Poker Pete Olsen is Acquitted

Sooner or later I was going to get to a story about "Poker Pete" Olsen.  I'll probably feature Poker Pete a couple times in the future.  This one is from a newspaper clipping from 1912 in the Eastern Utah Advocate.

Olsen is Acquitted
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Green River Editor Sore On the Good "Bishop of Woodside"
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After hearing positive proof by direct testimony of three witnesses, who swore that they had bought liquor of "Poker Pete" Olsen at Woodside, the case against Olsen was dismissed last Thursday by T. S. Turner, justice of the peace in this precinct, who sustained the argument of W. H. Frye of Price, attorney for the defendant, who maintained that all evidence not favorable to his client was irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial, says Green River Dispatch. 

Prosecuting Attorney Powers could not produce documentary evidence that Woodside is in 'dry' territory and in the absence of this testimony Judge Turner refused to admit the evident.  Court records showing that Olsen had been convicted for the same offense before were shut out and  notwithstanding that the judge had himself assessed the bootlegger a fine only a few weeks previous, he gave credence to the argument of Attorney Frye and took the stand in the matter as stated Counsel for the prosecution attempted to place witnesses on the stand that Olsen himself had admitted that he violated the law, but this too, was overruled and an old offender was set scotfree.

Everybody knows that Wooodside is in dry territory and by virtue of the state law providing that no liquor shall be sold outside of cities and towns, therefore the Dispatch feels that in justice to the saloon men of this city who are paying a high license, there should have been a conviction in this fragrant case, the testimony being so positive. 
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Eastern Utah Advocate
June 6, 1912

This Attorney W. H. Frye also figured in the post about the Coach Stallion.  He was one of the purchasers and when it went to court he was also one of the defendants.

Shew Fly No. 1 Claim

The Shew Fly no. 1 is a deposit of fluxing shale and other hardening materials.  This claim was surveyed and corners set on March 9, 1925 by Charles Leger.  This claim was recorded at 11 a.m. in book J-6 on page 11 on April 3, 1925 at the request of J. H. Wade. 

The Shew Fly no. 1 was located  in the north half of the northeast quarter of section 8 township 18 south and range 14 east of the Salt Lake Base Meridian.    This claim also consisted of the south half of the southeast quarter of section 5 in the same township and range. 

The locators of this claim were Joe Curtis, Astell Curtis, Thursa Olsen, Lynn Olsen, Joseph E. Caldwell, Flossy Caldwell, James H. Wade and Ruby Wade.

Great smoothies

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/taste-test-the-best-smoothies-from-the-supermarket-2478744/

I've had the naked and the bolthouse smoothies and they are great.

Happy Mother's Day

A brief salute to my mother.  One of her brother's got an education.  One got sent on a mission.  My mother got a camera which she took a ton of pictures with.  This picture was probably taken with her camera.  My mother. Vesta, once commented that she was told by someone that she, Vesta, reminded her of Vesta's mother Ellen.  My mother. Vesta, took that as the best compliment any one could have given her.  Someone also said speaking of my grandmother Ellen, that if anyone was worthy of the Celestial Kingdom it was Ellen.  I can feel that that is true.  From the little memory I have of my Grandmother Pettersson, she was very spiritual and close to heaven.  I do have ancestors to be thankful for. 

The Lion Hunter

I am telling this story from what I have heard and put together throughout the years.  Hopefully it is accurate.  What we know for sure is that Max did bag a mountain lion on the east side of the Green River.  I believe the following events are what led up to it. 

Apparently there was a man that ran sheep on the east side of the Green River by the name of Johnny Mahleres.  He had a big problem with a mountain lion getting a lot of his sheep.  He was at wit's end I'm sure and didn't know what to do.  He heard about or it was suggested to him that Max Curtis could probably solve this problem for him.  Max was an outdoors man, a good shot and a good hunter.  He was a very experienced sheep herder and knew the country well.  He also had good eyes, being farsighted, which suited him just fine for this type of endeavor.  Max did not work for Mahleres previous to this time to my knowledge.  He was singled out specifically to hunt down a mountain lion.  I don't know how Max accomplished it but he was successful in bagging the problem mountain lion.  I believe this occurred shortly before or after Max was married.  Kathleen seems to remember this event.  Max did not brag about it as much as he could have as this is quite an accomplishment but apparently not too difficult for him.  The one thing that I don't know is whether Max used dogs to help him.  I have no evidence that he did but most lion hunters do use dogs.  Good job Max! 

The Ditchdigger

When I was in high school in order to motivate you the teachers would say that you need to get an education so that you wouldn't end up being a ditch digger.  As if being a ditch digger is a bad thing.  Some of them that use machinery today can make some good money. 

