Memories of Early Aberdeen - BY E. L. Davis
Chapter 3

The first Sunday after our arrival showed up bright and clear with plenty of snow on the ground. So, pulling on my rubber boots, I started for town and Sunday School and church, as I subsequently did every Sunday the rest of the time we lived in the little shack: Walking boot deep through sage brush and along the ditch banks (about 4'/z miles I suppose) I arrived on time, and that day met many fine people who were to become friends of ours for life. Quite a few are still living heresome moved away, and some have taken their last journey, but never could there have been a finer company of people, friendly and cordial and generous. I cannot, of course name all, but old timers know and will remember so many of them that I'll name those who come to mind, off hand; the Newcomb family with whom I had my first meal on invitation in Aberdeen, Mr. and Mrs. M.L. Haines and Florence, Mr. and Mrs. C.P. Abercrombie, Mr. and Mrs. Arms, Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Myers and daughters, Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Brown, Mrs. Matilda Johnson and son, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Johnston and family, (Mrs. Pearl Slaugh was the youngest daughter); Mr. Glen Partner, our hustling insurance man now of Pocatello but who comes to Aberdeen often; Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Morgan and family, Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Burns, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hoskins and Esther and Cleona, Mr. and Mrs. George Estes and Monroe, and Mr. and Mrs. E.D. Hines now of Blackfoot, our worthy deputy assessor for many years; also Mr. John B. Foulks, and Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Schreck.
Mr. Burns and Mr. Foulks lived on farms in brick houses, the bricks being made here on the old "Philbrick" farm which now is a part of the ranch owned by Mrs. T.S. Vanderford north of town, where Henry Tiahrt and family now reside. Mr. Burns managed the farm for Mr. F.A. Sweet and lived in the house now owned by Mr. M.P. Nichols northeast of town, and Mr. Foulks owned and managed the one now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hansen just off the townsite south. The two brick houses were likely built in 1908. They are still fine looking houses.

I remember on one of these Sunday morning walks, I did-not see another living thing, not a bird nor a rabbit, horse, cow, nor a dog, and I marvelled at this at the time.

Mrs. Davis, my partner, was to come out here from Chicago in February, 1910, and the writer had to find some place where we could live. People were still looking out for us though, and must have heard, for sure enough there was another shack empty and ready right by our farm. It was a 14 x 14 shack with two lovely windows 18" x 18", perhaps, and a fine flat roof, ceiling must have been at least 8' high. Oh Boy! What luck. I got some nice red building paper, a yard wide-not this common wallpaper only half a yard wide, and papered the whole house. Then I wrote the Mrs. that I had a 14 room house all ready, each room 1 foot square. She wrote back that she was very much pleased, so she still had a sense of humor.

We were in American Falls before time for train arrival, but when she arrived a real comedy of errors stepped in to dampen her spirits. Her train was to have arrived at 2:30 p.m., but due to a change of schedules or a train being late (I never found out which) it came in the morning and no one there to meet her, which was very bad. But on top of that a gentle man stepped up to her saying that he knew Mr. Davis and would take her to Aberdeen. Remember, she had just left Chicago where things just didn't work that way, so she said "No thanks, I'll wait for him" so our good friend, Mr. Henry Hege felt rebuffed and left without her (Mr. Hege was kidding me about it this week). Our two families have since had some good times together. A Mr. Touhy, dray man at the depot, took Mrs. Davis over to his home and Mrs. Touhy took charge. When I got to the Falls I called their house, found she was there and went over after her. But all wasn't over yet. I had forgotten about a little sandy mustache, with my black hair, the first and only one, by the way. Well, it came off quickly, so all was ready for the nice ride in a cutter from American Falls to our mansion. Mr. Mel Strang had taken me down, and we had a lovely, fast ride home. One of our neighbors, Mrs. Louie Tanzer, who, like the old woman in the shoe, had so many children etc., they were there, about six deep and had allour-window space taken. Mr. Tanzer and I made a bargain; he didn't like to cut sage brush, but did like to drive. The writer didn't mind cutting sage but had no horses ergo, the deal.

