In the autumn of 1915 a family named Stanfield reached Arbon at the end of an overland trip from Dayton, Washington. The Pocatello Tribune gave them a paragraph in its "Arbon News" column of Friday, October 8, 1915, beside a well-engine accident, more newcomers from Washington, an earthquake felt at Malad and a stubble fire that nearly burned out two farms near Knox Canyon. The whole column is printed below.
Overland with the stock
The column called them only "Mr. and Mrs. Stanfield and family." They had arrived a few days before and meant to stay. They had come with teams and wagons, bringing their stock and household goods. On the road several of their horses died of poisoning, and they reached the valley "with only a horse or two extra." The paper did not give their first names, the size of the family, the length of the trip or what poisoned the horses. That autumn the American Falls Press reported that two South Arbon farmers had lost horses: Hugh Van Horn a mare to forage poisoning, and B. D. Lindley a work horse that he thought had died of it.
The Stanfields were part of a steady stream. Since 1909, when, as far as the papers show, a copy of the American Falls Press mailed to Dayton brought the first homesteaders from that Washington wheat town, Dayton families had been settling in the valley, as told in The Washington people's three-day picnic in Bull Canyon, 1916. Earlier in 1915 the Hatley and John Bryant families had made the same kind of journey, leaving Washington on May 28 "overland with their stock and household goods."
There may have been a tie between the two families. A marriage index for Columbia County, Washington, where Dayton is the county seat, records that Elijah Hatley married a J. H. Stanfield in 1878, and the family research gathered for this site gives her name as Hannah J. Stanfield. Nothing read for this post says whether the Stanfields of 1915 were her relatives.
What became of the Stanfields is not clear. In September 1918 an Isaac Huff Stanfield of Pauline registered for the draft; the Press printed his name at order number 477 on the Power County list. In June 1920 an Isaac H. Stanfield received a cash patent to a quarter section north-east of Pauline, beside the homesteads of the Hatleys and their sons-in-law. He may have been the father of the 1915 family, or a son, or no relation; the papers read so far do not say, and no Stanfield household has been found in the valley's 1920 census.
The rest of the column
Parley Bailey, one of the Bailey brothers who homesteaded at Arbon, was cranking the engine that ran his well when the crank broke and struck him in the throat, cutting a deep gash. The injury was thought serious for a while, but by the time the column was written he was "getting along nicely." Later years on the Parley Bailey place, which a Dayton man took over in 1918, are told in From the Bailey place to the auction.
A Mrs. Kennedy and her sons had also come from Washington to settle. The column said she was an aunt of Clifford Gerking of Arbon, whose homestead patent was issued in 1918. She bought the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dell Dalton, who were leaving for Ogden. The American Falls Press reported that Dalton had sold his farm, and later that a farewell dinner had been given for the family at the home of Mrs. Stott.
Wm Roderick, back from Malad, said he had been awakened there on Monday night by the house shaking and the windows rattling, with a second shock soon after. Malad was frightened but not seriously damaged. The column did not say which earthquake it was.
The fire came on "last Saturday," the Saturday before the column was written. Someone started a fire in Knox Canyon on land just west of Frank Jones's place, and a strong wind carried it into his stubble field. It came within a few yards of his buildings, where he had close to 1,500 bushels of grain stacked in sacks. His neighbor Ellis Logan had more than 400 sacks stored in a house in the fire's path. With the help of neighbors they plowed fire guards and fought it until it was under control. Had either man been away from home, the correspondent wrote, "everything would have burned." The land records fit: Frank E. Jones's homestead, patented that February, lay in Section 32 of Township 10 South, Range 33 East, the next section west of Ellis A. Logan's land, and a later Tribune column calls him F. E. Jones. Logan's wife was Mrs. E. A. Logan, whose history of the first settlers is retold in The squatters of 1892, in Mrs. Logan's words.
