Memories of Early Aberdeen - BY E. L. Davis
Chapter 7

The winter of 1910-1911 was rather cold, with quite a bit of snow in early 1911. After the thaws began, it became evident that we were in for a quick break, and in a very short time it was apparent, also, that the culverts under the canals could not carry the water off quickly enough to keep the country to the west and north from flooding The culverts were only 24-inch and could not begin to carry off the backed up water.

I was one who had been called to help. A crew was set to work to try to cut the banks of the canals with picks. The frost was so deep, and the banks frozen so hard, that it was very discouraging labor. A fellow would strike as hard as he could and maybe get a piece as large as a marble, and, likely as not, would get that in the eye. So word was sent to Watermaster Lowe at Blackfoot that we needed dynamite and for him to come and show us how to use it, as none of our crew claimed to know anything about blasting. The waters were rising daily and reached the Livingstone farm and up to their granary. We could see nothing but water for miles away, and looking west from the High Line Canal, by Pete Isaak's farm, one could see water, water, everywhere.

Mr. Lowe arrived and.the canal banks were blasted, both sides, so the water could reach the natural drains to Jackson Creek, and the Snake River finally. So, in a short time, the sage brush could be seen again to the south. I remember, we were passing the old Tiahrt place, just south of Otto Hege's place, now owned by Otto Schritter, and the Tiahrt boys were rowing out from their house to higher ground. We were told that they were rowing right over the three wires on their fence, but I didn't see that.

That same day we went to the Nash Spillway, where there was no bridge, as explained in early chapters. But we had to get through, so we stood up on the seat of the white top and did not get too wet.

The high bank on the west side of the canal at the Baumgartner Fill (just west of Isaak's) began to weaken, and men and teams with fresnos and slips were sent to strengthen it, with Mr. Henry Gilbert as foreman; but it collapsed and had to be done all over again. We also built a wooden bottom or flume to the canal at the Livingstone Fill, on the farm owned then by Mrs. Lowe, later the D.J. Becker place; and still later, 5 ft. by 6 ft. wooden culverts were built under the Baumgartner Fill, and No. 28 Fill,(near the F.J. Klempel place).

Mr. P.F. Funk and myself were among the carpenters working at the No. 28 Fill. We were supposed to be good carpenters, at the high wage of 40¢ per hour. (As I remember). We've been wondering if we could get retroactive pay, at the present carpenter's rateof about $2.00 per hour from back to 1911, but that is just a thought, and not a very good one.
Those 1911 floods were the worst we have ever had here since 1909, when we came here, and with the present capacity of the big culverts, probably we will never be bothered again, at least not on account of drainage.
Speaking of the Livingstones, they were one of the earliest families to locate here. A big family, and the father, Mr. J.M. Livingstone was quite a character; he was, perhaps, the staunchest Democrat we ever had, and would challenge a vote at the drop of a hat. We had lots of fun with him, as he nearly always served on the election board. He was a jolly good fellow, unless one forgot and used the word Republican, and then it was time to hunt for cover. Seriously, the Livingstone family added a great deal to the Aberdeen territory, and both Mr. and Mrs. Livingstone lived to ripe old age. Several of the children live here now and are fine citizens.

Some of us will never forget the 1911 waters.

The early annual meetings of the Aberdeen-Springfield Canal Co., at which elections took place were something to remember. To say the least, they were not quiet affairs. Business meetings came first, and, sometimes, it seemed, there would be no election that day, but there always was. Of course, there were many things to consider, and always some complaints, which was natural, as the settlers had not taken over the system.

The old timers will remember such gentlemen as A.Y. Satterfield, the Shellman Bros., John R. Foulks, C.W. Brown, a Mr. W.H. Scott from Pingree, and others. At the first meeting the writer attended, he was named a teller, and after that was elected at several annual meetings in succession. There was much counting to be done, and, if done at a fast pace, it was a long job. At one of the annual meetings later, Mr. Blossom showed up with a funny contraption called an adding machine, and from then on, by using both kinds of machines (human and mechanical), progress was much faster.

One annual meeting day Mrs. Davis had driven to town, and the horses acted up, till she needed help. She was up town by the tent, and asked some fellow to get Mr. Davis quickly. That gentleman rushed to the school and asked if Mr. Davis was there. Mr. D.W. Davis was standing there, and said "yes". So they rushed up town together and fixed things up OK, and I being in the counting room, did not know until later that my wife could command a future Governor of the State of Idaho, to come to her aid. The Governor and I did not forget that later. Mr. Davis was a director on the Canal Board for some years and owned the farm adjoining mine on the east-the farm now owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Ben Johnson.
The voting at the elections was done by counting shares, one vote for each share. Generally speaking, the directors pretty well represented all sections of the system were served by the canal and laterals-about 90 miles long, and serving some 57,000 acres as announced at the early meetings.

