Aunt Atha Writes about Family Wedding and Long Vacation

Salt Lake City – Aug. 1 – 1969

Dear Robert – Bernadine and family: -

I’m ashamed not to get around to writing more often. Am so slow I don’t seem to get much more done than be on call for the church, the neighborhood and the kids, so do get quite a few ”SOS’s”.

I went to Grand Junction, Colo. May 19-26, for our Class reunion the 23rd, 24th and 25th. Did enjoy seeing the old classmates and visiting around.

Was going direct from there to Los Angels to help Barbara (Letha’s daughter) get ready for her wedding but was feeling so exhausted and miserable I just came back home and rested, etc. for a while, since I had to come within 2 ½ hrs of Salt Lake anyway to get on the right free way to LA. I drove my car to Colo. (I made 80 place cards for our class banquet the 25th).

Then Julie and Marcee were out of school June 3rd so I took them with me. We left Salt Lake at 7 AM got in Las Vegas at 4 PM. Stayed all night in Henderson at Barb’s Dad’s. Left there about 4 AM to get across the Desert before it got too hot. The girls wanted to see the “Sun Rise” anyway and it wasn’t too hot all the way. In fact it was a little on the chilly side all the time we were in Los Angeles.

Got to Barby’s apt in Santa Monica about 4 PM. She wasn’t home from work yet so Julie and Marcee went a couple of blocks down to the beach and played in the ocean and dug sand-crabs. They had a “Ball” all the time we were there swimming at the beach.

[Barby a few years before her wedding in 1969]

I was pretty busy until the wedding was over. Barby had her wedding gown nearly all sewed together so I finished it and then did all the handwork on it. I made the train and fastened it on the back just under the daisy trimming so it could be unhooked and removed after the wedding and the dress worn as a formal. We bought white plastic baskets and I trimmed them with ribbons (5 of them) for the maid of honor, 2 bridesmaids, the flower girl and of course the bride and arranged the flowers in them. Also arranged glads, carnations and daisies on two large baskets for the altar and trimmed the tables for the reception. Oh! yes. I made a “head-piece” of the same material as the wedding-gown and trimmed it with sprays of pearls and sparklers and covered the pillow (with material like one of the bridges maid’s dresses) and put the tassels on the corners for the ring-bearer.

After the wedding Dick and Homer’s families and I cleaned up Barby’s apt and left for our vacation. We visited Marjorie and Frances and I went to Disneyland one day with Dick and Homer and families. Then while they went on down the coast and took in sight- seeing and swimming, I went to Laguna Hills and visited Mary & Ernest Klatt for a few days. Dick and family went on down into Mexico and Homer and family came back by Laguna Hills and I drove along behind them to Rick’s place (Letha’s son) in the NW. part of LA where we stayed and visited with them a couple nights and a day While they went shopping, etc I visited with some friends in Burbank.

Then we went to Sequoia Nat’l Park and Dick and family joined us there. Stayed there three days scouting around and sight-seeing. Climbed “Moss Rock” the highest point around with a cement (steep) stairway with a rock and pipe railing on both sides of stairway. Can see all around for miles when the weather is clear. Also saw the tree house (made of a fallen Sequoia tree) by Mr. Stark where he lived for several years. .

It was a hollow Sequoia tree and he boarded up the end up the trunk and made a door in it. Also made a fireplace and a big window. The furniture was made of logs, etc. Quite interesting, but vacant now.

Dick and family went home by way of Zion’s Nat’l Park – Homer and family went home via Pine Crest, Calif, where they visited friends and I went to San Jose to visit Grace.

Oh! yes, I forgot to tell you of the fun we had in the “Natural” swimming “Hole” in the river by the camp in the Sequoia where we stayed. Dick had his trailer house, Homer his camper and I my car).

Just above the falls the water swirled around and backed up on to a nice sand bar making an idea swimming pool where they could dive and swim and then was shallow on the sand bar. Of course all the kids wanted to stay there and swim most of the time. One afternoon we all had a picnic there and swam and played in the water all afternoon. That is everyone swam but Betty Jo, Honey and I and the water was cold (right off the snow and ice) for us so we just waded and then warmed our feet in the sand. But Stacy (Homer and Betty’s baby) had the time of her life playing in the shallow water on the sand-bar even if it was so cold it made our feet ache. She would cry and kick when we’d take her out for a minute and she didn’t catch cold either even playing in it all afternoon. Neither did any of the rest. So you can see a good time was had by all!

I stayed with Grace two weeks and they took me down along the Pacific Coast where I watched the big waves come in and break over the rocks. Only I ran out of film. But hope I got some good pictures. Then they took me to see the Ice Follies. All of which I wanted to do again and enjoyed very much. Tried to interest Grace in coming home with me but she said she didn’t think she could so I didn’t push it.

So imagine my surprise and joy when I was in my car all ready to start it and leave for home. Grace called for me not to go just yet she had something she wanted to put in my car. Then here came Romer with a couple suitcases and asked me if I had room for them somewhere! I was sort of puzzled wondering what they were sending suitcases up to the kids for. Then here came Grace. I knew she was ready to go somewhere but thought she was going with Romer (as she often does) when I got out of the way. Then as she started to get in the car I tumbled that she was coming home with me. Oh! Joy! Joy!

