I was looking in a file drawer through some folders just to see what was in them and what could be tossed away. I ran across an old clipping from the Jackson Hole News that Paul Scherbel had sent me with a little note that said, "I See That YouÛªre Famous". IÛªd forgotten all about this one event in my surveying career almost 40 years ago.
To add a little more to the story and newspaper clipping. We were staking the lots in the Replat of Snow King Estates, a Subdivision on Snow King Mountain southeast of the Town of Jackson, Wyoming. The original plat of the Subdivision was done several years prior by another firm or surveyor and the property had changed ownership from the original developer to our client. It also had a floating South Boundary that butted up against U. S. Forest Service Lands that the original surveyor did not tie into during the course of his survey and platting. There were several lots at the bottom that had been sold and had been built on based on the original plat. Anyway, the Replat was to fix the South Boundary and redesign some of the lots and to fit into the roadways that had already been constructed on the face of the mountain and holding the location of the lots that had already been sold.
While working in a portion of one of the Northern Boundaries, I looked down the slope and saw what looked like a part, or a corner of a cast iron stove sticking up out of the ground. There wasnÛªt any reason for a stove to be there as there had never been any homestead or inhabitants in that particular area. So, I decided to walk down and investigate a little further to find out what kind of stove it was. When I got a little closer, I could see that it wasnÛªt a stove at all, but that it was the bottom of a safe with about a 10 or 12 inch hole cut in the bottom and the cut portion was peeled back so access to the safeÛªs contents could be gained. Whoever went to the trouble to put it there had dug out a small pit and placed the safe in it and what they didnÛªt bury, they covered with pine needles and some tree limbs. I looked inside and saw some papers, which turned out to be the previous years tax returns for a local business and other items, which I didnÛªt disturb. I thought that IÛªd better go into town and notify the Police Department of what IÛªd found. They in turned called the County Sheriff, as it was his case, so he also came over to get in on the details of the find. The Sheriff told me he had hunted all over the Jackson area, along the Snake River, and also over into Idaho trying to find any clues or the safe itself. He took quite a ribbing from all those law enforcement personnel about his search, with them saying to him, "That In All His Searching, It Was In His Backyard All This Time". The reason for this remark was, and the funny part was, the Sheriff lived in a townhouse on one of the sold lots at the bottom of the Subdivision. Once all the information had been documented at the Police Department I took them up to the area where the safe was and they had a wrecker come up and winch it up to where they could load it up and take it into town.
Charles L. Dowdell, post: 395868, member: 82 wrote: I was looking in a file drawer through some folders just to see what was in them and what could be tossed away. I ran across an old clipping from the Jackson Hole News that Paul Scherbel had sent me with a little note that said, "I See That YouÛªre Famous". IÛªd forgotten all about this one event in my surveying career almost 40 years ago.
To add a little more to the story and newspaper clipping. We were staking the lots in the Replat of Snow King Estates, a Subdivision on Snow King Mountain southeast of the Town of Jackson, Wyoming. The original plat of the Subdivision was done several years prior by another firm or surveyor and the property had changed ownership from the original developer to our client. It also had a floating South Boundary that butted up against U. S. Forest Service Lands that the original surveyor did not tie into during the course of his survey and platting. There were several lots at the bottom that had been sold and had been built on based on the original plat. Anyway, the Replat was to fix the South Boundary and redesign some of the lots and to fit into the roadways that had already been constructed on the face of the mountain and holding the location of the lots that had already been sold.
While working in a portion of one of the Northern Boundaries, I looked down the slope and saw what looked like a part, or a corner of a cast iron stove sticking up out of the ground. There wasnÛªt any reason for a stove to be there as there had never been any homestead or inhabitants in that particular area. So, I decided to walk down and investigate a little further to find out what kind of stove it was. When I got a little closer, I could see that it wasnÛªt a stove at all, but that it was the bottom of a safe with about a 10 or 12 inch hole cut in the bottom and the cut portion was peeled back so access to the safeÛªs contents could be gained. Whoever went to the trouble to put it there had dug out a small pit and placed the safe in it and what they didnÛªt bury, they covered with pine needles and some tree limbs. I looked inside and saw some papers, which turned out to be the previous years tax returns for a local business and other items, which I didnÛªt disturb. I thought that IÛªd better go into town and notify the Police Department of what IÛªd found. They in turned called the County Sheriff, as it was his case, so he also came over to get in on the details of the find. The Sheriff told me he had hunted all over the Jackson area, along the Snake River, and also over into Idaho trying to find any clues or the safe itself. He took quite a ribbing from all those law enforcement personnel about his search, with them saying to him, "That In All His Searching, It Was In His Backyard All This Time". The reason for this remark was, and the funny part was, the Sheriff lived in a townhouse on one of the sold lots at the bottom of the Subdivision. Once all the information had been documented at the Police Department I took them up to the area where the safe was and they had a wrecker come up and winch it up to where they could load it up and take it into town.
For some reason the clipping never posted. Here is another try.
It sounds like the guys from the motorcycle shop left some good tracks to follow.
When working off the beaten path I've always expected to stumble upon some kind of disposed of evidence like this. It's kinda surprising to me that we don't make more finds like this. On the other hand, I can't count the number of times I thought I was the first modern human to venture into an area, only to find beer cans, etc. left by the previous visitors. They obviously found and hauled of the evidence before I arrived.
BajaOR, post: 395875, member: 9139 wrote: It sounds like the guys from the motorcycle shop left some good tracks to follow.
When working off the beaten path I've always expected to stumble upon some kind of disposed of evidence like this. It's kinda surprising to me that we don't make more finds like this. On the other hand, I can't count the number of times I thought I was the first modern human to venture into an area, only to find beer cans, etc. left by the previous visitors. They obviously found and hauled of the evidence before I arrived.
While working over in the Black Hills in the Eastern part of Wyoming in the 1960's, I found an old whiskey bottle in an oak thicket that is really old and looks like it was hand blown glass or else formed in a mold with ring ribs in the lower portion.. It had to probably have been tossed there by an old trapper or mountain man in the 1800's while riding through the area. I've checked some bottle books and never have seen anything that resembles it.
Well.... did they catch the burglars?
Just the one who finally thought he would appear innocent by showing the authorities where his gang left it. (hee hee hee hee hee hee) His fingerprints would be excluded from consideration because he admitted to having handled not only the exterior but some of the materials left inside. (Brilliant, absolutely brilliant)
(All in fun)
JKinAK, post: 395882, member: 7219 wrote: Well.... did they catch the burglars?
It's been too long and I can't recall if they ever caught the robbers or not, or if I even heard whether they did or not. I don't even recall the name of the Teton County Sheriff at that time anymore and I should, as he was in office all the time, 1972-1983, that I had a branch office in Jackson..
In answer to Holy's post, the only thing I handled was the tax return, never touched the exterior shell or any of the other contents. Just the papers to see whose name appeared to get an idea of who the safe belonged to. It was amazing at how good of shape the papers were in, considering that the bottom was facing up and the winters in Jackson, with the mountain side probably getting 4 to 6 feet of snow and also the rains in summer. Over to the west of the property, the Snow King Inn and Snow King Ski run were located.
One year anniversary of Paul's passing is tomorrow, October 22nd. Paul was bigger than life and known by everybody in WY it seems.
SHG
Good 'ol 164
