Christena Jensen

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Christena & Erastus W. Rasmussen
by Blanche Nelson

"Erastus Wilhelm, "William E." or Wm. E. Rasmussen was born in Mink Creek, Idaho, May 12, 1877, to Jens, "James C" Rasmussen and Ingred Sophia Jensen Rasmussen. He was their second child. James Peter was the eldest. This couple was also the parents of three daughters and three more sons. All were born in Mink Creek except the oldest one, James Peter. He was born in Mantua, Utah, on February 4, 1875.
Peter and William (my father) attended the small, one room public school in Mink Creek. Here father received an education equivalent to about the fourth grade.
On November 9, 1903, he married Christena Jensen in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the daughter of Thomas Jensen and Hansine Marie Hansen Jensen.
My mother was born at what was then called Point Look Out, Utah, in Box Elder County, on September 7, 1878. Mother also went to school when she could at this same schoolhouse. So her formal education was also limited. Her family lived in the northern part of Mink Creek, then called Strawberry. Grandpa and Grandma Jensen had homesteaded a large farm there, mother being the second child born to this union of 10 children. Of these, 8 children were born on the place they had homesteaded in Mink Creek, Idaho. All together, there were 4 girls and 6 boys. They all worked very hard to make a living, much as all the early pioneers did. Mother often told us of many Indians coming to their home. They were instructed to treat them kindly and give them most of what they wanted, which was mostly food.
William and Christena became the parents of six children, two sons and four daughters. Their first baby, a boy, was stillborn. So I am their oldest living child, with one brother and three sisters. Weldon and I were both born in Preston, Idaho, at the home of mother's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jensen. Our three sisters, Ruby, Verda, and Farrel were all born at home in Mink Creek, Idaho, the place my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. James C. Rasmussen, homesteaded shortly after coming to Mink Creek before my father was born in 1877.
They built a two-room log house on this property and raised all of their children here, enduring many trials and hardships. When my parents were married, they built a two-story frame house as an add-on to the log cabin and mostly took over operating the farm. Here all of us lived and worked with our parents until we were married. Ours was a very happy, contented, busy life, each doing our part. I can never recall any of us disputing among ourselves. We were never in want for any of the necessities of life. The farm produced almost everything needed for food -- milk cows, cattle, hogs, a few sheep, poultry, fruits of many kinds, vegetables, potatoes, and grain.
We were indeed blessed by our Father in Heaven and were taught to give thanks to Him. We were a very healthy family, never contracting any of the common childhood diseases even though school was closed at times because of an epidemic.
We were always taught to attend to our religious duties and worship our Heavenly Father in all religious gatherings with all members of our small ward. We lived the very simple pioneer life of all others in our very much beloved small community, having no electricity and no indoor plumbing, no telephones, no furnaces for heating, and no automobiles, at least until many years had passed. All work was done with horses or by hand. Hay and grain was shocked by hand. About all the implements used for farming were the plow, harrow, disc, rake and mower. For years all the seed was sown by hand until the drill came into use.
I can sure remember tromping hay and riding derrick horses. My father and grandfather pitched hay onto either the flat sleds used in those days and later on the hayracks.
Every fall was the time to go into the canyons to get wood for the cook stove and to heat the home. Early most every morning we could see a long line of our neighbors and friends passing our home to get into the Mink Creek canyon for their winter's supply of firewood. This was mostly done after the snow had fallen so it could be brought out on the bobsleighs. The wood from the maple trees was considered the best because it made such a quick, hot fire.
I think my dear grandfather cut by hand, with an axe that he always kept razor sharp, all of the firewood we needed for many years.
Our Grandma Rasmussen had passed away in the year 1907, so Grandpa lived with my parents all the rest of his life, helping with the farm work as long as he possibly could.
He always enjoyed very good health, never needing the care of a doctor or dentist. His teeth were still in good condition at the time of his death on May 24, 1930, in the home of my parents. He was 85 at the time. His one enjoyment was going to Salt Lake City to attend LDS Conference. This was his one trip away from home.