The column also reported good rains, a help to the dry farmers, and snow on the mountain tops, and a honeymoon couple from Mendon, Utah, looking over their ranch, whom it called Mr. and Mrs. William Hardman. The American Falls Press of the day before named the honeymooners as Floyd Hardman and his bride, and the family research gathered for this site has Floyd Hardman marrying that June, so the Tribune's "William" was probably a slip. The Mendon homesteaders are followed in Mendon in winter, Arbon in summer.
On this site: the threshing and dry-season fires of that year are followed in Two solid townships of wheat, and the settlement in Arbon.
The article as printed
Pocatello Tribune, October 8, 1915, page 5 (image 9 of the issue in the Marshall Public Library archive). Transcribed from the page scan. Periods lost to faint ink at the ends of a few sentences have been supplied.
ARBON NEWS.
William [illegible] of Blackfoot has returned to Arbon to work during threshing.
Mr and Mrs. William Hardman of Mendon, Utah, are spending a part of their honeymoon visit looking over their ranch here.
Mr. and Mrs. Stanfield and family arrived a few days ago from Dayton, Wash. They expect to locate here. The parties made the trip overland by teams and wagons, bringing their stock and household goods, lost several horses by poisoning on the road and arrived here with only a horse or two extra.
Parley Bailey, while cranking his engine which is connected with the well, received an injury which was thought for awhile to be serious. The crank broke and hit him with a strong force on the throat cutting a deep gash. He is getting along nicely at this time.
Mrs. Kennedy and sons arrived a few days ago from Washington, they expect to locate in the valley. Mrs. Kennedy is an aunt of Clifford Gerkings of this place.
Wm Roderick returned from a visit trip to Malad, Tuesday. While at that point Monday night he reported shortly after retiring for the night. He was awakened by the house shaking and windows rattling. A second shock was felt soon afterwards, caused by the earthquake. No serious damage was done, other than frightening the residents of Malad, and turning and shaking things up a little.
Mrs Kennedy has purchased the home of Mr and Mrs. Dell Dalton, where they will reside. Mrs. Dalton and children will leave in a few days for Ogden, Utah, and Mr. Dalton will stay here a few days.
Frank [illegible] Jones, narrowly escaped being burnt out last Saturday as well as his neighbor, Ellis Logan, and maybe several more. Some one started a fire in Knox canyon on the land adjoining Mr. Jones on the west. There was a strong wind which soon carried the fire into Mr. Jones' stubble field, furnishing fuel for the fire like oil. It came within a few yards of Mr Jones' buildings where he had close to 1,500 bushels of grain stacked in sacks. By the help of neighbors and Mr Logan, they plowed fire guards and fought the fire until they had it under control. Mr Logan had over 400 sacks stored in a house close by which was in the path of the fire. If either Jones or Logan had been absent from home, everything would have burned.
We have had several good rains the past few days which is doing considerable good to the dry farmers in this section. The mountain tops are covered with snow.
Ed Davis was in Pocatello Tuesday on business.
Mr and Mrs Gleed are here from Wyoming visiting Mrs Sheriff who is Mrs Gleed's sister.
Sources
- Pocatello Tribune, October 8, 1915, page 5
- Pocatello Tribune, October 30, 1915, page 12
- American Falls Press, June 24, 1915, page 8
- American Falls Press, October 7, 1915, page 1
- American Falls Press, October 14, 1915, page 6
- American Falls Press, October 21, 1915, page 7
- American Falls Press, October 28, 1915, page 7
- American Falls Press, October 18, 1918, page 3
- Western States Marriage Record Index no. 229940, Elijah Hatley and J. H. Stanfield, Columbia County, Washington, November 22, 1878
- Cash patent to Isaac H. Stanfield, June 14, 1920 (IDBL 0030309)
- Homestead patent to Frank E. Jones, February 26, 1915 (IDBL 0007827)
- Homestead patent to Ellis A. Logan, March 13, 1914 (IDBL 0006573)
- Homestead patent to Clifford O. Gerking, September 27, 1918 (IDBL 0016939)