1Q). When did your parent build the old cabin?

1A). My parents were married in 1918 , but they did live in Idaho that first year and I know they did live in the oldhomestead cabin before the present cabin was built. Dad told me that the cabin didn't have windows in it as theoriginal homesteader was afraid of the lions. My father cut the windows in the old cabin. This old one room logcabin was a little south and east of the present cabin and stood until Dolly purchased the property, during myremembering years. We always stayed in the 2^nd cabin (the one now standing), rooms and porch. I can give aneducated approximation I would say the 2 room cabin was built in the early 20's. I can remember living in cabin in1930.

2Q). Did you ever live at Happy Valley? What do you remember about it? Did they live there all year or justduring the summer?

2A). After the older children started school we only lived at Happy Valley in the summer. Having not started schoolDad took me with him fall and spring before school was out or it had already started. One of my fondest memoriesin the evenings was hearing the morning dove calling. I don't remember any quail. The cow pasture was in the farsouth east corner next to the south side of Bear Ears. The rest was in hay or grain.

3Q). Were there other buildings there besides the old cabin? I've heard that there was a bunkhouse just north of thecabin, but there are no remains of it.

3A). The bunk house was just north of the cabin. My understanding was that the bunk house burned down, it wasmade of sawed logs. The correl, pig pen, and chicken coup was almost straight south from your home. Over on theedge of the aurora was a milk cow shed. Later Dolly built a potato cellar between the correl and the cabin.

4Q). Who did your parents buy the land from, or did they just "homestead" it?

4A). The person that started the ranches name escapes me, but it was my understanding my parents, Junious &Florence Covington, took over the homestead and they had to finish proving up the claim by living on the land, etc. There was a small cow permit that went with the ranch, but was sold later to some of the Hickman's.

5Q). Hal seemed to think that someone lived there before your parent in an old dugout. Do you remember anythingabout that? Where was it?

5A). Hal said there was a dugout, as the old log house was out in the open field. The original homesteaderdid live there some.

6Q). Chokecherry Creek and Singletree Creek both come through the property today. What were the streams like inthe early days? Do you remember about how your parents brought Singletree down to the property?

6A). I'm sure my dad built the ditch from the spring at Singletree. We all helped in the summer to clean and buildup the ditch where it washed out in the winter. I'm sure by now you have been to the head of the ditch. Singletreecrossed the sand flats in the old contour ditch to just above the cabin where it spilled into Chokecherry. There was aburlap refrigerator or cooler there where the water ran over to keep the food cool. I've dreamed many times howwater could be brought from the falls to the ranch without such a great loss of water, such as modern day pipe(which you may already now have).

Each year we use to go up Chokecherry creek and clean all the springs, even to the top above the road. Thisincreased the water considerably. However, Chokecherry was inclined to flood when ever we had a good rain. Ifnot controlled it caused damage in the fields. Dad use to send the water straight down on the left of the main field. Later after Dolly hand the ranch I remember some large washes because this was not controlled. Singletree alwayshad clear f resh water. This ditch had to have been built in the early 20's. The folks or grandfather may have filedon this water. . .

7Q). What crops did they raise at Happy Valley? Wheat? Potatoes? Did they have any fruit trees? Did they run anycattle or other animals there?

7A). The only fruit tree I can remember is a crabapple tree. However, we had a good orchard in Torrey, so fruittrees wouldn't have been needed. We had a garden just south of the cabin. We raised common vegetables, cornwould be questionable, I was to young to remember except eating them. I see by David Covington photographs thespruce tree is still standing. When I was very young we had a good herd of horses, and a small herd of cows. Onetime my dad got mad at the milk cow and pitched up a rock to turn her and killed her on the spot by accident? Iremember one year our horses contracted brain fever (we now vaccinate for brain fever) and many of them died. After that I only recall the work horses, a couple of saddle horses and the cows.

8Q). What was the road like into Happy Valley? How did they bring in supplies

8A). The old road came from Grover, much like it does today except it went up Carcass Creek and over the hillfarther up and still came out at Rock Creek.

At the time I started to be aware of everything, we came from Torrey by wagon or buckboard. Many times we gotcaught in a rain storm. At that time the Jackson Saw Mill set where you turn to Happy Valley. There was two orthree cabins built in the quakes on both sides of the Happy Valley road. I don't recall road going beyond from thereto Boulder. After the CCC Camps the road to Boulder was completed. I would have been 7 to 9 years old at thistime (when the road was built). The lower trail to Boulder came across the ranch and on to Pleasant Creek, theupper crossing then went on to Boulder.

They did come by buckboard and horse back, no wagons.

The road to ranch from Jackson Saw Mill was rough and rocky going down closer to Lions Mountain than it doesnow. The lower trail via Uncle Dan Covingtons ranch in Grover, it cut under Lion Mountain on the east. This wasonly traveled by foot or horse back. I did help bring cattle to the ranch via this route, but the trail washed out oftenand was not traveled by wagon. La Babe my sister should be able to give you some accounts of the early years, sheis 80 years old now.