Each of we children knew what it was to work. Our father was very precise and particular in everything he did. His grain stacks were put up so they could have stood all winter without any injury. So people always said of him, his haystacks were just as perfect. When he put a fence, it was there to stay. Each post was aligned just so straight and tamped into the ground just so. The wires were so tight they would sing when tapped.
The first owners and operators of our small General Merchandise Store that I can remember were George and Jenny Watson Glade. It was called the Watson Merc. This store and its owners, I am sure, hold many fond loving memories for each and every one of its patrons through all the years of its existence. It has a very interesting history of its own. It was sort of a social center for us all. Just next door, north of this store, was a small creamery where we all brought our separated cream to have it weighed, tested, and sold. Mr. C. G. Christensen was the man I remember that did this job for many years.
So, we loaded the cream, cased the eggs, and went to town (as we called it) trading the eggs at Glades' store for groceries, dry goods, clothing, and always coal oil for the lamps and lanterns. This trip was made at least once a week. What a great treat it was for we kids. Then we could get a sack of hard tack candy, peanuts, and oranges sometimes.
Later on, the creamery was done away with and a candy kitchen or confectionery was set up in its place. Christian Hansen, or "Candy Chris" as we called him, operated this place. This was the highlight of our village, a place for visiting, romancing, an occasional brawl, and a great lot of fun.
During the winter months, Dad would sack a load of wheat to take to Preston in the sleigh to exchange it all for flour. This was too long a trip to make in one day down and back, so we had the glorious privilege of staying overnight at Grandma Jensen's home. Sometimes we even got to go with our cousins that lived next door to Grandmother's to see silent moving picture shows. That was the greatest treat ever. Our dear old Grandmother would always put up a sack lunch for us to eat on the way home. We would put clean straw in the bottom of the sleigh box, hot bricks or rocks for our feet, and quilts to help us keep warm. In the fall of the year, many wagon teams would come to our home for fruits of many kinds; many came from what we called Star Valley. Sometimes we would have seven or eight wagons to load at once. Some came with double beds on their wagons pulled by four horses. This was a great time for me. I could leave the household chores to my younger sisters while I helped pick fruits and have a jolly good time with those that came. We had many different varieties of fall and winter apples, apricots, early summer apples, and a couple trees of clingstone peaches. But, of course, these ripened too early for the people that came. So much of this was sold locally and much of it was canned for our own use. Some people came to get a supply for themselves. I sure loved to be among these young people. Many patrons came back year after year.
Our father always had two large pits; one for storing large quantities of spuds and one close by for apples. How good they tasted when he opened the pits in the wintertime.
We children, like all our neighbors, walked the two miles or so we had to go to school no matter what the weather was.
My first year or two was spent in a one-room log house, double seats, potbelly stove in center of room, all grades in the same room. Arthur Schweider was my teacher for two or three years. I sure thought a lot of him. He was a very good teacher.
Later on, a new building replaced this one. Having two rooms with four grades in each room, this building still stands at this writing. It was built in 1916. My father's faithful old team, "Kernel and Rock", did a great lot of the work in getting these logs out of the canyon and to the old saw mill. They were a well-behaved team and well trained in canyon work. This saw mill was located on Alvin Peterson's place and powered by the water from Mink Creek. Alvin owned and operated it for many years. The large pond of water was called the millrace. Many people were baptized in this pond. I was baptized here by Alvin Peterson on April 26, 1915.
Our Church House was a large one-room rock building. Curtains were drawn to separate the classes for Sunday School, Primary, etc. Many are the fond memories of activities that took place in this dear old building. It was also our only recreation center, so was used for all community purposes. This building was replaced in 1928 by a new red brick building. That is still in use by the Mink Creek Ward.
In those early days, neighbors worked together to thresh grain, build houses and barns, make quilts, etc.
