The Forrest Johnson’s had taken over the old abandoned cabin on Day Wash, south of where the former sheep ranches of John West-(1884) & a Mr. Longmore (1887) once were, with the Frank Day & Mose Emmett ranches below. The Newman Brother’s-(sheepmen) and Barr Turley owned portions of these earlier homesteads at one time. Harry Newman still owns his portion in 2008 and the Alma Bigler Family owns the Sundown Girl’s Ranch they once operated (1954-1962) which was first owned and operated by Barr Turley. The remains of the Johnson cabin are still there [a pile of logs], just north of Highway #260, half way between Overgaard and Clay Springs. One of the area’s busy Holiday Sawmill’s once operated out of Day Wash, south of Hwy #260, directly across from where the Johnson’s cabin stood. Leonard Kizzar, who once attended that school, says that the school house was located west of the cabin across Day Wash and north of the sawmill, near where FS #332 goes to the north off of Hwy. #260. The small cattle tank in this area may have been created by what was once the foundation of the school. That is the general area Leonard indicated for the old Holiday Sawmill School House. This is where Joyce and Junior Williams & Dotty Brimhall began their tour- at the Forest Johnson’s cabin on Day Wash. Junior: “Just south of the old cabin used to be a cement tank with a windmill which Barr & Fred Turley had built to capture water. A pipe was run along the bottom of Day Wash and then the water was released to flow by gravity down to the Sundown Girl’s Swimming pool. It didn’t work. When the water reached the pool, it was merely a trickle. “The Johnson’s used to farm the land north of the cabin. It was planted into corn and when harvest time came around Forest Johnson needed help. The Williams boys were often there at harvest time. The older boy Tex Johnson (who later bought the bunk house and the cabin for his folks) and the whole family were very fond of the radio show “Days of Your Life.” Before any work could proceed they had to cuss and discuss the show and its characters. What would happen to Helen Trent next? The cabin was built by Zeke B. Decker in either 1908 or 1912. It had a huge fireplace in the main down stairs area. The kitchen was attached to the south of the cabin with a shed roof. There was also stairs and a little attic area. One of the Johnson boys came to school one day with a knot on his head. He had been running away from his dad and forgot to duck at the attic entrance. The Johnsons had moved there from Peoria, Arizona. They were very poor. When Mrs. Johnson’s dad died, his coffin was a blanket wrapped around him. An older daughter, Mildred married Lloyd Parker. According to their daughter, Joanne, Lloyd and Mildred created “the last homestead in the area” over on Willow Wash at the junction of Hwy #260 and the F.S. Rd ( ) which turns to the south just before Willow Wash. Their barn was on the hill to the west of the house. These buildings could be seen from Willow Wash School.” Clay Springs Pioneers and their Descendants (Page 327) “Levi was looking west of the Mortensen Ranch, near where the town of Pinedale would establish, where he had worked earlier. He found out that one of the sons of an earlier Pinedale settler-Lars Petersen, had homesteaded in a small valley just east of Rattlesnake Mountain. He became acquainted with the young settler with the distinguished Danish name of Thorvald Abraham Petersen. His distinguished name was shortened to “Tall” Petersen for all of his family and friends. Tall & Levi discussed the possibility of Levi home-teading near Tal’s location, which was at the south eastern end of the Clay Springs valley.” # D. p.45, Laurena Brewer: “He was made welcome and stayed for a while at Thorvald Petersen’s place. Thorvald or “Tall”, as he was better known, was a single man who had taken out his homestead and was living on it in a dugout he had made in the side of the ravine that ran through his ranch. His dugout was located at the base of a small knoll just east of what is called Rattlesnake Hill where he had taken up his new 160 acre homestead. The hill at that time was, as the name implies, heavily infested with rattlesnakes. He had laid his dugout up with logs on the sides and end and roofed it with logs covered with dirt making it very comfortable for bachelor’s quarters. No Indian, nor Hash-knife Gang or anyone else ran him off, as others had been. He sat in the entrance of his little dugout with a shotgun over his knees. Grandpa Levi pitched his tent on the Forest Service property on the east side of Thorvald’s property. Besides the temporary housing on the Forest Service land Levi had also built a small one room cabin on his new homestead south of Thorvald’s.” Even though Levi had a ‘regular homestead’ S. of Thorvald’s, he, at this time, concentrated his efforts on the area east of Tall’s, probably because it was located on the main route of travel & he, in connection with his freighting, was establishing a store there. Herbert A Hancock continues: “As Levi’s little home progressed he could see a growing need for a larger building to accommodate the need for social, religious and various community activities. So the building plans were changed to include a good sized community hall along the north side of Levi’s home. In the coming years it would serve as a church meeting house, a social dance hall for the entire area, and a school building for the growing population. The weekly dances, held in the social hall, became a big time attraction for folks up to thirty miles in every direction. My dad, Ben McNeil, met my mother, Ethel Hancock, whom he later married at these dances. Ben and Jim McNeil would ride their horses over along with others & ride back after the dance, making it an all night ritual. The music for this popular social function, a player piano, was hauled by Levi Hancock and his family all the way from the Gila valley. Perhaps one of their best investments, as it also served the church and the school for their music activities. [Laurena Brewer: People took turns pumping it.] When the Clay Springs Branch was organized in 1916, Orpha Staniford played this same piano for church services. [The piano is now at Don Jackson’s –Orpha & Don’s] Herbert A Hancock continues: “During these same years, a similar kind of growth was taking place on the northwest side of the valley, with approximately the same number of people. Of course, a school was also required and built in that area. Both of these schools, the Walker or Cross I L school in the north west and the Woodrow school, held in the Levi Hancock building in the south east, would function until the small community was combined and consolidated into a central area and officially named the Town of Clay Springs, Arizona. My father, Levi Joseph Hancock attended school at the Woodrow School, which met in the Levi McCleve Hancock Hall and Roy Lewis, who later would become my step father, after my father died in 1936, attended the Walker school.” Clay Springs Pioneers and their Descendants Page 343 “In the Meantime ‘Tall’ Petersen had married ‘Dora’ Hancock- # D “Tall” Petersen married Dora, Levi’s oldest daughter on October 13, 1913. When their first child was to be born, Dora went to Taylor to be with her mother and Grandmother Margaret Hancock, who delivered Woodrow, then she came right back to the ranch. This was the first newborn baby in the settlement…& the reason the 2nd school district in the area held in the Levi Hancock building was called the ‘Woodrow School district.” Clay Springs Pioneers and their Descendants Page 344

