Bad Day at Block Rock - errrr - Make it Bad Year.

[Luke'sScreenName]

Let's hear the sawmill story!

 

[RedNeckGeek]

You're a good story teller, Jim. Love to hear about peace and quiet, too.:thumbsup:

 

[crash325]

Before starting the story. Dove mother is still sitting her eggs about 7 / 8 feet from where i sit, cook & eat. Once the nest was built she & her mate took turns sitting the eggs for about 3 days. Then he went off to find a new lady. Every day I expect her to have baby's. Don't know how much longer it will take.

If my story sounds a little vague in places, it was over 60 years ago when I was 12 or 13.
We, dad, mom & sister were camped at an abandoned saw mill about 90 miles north of Clifton AZ. North of the southern hot dry area. But not all the way to the cooler & wetter north region.

The old sawmill was off the main dirt highway, about4 /5 miles down a 2 rut road. Most or a lot of the old sawmill was still there & in place. 6 Foot saw blade & slopped rollers to feed it & others to catch the lumber. I had some fun ridding a board down the rollers. I think the steam engine & boiler were gone & most of the smaller tools.

Mom, dad & sister were there & for a little while a dude from Texas. We had about a dozen hounds & Bucky the camp dog. Mother Bobby could pass for a twin of Bucky's.

The cook shack still had a wood stove & furniture in it. there were 2 (3) small cabins fairly close & several larger shacks about 100 feet away. The larger shacks were where the hounds were tied. No running water, had to go up the canyon about a 1/2 mile or so, the dip water into some barrels. Think at 1 time the sawmill piped water down there, but the pipe was gone.

As it got close to time for school to start in Tombstone, dad too mom & sister to town. Someone had to stay to feed & water the hounds & that was me. It would take dad about 4 or 5 days to go & return. Think we had some kind of a radio there, as I seem to remember listening to XELO Clint Texas at night. Other than a little breeze through the trees & a hound barking now & then it was near silent.

I was playing up near the SM when Bucky chased a chipmunk up an old water pipe. Tipping the pipe up & thumping on it the chipper slid out the end where I had Bucky waiting. Bucky picked him up & brought it to me, unharmed. Kept him in my shirt pocket & fed him canned peaches & juice. He got away once & Bucky jumped up the pine tree he was climbing & gave him back. Sadly, my shirt was on the back of a chair, when dad got back & squished the little guy.

In those days, at least in our family things like that were fairly normal. I didn't think much about it, just the way things had to be done.

Today, I really appreciate experiences like that. The total pease & quite. Plus to observe nature.

There were other similar experiences as well.

Want to hear the P- Lake story????

Jim

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Thanks for that, Jim.

Can you imagine the headlines these days if a forest ranger had stumbled across you?

"Child found abandoned in wilderness. Father charged with neglect"

Yet all these years later you count it as one of your most special memories.

I'm all ears if you wanna spin another yarn :laughing:

 

[Sysop]

Thanks for that, Jim.

I'm all ears if you wanna spin another yarn :laughing:

Indeed

 

[farmer2009]

We're listening if you want to tell another. You're a gifted storyteller.

 

[crash325]

We're listening if you want to tell another. You're a gifted storyteller*.

*I would not say that.

Not much new to talk about. Things have been pretty quiet around here. Dove mother still does not have any babies.
Riley is a pretty good house dog. A little exploring, maybe hop on the bed & snuggle for a minuet, then goes and lays down.

P Bar Lake story.
P b L is just across the hill from Hannigian Meadows, about a mile or a little more. PBL is a little more than a puddle, even after a heavy rain.

While I was there there was a big sheep herders tent for dad, his wife Catherin my little sister & Rose Catherin's daughter.. A small 1 that dog Bucky & I stayed in.

I was about 13 at the time I didn't get the most plum jobs. Out ridding fence 1 day & there was 1 he!! of a storm about 10 miles away. Not a bit worried I started to work on the fence. That is until a good jolt of electric came down it. Storm coming my way, down a very steep canyon & up the other side. Storm hit before me & Judy mule made it. Had to fight her to get her under a big old pine tree. Hail hitting her ears & all she wanted to do was put her head down & shake it.

After getting her under the tree, I got into an old truck that was parked there. Storm was fast moving & soon passed by. It left a few inches of hail in clear areas. Time to move on, Judy mule & I started down the 2 rut road, Water running down those ruts sounded ( to Judy Mule ) like a rattle snake. If you know anything about a mule & rattle snakes, you know they get very unhappy. Her & I had a short rodeo. Enough fun for 1 day, lets go back to camp.

