Guy Benjamin Christensen

INDIAN FRIENDS: Chris was really good to neighbors and any Indians that needed help. He would let anyone dig as many potatoes as they could use and he would also let them pick what fruit they wanted. The children were never afraid of Indians because Chris and Bena were so good to them. The Indians wanted eggs, sugar and coffee. They would crack the eggs on their saddle horn arid drink them down. One Indian would tell another until they all knew where to come. One Indian woman came to Goshen and Basalt regularly for many years. Bena always gave her a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs each time she came. Train tramps would mark the fence so others would know they could get a meal. At Christensen’s it was a good meal, but they had to work for it. In Basalt there were corrals, sheds and a barn where they kept stock and pigs and cattle.Bena knew her way around there. Once she went out in the barn where the hens would lay their eggs in the manger. She went over to reach in and get the eggs out of this nest and the stallion tied in the stall reached out and took her by the top of the straw hat. She had her hair bobbed up on top of her head. He gave the straw hat and the bob a squeeze and bent a few hair pins out of shape, but she got the eggs. What the hens would do is steal away from the nest and lay a dozen eggs and when she got ready, sit on them until they hatched and come off with a bunch of chickens. The challenge was to pick up all these eggs while they were fresh. The chickens would just run loose. Bena made the dresses for the girls and herself with never a mention of patterns. She made them and if alterations were needed she did it. Chris would take a burlap sack doubled, lay it on the floor, put a handful of hay under his foot, pull the sack up around the foot and tie with string or wire for a dry, cold weather boot. Bena not only sewed clothes, but mittens, hats or whatever was needed. She had a sewing machine with a wooden top and a Victoria phonograph. Also she had a big porcelain bathtub in her bedroom and Chris had a long metal bathtub. THE WATER WELL: Something went wrong with the water well and pump so Henry, Irven and Chris dug a new well. Irven worked in the bottom, Henry on top and Chris led the horse. A ten gallon milk can with the top cut off and a bail added was filed with gravel, pulled up with the horse and Henry would dump it over the side. Once something happened to the chain or clevis and the can full of gravel started back down and Henry grabbed the rope and was strong enough to hold it so it got back down without a problem, possibly saving Irven’s life. He lost the skin off his hands, but he did it. The well was three feet square down into the water. Lyma says it was 135 feet deep. Henry took a 28 gallon wooden barrel, put a bail on top, cut a square hole in the bottom with a hinged door. The horse would pull up a barrel full of water, they would slide a trough under it and pull open the door and water would run in the trough to fill a couple of barrels for household use and to water the horses and cattle. Henry’s horse “Old Pete” was used to pull up the barrel. Norman used to lead the horse to draw the barrels of water out of the well. The frame would squeak and the horse would pretend to pull real hard. He had to stop him as soon as the barrel got to the top. He used to think the animals would never get enough to drink and didn’t think anyone else had such a setup. Later they got back to the old hand pump so they could pump the water when it was needed. THE PINTO PONY: When the kids were small they would load up the little pinto pony with three or four of them. Once Irven was in the saddle with Guy in front and Mat behind and rode out into the field and down the ditch. It was okay until they came to a place where the bank was soft, the horse mired down and floundered and then tipped over. As he tipped, Mat fell off and the horse fell on top of him into the mud and water. The horse made a flounder and bounce and Irven pulled Guy out. He made another flounder and Irven got out; another flounder and Irven pulled Mat out. His mouth and nose were full of mud and water, but he got them both out. Another time they were plowing along and 8 to 10—foot deep ditch to cover it up and level it off. They had three to four horses on the plow plowing the side of the ditch. One horse got down on its back in the bottom of the V—shaped ditch with the others on top. One mare was due to have a colt right away. They finally got the harnesses off and got the other horses off and the mare out. She had her colt a few days later and got along alright. Chris’s little brother fell off a load of hay and was run over and killed. When they went to the mountain to get logs for the cellar, Chris, Henry, and Irven had their outing. They didn’t hunt or fish, but when rabbits would eat the bottom out of the haystack until it fell over, Chris would string out hay in a furrow, get his muzzle—loader rifle, and aiming down the furrow would get a half—dozen or dozen rabbits with each shot. Irven didn’t know why his father had the rifle, because he never remembers his going hunting for big game.

