Guy Lindsey in Castle Gate
I have had the amazing privilege of reading old letters from my Great Aunt Dora to my grandmother and my great grandparents Will and Ella Sherwood living in Wisconsin. Aunt Dora had married Guy Lindsey almost 105 years ago on February 15, 1912 in Pocatello, Idaho. She wrote to her parents ten days after that:
"I wish you could realize how thoughtful and good my boy is
to me in every way. I am sure you will all be happy to know that I am no longer
wandering alone in the world but that I can be guarded and cared for. In spite of my years, Mrs. Cox and the regulars
here have always called me their little girl and you have no idea with what
interest they have followed the little romance of “love at first sight” which
began with the Carlyle Fire Nov. 15 and culminated at the same Carlyle just
three months later. For the short time
we have been here we both have so many friends here and those who know us both
are so delighted. At the same time we
were able to go out together so little that our friends on the outside were
greatly surprised. I would not recommend
that younger persons or those who had seen less of people and the world should
be quite so hasty. As Mrs. Cox said, you
are both old enough to know what you want, and any one can see that it was a
case of infatuation on both sides. You
who knew the “school marm” so sedate would scarcely recognize the unrestrained,
carefree, girlishness of the bride in #22 and perhaps not wonder so much at her
being called the “little girl.”
Later Guy wrote to his in-laws that: "My work isn’t the best in the world as I may be called out at any time and gone for days at a time. And then there is more or less danger attached to it. Because I know most every crook and box car robber from coast to coast and they all know me and something may happen some day. Dora worries so, every time I step out of the house, that I have made up my mind to quit in a very short while."
This bit of terrain actually matches up with the photo above! We can picture the rail cars laden with coal laboring their way up the mountains!
Another train coming through Castle Gate. I always have feelings of nostalgia when I have occasionally heard a steam train -- an event becoming even more rare as time goes by.
It seems that this bit of terrain would have been easy to match up if we had known -- or had randomly faced the camera in the right direction! We were told that the miner houses were all moved to Helper, Utah Although there is a blog that appears to be a pretty good description of the terrible mine explosion that took place in 1924.
(I'm not advocating hauntings -- but the blog seems to have a good description of the terrifying and sad events.) Dora and Guy lost at least one family friend in the mine disaster, a John L Davis, whose family moved to Salt Lake and Dora mentioned getting together with his family in June of 1927. Guy and Dora Lindsey had by that time already moved on to Price before they finally settled in Salt Lake City.
This same winter Dora's parents came out to visit (as they loved to do) and Grandpa Sherwood showed that he was still young at heart!
Little Margaret goes sledding behind their house in Castle Gate..
Castle Gate remains a part of our extended family history. But Guy and Dora eventually moved on to live out most of their years in Salt Lake City.
