Versatile pioneer

Typed transcript of "The Versatile Pioneer," an anonymous 32-page article about John McLaws and his life in Joseph City from 1876-1885. Possibly written by George S. Tanner.

T"tlE VERSATILE l' IONEER J,irtl-e-- There appaars,ti:no evidcnco thAt Brigham Young or his associates used any parttcular C3re i.n calling L":en to the Arizona Mission who possessed any particul~r trade skills, at least to insure that each company had a wide distribution of such skills. 'l'hore is evidence t.hat many of those called did possess a variety of abilities nnd that undor tre force of necessity developed skills in many d irec tt omJ. From th~ record3 available it is evident that some of tha men already possesead skills 'i:lhen they received their call to Arizona. part of tells of servinP.Jtv:o apµrenticoships in carpentry. John McLaws Major Samuel G. Ladd know something of civil engine0rin~ and took his survey6r • s 1.nstrurjents, which he used in plarming irrir;ation ditches and laying out co!mmmity lots. He 'W'as called to lay ont Snot,flal~e also. Joseph H. Richards and Isaac Turley alre3d7 had skills in blacksmithing, and both spent much time at this trade because of the xtreme neea. But most of those called were m1s~illed in any trade or occupation except farming and stockraising. They uera hand1 with their general knowledge of mending and rough building and in general were fitted for the pioneer conditions under vhich they lived. In spite of their lack or particular ~dvanced training for life on the raw frontier, they were a generation of self-reliant men, and when an en.erP,;ency like a broken wa1on wheels or wa~on toneue occurred, they quickly and unhositatin~ly roco to tiw occasion . It l.l'an remarkable how many of the ... wacono reached th-Jir tittle Co1or.ido Valley destinations when tho nature of the terrotn and the roads it: considered. Thora were more un[; ns 1·eaching the end of ths journey than their oxen, many of which died along the l-my. Vers atile - Page 2 Among the firs t task s p:1rformed afte r tha colo nists carr.ped on a semi - peri~onent loca tion wera thos e of esta blish ing a carp ente r shop , a blac ksm ith shop and a shoeshop. Somo or tho men were just nntu rally rno:re capa ble in adap ttnr, to needs of tho new envtr orun ent than othe rs. othe rs and came to Thay acqu ired sld.1 ls more quic kly then acknowledged for thei r prof icion cy. If some camp lack ed a "~pe ciali st" in some field , sc:ali a call would oo made to so!!la prom ising ~.a pers on, and he would soon acqu ire the needed 11 know -how" to do the job. Frih off G. Niel son told of prot estin g when the Suns et United Ordor elec ted him as chie f cook. The company refu sed to acce pt his resig natio n or prot .esta tion s, and so he went ahea d with the duti es. Ther e is no reco rd that anyone complained of his bread bakine: or otha r cooking chor es for the larr, e companyo For the most part ec!ch of the pion eer men looked afte r his own indi vidu al need s inso far as his abil ities mee the de~n ds. There vere insta nces , howeven when spec ial skil ls were neoded and he was oblig ed to call on othe rs Yith. more refin ed tale nts. For insta nce near ly Bnyone could wiel d a hammer or even a saw, but when a watch or cloc k needod repa irs a rnore deft t.ouch WAS requ ired . As an outs tand in~ example of the vers atili ty of cert ain of the men who made up the pion eerin g comµe.nies, tha acco mpli shme nts or John Mclaws is prob - ably most nota ble in the group colo nir,t ng Joseph City (ear lier known as Alle n'o Ca~p and St. Jose ph). Much of tho infor «.ati on r~!_;arding tho exce ption al scop e of his tale nts and c.cco mpli s~en ts comes dire ctly from the pers onal diar y which he kopt dons ciet~ ounl y over a perio d of many year n. He was not nccc snnr ily the best ar.:ong thos e who settl ed the Litt le Colo - Vorsatil3 - .3 rado communities,. but evidence of his work is easily av~ilable from his day• to-day journal entries, and he certainly was outstanding in the wide variety of tasks he could and did perform. Typical of entries in his diary wero these: ttin March 1871 I started to learn the carpenter trade with a brothel" in the Gospel by the name of Edwin Broad. I 'Horked with him eight months, but could not get along very wll with him, as he lfas cross and ill-tempex•ed at times ." "In 1872 I went with father to Solt Lake City {tha HcL.-."'Ws family resided At Toelle) and was taken in as an apprcmtic:e by William Paul and Son, Architect and Builder. The shop was in No. lS Corrm:ercial Street.. I workf.-d with him tHo summers when he became b3r.krupt, and is still owing me $1J.4,." This early preparation for carpentry was to be mast valuable to his corornunit,y~ but thio w2s not to be his only ""ccomplishraent. However, before his call to Arizona he had experience other training and was considered to baa competent carpenter und able to hold a regular job in that trad13, and in the new colony he was probably kncr.m best for his skill in carpentry and cabin0t making. As domands ware made upon him, o1ther by other tne;llbers of the community, or by himself as ha aaw ths need for development of new skills, John YieLa-ws became ono of the most versatile of the members or the Joseph City coppany. One person who knew him said, "It is doubtful if he really knew how many thinis ho could do quite wall. 11 ... In SU.'Tl~'"')arizinr.t his York for tho . yecJr 1881 John HcLm1s listed 298 workin~ ~o.yo es follows, Teachin1 school 150 cays; cnrponter work 2?1~ dnys; dam work 58 day::;; c!'loop-shearin~ 38 d~ys, ditch work 7 days; chores 17½ days. Versatile - 4 Unless individual items are mentioned a reader could not understand the wide variety of tasks performed• or just what a pioneer was obliged to do. Entries copied from the diary or John ¥.cLaws gives, better -t.~an any other way, an approcf.ation of the multitude 0£ different activities in which this one man had a part. Most of the entries between 1876 and 1885 were in connection with the life of the people in their eom.wnal plan duties to serve the ent1ro company. or life, where each man accepted During this period John Mctaws could be classed as a carpenter, a wheelwri.ght, a blacksmith, a painter, a rnusician, a teacher, a hunter, a butcher, a sheep-sham-er, a sho~ker, a watchmaker,. a st.udent, a civil servant, a churchman, and a secretary. He al.s oms a farmer, a mechanic , a handyman, an entertainer, and a di.arist. Quoted entries from his diaries can bring an appreciation of his accomp- liah.~onts in each of these areas . The carpenter Somemonths after Allen I s C~pt p was established in March of 187$, HcLm1s made an entry which recorded the day on which he moved from the camp on the rivor to the .fort some three and a halt miles away. This was August 13. A latar entry gave information about his activities in 1877. Hes aid, "During the year 1877 I uorked at the mail and carpenter work all the tiine excepting an occnsional day that I worked on the farm." During those first years tn the new colony it was imperative that almost evorybody work at farming in order t.