Show Early Pioneer of Hinckley Writes Of Building First Log Home There Therea a r I 1 J J tc H. H t tt t s 's I 1 I 1 iw d I 1 i J p J 1 Ja a 4 RUFUS PA PACK JK Rufus Pack who first came t tb Deseret in 1876 and ped h his mother build the first f log house in 1879 where Hinckley was later settled settled settled set set- visited here recently and some of his reminiscences are here retold Rufus Pack was was born in Iowa in 1865 a son of Rufus and Jane RobInson RobInson Robinson Rob Rob- inson Pack His parents were at Nauvoo and left with the Saints I Ion on their trek to Utah accompanying accompany accompany- ing them as far as Winter accompanY I Quarters The father left the company there and homesteaded in Iowa where his son Rufus was later born The father was killed in an accident accident accident ac ac- ac- ac with a runaway horse when Rufus was 18 months old leaving Mrs Pack with the small boy and three older daughters As she had members of her family settled in Utah she made the trip here when Rufus was 5 years old and pleased with the settlement she returned to Iowa and sold h her r holdings and returned to Utah with her family in 1871 Their first home was made In Woods Cross In 1876 Mrs Pack resolved to come to Deseret where a daughter Manda was living with her husband husband husband hus hus- band Erastus Pack Later in the story tory he was referred to as Rat Rat Pack Park a an l n n his fi lends fiends were unable to pst g gs g ng ug him bun wn Mr Pack said Ever Everyone E one remembers Rat Park Pak RAstus Pack Patk sent them thema a map ca n a ng their road for them and Mi 11 PacK made preparation for the t ti p with Rufus Rufus Ruf Ruf- us us who was S then 11 ears years old and his old older s ster iter Ro Rosetta etta who later married Will Robinson Rufus Pack remembers the trip well They had their wagon and team a cow and a load Joad of or household household household house house- hold goods and supplies Their route took them to Lehi then down the west side of Utah Lake thru Tintic and on to Deseret Deseret Deseret Des Des- eret which then meant the whole area from Abraham south of or Des Des- eret The present town of or Deseret I Iwas was then Deseret Corner I The tri trip trier took them eight days instead of 5 days planned on Rufus Rufus Rufus Ruf Ruf- us did most of or the driving al although although although al- al though as a boy of 11 he admits 1 he was not one of the best And AndI I he still remembers their slow progress progress pro- pro 1 gress gross along the west side of or Utah I I Lake where the road had a lot of or orI I washes making gullies and steep hills I hills One of the horses was balky and refused to pull So the mother j I and two young people unloaded the the wagon lifting out the stove and trunk and two big seamless sacks of flour This lightened the load so that the one willing horse could pull the wagon up despite the other balky horse Then they struggled to reload the wagon But the balky horse had learned quick- quick ley and refused to pull on any steep hill so Mr Pack said six times in all he and his mother and I sister had to unload and reload the wagon Aside from that they had few difficulties although the coyotes seemed to close at night with their howling and they arrived on their last night to camp at Gunnison Bend about a rod from where the monument is now They were just cooking supper when Rastus Pack rode up and they were glad to hear his greeting What are you Continued on page 6 Rufus Pack Pack Early Builder W 7 I Continued from page 1 U Ud d doing here V When lien they robe roHe Into De Deseret serer I there were possibly twenty to twenty five houses there The Packs drove into the yard of Joseph Joseph Jos- Jos eph Damron and his wife and fora forn for a n time camped there in a shelter they made and ate their meals with the Damron family Later they lived at nt Packs Pack's Bottom which will willbe be recognized by newer comers comers comers com com- ers as ns the Grove down by the res- res This was Rufus Packs Pack's first year ear here after which he went back to Woods Cross to school for fora returned to Des- Des a year and then I eret Mrs Pack took up some land In their first year ear on the preemption pre emp preemption tion Jaw law where Hinckley now Is The Tho farm Clum was located s f mile south from the Pratt store ann and is mile mite west although at nt that time th rc was no one there I I The first year Rufus and his mother mother mother mo mo- ther planted grain harvesting I bushels in all aU of or which the oats I and barley made bushels bushels' per acre The wheat grew high but got rust but was still wheat and used Other land was being put under cultivation and Rufus helped helped help help- ed with the work on the first canal can canal can can- anal an- an al that was built to irrigate that new area I I Their first home was made or of II I I adobe out of bricks made by Rufus RuCus Rufus Ruf Ruf- I us and his mother and erected byn bya by byn n a mason from Fillmore and another another an on- other such house was on the other corner of the land for Rastus Pack and wife They were on the southeast southeast southeast south south- east and southwest corners and iso so in 1879 Mrs Pack Pack- and Rufus resolved resolved to build a n new log tog home about the middle of the farm This would be he the first