Andy Speaks Up

In the early 90’s Dad and Mom came to Flagstaff for a visit and went to church with us. During the priesthood segment of the block of meetings, as a bishopric member, I was busy with the Aaronic priesthood, so dad went to the High Priests group meeting without me. Sometime later Jeff Platt our former Bishop, and then a High Council member, shared with me some of what happened during the High Priests Group discussion. They were discussing the principle of keeping the Sabbath day holy. According to Bishop Platt, during the bulk of the discussion one brother spoke up and said something like, "If you have attended your meetings, finished your assignments and taken care of your family then it would not be a sin to turn on the tv and watch a football game". "During the bulk of the meeting, your father was quiet but attentive. After the turning on the game comment, he clicked his tongue took a breath and looking around the room as if to offer a challenge to an opposing view. he said "It is a sin!"". The effect, after a brief silence, was a positive turn in the discussion with the group relating many other positive things which could be participated in. Brother Platt, who was amused while relating the incident, went on to acknowledge the respect he had for my father, a man who would speak up for what he believed even among those he did not know. I had been known for being a bit of a hardliner at church so I suppose no one there was surprised the father of Brother Hancock would speak up amidst brothers of another ward. Dale related another story showing how Dad would speak up when he felt it was helpful to do so. This shows, in this case, how expressing expectations, and I believe following spiritual promptings, can help lift someone from mediocre to exemplary. Dad and Mom were visiting Dale and Lynn in their home in Sandy Utah while their children were still small. While there, a brother, who was a bit shy, and unsure of himself, came to visit as a Home Teacher. He spent some time with the family and they had a nice social visit, but no prayer was offered and no gospel message was shared. At the end of the visit Dad took a little time. Dad offered appreciation for the brother and his time to visit the family. He went on to express something like, "My kids, need a gospel message brought into their home, and they need your prayers. When you come to visit, please bring a gospel message and offer a prayer so the Spirit of the Lord will come with you. My kids need you to be a faithful Home Teacher". Dale said after that little talk, this shy brother became the best Home Teacher his family had ever had.

