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."

Returning Home from a Dance

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

"One night about the middle of April, our orchestra went to Duchesne to play for a dance. After the dance let out about 10:00 p.m., we started on our way home. While coming up Deep Creek in Dolph Duke's car, he was driving, he went to sleep at the wheel and I could feel the car swerve, going to the side, and the car tipped down against a quaken aspen tree and was braced across this tree. I opened the door on my side and crawled out and helped the piano player out, and then Dolph crawled out. Seymour Duke and Albin Hansen were in the back seat, and Albin said, "Seymour, don't step on my violin," and Symour said, "Hell, you have got it under your arm." At the same time, Albin was stepping in the middle of Seymour's drum. From then on, Albin carried his violin under his arm to protect it. We gathered some wood and made a fire. Seymour and I walked to the State Road Shed in Strawberry Valley about five miles away. We arrived at sunup and Ronald Johnson was the only man there working for the State. He got a state truck and equipment and we rode back with him to the wreck. He pulled us onto the road, and we got on our way, arriving in Heber about 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning."

Fishing with Karl

Memories of Karl as told by GWP:

Dad (Karl) and I were "fishing buddies" for as long as I can remember. He started me fishing at about age four. My first memories were of the Mahogany Spring at the mouth of Pine Canyon and not far from our cabin in Snake Creek––maybe a couple of miles. Dad took me in through the brush to a small stream and said, "Glen, come and look at this." I crouched over, went up to where he was, looked into the clear water and saw about a dozen Brook Trout feeding in the quiet current. That was my first experience and it "hooked" me on fishing. I was so excited. Then Dad baited his hook, dropped it into the stream, and I watched as one of the fish quickly took the bait, and Dad pulled it out and onto the grassy bank.

Now I was really excited. Those Brook Trout were so colorful. From that day on Dad and I fished several times a week. As I got older, we went to Deer Creek Reservoir, Strawberry Reservoir, some of the high lakes (Brimhall Lake, Lake Catharine, Pittsburg Lake, Blood Lake, Island Lake, Lake Mary, and others) in the mountains above Midway towards Park City and Brighton and Alta. We also fished the Provo and Weber Rivers a lot. Whenever we could, we went fishing.

My mother (Cree) both bottled and froze fish for use year around.

When Dad (Karl) was in his late eighties, he still wanted to go fishing with me, if only to watch me fish. I remember one day we went to Rainbow Bay on Deer Creek, one of his favorite places. I drove as close to the reservoir as possible and then helped him down the embankment and over to the edge of the lake, where I put him on a chair, and we fished and caught our limits. Dad loved to fish and so did I.

Karl's favorite places to fish at first were up Snake Creek--the stream that ran through our orchard and right next to the old cabin where he was born. In later years he liked to fish the reservoirs--Strawberry first, Deer Creek next, and then Schofield. He also enjoyed going with me to the Uinta Mountain lakes.

He mostly fished with bait--worms and cheese. He only fished with flies when he was with me doing evening fishing on one of the lakes. I tied many, many flies that were very effective, and Dad would use a fly and a bubble on his spinning outfit when we fished the lakes in the evenings or early mornings. Sometimes we would get up at 3:00 AM to go to Strawberry and fish with large streamers or bucktails, trolling them behind a boat with the motor running very slowly. This was very effective. We'd fish into the morning and catch fish as long as the fog and mist remained on the lake.

Dad was famous for being able to catch fish on the streams around Midway. This is how he taught me. He would walk into the most brushy places with a short fishing pole and line, sneak up to the side of the creek, drop the bait in along the undercut banks, and catch fish at will. He always told me this was the way to do it, because most people would not fight the brush to fish those places. He was right, I caught my limit of fish almost everyday doing this. We had fish regularly.

Dad used a spinning rod only, once they came on the market in the fifties. Before that he used a bamboo pole or steel telescoping rod to fish on the streams and rivers close to home--mostly Snake Creek, the Big Ditch behind our house, Mahogany Springs, and the Provo River. He never used a classic fly-fishing rod on the rivers and streams like I did.

