RULON H. RASMUSSEN
Well here goes nothing. That's about the way I feel. As I think back I am reminded of the many times I have thought, "Just what is there important enough in my life to write about? As I attempt to do so now, I sincerely hope that I might give some data and experiences that might be of some interest or benefit sometime in the future of someone.
I am the fourth child of a family of twelve children. I was born in Lyman, Wyoming, the 10th of January 1902. I stutter not, and have always felt that I was born of goodly parents who did their best in trying to raise their family. I am proud of my heritage. Not only my parents but their progenitors were many fine and great people who accepted the restored gospel and lived a good life in the work of the Lord, which is important to me.
My father homesteaded at Lyman. It was a hard pioneer life, and after being hailed out, their crops destroyed, moved to the Provo Bench, Utah, in the fall of 1905. I would have been under four years old. I have a vague recollection of running to the house when I was caught in a hailstorm, of getting head first into a fresh dug post hole (was frightening), sitting in an ant bed with ants—also sitting in ashes, falling and skinning my nose repeatedly and going to Grandmas. I think these impressions belong to my life experience at Lyman.
It seems that due to the hardships of a new country life which my parents were forced to endure at Lyman, that mother was not very well satisfied. So when in the fall of 1904 a severe hailstorm came and destroyed our crops just as they were ready to harvest, it being the first good crop that we raised on the place in several years struggle, my father gave way to discouragement and sold the place at great sacrifice and moved to Provo, Utah.
I clearly remember our stay with Uncle Otis and Aunt Mary Terry at Provo Bench (Orem). Their love and kindness and goodness impressed me deeply even at that early age, which has stayed with me all my life. I can still visualize their nice home, the barn and pile of apples, etc. Uncle Otis was a bishop. Aunt Mary is Dad's only sister. She was the third wife of Otis Terry. His first wife was Sarah Lavina Howell, my Mother's half sister.
My father purchased 19 acres on the Provo Bench which is now the Center Street of Orem. He built a house there which was still standing the last I knew (1969) I was sent to school for the first time while we lived here. It was a short lived experience, my having an unusual experience that morning at school. The usual heating method in those days was a pot-bellied wood and coal stove in each room with a stove jack, stove poker, etc. As I approached the stove, a boy whose name I don't remember, stuck the stove poker in front of me, asking me to take hold of it and see how rough it was. He had just taken it out of the fire, red-hot, but the red did not show when he handed it to me. Kid-like, innocently not aware, I clamped right onto it, getting a real severe burn. This was the end of my school for that year.
A few kid things stick to my memory of my life while living at the Provo Bench, carp fishing in the Provo River (by snagging), one of our horses getting on its back in a ditch (dying), getting kicked by an old gentle horse (Jumbo), which was my fault, he did not see me. I ran up behind him and grabbed him by the tail. He no doubt thought I was a dog and let me have it. We kids tagged him many times by holding his tail. This was a lesson for me not to surprise him.
Many were the trips to Provo in a buggy. This dug way going off the Bench always held some worry for me. It seemed so steep to me then.
The most impressive thing that happened at the home on the Provo Bench was when Mother was sick with Pneumonia. I am sure that she must have had a close call at that time. We kids sensed that she was very sick and of course were frightened that she might die. I remember well how all the windows were opened while they were fighting the fever. Then all of the sudden they were closed and they were doing everything to keep her warm. A tense moment it was, I am sure, for every one of the family. We thank God for the outcome that her life was spare and that she had many years yet to live and rear her large family.
Grandpa Howell (Elias Willis) died the 27th of May 1909. I'm quite sure that Dad went horse back to Grandpa's funeral and was away when Leland arrived. Dad worked in the power house boiler room for one of the coal mines while at Winter quarters, "Grandpa wanted to be an engineer but Grandma objected to it.
We next moved to Nephi, Utah. The main part of our residing at Nephi must have been in the year 1910. Again I remember a few of the kid impressions while we lived there. My mother's oldest brother, Willis and his wife, Emma, lived at Nephi, so there was many a happy get-together with their family. They were such jolly good people and so much fun came of our visits! Their farm was just west of the city and I am sure they were leading and prosperous farmers. A large upright silo, beautiful milk cows and other farm animals, butter churning and preparing for sale, etc., were some of the fascinating things to me. Here again I went to school, no more incidents, but I remember, I didn't really like it.
My Dad got himself into the Raleigh Business at Nephi. Since it was a traveling business, he purchased a small gray team, Snip and Ted. Anyway, the grass must have looked greener in Sanpete County, for we were on the move again, headed for Manti, Utah. My job was driving Snip and Ted on a heavily loaded light wagon, or possibly a two horse buggy.
Well we settled in quite a nice brick home in the western part of the city of Manti. I cannot give a date of this move at this time. I was somewhere around eight years old for I was baptized 19th of July 1910. We probably moved the spring of 1910.
There is something strikes me now as I think of life before the age of eight. Some sorrows, but mostly happiness and I can't think of ever doing anything that hurts my conscience.
Now it seems a new day in life's experience was dawning. I was to be baptized. This was important. After baptism, if I sin I will have to answer for that sin. I am sure many things were told me at this time that I don't remember, but I do remember that my mind was made up. I was never going to do anything wrong! (ha ha). Certainly the Lord did more than his part to get me off to a good start. I had the special and unusual privilege of being baptized and confirmed at the baptismal font of the Manti Temple.
This important phase of my life experience was not realized then as it is recognized now. I am sure I had no conception of the true nature of God at that time. I must have been like the people of the world, believing in God that is not a God or just an imaginary thing that I could not take hold of or conceive of.
My good intention about doing no wrong was soon broken. In the company of a boy I went to school with and his helpful ideas, we had quite a streak of mischievousness. This friendship came to a sudden halt for reasons I don't recall. I was glad to be through with him. My conscience hurt me terribly over the mischief we had been into.
Life in Manti really was a fun period of my life. I had several good neighborhood friends and we were constantly getting together to play running games. Marbles and spinning tops were very popular. Many were the evenings we would get together to make and stretch honey candy. Hiking and swimming and fishing were part of the fun. Scouting also was interesting and fun. School was alright. I seemed to get along fairly well at school. I had one fight and bloodied the other kid's nose first thing and that ended my fighting career. Primary for some reason did not interest me and I didn't go if I could get out of it. I don't think I went to Sunday school much either, but I did go some. It seems that I was on the wrong foot too much of the time. Cow herding was my job a lot of the time in the summer.
Dad was still in the Raleigh business, but then he made another venture – automobiles. We'd never seen one and were dying with curiosity. Dad thought he could make a business of hauling people. He bought a new Buick which was the third car to come into Sanpete County it was said. I got the impression that this investment wasn't a good one, and left him in a financial bind of some kind, which probably had some bearing on another move.
I got a kick out of raising rabbits and pigeons while at Manti. I had the lot loaded with them. I suppose I was a problem to my Dad, a bunch of rabbits and a barn full of pigeons. One night all of the pigeons disappeared, a mystery to this day! (Of course I could guess a little).
I knew marbles and kept track of the number I had. It got to be between five and six hundred. If one of them was gone, I mourned the loss. Seems I was a bit possessive.
Guess we'd better get on to Fairview now, back to the old grist mill (flour mill) where Dad had worked once before. The move to Fairview from Manti must have been in 1914. Dad was born at Fairview, June 6, 1873. After his marriage to mother (born May 2 1876), he built a house and lived in Fairview until he homesteaded in Lyman Wyoming (my birthplace). Now he had made a big circle of moving and was back where he started from. Many are the memories and experiences had while at this place. Fairview being the old home place of my parents held a lot of our relations, so visits and ‘get together s' were very often much enjoyed. They are the highlights of my memory of Fairview.
My church activity at Fairview, I am sure was pretty slim. However I was ordained a deacon the 15th of January 1917 by Bishop H.P. Hansen. Uncle Amasa was a bass singer in the Ward Choir. I loved that.
Sports in the winter were all kinds of sleighing. Everybody had horses and bobsleds and there seemed to be plenty of snow every winter. The young men to show off would deck up two span of fine horses who were sharp-shod so they could get good footing on slick or icy road. With a whip to crack, a bob-sleigh with a double bed wagon box on it and loaded with girls and boys sitting down and plenty of quilts and clothes to keep warm, we would get a little speed and pull the four horse team quickly to the inside corner and the sleigh would be swinging around like a rock on the end of a rope. This was a big thrill, great fun, lots of squealing and slightly dangerous but seldom any mishaps.
The canyon road made a great place for courting. Such a lot of fun was had. There were special made little bobsleds with handle to guide about five or six passengers. The whole town seemed to turn out for this particular sport.
Weekly baseball games were the highlight sport in the summer. Saturday afternoon was a sort of half-holiday. Stores closed and most everyone went to the ball game.
I guess Dad was doing a little worrying about a couple of toe-headed boys at this time. I am sure he should have been worrying about one of them, probably not the other. I see now he was trying to make something for us to do, a wise thing, I am sure. An idle boy is the devil's workshop… at least that was true when I was a boy. I was just getting into my teens. As far as I am concerned that seemed to be the most critical period of my life. I wouldn't want to live it over again. Anyway, Dad built a cow stable and hog barn and fed a bunch of hogs all the time. They were butchered, dressed and trucked to Salt Lake City, dead weight. It seems that he tried to go with a load once a week. A little Model T Ford was the truck, probably good for 1,000 pounds. I went with him many a time and drove part of the time.
Dad kept a little bunch of milk cows, a job for Merrill and I to milk and care for them. We also had the job of delivering mill products to the people of Fairview. Much of this was done by horse power. We still had the little gray team called Snip and Ted. We soon got nicknames of "Big Miller" and "Little Miller". I think there was a big foot difference in our height.
My school days while at the old mill were to Birch Creek school to the south, and of course, Fairview to the north. A bicycle was heavily used, our home being about one mile south of town.
Ducks, geese, chickens, baby chicks, incubators, fishing, muskrat trapping, swimming, playing ball, etc., were big interests in my life during these days. Our neighbors, the Walt Coxs, had the largest and best swing I have ever seen in my life. Lots of fun was had there. Oh yes, in 1917, we had a large garden. I had entered the garden raising contest. We moved to Lapoint that fall, but after our move I received ten dollars as a winner in that contest.
Well, we are on the move again! Several trips moving were made with a small Ford truck (Smith Forno – chain drive) solid rubber on rear wheels. Our travel speed was 10 or 15 miles per hour. We started with the team, cows, etc., just a week's trip as I remember it.
Now we are calling Lapoint home. We were well received by Uncle Jim and Aunt Marzetta and others. We stayed at Uncle Jim's' several days and then settled on a farm leased from John Murray. It had a two room house near clear creek river, four and one half miles west and a little south of Lapoint.