Ruby the Conservative

When Ruby Irene Johnson (1921 - 2010) was a girl growing up in her childhood home, the family she was raised in was always poor. The housing for the family for many years was a ramshackle abode, often provided as part of an employment agreement. At times it was little more than a shack at the edge of the fields. Grandma Mabel worked hard making whatever accommodations they had to live in, into a home. This was part of the task she embraced to care for her husband and twelve children. All heroically accomplished during an era of time when keeping house was hard physically and demanded acquired homemaking skills, such as sewing clothing for the family, growing and preserving food, butchering, making soap, and making or doing without many household items taken for granted today. Grandpa Forest Johnson worked hard doing agricultural work. Most of his work life he labored in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona. He was regularly employed in cotton and produce fields, or in the citrus orchards. With a house full of kids, when any of the children became old enough to glean cotton, pull weeds, or carry a hoe or shovel, then they were also expected to work in the fields. Ruby had some health condition which caused her severe headaches while working in the hot sun in the Phoenix Valley so, whenever she was excused from work in the fields she was put to cleaning, washing, mending and other chores around the house full of growing children. Laundry was done in a washtub outside the home. If any article of clothing or linen got a hole in it, it was patched and put back into use until it was no longer patchable. Then it was cleaned and put to use as a dishrag, dishtowel, or something else. Material was too valuable to just throw away. Their lifestyle included a common virtue of the era, which has been summed up in the phrase “Use it up, wear it out, make it due, or do without”. Conservation for them, was not part of a political agenda; it was a survival necessity. Ruby had these values, and habits, ingrained in her makeup from early childhood and carried them throughout her life. There is no doubt Andy and Ruby adored each other and had a marriage made for Eternity but they still struggled with differences from time to time. Mother has told this story on herself of what happened one day after decades working on their family together. Dad came into the bedroom one day as mother was putting the now clean but patched up sheets onto their bed. Dad looked in the linen closet, and observed the set of new looking sheets that apparently had been there for quite a while. Likely thinking time was long past due, to put this new set into service. I can imagine Dad having purchased the set of linen, “for Mother”, which, was really as much, for himself as her. Perhaps he was weary of sleeping on mended linen. Perhaps he was also wondering how few years he might have left to possibly enjoy something new. Indicating the new sheets in the closet, Dad asked Mother, “What are you saving these for? Your next husband?” I believe the new sheets were put on the bed right then and the old sheets were no doubt put to use somewhere else.

