kids went to bed. It seems, in those days, everyone had chores to do such as getting the kindling wood an keep the coal bucket filled and take the ashes out of the kitchen and front-room stoves. Some places all we had to burn was wood and it was quite a job to keep enough wood chopped to keep 2 stoves going. That is one reason kids wasn’t running wild getting into all kinds of trouble. During good weather we had to get enough wood chopped an stacked away in the shed, as after it started snowing, it would be very difficult.
There were very few L.D.S. families in this area so the missionaries would be assigned to come here and try to organize things and hold cottage meetings. The Elders come to visit us and found out Harold and I hadn’t been baptized, so they got permission to use the fount in the Baptist Church, as that was the only place available. So my training as far as the church was concerned was very limited until later in my life when we were back in Utah as I will write about later on.
When a boy starts to a new school he really gets pushed around a lot as I found out real soon. The boys in a place like this were pretty tough and wanted to find out if you would fight or be pushed around. There was usually one in about every age group that was supposed to be the tough guy. Well this one boy started to give me a bad time every chance he got. One day at recess time he punched me a few times but I didn’t fight back as I was sure he could whip me, as most of the boys were afraid of him. About that time, my brother came over to see what was going on, as quite a few kids had gathered around us. Harold grabbed me and jerked my coat off and said he knew I could whip that kid as all he was was a big bully and if I didn’t tare into him, he would give me a beating himself. I think that is all it took, as I really gave him a good licking. About that time the principal came out to see what was going on. The principal said he wouldn’t stand for anymore fighting on the school grounds and we would have to finish our fight after school. I said that was OK with me. I told the kid I would meet him after school but he didn’t show up, but he never bothered me anymore. There was an old storage barn about a block from the school where the kids used to have their fights and there were some real bloody ones as the older kids sure seemed to like to show how tuff there were.
The normal everyday life of families in these towns where I spent the first 15 years of my life and most of the rest was much different than people have now, as there was no such thing as an indoor bathroom. Most of the houses in these large towns had water piped in the house but only to the kitchen sink. All the kids got a bath on Saturday night. We would bring in the wash tub and heat water on the kitchen stove, in all the big pots and pans we had. The younger kids got bathed first an so on up the line. I don’t know when mother and dad bathed as they did it after the kids went to bed. It seems, in those days, everyone had chores to do such as getting the kindling wood an keep the coal bucket filled and take the ashes out of the kitchen and front-room stoves. Some places all we had to burn was wood and it was quite a job to keep enough wood chopped to keep 2 stoves going. That is one reason kids wasn’t running wild getting into all kinds of trouble. During good weather we had to get enough wood chopped an stacked away in the shed, as after it started snowing, it would be very difficult.
There were very few L.D.S. families in this area so the missionaries would be assigned to come here and try to organize things and hold cottage meetings. The Elders come to visit us and found out Harold and I hadn’t been baptized, so they got permission to use the fount in the Baptist Church, as that was the only place available. So my training as far as the church was concerned was very limited until later in my life when we were back in Utah as I will write about later on.
When a boy starts to a new school he really gets pushed around a lot as I found out real soon. The boys in a place like this were pretty tough and wanted to find out if you would fight or be pushed around. There was usually one in about every age group that was supposed to be the tough guy. Well this one boy started to give me a bad time every chance he got. One day at recess time he punched me a few times but I didn’t fight back as I was sure he could whip me, as most of the boys were afraid of him. About that time, my brother came over to see what was going on, as quite a few kids had gathered around us. Harold grabbed me and jerked my coat off and said he knew I could whip that kid as all he was was a big bully and if I didn’t tare into him, he would give me a beating himself. I think that is all it took, as I really gave him a good licking. About that time the principal came out to see what was going on. The principal said he wouldn’t stand for anymore fighting on the school grounds and we would have to finish our fight after school. I said that was OK with me. I told the kid I would meet him after school but he didn’t show up, but he never bothered me anymore. There was an old storage barn about a block from the school where the kids used to have their fights and there were some real bloody ones as the older kids sure seemed to like to show how tuff there were.
Clarence and Virginia sledding.
Along with all the chores we had to do, we had plenty of time to play and do all the things we enjoyed such as hiking around in the hills.
In winter there was plenty of places to sleigh ride as everyone, even our mothers and dads, would go sleigh riding on one of the big side hills right close to town. Some of the men built a big bobsled that about a dozen people could ride on.
Sometimes we would have a big bonfire and stay there until quite late at night. Everyone sure had a good time.
In winter there was plenty of places to sleigh ride as everyone, even our mothers and dads, would go sleigh riding on one of the big side hills right close to town. Some of the men built a big bobsled that about a dozen people could ride on.
Sometimes we would have a big bonfire and stay there until quite late at night. Everyone sure had a good time.
Heninger home at Portland Junction with barn built at back (left) and outhouse at front (right).
The next summer dad bought a nice house [at Portland Junction] up near the mill where he worked. It was about a half mile from the mill. It was the first home we had owned so we were sure busy that summer getting things fixed up the way dad wanted it. The first thing dad built a barn and a chicken coop, then a big shed to store grain and chicken feed in. The barn had a big attic to store hay in the winter. The next thing he bought a bunch of chickens, then a good milk cow, so we were pretty well set up to have plenty of milk and eggs and a nice chicken dinner once in a while. We had so many eggs and so much milk we had to sell some to the people that lived near us. Mother got a churn so we would have our own butter and all the buttermilk we wanted. We soon got so much butter on hand we had to sell it also. Well after we got everything all set up, Harold and I had a permanent job every Saturday, year-round, cleaning the barn and chicken coop.
Cow in front of barn located behind house.
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Virginia Heninger feeding chickens.
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View from the front yard of the Heninger property.
Harold Heninger, Sr. -- standing by front yard fence gate.
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Clarence Heninger looking through wire fence.
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Clarence and Virginia Heninger with Christmas tree on front porch.
That fall when it was time to start back to school, we went to the little town of Independence, which was about three miles from where we lived. It was a 2-story building with 4 big rooms, one room on the ground floor had the first three grades in it, upstairs one room had 4th, 5th and 6th grades and the other one had the 7th and 8th grade. There was also a principal’s office on the top floor. The other room on the ground was used for the manual training, which as all kinds of wood work. There was a man teacher that came once a week to instruct the older boys in their wood work. I went to this school until I finished the 8th grade. When we finished the 8th grade, they had graduation exercises an gave diplomas like they do now when one graduates from high school.