Karl's Fishing Hats. Originally these were his "Dress Hats" before they were commissioned as "Fishing Hats."

Karl's Tackle Box

Karl's Fishing Hat filled with flies tied by GWP.

Browne Lake Fishing Trip 1962

Memories of Karl as told by GWP:

Karl L. Probst - Browne Lake 1962

In 1962 Dad (Karl), Harold Hullinger (my father-in-law), and I took a fishing trip to Browne Lake. Browne Lake is north of Vernal, UT, on the eastern end of the Uinta Mountains, north slope near Flaming Gorge.

Karl would have been 65 years old in 1962. We went out to the Uintas specifically for this fishing trip and stayed in Harold Hullinger's camper.

The fish are Native Cutthroat fish, and each weighed between 2 and 3 pounds. We caught many fish that day. I don't remember what the limit was, but we kept only the larger fish.

Dad (Karl) always wore bib overalls. I still have his old hat and fishing license. In fact, I've used his old hat for years and have added some more of my home-tied flies to it.

Glen W. Probst - Browne Lake 1962

Karl and his Guitars

Memories of Karl as told by GWP:

I was reading my father's history on the karlandcree web site, and noted that he played a trombone solo in the old Salt Lake Theater while in the band in training at the University of Utah. The name of the song was Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight (for her daddy over there), probably the biggest hit song of 1918. You can listen to it HERE.

Dad was such a good musician. As a child (and even today), I didn't think anyone could touch him musically. He could play the trombone and saxophone so beautifully. I remember asking him on occasion to get the sax out and play it for me, and he did so. I remember him using trombone sheet music to play the sax and vice versa. He directed the Midway Swiss band for many years. I played trombone in that band, and we used to serenade in early mornings for Swiss Days as we rode around the town on a big flatbed truck. We then took part in the parade and later gave a concert on the Town Square. Later, they made a gazebo on wheels specifically for Dad and his band to use for the parade and concerts. That gazebo is still used today and remains parked on the Town Square when not in use.

It's no wonder Dad was chosen as the camp band leader in San Antonio. He told me that, among his other music studies at BYU, he had taken an elective class in transposing music, resulting in his being able to play one instrument using the sheet music for another. I used to sing solos in high school and remember on a number of occasions that Dad would transpose the sheet music to a lower key for my voice. Dad studied at BYU under Prof. Robert Sauer, composer of Springtime in the Rockies. You can see some old photos of the Prof. Sauer and his BYU band HERE. Click on the images to enlarge them.

Dad also played the Hawaiian guitar beautifully. We spent many a night, especially in the winter, playing together--he on the Hawaiian and I on my Gretsch guitar. Whenever I got out my Gretsch and amplifier, Dad would sit and listen to me as long as I would play. He dearly loved the Spanish guitar and could play it as well. As you may remember, he learned to make his own guitars. I still have one he made from a tree trunk he got up Snake Creek. I think it was Quaking Aspen.

Here's a picture of Dad playing his Hawaiian guitar. His paintings are displayed also. Notice his handmade baritone ukuleles and the unfinished guitar next to him on the floor.

He loved to play, and one of his favorite's was The Old Refrain. You can listen to it HERE

also by Deanna Durbin HERE,

also by Nelson Eddy HERE.

Another favorite of his was Just a Song at Twilight. Listen to it HERE.

Another was I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen , by Josef Locke. Listen to it HERE.

And there were many others.


I might mention that I (GWP) also played in the BYU Marching Band (trombone) for two years--1955-56. Dick Ballou was the band director. He actually became the first full-time director in 1953. Under his direction the band became know as the "Incomparable Cougar Marching Band." We had about 110 members.

Grandpa Karl and his Hobbies and Talents

Memories of Karl L. Probst as told by Glen W. Probst:

Karl and his Melody Harp.