~at enough food could be rat~ed to sustain them. ... By 1879, however, with the colony fairly well established, entries bee:an to appear indicating that a variety of jobs requirod attention from tho S. Versatile trained carpenter. On May 19 there was an entry which Slid, 11 Worked all day on J. Thompson's buckboard," and then the next day, "Worlied on J. Thompsons.buckboard in the fore noon, in the afternoon I worked on a ?!.e:dcan wt?gon. n Late in Hay and during june other entries brought to light the small but interesting tasks performed: "I put 11 Made a bottom in a swill bucket for H. Ni.elson. a door tor t.he womans outhouse. "I turned two sin£;le trees and one nockyoke for the darria~e." In ~ptember the:re was an entry, "I finished turning t e rounds for twocriba, put a hoop on a wash tub for Bro. Bushman." month, 11 Later. the same Fixed a barrel to put butter in.•1 On October 6, 1879, appeared the following entryr ttin the afternoon I made a coffin. l:eleon Bartholomew and family were tra\reling from Colorado to Snnt Francisco, Cal. night. Their child died last Ha came here this morning to get our folks to bury tho child. His name was Melson Craig Bartholomew, was born the 24th of January 1879, died $th of October 1879. Uia mother' a name is Sarah Leticia Bartholomew ." This reference to making coffins is but one or many. For half a cent- ury John Mctaws made coffins for Jo:,eph City and during rilllch of this time w~mbers of his family trimmed (lined) them. A funeral in Joseph Cit1 was about as inexpensive as one could ima~ine, but this did not mean it was 11ot as nice as the resources of tho conmmity could afford. . . Two entries in t!mrcmber 1879 alluded to still other carpentry tasks: 11 Fixed Bro. Ladds chair and Sister Despains spinning wheel. "Hade a window fra:ne , put tho glass in one mrnh, and set tho frn:i,o. I fixed Bro. Petersons bureau.ff Versa tile 6 occas ional While thera were alir.os t daily entrie s in the McLaws diary , only jobs that ones are quoted hore, wi. th the objoc t of showin g the JM1n7 and varied cs 1ne to the compa ny's carpen ter. In January 1880 he told of making a "rolli ng pin for L. Haward" and 11 spin 1-r1th11 tta l1'1.1lllet for the company.W He mentio ned making a handle for to and frar.:es and door for the shop. he In Pebruary, on St. Valen tina's Day, his entry was to the effec t that the had "moved into the new shop. 11 That same night he "hung the doors on ·secret ary." An item in March said, "I worked all day on this roller ." This refere nce wa~ to a farm implement used by members or the company to roll over their land to break up the clods. It was made from a large tree and an attompt was made to mako it as round as possib le. Later such roller s were owned chief moans by indivi dual members of the colony who used farming as their of liveli hood. Highli r,hting the neces sity which tha colon ists had to make every thing took they used are entrie s in }fay 1880. "I made a pair of stairs which Jib day. 'i'he other 1/4 I made a pair of brake blocks ,H and again, ttHelpe d and make a pack saddle . " A few days later, "Made a bolste r for a wagon starte d a pictm ·e frame. u Near the end of May ho said, 11 Workod all day at turnin g on a bedste ad for Bro. Richa rds." Entrie s during Septcnbcr 1680 mainta ined the pionee r .f'lavorr 0 iJe ca:ne alon~ very voll until we eot to Charve s Pass, when our trail ton f:,'118 broko. v:e noon tha tonr:uo broke 2 more (ti.Me s). W:Jy ... fixed 1. t and drove through the pa!3s and nooned. After- '.-!o camped for the night about 1/2 totwec n the passes and tied tho oxed up or,ain ." (T~1e passes mentio ned Versatile 7 They are to the southwest were later known as Chavez Pass and Sunset Poss. of the Little Colorado Colonies.) The following week broueht further entrfos which aaidt ham City where we broke our trail tongue short off. shop & borrowed sor.ie too ls & roade 1.1 "Drovo to Brig- I went to the carpenter n~.r tongue, coupled togathe1.. , drove about 2 rods, got stuck 1n the mud and broke the tongue again. quite a time to cat Had over as far ns Sunset whoro we borrowed a tongue$ went on and arrived at St. ,Toseph." Tuo cays later he mentioned borrowing a model i'll:a for a loom from G. Bailey, and the r.ext few months spent some ti.mo in build in~ or repairing In March 1881 he aaid, "Worked all day in the shop a loom for the company~ on the loom," and then six months later there appeared an entry, 11 Started to make a shuttle to weave." Durin~ t."lese early years of the community the loom wns used for malting rough cloth, but 1n la-wr year!:! when various fabrics were available, especially after the comine of the railroad, the looms were used primarily for weaving rag rues, which appear.od on the floors of many of the pioneer families, and even in the church and school building. During the next sovernl months of lPBl t1e1·0 additional entries show-ing his activities as a carpenter, and even a fw have been chosen to show his continuing work in this field until late 1885. Here are samplo diary entri.ts: December- li, lfl8o: "Putting in desk on west side of the school house." "Hade a cubbord md shelf for M. Allen." January B, 1881: February 5, um1: Sister G. Drwpain. 11 Worke-0 in the shop. 't orkcd February 28, 1881: Mada my first washboard for ... the balance of tho day on my fiddle box. 0 "Hade a , in3lo tree for Bro. B. Younr;;'s buggy . 11 (Th s ban roforence to flrir;ham Youne, Jr., who visited tho colony rr.ore then once .) Hay 20, l88lt HI put a bottom in a wagon box tor Israel Call of Sunset to go fter salt. 0 July 26, 1081: 11 I helped get aome ox bows this a.ft,ernoon. n Nove,.iber 12, 1881: rt?ut in n wagon tongue for Quinn t - is morning." "Made three ·washboards, 2 for Bushman &. 1 for n..,cor!'lber 10, 1081: myself en There seems not to have been any rurther informati on regarding the style or naterials u.s~d in washbozmds. !te had saveral entries in his diary about makin.~ uashboard s. March 23, lfl82: 11 Made a beam for the big R.R. plow-." (This probably referred to a plow being used in grading for the Atlantic Pacific Railroad & which was ming construct ed across northern Arizona dur1.ng 1881 nnd 1882.) July 31, 1882: "Worked all day in shop. Put 2 spokes in a wheel & wedged the balance, put a sat of new bows on J . E. Shelleys uagon, i'ixed l'f.a1•tina Peterson 's accordlan ." · October 24, 1138): "Oetting ready to go to the sawmill south of Snowflake ( for lu..~ber to build a house for Pal-chin- thane.n Uovcmbo:r 5, 1883: February l, 1885: ) "We finished the house complete today, the size 12 n, 14." "There are two Navajos here today wanting me to put 11 them up houses on their spring as tha Americans are th:reoten1.ng to jump them . During 188, HcLaus had several entries which revealed the time he spent in home construct ion for members of the conmiunity, "Ploued and harrowed my r,ardan in the forenoon and April 17, 18DS: worked for lT. Push.."11~n on his hcuse i.r the p.r.i." June 10, 12[;,: For instancet 11 . Durin~ the- next week there Horked 10 hours on and finished Bushmms houso on the inside •• ; ,,: ont to a <lo nee in l3t1shr::ms house. icbc. I danced the first !Jet ••• ------- snd sang the first sor1g entitled •A Dark nnd Stormy Night. ' " Hovambor 24, 1885: "I took the contract last night to build H.M. Tanners housa for $200, him to furnish a hand until completed ." November 25, 1n85: nworked 9 hours for J.C. Hansen, finished his house. 