One incident I will relate I have always remembered. In those days when a boy got out of line or was hard to control, the teacher and principal would take him in the office and give him a good licking with a big strap. Something happened on the school grounds, I think it was someone threw a rock that hit a girl and cut her head. The principal came in our room and took me to the office. She said she was told that I threw the rock that hit the girl. I didn’t even know anyone had been hurt. She quizzed me for a while but I still couldn’t tell her anything. She said she knew I wasn’t telling the truth, I started to cry as she sure was giving me a bad time. She sent me back to my room and told me to stay after school and she would take care of me and I knew what that meant. I went back to my room and my teacher could see something was wrong. She took me out in the hall to find out what was the matter. I told her the story and she said she knew I didn’t do it and she would see that I didn’t get a beating for something I didn’t do. Well when school let out I stayed in my seat but the teacher said for me to go home so I got up and started to leave as the Principal came in. She said where do you think you are going. My teacher said I told him he could go home. They got in an argument and the principal told me not to dare leave until she said so. They went in the next room and closed the door. I could hear them really arguing. After a while the teacher came back and said we will leave as soon as I get my things. In the meantime, the principal had got the teacher from downstairs to come up. Just as we were about to leave, the two of them came in, said for me to come to the office. My teacher said you are not going to give him a licking for something he didn’t do. The principal tried to grab me but the teacher stepped in between us and said if you want to beat someone, you can try me. The principal made another grab at me but my teacher really slugged her in the jaw and knocked her flat on the floor but she got up and they really went at it. She got knocked down again and started hollering for the other teacher to help her so she made a pass at my teacher and she got knocked down also. I never saw such a fight between women. My teacher finally had both of them flat on the floor and neither one dared to try to get up. She picked up her coat and other things and said come on we can go home now and I don’t think they will bother us anymore. This teacher was a sub as our regular one had been sick for a couple weeks. On Monday, when we went back to school, the regular one was back. I was real uneasy for a while but nothing happened as the kids had all gone home when everything happened. I didn’t see the principal for several days, when I did, she didn’t even look at me so I figured it was all over.
Halloween was a real wild time for us boys as every home had an outhouse—that is a toilet. Some were 2-holers an some were the small one-holers. After dark we would get together and sneak around and push all the outhouses over that we could and cut all the clothes lines and any other devilment anyone could think of. We sure got chased by the men when they heard us around their house but when this happened we would run in all directions so we wouldn’t get caught but once in a while one of the kids would. The man would give them a good beating and let them go. Several of us kids were trying to push one of the big 2-holers over but hard as we tried, it wouldn’t move. Several of the older boys came along and saw we needed some help. My brother was one of the bunch. Well they all got their backs against the toilet and all together gave a big push and over it went and we all run. We got quite aways away when we could hear someone hollering HELP. Some of us sneaked back close enough to see what was going on as we could see a couple men there and could still hear someone yelling. Well after a while we could see someone coming our way. It turned out to be my brother. When the toilet went over, he fell down the hole in all the crap. Was he a sad sight and did he stink. I walked home with him and he told me the 2 men reached down a pole for him to hold on to and pulled him out. He said they sure laughed but he couldn’t see anything very funny. When we got home, I went in and got mother and dad and told them what had happened. They had him take all his clothes off out in the yard. They got several buckets of water and poured it over him as he scrubbed with soap before they would let him in the house.
The next year we sure pulled a blooper. The boys stole a cow from someone and they must have had it all planned what they were going to do as one of the boys’ mother was the janitor of the school so he got the key and opened the door. By that time there was about 20 of us kids there so we took the cow in and proceeded to take her up the stairs and put her in the principal’s office. We sure had a hard time to get the cow up that big flight of stairs. We pushed and pulled until everyone was about wore out. Well this was Saturday night so the cow was in the office until Monday morning. Well everyone came to school as innocent as could be but in a very few moments in came the principal. She ordered every boy in the school to come to her office. Was it a mess, there was crap all over the place. She said get that out of here, but it was a little easier taking her down. She made all of us pitch in and clean the place up. We had to scrub the office and the whole stairway all the rest of the day to try to get the smell out of the wood. We pulled a lot of crazy things over the years but none turned out as bad as these did. Maybe the first Halloween when were in Victor was about as bad. The kids were just roaming around town and every time the police would see any of us, they would grab us and take us to the jail and put us all in one big cell and lock the door. By about midnight we were jammed in the cell like sardines in a can. One of the policemen came in and said if you kids go home we will let you out but we want to be sure you do. The next thing we knew someone put a fire hose in the window an turned it on full force. The force of the water knocked us down and I was sure we would all be drowned. After they were sure we had enough they turned off the water and opened the door. We scrambled out in nothing flat. I don’t think I stopped running until I got home.
In this area there were hundreds of old mine shafts that were just covered with old planks that were rotting away and some were completely uncovered. They were the remains of the big gold rush days about 10 years before we moved to this area. Most of the old mines were completely deserted and all of the rigging was torn down and moved away. Only the big Companies were working their mines as that whole area was like a big honeycomb under the ground. As when the shaft was being dug, there was a station every hundred feet and they would dig tunnels out in different directions to find good gold veins. This made it possible for miners to travel underground from one mine to another as many of the tunnels would join together. This has saved the lives of miners when there was a cave-in that blocked their way to the main shaft of their mine. I have heard of times men were trapped behind a big cave-in, the rescue crew would dig through from one mine tunnel to where they were trapped. I don’t think anyone can imagine the number of old mine shafts there is in this area unless they could see them. The boy I run around with and I had a lot of fun. We would drop rocks down these old shafts to see if we could hear them hit the bottom or hit the water, as most of them were filled part way up with water. Some of them had ladders built down one side of the shaft. I have climbed down several of them not thinking of the danger of the ladder being old an rotting, that it could break and I could have fallen several hundred feet. I don’t know how I ever lived to grow up. The stupid things I did, I could have been killed a dozen different times.
The first year we were here, my youngest brother [Clarence] was born and my oldest sister, Ruth, got married and moved to California. I didn’t see Ruth again until I went to California when I was 22 years old.
Another close call I had when I was about 13 years old. There was a big mine dump that the railroad was cut through. There was high banks on each side of the track that built up with logs to keep the rocks from falling on the tracks. Well this day we were walking along on top of these logs, there was an electric power line that was low enough to be touched from the top of the logs so I reached up and touched one very careful. Nothing happened so I took a good hold of it. I figured there was no current in them so I reached up and got a hold of the other wire. That was a sensation I will never forget. It seemed to draw my whole body up in a tight knot, it was impossible to let go. In what could not have been over a few seconds, I saw myself dead and being carried home. I saw my mother crying when they carried my body in the house and I saw them having my funeral and the whole bit. The next real thing I knew I was laying in a pile of rocks down on the railroad tracks. The boy I was with was standing there by me. I got up and walked around but I felt numb all over but I didn’t hurt anywhere. He told me what had happened, he said I was all up in a knot but all of a sudden I dropped down on the track. I didn’t feel anything when I hit the rocks as I must have been unconscious. I found out later what had happened. My dad had talked to other men about what had happened and they figured it must have been just about 1 pm when I got ahold of the wires as they throw the big switch that starts all the machinery at the mine where these wires were connected. By starting all the motors, it pulls most of the power out of the wires for just a split second and that was enough to release me an let me drop. My folks were talking to our Dr. about it later and he said he believed my heart had been stopped by the shock as that was a 500 volt line. He said when I hit on the rocks the terrific jar had started my heart. Well the only bad results I had was both of my arms were real dark brown and mother would say go wash your arms, they are real dirty, but it wouldn’t do any good. No matter how much I scrubbed them with soap and a brush, they were real dark brown all the rest of the summer.
