history lessons

We had a good time on Thanksgiving. I got quite a bit of Mtse history while we visited. Some I had heard parts of at some time or other, but now the pieces fit.

Gpa bought Iron Creek from Bert Avery because he and Bert got along real good. Bert didn't want to leave his land to his kids as they would just fight over it so he sold all 2200 acres to Gpa for $5 per acre. Now I want to get Porters to take us back up in Iron Creek so I can see what I remember about the place. Not sure how far all those acres go. There used to be a couple of springs in the creek, but not sure where they were. One was along the fence line, but not sure just exactly where. There used to be three cabins up there. One was down when we went there as kids, but the chicken coop was still there. We lived in one and Gpa tore the other one down some time later. I remember that, but also remember it being there a long time. There was a garage under the hill a way from the house we lived in. I think all that stuff was torn down after they built this house.

There was a road that went through there and came out at Renner's somewhere. Don't know it its the one they call "Rooster Creek" road or if that's a different one. If its not the same one its close.

This flat area on the top of the hill was called Millenthaler Flat, which I remember hearing. Didn't know that Millenthalers had a house down along the road somewhere between where our house is now and the check station. Gpa sold that house right after he bought this place. He had no use for it so he got rid of it. The guy that bought it moved it to town and its the house that Scott Crosby has now. However it has been built onto a few times. Apparently some logs from a cabin in Grass Creek were used for part of it. I hadn't heard that story before.

People moved houses from place to place a lot years ago. When Marathon moved their people out of Grass Creek a lot of those houses were moved into Meeteetse and are still used. Mary Ann Farmer's was one of them. And Jean Mendenhall had one, but I think it got destroyed in the flood in the 60s. The one she lives in now isn't one of the Grass Creek ones.

The house that Emily lives in is the oldest house in Mtse. and it faces directly north and south. There are only a few houses in Mtse that are directly situated north and south. Most are at an angle.

Labor Day celebration used to be just one day. Lots of celebrating. When they had dances in the hall on the hill people had to walk down town to the bars to get a drink and were sobered up by they time they walked back up the hill. The rodeo grounds were on the other side of the road from where it is now. There were no bleachers, people sat in the back of their pickups or sat on the fences. The contestants were locals, no professionals. The stock came from locals so wasn't contracted out like now.

I'm going to have to start keeping track of all this stuff. Its interesting stuff and not quite the same as what you find in the museum. This is all from people's memories and not documented entirely. That's what make it more interesting. It's accurate information as far as anyone remembers.