Tree Climbing Spurs

Among the many skills of John Andrew Hancock was his finely developed skill to take out large trees next to a home without injury or property damage. For some of the time, while we lived outside of Roosevelt Utah, Dad worked for Moon Lake Electric; a power company in the North Eastern Utah and western Colorado. His work for this utility company was primarily clearing power lines. While living near Roosevelt,to provide added income for the family, he also did independent contract work, including tree removal. Dale was working with dad once when the job was to remove a customer’s large tree that had grown up close to their home. Cutting this tree down was very challenging and dangerous because of its size and position next to the house. The strength of the rope being used to secure and keep the falling tree in check was questionable as to its being strong enough for the task at hand. Although dad was very skilled at falling a tree right where he wanted it; this job was more difficult than usual. Dale remembers a lesson he learned during this particular job. While Dale was in the process of working in preparation for this removal, he found himself alone and wondered where Dad was. In looking about, Dale walked around the corner of the house found Dad kneeling in prayer. Dale then backed away and waited. After praying about the task, and a great deal of work, the tree was successfully removed without loss or harm and Dale was given an example of praying about one’s work. He knew of Dad’s faith, and this moment affirmed dads faith in God’s ability and willingness to help when we are in need. Tree trimming and removal is bursting with risk. Not only is the likelihood of personal harm to be anticipated and avoided, but everything under and around the tree is vulnerable to damage. Included are potential hazards while cutting up, loading, transporting and disposing; which all add to the liabilities. Having been onsite as a youth for an abundance of tree removal projects working with my brothers and father, and having some scars and frightful learning experiences, I felt qualified to do the same and have been quite successful on numerous projects. As a handyman I have long included tree removal as one of my services. Many years ago, at a yard sale, I found a set of utility lineman’s pole climbing spurs and belts which I was delighted to find as it added to my ability to ascend tall trees for cutting and trimming. The set was well used and old when I found them, and that must have been close to 40 years ago. I have used the set, mostly on pine trees, for many years on various projects at home and abroad. I recall once when my parents were visiting, Dad saw the climbing equipment and commented that those spurs were two short for tree work, pointing out that they were meant for climbing poles. I agreed they were definitely pole spurs and mentally I reasoned they were certainly not right for trees with thick tree bark like the cottonwoods which I had often seen him work in, but, I rationalized, the spurs should be fine in climbing trees with a thin bark like pine trees. I never did upgrade to real tree climbing spurs which have spikes an inch or so longer. I also never replaced either of the two belts which came with the spurs. This might also be a good time to admit that Janet does not approve of my off the ground ventures and she did not know what job I was going to on Tuesday, May 31st. In recent years, she has repeatedly expressed her disapproval of my working in trees or on roofs. This is not the first time heeding her counsel, or my fathers, would have been a better course of action. I am reminded of the direction of church authorities regarding councils, which includes the direction for all to be heard from and a unity should be sought for the decisions made. I went to the home of a friend, David Lewis in Colorado Springs, where he had a large willow tree which had dying branches and was a threat to anything under it, as large branches were regularly breaking off. My task was to take out the tree before it caused any damage. I climbed up above the end of the long extension ladder I had and started cutting about 38’ up on a large branch hanging over the neighbor’s yard. I was taking this tree down incrementally to reduce chances of damage and had Ben Lewis and Eric Stegman, on the ground, lowering branches by a rope I tied to each piece before cutting. We were making good progress on the largest branch, which hung over a neighboring property, when one of my spurs cut through the soft bark of the willow and my foot slipped sideways and downward. The sideway shift caused the second spur to slip and both feet were sliding down the trunk of the large branch. The old safety strap, which had been around the tree, snagged the stub of a cut off limb and tore through, sending me out of the tree backwards. From the point of the strap breaking, it is estimated I fell about 15’. I landed on the back of my shoulders and neck and I have a large bruise on my right hip and a small cut on my scalp. The fall alarmed the young men there and I heard “Call 911, call 911”. Dave Lewis came out quickly and rendered a bit of triage and helped me to my feet as I refused to lay still. Dave then took me home and gave me a blessing. Janet drove me to the Hospital Emergency Room where I received a neck brace, some staples in my scalp, some pain prescriptions, a couple of CT scans and a diagnosis of a fractured C5 vertebrae. I pray for, and expect a full, although, not likely to be a quick recovery.