One incident I will relate I have always remembered. In those days when a boy got out of line or was hard to control, the teacher and principal would take him in the office and give him a good licking with a big strap. Something happened on the school grounds, I think it was someone threw a rock that hit a girl and cut her head. The principal came in our room and took me to the office. She said she was told that I threw the rock that hit the girl. I didn’t even know anyone had been hurt. She quizzed me for a while but I still couldn’t tell her anything. She said she knew I wasn’t telling the truth, I started to cry as she sure was giving me a bad time. She sent me back to my room and told me to stay after school and she would take care of me and I knew what that meant. I went back to my room and my teacher could see something was wrong. She took me out in the hall to find out what was the matter. I told her the story and she said she knew I didn’t do it and she would see that I didn’t get a beating for something I didn’t do. Well when school let out I stayed in my seat but the teacher said for me to go home so I got up and started to leave as the Principal came in. She said where do you think you are going. My teacher said I told him he could go home. They got in an argument and the principal told me not to dare leave until she said so. They went in the next room and closed the door. I could hear them really arguing. After a while the teacher came back and said we will leave as soon as I get my things. In the meantime, the principal had got the teacher from downstairs to come up. Just as we were about to leave, the two of them came in, said for me to come to the office. My teacher said you are not going to give him a licking for something he didn’t do. The principal tried to grab me but the teacher stepped in between us and said if you want to beat someone, you can try me. The principal made another grab at me but my teacher really slugged her in the jaw and knocked her flat on the floor but she got up and they really went at it. She got knocked down again and started hollering for the other teacher to help her so she made a pass at my teacher and she got knocked down also. I never saw such a fight between women. My teacher finally had both of them flat on the floor and neither one dared to try to get up. She picked up her coat and other things and said come on we can go home now and I don’t think they will bother us anymore. This teacher was a sub as our regular one had been sick for a couple weeks. On Monday, when we went back to school, the regular one was back. I was real uneasy for a while but nothing happened as the kids had all gone home when everything happened. I didn’t see the principal for several days, when I did, she didn’t even look at me so I figured it was all over.
Halloween was a real wild time for us boys as every home had an outhouse—that is a toilet. Some were 2-holers an some were the small one-holers. After dark we would get together and sneak around and push all the outhouses over that we could and cut all the clothes lines and any other devilment anyone could think of. We sure got chased by the men when they heard us around their house but when this happened we would run in all directions so we wouldn’t get caught but once in a while one of the kids would. The man would give them a good beating and let them go. Several of us kids were trying to push one of the big 2-holers over but hard as we tried, it wouldn’t move. Several of the older boys came along and saw we needed some help. My brother was one of the bunch. Well they all got their backs against the toilet and all together gave a big push and over it went and we all run. We got quite aways away when we could hear someone hollering HELP. Some of us sneaked back close enough to see what was going on as we could see a couple men there and could still hear someone yelling. Well after a while we could see someone coming our way. It turned out to be my brother. When the toilet went over, he fell down the hole in all the crap. Was he a sad sight and did he stink. I walked home with him and he told me the 2 men reached down a pole for him to hold on to and pulled him out. He said they sure laughed but he couldn’t see anything very funny. When we got home, I went in and got mother and dad and told them what had happened. They had him take all his clothes off out in the yard. They got several buckets of water and poured it over him as he scrubbed with soap before they would let him in the house.
The next year we sure pulled a blooper. The boys stole a cow from someone and they must have had it all planned what they were going to do as one of the boys’ mother was the janitor of the school so he got the key and opened the door. By that time there was about 20 of us kids there so we took the cow in and proceeded to take her up the stairs and put her in the principal’s office. We sure had a hard time to get the cow up that big flight of stairs. We pushed and pulled until everyone was about wore out. Well this was Saturday night so the cow was in the office until Monday morning. Well everyone came to school as innocent as could be but in a very few moments in came the principal. She ordered every boy in the school to come to her office. Was it a mess, there was crap all over the place. She said get that out of here, but it was a little easier taking her down. She made all of us pitch in and clean the place up. We had to scrub the office and the whole stairway all the rest of the day to try to get the smell out of the wood. We pulled a lot of crazy things over the years but none turned out as bad as these did. Maybe the first Halloween when were in Victor was about as bad. The kids were just roaming around town and every time the police would see any of us, they would grab us and take us to the jail and put us all in one big cell and lock the door. By about midnight we were jammed in the cell like sardines in a can. One of the policemen came in and said if you kids go home we will let you out but we want to be sure you do. The next thing we knew someone put a fire hose in the window an turned it on full force. The force of the water knocked us down and I was sure we would all be drowned. After they were sure we had enough they turned off the water and opened the door. We scrambled out in nothing flat. I don’t think I stopped running until I got home.
In this area there were hundreds of old mine shafts that were just covered with old planks that were rotting away and some were completely uncovered. They were the remains of the big gold rush days about 10 years before we moved to this area. Most of the old mines were completely deserted and all of the rigging was torn down and moved away. Only the big Companies were working their mines as that whole area was like a big honeycomb under the ground. As when the shaft was being dug, there was a station every hundred feet and they would dig tunnels out in different directions to find good gold veins. This made it possible for miners to travel underground from one mine to another as many of the tunnels would join together. This has saved the lives of miners when there was a cave-in that blocked their way to the main shaft of their mine. I have heard of times men were trapped behind a big cave-in, the rescue crew would dig through from one mine tunnel to where they were trapped. I don’t think anyone can imagine the number of old mine shafts there is in this area unless they could see them. The boy I run around with and I had a lot of fun. We would drop rocks down these old shafts to see if we could hear them hit the bottom or hit the water, as most of them were filled part way up with water. Some of them had ladders built down one side of the shaft. I have climbed down several of them not thinking of the danger of the ladder being old an rotting, that it could break and I could have fallen several hundred feet. I don’t know how I ever lived to grow up. The stupid things I did, I could have been killed a dozen different times.
The first year we were here, my youngest brother [Clarence] was born and my oldest sister, Ruth, got married and moved to California. I didn’t see Ruth again until I went to California when I was 22 years old.