ON TO FORT HALL: The move to Fort Hall in 1929 or 1930 involved four different farms. These were leases. Norman’s was about 1/2 mile north of Fort Hall. The other three——Irven’s, Mat’s and Chris’s were adjacent to one another 1 1/2 miles north and 3 miles east of Fort Hall. Chris’s place was the furthere St east and had no road in except through Mat’s and over the hill, so a small cabin was built on Irven’s piece where he lived. Farming there involved clearing the land of sage brush, plowing, ditching and irrigating. Once Chris tied up a young horse near the cabin and it ate a horse collar he had hanging on the cabin. In about 1935 Mat moved to North Logan and Bena, Norman and Carrie moved there and rented part of Mat’s home. Later they moved into a small home on Third North in Logan built by Mat and Guy. Bena’s health wasn’t so good while in Fort Hall and she had a heart attack in about 1932. After moving to Logan there was no improvement and during those years she developed dropsy and gall bladder problems for which she underwent surgery. She died in Logan 2 October 1941 and was buried in Basalt. Irven built a home on the Fort Hall Townsite in 1939 and moved from the farm, so Chris moved in with Norman for a couple of years until he was unable to manage the farm any longer. He then went to stay with Henry in ChubboCk for a time. He passed away 10 May 1946 and was buried in Basalt.

INDIAN FRIENDS: Chris was really good to neighbors and any Indians that needed help. He would let anyone dig as many potatoes as they could use and he would also let them pick what fruit they wanted. The children were never afraid of Indians because Chris and Bena were so good to them. The Indians wanted eggs, sugar and coffee. They would crack the eggs on their saddle horn arid drink them down. One Indian would tell another until they all knew where to come. One Indian woman came to Goshen and Basalt regularly for many years. Bena always gave her a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs each time she came. Train tramps would mark the fence so others would know they could get a meal. At Christensen’s it was a good meal, but they had to work for it. In Basalt there were corrals, sheds and a barn where they kept stock and pigs and cattle.Bena knew her way around there. Once she went out in the barn where the hens would lay their eggs in the manger. She went over to reach in and get the eggs out of this nest and the stallion tied in the stall reached out and took her by the top of the straw hat. She had her hair bobbed up on top of her head. He gave the straw hat and the bob a squeeze and bent a few hair pins out of shape, but she got the eggs. What the hens would do is steal away from the nest and lay a dozen eggs and when she got ready, sit on them until they hatched and come off with a bunch of chickens. The challenge was to pick up all these eggs while they were fresh. The chickens would just run loose. Bena made the dresses for the girls and herself with never a mention of patterns. She made them and if alterations were needed she did it. Chris would take a burlap sack doubled, lay it on the floor, put a handful of hay under his foot, pull the sack up around the foot and tie with string or wire for a dry, cold weather boot. Bena not only sewed clothes, but mittens, hats or whatever was needed. She had a sewing machine with a wooden top and a Victoria phonograph. Also she had a big porcelain bathtub in her bedroom and Chris had a long metal bathtub. THE WATER WELL: Something went wrong with the water well and pump so Henry, Irven and Chris dug a new well. Irven worked in the bottom, Henry on top and Chris led the horse. A ten gallon milk can with the top cut off and a bail added was filed with gravel, pulled up with the horse and Henry would dump it over the side. Once something happened to the chain or clevis and the can full of gravel started back down and Henry grabbed the rope and was strong enough to hold it so it got back down without a problem, possibly saving Irven’s life. He lost the skin off his hands, but he did it. The well was three feet square down into the water. Lyma says it was 135 feet deep. Henry took a 28 gallon wooden barrel, put a bail on top, cut a square hole in the bottom with a hinged door. The horse would pull up a barrel full of water, they would slide a trough under it and pull open the door and water would run in the trough to fill a couple of barrels for household use and to water the horses and cattle. Henry’s horse “Old Pete” was used to pull up the barrel. Norman used to lead the horse to draw the barrels of water out of the well. The frame would squeak and the horse would pretend to pull real hard. He had to stop him as soon as the barrel got to the top. He used to think the animals would never get enough to drink and didn’t think anyone else had such