11 ?lovcmber 31, 1085t (Probably Nov. 30) 11Worked all day on the school house making it larger." Tht!so entries were only a few of those made in the diary, but are indicative of the wide range of his woodworking abilities and skills . The Wheelwrir,ht John McLaws might well have laid claim to the trade of wheelwright~ Bnt..rios in his diary indicated that during 1879 he spent some time in this endeavor. No doubt he t!ontinued through the years to do this type of work but these notes suffice to indicate that ha could repair wagon 'heels when occasion :required. In May of 1899 he wrote: May 20 - "In the afternoon I worked on a Mexican wa{!on taking the dish out of the mom trhGela. 11 all day on the Mexican wagon. The followihg day was the entryt "Worked I put five spokes and three felloea in the wheels." Reflecting the value of money in tho pioneer settle.~eut, so for from other communities was the entry on June 23, 1879. It read: "Afternoon I put three felloes in a. wheel for a traveler, amounting to $1.50. 11 in the summer, on July 5, he wrote: spoke in a '•f exican waeon. 0 Later I put three felloes bxlI and one It cer~e to $1.00. 11 ... Because l<Jheelwork is closely associated with carpentry and blacksmith- ing. Much of the work HcLaws did was in conjunction with Isaac Turley and Joseph H. Iltchards, who wero considered to be the community's bli\cksmitho . J. C. Ifonsen later had a blacksmith shop of his own. Versatile 10 .! : I The :i llacksmit h 'I Entries in the Mc!.aw"Bs diary concernin g other phases of the blacksmithing work of the colony included: May 13, 1879: "I helped P.rother Isaac Turley cut and weld four buck.. board tires and net five tires." Hay 22, 1879: "IlOrked in the blacksmit h shop, helping Bro. Turley~ We cut and welded six tires and tried to weld an a xel for ,T. Hartin, but had to give up as it waa almost dark and we were both tired. We carried the wood and water, and got the ttre ready to rot the first thing in the morning.u . Next day's entry oaidt 1tSst ai'!,ht tires this morning, weldod We hnd a hard ti.me, patched it 1.n two plnces with the axel for J. Martin. steel. 11 May 28, 1879: 0 I nailad on five shoes on the mil horsas. 11 Sept.ember 25, 1879; 11 ! helped set the thimbles on the ttajors light wagon." February 16, 1881: 11 ! helped Bro. Turle1 mni mend Brother Snow's buggy spring." March 12, 1861: July u, 1681: 11 Wo:rked in tha shop all day. Fixed two scrapers. " "Wo1·kod all day in t..he blncksT:'ii th shop cutting, weld- ing and setting tires, and ftxin~ plow." The next day tho entry said: "Worked sorito in the shop on the plow." The Painter On Juna 6, 1879 John t•:cL,'.lws wrote: "I painted J. Thompsons buckboard ." In October, on tho lhth, tha same year, the entry said:"I J>Ut one coat of varnish on the bedste nd, mixed paint and painted J. Rush;;'Jan' s crib." July 2, lP.80: "" ai.nted Shelley'~ cubbord. 11 Au :;l1st 10, 1830: "I fixed up paint for Pal-chin- chlany. 11 I 1, Ver sati le 11 On Au;:,ist of w. 31, 1881, Mc!..aws wro te, t1Lettered a headboard for a son H. Turn baue h. n i?he Hus icia n Prob ably no acti vity or John McLa,zs was app reci ated more by his self , than his occu pati on with fell ows , nor brou r,ht more plea sure to him mus ic. e mentioned as earl y as Typ ical of his mus ical acti viti es wero thos ing t~e vio lin for dancin~ and othe r ~y 10, 1879, alth oug h he had been play t sett led in 187 6. On thts day he ente rtai nme nt sinc e the colo ny was ftr~ lise of to D. O. Cald er 1 S.L. City ,. Utah, for pric e m.mee: nwrote a lett er om, said : B flat clar inet .ff Other ent ries , taken at rand May JO, 1879 : e list of Bb "I 8ent to Snmuel Cohn, Nev Yol:"k for pric clar inot s . 0 June 15, 1879: July 4, August mus ic." " Moses Stee l and rnyseH' play ed some chil dren 's danc e. 11 1879: "I help ed l-ioses Stee l play for tho ing for pric e 7, 1879: "I wro te a lette1~ to C. W. Stor y askf of Bb clar inet s." olph "I rece ived an answe1· to my lett er t.-o Rud days late r ha wrotes "I rent a Wu rlitz er &. Bro . abo ut clar inet o.n 'l\rn osed to Rudolph Wu rlitz er & Bro . Cin ~pt ombe r 8, 1879 : ree iste red lett er with $8 .00 encl t cloa ner, cinn ati, Ohio, for one cla~ inet , one clar ine reed s." one dozen pads and the bala nce in clar ine t " My clar ine t came toni ght. n Octo ber ll, 187 9: November 30, 1879: August 8, 1880: ame music hold er, ... ":-!o ses Stee l and mys elf had some mus ic." lt\,Tas 11 around home all day wri ting son1;s. (As late ld sing aones of thos e earl y pion eer as 1920 John McL.m-rn on occa s ion wou day s. resu lt of the origi nal One r enc~bor ed by man was one wri tten as the Versatile 12 journey from Utah to the Little Colorado Valley. It was entitled "And They Lost Another Ox.n ) .J-- ·o Nove:nbor 2), 1880: np . N. Skousen wa3 here to dinner and night . We had sol"le good music." A year later, i.n necernbcr, were t~ree entries concerning music for the Chri stt,ws and Nev Year: December 20, 1861: "Eight !1oquies Indians were here today. they w ish-sd to dance. t.t night I took them to the school houve and thoy danced some five sets. 11 December 21, 1881: children. "This afternoon I took charge a dance for the At ltht a danco for the adults . 11 December 31, 1801: Yoar 1 or 11 Was mannger at s children's <lance tonir,ht - New Eve - had a very good tin10.u On the same day he wrote: nr played the vio-cclo at a dance tonight." On Hew Year 's D.oy., 1881'; was the entry: "I played the violincelo at a dance . Enjoyed myself first rate.n On January 2, 18~1: "3ang in the choir for the first time." Indicating his continuing interest in music was an entry on October 9, 1!381, which S3id : "Studied music after meeting.u On February 17, 1$82 : ¥.arch 19, 1B82t July 9, 1882: 11 Had sin,:;;ing , speaking md spelling i n s chool. 11 Went to choir practice for Sunday Sehool. 0 t1 "i was sustained as secretary of the Sunday School, also as l eader of sinr,inr:. . 11 Other entries for F82 , 1883 and 1?84 led finally to one on Februnry 19, 1084., which read: 11 1/rote a lotter and enclosed ~~$0 in gold to Daniel 'Deatty, Hnshin~ton, r:ow .Tersey for an 11) st.op ori_:nn." On ~arch 9, ltlGS. appeared the entry: 11 H:id music at nii~ht when I Versa tile 13 learne d to play accompanyments to dance music on the orr,an ." t.'' November 10, 1881: - "I played the bass fiddl~ for a dance tonigh Deee!'lbar 2. 