It was great weather that fall. It didn't freeze until in November in the Basin and it had already frozen things before we left Fairview. We thought we had found a great new climate. It was very dry, mild winter and we enjoyed it. A dry summer followed which wasn't so good. The next winter was the worst winter I have ever seen. Half of John Murray's cattle died that winter (about 40 head). There was one or two found frozen to death almost every morning for a spell. We also lost part of ours. A heavy fog lay over the Basin for about 30 days. We never saw the sun and it was sub-zero night and day. A few days the fog moved low enough to uncover Lapoint, but not so, on the river where we lived. The frost built up on the fence wires and trees, (it must have been four to six inches) sometimes getting too heavy to hold its own weight and it would fall off, a beautiful sight that I don't want to see again.
Many things come to my memory as I think of this period of my life. The way that the corn, alfalfa hay, mangle beets, squash, garden stuff, etc grew on the river place really impressed me. They all did so well. The long trip to school also, it was made mostly by a two horse buggy or on horse back. However, many and many a time we walked it.
Now we made another short move up to town to a house still standing at this date (March 1972) just north of the Ward Chapel. I must have been around 18 at this time. As young people so often are, I didn't go along with my parent's ideas and appreciate them as I should have. They were at times old-fashioned, out-of-date, and not taken too seriously. My appreciation for them and what they had done and were doing for me was out of gear. This was short lived, thank goodness.
Something tremendously vital and important in determining my course in life happened about this time. All my life I seemed to have believed in a God alright, but it was something I just imagined, couldn't understand or in any way visualize or take hold of. I thought God did everything just hocus-pocus, a snap of the finger and it was done.
The thoughts of death had held great fear and torment to my childhood. Many times I would suddenly awaken from a frightful dream. Now as of the dawning of a new day, I suddenly realized and understood the personality of God as it is taught by the Latter Day Saint Church today. This revealed truth to me has been an answer or cornerstone on which to build every since. Thanks to God for this knowledge. My faith has grown steadily every since.
I think I should note that preceding the foregoing experience, I was in an earnest repentant and prayerful mood, wanting the truth, and that up until this time I had never conditioned myself for the gift of the Holy Ghost as given when confirmed a member of the church.
Another move…… now we leased the 320 acre Maroni Gerber farm, southeast of Lapoint, now owned by Roy Huber and Marvin Huber. At that time it was a big alfalfa farm. I didn't mention that I had quite an interest in farming. I did the irrigating. We worked hard and for the first time it seemed to me we were headed in the right direction. We were raising turkeys, milking cows, etc., and then bang, we hit it with a good alfalfa seed crop and got us out of debt. But that streak of prosperity was to suddenly stop. A verbal agreement was all that Dad had. Be careful how you trust people. I had heard Mr. Brother, or Old Man, or whatever you choose to call him say to Dad "If you are willing, just come on the place and make it a success and you can have it as long as you want." But as soon as we did just that (it was a crop lease, one half) they (his family) got jealous and kicked us off. I felt pretty rough about this good church-going brother in whom I had implicit faith letting us down. His boys made a big failure (in their crop thereafter) by the way. They were as big of hypocrites as their father was, one of them being Sunday School superintendent at the same time had two secret liquor stills on the farm.
I am not recording my life's mistakes. Those I would like to forget and should be forgotten. Faults and mistakes, I think I should mention one or two. A hot temper, poorly controlled was one weakness I have about got the upper hand of, thank goodness. I have made good gains in the swearing score also.
Another chapter in my life is about to start – no more tagging Dad around. Thinking that water was going to be developed, I homesteaded a piece of ground east of the Gerber place. I knew part of this land to be extra good soil. My interest in life was taking on more meaning. I wanted to see success in my Dad's farm effects and worked. Church was meaning more to me. Bishop Roy Taylor and other good men were having an influence in my life. My church activity must be a little better now. I was ordained a Teacher on 28th February 1921 by D.I. Wilson; a Priest, 6 June 1922 by S.C. Christensen; and Elder, 13 of October 1923 by Bishop Roy Taylor.
Another interest had developed (one of the great influences of my life) that was a certain 90 pound slim blonde of a girl. This was indeed a new phase in life's experience – love and thrills I did not know existed. After two years acquaintance, and sincere and prayerful consideration, all doubts were removed and we planned for our marriage in the spring of 1924. However, due to a move my Father-in-law was to make in the fall of 1923 (to Holiday), our plans got changed and we were married the 17th of October 1923 in the Salt Lake Temple by Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith. A unique and special experience indeed it was to me, taken seriously and appreciated. Without a doubt, it was the most settling and satisfying religious experience of my life at that time.
I believe the happiest moment of my life was while at the altar and Hyrum G. Smith pronounced the ceremony which bound us for all time and eternity. Practically ten years of happy married life has proven to me that the course taken that day was good. I feel that our union has been a great success. My course in life has always been definitely positive since. When we asked my Dad-in-law, A.W. Norton, for his permission, he made one request – that we must be married in the temple. No problem for us – we had been figuring that way for months. We had thought of it in no other way. I was glad we had beat him to the punch.
It is interesting to me and I think I will mention it. My wife Mary Ann (Mamie), shortly after marriage, said she wanted or was going to have 12 children. This was not in discord with me. I had made up my mind I would have a family like Mother and Father's, that also was 12. There was always great love in my heart for my brothers and sisters. I felt bad for an only child and still do. Anyway, as ordered, twelve it was and with no regrets. What a joy they are to us and so many great joys in their childhood days. Of course, some sorrows go along with it. It seems though that we were especially blessed with good health and strength.
(Insert: taken from my My Birthright written by Rulon on August 8 1933) We have with us four fine children, and another which we love equally as well, has gone on. Diphtheria, having taken her life on August 27 1931. She was born October 2, 1926, making her four years and 10 months and 25 days old, at death. I cannot express my gratitude to God for my family. They are a most priceless gift. (Back to My Life History Rulon H Rasmussen):
My life has been constantly lived with financial blunders. Parasitic, dishonest, lying high pressure salesmen have got me for many a thousand of dollars through the years. Beware! I am afraid there might be a few of them left! One big mistake I made was when I mortgaged my homestead and lost it on account of the depression in the 1930's. Thus was eight years of the most ambitious part of my life down the drain. It was then that my most charitable, wonderful Father-in-law helped us to get another home spot and a roof over our heads. These were trying times, with drought, another bad winter and heavy cattle losses. I am not sure but it was probably the next winter that the government paid $12.00 a head and took hundreds of cattle out in the hills and shot them because of the feed shortage. We still had two cows, but no job. Shortage, hunger, want, famine, didn't seem but a likely short distance away. This is the only time in my life I have had that feeling. It was a Godsend to people caught in the grip of these conditions when Franklin D, Roosevelt was elected President. He stopped all bank foreclosures, also farm foreclosures, immediately and set up the WPA etc. and even bread lines. The WPA was our salvation. We received $40.00 per month working road projects, etc. It got us by.
Another project set up by the US Government at this time was the organizing of the Farmers Home Administration to help finance small farmers with loans. Although I was scared of borrowing, I had no capital to work with, so I took out a small loan with FHA and through this help I was able to buy a piece of ground from J.M. Marshall. Later I bought 40 acres from Martin Fletcher, 42 acres from A.W. Norton, my father-in-law, then 19 acres from Albert Norton, 32 acres from Chuck Taylor (Lee place), then 50 acres of the old Charley Taylor place, including the house, then the Colthrop place, 50 acres.
(Back to My life History) The most important things of life I have little mentioned yet.
It is obvious that there is and has been much confusion down through history about religion. As a father and grandfather and having a firm conviction, I feel I must leave a portion at least of my convictions of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. A Church is true or it is not true. It is said that there is only two Churches – one is God's Church and the other is the devils. One only can be right. God is not the author of confusion. His house is a house of order. As we study the scriptures we learn that God gives us the formula which if faithfully followed, we may know which (of the churches) is the true Church. This we call a testimony of the Gospel, revealed knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
What is the difference between our church and others? What have we that they have not? We have authorized, wise inspired prophetic leaders, who were ordained to their callings by others having proper authority, which chain of authority runs right back to Jesus Christ and from Christ to God the Father. A very understandable, comprehensible, impressive , and amazingly short chain this is – immortal beings being the key figures involved.
We have the Holy Ghost, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "A gift enjoyed by obedient church members, a source of revelation to leaders and members, whose mission is to guide and lead us into all truth."
Continuous revelation is claimed and received. Testimonies, a precious gift, are claimed by thousands of LDS people. They are very real to those possessing them. We have a correct understanding of God and the Godhead, God being an immortal being with body, parts and passions, and spirit, and Christ likewise, with the Holy Ghost being a personage of Spirit. They three form the God head, working in perfect unity of purpose in the different functions.
Knowledge of the Spirit World in which we were begat as children of God seems to be very unaccepted by much of the people of the world but is such precious knowledge! It is so uplifting, so exciting, so wonderful, so exalting! God says it is his purpose and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man!
The true story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, the Fall, burnt offerings and their meanings, the promise of a Savior, redemption from the grave, etc., is a beautiful story as given and understood by LDS people, but perverted and almost made ugly by the world.
To believe that an apostasy from the Christian Church occurred following the death of Christ and the apostles is both biblical and reasonable and will stand strenuous historical research. There was an apostasy which made necessary a restoration of the Gospel.
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel was according to biblical prophecy, if looked for and understood. Such perverted ideas and changed ordinances as original sin, infant baptism, only two grades (degrees) – Heaven or Hell ( meaning that infants that are not baptized go to Hell while a baptized murderer could go to Heaven) sprinkling or pouring for baptism, the practice of indulgences, forgiveness for a monetary price, infallibility of the Pope, these are some of the reasons that make for disgust of the so called Mother Church, which doesn't even bare the proper name, but is called the Catholic Church, meaning the peoples church, which of course it is and was. I am sure Christ does not claim it.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by our inspired leaders of the Latter Day Saint Church, is the most wonderful, most beautiful, most satisfying, most elevating, most joyful, most hope inspiring and important story I have heard. I believe as did the Apostle Paul, it is indeed the power of God unto Salvation. Likewise, the story told in the Temple is most beautiful and with its ordinances etc. is so very important and necessary in working out our exaltation.
The Gospel is the one thing good for us, good for our children, good for our grandchildren, etc. It is also good for our forefathers beyond the veil. It is good for all to anchor to it as a dependable guide in the journey of life because it is of God and it is true
My great ambition and hope and prayer is that I might sometime overcome all evil, that I might be found faithful to the end, and someday by the keywords, signs and tokens which are given to the faithful, pass through the gates into the presence of Gods.
Have Faith, learn of it, be obedient, enjoy it! God bless you, my loveable and beloved family! Rulon R. Rasmussen
Well here goes nothing. That's about the way I feel. As I think back I am reminded of the many times I have thought, "Just what is there important enough in my life to write about? As I attempt to do so now, I sincerely hope that I might give some data and experiences that might be of some interest or benefit sometime in the future of someone.
