This internet stuff is downright amazing!
Your avatar data now includes mention of you being in Sanpete County. My warped mine had always assumed that was some local restructuring of St. Peter. Turns out I was waaaaaaaay off. From Wikipedia:
Sanpete County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,822. Its county seat is Manti, and its largest city is Ephraim. The county was created in 1850. It was named for the Ute chief Sanpitch, which was changed to Sanpete. According to William Bright, the name comes from the Ute word saimpitsi, meaning "people of the tules".
That, of course, led me to search for the definition of tules, which turns out to be bulrushes common in certain lowlands of the Southwest.
Many years ago I had a buddy who frequently used the phrase, "living in the toolies", which I took to be similar to "living in the boondocks". Maybe he really meant tules. To quote Yakov Smirnoff: What a country!!!!!!!
Sanpete is kind of a backwater in the middle of it all. The Wasatch Front (Utah, Salt Lake and North to Weber Counties) is one of the highest density areas in the US, a real urban area. From my place in north Sanpete I can be in this urban traffic nightmare in about 40 minutes. I lived in the Wasatch Front area for about 15 years, then moved back to my roots 8 years ago. Sanpete's biggest export is people. Most who grow up here leave to be able to make a living. It's a great place to live but the economic opportunity is poor.
Sanpete is kind of a high mountain valley, from about 5500 feet to 10,500 on top of the mountains, Yesterday I was doing a topo at 9700 feet for a 7000 foot long tunnel rehabilitation. The tunnel brings snow melt water from the Colorado basin side into the Great basin. One limiting thing for Sanpete's development is water, there is not enough water. Another limitation is no major four lane highway (freeway) comes into our valley. If we got a freeway into here this place would go nuts, I don't think it's even on the planning drawing board.
My roots here go way back to the beginning, To a man named Abraham Day (a great grandfather) who migrated here from Green Mountain, Vermont with the Mormon Pioneers. He was a woodsman, Great Grandpa Ridgeline so to speak, there are two canyons in the Utah Mountains named Day Canyon after him. Ole Abe came to Sanpete in the 1850's.
You should come and visit some time Hole Digger. I've roamed your territory. I've probably even driven by your house.
Mrs. Cow told me about the latest episode on TV with Bear Grylls. I think he had Ed Helms with him somewhere in the Colorado Rockies. She said they took them in by helicopter to start from a point at 9000 elevation. She spent a lot of time in the Colorado Rockies as a kid so wasn't too impressed with that elevation. You had that beat by far and you were working, not making some silly TV show. My cousin's house is straight north of Pikes Peak a few miles at roughly 9000 feet.
It is very probable that you drove past where my house is located today. It hadn't been built yet, though.
"It is very probable that you drove past where my house is located today. It hadn't been built yet, though."
A couple miles or so East from Chanute. The first weekend I was there I toured out there a bit, across the river. Could have also drove through there during work.
Did you happen to know Jack Crossland? He was my first superviser with SCS. Great guy, I think he lived in a small town North from Chanute. Is there still a Portland cement mill there? Ain't like they are ever going to run out of limestone. Maybe I drove by your old house!
Ash Grove Cement is bigger than ever in Chanute and Monarch Cement in Humboldt is doing quite well also. Other plants in Independence, Fredonia and Iola have disappeared over the years. Cement plants are in a "special category" now so pay practically no taxes courtesy of the idiots running our lovely State these days.
I did not know Jack Crossland but have found a couple of stories from when he was based in Bourbon County prior to your time here.
Move the little blue box around on the right half of the screen to move around the page shown. There is a photo of him in both links.