1882: gave 11 I Yosterday I traded fiddle s with H., B. Steal . $5 .CO to boot. u Deeemher 4, lf\82: "After noon wo had a childr en's dance at which I was the caller , 1t bein~ my first attem pt. had a picnic party which lnated until 12 oclock . the music ians. I played the vio-c ello. At nieht we I did very well. Br. M. Steele and I were It is the last dance that he will is goplay for us herei for some time as he has drawn off from the Co. and ing to tho Gila." Years later George S~ Tanne r, of tha second genera tion in Joseph City, hTote regard ing John McLa~st 11 People of' my genero tion were scarce ly aware of c.Tohn McLaws. who or the music al abilit ies But the pionee rs knew and appre ciated it. fJ,3re was IJ. man plnyed four or more instrWI1ents, and was generous uith iis talent s and enjoyed playin g and callin g for dances.tt Those were the days of the square dances and of neces sity there needed accept ed to ha someone on hand to call the formoti.ons. For many years it was natura l in the corr.munity that John McLaws would perform this servic e. It was for one of the music ians to do this, and he enjoye d doing it. The Early pionee rs or Teacher the colony wera devoted to educa tin~ their childr en, but mattar s of' surviv al cam9 first. Durinrt the first four years of their a few existe nce at Joseph City there ~ere severa l teache rs who uiu;th t for :fore are months each. John McI ...1ws bccarce tho teache r in Novenbor of 1880. hia words: Verstit ile 14 "I reCtii ved word. that I was wanted to -reach school . fl Octobe r 28,. 1880: The followi ng day-, having inspec ted the buildin e and ascerta ined some of house the physic al neods, he made a diary entry, nworD::ed all day on the school and blackb oard." Octobe r 30: 11 HDds a shelf for the school books and painted blackb oard. "Starte d to teach school this mornin g. 0 November 1, 1880 , lfovember 15, 1680: "Receiv ed two bells, one class and one hond bell. 11 November 27, 1880: tt· las examined for a school teache r in the a fternoo n.•t have There was no inform ation on what the examin ation consis ted of, nor who may examined him . Othor entries indica te he was at Sunset for church confere nce, an inand it was likely , accord ing to some Joseph City residen ts , that ho had terview with one or nora church offici als, since he would be working under the directi on of the Unitod Order coMpany. On J?nuary 21, 18~1 he noted in his diary that he had finishe d his first y quarte r of teachin ff school , and two days lateEl said: "Made out t.he monthl reports of the school . 11 An entry on March 12, 1881, sho:ired the enrolle ment and attenda nce figures cf the school when ha said: follow s: ~.ic "I made out ny quarte rly school report as Grad0 Common, male pupils 22, female 12 , tot.al was taught in 0 uarter 58, 34, No. days school avarage attenda nce 28 . 11 As i Mportan t as school was consid ered, the necess ities of surviv al cair.e first, as indicat ed by a diary entry on H.arch 13: "W'. C. Allen, school trustee , and wanted me to go came and t.old me that they would suspend school for ai1hile , ... eo the <lnm :::mkx to work . 11 This work appare ntly was well enouGh under way within a month that he could return to his school mn-..i:t duties . thnt he wrote: It was on April 10 "Hos asked toni-"?ht to start school tomorro w." Versatile 15 During the first yeara of the settlemen t there was little government outside the local organi7.a tion. For this reason it was not considere d nec- essary for school t eachera to have credentia ls beyond ability to read andrrits and do simple calculati ons. By 1883, however, there was enough state and county gtvernmcn t to have establish ed standards for school teachers. John r-1cLaws wished to qualify and so went to t.he county seat at St. Johns to take the needed examinati on. one journey to no avail. Because of poor communic ations he was to make In his diary of Mmot November 20 he wrote: "Started triis morn1ng at daylight for St. Johns to get qualified -for a school teacher." Next day's entry said: 11 Reached St. Johnsc:bou t nnd seen E. C. Bunch but he could not qualify me. 4 p.m. Went ::ttll.'lcmmaXllOO!l I would havo to wait until the first Monday in December." On ths last day of November he again started for St. Johns, and on Dec. 3 he recorded: 11 At 9:30 a.m. we want to the court house and started with the examinati on before Judge E. of Examiners. _.;,- c. Bunch, hie brother, and Itwas 12 p.m. before wo got through . c. S. Cutterson , Board I could not pass tha ridged (rigid ) examinati on and so did not get the certifica te." C J In spite of this fai.lure to qualify legally,, he began teaching again on December 10 and noted that he received $JO par month. Later entrios in his diary told of his school teaching, which meant that lackin~ certified teachers the colony used those persons available who had some degree of education . rlhen this colony of Joseph City later requested state funds for 1ts school, were not availlike other Horman communiti es in Arizona, it was told that these ... able because "the laws had not been strictly cor'.plied with. 11 usin~ of uncertifi ed teachers was one of the difficult ies. that the sc gathered . 1 001 It could he that It was true, too, terms were short, not ber,innin~ unti.1 most of the harvest was Nor did the school have adequate equipment in many cases. Versatile 16 The Huhter was a It was by no means a major occupation for him, but John McLaws-7,, ( The colonists depended on wild game to supply }much,( of successful hunte:r. their food needs in the early days of the S3ttlement, and on April 24, 1880 there was m entry in the McLaws diary saying 11 Went out md shot my first Came home, dressed it and cooked tikarly a shoulder for supper.." antelope. On Apri.l 26 was ano"'he:r entry: 11 I shot an antelope; had to shoot it, twice ." An entry on Hay 1 said: ttI killed a doe antelope, we carried her three miles. 11 The following day he said: "Cut up the antelope to dry." The next week ha wrote: 11 Went out this r.,orning to hunt Ehout 11 o'clock. I killed a deer and got homa with her about 2: 30 p.rn. Carried her about 21~ miles." FiYe days loter was the entry: and went aftor it. "In the morning I heard a turkey gobble Could not find it, but in coming home cama ecross a herd of deer and broght down one with each barrel." In July 188!1 appeared another entry, of which there were sever a 1 each yoar 1 concerning the h."1.lling of r,ame . · and myself went out with our Said his diary on July 18, H381: "Bro. Walker gtt.."lS and I killed two deer, · at two shot." The followinv, summer appeared additional hunting itemst Augu~t 14, Aur,Ust 16: August 22: 1882; 11 "I took my pistol and killed three rabbits.n I killed an antelope today and we cut it up to dry." "Worked till noon writing and cleaning my gun." Information concerning the firearms of the settlers appeared from time to ti.me in the HcL.