The Missing Anvil

The following is from my memory of dad telling this story as well as getting additional feedback from those of my brothers who also remember dad relating the tale of the missing anvil. In May 1930, Levi Hancock passed away. His youngest son Andy was a 19-year-old young man and was living at the ranch home he had helped his father Levi build above Cottonwood Wash near Clay Springs. The large anvil which Andy had inherited from his father Levi, disappeared from their place. Perhaps someone figured since Levi had passed away, the anvil might be of more use to them than located at a remote place in the cedars. In those days, an anvil was an essential piece of equipment for maintenance and repair for farm, home, transportation, and industry needs. Among other things Levi would have used the anvil to keep his freight wagon repaired, shoe his horses as well as possibly manufacturing building materials and other tools. Andy had become a skilled tracker, partly due to the time he spent working with his Uncle Press Plumb in Young, Arizona where Andy had spent at least one winter hunting and trapping. After Andy found the anvil was missing from the barn, he looked around for signs in the yard, and it soon became evident someone had loaded the anvil in some kind of cart and hauled it away. It is not clear if there was suspicion about who may have been responsible for the heist, but sometime later, Andy was at a blacksmith shop in Holbrook where he saw and recognized the missing anvil. I may be wrong, but it occurs to me, Andy may have gone to the blacksmith shop in an effort to locate the missing anvil. When he found the missing Anvil, Andy went and got his brother Joe and after they arrived back at the shop where it was located, Uncle Joe saw the anvil, confirmed it was the one missing and looking around at the guys in the shop, Joe asked "Who here claims this anvil? When, likely out of fear of self-incrimination, no one answered, Joe picked up the 150-pound anvil in his arms and dad remembered him saying "Since no one here claims this, I will just take it back to where it came from". He then carried it out without any objections from those present. Today, this same anvil is mounted on a large base and sits outside of Alvin’s shop in Wickenburg.

Protected by the Holy Spirit

In November of 1997, I had been serving as Bishopric first councilor in the Flagstaff Fourth ward with Bishop Norman Mayes when he was released and I was called to serve as bishop. Because bishops have many occasions to go to the Stake Center for meetings, interviews, and so forth, Bishop Mayes told me it did not take long to travel from the Linda Vista meetinghouse to the Stake Center, so, I could continue whatever I was doing at the Linda Vista building, up until shortly before I was due over there. After I had been serving as bishop for a while I mentioned to Janet “I don’t know how he did it, it takes me a lot longer to drive over to the Stake center for meetings than Bishop Mayes said it would take. He told me he can get over there in seven minutes, but the best time I have had is nine minutes.” With a bit of amusement showing in her eyes, and evident in her voice, Janet replied “He said it takes eleven minutes to get there not seven.” I guess I had been making better time than I thought! Also, I wonder, did my hearing also suffer way back then? I know I miss too much of what I could hear these days. I share the previous story to illustrate how I have sometimes been while driving, trying to make the best time I can, almost always feeling like I am in too much of a hurry to be a safe, careful driver. One of my tendencies has been to try and better the time predicted by the GPS technology put to work. Janet, on more than one occasion, has accused me of “Using up our (allotment of) blessings on your driving”. On the afternoon of Jan 30th 2022, Janet and I had been attending worship services at the Limon branch of the Church where we usually attend meetings on Sundays, due to our current assignments. We typically enjoy eating a bit of something on the way home. Before leaving, Janet offered a prayer of thanks for the food we had and asked for our safety as we traveled home. Our West bound drive home from Limon on Hwy 24 was an unusually pleasant day for the date. The road was dry, the sun was shining, no precipitation, and very little breeze. While traveling on this country highway, between Ramah and Calhan, a Fed EX delivery van pulled out of a private driveway onto the road ahead of us. Moving along about 60 miles per hour we quickly caught up to the delivery vehicle. My usual inclination is to quickly go around such annoyances, but I felt a clear message in my thoughts which caught my attention, a quiet whisper advised me, “You are not in any hurry right now, just slow down, and stay behind this van”. I reduced speed and followed a safe distance behind. Very shortly, in the East bound lane, an approaching 18-wheeler, big rig drifted into our lane and was on a direct collision course. Its bulk quickly bearing down on both the delivery van and our car following it. The Fed EX truck reduced speed and pulled to the right onto the highway shoulder. I applied brakes and did the same, preparing, if needed, to drive off of the right side of the road and down the embankment. Just before the big rig got to the Fed EX van, it began pulling back toward its correct lane allowing us enough room to proceed unharmed. I knew at that moment a deadly accident had been avoided. Had I not heeded the prompting, and stayed behind the delivery van, we would have been further down the road, located directly in the path of the oncoming truck. At the least we would have been forced off of the road at a high rate of speed. I know we were protected as Janet asked for in the prayer before leaving Limon and I am grateful for the clearness of the prompting to stay behind. This experience is similar to another saving prompting. When our Children were young, about 1990, we were traveling to a family campout on a dark rainy Friday night. The rain was not heavy but it was steady and reduced visibility. We were traveling South from Flagstaff on Lake Mary Road toward a camping area near Blue Ridge Reservoir where we were going to enjoy some time with Janet’s side of the family. Like many times before I had worked late so we were getting a night-time start. With the delayed start I was pushing the safety limits. The wet road reflected light from our headlights as well as oncoming traffic increasing the challenge to clearly see ahead and be safe. Not far out of Flagstaff a very clear unmistakable image crossed my mind. The Image was of our car in the midst of a herd of deer. What I saw was a still image, but in the picture, the deer were in front of, on both sides, and jumping over our car’s hood. It was so stirring, I immediately slowed down because the impression I received was we would be in an accident if I did not respond. A very short distance later, rounding a bend in the road, I saw in the headlights ahead, a herd of deer running across the road and I calculated we would have been in their midst if I had not reduced speed. In both of these instances, we were clearly protected by revelation. I seek to always be as responsive in following the quiet directives of the Spirit of God. Not only for physical safety but also to be on whatever errand God intends for me. May we all follow the Spirit as we actively participate in the work of Gathering Israel.