Another close call I had when I was about 13 years old. There was a big mine dump that the railroad was cut through. There was high banks on each side of the track that built up with logs to keep the rocks from falling on the tracks. Well this day we were walking along on top of these logs, there was an electric power line that was low enough to be touched from the top of the logs so I reached up and touched one very careful. Nothing happened so I took a good hold of it. I figured there was no current in them so I reached up and got a hold of the other wire. That was a sensation I will never forget. It seemed to draw my whole body up in a tight knot, it was impossible to let go. In what could not have been over a few seconds, I saw myself dead and being carried home. I saw my mother crying when they carried my body in the house and I saw them having my funeral and the whole bit. The next real thing I knew I was laying in a pile of rocks down on the railroad tracks. The boy I was with was standing there by me. I got up and walked around but I felt numb all over but I didn’t hurt anywhere. He told me what had happened, he said I was all up in a knot but all of a sudden I dropped down on the track. I didn’t feel anything when I hit the rocks as I must have been unconscious. I found out later what had happened. My dad had talked to other men about what had happened and they figured it must have been just about 1 pm when I got ahold of the wires as they throw the big switch that starts all the machinery at the mine where these wires were connected. By starting all the motors, it pulls most of the power out of the wires for just a split second and that was enough to release me an let me drop. My folks were talking to our Dr. about it later and he said he believed my heart had been stopped by the shock as that was a 500 volt line. He said when I hit on the rocks the terrific jar had started my heart. Well the only bad results I had was both of my arms were real dark brown and mother would say go wash your arms, they are real dirty, but it wouldn’t do any good. No matter how much I scrubbed them with soap and a brush, they were real dark brown all the rest of the summer.
Edgar standing on rock pile.
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Edgar climbing over fence with sled.
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Harold, Jr and Edgar standing on rock pile.
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Clarence & Virginia (front), Edgar & Harold Jr (back).
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Virginia playing her violin--family home and switch where tracks branched off in background.
In the late summer the wild gooseberries and wild currents would ripen and my sister, Virginia, would spend many days with the rest of the kids picking buckets of them as mother made the best jelly an jam out of them. There was no cultivated fruit or vegetables grown in this area as the altitude was too high and the growing season was too short. The altitude was between 9 and 10 thousand feet but the wild berries seemed to thrive. In the early summer the wild strawberries would ripen but they were quite scarce. You had to know where they were and keep it secret when you found a patch, as they were the most delicious berries I have ever tasted. We always ate them fresh with cream or mother made a strawberry shortcake with lots of whipped cream. As I spent much of my spare time hiking around the mountains and when I would find a patch of strawberries, I would remember where they were so as soon as they were ripe I would be the first one there. It wasn’t too much of a problem as there wasn’t over 8 or 10 kids in this area as we lived about 3 miles from town.
Another thing we had great fun was catching burros and riding them as there was quite a few of these running wild around the hills. The early prospectors brought them to this area to carry all the picks and shovels and all the rest of the equipment they needed to dig for gold. When the big gold rush days were over, they just turned them loose to run wild and live the best way they could. So they done pretty good as there was always a few little colts around every year. Some of the older burros were real mean and hard to catch. They were a real nuisance as they were always trying to get in your barn or where there was any feed as they would eat almost anything. A man told me a burro ate tin cans so I watched to see if they really did as they were always around where there were a bunch of cans. I watched real close as it did look like they were trying to eat them but I saw they were licking the labels off where the paper was loose from laying out in the weather. They would get hold of the loose paper with their teeth and pull it off and eat it. We built a real good barbwire fence around our whole place and it did a pretty good job. When we wanted to have one to ride, we just left the gate open for a little while and we had one. Sometime we had a real bucking contest as we had to ride bareback and some of them were about impossible to ride but there were plenty that was real good to ride but we would try the mean ones just for the fun of it. We were lucky as no one ever got hurt very bad, but we got plenty of bruises.
My brother and I decided to raise some rabbits so we built a couple of pens and bought a couple of pairs to get started. Well, the next year we had so many rabbits we couldn’t build pens enough for them and they ate so much feed we had a real problem on our hands as we couldn’t sell enough to pay for their feed so dad solved the problem. He went out one morning and turned them all loose. Some of them stayed around our place for a few days but they soon all left and joined the wild rabbits and started to interbreed with them, as for several years when one would go rabbit hunting in the winter, they would bring home some of the most mixed up colors you could imagine. After a while, the people found out they were a mixed breed of tame and wild rabbits.
Our church activities were quite enjoyable as the Mormon elders were assigned to our area for 2 or 3 months at a time and as there was only 3 L.D.S. families here, we would hold Sunday school in our homes and also sacrament meeting in the afternoon. Each family would take their turn. After Sunday school we would have a big Sunday dinner and almost everyone would stay for dinner. The elders always stayed in our home at night as we had more room than the other people. The elders would only stay for a few days at a time as they had to work all the towns in the Cripple Creek District. One little thing that seems a little odd, as I think of it now, when the Sacrament was passed, they used 1 glass of water and everyone took a sip. When Elders weren’t there, we didn’t hold Sacrament meeting as none of us were ordained to the Priesthood. I often wonder now, why the Branch President, or someone with the authority, hadn’t come up and ordained someone so we could have had someone to keep things going.
[During] the summer we had the worst lightning and thunder storms I have ever experienced, as this place really was in the tops of the mountains. In July and August, I don’t think a day passed without a rainstorm along with lightning and thunder. When you would see a big black cloud coming over, it was time to run for cover. They didn’t last over 30 minutes but it was real bad while it lasted, then the sun would come out and everything was fine. Almost ever tall pine tree in that area had been struck with lightning, as most of them were dead from the results. The railroad track was right in front of our house, as it was also used for an electric interurban line with trolley wire overhead. Sometime when one of these lightning storms was on, you could see balls of fire running along these wires. It was real weird. One day as we were having dinner, one of these storms was on. Mother went in the kitchen to get something off the stove. The stove must have been really charged from all the lightning, as she touched the stove, she was knocked flat on the floor. We all jumped up and run in to see what had happened. Dad picked her up but she wasn’t hurt. But from that time on, mother never went near the stove or wouldn’t let any of us kids get near the stove until the storm was over. I remember one day I was running home when one of these storms had started. I made the mistake of stepping on a rail as I was running across the tracks and I got knocked down. That is the last time I made that mistake. I don’t think in all the years we lived here, I can’t remember of anyone being killed by lightning.
This brings to my mind one time my friend and I were hiking around among a bunch of cliffs and as we came around a point of rocks, we saw a man laying there on his back. We looked at him for a few seconds and went on as we thought he was drunk or just asleep. Well a couple of days later we happened to be back to the same place and the man was still laying there. We looked him over pretty good and it looked like some kind of animal had been eating on his face and his arm and leg. We went down to a mine close by and told some of the men. Two of the men said take us and show us where he is as they seemed like they thought we were just trying to play some kind of joke on them, as we didn’t really want to go back there, as it wasn’t a very nice thing to see and it sure smelled awful. So we took them back and showed them, but we didn’t get very close but they came back in a few moments. They said they could see why we didn’t want to go back there as it was a real bad thing to look at. We walked back to the mine with them and they said they would call the undertaker and have him come up and get the fellow so we went on home.