I am the fourth child of a family of twelve children. I was born in Lyman, Wyoming, the 10th of January 1902. I stutter not, and have always felt that I was born of goodly parents who did their best in trying to raise their family. I am proud of my heritage. Not only my parents but their progenitors were many fine and great people who accepted the restored gospel and lived a good life in the work of the Lord, which is important to me.
My father homesteaded at Lyman. It was a hard pioneer life, and after being hailed out, their crops destroyed, moved to the Provo Bench, Utah, in the fall of 1905. I would have been under four years old. I have a vague recollection of running to the house when I was caught in a hailstorm, of getting head first into a fresh dug post hole (was frightening), sitting in an ant bed with ants—also sitting in ashes, falling and skinning my nose repeatedly and going to Grandmas. I think these impressions belong to my life experience at Lyman.
It seems that due to the hardships of a new country life which my parents were forced to endure at Lyman, that mother was not very well satisfied. So when in the fall of 1904 a severe hailstorm came and destroyed our crops just as they were ready to harvest, it being the first good crop that we raised on the place in several years struggle, my father gave way to discouragement and sold the place at great sacrifice and moved to Provo, Utah.
I clearly remember our stay with Uncle Otis and Aunt Mary Terry at Provo Bench (Orem). Their love and kindness and goodness impressed me deeply even at that early age, which has stayed with me all my life. I can still visualize their nice home, the barn and pile of apples, etc. Uncle Otis was a bishop. Aunt Mary is Dad's only sister. She was the third wife of Otis Terry. His first wife was Sarah Lavina Howell, my Mother's half sister.
My father purchased 19 acres on the Provo Bench which is now the Center Street of Orem. He built a house there which was still standing the last I knew (1969) I was sent to school for the first time while we lived here. It was a short lived experience, my having an unusual experience that morning at school. The usual heating method in those days was a pot-bellied wood and coal stove in each room with a stove jack, stove poker, etc. As I approached the stove, a boy whose name I don't remember, stuck the stove poker in front of me, asking me to take hold of it and see how rough it was. He had just taken it out of the fire, red-hot, but the red did not show when he handed it to me. Kid-like, innocently not aware, I clamped right onto it, getting a real severe burn. This was the end of my school for that year.
A few kid things stick to my memory of my life while living at the Provo Bench, carp fishing in the Provo River (by snagging), one of our horses getting on its back in a ditch (dying), getting kicked by an old gentle horse (Jumbo), which was my fault, he did not see me. I ran up behind him and grabbed him by the tail. He no doubt thought I was a dog and let me have it. We kids tagged him many times by holding his tail. This was a lesson for me not to surprise him.
Many were the trips to Provo in a buggy. This dug way going off the Bench always held some worry for me. It seemed so steep to me then.
The most impressive thing that happened at the home on the Provo Bench was when Mother was sick with Pneumonia. I am sure that she must have had a close call at that time. We kids sensed that she was very sick and of course were frightened that she might die. I remember well how all the windows were opened while they were fighting the fever. Then all of the sudden they were closed and they were doing everything to keep her warm. A tense moment it was, I am sure, for every one of the family. We thank God for the outcome that her life was spare and that she had many years yet to live and rear her large family.
Grandpa Howell (Elias Willis) died the 27th of May 1909. I'm quite sure that Dad went horse back to Grandpa's funeral and was away when Leland arrived. Dad worked in the power house boiler room for one of the coal mines while at Winter quarters, "Grandpa wanted to be an engineer but Grandma objected to it.
We next moved to Nephi, Utah. The main part of our residing at Nephi must have been in the year 1910. Again I remember a few of the kid impressions while we lived there. My mother's oldest brother, Willis and his wife, Emma, lived at Nephi, so there was many a happy get-together with their family. They were such jolly good people and so much fun came of our visits! Their farm was just west of the city and I am sure they were leading and prosperous farmers. A large upright silo, beautiful milk cows and other farm animals, butter churning and preparing for sale, etc., were some of the fascinating things to me. Here again I went to school, no more incidents, but I remember, I didn't really like it.
My Dad got himself into the Raleigh Business at Nephi. Since it was a traveling business, he purchased a small gray team, Snip and Ted. Anyway, the grass must have looked greener in Sanpete County, for we were on the move again, headed for Manti, Utah. My job was driving Snip and Ted on a heavily loaded light wagon, or possibly a two horse buggy.
Well we settled in quite a nice brick home in the western part of the city of Manti. I cannot give a date of this move at this time. I was somewhere around eight years old for I was baptized 19th of July 1910. We probably moved the spring of 1910.
There is something strikes me now as I think of life before the age of eight. Some sorrows, but mostly happiness and I can't think of ever doing anything that hurts my conscience.
Now it seems a new day in life's experience was dawning. I was to be baptized. This was important. After baptism, if I sin I will have to answer for that sin. I am sure many things were told me at this time that I don't remember, but I do remember that my mind was made up. I was never going to do anything wrong! (ha ha). Certainly the Lord did more than his part to get me off to a good start. I had the special and unusual privilege of being baptized and confirmed at the baptismal font of the Manti Temple.
This important phase of my life experience was not realized then as it is recognized now. I am sure I had no conception of the true nature of God at that time. I must have been like the people of the world, believing in God that is not a God or just an imaginary thing that I could not take hold of or conceive of.
My good intention about doing no wrong was soon broken. In the company of a boy I went to school with and his helpful ideas, we had quite a streak of mischievousness. This friendship came to a sudden halt for reasons I don't recall. I was glad to be through with him. My conscience hurt me terribly over the mischief we had been into.
Life in Manti really was a fun period of my life. I had several good neighborhood friends and we were constantly getting together to play running games. Marbles and spinning tops were very popular. Many were the evenings we would get together to make and stretch honey candy. Hiking and swimming and fishing were part of the fun. Scouting also was interesting and fun. School was alright. I seemed to get along fairly well at school. I had one fight and bloodied the other kid's nose first thing and that ended my fighting career. Primary for some reason did not interest me and I didn't go if I could get out of it. I don't think I went to Sunday school much either, but I did go some. It seems that I was on the wrong foot too much of the time. Cow herding was my job a lot of the time in the summer.
Dad was still in the Raleigh business, but then he made another venture – automobiles. We'd never seen one and were dying with curiosity. Dad thought he could make a business of hauling people. He bought a new Buick which was the third car to come into Sanpete County it was said. I got the impression that this investment wasn't a good one, and left him in a financial bind of some kind, which probably had some bearing on another move.
I got a kick out of raising rabbits and pigeons while at Manti. I had the lot loaded with them. I suppose I was a problem to my Dad, a bunch of rabbits and a barn full of pigeons. One night all of the pigeons disappeared, a mystery to this day! (Of course I could guess a little).
I knew marbles and kept track of the number I had. It got to be between five and six hundred. If one of them was gone, I mourned the loss. Seems I was a bit possessive.
Guess we'd better get on to Fairview now, back to the old grist mill (flour mill) where Dad had worked once before. The move to Fairview from Manti must have been in 1914. Dad was born at Fairview, June 6, 1873. After his marriage to mother (born May 2 1876), he built a house and lived in Fairview until he homesteaded in Lyman Wyoming (my birthplace). Now he had made a big circle of moving and was back where he started from. Many are the memories and experiences had while at this place. Fairview being the old home place of my parents held a lot of our relations, so visits and ‘get together s' were very often much enjoyed. They are the highlights of my memory of Fairview.
My church activity at Fairview, I am sure was pretty slim. However I was ordained a deacon the 15th of January 1917 by Bishop H.P. Hansen. Uncle Amasa was a bass singer in the Ward Choir. I loved that.
Sports in the winter were all kinds of sleighing. Everybody had horses and bobsleds and there seemed to be plenty of snow every winter. The young men to show off would deck up two span of fine horses who were sharp-shod so they could get good footing on slick or icy road. With a whip to crack, a bob-sleigh with a double bed wagon box on it and loaded with girls and boys sitting down and plenty of quilts and clothes to keep warm, we would get a little speed and pull the four horse team quickly to the inside corner and the sleigh would be swinging around like a rock on the end of a rope. This was a big thrill, great fun, lots of squealing and slightly dangerous but seldom any mishaps.
The canyon road made a great place for courting. Such a lot of fun was had. There were special made little bobsleds with handle to guide about five or six passengers. The whole town seemed to turn out for this particular sport.
Weekly baseball games were the highlight sport in the summer. Saturday afternoon was a sort of half-holiday. Stores closed and most everyone went to the ball game.
I guess Dad was doing a little worrying about a couple of toe-headed boys at this time. I am sure he should have been worrying about one of them, probably not the other. I see now he was trying to make something for us to do, a wise thing, I am sure. An idle boy is the devil's workshop… at least that was true when I was a boy. I was just getting into my teens. As far as I am concerned that seemed to be the most critical period of my life. I wouldn't want to live it over again. Anyway, Dad built a cow stable and hog barn and fed a bunch of hogs all the time. They were butchered, dressed and trucked to Salt Lake City, dead weight. It seems that he tried to go with a load once a week. A little Model T Ford was the truck, probably good for 1,000 pounds. I went with him many a time and drove part of the time.
Dad kept a little bunch of milk cows, a job for Merrill and I to milk and care for them. We also had the job of delivering mill products to the people of Fairview. Much of this was done by horse power. We still had the little gray team called Snip and Ted. We soon got nicknames of "Big Miller" and "Little Miller". I think there was a big foot difference in our height.
My school days while at the old mill were to Birch Creek school to the south, and of course, Fairview to the north. A bicycle was heavily used, our home being about one mile south of town.
Ducks, geese, chickens, baby chicks, incubators, fishing, muskrat trapping, swimming, playing ball, etc., were big interests in my life during these days. Our neighbors, the Walt Coxs, had the largest and best swing I have ever seen in my life. Lots of fun was had there. Oh yes, in 1917, we had a large garden. I had entered the garden raising contest. We moved to Lapoint that fall, but after our move I received ten dollars as a winner in that contest.
Well, we are on the move again! Several trips moving were made with a small Ford truck (Smith Forno – chain drive) solid rubber on rear wheels. Our travel speed was 10 or 15 miles per hour. We started with the team, cows, etc., just a week's trip as I remember it.
Now we are calling Lapoint home. We were well received by Uncle Jim and Aunt Marzetta and others. We stayed at Uncle Jim's' several days and then settled on a farm leased from John Murray. It had a two room house near clear creek river, four and one half miles west and a little south of Lapoint.