a setup. Later they got back to the old hand pump so they could pump the water when it was needed. THE PINTO PONY: When the kids were small they would load up the little pinto pony with three or four of them. Once Irven was in the saddle with Guy in front and Mat behind and rode out into the field and down the ditch. It was okay until they came to a place where the bank was soft, the horse mired down and floundered and then tipped over. As he tipped, Mat fell off and the horse fell on top of him into the mud and water. The horse made a flounder and bounce and Irven pulled Guy out. He made another flounder and Irven got out; another flounder and Irven pulled Mat out. His mouth and nose were full of mud and water, but he got them both out. Another time they were plowing along and 8 to 10—foot deep ditch to cover it up and level it off. They had three to four horses on the plow plowing the side of the ditch. One horse got down on its back in the bottom of the V—shaped ditch with the others on top. One mare was due to have a colt right away. They finally got the harnesses off and got the other horses off and the mare out. She had her colt a few days later and got along alright. Chris’s little brother fell off a load of hay and was run over and killed. When they went to the mountain to get logs for the cellar, Chris, Henry, and Irven had their outing. They didn’t hunt or fish, but when rabbits would eat the bottom out of the haystack until it fell over, Chris would string out hay in a furrow, get his muzzle—loader rifle, and aiming down the furrow would get a half—dozen or dozen rabbits with each shot. Irven didn’t know why his father had the rifle, because he never remembers his going hunting for big game.

ON TO FORT HALL: The move to Fort Hall in 1929 or 1930 involved four different farms. These were leases. Norman’s was about 1/2 mile north of Fort Hall. The other three——Irven’s, Mat’s and Chris’s were adjacent to one another 1 1/2 miles north and 3 miles east of Fort Hall. Chris’s place was the furthere St east and had no road in except through Mat’s and over the hill, so a small cabin was built on Irven’s piece where he lived. Farming there involved clearing the land of sage brush, plowing, ditching and irrigating. Once Chris tied up a young horse near the cabin and it ate a horse collar he had hanging on the cabin. In about 1935 Mat moved to North Logan and Bena, Norman and Carrie moved there and rented part of Mat’s home. Later they moved into a small home on Third North in Logan built by Mat and Guy. Bena’s health wasn’t so good while in Fort Hall and she had a heart attack in about 1932. After moving to Logan there was no improvement and during those years she developed dropsy and gall bladder problems for which she underwent surgery. She died in Logan 2 October 1941 and was buried in Basalt. Irven built a home on the Fort Hall Townsite in 1939 and moved from the farm, so Chris moved in with Norman for a couple of years until he was unable to manage the farm any longer. He then went to stay with Henry in ChubboCk for a time. He passed away 10 May 1946 and was buried in Basalt.

INDIAN FRIENDS: Chris was really good to neighbors and any Indians that needed help. He would let anyone dig as many potatoes as they could use and he would also let them pick what fruit they wanted. The children were never afraid of Indians because Chris and Bena were so good to them. The Indians wanted eggs, sugar and coffee. They would crack the eggs on their saddle horn arid drink them down. One Indian would tell another until they all knew where to come. One Indian woman came to Goshen and Basalt regularly for many years. Bena always gave her a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs each time she came. Train tramps would mark the fence so others would know they could get a meal. At Christensen’s it was a good meal, but they had to work for it. In Basalt there were corrals, sheds and a barn where they kept stock and pigs and cattle.Bena knew her way around there. Once she went out in the barn where the hens would lay their eggs in the manger. She went over to reach in and get the eggs out of this nest and the stallion tied in the stall reached out and took her by the top of the straw hat. She had her hair bobbed up on top of her head. He gave the straw hat and the bob a squeeze and bent a few hair pins out of shape, but she got the eggs. What the hens would do is steal away from the nest and lay a dozen eggs and when she got ready, sit on them until they hatched and come off with a bunch of chickens. The challenge was to pick up all these eggs while they were fresh. The chickens would just run loose. Bena made the dresses for the girls and herself with never a mention of patterns. She made them and if alterations were needed she did it. Chris would take a burlap sack doubled, lay it