We had a stove for burning sage, and, as can be imagined, it didn't take long to heat our palace. We didn't get up by the clock, but by the thermometer, when 32 degrees was reached. We were using a very heavy folding bed, which when down took nearly all the room, but when up in the day time, we fared nicely.

The writer is no philosopher, and certainly could be no philanthropist, but I sometimes wondered how and what things would materialize. However, I knew beyond question, that, while not broke, the ends of the horseshoe were certainly getting close. I was fast getting near that "poor but honest class."

Spring finally arrived and there were 80 acres of sage brush to clear. So I started in and cleared 40 acres by hand. Anyone who has tried clearing sage brush would undoubtedly agree with the statement that it was no easy job. Incidentally, about this time we moved into Aberdeen to live at Miss Jones' home.

One day who should come down the canal bank but Herb Lowe, the Watermaster. He came over to where I was working and abruptly asked if I would like to ride ditch. I said "Yes" but why would you offer the job to a stranger. His answer was, "I've been watching you work." One hundred dollars per month. Boy! And then I remembered that I'd have to work on Sunday. Sadly I told him that I couldn't take the job after all. Mr. Lowe informed me that someone had to do it. I agreed, but asked him if plenty of others would not want the job. Herb said, "Yes," and was very reasonable, as usual; so I lost the job.

Many of my readers would not agree with the decision I made and I would not try to persuade them of its correctness, but Mrs. Davis and I always thought that religious work, or Sunday work in churches, if you will, was necessary and, if necessary, then someone had to try to hold it up. Also we always tried to make it a point to endeavor to be in attendance under particularly unfavorable circumstances. If there was a chance that a big crowd would attend, then absence on our part would not be keenly felt. For over forty years now the writer has been teaching or Supt. of Sunday School, or both, much of the time, with chorister added. Between 800 and 1,000 students have gone through his classes- largely ', high school students, or graduates, with some collegians attending at times. From these have come lawyer, doctor, merchant, (but I think no thieves), teacher, professor, preacher, and mechanics of all description. Has it been worthwhile? Personally I would say yes. Even a one-talent man must deliver for that talent as I see it, but again, I am not asking agreement. Of course, as things turned out, I could not have delivered the goods but for one season, on account of the future long engagement at the elevator.

Mr. Charles W. Brown was hired by me to survey for the lateral from headgate down to the house. Upon being asked for an estimate as to cost of the lateral, he figured it up, and upon his figures I hired Monroe Estes to build it. When about half through, in distance, though more than half done in dirt moved, I discovered that work already done would take all my money. I explained this to Monroe and told him he could quit, if he desired, or finish and I would pay him as soon as work showed up. He answered that he never quit a job in his life and wouldn't stop now, even with almost a total stranger. Luckily, he hadn't long to wait.
As you by now may have guessed, we came here with determination but not much cash, and I've often said we were "holding our own", as we still had just that. 

One day I went to Mr. Dallas Fugate, Mgr. of the bank (a prince of a fellow if there ever was one. He also seemed to think of others first) to ask if I might get fifty dollars for a time. Dallas said he had fifty dollars that his kid brother had sent out for him to loan, and I could have it. , That kid brother proved later to be our Asst. Bank Mgr. Glen Fugate. Then in a few days, Col. Fugate came and wanted me to do some team work, which amounted to enough to pay Dallas. So, it was a case of "from Col. Fugate to Dallas Fugate for Glen Fugate" and always reminded me of the three great Chicago Cubs ball players and the slogan heard every day "From Evers to Tinker to Chance". Incidentally, I saw a World Series ballgame in Chicago between the Cubs and Detroit which was at the same time the best game, and the least interesting game, I ever saw. No noise, no usual ball chatter, just too perfect. The game ended in a twelve inning, two to two tie, called on account of darkness. That day I saw those three almost perfect players, Evers, Tinker and Chance make what seemed to be impossible plays, triple plays, which were common for them. And, of course, baseball fans still talk of them though they played 40 years ago.

