"I was born on June 7, 1895, in an old log cabin that Ulrich Probst built, when he came to this country, in Huber's Grove up Snake Creek, constructed of red pine logs. It had one door and one window and was lined inside with white factory cloth. There was a lean-to on the east where most of the cooking was done in the summer. On the west end was another lean-to that housed the old surrey (buggy used in that day) and where leaves and kindling wood were piled for winter use."
Ulrich Probst Cabin where Karl was Born.
"My mother was Mary Magdalena Huber Probst and my father was Jacob Probst."
Jacob Probst, Karl's father.
"In August of 1895, there was a terrible cloudburst in the heart of Snake Creek, (this is the story that was handed down about the flood), and as a result, a great flood of water, sticks, timber, and big boulders came down the canyon. Captain Springer, a neighbor who lived above, came down on a buckskin horse as hard as he could come, warning the people to get out of the canyon. At this time, a mason by the name of Fred Sonderegger, was laying the foundation for a house just east of the old log cabin to take the old cabin's place. my father had purchased the old farm and the old cabin prior to my birth. Sonderegger failed to heed the warning of Captain Springer and kept on working. Captain Springer went down to Grandma Huber's to give the warning there. My mother had me in her arms then as about a three months' old baby, and Aunt Maggie Huber had Frank in her arms, (he was born on June 1, and I on the 7th). They took us babies and ran out of the Huber house over on to the side hill. Grandma was slow in getting away and was caught between the flood waters, part coming down the road and part going down the main creek. She got on top of the old cellar and stayed there until the flood subsided. Mud and water were in the house to a depth of about four feet. You can see the old water mark on the house of Grandpa and Grandma Huber to this present day. It is now about ninety years old and hasn't had a coat of paint."
"Sonderegger had the foundation up about three feet, and was standing on the foundation when the flood came - water up to his waist - boulders and debris going by on all sides."
"My father abandoned this location and built across the canyon up on the hill on his farmland, about one-fourth block across the bench ditch. This was a frame building built by John Bushi of Provo, Utah. We lived in this new house for several years until my father was put in as bishop of the Midway Second Ward. We lived then over in the old Ephriam Molhmen home, the first home east of Uncle Al's and Aunt Maggie's home. Then later, we moved over into the house that was owned by Edward Probst adjacent to the little store that Uncle Goulieb had and now at present is the home of Alma Huber."
Midway 2nd Ward 1895-1955 where Jacob Probst was Bishop for 33 years.
"I went to grade school in Midway, Utah, from the first to the seventh grade. We had sheep at that time, and they were run on the West Desert during the winter. In the spring - latter part of April - when it was time to bring the sheep home, my father took me out of school in the sixth grade to go out and help drive the sheep in. This happened also in the seventh grade and by staying out those two springs, missing school, I didn't get promoted from the seventh to the eighth grade, and as my brother, Vernon, was eighteen months younger than I and was in the grade just behind me, he caught up with me in the seventh grade. I told my parents that I wouldn't go back to school, that I would rather herd sheep, and I presented a problem for them. The embarrassment was too great to be in the same grade with my brother."
At this time, there was a man by the name of Arnold Burgener who was teaching music in the high school down in Salina, Utah. He was a very good friend of my father's, and when he came up in the summer time to visit his folks here, my father told him of the problem that he had with me in not wanting to go back to school. My father had befriended him before by telling him that he would either have to go on a mission or go to school, and he decided to go to the B.Y. (Brigham Young Academy) and finish in music. He was a very wonderful trumpet player. He said to my father, "why won't you let Karl come and go down to Salina and live with us and go to school there, and I probably can get him into first year of high school." My father was pleased with the idea and mentioned it to me. I was also happy about it. I had already been playing a trombone - old brass beaten up) that I had purchased for $10.00. This I carried along while herding sheep, and at night I would blow this old trombone and would be answered up on the hill by the coyotes. Mr. Burgener said, "why can't we start him in music?" But he said, "before he moved down to Salina, I will have to talk to the principal and see if he can miss the eighth grade and go from the seventh into the first year of high school." On contacting the principal, Mr. Burgener told us later that he would give me a chance and a trial period for one month. If I could keep up with the work, I could stay, and if not, I would have to go back home. So, I packed my trunk and took my belongings. My dad and I boarded the train in Heber and arrived in Salina some time later. Mr. Burgerner and my father and I met with Mr Henry Rose, the principal, and he decided to give me a chance in school there."
"After the first month, I got my report card, and I had all A's except one B+, which was very gratifying to him, Mr. Burgener, and my parents. He called me in and said, "you have made good and so you can finish the year." I studied music and finally made Mr. Burgener's dance orchestra, and we played for dances in such towns as Redmond, Aurora, Richfield, Elsinore, Gunnison, and Manti. At that time, we made $1.50 a night. By this experience, I became rather proficient on the trombone and finished my school successfully. I went home on the train in the spring."
"It so happened that the next year, there was an opening for a music teacher in Wasatch High School in Heber, and Mr Burgener made application to teach music at Wasatch High School and was given the job. That year, he brought with him a trumpet player who had played in the dance orchestra by the name of Clarence Brown and a drum player by the name of Seymour Prowse who were very good friends of his and mine. They came to Heber, Utah, and lived and went to school, and I and my brother rode from Midway to Heber in a dump cart to go to school. We had a good band orchestra in the high school and the dance orchestra, including us and made up of several other local boys: Clarence Probst, my cousin, being one––a clarinet player. That was a very successful year at Wasatch High School musically. The next year, Mr. Burgener decided to go back to the B.Y.U. and finish up his musical education, and the two boys from Salina, myself, and Clarence Probst decided to go to B.Y.U. and take up music. We also stayed together and had an orchestra and played for dances in all the towns in Utah County. The next year, Arnold Burgener decided to teach music in Price High School and wanted us to go with him, but we were training and had the idea of going out in education to become school teachers, and we stayed at the B.Y.U. one more year to finish up."
