Moulton Idaho
HISTORY OF MOULTON VALLEY, IDAHO Willie Erdix Mounton came to the valley in covered wagons with his wife and their seven children and his brother Otis Moulton. They came from Gooding, Idaho, september 1909. Albert and Otis Moulton filed on homesteads. Laura and Willis took desert claims in 1909. Albert built a big two story house. Otis had a long cabin on his land. The house on Albert's land was the first location for the Moulton, Idaho, Post Office. In some mysterious way the house caught on fire and burned the whole top off. The family fought to save the lower part of the house and the cointents of the office. They passed buckets and pumped water from the well. All the bedding and clothes upstairs were burned. The winter of 1909 was long and lonely. Only a few trappers or someone on the way to the Holtman ranch, which was some miles south, would stop by to visit. One man stopped because he heard the Moulton girls playing their organ. It was very strange to hear music about the tall sagebrush. By 1910 the valley was most all homesteaded. This built up resentment from the big cattle companies, The Miller and Lux cattle companies drove big herds through the land on the way up and over Granite Pass to Nevada. The cattlemen must have thought Mr. Moulton was the leader of this settlement, and he was the one to frighten off. One evening the foreman of the Keogh Ranch drove up very close to the house with his small buggy. He said he was Jack Crisp, and his boss had sent him to say, there was not enough room for the cattle. They would see the settlers all left the land by fair means or foul. As he spoke, he struck the ground very close to Bill Moulton's feet, Bill Mouton never moved. He just stood there smiling at the man. Then he told him, he was a long way from home and he would be welcome to spend the night there. The man looked astonished. Then he said, he guessed there would be room in the valley for all. They could all be good neighbors, and they were from that day on. The year 1910 was a good one. The grain grew six feet tall. But those who had to go to work and leave their families were not so fortunate. Some of the women made dresses from quilt scraps, when they could not buy calico goods. Most of them had a cow. They cooked boiled wheat and ate it with milk. This did not make them bitter as to make them want to leave. The nearest doctor was twenty miles away. However, each pioneer was a doctor in his own way, and helped his less fortunate neighbors. One year Mr. Chris Moeller and Charles Augustine got ptomaine poisoning from eating canned fish. They were ill for weeks. Not one day were they left alone. Every man in the valley took turns staying day and night with them. The only crops raised there were the ones that would ripen quickly, as winter came early. Snow fell before all the grain was threshed. The grain grown was wheat, rye, barley and oats, and some hardy vegetables for the gardens. One year a snow storm came in June and froze the crops, even the hay. Many had to take their stock from the valley and buy feed for the winter. Then came a drought and dried all the grain crops. There was no school for the children and some families sent them to a school in Utah about eight miles away. It was not such a good school and too cold to make the sixteen mile trip in the winter. The children in Utah, belonging to that district, had never seen strangers. They were not sociable. The first school was held at Robert Griffith's log house and the teachers name was Mrs. Mable Ross. Four of the Moulton children and the two children of Mr. Irvin Johnson attended that year (1911-12). In July 1912, a big log school house was built by the men of that district. Each one helped get the logs and Robert Griffith bought the lumber, for the top, from Strevell, Idaho. It was not built with the school district money. The school section, where a school was supposed to be built, was too far from any of the school childrens homes. Robert Griffith gave two acres of ground for the school. He did not deed it to the district, because at the time he had not proved up on his homestead. The first teacher in the new school was a Mr. Freed (1912-13). Mr. Will Pack taught in 1914-15. There were about twenty pupils in grades one to eight. Two graduated from the eighth grade that year. Mr. Pack was a good teacher. The first child, of those settlers, was born May 1910, to a Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kidman. She was named Cassie. The first wedding was January 1, 1911, at the Moulton ranch. Miss Mary Moulton and Robert Griffith were married by the Bishop from Almo, Idaho. A store was built by Mr. and Mrs. fred Hubbard. They came from Albion, Idaho in 1912. Before the building for the store was built, they put up a big tent. The first entertainment provided was a pavillion. It was built for dancing. It was on Mr. Moulton's farm, under some willow trees where wild grass grew. Every family came. They brought snow from the mountains, for making ice cream. Our first celebration there was July 4, 1911. We also celebrated the 24th of July there. Our music was from two phonographs with the same kind of records. Because the snow was too deep to visit the neighbors, they all decided to meet at the school house, every last Saturday of the month; with each family bringing food. The food was placed on long boards put on the desks. Everyone enjoyed this. In the afternoon there was dancing for the little ones (those little ones could dance too). Then at night the dance was for the adults. Many young people came from Almo, twelve miles away and also from Yost, Utah. One winter, to pass the time, we had a literary club. It was called The Emersonian. The young folks had story plays, sang songs and read jokes for all that were there. Almo post office was the nearest place to get mail. Several families got mail from the office at Yost, Utah. It was carried by pony express, A young man by the name of Willie Howe carried the mail to the Holtman ranch, it was about eight miles from the valley settlers. The mail was delivered Mondays and Fridays at the first post office. The mail had to be carried by volunteers for six months to see if there was enough mail to establish a post office. On November 10, 1910, Willis Moulton was appointed post master. The certificate was signed by the Post Master General, Mr. Frank Hitchcock. The gold seal contains a picture of a Pony Express Rider. The first mail carrier was Sam Ross. The next two were Lenord Howell and Monte Kirkpatrick. Mr. Chris Moellar took over the post office in 1914.
