Branding Cattle on the Probst Farm

Memories of the Probst Farm told by GWP:

Branding Cattle on the Probst Farm 1948.

This pic was taken in 1948. We are branding cattle up at the old barn on the mound. This is on the east side of the barn or the back side in the corral. Gene is on the horse stretching out the steer by its legs with a lariat anchored to the saddle horn. Bernard has just branded the steer and is clamping an identification tag in its ear. Karl (standing at right) is watching the operation. Bernard has just handed him the branding iron. I (Glen) am just outside the corral tending the fire and branding irons. I was age 12, and it was my job to see that the irons were red hot. I handed one to Dad, who then hurriedly took it to Bernard. I took this picture with an old Browne camera that my folks had bought me for my birthday. Branding was very hard work, and I didn't like doing it. I especially didn't like the smell of burning flesh and the blood that squirted out when they de-horned the young bulls.

Karl Probst and his Horse 1948.

This is Dad (Karl) and the horse Gene was using. This was a strange horse. At my age, I was afraid to ride it. I don't think it even had a name, but it was good for holding steady when branding cattle.

The Old Barn on the Mound 1948.

This is the old barn on the Mound behind (east) of our Midway home. Where the shadow is on the left is where I tended the fire during branding time. The branding corral was directly behind the barn. As you can see, this barn was old in 1948. It is no longer there. We kept hay in it, as well as a stack of hay just next to where the shadow is. You can see one pole of the old derrick that was used to stack the hay up high.

Probst Home - Midway, Utah

This is our Midway home. I think this picture was taken in the early forties or before. I don't remember those posts being there in the front. You can also see the south end of the old barn on the right in back. It was located about the length and a half of a football field behind the house on the Mound. There were several warm water springs on the Mound.

Probst Cabin - Snake Creek, Utah

This is our cabin up Snake Creek next to the old Huber place. We finished it on Dad's birthday, June 7, 1954, also the year I graduated from high school. Dad and I both carved our initials in the cement on the front step. We spent many good times at the cabin. The cabin is no longer standing today, but the foundation remains. Too bad it had to be sold to the Wasatch State Park in 1962.

A Close Call

Taken from "Experiences in the Life of Karl Lorenzo Probst"

"I had a male chorus of about thirty voices. We were on our way to sing in Salt Lake in the Tabernacle for April General Conference. We were to be there by 10:00 a.m. We left Midway early because the road was very broken up and it had snowed the night before. As we went over the Summit in Parley's Canyon toward Salt Lake, on the old road, we were going about fifteen miles per hour, and the car started to pick up speed. As we neared a turn in the road, I applied the brakes and the car started to slip around, and I had no control of it. Out on the end of the bend in the road there was an abandoned car, and I thought rather than go off the gravel and roll down 300 or 400 ft., I would guide the car to this old parked car, which I did, and hit the side of the car and the impact threw our car around so that it went right into the the gravel pit and buried the radiator into the clay and stopped. Riding in the car with me were my daughter, Beatrice, who was going to play the piano, and Roy Huffaker, one of the tenor singers. By the time we got out, other members of the chorus were coming to the car, and they stopped and helped us get our car out of the mud, and we went on our way. We arrived in Salt Lake in time to sing for Conference. This was one of the closest calls I ever had in my life. The Lord was on our side that time."

Merry Christmas, Grandma

From "Writings" by Carrie "Cree" Probst ©1985

Merry Christmas, Grandma

Merry Christmas, grandma.
If wishes all come true
A load of all good things in life
Would come addressed to you.

I love you, grandma, and today
I wish I could be near
To tell you all the lovely things
That make you seem so dear.