Diary, 1898 Summary

              SUMMARY OF YEAR 1898 
 
Following the last daily entry, Dec. 31, 1898, there are many pages of miscellaneous information. There are two pages of index wherein he lists mostly dates of leaving home, leaving the ranch, returning home, etc. He even kept track of the Sundays he missed going to sunday school. He went to sunday school 15 times and missed 37. He didn't go at all in April, August and October. He notes that 2 oz. of blue vitoral (vitriol) goes with each bushel of wheat (seed wheat, evidently). One page includes the following: 
Threshed wheat at home Aug. 23rd, 24th & 25th. 
Big Meadows Aug 27th Sept, 1st & 2nd. 
Little Meadows Sept. 4th 5th & 6th 
Sowed wheat at home Feb 28th & Mar 1st. 
Big Meadows March 31st. 
Little Meadows April 7th & 9th. 
Harvested at home, July 4th & 6th. 
And on another page: 
Potatoes planted. Big Meadows May 14th (2 bu. seed) 
Sinks of C. Creek, May 20th & 21st. (Probably means Clear Creek, but doesn't say what he did). 
Dug at Big Meadows Oct. 20 & 21st (15 bu. potatoes). 
 
The index helps to identify the trails he refers to in his daily entries. He talks about driving stock up Shunes Creek then passing other features like Twin Pines, Rock Canyon then finishing up on the Bullock Trail. For the same date in the index he mentions the Horse Trail. There is no question as to what the Bend Trail is, usually called the Big Bend Trail, it is now the East Rim Trail. However, his reference to the Clear Creek Trail is a bit puzzling. On this trail he refers to the C. Creek Sinks and Pine Creek. They go by the Big Peak (Bridge Mountain?). They camp over night and get home late in the afternoon and he has ripped a shoe badly. Did this trail descend into Parunuweap near Stevens Wash or did they come down the notch at the head of Parker wash? Louis and John climbed to the Natural Bridge in 1904, going up that notch. An old trail, part of which is still in evidence, descended the cliff and hill just east of Stevens Wash, coming out of Hepworth Wash which drains the area back of Bridge Mountain. 
 
The words to three songs are written out. One is a crazy song entitled "A Terrible Marriage" as sung by R. M. Rogers. Two others are tear jerkers. His father sang "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and the other "Fallen Leaf" is one I heard him sing many times. An attempt will be made to copy these out on separate pages. This last song is one I remember my father singing as we came home late at night in the wagon from Hurricane or St. George. Other equally sad songs he would sing were "My Darling Nellie Grey" and "Old Dog Tray."