9Q). Did your parent have a "garden" when they lived at Happy Valley?

9A). Yes

10Q). Did they plant the cottonwood trees?

10A). The cottonwoods were there as long as I can remember. I think they had to plant them as the older cabin wasnot there. There was a spruce tree in the front yard, planted by the folks. I also, remember a large boulder rock inthe yard that was hard for me to climb on it should still be there.

11Q). What wild animals do you remember down at Happy Valley? Bear? Cougars? Deer? Elk? Wild Turkeys?Bobcats? Any others?

11A). Cougars, some bear on the mountain, deer, no elk, bobcats, lynx, and mother told of seeing a wolf at one time. She walked almost up to it before she realized it was not an old poor dog. No turkey's at that time.

12Q). Was there another cabin down near Pleasant Creek? Were there any other neighbor's cabins on the easternside of Boulder Mountain?

12A). No other cabins on the east side of the Boulder Mountain. Although there was remains of an old cabin in thevalley just east of Bears Ears. This could have been a trappers cabin or even a cow camp, when it was open rangecountry (1880 to 1890's).

13Q). What do you remember about the "winters?" Didn't the streams freeze up? How could they manage withwater during the winter? Melt the snow and ice?

13A). The creek froze back in the winter, but always some running water under the ice. One winter they wintered400 sheep at Happy Valley. Some winters we had deep snow, most winters were cold but the lower trail was open.

14Q). When did your parents sell Happy Valley? To whom did they sell it? I have heard that a family by the nameof Dolly owned Happy Valley at one time. Do you know anything about that?

14A). Happy Valley was sold in 1939 to the Dolly, who owned it until it was acquired by Guy Pace. However in the1950's I had control of the ranch for a year or two on a lease bases. I had a farm in Torrey at that time.

Grandad Pectol owned the store in Torrey during this period. The Wayne Umpire (now known as the ChuckWagon). If no livestock was at Happy Valley, my dad tended to the store while grandfather served in the statelegislator.

I was personally well acquainted with the Dolly and their family. The only other person who would know muchabout Happy Valley would be Veda. They only leased it for a couple of years from us, they could have worked forthe Dolly's. Note: Should I make a trip to Utah this summer we would appreciate the opportunity to meet you and cometo the ranch.

I'm still a Rancher and ranched in Torrey and in Boulder during the 50's and 60's, also I have ridden horse backmost of the Boulder Mountain during my life time.

If you would look next to the north door on the cabin you'll see the name Covington branded in the log (It mighthave the date on it). If you tear the old cabin down our family would like that log, if you're going to discard it.

15Q). Finally, if you can give any reminiscences of your experiences there, it would be a big help to me. Just writedown whatever comes to mind.

15A). I hunted deer most of my early years of my life. Dad and Frank Behunin our neighbor in Torrey shot andkilled a buck between Bears Ears, it was so big they couldn't load it on a horse and could hardly drag it down thehill. I remember seeing large herds of deer in the fields and in later years hunting mountain lions in the area.

There is a lower trail form the ranch to Pleasant Creek and Bowns Reservoir, it is a dangerous place. One time mydad lost a pack horse on that trail. I was hunting in the area in the 60's and I could not find the trail. I'm not sureif anyone living would know the location of were the trail existed. Sheepman used the trail a lot. We use to takethis trail and fish lower Pleasant Creek every summer.

Two more stories of Happy Valley....................

Our horses were stolen by horse thieves. My dad went after the thieve or thieve's on foot, taking his rifle. Hetracked them over the Miners Mountain into the slopes heading into the Blue Country, where he caught up with thehorse thief and the horses. Upon discovery who it was and knowing he wasn't of sound mind, dad took the horsesand returned to the ranch.

When Hal Covington my brother was 4 years old (summer of 1934), my dad, Hal, Mun Cannon, his son Dale, andmyself were at the ranch. They were putting in the spring crop or haying. Anyway, Hal strayed off from the ranchand became lost. We all started searching for him. Dale and myself (Dale being 10 or 11 years old, myself 7 yearsold) started following his tracks up Chokecherry until we lost his trail. Dad must have headed for the CCC Camp atthe present Singletree camp ground. The entire CCC Camp joined in the hunt and Hal was found heading up themountain.

He was taken to the CCC Camp, where he was given a shower (not to his liking). It was at the camp we all joinedhim. It was a big scare for all of us. I can still close my eyes and see the small foot prints that Dale and myself triedto follow. Hal was given bananas and oranges, but none was offered to us, at our disappointment. Anyway, anexperience that turned out to be a joyous one, as there were cougars and other wild animals in the area.

This is my recollections of the Happy times about Happy Valley Ranch

Joe T. Covington, Son of Junius