I suppose it is not exaggerating to say, that our canal system is one of the best, and most economically maintained in the State of Idaho. About 1912, 1 think, the rabbit menace became so terrible, that something had to be done, and quickly. The Commercial Club and other organizations, seeing the danger, got together, in several meetings, to work out an elaborate plan for checking these j acks. They were coming in from the desert onto the irrigated farms, by the thousands, and destroying everything in sight. Indeed, some of the crops were destroyed before they were up out of the ground. They were coming in such increasing numbers that several acres of grain or alfalfa, or, in fact, any growing crop disappeared in one night.

The writer had a small stack of hay saved for spring feeding, about two tons, he estimated, when one day a neighbor, Mr. Harve Phillips, came in the office and said it was about gone. I went out to see, and found, maybe half a ton of hav and many rabbits-about enough hay for one more night for them. Mr. Phillips suggested that he take it home, and return an equal amount of hay later, and it was so arranged. From all corners came reports as bad, or worse. As a matter of fact, one would need to see the effects of the damage done by these hordes, to believe. Our eastern friends who have written so much about cruelty to animals going on in Idaho, and criticizing us so severely, are, of course, doing it in ignorance of the real situation, and must, I suppose, be excused on that ground.

The point had been reached where either the rabbits must be destroyed or no crops, which would, eventually, lead to no farmers left here. It was decided to have rabbit drives, and many of them, so different committees got busy. One committee to secure funds to procure wire for the corral; another to notify the people where and when to meet. The work was divided so that quick action could be had, and soon things were working smoothly.

A typical drive would go something like this: a place for the drive would be chosen, and a large crowd would meet. The place for the drive would be announced. One bunch would start for a designated place; another in a different direction. There were always plenty of horsemen in those days and suggestions could be quickly passed around. The crowd would probably start out some two to four miles from the chosen corner-the ends of the two lines, maybe two miles apart at the start, with horsemen and footmen in between-soon, guided by the horsemen, usually, with two or three leaders.

Everyone would start for the corral, closing the ranks gradually until there would be a solid line before arriving at the pens. The netting wire would have been put up on the two short sides of the triangle, and the hypotenuse or diagonal wire laid flat on the ground. By this time, probably thousands of milling rabbits would be getting closer and closer to the trap. After the pests had been driven into the corner, each man would pick up his share of the wire from the ground, forming a corral of from one to several acres. Then the clubbing would begin, with men all around the pen, and the rabbits, naturally, coming to some part of the fence to try for escape. In a short time, the job was finished and rabbits counted as nearly as possible. Of course, many rabbits would get out of the pen, but usually there were plenty of "sharpshooters" (men with clubs) to get them-I've seen two clubs hit the same rabbit from different positions. It was not unusual to have a crowd of 300 or 400, and many horses.
Indians were invited over from the reservation, and they came in large numbers, but they had to be left out because some of them would carry guns. They would stay back and shoot at rabbits that had broken through the line-but that was dangerous, so they were kept away by the simple device of not notifying them, or the office at Fort Hall, of the date set.
The biggest drive, I am sure, that we ever had in one day was estimated, as closely as possible, at between fifteen and twenty thousand rabbits, and two coyotes. Two drives were held the same day-one in the morning at the Homestead Mennonite church corner, at the edge of the irrigated lands on one side, and the dry farms on the other. There the estimate was eight to ten thousand, and the two coyotes.

The wire was then moved to the sagebrush just north of the Harvey Phillips home, and the drive estimated at about the same as in the morning. The number of rabbits at these two places was so great as to be unbelievable.

My brother-in-law, and ex-partner, came out from Chicago and we went hunting. As I remember, he had two boxes of 12 gauge shells. We went out north of the Phillips place, 300 yards. He never killed so many in all his life before, and we were out, perhaps, two hours.

These drives continued for weeks that year, usually two drives per week, and only one for any one day. Of course, some got tired and quit, but the crowd kept up very well.

Mr. Herb Lowe had charge of the wire, and the fellows who wanted the drive in their neighborhood, would take care of having the corral made. Every corner of our territory was driven, of course, and some more than once.

At one of the drives a certain lady, who most people around here know, and who had several children (she doesn't live here now), was doing her share of killing, would apologize to Mr. Rabbit and then strike, saying, "It's either your children or mine," repeating it at every blow. She was in earnest, of course, but it sounded comical. Many women attended these drives, but nearly all stayed at the pens, in sleds, so as to give the men a ride home.

When the strenuous season was over, we were pretty well rid of rabbits, what with those killed at the drives, and those poisoned and shot around the hay stacks. An estimate of one hundred thousand rabbits destroyed, is, it seems to me, a conservative one. And, as these animals are very prolific breeders, you may make the guess as to how many were disposed of that year, and also what about the next year if the drives had not been held at about the right time?

There have been many other drives since, but none so large a scale; too, the County Agent and Experiment Station have been helpful with the best means of poisoning, and with other suggestions for holding down our losses due to pests of all kinds.

None can truthfully say that the average Aberdeen man or woman has shirked a duty, when it was necessary that it be performed. Even the train crew often helped with these drives when near the railroad, but to the disgust of passengers who were in a hurry to get to Blackfoot. I speak as one who knows.