Moulton Idaho
HISTORY OF MOULTON VALLEY, IDAHO Willie Erdix Mounton came to the valley in covered wagons with his wife and their seven children and his brother Otis Moulton. They came from Gooding, Idaho, september 1909. Albert and Otis Moulton filed on homesteads. Laura and Willis took desert claims in 1909. Albert built a big two story house. Otis had a long cabin on his land. The house on Albert's land was the first location for the Moulton, Idaho, Post Office. In some mysterious way the house caught on fire and burned the whole top off. The family fought to save the lower part of the house and the cointents of the office. They passed buckets and pumped water from the well. All the bedding and clothes upstairs were burned. The winter of 1909 was long and lonely. Only a few trappers or someone on the way to the Holtman ranch, which was some miles south, would stop by to visit. One man stopped because he heard the Moulton girls playing their organ. It was very strange to hear music about the tall sagebrush. By 1910 the valley was most all homesteaded. This built up resentment from the big cattle companies, The Miller and Lux cattle companies drove big herds through the land on the way up and over Granite Pass to Nevada. The cattlemen must have thought Mr. Moulton was the leader of this settlement, and he was the one to frighten off. One evening the foreman of the Keogh Ranch drove up very close to the house with his small buggy. He said he was Jack Crisp, and his boss had sent him to say, there was not enough room for the cattle. They would see the settlers all left the land by fair means or foul. As he spoke, he struck the ground very close to Bill Moulton's feet, Bill Mouton never moved. He just stood there smiling at the man. Then he told him, he was a long way from home and he would be welcome to spend the night there. The man looked astonished. Then he said, he guessed there would be room in the valley for all. They could all be good neighbors, and they were from that day on. The year 1910 was a good one. The grain grew six feet tall. But those who had to go to work and leave their families were not so fortunate. Some of the women made dresses from quilt scraps, when they could not buy calico goods. Most of them had a cow. They cooked boiled wheat and ate it with milk. This did not make them bitter as to make them want to leave. The nearest doctor was twenty miles away. However, each pioneer was a doctor in his own way, and helped his less fortunate neighbors. One year Mr. Chris Moeller and Charles Augustine got ptomaine poisoning from eating canned fish. They were ill for weeks. Not one day were they left alone. Every man in the valley took turns staying day and night with them. The only crops raised there were the ones that would ripen quickly, as winter came early. Snow fell before all the grain was threshed. The grain grown was wheat, rye, barley and oats, and some hardy vegetables for the gardens. One year a snow storm came in June and froze the crops, even the hay. Many had to take their stock from the valley and buy feed for the winter. Then came a drought and dried all the grain crops. There was no school for the children and some families sent them to a school in Utah about eight miles away. It was not such a good school and too cold to make the sixteen mile trip in the winter. The children in Utah, belonging to that district, had never seen strangers. They were not sociable. The first school was held at Robert Griffith's log house and the teachers name was Mrs. Mable Ross. Four of the Moulton children and the two children of Mr. Irvin Johnson attended that year (1911-12). In July 1912, a big log school house was built by the men of that district. Each one helped get the logs and Robert Griffith bought the lumber, for the top, from Strevell, Idaho. It was not built with the school district money. The school section, where a school was supposed to be built, was too far from any of the school childrens homes. Robert Griffith gave two acres of ground for the school. He did not deed it to the district, because at the time he had not proved up on his homestead. The first teacher in the new school was a Mr. Freed (1912-13). Mr. Will Pack taught in 1914-15. There were about twenty pupils in grades one to eight. Two graduated from the eighth grade that year. Mr. Pack was a good teacher. The first child, of those settlers, was born May 1910, to a Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kidman. She was named Cassie. The first wedding was January 1, 1911, at the Moulton ranch. Miss Mary Moulton and Robert Griffith were married by the Bishop from Almo, Idaho. A store was built by Mr. and Mrs. fred Hubbard. They came from Albion, Idaho in 1912. Before the building for the store was built, they put up a big tent. The first entertainment provided was a pavillion. It was built for dancing. It was on Mr. Moulton's farm, under some willow trees where wild grass grew. Every family came. They brought snow from the mountains, for making ice cream. Our first celebration there was July 4, 1911. We also celebrated the 24th of July there. Our music was from two phonographs with the same kind of records. Because the snow was too deep to visit the neighbors, they all decided to meet at the school house, every last Saturday of the month; with each family bringing food. The food was placed on long boards put on the desks. Everyone enjoyed this. In the afternoon there was dancing for the little ones (those little ones could dance too). Then at night the dance was for the adults. Many young people came from Almo, twelve miles away and also from Yost, Utah. One winter, to pass the time, we had a literary club. It was called The Emersonian. The young folks had story plays, sang songs and read jokes for all that were there. Almo post office was the nearest place to get mail. Several families got mail from the office at Yost, Utah. It was carried by pony express, A young man by the name of Willie Howe carried the mail to the Holtman ranch, it was about eight miles from the valley settlers. The mail was delivered Mondays and Fridays at the first post office. The mail had to be carried by volunteers for six months to see if there was enough mail to establish a post office. On November 10, 1910, Willis Moulton was appointed post master. The certificate was signed by the Post Master General, Mr. Frank Hitchcock. The gold seal contains a picture of a Pony Express Rider. The first mail carrier was Sam Ross. The next two were Lenord Howell and Monte Kirkpatrick. Mr. Chris Moellar took over the post office in 1914.