| Show THE Mt HAT Leo Larsen Pleasant UT Senior First STRAW Citizen Honorable 84647 Division Mention Anecdote The experiences of the early ploneers of Sanpete County often required ingemuity to solve the problems they encountered Sacrificing some pleasure or commodity was alsofamiliar experience My favorite story Grandfather Joseph Frend Burton told me asboy illustrates both of these principles Grandpa Burton wastypical red-headed freckle-faced boy who sunburned easily To help prevent this his mother Eliza Cusworth Burton Staker put some fresh long-stemmed straw inbox and pressed it overnight She then wove and fashioned it intowide-brimmed straw hat Thie may have beenlittle floppy but if it had been decorated withfeather or two and some artificial flowers and some ribbon it would have resembled20th century design often wom by My Fair Lady But the purpose of Grandpahat was to keep hin from getting sunburned This it did very well Grandparesponsibility at this time was to herdsmall band of sheep out in the open sagebrush pasture One day he saw two Indians coming his way He became frightened and santed to hide But no place could he see to hide So he crouched down among his sheep and then as the Indians came nearer he laid down flat on his stomach hardly daring to breathe The Indians passed him by not noticing him or molesting his sheep But the sheep became interested in his fresh straw hat and nibtled on it until they had eaten it all up Source Story told to author by his Grandfather |
