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David Byram Bybee

I was born October 12, 1855 in East Weber County, Utah (now known as Uintah) in a log house with dirt roof and dirt floor. It was rainy weather and my father killed a beef and took the hide and stretched over my mother's bed to keep her and myself dry. Grandmother Betsy Bybee was the midwife who was with my mother when I was born.

My clothing consisted of only the necessary articles and Mother carded, spun and wove the cloth to make them. My school was only a month or two in the winter time and I went to school barefooted when I did go. One of the teachers I had when a boy was my uncle, R. L. Bybee. Another teacher Father paid tobacco he brought back from Dixie for my schooling.

My grandfather owned a toll bridge on Weber River six miles south of Ogden at the mouth of Weber Canyon. When General Connor's volunteers from California moved up to Battle Creek, they crossed this toll bridge and gave Grandfather a government voucher for $700. It was cashed for gold three months later and the pioneers came from far and near to see this gold which was in 10, 20, 40 and 60 dollar gold pieces. To see that much gold money was rare for bills were paid in gold dust measured with small scales. When I was ten years old, my grandfather with wives and families decided to move down to Dixie. Grandfather's health was very poor and they thought the climate would be better for him down there.

My father and my uncles R. L. and Byram and Jonathan with their families moved with Grandfather to Dixie, Utah. We camped about a month on the Rio Virgin River then went on to Grafton, Utah. Here we lived on a steep hill above the Rio Virgin River. My father and uncles hired the Indians to carry water up the hill and fill the barrels for household purposes.

We lived there for sometime then my father decided they could not make a living for their families so moved back to East Weber. Grandfather and Grandmother, with Aunt Myria remained at Grafton. Grandfather died of hemorrhage on June 27, 1867 and was buried at Grafton, Utah. Uncle Robert L. Bybee returned to Grafton and brought Grandmother and son Byram Lee to East Weber. Later she moved with R. L. Bybee to Smithfield, Utah where Grandmother died and was buried.

On returning, my father made his home at Mountain Green, Morgan County, Utah contracting cord wood to the Government for fuel for Fort Douglas. He also supplied the fort with charcoal. He also sold tan bark to the tanneries for making tan shoes. In 1867 and 1868 my father contracted making a road for the Ben Holiday Stage Co. Later took another contract supplying timber and doing grading for the Union Pacific Railroad. He also supplied material for the branch railroad built between Ogden and Salt Lake. At one time, my father had a voucher for $10,000 which he had to discount $3,000 in order to get money which he needed.

I went with my father to Promentory, Utah when the gold spike was driven which connected the Union Pacific with the Central Pacific Railroad on May 10, 1869.

My father bought a sawmill and I worked for him. I learned to run the machinery and worked there for three years. Then I went to work for the Union Pacific Railroad as brakeman doing the work coupling cars by hand before the air brake method was used. My run was between Ogden and Evanston, Wyoming. While working on the railroad, there was a blockade of snow and for 30 days no trains ran between Ogden and Omaha.

At the age of 19 I married Emily Adelaid France, January 17, 1874. We lived in Mountain Green until that fall then moved to Hooper where our first child, Amy, was born.

When she was six weeks old, we moved up to Birch Creek, now Uinta, lived there about a year then moved back to Mountain Green. Amy died with scarlet fever. We bought an acre and half of land with a one room log house. We sold that and bought a larger log house with two acres of land over in Cottonwood. My family, now growing rapidly, consisted of six children. We moved to Hooper in 1885 where I hunted ducks where the Weber River emptied into the lake. Mallards sold for $1.50 a dozen. Teale ducks sold for $0.75 a dozen. My brother Byram and I were very good hunters. In the fall of 1878 and 1879 we went hunting for bears, deer and chicken. We hunted with Mose and Matt Browning, R. A. Wells and other prominent men. Once my brother and I sighted a big grizzly bear. We decided to kill him for his hide. Both of us shot at him and kept on shooting. We didn't kill him until he was within three rods of us.

In the spring of 1886, with my family and several others in the company with their families moved to Snake River Valley. I arrived in the Eagle Rock with my wife and six children and $0.75 (in money) on April 28, 1886. I found Wm. Arave whom I knew and obtained work at Eagle Rock. We pitched our tent on the west side of the Snake River and went to work on the Great Western Canal. This canal was built to wash gold. At one time the land between the railroad and the Monroe Brown farm was salted with gold dust and sold to some wealthy easterners for a large sum of money and the canal was built for panning the gold. After the Great Western Canal was built they found there was no gold so the canal later was sold to farmers on the west side of the Snake River for irrigation purposes.

In the spring of 1886, with my family and several others in the company with their families moved to Snake River Valley. I arrived in the Eagle Rock with my wife and six children and $0.75 (in money) on April 28, 1886. I found Wm. Arave whom I knew and obtained work at Eagle Rock. We pitched our tent on the west side of the Snake River and went to work on the Great Western Canal. This canal was built to wash gold. At one time the land between the railroad and the Monroe Brown farm was salted with gold dust and sold to some wealthy easterners for a large sum of money and the canal was built for panning the gold. After the Great Western Canal was built they found there was no gold so the canal later was sold to farmers on the west side of the Snake River for irrigation purposes.

