Daniel Lee Higley the fifth child of Clark and Malinda Cheney Higley, was born on September 25, 1850, at Wards Grove, Jo Daviess County, Illinois.
Both parents were of Mormon parentage and life was difficult living in Kirkland so they emigrated to a frontier outpost of the great west. Daniel but a baby moved with his family from Jo Daviess County, Illinois, to Glenwood, Mills County, Iowa, in 1852. Here they resided until 1861. At this time the family started their journey to the Great Salt Lake Valley. His father bought a home in Kaysville, but soon afterward purchased a farm in Tooele County.
At camp one evening on the Platte River, some of the young men were wading across the river to obtain wood. Daniel attempted to cross in another area and got in a deep hole. He almost drowned before he was rescued. In fact, they had to work with him a long time before he was resuscitated.
He worked with his father farming, raising cattle, and spent most of his time herding sheep.
Daniel married Nancy Ann Turpin on the 6 April 1871, in Salt Lake City, Utah. They lived in Tooele for eight years. During the time Daniel drove a freight wagon from the west coast to Tooele and East to North Platte, Nebraska. In the late fall of 1879 they with their four children, left to seek a new home in Goose Creek, now known as Oakley, Idaho. Daniel drove their 150 head of cattle. Nancy drove one of the wagons equipped with a bed and a stove. Daniel's other wagon was driven by a hired hand and it contained the families earthly possessions.
On the east side of Snowville, they were met by friendly people who advised them to stop at their ranch and rest the family and cattle. This ranch lies in what was called the bottoms, next to Curlew Creek, where there are many acres of good farming land.
Due to the weather and the children's condition they were obliged to discontinue traveling. They made a dugout home in the north bank of Curlew Creek. Cedar Trees, boughs and dirt were used in the construction. Nancy lined their dugout ceiling walls and floor with carpets. The window and door openings were covered by hanging rugs and pieces of carpets.
Daniel and Nancy had ten children. Etta May, Daniel William, Charles Stacey, Nancy Lorean, Sarah Luella, Violet Leone, Mattie Byers, Rose Ethel, Clifford Lee and Jesse Woodruff.
Daniel and his brother George bought squatter's rights to some land about fifteen miles farther west. Each homestead had several smaller springs. The land was covered with sagebrush and grease wood.
In 1880, they moved onto their newly acquired homesteads. Each into a one room log cabin with a dirt covered roof.
They become quite discouraged as all their three year old cattle had been stolen. However, they become in earnest to clear, plow and fence their land.
During the summer, their sheep were brought from Tooele and in the winter a bad blizzard snow storm covered and smothered sixteen hundred of the sheep, leaving only three hundred alive at Pilot Springs. They erected reservoirs at each farm to hold water for irrigation purposes. They become horse owners by working for John Houtz and John Rich. The range was free in those days and the mountain springs of water, green valleys were ideal for horses and cattle raising. They took mares for their labor thus building up bands of horses.
Daniel purchased an acre of ground in Brigham City and moved his family so that they may obtain their education.
Daniel spent most of his time at the ranch. After he sold his ranch he continued to do some shearing up until two years before his death which was May 18, 1919.