"The second year at the B.Y.U. three of us rented a very small room, (we called it the 2 x4). The last year, myself, along with Taylor Bend from Heber and Otto Anderson from Daniels rented a very small room which cost us $6.00 a month rent, $2.00 each. These two boys wanted to learn to play the trombone, so I gave them lessons at the cost of $.25 (cents) a lesson per week. That made $1.00 from each, and that paid my $2.00 share of the rent on the room each month, so by giving trombone lessons and playing for dances, and what I received from home, I made my way through the B.Y.U. Finishing up a normal course, we were now ready to teach school. So, when school started in September, Clarence was teaching the fourth grade, and I was teaching the fifth grade in Midway."
"Sonderegger had the foundation up about three feet, and was standing on the foundation when the flood came - water up to his waist - boulders and debris going by on all sides."
"My father abandoned this location and built across the canyon up on the hill on his farmland, about one-fourth block across the bench ditch. This was a frame building built by John Bushi of Provo, Utah. We lived in this new house for several years until my father was put in as bishop of the Midway Second Ward. We lived then over in the old Ephriam Molhmen home, the first home east of Uncle Al's and Aunt Maggie's home. Then later, we moved over into the house that was owned by Edward Probst adjacent to the little store that Uncle Goulieb had and now at present is the home of Alma Huber."
Midway 2nd Ward 1895-1955 where Jacob Probst was Bishop for 33 years.
At this time, there was a man by the name of Arnold Burgener who was teaching music in the high school down in Salina, Utah. He was a very good friend of my father's, and when he came up in the summer time to visit his folks here, my father told him of the problem that he had with me in not wanting to go back to school. My father had befriended him before by telling him that he would either have to go on a mission or go to school, and he decided to go to the B.Y. (Brigham Young Academy) and finish in music. He was a very wonderful trumpet player. He said to my father, "why won't you let Karl come and go down to Salina and live with us and go to school there, and I probably can get him into first year of high school." My father was pleased with the idea and mentioned it to me. I was also happy about it. I had already been playing a trombone - old brass beaten up) that I had purchased for $10.00. This I carried along while herding sheep, and at night I would blow this old trombone and would be answered up on the hill by the coyotes. Mr. Burgener said, "why can't we start him in music?" But he said, "before he moved down to Salina, I will have to talk to the principal and see if he can miss the eighth grade and go from the seventh into the first year of high school." On contacting the principal, Mr. Burgener told us later that he would give me a chance and a trial period for one month. If I could keep up with the work, I could stay, and if not, I would have to go back home. So, I packed my trunk and took my belongings. My dad and I boarded the train in Heber and arrived in Salina some time later. Mr. Burgerner and my father and I met with Mr Henry Rose, the principal, and he decided to give me a chance in school there."
"After the first month, I got my report card, and I had all A's except one B+, which was very gratifying to him, Mr. Burgener, and my parents. He called me in and said, "you have made good and so you can finish the year." I studied music and finally made Mr. Burgener's dance orchestra, and we played for dances in such towns as Redmond, Aurora, Richfield, Elsinore, Gunnison, and Manti. At that time, we made $1.50 a night. By this experience, I became rather proficient on the trombone and finished my school successfully. I went home on the train in the spring."
"It so happened that the next year, there was an opening for a music teacher in Wasatch High School in Heber, and Mr Burgener made application to teach music at Wasatch High School and was given the job. That year, he brought with him a trumpet player who had played in the dance orchestra by the name of Clarence Brown and a drum player by the name of Seymour Prowse who were very good friends of his and mine. They came to Heber, Utah, and lived and went to school, and I and my brother rode from Midway to Heber in a dump cart to go to school. We had a good band orchestra in the high school and the dance orchestra, including us and made up of several other local boys: Clarence Probst, my cousin, being one––a clarinet player. That was a very successful year at Wasatch High School musically. The next year, Mr. Burgener decided to go back to the B.Y.U. and finish up his musical education, and the two boys from Salina, myself, and Clarence Probst decided to go to B.Y.U. and take up music. We also stayed together and had an orchestra and played for dances in all the towns in Utah County. The next year, Arnold Burgener decided to teach music in Price High School and wanted us to go with him, but we were training and had the idea of going out in education to become school teachers, and we stayed at the B.Y.U. one more year to finish up."
"The second year at the B.Y.U. three of us rented a very small room, (we called it the 2 x4). The last year, myself, along with Taylor Bend from Heber and Otto Anderson from Daniels rented a very small room which cost us $6.00 a month rent, $2.00 each. These two boys wanted to learn to play the trombone, so I gave them lessons at the cost of $.25 (cents) a lesson per week. That made $1.00 from each, and that paid my $2.00 share of the rent on the room each month, so by giving trombone lessons and playing for dances, and what I received from home, I made my way through the B.Y.U. Finishing up a normal course, we were now ready to teach school. So, when school started in September, Clarence was teaching the fourth grade, and I was teaching the fifth grade in Midway."
No comments:
Post a Comment