A return to Duchesne

Last Memorial Day, we journeyed to Duchesne and other important Jenson/Jensen family history spots with Aunt Alice.  Last weekend we returned without Aunt Alice following through on a promise.  We also took pictures of places we somehow missed last time (something to do with Glen taking the pictures out of the window :)

This is one I most regretted.  This is the home where George and Della Jenson raised their large family of 13 after the Depression had squashed many of their dreams and plans.  Aunt Alice showed us this place just across the street from their nicer home and said, "Can you imagine that many people living in that small house?"  The back add on may be on the same footprint where Jordan and his brother, Aral built a slab wood lean to so as to have a place to sleep away from all their sisters.

Our promised stop on north up the road to the Utahn Cemetery came next.  I had brought my divided iris bulbs from Arizona and we were going to plant a few to see if there would indeed be perpetual flowers for Memorial Day as we had seen by other graves last May.  First, we did a bit of cleaning up, including the leftovers from the nursery in Duchesne where we had purchased flowers months before.

We found two rocked off spaces on each side of the marker for Clive, George, and Della.

We created a bit of a water basin to capture more rain or snow.  Yes, it was raining even as we worked.

We brought a jug of water to add moisture for a hoped for good beginning.

Six deep purple irises for each space . . .

also next to the marker for Hazel.

We had brought a shovel and a hoe plus some gloves, but the rain increased the longer we stayed.  It was all a bit overwhelming.  Glen stated, "What I need is a blow torch."  Perhaps a crew can be assembled in the future to really clean the site.

Once again we drove the highway back along the Duchesne River.  After a detour up the road along the north fork of the Duchesne River we made our way back to the main road and stopped at Moon Ranch where George was herding sheep when he died.

We were more adventurous this time, and took that dirt road going up the hill in the background.

When I see corrals with a loading chute at the side of the road, I know there have been many round-ups in the past.

I loved this tree announcing "orange."

Once we got to the top of the ridge, Glen turned around so that I could take pictures from the window on the way down.  The Moon Ranch on a rainy day.

There was the sheep herder's wagon, but it also looked like he or she might now enjoy a cabin as well.

Glen said, "Make sure that you take a picture of the sheep."

 

So I zoomed in as far as I could zoom and there are the sheep but just barely.

The horses were pretty, too.  In the background is the road and sign leading into the ranch from the paved road.

It was a bit sobering to think of George passing away here all by himself save for his dogs and sheep and being found a day or so later.  There were autumn colors then as well on October 15, 1963.

Truly sacred ground for the Jenson/Jensen family.  This makes my 1000 published post.  Some how, it seems a proper one to honor with a special number.