The threshing was done by horse-powered machines, taking many horses and men to do this work. Sure was an exciting, busy time for women as well as men, when the threshers were coming to your place. Lorenzo Baird operated a machine called "The Tin Can". Another was called the "Red River". Women prepared and served meals to all those men for as long as they were on your place. We would borrow extra dishes, pots and pans, and set long tables with plenty of good food for twenty men or more.
Women had plenty of work to do at home in those days, helping with all the farm work--milking cows, feeding calves, hogs, chickens, raising vegetables, spuds, churning butter, making bread and cheese and even soap, carding and cleaning wool, knitting socks and petticoats. Mother kept all of us supplied with these knit articles, clumsy and heavy as they were. Water was packed from a ditch behind our home and was used for everything. Water for washing clothes was heated in a large galvanized boiler on the old "Star Estate" wood stove, homemade soap most often used and a washer, one we pulled by hand. So it took all day to wash clothes for the family.
The first automobile I ever rode in was one driven by Mr. Benson from Whitney. Some neighbor children and I were walking home from Primary and he picked us up and gave us a ride to our homes.
A few years after this, my father bought his first car, a Baby Buick from Blair Motor Company of Logan, Utah. What a great occasion this was. But, when winter came, this car was stored in a shed until spring when the roads were again cleared.
All went well with our family for many years. It seems we were always blessed with good health. But now, in the spring of 1917, our dear mother suddenly became very ill. Our sister, Farrel, was born May 31 of that year in our home. Dr. Allen R. Cutler, Sr. was the doctor in attendance, a dear wonderful man that he was, very dedicated and wise. Early one morning, dad roused me from my bed to run as fast as I could to get our dear neighbor, Serena Christensen. She was a registered nurse having received her training in Norway. She was always called to our home when any sickness came. She was very perceptive and knowledgeable. I was just eleven years old at this time. Serena could not determine immediately the cause of mother's intense pain, so Dr. Cutler was called, coming to our home from Preston in a one-seated black top buggy drawn by one horse. However, it was several days before it was decided that mother had "Bright's Disease". Serena was the first to discover this terrible disease. Our father was almost beside himself with grief and worry. I was the oldest child and only 11, so dad hired a couple of young ladies to help out. These were our dear cousins, Lillie Jensen and Ida Christensen. Mother was very ill, but kind and patient through all her suffering. There was so much to be done each day so all was kept very busy.
I remember getting up at night, pouring diluted cows milk into a pie tin and heating it by holding it over the coal oil lamp chimney, it being May so fire was kept at night in the cook stove. I would then feed this milk to my dear little sister, keeping her well wrapped to keep her from getting chilled. Farrel was a very healthy baby. She just had to be to live through the kind of treatment she got. Even though mother was so ill, she was always concerned about her baby that she wasn't able to care for. I remember one day especially when she became so ill and not expected to live. Grandma Jensen and several aunts and uncles came to our home. All unknown to our father, our relatives were deciding where each of we children should go to live. When dad heard of their plans, he was very upset and said, "Even should mother leave us, my children are all staying here with me." Even though mother was unable to speak, somehow she knew of what they, in their kind consideration of us, were planning. She told us all this after she got to feeling better and testified always this plan made her realize the situation her children and husband would be in should she leave us. This gave her new hope and desire to live. Even though she could not talk, she prayed in her heart to God to spare her life that she might be made well and live to raise her family. This date, all we children were told to come and stand by her bed while members of our Bishopric and family administered to her. I was 11 years old at this time, Weldon 8 years, Ruby 5 years, and Verda 2 years old and Farrel was an infant. Mother's prayer was answered and her wish granted. Her recovery was very slow and she was bedfast all summer. When the weather got really hot, she was moved outside in the daytime, her bed set up under the large shade tree in the yard. Our dear neighbor, Serena, came regularly to check on her as did Dr. Cutler in his one horse buggy.
By October of that year, mother was feeling well enough so that we went as a family to the Logan Temple on October 16. Here mother and dad took out their own endowments and had we children sealed to them, all except our baby sister. She was ill that day, so Aunt Sarah took care of her. She was sealed to our parents about 2 years later, September 3, 1919.