Several times I saw some real bad sights as there is bound to be an accident where men are working under ground. I have seen men that had been smashed up real bad and some were brought out of the mine dead. When the word got around that there had been a cave-in or an explosion, there would always be a lot of people go to the mine to try to find out who was hurt, in case it may be some of their folks or close friends. We would usually stay there until the injured or dead were brought out. Working in the mine will always be a hazardous job and I think that is why dad done mill work. His work was to refine the gold bearing ore, after it is brought out of the mines. I recall a big gold strike in the Cresent [Cresson] mine. That was the richest pocket of high-grade ore anyone had ever seen. All the officials of the mines were asked to come and see it. Dad was going so I asked if I could go along. He said he didn’t think they would let me go down in the mine but I could go. It was only 3 or 4 miles from where we lived so we walked down. There were armed guards all over the place. After dad told them who he was, we went over to the office. After he talked to the men for a while, they said sure take the boy along. We were given a pass and went over to the shaft but we had to show our pass to about everyone we saw. We got on the cage; that is what they call it, as it is like an elevator only there is heavy wire mesh all around it and has a sliding door. After everyone was in, the door was shut and down we went. That was a real experience as we went down 13 hundred feet without stopping. I had watched these cages come up or down many times but this was the first time I had rode in one. When we got to the level we were going, it stopped and everyone got out. The tunnel we walked in was lighted with electric lights so it was a real experience, as these drifts as they are called, are dug through solid rock. It was at least a mile to the end where the big pocket was opened up. There was big flood lights shining on it. It was sure a beautiful sight to remember. That ore was so rich it was dug down on sheets of canvas and put in canvas bags to bring it out. There were guards all over the place to see no one put any of it in their pockets. Later on I saw the first shipment of this high-grade ore shipped out. It was put in a boxcar and several men were riding on top of the car with shot guns to be sure no one got an idea to hijack the stuff. Dad was given a small piece of the ore and a copy of the check the mine got for that first big shipment but I don’t recall the amount, but we had that ore sample for several years after we came back to Utah. Mother would show it to people but someone must have put it in their pocket. I felt real bad; it was a real valuable keepsake.
I had another trip down a mine a year or later as a man that worked as a blacksmith and hoist engineer at the Modoc mine was a good friend as I was at this mine almost every day as it was only about a block from our house. I liked to watch him work in the blacksmith shop as he sharpened all the steel drills and made parts for a lot of the machinery that broke down. He had a lease in one of the other mines nearby. One day he asked me if I would like to go with him to see how the men were doing and get some samples of the ore. We went to this mine and it wasn’t as modern as some of the larger ones. Instead of a cage to ride in, there was a big steel bucket fastened to the cable, it was used to bring the ore to the surface as well as haul the men up or down. This bucket was about 5 feet deep and about 3 feet across. Well they put me down in the bucket and Dan and another man stood on the rim of the bucket and held on to the cable with one hand and brushed along the side of the shaft with the other hand to keep the bucket from spinning around as it would do. The only thing that stands out in my mind is the ride down as all I could do was look up. The opening, at the top of the mine, is about 8 feet square and as the sun was shining, I kept watching the opening, as we went down it kept getting smaller until it looked about like a little star. We finally stopped at the 9 hundred foot level and got out. It was a lot different than the Cresent [Cresson] mine, as there was no light but the carbide light we each carried. It sure was an eerie feeling as we walked back where the men were working, as it was real damp and water was dripping from the roof of the tunnel. The men were drilling holes in the face of the drift, getting ready to load the holes with blasting powder. We waited around for some time until they got all the shots ready. There were fuses out of every hole and before long they started to light them. I was sure getting uneasy as they were just taking their time, as I was ready to get out of there before some of the blasts started going off. The men picked up their tools an started for the station. I was in the lead and going as fast as I could. It was quite a long ways to the station but I was there quite a while before any of the men came. They got a big laugh how scared I was. I went down the mines several times after that and after I learned what it was all about, I was more relaxed but I didn’t have any desire to work underground.
Another thing we had great fun was catching burros and riding them as there was quite a few of these running wild around the hills. The early prospectors brought them to this area to carry all the picks and shovels and all the rest of the equipment they needed to dig for gold. When the big gold rush days were over, they just turned them loose to run wild and live the best way they could. So they done pretty good as there was always a few little colts around every year. Some of the older burros were real mean and hard to catch. They were a real nuisance as they were always trying to get in your barn or where there was any feed as they would eat almost anything. A man told me a burro ate tin cans so I watched to see if they really did as they were always around where there were a bunch of cans. I watched real close as it did look like they were trying to eat them but I saw they were licking the labels off where the paper was loose from laying out in the weather. They would get hold of the loose paper with their teeth and pull it off and eat it. We built a real good barbwire fence around our whole place and it did a pretty good job. When we wanted to have one to ride, we just left the gate open for a little while and we had one. Sometime we had a real bucking contest as we had to ride bareback and some of them were about impossible to ride but there were plenty that was real good to ride but we would try the mean ones just for the fun of it. We were lucky as no one ever got hurt very bad, but we got plenty of bruises.
My brother and I decided to raise some rabbits so we built a couple of pens and bought a couple of pairs to get started. Well, the next year we had so many rabbits we couldn’t build pens enough for them and they ate so much feed we had a real problem on our hands as we couldn’t sell enough to pay for their feed so dad solved the problem. He went out one morning and turned them all loose. Some of them stayed around our place for a few days but they soon all left and joined the wild rabbits and started to interbreed with them, as for several years when one would go rabbit hunting in the winter, they would bring home some of the most mixed up colors you could imagine. After a while, the people found out they were a mixed breed of tame and wild rabbits.
Our church activities were quite enjoyable as the Mormon elders were assigned to our area for 2 or 3 months at a time and as there was only 3 L.D.S. families here, we would hold Sunday school in our homes and also sacrament meeting in the afternoon. Each family would take their turn. After Sunday school we would have a big Sunday dinner and almost everyone would stay for dinner. The elders always stayed in our home at night as we had more room than the other people. The elders would only stay for a few days at a time as they had to work all the towns in the Cripple Creek District. One little thing that seems a little odd, as I think of it now, when the Sacrament was passed, they used 1 glass of water and everyone took a sip. When Elders weren’t there, we didn’t hold Sacrament meeting as none of us were ordained to the Priesthood. I often wonder now, why the Branch President, or someone with the authority, hadn’t come up and ordained someone so we could have had someone to keep things going.