It was great weather that fall. It didn't freeze until in November in the Basin and it had already frozen things before we left Fairview. We thought we had found a great new climate. It was very dry, mild winter and we enjoyed it. A dry summer followed which wasn't so good. The next winter was the worst winter I have ever seen. Half of John Murray's cattle died that winter (about 40 head). There was one or two found frozen to death almost every morning for a spell. We also lost part of ours. A heavy fog lay over the Basin for about 30 days. We never saw the sun and it was sub-zero night and day. A few days the fog moved low enough to uncover Lapoint, but not so, on the river where we lived. The frost built up on the fence wires and trees, (it must have been four to six inches) sometimes getting too heavy to hold its own weight and it would fall off, a beautiful sight that I don't want to see again.
Many things come to my memory as I think of this period of my life. The way that the corn, alfalfa hay, mangle beets, squash, garden stuff, etc grew on the river place really impressed me. They all did so well. The long trip to school also, it was made mostly by a two horse buggy or on horse back. However, many and many a time we walked it.
Now we made another short move up to town to a house still standing at this date (March 1972) just north of the Ward Chapel. I must have been around 18 at this time. As young people so often are, I didn't go along with my parent's ideas and appreciate them as I should have. They were at times old-fashioned, out-of-date, and not taken too seriously. My appreciation for them and what they had done and were doing for me was out of gear. This was short lived, thank goodness.
Something tremendously vital and important in determining my course in life happened about this time. All my life I seemed to have believed in a God alright, but it was something I just imagined, couldn't understand or in any way visualize or take hold of. I thought God did everything just hocus-pocus, a snap of the finger and it was done.
The thoughts of death had held great fear and torment to my childhood. Many times I would suddenly awaken from a frightful dream. Now as of the dawning of a new day, I suddenly realized and understood the personality of God as it is taught by the Latter Day Saint Church today. This revealed truth to me has been an answer or cornerstone on which to build every since. Thanks to God for this knowledge. My faith has grown steadily every since.
I think I should note that preceding the foregoing experience, I was in an earnest repentant and prayerful mood, wanting the truth, and that up until this time I had never conditioned myself for the gift of the Holy Ghost as given when confirmed a member of the church.
Another move…… now we leased the 320 acre Maroni Gerber farm, southeast of Lapoint, now owned by Roy Huber and Marvin Huber. At that time it was a big alfalfa farm. I didn't mention that I had quite an interest in farming. I did the irrigating. We worked hard and for the first time it seemed to me we were headed in the right direction. We were raising turkeys, milking cows, etc., and then bang, we hit it with a good alfalfa seed crop and got us out of debt. But that streak of prosperity was to suddenly stop. A verbal agreement was all that Dad had. Be careful how you trust people. I had heard Mr. Brother, or Old Man, or whatever you choose to call him say to Dad "If you are willing, just come on the place and make it a success and you can have it as long as you want." But as soon as we did just that (it was a crop lease, one half) they (his family) got jealous and kicked us off. I felt pretty rough about this good church-going brother in whom I had implicit faith letting us down. His boys made a big failure (in their crop thereafter) by the way. They were as big of hypocrites as their father was, one of them being Sunday School superintendent at the same time had two secret liquor stills on the farm.
I am not recording my life's mistakes. Those I would like to forget and should be forgotten. Faults and mistakes, I think I should mention one or two. A hot temper, poorly controlled was one weakness I have about got the upper hand of, thank goodness. I have made good gains in the swearing score also.
Another chapter in my life is about to start – no more tagging Dad around. Thinking that water was going to be developed, I homesteaded a piece of ground east of the Gerber place. I knew part of this land to be extra good soil. My interest in life was taking on more meaning. I wanted to see success in my Dad's farm effects and worked. Church was meaning more to me. Bishop Roy Taylor and other good men were having an influence in my life. My church activity must be a little better now. I was ordained a Teacher on 28th February 1921 by D.I. Wilson; a Priest, 6 June 1922 by S.C. Christensen; and Elder, 13 of October 1923 by Bishop Roy Taylor.
Another interest had developed (one of the great influences of my life) that was a certain 90 pound slim blonde of a girl. This was indeed a new phase in life's experience – love and thrills I did not know existed. After two years acquaintance, and sincere and prayerful consideration, all doubts were removed and we planned for our marriage in the spring of 1924. However, due to a move my Father-in-law was to make in the fall of 1923 (to Holiday), our plans got changed and we were married the 17th of October 1923 in the Salt Lake Temple by Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith. A unique and special experience indeed it was to me, taken seriously and appreciated. Without a doubt, it was the most settling and satisfying religious experience of my life at that time.
I believe the happiest moment of my life was while at the altar and Hyrum G. Smith pronounced the ceremony which bound us for all time and eternity. Practically ten years of happy married life has proven to me that the course taken that day was good. I feel that our union has been a great success. My course in life has always been definitely positive since. When we asked my Dad-in-law, A.W. Norton, for his permission, he made one request – that we must be married in the temple. No problem for us – we had been figuring that way for months. We had thought of it in no other way. I was glad we had beat him to the punch.
It is interesting to me and I think I will mention it. My wife Mary Ann (Mamie), shortly after marriage, said she wanted or was going to have 12 children. This was not in discord with me. I had made up my mind I would have a family like Mother and Father's, that also was 12. There was always great love in my heart for my brothers and sisters. I felt bad for an only child and still do. Anyway, as ordered, twelve it was and with no regrets. What a joy they are to us and so many great joys in their childhood days. Of course, some sorrows go along with it. It seems though that we were especially blessed with good health and strength.
(Insert: taken from my My Birthright written by Rulon on August 8 1933) We have with us four fine children, and another which we love equally as well, has gone on. Diphtheria, having taken her life on August 27 1931. She was born October 2, 1926, making her four years and 10 months and 25 days old, at death. I cannot express my gratitude to God for my family. They are a most priceless gift. (Back to My Life History Rulon H Rasmussen):
My life has been constantly lived with financial blunders. Parasitic, dishonest, lying high pressure salesmen have got me for many a thousand of dollars through the years. Beware! I am afraid there might be a few of them left! One big mistake I made was when I mortgaged my homestead and lost it on account of the depression in the 1930's. Thus was eight years of the most ambitious part of my life down the drain. It was then that my most charitable, wonderful Father-in-law helped us to get another home spot and a roof over our heads. These were trying times, with drought, another bad winter and heavy cattle losses. I am not sure but it was probably the next winter that the government paid $12.00 a head and took hundreds of cattle out in the hills and shot them because of the feed shortage. We still had two cows, but no job. Shortage, hunger, want, famine, didn't seem but a likely short distance away. This is the only time in my life I have had that feeling. It was a Godsend to people caught in the grip of these conditions when Franklin D, Roosevelt was elected President. He stopped all bank foreclosures, also farm foreclosures, immediately and set up the WPA etc. and even bread lines. The WPA was our salvation. We received $40.00 per month working road projects, etc. It got us by.
Another project set up by the US Government at this time was the organizing of the Farmers Home Administration to help finance small farmers with loans. Although I was scared of borrowing, I had no capital to work with, so I took out a small loan with FHA and through this help I was able to buy a piece of ground from J.M. Marshall. Later I bought 40 acres from Martin Fletcher, 42 acres from A.W. Norton, my father-in-law, then 19 acres from Albert Norton, 32 acres from Chuck Taylor (Lee place), then 50 acres of the old Charley Taylor place, including the house, then the Colthrop place, 50 acres.
(Back to My life History) The most important things of life I have little mentioned yet.
It is obvious that there is and has been much confusion down through history about religion. As a father and grandfather and having a firm conviction, I feel I must leave a portion at least of my convictions of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. A Church is true or it is not true. It is said that there is only two Churches – one is God's Church and the other is the devils. One only can be right. God is not the author of confusion. His house is a house of order. As we study the scriptures we learn that God gives us the formula which if faithfully followed, we may know which (of the churches) is the true Church. This we call a testimony of the Gospel, revealed knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
What is the difference between our church and others? What have we that they have not? We have authorized, wise inspired prophetic leaders, who were ordained to their callings by others having proper authority, which chain of authority runs right back to Jesus Christ and from Christ to God the Father. A very understandable, comprehensible, impressive , and amazingly short chain this is – immortal beings being the key figures involved.
We have the Holy Ghost, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "A gift enjoyed by obedient church members, a source of revelation to leaders and members, whose mission is to guide and lead us into all truth."
Continuous revelation is claimed and received. Testimonies, a precious gift, are claimed by thousands of LDS people. They are very real to those possessing them. We have a correct understanding of God and the Godhead, God being an immortal being with body, parts and passions, and spirit, and Christ likewise, with the Holy Ghost being a personage of Spirit. They three form the God head, working in perfect unity of purpose in the different functions.
Knowledge of the Spirit World in which we were begat as children of God seems to be very unaccepted by much of the people of the world but is such precious knowledge! It is so uplifting, so exciting, so wonderful, so exalting! God says it is his purpose and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man!
The true story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, the Fall, burnt offerings and their meanings, the promise of a Savior, redemption from the grave, etc., is a beautiful story as given and understood by LDS people, but perverted and almost made ugly by the world.
To believe that an apostasy from the Christian Church occurred following the death of Christ and the apostles is both biblical and reasonable and will stand strenuous historical research. There was an apostasy which made necessary a restoration of the Gospel.
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel was according to biblical prophecy, if looked for and understood. Such perverted ideas and changed ordinances as original sin, infant baptism, only two grades (degrees) – Heaven or Hell ( meaning that infants that are not baptized go to Hell while a baptized murderer could go to Heaven) sprinkling or pouring for baptism, the practice of indulgences, forgiveness for a monetary price, infallibility of the Pope, these are some of the reasons that make for disgust of the so called Mother Church, which doesn't even bare the proper name, but is called the Catholic Church, meaning the peoples church, which of course it is and was. I am sure Christ does not claim it.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by our inspired leaders of the Latter Day Saint Church, is the most wonderful, most beautiful, most satisfying, most elevating, most joyful, most hope inspiring and important story I have heard. I believe as did the Apostle Paul, it is indeed the power of God unto Salvation. Likewise, the story told in the Temple is most beautiful and with its ordinances etc. is so very important and necessary in working out our exaltation.
The Gospel is the one thing good for us, good for our children, good for our grandchildren, etc. It is also good for our forefathers beyond the veil. It is good for all to anchor to it as a dependable guide in the journey of life because it is of God and it is true
My great ambition and hope and prayer is that I might sometime overcome all evil, that I might be found faithful to the end, and someday by the keywords, signs and tokens which are given to the faithful, pass through the gates into the presence of Gods.
Have Faith, learn of it, be obedient, enjoy it! God bless you, my loveable and beloved family! Rulon R. Rasmussen
RULON H. RASMUSSEN
Well here goes nothing. That's about the way I feel. As I think back I am reminded of the many times I have thought, "Just what is there important enough in my life to write about? As I attempt to do so now, I sincerely hope that I might give some data and experiences that might be of some interest or benefit sometime in the future of someone.
