A Fire in the Home

From Denece Ann Argyle Perkins

When I was about five I almost lost my mother.  Since there was no electricity on our dry farm, dad bought mom a steam iron to use in place of ones that you had to heat on the coal stove.  Well , anyways, the steam iron blew up and set the room on fire in which my mom was ironing.  All the rest of us were outside.  I decided I wanted a cookie that mom had baked that morning so I went in the house.  By that time mother was sitting on the table, the only spot of  the room that wasn't flaming.  I took one look and ran from the house to my father who was fixing some machinery and told him, "Come quick, mom is burning."  I never saw anyone move so fast.  I bet he set new records in racing the day.  My grandfather Argyle, who was milking cows saw dad running so he fell into a run to.  Somehow, Doyle, my brother had joined us also.  We all grabbed some heavy braided rugs mother had made and beat and beat at that fire.  We finally reached my mother and dad carried her outside and treated her burns which must not have been to severe for she healed without leaving any scars.  We were one thankful family that night and I remember dad getting us together and thanking God for sparing our mother's life.

(1942 Denece Ann Argyle)

 

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

Don't Forget!

Joseph Hyrum Argyle fell down the stairs in the ranch house.  He got up in the dark and missed turning on the light and fell down the stairs.  He broke his back and it never did heal well.  But he still rode horses  some.  So, never go down the stairs in the dark!

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

(1947 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

The Ranch Home

A Little Bit of Sugar

Denece remembers her grandfather (Joseph Argyle) would tell her “It’s alright Denece, I’ll always have a little bit of sugar for you when you’re sick.”  He would give her penny candy.  Her favorite was black licorice.

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

(1937 Doyle and Denece Argyle)

 

 

 

Denece's Favorite - Black Licorice Candy

 

 

Canal Water

Lamar always had a large garden and would water the garden with canal water.  A few days after watering, it was Edwin’s job to carefully check and make sure no morning glory weed got root in the garden. 

The court house used the canal water to water the lawn.  Edwin would go and pick up the minnows off the grass to go fishing.

 

 

(1940 Edwin Perkins)

 

(Pocatello Court House)

 

Musical Memories

Joseph H. Argyle would always sit and listen to Denece practice the piano he gave her (he had bought it for his wife).  He loved to hear her play hour after hour.  Denece loved to hear him talk about his Elizabeth (his wife) and that Denece’s hands reminded him of her.  When he talked of her, you could feel the love he had for her.  He remembered her hands being so soft.  Even though she worked hard she always had the right creams to keep her hands soft.  Elizabeth would always memorize her favorite piano pieces so she would have them with her and she would often play by memory.  Whenever he had to go to Pocatello, he would go to the music store and buy her sheet music.  He could not read music but he loved to hear her play. 
Joseph bought Elizabeth the beautiful piano back east. It was shipped by boat to California. Then by train to Salt Lake and then by ox cart to Idaho. Later he gave the piano to his grand daughter Denece. When she moved to Seattle her parents drove it from Idaho to Seattle. Denece gave the piano to her grand daughter Monica Butchart McDonald. She learned to play and enjoyed it until she made her home in Utah. Now the piano is in the home of Trevor and Michelle Butchart.

(1940 Joseph Hyrum Argyle)

 

 

(1946 Denece Ann Argyle)

 

 

 

 

A Surprise

On Denece’s 5^th birthday no one wished her happy birthday.  She got mad and rode her trike about ½ mile to visit Unilla Sessions, a childless neighbor who she called “Umbrella.”  She took Denece home and told her, “Don’t you cry when you find out what you done.”  Her parents had planned her a surprise party.

Beans at Hazleton

One year his (Edwin Perkins) Grandpa Frances grew beans out at Hazleton.  Lamar went out and got a truck full of bean vines.  They put a large canvas in the backyard to dry them.  When the vines were dry, they stomped on the vines and then they blew the chaff away with a vacuum.  They stored about fifty pounds of dry beans that year.

 

 

(1940 Edwin Perkins)

 

 

(1940 Frances Marion Perkins and Margaret Ann Southworth Perkins, and unknown)

 

 

(1945 Lamar Perkins)

 

Fifth Grade Troubles

When Edwin was in the fifth grade, he was walking home from school for lunch.  He was throwing a rock, skipping the rock down the road.  The rock had an odd bounce just as a girl turned around and it struck her in the forehead.  He knew he was in trouble when he saw that girl and her mother in the principal’s office.  He was suspended from school.

 

(1940 Edwin Lamar Perkins)

Grandma Banks

Edwin remembers his Grandma Banks (Eliza Ann Tubbs) heating her home in Montpelier, Idaho with the coal that fell off the trains that ran near her home.  It was always the young people's job to walk along the tracks and pick up the coal.

 

 

(Abt. 1945 Eliza Ann Tubbs Banks, Vern Archie Banks, William Edwin Banks, Billey Banks)

 

 

 

(Montpelier, Idaho Abt. 1910)

 

At the Movies

Edwin remembered going to the movies with his grandpa Perkins ( Frances Marrion Perkins ) when he was a kid.

 

(Edwin Perkins 1940)

They rode the bus to the movie theater in Pocatello and saw the movie Brigham Young.  Frances knew Brigham Young and he said the actor did not look enough like Brigham Young and that the seagull story was not done right.