[During] the summer we had the worst lightning and thunder storms I have ever experienced, as this place really was in the tops of the mountains. In July and August, I don’t think a day passed without a rainstorm along with lightning and thunder. When you would see a big black cloud coming over, it was time to run for cover. They didn’t last over 30 minutes but it was real bad while it lasted, then the sun would come out and everything was fine. Almost ever tall pine tree in that area had been struck with lightning, as most of them were dead from the results. The railroad track was right in front of our house, as it was also used for an electric interurban line with trolley wire overhead. Sometime when one of these lightning storms was on, you could see balls of fire running along these wires. It was real weird. One day as we were having dinner, one of these storms was on. Mother went in the kitchen to get something off the stove. The stove must have been really charged from all the lightning, as she touched the stove, she was knocked flat on the floor. We all jumped up and run in to see what had happened. Dad picked her up but she wasn’t hurt. But from that time on, mother never went near the stove or wouldn’t let any of us kids get near the stove until the storm was over. I remember one day I was running home when one of these storms had started. I made the mistake of stepping on a rail as I was running across the tracks and I got knocked down. That is the last time I made that mistake. I don’t think in all the years we lived here, I can’t remember of anyone being killed by lightning.
This brings to my mind one time my friend and I were hiking around among a bunch of cliffs and as we came around a point of rocks, we saw a man laying there on his back. We looked at him for a few seconds and went on as we thought he was drunk or just asleep. Well a couple of days later we happened to be back to the same place and the man was still laying there. We looked him over pretty good and it looked like some kind of animal had been eating on his face and his arm and leg. We went down to a mine close by and told some of the men. Two of the men said take us and show us where he is as they seemed like they thought we were just trying to play some kind of joke on them, as we didn’t really want to go back there, as it wasn’t a very nice thing to see and it sure smelled awful. So we took them back and showed them, but we didn’t get very close but they came back in a few moments. They said they could see why we didn’t want to go back there as it was a real bad thing to look at. We walked back to the mine with them and they said they would call the undertaker and have him come up and get the fellow so we went on home.
Several times I saw some real bad sights as there is bound to be an accident where men are working under ground. I have seen men that had been smashed up real bad and some were brought out of the mine dead. When the word got around that there had been a cave-in or an explosion, there would always be a lot of people go to the mine to try to find out who was hurt, in case it may be some of their folks or close friends. We would usually stay there until the injured or dead were brought out. Working in the mine will always be a hazardous job and I think that is why dad done mill work. His work was to refine the gold bearing ore, after it is brought out of the mines. I recall a big gold strike in the Cresent [Cresson] mine. That was the richest pocket of high-grade ore anyone had ever seen. All the officials of the mines were asked to come and see it. Dad was going so I asked if I could go along. He said he didn’t think they would let me go down in the mine but I could go. It was only 3 or 4 miles from where we lived so we walked down. There were armed guards all over the place. After dad told them who he was, we went over to the office. After he talked to the men for a while, they said sure take the boy along. We were given a pass and went over to the shaft but we had to show our pass to about everyone we saw. We got on the cage; that is what they call it, as it is like an elevator only there is heavy wire mesh all around it and has a sliding door. After everyone was in, the door was shut and down we went. That was a real experience as we went down 13 hundred feet without stopping. I had watched these cages come up or down many times but this was the first time I had rode in one. When we got to the level we were going, it stopped and everyone got out. The tunnel we walked in was lighted with electric lights so it was a real experience, as these drifts as they are called, are dug through solid rock. It was at least a mile to the end where the big pocket was opened up. There was big flood lights shining on it. It was sure a beautiful sight to remember. That ore was so rich it was dug down on sheets of canvas and put in canvas bags to bring it out. There were guards all over the place to see no one put any of it in their pockets. Later on I saw the first shipment of this high-grade ore shipped out. It was put in a boxcar and several men were riding on top of the car with shot guns to be sure no one got an idea to hijack the stuff. Dad was given a small piece of the ore and a copy of the check the mine got for that first big shipment but I don’t recall the amount, but we had that ore sample for several years after we came back to Utah. Mother would show it to people but someone must have put it in their pocket. I felt real bad; it was a real valuable keepsake.
I had another trip down a mine a year or later as a man that worked as a blacksmith and hoist engineer at the Modoc mine was a good friend as I was at this mine almost every day as it was only about a block from our house. I liked to watch him work in the blacksmith shop as he sharpened all the steel drills and made parts for a lot of the machinery that broke down. He had a lease in one of the other mines nearby. One day he asked me if I would like to go with him to see how the men were doing and get some samples of the ore. We went to this mine and it wasn’t as modern as some of the larger ones. Instead of a cage to ride in, there was a big steel bucket fastened to the cable, it was used to bring the ore to the surface as well as haul the men up or down. This bucket was about 5 feet deep and about 3 feet across. Well they put me down in the bucket and Dan and another man stood on the rim of the bucket and held on to the cable with one hand and brushed along the side of the shaft with the other hand to keep the bucket from spinning around as it would do. The only thing that stands out in my mind is the ride down as all I could do was look up. The opening, at the top of the mine, is about 8 feet square and as the sun was shining, I kept watching the opening, as we went down it kept getting smaller until it looked about like a little star. We finally stopped at the 9 hundred foot level and got out. It was a lot different than the Cresent [Cresson] mine, as there was no light but the carbide light we each carried. It sure was an eerie feeling as we walked back where the men were working, as it was real damp and water was dripping from the roof of the tunnel. The men were drilling holes in the face of the drift, getting ready to load the holes with blasting powder. We waited around for some time until they got all the shots ready. There were fuses out of every hole and before long they started to light them. I was sure getting uneasy as they were just taking their time, as I was ready to get out of there before some of the blasts started going off. The men picked up their tools an started for the station. I was in the lead and going as fast as I could. It was quite a long ways to the station but I was there quite a while before any of the men came. They got a big laugh how scared I was. I went down the mines several times after that and after I learned what it was all about, I was more relaxed but I didn’t have any desire to work underground.
Abandoned train tracks at Portland Junction when Edgar visited in 1949.
I got real friendly with the crew on the engine that done all the switching for the mines. The main track was just a few feet from our front fence. The switch where the tracks branched off to the mines was right in front of the house also. When the engine had to stay in the siding to wait for the passenger train to go by, I would go out and they would let me get up in the engine cab. After I had been up in the cab several times, the engineer said he would let me take a ride with them, when he saw how thrilled I was when he had me come up in the cab. A few days later, when they stopped at the switch on their way over to the mines, I was there waiting. When he saw me he motioned for me to come and get on. Well that was the real beginning of my love for Railroading, which I never lost. I rode around on the engine for several hours, the fireman showed me the right way to shovel the coal in the firebox and how they put the water in the boiler. When we had to wait for a while for the ore cars to be loaded, the engineer would take the oil can and get down and oil parts of the engine. He would show me how all the different parts worked. When he let me off at the switch on their way out, I was floating on cloud 9. I was sure that was going to be my goal, to be an engineer. For the rest of the time, until we left there, I rode around on the engine every chance I had.
Post Office at Independence, Colorado in 1949 when Edgar returned with his wife for a visit.