I am the fourth child of a family of twelve children. I was born in Lyman, Wyoming, the 10th of January 1902. I stutter not, and have always felt that I was born of goodly parents who did their best in trying to raise their family. I am proud of my heritage. Not only my parents but their progenitors were many fine and great people who accepted the restored gospel and lived a good life in the work of the Lord, which is important to me.
My father homesteaded at Lyman. It was a hard pioneer life, and after being hailed out, their crops destroyed, moved to the Provo Bench, Utah, in the fall of 1905. I would have been under four years old. I have a vague recollection of running to the house when I was caught in a hailstorm, of getting head first into a fresh dug post hole (was frightening), sitting in an ant bed with ants—also sitting in ashes, falling and skinning my nose repeatedly and going to Grandmas. I think these impressions belong to my life experience at Lyman.
It seems that due to the hardships of a new country life which my parents were forced to endure at Lyman, that mother was not very well satisfied. So when in the fall of 1904 a severe hailstorm came and destroyed our crops just as they were ready to harvest, it being the first good crop that we raised on the place in several years struggle, my father gave way to discouragement and sold the place at great sacrifice and moved to Provo, Utah.
I clearly remember our stay with Uncle Otis and Aunt Mary Terry at Provo Bench (Orem). Their love and kindness and goodness impressed me deeply even at that early age, which has stayed with me all my life. I can still visualize their nice home, the barn and pile of apples, etc. Uncle Otis was a bishop. Aunt Mary is Dad's only sister. She was the third wife of Otis Terry. His first wife was Sarah Lavina Howell, my Mother's half sister.
My father purchased 19 acres on the Provo Bench which is now the Center Street of Orem. He built a house there which was still standing the last I knew (1969) I was sent to school for the first time while we lived here. It was a short lived experience, my having an unusual experience that morning at school. The usual heating method in those days was a pot-bellied wood and coal stove in each room with a stove jack, stove poker, etc. As I approached the stove, a boy whose name I don't remember, stuck the stove poker in front of me, asking me to take hold of it and see how rough it was. He had just taken it out of the fire, red-hot, but the red did not show when he handed it to me. Kid-like, innocently not aware, I clamped right onto it, getting a real severe burn. This was the end of my school for that year.
A few kid things stick to my memory of my life while living at the Provo Bench, carp fishing in the Provo River (by snagging), one of our horses getting on its back in a ditch (dying), getting kicked by an old gentle horse (Jumbo), which was my fault, he did not see me. I ran up behind him and grabbed him by the tail. He no doubt thought I was a dog and let me have it. We kids tagged him many times by holding his tail. This was a lesson for me not to surprise him.
Many were the trips to Provo in a buggy. This dug way going off the Bench always held some worry for me. It seemed so steep to me then.
The most impressive thing that happened at the home on the Provo Bench was when Mother was sick with Pneumonia. I am sure that she must have had a close call at that time. We kids sensed that she was very sick and of course were frightened that she might die. I remember well how all the windows were opened while they were fighting the fever. Then all of the sudden they were closed and they were doing everything to keep her warm. A tense moment it was, I am sure, for every one of the family. We thank God for the outcome that her life was spare and that she had many years yet to live and rear her large family.
Grandpa Howell (Elias Willis) died the 27th of May 1909. I'm quite sure that Dad went horse back to Grandpa's funeral and was away when Leland arrived. Dad worked in the power house boiler room for one of the coal mines while at Winter quarters, "Grandpa wanted to be an engineer but Grandma objected to it.
We next moved to Nephi, Utah. The main part of our residing at Nephi must have been in the year 1910. Again I remember a few of the kid impressions while we lived there. My mother's oldest brother, Willis and his wife, Emma, lived at Nephi, so there was many a happy get-together with their family. They were such jolly good people and so much fun came of our visits! Their farm was just west of the city and I am sure they were leading and prosperous farmers. A large upright silo, beautiful milk cows and other farm animals, butter churning and preparing for sale, etc., were some of the fascinating things to me. Here again I went to school, no more incidents, but I remember, I didn't really like it.
My Dad got himself into the Raleigh Business at Nephi. Since it was a traveling business, he purchased a small gray team, Snip and Ted. Anyway, the grass must have looked greener in Sanpete County, for we were on the move again, headed for Manti, Utah. My job was driving Snip and Ted on a heavily loaded light wagon, or possibly a two horse buggy.
Well we settled in quite a nice brick home in the western part of the city of Manti. I cannot give a date of this move at this time. I was somewhere around eight years old for I was baptized 19th of July 1910. We probably moved the spring of 1910.
There is something strikes me now as I think of life before the age of eight. Some sorrows, but mostly happiness and I can't think of ever doing anything that hurts my conscience.
Now it seems a new day in life's experience was dawning. I was to be baptized. This was important. After baptism, if I sin I will have to answer for that sin. I am sure many things were told me at this time that I don't remember, but I do remember that my mind was made up. I was never going to do anything wrong! (ha ha). Certainly the Lord did more than his part to get me off to a good start. I had the special and unusual privilege of being baptized and confirmed at the baptismal font of the Manti Temple.
This important phase of my life experience was not realized then as it is recognized now. I am sure I had no conception of the true nature of God at that time. I must have been like the people of the world, believing in God that is not a God or just an imaginary thing that I could not take hold of or conceive of.
My good intention about doing no wrong was soon broken. In the company of a boy I went to school with and his helpful ideas, we had quite a streak of mischievousness. This friendship came to a sudden halt for reasons I don't recall. I was glad to be through with him. My conscience hurt me terribly over the mischief we had been into.
Life in Manti really was a fun period of my life. I had several good neighborhood friends and we were constantly getting together to play running games. Marbles and spinning tops were very popular. Many were the evenings we would get together to make and stretch honey candy. Hiking and swimming and fishing were part of the fun. Scouting also was interesting and fun. School was alright. I seemed to get along fairly well at school. I had one fight and bloodied the other kid's nose first thing and that ended my fighting career. Primary for some reason did not interest me and I didn't go if I could get out of it. I don't think I went to Sunday school much either, but I did go some. It seems that I was on the wrong foot too much of the time. Cow herding was my job a lot of the time in the summer.
Dad was still in the Raleigh business, but then he made another venture – automobiles. We'd never seen one and were dying with curiosity. Dad thought he could make a business of hauling people. He bought a new Buick which was the third car to come into Sanpete County it was said. I got the impression that this investment wasn't a good one, and left him in a financial bind of some kind, which probably had some bearing on another move.
I got a kick out of raising rabbits and pigeons while at Manti. I had the lot loaded with them. I suppose I was a problem to my Dad, a bunch of rabbits and a barn full of pigeons. One night all of the pigeons disappeared, a mystery to this day! (Of course I could guess a little).
I knew marbles and kept track of the number I had. It got to be between five and six hundred. If one of them was gone, I mourned the loss. Seems I was a bit possessive.
Guess we'd better get on to Fairview now, back to the old grist mill (flour mill) where Dad had worked once before. The move to Fairview from Manti must have been in 1914. Dad was born at Fairview, June 6, 1873. After his marriage to mother (born May 2 1876), he built a house and lived in Fairview until he homesteaded in Lyman Wyoming (my birthplace). Now he had made a big circle of moving and was back where he started from. Many are the memories and experiences had while at this place. Fairview being the old home place of my parents held a lot of our relations, so visits and ‘get together s' were very often much enjoyed. They are the highlights of my memory of Fairview.
My church activity at Fairview, I am sure was pretty slim. However I was ordained a deacon the 15th of January 1917 by Bishop H.P. Hansen. Uncle Amasa was a bass singer in the Ward Choir. I loved that.
Sports in the winter were all kinds of sleighing. Everybody had horses and bobsleds and there seemed to be plenty of snow every winter. The young men to show off would deck up two span of fine horses who were sharp-shod so they could get good footing on slick or icy road. With a whip to crack, a bob-sleigh with a double bed wagon box on it and loaded with girls and boys sitting down and plenty of quilts and clothes to keep warm, we would get a little speed and pull the four horse team quickly to the inside corner and the sleigh would be swinging around like a rock on the end of a rope. This was a big thrill, great fun, lots of squealing and slightly dangerous but seldom any mishaps.
The canyon road made a great place for courting. Such a lot of fun was had. There were special made little bobsleds with handle to guide about five or six passengers. The whole town seemed to turn out for this particular sport.
Weekly baseball games were the highlight sport in the summer. Saturday afternoon was a sort of half-holiday. Stores closed and most everyone went to the ball game.
I guess Dad was doing a little worrying about a couple of toe-headed boys at this time. I am sure he should have been worrying about one of them, probably not the other. I see now he was trying to make something for us to do, a wise thing, I am sure. An idle boy is the devil's workshop… at least that was true when I was a boy. I was just getting into my teens. As far as I am concerned that seemed to be the most critical period of my life. I wouldn't want to live it over again. Anyway, Dad built a cow stable and hog barn and fed a bunch of hogs all the time. They were butchered, dressed and trucked to Salt Lake City, dead weight. It seems that he tried to go with a load once a week. A little Model T Ford was the truck, probably good for 1,000 pounds. I went with him many a time and drove part of the time.
Dad kept a little bunch of milk cows, a job for Merrill and I to milk and care for them. We also had the job of delivering mill products to the people of Fairview. Much of this was done by horse power. We still had the little gray team called Snip and Ted. We soon got nicknames of "Big Miller" and "Little Miller". I think there was a big foot difference in our height.
My school days while at the old mill were to Birch Creek school to the south, and of course, Fairview to the north. A bicycle was heavily used, our home being about one mile south of town.
Ducks, geese, chickens, baby chicks, incubators, fishing, muskrat trapping, swimming, playing ball, etc., were big interests in my life during these days. Our neighbors, the Walt Coxs, had the largest and best swing I have ever seen in my life. Lots of fun was had there. Oh yes, in 1917, we had a large garden. I had entered the garden raising contest. We moved to Lapoint that fall, but after our move I received ten dollars as a winner in that contest.
Well, we are on the move again! Several trips moving were made with a small Ford truck (Smith Forno – chain drive) solid rubber on rear wheels. Our travel speed was 10 or 15 miles per hour. We started with the team, cows, etc., just a week's trip as I remember it.
Now we are calling Lapoint home. We were well received by Uncle Jim and Aunt Marzetta and others. We stayed at Uncle Jim's' several days and then settled on a farm leased from John Murray. It had a two room house near clear creek river, four and one half miles west and a little south of Lapoint.
It was great weather that fall. It didn't freeze until in November in the Basin and it had already frozen things before we left Fairview. We thought we had found a great new climate. It was very dry, mild winter and we enjoyed it. A dry summer followed which wasn't so good. The next winter was the worst winter I have ever seen. Half of John Murray's cattle died that winter (about 40 head). There was one or two found frozen to death almost every morning for a spell. We also lost part of ours. A heavy fog lay over the Basin for about 30 days. We never saw the sun and it was sub-zero night and day. A few days the fog moved low enough to uncover Lapoint, but not so, on the river where we lived. The frost built up on the fence wires and trees, (it must have been four to six inches) sometimes getting too heavy to hold its own weight and it would fall off, a beautiful sight that I don't want to see again.