on the floor, put a handful of hay under his foot, pull the sack up around the foot and tie with string or wire for a dry, cold weather boot. Bena not only sewed clothes, but mittens, hats or whatever was needed. She had a sewing machine with a wooden top and a Victoria phonograph. Also she had a big porcelain bathtub in her bedroom and Chris had a long metal bathtub. THE WATER WELL: Something went wrong with the water well and pump so Henry, Irven and Chris dug a new well. Irven worked in the bottom, Henry on top and Chris led the horse. A ten gallon milk can with the top cut off and a bail added was filed with gravel, pulled up with the horse and Henry would dump it over the side. Once something happened to the chain or clevis and the can full of gravel started back down and Henry grabbed the rope and was strong enough to hold it so it got back down without a problem, possibly saving Irven’s life. He lost the skin off his hands, but he did it. The well was three feet square down into the water. Lyma says it was 135 feet deep. Henry took a 28 gallon wooden barrel, put a bail on top, cut a square hole in the bottom with a hinged door. The horse would pull up a barrel full of water, they would slide a trough under it and pull open the door and water would run in the trough to fill a couple of barrels for household use and to water the horses and cattle. Henry’s horse “Old Pete” was used to pull up the barrel. Norman used to lead the horse to draw the barrels of water out of the well. The frame would squeak and the horse would pretend to pull real hard. He had to stop him as soon as the barrel got to the top. He used to think the animals would never get enough to drink and didn’t think anyone else had such a setup. Later they got back to the old hand pump so they could pump the water when it was needed. THE PINTO PONY: When the kids were small they would load up the little pinto pony with three or four of them. Once Irven was in the saddle with Guy in front and Mat behind and rode out into the field and down the ditch. It was okay until they came to a place where the bank was soft, the horse mired down and floundered and then tipped over. As he tipped, Mat fell off and the horse fell on top of him into the mud and water. The horse made a flounder and bounce and Irven pulled Guy out. He made another flounder and Irven got out; another flounder and Irven pulled Mat out. His mouth and nose were full of mud and water, but he got them both out. Another time they were plowing along and 8 to 10—foot deep ditch to cover it up and level it off. They had three to four horses on the plow plowing the side of the ditch. One horse got down on its back in the bottom of the V—shaped ditch with the others on top. One mare was due to have a colt right away. They finally got the harnesses off and got the other horses off and the mare out. She had her colt a few days later and got along alright. Chris’s little brother fell off a load of hay and was run over and killed. When they went to the mountain to get logs for the cellar, Chris, Henry, and Irven had their outing. They didn’t hunt or fish, but when rabbits would eat the bottom out of the haystack until it fell over, Chris would string out hay in a furrow, get his muzzle—loader rifle, and aiming down the furrow would get a half—dozen or dozen rabbits with each shot. Irven didn’t know why his father had the rifle, because he never remembers his going hunting for big game.

ON TO FORT HALL: The move to Fort Hall in 1929 or 1930 involved four different farms. These were leases. Norman’s was about 1/2 mile north of Fort Hall. The other three——Irven’s, Mat’s and Chris’s were adjacent to one another 1 1/2 miles north and 3 miles east of Fort Hall. Chris’s place was the furthere St east and had no road in except through Mat’s and over the hill, so a small cabin was built on Irven’s piece where he lived. Farming there involved clearing the land of sage brush, plowing, ditching and irrigating. Once Chris tied up a young horse near the cabin and it ate a horse collar he had hanging on the cabin. In about 1935 Mat moved to North Logan and Bena, Norman and Carrie moved there and rented part of Mat’s home. Later they moved into a small home on Third North in Logan built by Mat and Guy. Bena’s health wasn’t so good while in Fort Hall and she had a heart attack in about 1932. After moving to Logan there was no improvement and during those years she developed dropsy and gall bladder problems for which she underwent surgery. She died in Logan 2 October 1941 and was buried in Basalt. Irven built a home on the Fort Hall Townsite in 1939 and moved from the farm, so Chris moved in with Norman for a couple of years until he was unable to manage the farm any longer. He then went to stay with Henry in ChubboCk for a time. He passed away 10 May 1946 and was buried in Basalt.