~ws diary. As early as October 16, 1879 he had writteni ... I bout;ht a needle gun and 12 rounds of ammunition for~ $16, three dollars uas in assay tickets." Later in the same month he m-ote: .. "I sent a letter and a postal card to the Remin~ton Saw Works inquirin~ the price of ammunition for a needl e gun. 11 Versatile 17 On Dccemhor 1879 he wrote: "The gun sights I sent for came tonight. Also the cops and some of the shells.n Durin3 tho su--:mer of 1880 appeared other entries to show the versat1li~ 1' of the man when he wrote on June 6: ntoaded · 14 shells for B. ·Thomas, 1t and "Afternoon ran bullets.n ten d.iys later: Tha Butcher During the winter of 1081 appeared entries, which tz."ero not uncommon at other times dealing with the pioneer activity of but.charing animals for On January food. 15 he wrote: Tho "I helped Bro. I. Turley ldll a beef • 11 followin~ day appeared another entry: nr helped Bro Turley kill a beef. 11 Tho size of the meat animals was stresoed in an entry the next autumn when on October 2& appeared: "Helped H. Tanner kill a 3-year old steer. He was very fat, one kidney weighed 36 lbs, he had 140 lbs suot.n The colonists raised c~ttle and sheep , and hunted for deer, antelope, turkeys and rabbits. Henry M. Tanner was in charge or the cattle during most or the years of the United Order for ths aettleinen t. The Sheep-Shearer John MeLaws, ~,ith tho others, took part in shearing the eompan}t' s sheep. Entries in his di.'.lry in 1880 indicate that the shearing was latex that year. Startin~ Aur,ust lli, 1880 was a saries of five entries. They tell their oim story: "Stnrted shearing this ~orning. Sept. 14: late start and quit early for want of sheep. Sept. 15: !,ept. 17: 11 Sh~ared 31 Got a There were f'our shearers. Richards, J. l'J. \Jalker , T. W. Turley and myself. ever s~en a sheep shearod.fl I sheared 20 today. J. U. Today was the first time I ... sheep." H\:Orked all day shearin~. Sheared hO, carna out on lead by 3. 11 Versatile 18 Sept. 18: 11 I ea:ne out lead by one sheep . I sheared 31 toda-; •" Shearing the followim~ year appt:ircntl:r started much earlier. On July 22 ?-1'.ctaus wrote "l sheared 56,u and this was just one of several entries. The folloi-ri.ne- r.ionth his diary indicated he was tnvol-vod in helping to sack the wool. On Au~us t 6 h::, wrote: m:le nt back to tho mill, from there to the sheep herd with the pr ess,n and the following day: "i-lorkad on the press all day, raised it ready !'or work." In Septerriuer 1881 he told was the entry: or pressing the l-1001 into bales. On Sept. 10 "Pressed fou1.· bales of wool and broke the sill of the press .. Put an oak bottom in the press." the thread of tho screw~» Nm..--t day ha said: itPressed six bales, broke Then on Sept. 12 he entered: ttBaled 2 bales and broke the burr." Shearing and loading wool occurred much earlier in 18B2, according to the Me!.,;"TI.za diary. wool." On Hay 22 appeared: A. 1, "Till 11 oclock at night loading a car with On May 20 he \-n~ote: ttWas up at 4 oclock P. na R. 18 bales weighi.n~ 4,651 lbs. a.ro. finished loading car 412 30 sacks weighin~ 4,292,. total weight 8,943 lbs consi~ed t.o Justice Bateman & Co. Philadelphia, Pa." On Ausust wrote: 6, 1882 was rocorded the pri.ce received for the 1--1001, when NcLaws "Bro. Richards received $1,490.86 for wool sold in Philadelphia." This was about 16¢ per pound, baaed on his shipping figures. Wages for shearing sheep were reflected in the McLaws diary entries in 1883. "Went round hy Winslow to Sunset where I went On April 2lt ho wrote: to shear. Got 61-:..,¢ r,er head., 1t On May 12 ho recorded: 0 Shearcd all t1eek. 11 "Cl (:'.! , oth. es so dirt y I did no t r,o to $ .;:,. Hay 17 tho diary entry read: 807 at 61:.1 •II 11 .:::>un C.ay ( '~ ... The followinr: day he noted: c• l) ;)C,100 or r.iee ttu1r,. II Shcared and finished t-he herd. I sheared Veraatile 19 The Shoemaker As early as ?fa y lfi81 there were entries in the McLaws di ary regarding his work in makin~ shoes. On Eay 7 he mads an entry: "Started a pair or slippers for rny wife." On J uly 11 he lo.Tote: . 11 Worlked all day in the shoe shop. tonE;Ues and counters in for myself." 5 pr closed 2 pr & I sewed the helped put the sole on a pair "Worted 3/4 day in the shoe shop. Next day t.ha entry read: I made a pa ir of shoes for Johnny & helped on 2 other pair." Years l ater hew as to nulke note or his shoemaking cctivities , for in 1894 appeared tho thi"'ee entries: February: "I have made several pair of shoes tor my family ." On March 17: April 16: 0 11 ¥...ade a pai.r of shoes for Sophia . " I made a pair of shoes for \-Jalter . 11 (his wife .) (his son). Watch and Clock Repairman During 189h were diary notations which showed that John l1cLaws was resourceful in repairing tirne pieces. In February ha wrote: Cleaned and mended several watches and clocks." On ?-!.arch L appea ed: "In the afternoon I cleaned a watch for n. J . Foster for $1.50. February 121 I cleaned two watches. 11 "Cleaned a clock for H. M. Tanner and a uatch for Penrod.tr The Student As early as May 1879 John McLaws determined to improve his mind and to keep records or what ho did. for on that day he wrote: wor\.c that I 11 J\ppnrontly his diary began on May 9, ll179 I rosolvcd to keep a journal md accout of the oc.n Indicattnr, his interest in learni g thin ~s new, thero was a diary entry on June 12,, 1879 which i:rni<l: 11 I worked all day in tho hlacksmith shop helpi.ng f~t=a-p=g~ ~=tt.~ ~=,~~:~ryth~m~llnrt~ Ve rsa tile 20 th. fit up some work for Nathan Bar tal k A young Nav ajo Ind ian tha t cou ld wor ds from Johns) and I eot some 150 Nav ajo Enf ;lis h came uit h Bar th (fro m st. n Navajo "Tonded ma il and was try in~ to l ear him." 1'he nex t day r.:cLaws wro te: the res t of the day ." Juno 15: August 9: for doc tor boo k." "Wrote let tor to Nat ion al Book Co "I rec eiv e 'A Key to the Un ive rse ." book wri tten by Orson : ~.) ... & Co. for pri ces of ''I sen t a car d to A. S. Ban cro ft ,. SaDtel'llher 15: E.'1ginaers t/ c~ (Th is was a sci ent ific i·~echanics Poc ket fuo k." wider int ere st in books by the se In December of 1879 ha ind ica ted a ent rie s: December 6: December 8: 11 My dic tio nar y came ton igh t ." lar to "I sol d my dic tio nar y for one dol w. C. All en. " the u.. s.n "I sta rt,e d to rec1d the His tor y of r evi den ce of his wide int ere st in Journa l ent .ric s in 1580 gave fur the 11 the Lif e of Geo. \•:as hin gto n. g din rea ed ish fin "I 18: ary anu boo ks. He wro te on J Deeernber 21, March 4, 18801 "Order ed a Bas eba ll quide ." 's Dwyer for a copy of •F. W. f'ar rar Harch JO: "Wrote a let ter to Jos . Lif e of Ch ris t.' " 11 I ry of Ap ril 2.5, 188 1, whi ch rea d: dia the in ed ear app ry ent l sua An unu d wri tin g." hav e ren ewe d my stu dy of nho rt han cerned tha t the ent ire set tlem ent was con On Feb rua ry 2, 1882 HcLaws showed his dia ry e from rea din g boo ks. On thn t day wtt h the bonofi ts tha t cou ld com h. I sen t aft er pony rec eiv ed ~2 to buy bec ks wit rev eal ed: "Sa.ch man in the Com 75¢, 1 k,,1 rica n 50¢ , 1 han dy Bib le Enc ycl ope dia l Americ an Pop ula r Dic tion ary , in P'r3 nkl in (.:;0 ¢.' r 28¢ , 1 flut obt o ;1.ra~hy- of Don jm, inte 'Pa r te11 Arra l , 25¢ n J .' scm ina Bus cle ~rl y intl,2 per man by a few cen ts, but s lis t of hoo ~s exc eed ed the 'rhi Versatile 21 indicated tha interest of tha people in gaining knowledge in whatever fields they were interested. The Mckllrn list showed a wide range ot interests. 