The next year quite a congregation of Mormons lived in the settlement. I was Superintendent of the Sunday School. The Mormons in Snake River Valley purchased the Anderson Bros Canal and headgates. This canal emptied its water in Sand Creek. I went up to work on this canal for two months in 1888 making it deeper and wider. In the spring of 1889, I took a contract carrying the mail from Eagle Rock to Menan for the U.S. Government. During winter, spring or high water time this was a very dangerous journey. I had to ford Snake River or cross with a row boat. I made the trip twice a week for a time then every other day. I carried the mail on this star route for two years. One time I got lost in a blizzard and it was 20 below zero. I wandered around the sagebrush until 6:00 the next morning. Mr. Jack Anderson, the Postmaster, sent five men out on horseback to find me. He thought they would find me frozen to death. The snow those winters fell four and five feet deep on the level. In 1890 I worked on my ranch, fenced it and improved it as much as possible with feeding my large family. I had to get work in town and send my children to school in Eagle Rock. By so doing a single man jumped my farm and I lost my homestead. Another time I took a cut-off that would save me about two miles. I had Annie hardy and baby with me in the sleigh. Crossing dry bed the horses broke through the ice. I grabbed Annie and babe up and shoved them out on the ice. I saved them from even getting wet. Annie Hardy walked and carried her baby one and a half miles over to Lewisville for help. In the meantime I worked in water up to my neck unhooking the tugs and breaking the ice with a long pole to save my horses. The men from Lewisville came and helped me break the ice for about one half block so my horses could get to a riffle and get out. That night when I got to John Arrowsmith's place where I stayed all night my clothes were frozen so I could hardly get them off my body. I missed getting the mail down that day and was fined as per my contract.

The coming June, high water time, a big log floating down the river upset the boat I was crossing the river in. I grabbed the mail sack in one hand and swam to shore. Dud Chase, owner of the boat, hung on to the boat, floated down river, caught hold of some brush, fastened the boat somehow and swam to safety. I was able to deliver mail to Menan Post Office in regular time, recrossed the dry-bed and stayed at Smith's all night. Late in the fall of 1890, I lost the mail contract, moved my family to Eagle Rock for the winter to send my children to school. Emily, too was near a nervous breakdown. I then ran a delivery wagon, hauled water to fill barrels for people who needed it, delivered for Bunting and Wheeler (later purchased by ZCMI). My wife and I ran a boarding house at the fair grounds that fall. The O.S.L. Shops were moved to Pocatello. The Railroad Company had a water system for their employees. W.H.B. Crow purchased this small system from the railroad and extended it to other parts of town. I worked for Mr. Crow operating a pump down on the river bank. Francis, Clarence and Albert were born during these years and Albert died while I worked for Crow.

My daughter Elva was kidnapped from home shortly after Francis was born, which caused very much excitement. She was gone about six or seven hours before we located her whereabouts. The culprit was sent to Idaho State Prison for three years at hard labor. She wasn't injured, thanks to providence and her mother's prayers. She was just six years old at that time. I built a home for my family over on the east side of the railroad tracks while working for Mr. Crow. When I moved my family into this home there were only about six houses in view as far as the eye could see. The house was built very close to the Crow Creek which supplied water for our use. Alleen was born at this new home. My wife was very sick for four months and at times it seemed she would be taken from us, but God spared her for the family who needed her badly. Our son, David was sent to Kirkville to college and then volunteered to go to the aid of his country in the Spanish-American war. I moved my house up on the hill about two blocks from where I had erected it and piped water into the house which we thought quite a luxury. Here we lived for nearly twenty years. David returned home after the war was settled. Lenna, Erma and Verge were born here. Charles, Elva and David married a couple of years later. Ethel, Addie and Rachel left the home nest next. Ida, Francis and Clarence followed shortly after. I sold the old home in Idaho Falls in 1910, moved to Mountain Home and while there we had a fire which burned most of our belongings. We moved into Boise in 1911. Erma and Lenna married in 1914 and left us quite alone. We later moved back to Idaho Falls in 1915. Alleen married next. I lived at Basalt for a time. I farmed at Tyhee a year, then moved to Pocatello where I worked as night watchman at the flour mill for a few years. I moved back to Idaho Falls in 1925 where the last years of our lives were spent. Verge married and remained at Pocatello. My beloved wife died while on a visit to our daughter, Mrs. C.B. McCurdy on Nov. 20, 1933. I am at present with my daughter Mrs. C.E. Criddle and she is writing this life story. (End.)


Father lived with Erma, Ida and myself the last four years he lived. On Jan. 1, 1937 he died at the age of 81, buried beside his wife in Idaho Falls.

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