Consecration at Home

Growing up as one of the younger children in our home of fourteen children, I was raised by goodly parents who taught the gospel in our home long before “home centered, and church supported” was a common phrase. I learned to share and live the principles of consecration[i]in our home. I learned the words of prophets, we read scriptures, we heard and bore testimonies, and we practiced living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Work was a large part of the culture of our household. Other than occasional youthful escapes, if we were not at school, we were working at home, providing service for a neighbor, occasionally serving at the Stake Welfare Farm, or on a job for hire. We always had plenty of work to do at home, but when an opportunity for employment outside of our household was acquired, it helped our family to meet the demands of expenses. I remember the first time I worked for someone outside of our home for wages. The Carlson’s who owned Carlson’s Dry cleaning in Roosevelt hired me to do yard work. For a few weeks after school, when I believe I was in 7th grade, I would walk from the Jr. High school to their home and Sister Carlson would give me a snack. I would be treated with cookies or a sandwich and a cup of milk or juice, then I would mow, rake, trim, weed, etc. The snacks themselves were near payment enough and the privilege of using a gas-powered mower, which we did not have at home, was fun for me. Working for 50 cents an hour, after a few weeks, I received a paycheck for what I think was about $15.00. I took the check home and gave it to mother. It must have been a Friday because at the same suppertime together I remember others of my siblings also giving their earnings to our folks. I do not remember having any thoughts of doing anything else with the money than what I did. It was how business was conducted in our household. When any of us earned anything, from our parents on down, tithes and offerings were always paid, and the balance was used for the benefit of the whole. That evening when I turned over my first earnings, I remember father expressing gratitude to all of the family for each one doing their part to support the needs of the family. I felt joy and a sense of belonging. It made me feel like a valued contributor and one with the family. We each humbly helped the family, which in turn built our self-esteem, confidence, mutual appreciation, and love for one another. When someone needed shoes, a few dollars for a date, or something else, money sufficient for our needs, but never enough for extravagance, was made available. I dare say most of the time, the way our finances were shared in our household was consistent with the law of consecration. There is nothing I could have bought with my earnings, or any amount of money which would have been more valuable than the blessings received from learning and living principles of consecration at home. [i] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/tg/consecration?lang=eng