111c Civil Servant Because the re ~ulal.' diary or John McLaws was not started until 1879, soma of the entries uo~e of events prior to that time. One such entry read: u0n the 23rd cf l~ueust 1876 I was appointed Post Master at Allen, Yavapai Co~, Ariz. but did not receive my commission until the 23rd of December 1676." Another entry from an earlier date was that which read: "Durin~ the year 1877 I vorked nt the mail and carponter work all the timo excepting an occasional day that I worked on the rarro." On September today. 5, 1879 he wote: Hot so ood for a sick man1" "I tended rnail all day. I earned $7.54 Wages at t.he time were about $1 .SO to $2 .oo par day which would account tor this entry. · 'l'he money did not go to McLaws directly, becau.se all earnings by individuals went to the United Order company • .After serving more than three yenrs as postmaster, John Mc.Laws resigned. His diary entry on October 21, 1879 read: "I wrote out my resignation as post master and reco~.l!!ended Joscrph H. Richards as postmaster." Following the progress of chan~ing postmasters , an entry appeared on December 17, which readr yesterdat.'' nr sent Bro. J. IT. Richards bonds to Washington D.C. On January 1,, 1880 ~peered the notation: "Bro. J. H. Richards Com!l1i.ssion came.n Back 1.n Juna of 1879 there "Wa s an entry that may have explained his desire to be relieved of the po:;tmastership. a letter from s. It was on June 14, tmd roadi ... F.xpross Agt." I received A. Fiske , with notic9 of an aopointinent as Express Agent for the Star Line l~a il and Transportation Co., John A. Walsh proprietor ." ing day ho said: 11 The follow- "I wrote a l ,Jtt0r to E. A. r'is'ke accepting the position of Versatile 22 concerning electrons c-lOme or the f r.m entries ·in pion<Jer journals of the comrouni ty/were those sppearing in t iie McLaws diary. On November 2, 1880 he wrote: ttElection dsy. I was clerk of the election." on Nov. 6 6 he wrote: In ~lovember of 18R2 appeared some more entries. "Was secretary of a caucus meeting which lasted until 12 oclock p.m." followinr, day his diary said: "'was clerk of election. 15 The votes polled elll democratic." On August 4, 1883 his entry uass 0 Waa judge or election for school trustees.; Two entries back in 1881 revealed an aspect of his work in serving the United Order company as agent for the express compa ny. an entryi On March 25 ~peared "Lehi Heward and I set up guarding 6 head of mail animals and 3 loads of grain that had been attached." Later, on April 16, he saidt n1 acted as clerk of a constable sale. Sold 4 mules, 2 horses, 15,000 ll.>s corn, 5,000 lbs. barley." These amounts would indicate that the property attached in March was disposed of in April. The Churchr:-.an John McLaws, like other heads of fanilies in the Little Colorado colony of ,Jose?h City, waa there because he had been called to ba there by the lender or his church. While many places of leadership were held by others, he did not refuse to serve where called. One of the entries in his diary was on August 28,. 188o, when he wrote: "I wrote 6 patriarchal blessines this p.m. after L. H. Hati!h, patriarch." November 27, 1G81: Janunry 10, l :'.82: "I was voted as an Indian missionary." ... "This afternoon we had a meetin~ of the members of the company for electing of!'icors ,.,hich are as follows: W. C. Allon, 1st Vice pres; J. c. J• ..r. Richards, president; rlanscn , 2nd Vice pres.; John Bushman, treasurer; J. McLaws, secretnry, whi.ch constitute the board of directors." Versatile 23 July 9, 1882 : "I vas sustained as secretary of Sunday School, also as leader of singing.n r~y 28, 1882:- "I was sustained ~sa me~ber of the High Council, LitUe the Colorado Stake, in/place that was made vacant by the removal ·o.r ·warren Tenney from the stake. In ?!arch of tha following y-ear appeared the entry: "This morning I mis set apart as an Indian Missionary under the hands of Apostle B. Young and H. J. Grant." This was on March 18. April 8, 188): 11 A few weeks later he wrotes I was released from being secretary of the Sunday School and sust.sined assuperintendent.tt Then on December 16, 1883 l-LlS the entry: 11 At the evening meeting I was chosen by unanimous vote to be Ward Reeorder. 0 June 22, 1884: "Bro . Richards said that the Apostles had selected ma to go end live among the Lam.onites." Thts was the third time that his diary en- tries ru:id mentioned his selection as a missionary to the Indians, but later records do not tell of his activities in this respect. His continued service to ths Sunday School was shown in his entry on September 9, 1885: 11 Wos sustained by the conference as Stake Superintendent of Sabbath Schools.•• Secretary - Bookkeeper John ~.cLnws wrote well. in all of his bool, work. He spolled well and was neat and workmanlike Hts penmanship was probably the bast in the company , and 1t may have been for this reason that he was selocted as the first post- master. Sona mistakes in gram:r:tar were probably the result of ... his e3rly en... vironmont, but his deep interest i.n bo(")ks and readir.? , and his selection as a school t<Jcchi:?r, t ended to correct most of these irrevuaritios . He u as in const,,ant dommd as n keeper of record3. ll:.0re than a hundred Vers atile 24 entri es ara to bo found in his diari es telli ng of his work as a secre tary or keepe r or recor ds and acco unts. Hts dieri es conta in seve ral fhum cial state ment s of! tho Unite d Orde r co:-npany, nd numerous finan cial trmis nctio ns. He neve r.fel t that he wao supe1·ior to his breth ren or that his skill s deserve d highe r pay than the less skill ed members. Durin g mcst of the early perio d a man 's working tirna was value d at 20¢ or 25¢ per hour . Typic al entri es in this area were these twos July ~, 1883: "The rest or the day was writi ng l½ hours. at 20¢ per hour on the Co. book s." Augu st 2, 1C8Jt recor d." "Worked 3/4 of tho day writi ng 1n Bro. J. H. Rich ards Here is a typic al day in tbe life of John Hctaws: 11 Wednesday 15, store house book s. carri od mail , worked soma on tha tank, and four hours on Plowed aome of my corn in the even ing.u The Mechanic Even t :ough much farm machinery had been inven ted by the time the Littl e Color ado colon ies were estab lishe d• tho power mach inery known to the 20th Century had not yet been envis ioned . However, the colon ints did have a grain thres her, crenp er, a mowing ~~ch ing, a hay rake, culti vato rs, plow s, scrap ers, and rolle rs made from heavy tree trunk s to break up the clod s. There Yere some non-farm piece s, too, such as spinn ing whee ls, looms, sewing mschines a n d ~ s grind -ston e. ... All of these l'leeded repa irs from time to tirr:e , and John I<cLaws was amen~ those who were calle d on to perfo rm t.l"1ese repa irs. 1'ypi cal of tha repa ir jobs he perfo rmed wore those ment ioned in these en- tries in his diory : frovembor 1;:, 18'[9 : whee l." "Fixe d Pro. I.odd' s chai r and Siste r Desp ain' s spinn ing Versatile 25 There vas hardly any need of the pioneer community which aohn HcLaws clid not try to meet in repairing or building. These included such unusual tatks as the one mentioned on February 7, lf-80: nworked 3/4 day fixing a block for Bro. Ladd's magnet needle." Samuel 3. Ladd was the surveyor for His own com"llunity and for others such as Woodruff' end Snowflake. Other instances or the McLaws ability in things mechanical, entered in his diary during ehe United Order years included: October 8, 1881: "Worked nearly all day at the cane mill, mended n scraper for Billings Bros. n September 16, 1882t "Fixed my wife's sewing machine which was a little out of order. 