A few days later, on past the old truck I sat the storm out in, is Lost Lake. Well it's bigger than PBL but not much. I had the fun job of cutting some poles to repair the coral with. Measured 1 at 3 or 4 axe handles & started cutting. OPPS measured the wrong pole & cut a big bunch all too short. In trouble again.

Catherin had purchased a fairly new GMC pickup, only a 3 speed. Steep hill leaving the lake & that truck just would not pull that hill. After a couple of tries you could smell the clutch. By then it is dark, as in pitch black. Dad wife & girls started walking & I started running, get back to camp, get old 41 Chevy, come back with it & pick them up. Lost the road a time or 2, had to light matches to find it. I cut across the Seneca & over a hill, knew th hounds would hear me coming & set up a fuss.

Chances are we would have gone to the lake in the old Chevy except it had a broken front spring. ( Next day used it to pull the GMC up the hill.) The road was a lot longer than straight across, but I did get there soon enough to pick up the family.

Soon after that Dad left to take the family down to Blue River, leaving me & Bucky to take care of the hounds. Another big storm hit, Bucky & I were Sitting in the tent watching the rain. Lighting hit a big old pine tree real near the hounds & a 100 feet or so from us. That tree exploded & showered big hunks of wood all over the place. Some almost reached the tent.

While there I was to drag some cut logs into camp to build a cabin with. Drug in a pretty good pile, when a couple of guys showed up th cut poles for a fence in Phoenix. Rode up to watch, the first time I ever saw a "Chain Saw" That day I was riding "Susy Q Mule" & drug a few poles for them. 1 Of them said that looked like fun, could hie drag a few. Being kind by nature let him give it a go. Ole Susy Q had a bad habit of throwing dudes off. he started to drag a few poles & they had a rodeo. Only time he wanted to drag poles.

Needless to say I didn't get all the logs drug for the cabin. ( It's now a historical building that had to be moved down on to Blue River, because the Forrest service & BLM destroyed everything man made.) IN trouble one more time. Dad & Sister Judy built the cabin.

More Later If You Like,
Jim

 

[dragoneggs]

Keep 'er going! Enjoying trying to visualize!

 

[crash325]

Keep 'er going! Enjoying trying to visualize!

Mother dove now has babies, saw her feeding them a little while ago.

A few days or week around here. Low on $$$, gas. Ran out of beer, wine (sangria ) & the little milk left for coffee soured.

All better now, plenty of everything. Put new pads in swamp box & its working pretty good.


To help visualize the places I talk about. Google up maps or map quest, get full screen versions. Start at Clifton AZ & go north. In the old days the road went stright up the canyon. After the switch backs you would top out & there was a road maintenance station there. To the right , east about 10 miles, south of the road was the WJ home stead, ranch. It was part of the Slaughter ranch on Turkey Creek after the road turned north. Keep going on that road & it tuners east again. In a mile or 3 there is a road going north to the Freddy Fritz ranch. Keep going east & the road crosses Lower Blue River. & goes on to the Stacy ranch. End of the road.

Get back on the main road & just before you get to Rose Peak is where the road turned west the old saw mill. Maybe about 5 miles???

Go on north & you will come to KP Seneca on the right.

Very soon after that is Hannigan meadows. P Bar Lake is almost due east & a tiny bit north. Lost lake the same going west.

Going on north a few miles is where "Beaver Head Lodge & Cabins" use to be. Instead of making it an historical place, BLM & or the Forrest service destroyed it. To the right, east it Red Hill road down to Blue River. Think this may have been the first time I ever drove a tractor. Ancient old thing, Make???, did have rubber tires. $ gears forward. Brakes were external bands & the pedal laid across the floor boards. There had been a raised place for the pedal to break over & apply brakes. Well they were worn away. I put a couple of sticks under the pedals & had some brakes.

More Later,
Jim

 

[Ken]

Jim now that you have a larger group reading your tales of the old west living. How about stepping back to your Father and Uncles working for/with Teddy Roosevelt in his travels in the area.
Then tales of the Mt. Lion hunting.

I had a Uncle and his family that lived in tents while prospecting around the Burro mountains and Tomb stone locating copper deposits for Philip Dodge Corp.

His son became Supt. of the Ajo copper pit and Smelter

Life was miserable before the Swamp Cooler was invented.

How is your health been a couple of years since the surgery's.
ken