Many things come to my memory as I think of this period of my life. The way that the corn, alfalfa hay, mangle beets, squash, garden stuff, etc grew on the river place really impressed me. They all did so well. The long trip to school also, it was made mostly by a two horse buggy or on horse back. However, many and many a time we walked it.
Now we made another short move up to town to a house still standing at this date (March 1972) just north of the Ward Chapel. I must have been around 18 at this time. As young people so often are, I didn't go along with my parent's ideas and appreciate them as I should have. They were at times old-fashioned, out-of-date, and not taken too seriously. My appreciation for them and what they had done and were doing for me was out of gear. This was short lived, thank goodness.
Something tremendously vital and important in determining my course in life happened about this time. All my life I seemed to have believed in a God alright, but it was something I just imagined, couldn't understand or in any way visualize or take hold of. I thought God did everything just hocus-pocus, a snap of the finger and it was done.
The thoughts of death had held great fear and torment to my childhood. Many times I would suddenly awaken from a frightful dream. Now as of the dawning of a new day, I suddenly realized and understood the personality of God as it is taught by the Latter Day Saint Church today. This revealed truth to me has been an answer or cornerstone on which to build every since. Thanks to God for this knowledge. My faith has grown steadily every since.
I think I should note that preceding the foregoing experience, I was in an earnest repentant and prayerful mood, wanting the truth, and that up until this time I had never conditioned myself for the gift of the Holy Ghost as given when confirmed a member of the church.
Another move…… now we leased the 320 acre Maroni Gerber farm, southeast of Lapoint, now owned by Roy Huber and Marvin Huber. At that time it was a big alfalfa farm. I didn't mention that I had quite an interest in farming. I did the irrigating. We worked hard and for the first time it seemed to me we were headed in the right direction. We were raising turkeys, milking cows, etc., and then bang, we hit it with a good alfalfa seed crop and got us out of debt. But that streak of prosperity was to suddenly stop. A verbal agreement was all that Dad had. Be careful how you trust people. I had heard Mr. Brother, or Old Man, or whatever you choose to call him say to Dad "If you are willing, just come on the place and make it a success and you can have it as long as you want." But as soon as we did just that (it was a crop lease, one half) they (his family) got jealous and kicked us off. I felt pretty rough about this good church-going brother in whom I had implicit faith letting us down. His boys made a big failure (in their crop thereafter) by the way. They were as big of hypocrites as their father was, one of them being Sunday School superintendent at the same time had two secret liquor stills on the farm.
I am not recording my life's mistakes. Those I would like to forget and should be forgotten. Faults and mistakes, I think I should mention one or two. A hot temper, poorly controlled was one weakness I have about got the upper hand of, thank goodness. I have made good gains in the swearing score also.
Another chapter in my life is about to start – no more tagging Dad around. Thinking that water was going to be developed, I homesteaded a piece of ground east of the Gerber place. I knew part of this land to be extra good soil. My interest in life was taking on more meaning. I wanted to see success in my Dad's farm effects and worked. Church was meaning more to me. Bishop Roy Taylor and other good men were having an influence in my life. My church activity must be a little better now. I was ordained a Teacher on 28th February 1921 by D.I. Wilson; a Priest, 6 June 1922 by S.C. Christensen; and Elder, 13 of October 1923 by Bishop Roy Taylor.
Another interest had developed (one of the great influences of my life) that was a certain 90 pound slim blonde of a girl. This was indeed a new phase in life's experience – love and thrills I did not know existed. After two years acquaintance, and sincere and prayerful consideration, all doubts were removed and we planned for our marriage in the spring of 1924. However, due to a move my Father-in-law was to make in the fall of 1923 (to Holiday), our plans got changed and we were married the 17th of October 1923 in the Salt Lake Temple by Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith. A unique and special experience indeed it was to me, taken seriously and appreciated. Without a doubt, it was the most settling and satisfying religious experience of my life at that time.
I believe the happiest moment of my life was while at the altar and Hyrum G. Smith pronounced the ceremony which bound us for all time and eternity. Practically ten years of happy married life has proven to me that the course taken that day was good. I feel that our union has been a great success. My course in life has always been definitely positive since. When we asked my Dad-in-law, A.W. Norton, for his permission, he made one request – that we must be married in the temple. No problem for us – we had been figuring that way for months. We had thought of it in no other way. I was glad we had beat him to the punch.
It is interesting to me and I think I will mention it. My wife Mary Ann (Mamie), shortly after marriage, said she wanted or was going to have 12 children. This was not in discord with me. I had made up my mind I would have a family like Mother and Father's, that also was 12. There was always great love in my heart for my brothers and sisters. I felt bad for an only child and still do. Anyway, as ordered, twelve it was and with no regrets. What a joy they are to us and so many great joys in their childhood days. Of course, some sorrows go along with it. It seems though that we were especially blessed with good health and strength.
(Insert: taken from my My Birthright written by Rulon on August 8 1933) We have with us four fine children, and another which we love equally as well, has gone on. Diphtheria, having taken her life on August 27 1931. She was born October 2, 1926, making her four years and 10 months and 25 days old, at death. I cannot express my gratitude to God for my family. They are a most priceless gift. (Back to My Life History Rulon H Rasmussen):
My life has been constantly lived with financial blunders. Parasitic, dishonest, lying high pressure salesmen have got me for many a thousand of dollars through the years. Beware! I am afraid there might be a few of them left! One big mistake I made was when I mortgaged my homestead and lost it on account of the depression in the 1930's. Thus was eight years of the most ambitious part of my life down the drain. It was then that my most charitable, wonderful Father-in-law helped us to get another home spot and a roof over our heads. These were trying times, with drought, another bad winter and heavy cattle losses. I am not sure but it was probably the next winter that the government paid $12.00 a head and took hundreds of cattle out in the hills and shot them because of the feed shortage. We still had two cows, but no job. Shortage, hunger, want, famine, didn't seem but a likely short distance away. This is the only time in my life I have had that feeling. It was a Godsend to people caught in the grip of these conditions when Franklin D, Roosevelt was elected President. He stopped all bank foreclosures, also farm foreclosures, immediately and set up the WPA etc. and even bread lines. The WPA was our salvation. We received $40.00 per month working road projects, etc. It got us by.
Another project set up by the US Government at this time was the organizing of the Farmers Home Administration to help finance small farmers with loans. Although I was scared of borrowing, I had no capital to work with, so I took out a small loan with FHA and through this help I was able to buy a piece of ground from J.M. Marshall. Later I bought 40 acres from Martin Fletcher, 42 acres from A.W. Norton, my father-in-law, then 19 acres from Albert Norton, 32 acres from Chuck Taylor (Lee place), then 50 acres of the old Charley Taylor place, including the house, then the Colthrop place, 50 acres.
(Back to My life History) The most important things of life I have little mentioned yet.
It is obvious that there is and has been much confusion down through history about religion. As a father and grandfather and having a firm conviction, I feel I must leave a portion at least of my convictions of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. A Church is true or it is not true. It is said that there is only two Churches – one is God's Church and the other is the devils. One only can be right. God is not the author of confusion. His house is a house of order. As we study the scriptures we learn that God gives us the formula which if faithfully followed, we may know which (of the churches) is the true Church. This we call a testimony of the Gospel, revealed knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
What is the difference between our church and others? What have we that they have not? We have authorized, wise inspired prophetic leaders, who were ordained to their callings by others having proper authority, which chain of authority runs right back to Jesus Christ and from Christ to God the Father. A very understandable, comprehensible, impressive , and amazingly short chain this is – immortal beings being the key figures involved.
We have the Holy Ghost, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "A gift enjoyed by obedient church members, a source of revelation to leaders and members, whose mission is to guide and lead us into all truth."
Continuous revelation is claimed and received. Testimonies, a precious gift, are claimed by thousands of LDS people. They are very real to those possessing them. We have a correct understanding of God and the Godhead, God being an immortal being with body, parts and passions, and spirit, and Christ likewise, with the Holy Ghost being a personage of Spirit. They three form the God head, working in perfect unity of purpose in the different functions.
Knowledge of the Spirit World in which we were begat as children of God seems to be very unaccepted by much of the people of the world but is such precious knowledge! It is so uplifting, so exciting, so wonderful, so exalting! God says it is his purpose and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man!
The true story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, the Fall, burnt offerings and their meanings, the promise of a Savior, redemption from the grave, etc., is a beautiful story as given and understood by LDS people, but perverted and almost made ugly by the world.
To believe that an apostasy from the Christian Church occurred following the death of Christ and the apostles is both biblical and reasonable and will stand strenuous historical research. There was an apostasy which made necessary a restoration of the Gospel.
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel was according to biblical prophecy, if looked for and understood. Such perverted ideas and changed ordinances as original sin, infant baptism, only two grades (degrees) – Heaven or Hell ( meaning that infants that are not baptized go to Hell while a baptized murderer could go to Heaven) sprinkling or pouring for baptism, the practice of indulgences, forgiveness for a monetary price, infallibility of the Pope, these are some of the reasons that make for disgust of the so called Mother Church, which doesn't even bare the proper name, but is called the Catholic Church, meaning the peoples church, which of course it is and was. I am sure Christ does not claim it.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by our inspired leaders of the Latter Day Saint Church, is the most wonderful, most beautiful, most satisfying, most elevating, most joyful, most hope inspiring and important story I have heard. I believe as did the Apostle Paul, it is indeed the power of God unto Salvation. Likewise, the story told in the Temple is most beautiful and with its ordinances etc. is so very important and necessary in working out our exaltation.
The Gospel is the one thing good for us, good for our children, good for our grandchildren, etc. It is also good for our forefathers beyond the veil. It is good for all to anchor to it as a dependable guide in the journey of life because it is of God and it is true
My great ambition and hope and prayer is that I might sometime overcome all evil, that I might be found faithful to the end, and someday by the keywords, signs and tokens which are given to the faithful, pass through the gates into the presence of Gods.
Have Faith, learn of it, be obedient, enjoy it! God bless you, my loveable and beloved family! Rulon R. Rasmussen
Well here goes nothing. That's about the way I feel. As I think back I am reminded of the many times I have thought, "Just what is there important enough in my life to write about? As I attempt to do so now, I sincerely hope that I might give some data and experiences that might be of some interest or benefit sometime in the future of someone.
I am the fourth child of a family of twelve children. I was born in Lyman, Wyoming, the 10th of January 1902. I stutter not, and have always felt that I was born of goodly parents who did their best in trying to raise their family. I am proud of my heritage. Not only my parents but their progenitors were many fine and great people who accepted the restored gospel and lived a good life in the work of the Lord, which is important to me.