11 July 5, 1883: July 14, 1883: "Worked 2½ hours on the reel of t.l'1e reaper." "Worked in shop on reaper reel and makine rakes.'' Years later, long after the United Order company had been dissolved and each resident of the town owned his oun home, fields and equipment, John HeI.aws owned the only thresher in the community. or ffe usually charged a small fee for the use other farmers in t treshing their wheat. The Farmer John McLaws was not considered the outstanding farmer of the new settlement. He was kept busy with u a multitude of other duties, but his record does reveal that he raised a few acres of wheat each year, as well and melons and sorghu."71 cane. He also kept a garden for the usual truck vegetables. Eccause sources of supply for sugar and other staple foods wer& so f ar auay, in Kanab,Utah or in Albuquerque , lbw Mexico, the colonists depended upon the sorehum for sweetdmin'!. Some entries in the ~~cLaus diaries indicate his occupation in con:iection with this crop, as woll as with corn, which co:riprieed an irportant food for ~jn and beast . Versatile 26 Here were some short entries during 1802: June 5: June 8i June 24: "Worked tillnoon on a corn pl~ntor, planted cane in the afternoon." "Planted corn all day." "Worked all day dropping corn after the plows .'' ~ptember 2: 11 h'ent to the garden thts morning and pulled 104 melon.s.n Sentember lA: "Hauled two loads of rnelons." Septerr.ber 25: «·de pulled 100 water melonn and 800 musk melons." September 27: "Worll:ed all day unloading and cutting the tops off cane." September 29: "Had 20 loads of cane." Tha entries rer:ardtng the sorghum cane were during ehe time of the United Order, but there was a comnrunity "sorp;hum mill11 operating well into the Twenti.eth Century, where those who raised the cane could brin~ it for pressing out the juice which was boiled in lan~o vats to make the rnolas!JeS which served tls sweetening for general pi:rposes., and for making or candy which was one o! the fe if confections enjoyed by the pioneer children. · Entries in 1383 reveal more or the farming activities of this versatile pioneer. April entries were relating to planting: April 17: The "Worked nearly all day planting r.iangeiwurzels end early cabbage . 11 former were used principally for stock feed, but like parsnips, were often used for the colonists' own dinner tables. April 18: nworked 2/3 day in garden. Planted . and wat.ored carrots , beans, rodishos." After tho middle of July in 1883 there are entries concerni.ng the harvestinr, of wheat. wheat. For instance, on July 17: 11 Rnked off the reaper on Bro . ...Peterson's Finished it end went to Bro. Ric~urds picco Dbout h p .m. Was bindinp; for Rro. Richards." July 20: n·.:a then went to J.C. Han~en 's and hound his wheat till d · rk. lle has Versat,ilo 27 the best wheat we have cut this year y~t." 8 The reaper snoken of was quite an improvement over the aicklJ or eyths, or tha mowing machbe. It kept most of the wheat heads in the same direction and the grain wns taken off :ti'%. i n a proper quantity ready to ·be bound into a It required ooveaal men to follow the reaper and tie the grain. sheaf. In t.)ie Mcl.8ws dinries are scores of entries telling of the harvesting of the grain. As the men tied the sheaves they placed them in shocks to be hauled to a stack to dry. Finally a do.,,en or r,ore men took part in the wheat threshing, usin~ a horse-powered separator. It has boen roughly estimated that m3f a modern combine does the work of 40 to 50 men of 1883. Later, in 1883, there was an entry in the diary which indicated that the settlements on each side of the colony were going to have an economic effect on the people there ·who raised e rops. On Sept.) appesed : 11 A crowd caMe from Holbrook, to whom I sold twelve dollars and 1$j worth of melons." This would have been the equivalent of about a week I s mi;es . On September 15 appeared the entry: "Stripped three loads of my cane. 1t It was the practice of the time to re'!?love the long sorghum cane leaves from tha stalks before running the juicy x.tm.x stalks through the cane press. This stripping often was dona by the children, whh used \iooden ~-words made for this purpose. September was the month of the sorghum harvest. this entry in his diary: on Sept. 26 .t'icLaws rnade "Worked all day grinding cane for Bushman.n This h~rvesttn~ and ~aking of molasses continued for some tim~~ however, be- as bte as cause/nu November 11, 1886 (which may have been a late harvest) there appeared .gn entry which said i "Bro. H. W. Despain fr, round cane for me nnd finis hod by 9 o'clock p.m. last nir:ht . hauled tny molasses ." Bro . H. M. Tanner done all the boilinr,. Today I Versatile - 28 The Handyman Many of the jobs performed by John McLaws would not rightly be placed under any of the titles that have been used so fnr. He did so many things that merely were odd jobs but which were important to t h e ~ pleasant - living within the comJm.1nity. During 1879, in July, n a series of diary entries showed the variety or some of his t asks. For instance on July 1 he ·wrote: to put our mowing machine together." "I helped this afternoon A week later he was making the entry: tt:Made a little box for to lift salt .from the lake to the wagon. 11 Two weeks later he told of tanning a calf skin, and "helped to put the reaper together. 11 In early September of 1879 his thoughts turned to the needs for a school and a place in whtch to teach it. Ona entry in his diary told of starting to draw plans for a school house, and the next day he said, ur finished the plan for the school house. Showing how varied were the taska he undertook, a September entry showed that he had "soldered six pans. 11 needs of his neighbors. His activities becam~ as varied as the daily For instance ha told of making a box to put "molasses 1n,u and working two thirds of a day "on a barrel to put preserves in." An- other day he fixed a 11 churn dasher" and a1:,ain "cut Bro. J.C. Hansen's hair. 11 Indicating that sometimes the colonists accepted jobs for persons outside the villa1e, an entry in his diary in July~ 1882 said, "Took a team and moved a saloon ten miles to where the boardi.ng train moved today, for which I received $6.00." 7, Allen's Camp pastured 1.ts sheep a t e in the wooded country to the west, ond it was th , re that the sheep wer e sheared, the wool carded, and than .,. trans ported to th0 community to be divided arr:ong tho women for ma'< ing socks, and other clothing. [ I Versati le ... 