house in what isnow isnow is isnow now Hinckley town and was built by y Rufus Pack then aged 14 and his mother with no other help of others than the placing of three ridge poles at which Rastus helped helped helped help help- ed them The logs were got in Oak Creek Greek Canyon rind and split spilt at the old sawmill sawmill saw sawmill mill in Oak Creek Canyon Rufus and his mother put up the sidewalls side sidewalls sidewalls walls with the split side inside I I I the bark side out After Atter Rastus Pack helped place the three ridge i poles Rufus and his mother put putI on the roof a n good water proof and storm proof job made of willows willows willows wil wil- lows and mud After the roof was finished factory was tacked on Inside inside in inside In- In side for Cor the ceiling A floor was laid a trifle rough but Mr Pack says it Wore Vore smooth Then Rufus and his mother made madea a trip to Black Rock to get chalk which mixed with river sand was used to chink the outside and to the inside walls The whitewash was rubbed off easily on clothing but no matter there was plenty more to be got This home a n room one-room cabin about 18 by 20 f feet fe-et t or so was their home until 1888 Mr Pack was married in D Deseret seret in 1886 to Mary Tolbert by Lee Cropper J. J P. P Their first son Rufus Jr was born there In 1888 Mr Pack sold the farm to Frank Walker who built another room on as his family was large The h. h firm farm Orm is Is now v. nO owned ned by Ott rums Tums ana me isle oia oa house still sun I stands although It t has been relegated relegated relegated rele rele- gated to the chickens Mr Pack drilled the first wellon well wellon wellon on the place which has been capped capped capped cap cap- ped up late in-late years The well drizzled drizzled drizzled driz driz- a quart a minute but Mr Pack dug out the ground around and made a trough there so the well proved ample for the household household household house house- hold and to water 14 head of or stock After Mr Pack and his wife traded traded traded trad trad- ed the place here they moved to Snake Valley later Kamas and Cache Valley Mr Pack says he moved about every ten years ears Six sons were born to them in Snake Valley after Rufus their eldest who died years rears later in Cache Val Val- ley Their eight son was born in Kamas After the eight son three girls were born and later in Cache Valley a girl and two more sons l were born a family of fourteen children Mrs Pack died five years ago and nine of the children are still living Mr Pack also has 25 grandchildren and 7 great grand children He makes his home now In 11 Idaho Falls with a n daughter His memories of his boyhood here are happy ones although there was plenty of hard work which was no great hardship asit as asit asit it was the common lot tot He helped work the farm when young and grew Into entire management He helped with others in the community community community when the dam went out and well remembers when the canal J washed back and the dam was left standing in a dry wash while the river poured through the canal Everyone worked for weeks to repair the damage putting in countless bundles of willows woven woven woven en and weighed with rocks They seemed to disappear from sight but eventually they came in sight an and the new nev dam was wa built I many ana many a u ume time nu ne has nas j helped in catching fish Mr Pack recalls that below the dam the themen themen themen I men could wade about knee deep in water practically solid with I suckers It was possible to pick them out of the murky water easily east easi eastly ly and toss loss them on the bank Parties Par Par- J ties gathered from the whole countryside countryside countryside coun coun- many from Fillmore and Round Valley now Scipio and I points further away The teams i j and wagons would pull up and the themen themen II I Imen men pile out and start catching j suckers They threw them on the the I banks where the women cleaned them and put them down in barrels barrels barrels bar bar- well salted These salted sailed fish rIsh were a main prop and staple of diet through the lean months to come Mr Pack said he recalled recalled- hearing hearIng hearing hear hear- ing Bishop Joseph T. T Black in the church one day telling about his I lunches of bread and salted fish Bishop Black had been working on the dam and said he was reluctant reluctant reluctant ant to bring out his lunch a meagre meah meae meagre mea mea- gre h one e of bread re and the the ever- ever present presen sart eu visa as ne he was a little ashamed of such fare But he noticed that the greater part of his fellow workmen were carrying just that kind of oC lunch maybe some with drippings for their bread Mr Pack has visited here several times tince his first departure and andon andon andon on this trip was returning to Idaho after a visit in San Francisco with one of f his sons He visited herewith here herewith herewith with his nieces and nephews the family of the late Sherman Tolbert Tolbert Tolbert Tol Tol- bert who was a brother of his wife He also visited a number of the timers old-timers in Deseret and Hinckley to talk over the old days das He made madea a trip to his former farm in Hinckley Hinckley Hinck Hinck- ley and had his picture taken in front of the log cabin he had helped helped help help- ed build I |