My father homesteaded at Lyman. It was a hard pioneer life, and after being hailed out, their crops destroyed, moved to the Provo Bench, Utah, in the fall of 1905. I would have been under four years old. I have a vague recollection of running to the house when I was caught in a hailstorm, of getting head first into a fresh dug post hole (was frightening), sitting in an ant bed with ants—also sitting in ashes, falling and skinning my nose repeatedly and going to Grandmas. I think these impressions belong to my life experience at Lyman.
It seems that due to the hardships of a new country life which my parents were forced to endure at Lyman, that mother was not very well satisfied. So when in the fall of 1904 a severe hailstorm came and destroyed our crops just as they were ready to harvest, it being the first good crop that we raised on the place in several years struggle, my father gave way to discouragement and sold the place at great sacrifice and moved to Provo, Utah.
I clearly remember our stay with Uncle Otis and Aunt Mary Terry at Provo Bench (Orem). Their love and kindness and goodness impressed me deeply even at that early age, which has stayed with me all my life. I can still visualize their nice home, the barn and pile of apples, etc. Uncle Otis was a bishop. Aunt Mary is Dad's only sister. She was the third wife of Otis Terry. His first wife was Sarah Lavina Howell, my Mother's half sister.
My father purchased 19 acres on the Provo Bench which is now the Center Street of Orem. He built a house there which was still standing the last I knew (1969) I was sent to school for the first time while we lived here. It was a short lived experience, my having an unusual experience that morning at school. The usual heating method in those days was a pot-bellied wood and coal stove in each room with a stove jack, stove poker, etc. As I approached the stove, a boy whose name I don't remember, stuck the stove poker in front of me, asking me to take hold of it and see how rough it was. He had just taken it out of the fire, red-hot, but the red did not show when he handed it to me. Kid-like, innocently not aware, I clamped right onto it, getting a real severe burn. This was the end of my school for that year.
A few kid things stick to my memory of my life while living at the Provo Bench, carp fishing in the Provo River (by snagging), one of our horses getting on its back in a ditch (dying), getting kicked by an old gentle horse (Jumbo), which was my fault, he did not see me. I ran up behind him and grabbed him by the tail. He no doubt thought I was a dog and let me have it. We kids tagged him many times by holding his tail. This was a lesson for me not to surprise him.
Many were the trips to Provo in a buggy. This dug way going off the Bench always held some worry for me. It seemed so steep to me then.
The most impressive thing that happened at the home on the Provo Bench was when Mother was sick with Pneumonia. I am sure that she must have had a close call at that time. We kids sensed that she was very sick and of course were frightened that she might die. I remember well how all the windows were opened while they were fighting the fever. Then all of the sudden they were closed and they were doing everything to keep her warm. A tense moment it was, I am sure, for every one of the family. We thank God for the outcome that her life was spare and that she had many years yet to live and rear her large family.
Grandpa Howell (Elias Willis) died the 27th of May 1909. I'm quite sure that Dad went horse back to Grandpa's funeral and was away when Leland arrived. Dad worked in the power house boiler room for one of the coal mines while at Winter quarters, "Grandpa wanted to be an engineer but Grandma objected to it.
We next moved to Nephi, Utah. The main part of our residing at Nephi must have been in the year 1910. Again I remember a few of the kid impressions while we lived there. My mother's oldest brother, Willis and his wife, Emma, lived at Nephi, so there was many a happy get-together with their family. They were such jolly good people and so much fun came of our visits! Their farm was just west of the city and I am sure they were leading and prosperous farmers. A large upright silo, beautiful milk cows and other farm animals, butter churning and preparing for sale, etc., were some of the fascinating things to me. Here again I went to school, no more incidents, but I remember, I didn't really like it.
My Dad got himself into the Raleigh Business at Nephi. Since it was a traveling business, he purchased a small gray team, Snip and Ted. Anyway, the grass must have looked greener in Sanpete County, for we were on the move again, headed for Manti, Utah. My job was driving Snip and Ted on a heavily loaded light wagon, or possibly a two horse buggy.
Well we settled in quite a nice brick home in the western part of the city of Manti. I cannot give a date of this move at this time. I was somewhere around eight years old for I was baptized 19th of July 1910. We probably moved the spring of 1910.
There is something strikes me now as I think of life before the age of eight. Some sorrows, but mostly happiness and I can't think of ever doing anything that hurts my conscience.
Now it seems a new day in life's experience was dawning. I was to be baptized. This was important. After baptism, if I sin I will have to answer for that sin. I am sure many things were told me at this time that I don't remember, but I do remember that my mind was made up. I was never going to do anything wrong! (ha ha). Certainly the Lord did more than his part to get me off to a good start. I had the special and unusual privilege of being baptized and confirmed at the baptismal font of the Manti Temple.
This important phase of my life experience was not realized then as it is recognized now. I am sure I had no conception of the true nature of God at that time. I must have been like the people of the world, believing in God that is not a God or just an imaginary thing that I could not take hold of or conceive of.
My good intention about doing no wrong was soon broken. In the company of a boy I went to school with and his helpful ideas, we had quite a streak of mischievousness. This friendship came to a sudden halt for reasons I don't recall. I was glad to be through with him. My conscience hurt me terribly over the mischief we had been into.
Life in Manti really was a fun period of my life. I had several good neighborhood friends and we were constantly getting together to play running games. Marbles and spinning tops were very popular. Many were the evenings we would get together to make and stretch honey candy. Hiking and swimming and fishing were part of the fun. Scouting also was interesting and fun. School was alright. I seemed to get along fairly well at school. I had one fight and bloodied the other kid's nose first thing and that ended my fighting career. Primary for some reason did not interest me and I didn't go if I could get out of it. I don't think I went to Sunday school much either, but I did go some. It seems that I was on the wrong foot too much of the time. Cow herding was my job a lot of the time in the summer.
Dad was still in the Raleigh business, but then he made another venture – automobiles. We'd never seen one and were dying with curiosity. Dad thought he could make a business of hauling people. He bought a new Buick which was the third car to come into Sanpete County it was said. I got the impression that this investment wasn't a good one, and left him in a financial bind of some kind, which probably had some bearing on another move.
I got a kick out of raising rabbits and pigeons while at Manti. I had the lot loaded with them. I suppose I was a problem to my Dad, a bunch of rabbits and a barn full of pigeons. One night all of the pigeons disappeared, a mystery to this day! (Of course I could guess a little).
I knew marbles and kept track of the number I had. It got to be between five and six hundred. If one of them was gone, I mourned the loss. Seems I was a bit possessive.
Guess we'd better get on to Fairview now, back to the old grist mill (flour mill) where Dad had worked once before. The move to Fairview from Manti must have been in 1914. Dad was born at Fairview, June 6, 1873. After his marriage to mother (born May 2 1876), he built a house and lived in Fairview until he homesteaded in Lyman Wyoming (my birthplace). Now he had made a big circle of moving and was back where he started from. Many are the memories and experiences had while at this place. Fairview being the old home place of my parents held a lot of our relations, so visits and ‘get together s' were very often much enjoyed. They are the highlights of my memory of Fairview.
My church activity at Fairview, I am sure was pretty slim. However I was ordained a deacon the 15th of January 1917 by Bishop H.P. Hansen. Uncle Amasa was a bass singer in the Ward Choir. I loved that.
Sports in the winter were all kinds of sleighing. Everybody had horses and bobsleds and there seemed to be plenty of snow every winter. The young men to show off would deck up two span of fine horses who were sharp-shod so they could get good footing on slick or icy road. With a whip to crack, a bob-sleigh with a double bed wagon box on it and loaded with girls and boys sitting down and plenty of quilts and clothes to keep warm, we would get a little speed and pull the four horse team quickly to the inside corner and the sleigh would be swinging around like a rock on the end of a rope. This was a big thrill, great fun, lots of squealing and slightly dangerous but seldom any mishaps.
The canyon road made a great place for courting. Such a lot of fun was had. There were special made little bobsleds with handle to guide about five or six passengers. The whole town seemed to turn out for this particular sport.
Weekly baseball games were the highlight sport in the summer. Saturday afternoon was a sort of half-holiday. Stores closed and most everyone went to the ball game.
I guess Dad was doing a little worrying about a couple of toe-headed boys at this time. I am sure he should have been worrying about one of them, probably not the other. I see now he was trying to make something for us to do, a wise thing, I am sure. An idle boy is the devil's workshop… at least that was true when I was a boy. I was just getting into my teens. As far as I am concerned that seemed to be the most critical period of my life. I wouldn't want to live it over again. Anyway, Dad built a cow stable and hog barn and fed a bunch of hogs all the time. They were butchered, dressed and trucked to Salt Lake City, dead weight. It seems that he tried to go with a load once a week. A little Model T Ford was the truck, probably good for 1,000 pounds. I went with him many a time and drove part of the time.
Dad kept a little bunch of milk cows, a job for Merrill and I to milk and care for them. We also had the job of delivering mill products to the people of Fairview. Much of this was done by horse power. We still had the little gray team called Snip and Ted. We soon got nicknames of "Big Miller" and "Little Miller". I think there was a big foot difference in our height.
My school days while at the old mill were to Birch Creek school to the south, and of course, Fairview to the north. A bicycle was heavily used, our home being about one mile south of town.
Ducks, geese, chickens, baby chicks, incubators, fishing, muskrat trapping, swimming, playing ball, etc., were big interests in my life during these days. Our neighbors, the Walt Coxs, had the largest and best swing I have ever seen in my life. Lots of fun was had there. Oh yes, in 1917, we had a large garden. I had entered the garden raising contest. We moved to Lapoint that fall, but after our move I received ten dollars as a winner in that contest.
Well, we are on the move again! Several trips moving were made with a small Ford truck (Smith Forno – chain drive) solid rubber on rear wheels. Our travel speed was 10 or 15 miles per hour. We started with the team, cows, etc., just a week's trip as I remember it.
Now we are calling Lapoint home. We were well received by Uncle Jim and Aunt Marzetta and others. We stayed at Uncle Jim's' several days and then settled on a farm leased from John Murray. It had a two room house near clear creek river, four and one half miles west and a little south of Lapoint.
It was great weather that fall. It didn't freeze until in November in the Basin and it had already frozen things before we left Fairview. We thought we had found a great new climate. It was very dry, mild winter and we enjoyed it. A dry summer followed which wasn't so good. The next winter was the worst winter I have ever seen. Half of John Murray's cattle died that winter (about 40 head). There was one or two found frozen to death almost every morning for a spell. We also lost part of ours. A heavy fog lay over the Basin for about 30 days. We never saw the sun and it was sub-zero night and day. A few days the fog moved low enough to uncover Lapoint, but not so, on the river where we lived. The frost built up on the fence wires and trees, (it must have been four to six inches) sometimes getting too heavy to hold its own weight and it would fall off, a beautiful sight that I don't want to see again.