29 John McLaws took his turn in preparin g the wool from the colony' s sheep Entries in June and July herd .for usa by the women in spinning and weaving . . iir 1882 &btK make mont1on of this worlt . On June 22 there was mention kt in his journal of ndividin g wool to the women,t• qnd shortly later, on July 10 he wrote : Sunset to learn to l"lm the carding machine . " indicati n~ how qni.ckly he had learned . "Left home this morning for Two days later he made an entry Said he ,tf.forted all day carding . -. Somethin'. got into tho machine and threw three of the cards off , which seared me a litt,le.n A weekt later he indicate d the volume of wool cnrded when ha lil'ote , "Worked cardinr, all da;n carded 41 lbs. in thsafter noon . 11 . Three days aft.er that he said, "\lorked all day and finished carding . « Obtainin g water for farning in the arid northern Arizona plateau was the great.os t proble:n of the settlers . From the very first year of sMtle nent in 1876 until 1884 1 each yenr the floods in the Little Colorado River washed away the diversio n dam.<J the men had pl aced i n the strHm to divert uater on to their lands. Every man of the commun ty was enlisted in working on the dams, in order tha '~ water mip,ht be obtained , at least for early spring and s~'!lmer waterin g of their groin and garden crops . In April 1884 John HcLaws told of his part in helping with the dam construc t• ion . Under <fate of April ping the ha,r,'T.er . " 24 ha wrote , 0 I worked all day on the pUedrht e:r , trip- This he did also tho follo,.rin g day, and on April 29 he made an entry that said, "I went to the dam and back by sundown . They finished today drivin~ the piles . " streamb~d to anchor the new dam. Met t~e piledriv er. He said LI) piles had been driven in the . - The settlers were obliged to furninh their 01m entertai n:nert, and holiday s Versatile - 30 were times for special preparations. John was among those to whom the colony looked for maadersrit> in this regard, as shown by his entry on Christmas Day of 1884. He said, "Had a theatre last night which I had charge of, and which passed off well. 11 The next day, in preparation for a community entertainment fq~he forthcomin~ New Year's Day, he wrote, t•Spent the day in hunting up and wri tine pieces f r_ another theatee to come off on New Year's nir;ht." The settlers mana~d to keep busy during the winter ll'l.cnths, after the fall harvest and before the spring preparations for planting of crops. An entry in the McLaws journal on January 12, 1885 said "Husked corn for the fodder, from Bro. Allen. 11 This entry not only indicates the work being dona during the winter, but shows also that the corn fodder was valuablo as feed for stock, and that John McLaws was willing to SJll nd some of his time working to get it. Emphasizing the patriotism of the community, an entry appeared in the l·lcLaws journal on July 4, 1885 which read, If! was chosen to read the Declaration of Independence at ameeting held in the school house today. 0 Even though there were but a handful of people in the colony, in December of 1885 they decided to publish a newspaper in the Young Men's and Young Ladies• Mutual Improvemeht Associations. John McLaws was chosen to be editor for the youn~ men ond Eunice Wal.beck was to be editor for the young laxdies. According to the MeLaws journal, the name of the paper was to be the St. Joseph ADVOCATE. Sportsman and Entertainer John McLaws was in the very midst of the recreation in which the settlers participated. Entries in his journal between 1879 and 1886 indicate a bit of the variety they enjoyed during time of diversion from work end worship. Versatile - 31 On July 4, 1879 he toe:ik "the children for a ride to Obed." (This was the sister settlement ·which was located soma four miles to the south, across the Little Colorado River .. ) In tho afternoon John Mctaws uhelped Moses Steel play for the children w dance,« Typical of the gatherings in the homes of the setUers was the one held August 30., 1879 at the McLaws home. company at our house. His diary entry said, UWe had quit.a a Bro. F. O. Nielsen, stake clerk, and wife were part of the company." Thee were frequent entries in the McLaws record of the times he and Moses Steal met to practice music. One such day was November JO, 1879, when John was "around home all day." On Christmas Day of 1879 t~ere was a ball game during the forenoo11 in which Mctaws was one of the players. After dinner (the noon meal) he wrote that they nhad a little target practiue in which I was nacond beat." The ,nnter of 188o was ona in whioh the weather was cold enough to .freeze the water in the river. February 1 found an ent,ry in ·which McLaws told of going to the river whero he uhad a good skate along with Bro. A. w. Walbeck. A week later hie dial'y recorded that hek had "skated all afternoon.n After the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was constructed as far as St. Joseph there were occasional opportunities to ride tho train to Holbrook, some 12 miles to the east • .Another thrilling experience was to ride the "hand car 11 along the railroad to Holb:rook and return. 5, 1882. NcLaws recorded one such trip he ...took on March As always, Christmas was the time of enterta inment for in 1883 John McLaws recorded the activities for that day. horse races," he wrote. whole colony. 11 After dinner we had "My brown hors,, Tab, beat all he ran with except J. C. Versatile - 32 Hansen's Grant. Martin Mort,nsen was champion at footracing." In January of 1884 the community obtained a sleigh, and it became the prin- cipal pastime for a while. On January 20 the McLaws record said, "Por the past three days the slei~h has been running a1nost night and day. since coming to Arizona, last night." I took my first ride The following day he -wrote, HToon anotheX" sleigh r i d e ~ ~ last night." On the Fourth of July 1884 he played for & party in the evening. While his entries do not indicate what instrument he played for the party, usually it was the violin unless he indicated otherwise. During the summer of 1885 he went with a party of fallow tmmsmen to climb 100 miles to the west. His the San Francisco Peaks, so?l18 entries name A. w. Walbeck, J. B. Hill, and Bro. D. Segmiller as his companions. they went by buckboard the last eight miles to Mart's ranch., where they were joined by Chris Jensen. They then walked to the top of the mounta1.n from the west aide, and down to the south. "It wae a grand sight," he wrote. "From the top we could see hundreds of miles." When Bishop Joseph H. Richards was preparing to go to Utah for the general conference of tho Church, a surprise party was held in his honor. McLaws entered· in his diary, 3tx on March Jl, 1886, ttAt hight I took charge of a surprise meeting fu in honor of Bp. J .H. Richards who is going to attend General Conference in Provo, Utah. Thora were over hO persons present." On July 18, 18R6 he recorded the formation of a the Sunday f,chool. r:,::~~ 11 ... proeramme committeat' for He was choeen, with A. W. Walbeck and Ernma Stapley, JJliDd:ire to b1 on the co:nmittee. Showin.1 his versatility in music 1s the entry for Chri.stmas 1286. said, "Played the organ ot nii=:,ht, for a dance for which I got $1.50." His entry