I also had my first experience at trout fishing, as there was a good stream about 12 miles from where we lived. Some of us boys caught us each a burro and rode over there. One of the boys had been over there before, so he took some fish hooks and line along. We cut a willow for a pole and dug some angle worms along the bank of the creek. We had a lot of fun and also caught a few trout. When we came home, I got the Sears & Roebuck catalog and looked at all the fishing tackle that was in the book. I showed it to dad and asked him if he would send for a pole and some tackle for me as I thought he would know what would be best for me. He made out the order for what I needed. The next day I took it to the post office and that was the longest two weeks I ever saw, as I think I went to the post office every day to see if it had arrived. In those days there were no mail delivery to the houses, everyone had to go get their own mail. Well after I hiked the 3 miles each way to the post office, about every day for over 2 weeks, the post master said, is this package what you are looking for. I think I ran most of the way home so I could open the package to see what I had. I was real pleased and had to show the pole and other things off to everyone that came to the house. I was sure eager to get to use it. Not long after that, there was an excursion to a little resort about 20 miles away. They had a special train to take everyone so dad and mother and us kids went. As there was a creek that run through this little resort, I took all my new fishing gear along. Dad took me over on the stream and showed me how to use the outfit. I fished up and down the stream most of the day and I don’t think I had one bite. I was sure I would catch all the fish I could carry with that new fishing gear. I was sure disappointed that evening when we got on the train to come home. I did see something that was real exciting, as there was a large pond that had some rowboats on for the people to use. There was several men in a boat out in the middle of the pond that were having a real wild time, as they had been hitting the booze pretty heavy. A lot of us were watching them standing up in the boat and rocking it like they were trying to tip it over. When one fellow fell over in the water, they all started to yell that the fellow couldn’t swim. A couple of men jumped in another boat and got out there as fast as they could row. They had a real bad time finding the fellow but they finally got him in the boat an brought him to the shore. Everyone was sure he was drowned as he sure looked like a dead man when they carried him out of the boat. There was a big barrel there so they layed him over the barrel on his stomach and rolled him back and forth and the water sure run out of his nose and mouth. After they worked on him for a while, he started to show signs of life. He was pretty sick for quite a while but the last time I saw him they had him up on his feet.
We made several trips each summer on the train to Manitou Springs, which is just a few miles from Colorado Springs, which is a real nice summer resort town. There is one of the most unusual soda water springs I have ever heard of, as it was delicious to drink and they had it piped to several fountains and it also run into a large pool. We always brought several empty gallon jugs to fill and take home. We could keep it fresh and sparkly for as long as it was corked tight. We used it to make sparkly lemonade, which was a treat.
We made several trips each summer on the train to Manitou Springs, which is just a few miles from Colorado Springs, which is a real nice summer resort town. There is one of the most unusual soda water springs I have ever heard of, as it was delicious to drink and they had it piped to several fountains and it also run into a large pool. We always brought several empty gallon jugs to fill and take home. We could keep it fresh and sparkly for as long as it was corked tight. We used it to make sparkly lemonade, which was a treat.
Heninger Family in 1914 Model T touring car -- Clarence and Virginia on running board.
In the spring of 1914 dad bought our first automobile, a model T touring car. I have the bill of sale in my keepsakes. It cost $910 cash. We sure felt proud when we took a ride in it, which was real often. We would ride over to Cripple Creek and on around through Victor and Goldfield and Independence, then home. There was very few good roads as we had to follow the old wagon roads and some of them were pretty rough going. There was one hill between our home and Victor that was too steep for the car to climb with all of us in it. Dad would take the best run he could, as the hill was on a big curve. When the car stalled, everyone got out and he would back down and take another try at it. We would wait near the top of the hill, so if he started to stall, we would grab on and push the car over the top. Then everyone got back in and everything was good going the rest of the way home. We had many real nice trips in the car, to Denver and Canyon City and Colorado Springs, during the next two summers.
My sister was 8 years old that September so when the Elders came up, we got all the good Mormons together and took a big picnic and went to a nice place on the West Beaver Creek for a baptism. [Virginia remembers to this as the Gillet River.] There was 3 or 4 children baptized in the creek as that was the only place available. In the early days of the Church, that is the only place they had for baptisms.
My sister was 8 years old that September so when the Elders came up, we got all the good Mormons together and took a big picnic and went to a nice place on the West Beaver Creek for a baptism. [Virginia remembers to this as the Gillet River.] There was 3 or 4 children baptized in the creek as that was the only place available. In the early days of the Church, that is the only place they had for baptisms.
Heninger family trip -- Clarence, Edgar, unknown, Electa, and Virginia.
One trip we took was to a small lake about 25 miles from where we lived. Dad didn’t tell us where we were going but mother put up a picnic lunch and told me to bring my fishing tackle. We loaded in the Model T and away we went. It was sure a beautiful place and I didn’t waste any time getting my fishing pole ready, as there were several people fishing. Dad took me over to a friend of his that was fishing and asked him to show me a few things about fishing, as dad said he was the best fisherman in the state. I was soon sure he was as he would catch a fish every cast and no one else caught hardly any. He had me stay near him and showed me just how it was done. I caught several good sized fish and I sure was thrilled when I took them over to show the folks. I remember this man came over and gave dad about a dozen nice trout and told him he knew I would be a real good fisherman.
Well all this changed as dad come down with pneumonia on the first of April 1916. He went to work that morning but came home at noon and went to bed and told mother to call the Dr., as he was real sick. Before the Dr. got there, he told mother he knew he was going to die and told her where he wanted to be buried and who he wanted to talk at his funeral and all the rest of the things he wanted her to do after he died. When the Dr. came, he said dad must be taken to the hospital as he had double pneumonia. He called and had an ambulance come and take him to the hospital in Victor. That was a real bad time for all of the family for those 6 days, as dad died on the 6th of April 1916. His funeral was held in Victor and he was buried in Colorado Springs, as he asked to be. Later on mother had a real nice granite headstone put on his grave. His death was a great loss to all of us. Mother hadn’t had the responsibility of anything but being a wife and mother.
But life must go on. I graduated from the 8th grade the first of June and, as usual, they had a nice exercise in the town hall and gave out our diplomas, tied with ribbon about like they do now at high schools and colleges.
Mother decided to sell everything and come back to Utah as most of her folks lived in this area. She decided to send me to her sister, Bess, in Helper and her brother, Jed, who lived in Price, so she packed my suitcase and bought me a ticket. I remember the morning I left, as I had told all the kids about going to leave. I went out to wait for the train and the kids were all there to say goodbye. Hanna Bruce, a girl about my age, was there as we thought we were in love. We all talked and laughed and I noticed Hanna was holding her hands behind her back, so as the train came close, she came over to me and handed me a box of candy and grabbed me and kissed me, then ran across the tracks and down the hill to her home. That is the last time I saw her or any of the kids I had grown up with. I was on my way, and it was quite an experience, as I had never been on a trip alone but my mother knew I could get along without any trouble and she was right. I got to Colorado Springs before noon and the train I was to take didn’t leave until nine in the evening and at a station on the other side of town, so I asked how to get over to the other station and a man told me to get on a certain streetcar and it went right to the place I wanted to go. I sure had a long wait ahead of me so I found out what streetcar to take to go up to Manitou Springs, as I had been there many times. I spent most of the day there, as there was always a lot to see and I wanted to drink a lot of that natural soda water, as it would be a long time before I would be there again. I got back to the depot a long time before the train was ready to leave and wandered around the depot grounds for a couple of hours. The train was called and we were finally on our way. …
Mother and Virginia and Clarence stayed in Colorado until she sold our home and the Model T and the two cows and chickens. She had some of the household things and the furniture shipped to Ogden as that was where she was going to try to make our home. …
Mother went back to Colorado late in the summer to find out what was going on, as the people that bought our house had never sent any payment as they had agreed to. These people had been our closest friends from the time we moved there an also members of our church. Mother didn’t have any idea they wouldn’t live up to their word. She came back quite sad, as she learned they had lived there about a year and they sold the house and no one had any idea where they had gone. The party they sold the house to had torn it down and hauled it away and there was nothing left where our home once stood but the old dirt cellar.