Anyway I have been wanting to tell this story for some time.  Joe Curtis apparently was one of the best ditch diggers around.  I have found some documents to back this up so it is official.  He is a good ditch digger.  I know he did other things as well.  He was a farmer, rancher, pioneer, family man, business man and did his share of prospecting.  Joe was one of the first settlers of Woodside credited with that honor partly because he settled with his family present.  In one of my earlier posts I alluded to some of the place names that were named after him.  The Curtis Formation and Joe's Holes are probably the most prominent.  One of the first recorded instances of his ditch digging prowess follows:

     Sylvester and his brothers, George, Nick, Chris, Davis and Silas, built a one-room log house that serves as a schoolhouse, church and amusement hall.  Davis Wilson and William Higby called for the dances and George Biddlecome, with his fiddle, was the musician.  Harmon Curtis, son of Simmon(s) P. and Emeline Curtis of Springville, came to Castle Valley when he was but a boy of sixteen, with his brother Joseph and his wife, who settled a mile or so south of Castle Dale on land purchased from Andrew Rasmussen.  The Curtis brothers helped plow the first irrigation ditch south of Castle Dale.  Harmon Curtis was the first school teacher.  He taught for three years and had from twelve to fifteen students of all ages from Wilsonville and the nearby ranches.  The only desks were homemade benches and the books were brought in from Sanpete County by horseback.  School was only held for about four years. 

Kate B. Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage, Volume 13. p. 495. 

He probably helped plow this irrigation ditch before he moved to Woodside.  The Woodside documentation is next:

      Woodside, on the Price River, lies approximately halfway between the town of Price and Green River. 

     The first settler, Henry Hutchinson, was attracted by gold pay dirt in the Cedar Mountains.  In 1885 Pete Peterson and Sanderson also located here.  The next to come were Scott Miller and Joe Curtis.  Indians told them to turn back or they would starve; but they ignored the Indians and proceeded to take up homesteads, diverting the waters of the Price River for irrigation.  Joe Curtis and Scott Miller both had families. 

Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Castle Valley, p. 324. 

There are two irrigation ditches at Woodside.  I wonder if Joe helped with them.  From the above information it would seem that he did. 

The third documentation of his ditch digging prowess seals it.  The Castle Dale and Woodside ditches were probably made in the 1880s.  This article postdates them.  It affirms Joe as one of the best: 

                Joe Curtis, of Lower Crossing, was in our town this week.  Joe is not only a good miner but can throw as much mud out of an irrigating ditch as any man in the west. 

Eastern Utah Advocate

January 22, 1891

And a ditch at Desert Lake:

                John L. Thayne and Joseph Curtis are running a four or five-mile ditch from the extreme north end of the Cleveland Canal to carry water to a reservoir north of Desert Lake for culinary and stock watering purposes.  

Eastern Utah Advocate

November 23, 1905

Wow, as much as any man in the west.  He must have been pretty good.  This ditch from the Cleveland Canal to Desert Lake makes at least the third ditch that Joe helped on.  That is pretty good.  My dad used to say when talking about people that they hauled the dirt to make this country.  That would seem to fit Joe very well. 

Coach Stallion

Coach Stallion

     A party of men composed of J. M. Whitmore, W. H. Frye, G. A. Nixon and S. S. Young of Price and Henry G. Mills & Sons and Joe Curtis & Sons of Desert Lake have purchased a beautiful Coach Stallion at the price of $2,400.   The animal was purchased last Saturday and taken to Desert Lake. 

From Carbon County May 13, 1910

     I find it interesting that James M. Whitmore was involved.  Not only was he probably the largest rancher in the territory, he was also a banker.  I wish I knew more about G. A. Nixon.  This is a good story but apparently it wasn't over and there is a downside.  The following comes from the Eastern Utah Advocate:

DISTRICT COURT SEPTEMBER TERM;
     First National Bank of Denver vs W. H. Frye, J A Curtis Sr, J A Curtis Jr, Guy Curtis, David Mills, J H Mills, Henry J. Mills, Silas S Young and George A Nixon, demurrer

Eastern Utah Advocate
September 26, 1912

     This story continued with an article about a month later:

DISTRICT COURT IN ADJOURNMENT NOW
     First National Bank of Denver, Colo, vs W H Frye, J A Curtis, J A Curtis, Jr, David Mills, Guy Curtis, J H Mills, Silas S Young, Henry J Mills and George A Nixon, action to enforce contract.  Demurrer overruled and defendant given sixty days to answer. 

Eastern Utah Advocate
October 31, 1912

     I noticed the absence of James M. Whitmore in the court case.  My brother Leon told me about Dode working for the railroad when they started to garnish his wages and he quit what was a good job.  Leon said it had something to do about a horse that Dode and Guy had purchased from the railroad.  The horse died a couple of months later and they figured there was something wrong with the horse and didn't finish paying for it.  I'm sure this is all about the purchase of the Coach Stallion.