I was just in the midst of grubbing the 40 acres of sage brush, some of it very large, on a warm day, when on the way home, (I walked to and from the farm every day, but it was only two miles down the R.R. track to home), I noticed that it had thawed quite a bit. When I got down to the Experiment Station corner, I saw that the water was getting high in "Jackson Creek". No bridges, no chance to get across except wading. I walked downstream about half a mile, no better. Seeing that I was trapped, I just jumped into the water up to my waist, then had a mile to go. Mrs. Davis was surprised and worried, but no damage was done.

We moved out to the farm from Miss Jones' house on June 11, 1910, pitched our tent and built what was supposed to be a barn, but never was. We lived in the two "mansions" while I worked on the farm, but moved back to town later, where our boy was born on December 15, 1910.

Went to a few parties during the year 1910. One Sunday we called on Mr. and Mrs. E.D. Hines, who, at that time lived on what everyone called the Pratt place, now owned by Mr. Robert Lee, a mile east of the Experiment Station. Ed had planted a lawn and it was coming up and we were examining it. Someone had made an error. He may have thought he sowed grass seed, but he reaped lettuce. We had many laughs over that mistake.

Two amusing things happened soon after I started Sunday School here. A young lady, who sometimes gets to the drug store was in my class and apparently was interested in everything except what the teacher was saying, so I said, "I don't believe you heard a word of what was said." She answered, "Yes, I did," and repeated almost word for word what had been said. Glenn Partner was laughing about the incident some time ago.

Cale Brown, whom almost everyone knew, was in the class one Sunday and the Supt. was desperate for a teacher, which often happens, as any Supt. in small schools knows. Well, Cale was a very bright young man, and I tried to persuade him that he ought to help out. He didn't say anything, just sat there, and I had hopes. After some silence and more urging, he said, "I am not toing to teach," slow and decisive. So you can see he nearly got a new teacher-if he had said "yes"

This writer has always felt, or at least since manhood, that the word "others" was and is one of the greatest words in the English language-next, perhaps to the word "mother".

In the early part of 1910, another great and good fellow came to Aberdeen with the same thought, and a new drug store for Aberdeen. Mr. J.T. Dvorak was known by, and loved by all, and like the poem he was really "a friend to man." Joe was constantly doing things for young and old-fixing anything from a safety pin to a kodak. Even in certain instances, and in the absence of a dentist, and doctor, pulling a tooth, in extreme cases and giving first aid to accident victims. He was the friend and teacher of the Boy Scouts, from the oldest boy down to the Cub Scouts and always wore a smile. Joe was a man who had very few equals, and I'm sure that Aberdeen deeply appreciated him. If a lady broke her watch, Joe would take out his knife and screw driver, and fix it if it could be fixed. Mostly always, "No Charge", just a friendly act. He had probably helped someone in nearly every family within a radius of several miles of Aberdeen, and very glad to say that a fine son is following in his father's footsteps.

One day, while riding out near the farm, a man, whose name I cannot remember, asked if I had heard of a new concern in American Falls which was selling things so much cheaper than others in that town or Aberdeen" Just think," he said; cabbage is selling for one and one-half to two cents per pound. Fruit, very cheap because it was being shipped in carload lots, and sold from the car direct." The merchants of American Falls didn't like such actions by strangers, and we were told that they asked for help from the city council. But these fellows didn't care nor quit easily, but kept right on selling cheaply and selling much. I went to American Falls about that time and found that things were about as reported.

To make a long story short, "Skaggs" had come to town, and in a short time Skaggs stores No. 1 and No. 2 were located in American Falls, soon to be followed by such stores in nearby cities - later all over the State. Now Skaggs stores are all over the West, but both Skaggs, Safeways and O.P. Skaggs originated right in our own back yard, or front yard, as you wish it, at American Falls, Idaho, and, as everyone knows, are doing hundreds of millions of dollars per year business, from a start of one small building advertised on the front as "Skaggs Store No. 1."