Well all this changed as dad come down with pneumonia on the first of April 1916. He went to work that morning but came home at noon and went to bed and told mother to call the Dr., as he was real sick. Before the Dr. got there, he told mother he knew he was going to die and told her where he wanted to be buried and who he wanted to talk at his funeral and all the rest of the things he wanted her to do after he died. When the Dr. came, he said dad must be taken to the hospital as he had double pneumonia. He called and had an ambulance come and take him to the hospital in Victor. That was a real bad time for all of the family for those 6 days, as dad died on the 6th of April 1916. His funeral was held in Victor and he was buried in Colorado Springs, as he asked to be. Later on mother had a real nice granite headstone put on his grave. His death was a great loss to all of us. Mother hadn’t had the responsibility of anything but being a wife and mother.
But life must go on. I graduated from the 8th grade the first of June and, as usual, they had a nice exercise in the town hall and gave out our diplomas, tied with ribbon about like they do now at high schools and colleges.
Mother decided to sell everything and come back to Utah as most of her folks lived in this area. She decided to send me to her sister, Bess, in Helper and her brother, Jed, who lived in Price, so she packed my suitcase and bought me a ticket. I remember the morning I left, as I had told all the kids about going to leave. I went out to wait for the train and the kids were all there to say goodbye. Hanna Bruce, a girl about my age, was there as we thought we were in love. We all talked and laughed and I noticed Hanna was holding her hands behind her back, so as the train came close, she came over to me and handed me a box of candy and grabbed me and kissed me, then ran across the tracks and down the hill to her home. That is the last time I saw her or any of the kids I had grown up with. I was on my way, and it was quite an experience, as I had never been on a trip alone but my mother knew I could get along without any trouble and she was right. I got to Colorado Springs before noon and the train I was to take didn’t leave until nine in the evening and at a station on the other side of town, so I asked how to get over to the other station and a man told me to get on a certain streetcar and it went right to the place I wanted to go. I sure had a long wait ahead of me so I found out what streetcar to take to go up to Manitou Springs, as I had been there many times. I spent most of the day there, as there was always a lot to see and I wanted to drink a lot of that natural soda water, as it would be a long time before I would be there again. I got back to the depot a long time before the train was ready to leave and wandered around the depot grounds for a couple of hours. The train was called and we were finally on our way. …
Mother and Virginia and Clarence stayed in Colorado until she sold our home and the Model T and the two cows and chickens. She had some of the household things and the furniture shipped to Ogden as that was where she was going to try to make our home. …
Mother went back to Colorado late in the summer to find out what was going on, as the people that bought our house had never sent any payment as they had agreed to. These people had been our closest friends from the time we moved there an also members of our church. Mother didn’t have any idea they wouldn’t live up to their word. She came back quite sad, as she learned they had lived there about a year and they sold the house and no one had any idea where they had gone. The party they sold the house to had torn it down and hauled it away and there was nothing left where our home once stood but the old dirt cellar.
Edgar Heninger visiting his father's grave in Evergreen Cemetary, 1949.
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Edgar Heningar visiting the site of his family's home at Portland Junction in 1949. The only thing left was the underground cellar.
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Independence Colorado in 1949 when Edgar returned to the Gold Camp for a visit.
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Excerpts of the Life Stories of Virginia Heninger and Edgar Heninger, as well as related photos, were submitted by Denise Mills—August, 2013
Harold P. and Electa R. Heninger moved to Victor in 1909 along with their first four children—Ruth, Harold Jr., Edgar, and Virginia. Their fifth child, Clarence, was born in Victor in April 1910. Denise Mills’ grandmother, Ruth Heninger, was 16 years old when the family moved to Victor. The 1910 Census records indicate that Ruth attended school within the last year, possibly at Victor High School. Ruth married Samuel C. Mills in Kansas, June 1910 and the Mills family left for California. Their first child, Mildred, was born Oct 17, 1912 in Riverside.
According to the 1912-13 Victor City Directory, Harold P. Heninger worked at the milling operations of the Portland Mine. The family eventually bought a home at Portland Junction—between the City of Victor and the Town of Independence (where the children attended school). After the sudden death of Harold, Sr. (at age 52 on April 6, 1916), his widow, Electa, and their unmarried children returned to Utah to be near her relatives.
The excerpts from Virginia and Edgar Heninger’s Life Stories are truncated with the tragedy of their father’s death and the departure of the family from the Gold Camp. However, from the positive voice in which their stories are told, it is not difficult to infer that the Heninger family was not defeated. Perhaps Denise will tell us more?
Harold P. and Electa R. Heninger moved to Victor in 1909 along with their first four children—Ruth, Harold Jr., Edgar, and Virginia. Their fifth child, Clarence, was born in Victor in April 1910. Denise Mills’ grandmother, Ruth Heninger, was 16 years old when the family moved to Victor. The 1910 Census records indicate that Ruth attended school within the last year, possibly at Victor High School. Ruth married Samuel C. Mills in Kansas, June 1910 and the Mills family left for California. Their first child, Mildred, was born Oct 17, 1912 in Riverside.
According to the 1912-13 Victor City Directory, Harold P. Heninger worked at the milling operations of the Portland Mine. The family eventually bought a home at Portland Junction—between the City of Victor and the Town of Independence (where the children attended school). After the sudden death of Harold, Sr. (at age 52 on April 6, 1916), his widow, Electa, and their unmarried children returned to Utah to be near her relatives.
The excerpts from Virginia and Edgar Heninger’s Life Stories are truncated with the tragedy of their father’s death and the departure of the family from the Gold Camp. However, from the positive voice in which their stories are told, it is not difficult to infer that the Heninger family was not defeated. Perhaps Denise will tell us more?
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The Next Generation Will Only Inherit What We Choose to Save and Make Accessible.
Please Share Your Memories and Family Connections to Victor & the World's Greatest Gold Camp
By Contacting Victor Heritage Society, PO Box 424, Victor, CO 80860 or e-mail [email protected].
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