Many things come to my memory as I think of this period of my life. The way that the corn, alfalfa hay, mangle beets, squash, garden stuff, etc grew on the river place really impressed me. They all did so well. The long trip to school also, it was made mostly by a two horse buggy or on horse back. However, many and many a time we walked it.
Now we made another short move up to town to a house still standing at this date (March 1972) just north of the Ward Chapel. I must have been around 18 at this time. As young people so often are, I didn't go along with my parent's ideas and appreciate them as I should have. They were at times old-fashioned, out-of-date, and not taken too seriously. My appreciation for them and what they had done and were doing for me was out of gear. This was short lived, thank goodness.
Something tremendously vital and important in determining my course in life happened about this time. All my life I seemed to have believed in a God alright, but it was something I just imagined, couldn't understand or in any way visualize or take hold of. I thought God did everything just hocus-pocus, a snap of the finger and it was done.
The thoughts of death had held great fear and torment to my childhood. Many times I would suddenly awaken from a frightful dream. Now as of the dawning of a new day, I suddenly realized and understood the personality of God as it is taught by the Latter Day Saint Church today. This revealed truth to me has been an answer or cornerstone on which to build every since. Thanks to God for this knowledge. My faith has grown steadily every since.
I think I should note that preceding the foregoing experience, I was in an earnest repentant and prayerful mood, wanting the truth, and that up until this time I had never conditioned myself for the gift of the Holy Ghost as given when confirmed a member of the church.
Another move…… now we leased the 320 acre Maroni Gerber farm, southeast of Lapoint, now owned by Roy Huber and Marvin Huber. At that time it was a big alfalfa farm. I didn't mention that I had quite an interest in farming. I did the irrigating. We worked hard and for the first time it seemed to me we were headed in the right direction. We were raising turkeys, milking cows, etc., and then bang, we hit it with a good alfalfa seed crop and got us out of debt. But that streak of prosperity was to suddenly stop. A verbal agreement was all that Dad had. Be careful how you trust people. I had heard Mr. Brother, or Old Man, or whatever you choose to call him say to Dad "If you are willing, just come on the place and make it a success and you can have it as long as you want." But as soon as we did just that (it was a crop lease, one half) they (his family) got jealous and kicked us off. I felt pretty rough about this good church-going brother in whom I had implicit faith letting us down. His boys made a big failure (in their crop thereafter) by the way. They were as big of hypocrites as their father was, one of them being Sunday School superintendent at the same time had two secret liquor stills on the farm.
I am not recording my life's mistakes. Those I would like to forget and should be forgotten. Faults and mistakes, I think I should mention one or two. A hot temper, poorly controlled was one weakness I have about got the upper hand of, thank goodness. I have made good gains in the swearing score also.
Another chapter in my life is about to start – no more tagging Dad around. Thinking that water was going to be developed, I homesteaded a piece of ground east of the Gerber place. I knew part of this land to be extra good soil. My interest in life was taking on more meaning. I wanted to see success in my Dad's farm effects and worked. Church was meaning more to me. Bishop Roy Taylor and other good men were having an influence in my life. My church activity must be a little better now. I was ordained a Teacher on 28th February 1921 by D.I. Wilson; a Priest, 6 June 1922 by S.C. Christensen; and Elder, 13 of October 1923 by Bishop Roy Taylor.
Another interest had developed (one of the great influences of my life) that was a certain 90 pound slim blonde of a girl. This was indeed a new phase in life's experience – love and thrills I did not know existed. After two years acquaintance, and sincere and prayerful consideration, all doubts were removed and we planned for our marriage in the spring of 1924. However, due to a move my Father-in-law was to make in the fall of 1923 (to Holiday), our plans got changed and we were married the 17th of October 1923 in the Salt Lake Temple by Patriarch Hyrum G. Smith. A unique and special experience indeed it was to me, taken seriously and appreciated. Without a doubt, it was the most settling and satisfying religious experience of my life at that time.
I believe the happiest moment of my life was while at the altar and Hyrum G. Smith pronounced the ceremony which bound us for all time and eternity. Practically ten years of happy married life has proven to me that the course taken that day was good. I feel that our union has been a great success. My course in life has always been definitely positive since. When we asked my Dad-in-law, A.W. Norton, for his permission, he made one request – that we must be married in the temple. No problem for us – we had been figuring that way for months. We had thought of it in no other way. I was glad we had beat him to the punch.
It is interesting to me and I think I will mention it. My wife Mary Ann (Mamie), shortly after marriage, said she wanted or was going to have 12 children. This was not in discord with me. I had made up my mind I would have a family like Mother and Father's, that also was 12. There was always great love in my heart for my brothers and sisters. I felt bad for an only child and still do. Anyway, as ordered, twelve it was and with no regrets. What a joy they are to us and so many great joys in their childhood days. Of course, some sorrows go along with it. It seems though that we were especially blessed with good health and strength.
(Insert: taken from my My Birthright written by Rulon on August 8 1933) We have with us four fine children, and another which we love equally as well, has gone on. Diphtheria, having taken her life on August 27 1931. She was born October 2, 1926, making her four years and 10 months and 25 days old, at death. I cannot express my gratitude to God for my family. They are a most priceless gift. (Back to My Life History Rulon H Rasmussen):
My life has been constantly lived with financial blunders. Parasitic, dishonest, lying high pressure salesmen have got me for many a thousand of dollars through the years. Beware! I am afraid there might be a few of them left! One big mistake I made was when I mortgaged my homestead and lost it on account of the depression in the 1930's. Thus was eight years of the most ambitious part of my life down the drain. It was then that my most charitable, wonderful Father-in-law helped us to get another home spot and a roof over our heads. These were trying times, with drought, another bad winter and heavy cattle losses. I am not sure but it was probably the next winter that the government paid $12.00 a head and took hundreds of cattle out in the hills and shot them because of the feed shortage. We still had two cows, but no job. Shortage, hunger, want, famine, didn't seem but a likely short distance away. This is the only time in my life I have had that feeling. It was a Godsend to people caught in the grip of these conditions when Franklin D, Roosevelt was elected President. He stopped all bank foreclosures, also farm foreclosures, immediately and set up the WPA etc. and even bread lines. The WPA was our salvation. We received $40.00 per month working road projects, etc. It got us by.
Another project set up by the US Government at this time was the organizing of the Farmers Home Administration to help finance small farmers with loans. Although I was scared of borrowing, I had no capital to work with, so I took out a small loan with FHA and through this help I was able to buy a piece of ground from J.M. Marshall. Later I bought 40 acres from Martin Fletcher, 42 acres from A.W. Norton, my father-in-law, then 19 acres from Albert Norton, 32 acres from Chuck Taylor (Lee place), then 50 acres of the old Charley Taylor place, including the house, then the Colthrop place, 50 acres.
(Back to My life History) The most important things of life I have little mentioned yet.
It is obvious that there is and has been much confusion down through history about religion. As a father and grandfather and having a firm conviction, I feel I must leave a portion at least of my convictions of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. A Church is true or it is not true. It is said that there is only two Churches – one is God's Church and the other is the devils. One only can be right. God is not the author of confusion. His house is a house of order. As we study the scriptures we learn that God gives us the formula which if faithfully followed, we may know which (of the churches) is the true Church. This we call a testimony of the Gospel, revealed knowledge of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
What is the difference between our church and others? What have we that they have not? We have authorized, wise inspired prophetic leaders, who were ordained to their callings by others having proper authority, which chain of authority runs right back to Jesus Christ and from Christ to God the Father. A very understandable, comprehensible, impressive , and amazingly short chain this is – immortal beings being the key figures involved.
We have the Holy Ghost, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "A gift enjoyed by obedient church members, a source of revelation to leaders and members, whose mission is to guide and lead us into all truth."
Continuous revelation is claimed and received. Testimonies, a precious gift, are claimed by thousands of LDS people. They are very real to those possessing them. We have a correct understanding of God and the Godhead, God being an immortal being with body, parts and passions, and spirit, and Christ likewise, with the Holy Ghost being a personage of Spirit. They three form the God head, working in perfect unity of purpose in the different functions.
Knowledge of the Spirit World in which we were begat as children of God seems to be very unaccepted by much of the people of the world but is such precious knowledge! It is so uplifting, so exciting, so wonderful, so exalting! God says it is his purpose and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man!
The true story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, the Fall, burnt offerings and their meanings, the promise of a Savior, redemption from the grave, etc., is a beautiful story as given and understood by LDS people, but perverted and almost made ugly by the world.
To believe that an apostasy from the Christian Church occurred following the death of Christ and the apostles is both biblical and reasonable and will stand strenuous historical research. There was an apostasy which made necessary a restoration of the Gospel.
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel was according to biblical prophecy, if looked for and understood. Such perverted ideas and changed ordinances as original sin, infant baptism, only two grades (degrees) – Heaven or Hell ( meaning that infants that are not baptized go to Hell while a baptized murderer could go to Heaven) sprinkling or pouring for baptism, the practice of indulgences, forgiveness for a monetary price, infallibility of the Pope, these are some of the reasons that make for disgust of the so called Mother Church, which doesn't even bare the proper name, but is called the Catholic Church, meaning the peoples church, which of course it is and was. I am sure Christ does not claim it.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by our inspired leaders of the Latter Day Saint Church, is the most wonderful, most beautiful, most satisfying, most elevating, most joyful, most hope inspiring and important story I have heard. I believe as did the Apostle Paul, it is indeed the power of God unto Salvation. Likewise, the story told in the Temple is most beautiful and with its ordinances etc. is so very important and necessary in working out our exaltation.
The Gospel is the one thing good for us, good for our children, good for our grandchildren, etc. It is also good for our forefathers beyond the veil. It is good for all to anchor to it as a dependable guide in the journey of life because it is of God and it is true
My great ambition and hope and prayer is that I might sometime overcome all evil, that I might be found faithful to the end, and someday by the keywords, signs and tokens which are given to the faithful, pass through the gates into the presence of Gods.
Have Faith, learn of it, be obedient, enjoy it! God bless you, my loveable and beloved family! Rulon R. Rasmussen
Family Members
Siblings
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Darol Rasmussen
1895–1978
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Myrtle Rebecca Rasmussen
1896–1899
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Jacob Merrill Rasmussen
1900–1990
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Pearl Rasmussen Norton
1904–1996
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Eva Fern Rasmussen Babcock
1905–1935
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Reed Rasmussen
1908–1987
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Willis Leland Rasmussen
1909–1972
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Velma Rasmussen Perry
1911–2007
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Veda Rasmussen Fillerup
1913–2003
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Dean Rasmussen
1915–2006
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Kenneth Pershing Rasmussen
1918–2012
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