Mother was always active in Church work, working in the Primary organization for many years, being President at one time. She was Relief Society class leader at one time and always was a Relief Society Visiting Teacher. It was over two miles from home to our church house. We could generally have the team and sleigh in the winter but nearly always walked in the summer time so the team could be used on the farm. Most all officers and teachers were in the same predicament. I worked in the Primary organization for some years with my mother. I was secretary for a time. I remember getting to the church house some of the time and finding no fire had been built in the two stoves. So we had to get it started and warmed as best we could before the children came. On such days, classes were held as close to the stoves as possible. I well remember many of the dear sisters that worked with us, but not all of them. They were Clara Keller, Ingabord Baird, Charlotte Baird, Christena Hausner, Christena Jepsen, Martha Wilde, Ada Oliverson, and many others. At this time, it seemed that the auxiliary organizations had to find ways to raise money to support their own organization, so they put on dramas, dances, and all sorts of things to raise money.
I especially remember one play they put on called "The Spook of Life". It was hilarious and a great success. Mother was an old German doll maker, one who always tried to invent life for her dolls. Ila Keller was her doll. Mother was dressed in some old trousers and shirt. She wore a wig. Some wooden shoes were on her feet and she even pretended to smoke a pipe. Christena Jepson was the cranky old wife. Josephine Lindsay was the Devil. Ada Jensen, mother's darling son, “a real scamp”. Clara Keller was director and prompter. Nearly all officers and teachers took part. Some ladies took men's parts. All had a great time, even if it was a lot of work. Marinus Hansen always told of how he rolled on the floor with laughter when he watched it. Many wonderful dramas were staged in those days. Always our old Church would be filled to capacity and then some. It was our main source of entertainment.
I think all who remember my mother, know of the good old wheat beer she used to make. No, it wasn't intoxicating, but a very sparkling delicious drink. At least once a year an Elder's dance was held and mother was always asked to furnish a large 10-gallon can of this beer. They tell of many times when some of the good Elders would spice this beer just enough to give the men a little extra pep.
Mother and dad enjoyed a very happy contented life together. We were all taught to work and economize, but never were we in want for the necessities of life or anything we needed or wanted.
Father and mother would load the car with summer apples and other fruits and go into Soda Springs or parts of Wyoming to sell them. Most of it, however, was traded for large cheese from the cheese plant in Afton. This was the best cheese I have ever tasted. No cheese of today compared with it. They sold some to friends and neighbors that had ordered it, never having enough to supply the demands. This was a great outing for my parents.
Dad also raised beef to butcher and sell. This was always in great demand. He knew just how to take the unproductive cows, feed and fatten them just so to make very choice meat.
He always had hogs ready each spring to butcher" for our summer meat. He and Grandpa would butcher these hogs at home. Mother made head cheese, pilse and sausages always. The hams and shoulders were put into large wooden barrels in salt brine for a time. Then Grandpa would hang them up in a small smoke house, build a slow fire using wood or chips from apple trees to smoke this meat to a very delicious flavor. It was then buried deep in the wheat bins where he would keep it to perfection until needed.
I remember gathering leaves from sagebrush to steep in water to wash our hair. Sometimes we caught rainwater in barrels for this purpose.
All of we children were married in the Temple and none of us ever divorced. All are very active in Church work. Our parents have 21 grandchildren, 59 great grandchildren, and 3 great great grandchildren.
They built a beautiful new red brick home on their property in 1928, just four years after I was married. They were very proud of this home, but to our great sorrow, father became very ill in 1933 with cancer. He was operated on in Salt Lake City, but never did recuperate and passed away January 28, 1934, in Preston, Idaho, at the home of Nancy Rasmussen, after much pain and suffering. So, this left our dear mother without her life companion and sweetheart. They were married for 30 years and some over 4 months. Dad was only 57 at the time of his death.
Weldon and Edna were married August 9, 1933. Mother lived with them in her home for another 13 years. She passed away March 30, 1947, in the Preston Memorial Hospital.”