It was a wonderful surprise to all the kids here too and we got together as often as possible so she could be with all of us as much as possible for a week. Then we put her on the bus to meet Romer at Truckee with their cabin cruiser boat and the spent the weekend at Lake Tahoe before going home to San Jose.

Well, this is some of the “news from this neck of the woods.” George and Jean’s baby was born July 5, 1969 and is doing fine. A girl, ”Dianna Joy.” That makes 2 boys and 2 girls for them now. Don’t believe I told you Ricky (Letha’s son) has a baby girl born on Jan 69, so I’m a Great grandma now! They were married shortly after Uncle George passed away.

When do you folks come home? Must be getting close to time and hope this finds all of you well. Am so glad you are having so many lovely trips.

Ever so lovingly,

Aunt Atha

1952 Salt Lake City Flood

This letter below was written by my Great Aunt and Uncle, George and Atha (Farnham) Sherwood and sent to my Grandparents, Herman and Susan Sherwood Weber who lived in Kendall, Wisconsin.  The letter mostly talks about the Salt Lake City Flood of 1952.  The letter describes their first-hand experiences and observations.  This is a public domain photo of the Jordan River that was the route of the flood waters. It's not too relevant, but it's always nice to have a photo on a blog post : -).   The scattered references to Orry (Orion), Homer, Richard and Georgie, are regarding their sons.  Great Uncle George worked for the post office and, although it is likely obvious to most, his reference to ship is aircraft. 

Salt Lake City, UT;
May 15, 1952

[Begins with Atha’s handwriting]

Dear Susan:-

Just got back this evening about 6 o’clock from W.S.C.S. convention in Montrose, Colorado and was glad to find a letter from you but sorry not to have written you sooner about the floods etc. Hadn’t found time to write Orry and Barbara much so asked Hattie if she would call them as she went through Chicago and relieve their minds until I could get a letter off to them.

Have been trying so hard to get a few things done which have been hanging on so long and been a big worry since I just couldn’t seem to ever get at them to get them out of the way. Will tell you all about them when I get back there as it’s easier to talk than write and I’ll probably have more time then. Have two more projects I’d like to complete so very much before our vacation and the one at the Church just about must be done before I leave.

We have all been so very fortunate in that none of us have been damaged by the floods though it came within a block north of us and the neighbors, including George, worked until late into the night damming it off with sandbags and turning it back into the river still raging about 3 ft deep and about the width of the street down 13th South. They have now built a bridge across 13th South and Main street so the traffic can get through without going so far around as they had to do for several weeks. They have also made banks of sand about 5 feet high all along 13th South now in hopes it will take care of anything coming down from now on.  Have also had a few cold days and nights which have slowed up the thawing of snow in some places and helped a great deal.

They have dredged the Jordan river (and also the surplus canal) to lower the bottom and piled it along the banks to raise the height of the banks so they will carry all the water possible and have the situation pretty well under control now so we are hoping it will not spread to damage any more than it already has. It really is just too bad for the many homes and places who are flooded and evacuated and I feel so sorry for them but am so glad that all of the evacuees places did not get it as was feared when they were ordered to evacuate.

One night it came up into Richard’s front yard but not bad and their neighborhood was able to sandbag it off and now it isn’t bothering in that neighborhood.

Homer was fortunate enough to be a block north of the district evauated so he hasn’t had any flood trouble and only trouble with the water table rising so that it raised through the floor in his basement but again he was very fortunate as he and Dad hadn’t had time to pour a cement floor in his basement yet so they made a sump and put in an automatic sump pump and it is taking care of it very nicely.

Will explain in more details about it all when we see you. But unless something unexpected happens things seem to be under control now so that it is hoped it will not spread farther to do more damage.

As to how things are going to work out for Georgie so we can plan accordingly we will not know yet for a few days.

[Switches to George’s handwriting]

Dear Susan, Herman and all. On my lunch time at the airport and must hurry if get this off on trip 134. If this is pretty disconnected forgive as the boys have radio on pretty loud and it ain’t music either.

Anyhow, we still plan to leave here for Wisconsin June 7 as early as possible. Sort of expect to come through via Casper Wyo and through Sparta, but may decide to reverse and come in via Chicago and go back that or some other way. Will depend on how much time – if any – George has to be with us and when. Orion & Babs can come up to Kendall for a weekend if at all. So far not at all sure that there will be more than the old folks -- Dora, Guy, Atha & I. And reason I have not written sooner is partly uncertainly of my own position. An order forbidding further extension of annual leave privileges during June and rest of May came out, but our office expects to be able to accommodate me since I made verbal application over 2 months ago and posted probable dates of absence on the sheet at the Airport. This may still not work out if conditions of finances for balance of fiscal year becomes tighter.

As ship will soon be here must hurry on. We expect to have funds available for trip east so suggest you wait until we arrive then if we run into difficulty we can perhaps borrow what we need for return trip. Ha! Ha! Sounds ominous for you, if you are ever to get rid of us. That that way we can better gauge requirements and will not be carrying all eggs in one basket. Thanks for offer of loan – may have to after we arrive in Kendall, but hold until we see.

Bye - bye - ship here

Lovingly,

George, Atha and Family