Dad (Karl) worked on his Melody Harp for many years. He applied for a patent, but I'm not sure if he secured it completely. He even wrote a book on how to play it. I got pretty good at it and still have one at home. It was based on three chords--tonic, sub-dominate, and dominate seventh. Since most simple tunes have at least two and no more than three main chords, we could play most folk songs and the oldies but goodies.

We used this harp a lot. We even demonstrated and displayed it in Salt Lake City at an inventors' convention. Several people wanted to have one made, but I don't know how many he actually made or sold.

The Melody Harp had a very mellow tone, sounding a lot like a an acoustic guitar. The square box gave it a deep, solid sound. I really enjoyed playing it, and Dad would listen as long as I would play it. I was able to use a lot of the Mexican rhythms on it. He especially liked the Huapango beat. Many times Dad and I would play our electric guitars together at night. I played my Gretsch, and he played his Gibson Hawaiian Guitar. We each had our own amplifiers. Sometimes we played for hours. Dad was really good on the Hawaiian or steel guitar. He played it in his own dance band, as well as the saxophone and trombone. He made extra money by playing at weekly dances in Heber, Kamas, Wallsburg, Duchesne, the old town hall in Midway, and elsewhere. It seems like he was playing for a dance almost every weekend during the forties. I think he made $2 to $5 dollars a dance job in those days.

Dad also made a standard junior harp. This picture was taken in the front room of our old home in Midway.

Karl and his Carved Canes. I think he was in his late 60's in this picture.

I'm not sure how long it took dad (Karl) to carve each of these canes, but it did take quite some time, maybe months. He started doing it while they were on their mission in London, Kentucky. There was a certain plant there that had another vine-type plant growing around it, and that's what he used.

Karl and his Paintings.

Dad did landscape paintings for as long as I can remember. His work was widely distributed. He won a lot of blue ribbons at exhibits in the Wasatch County Fair and Swiss Days over the years. He seldom sold his paintings, instead, he gave them away. He painted Timpanogos (his favorite) many, many times. He taught art for many years at Wasatch High School in Heber City, Utah. The painting above is one he did of the old log cabin up Snake Creek where he was born. He was especially noted for the realism in his aspen trees. Here you can see he is painting his initials on a tree. He had carved his own initials in an aspen tree near the old log cabin. The log cabin is long gone. I saw his initials in a quakie there about 20 years ago, but I think the tree has since been removed. All of that property is now part of the Wasatch Mountain State Park.

The painting below is of the upper part of Snake Creek. You can see Mt. Majestic Peak (what we called it), the highest one there, the Rochester just below to the left, and the canyon between the two we called Caribu. If you could see just on the other side of these mountains, you would see the ski resort of Brighton and Salt Lake City in the distance.

Dad (Karl) also did a lot of leather work. He could braid anything. He made bridles for horses, breast collars, belts, wallets, women's purses, and other items out of leather. I also did a lot of this. I learned how to tool leather and ended up teaching Dad that part, but he taught me all the other stuff. I still have a beautiful breast collar (martingale) that I made for my horse.

Army Days

Memories of Karl L. Probst as told by Glen W. Probst:

Karl L. Probst, 1918

This is Dad (Karl) in his Army days. He was sent to Camp John Wise in San Antonio, Texas in 1918. There he was attached to a Balloon Reconnaissance regiment. Once Major Lambert learned of Dad's musical ability, he appointed Dad to organize a camp band to boost morale. He even took Dad into San Antonio to a music store where they bought the instruments needed. Dad played both the saxophone and trombone very well. He also conducted music well. Dad studied music at Blrigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, under Robert Sauer, a well-known musician in those days. Sauer was the one who composed the tune to "Springtime in the Rockies" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_in_music Scroll down to 1929). As band director, Dad was able to include several other Midway boys in the band. They were all talented muscians. This kept them out of going to fight at the front.

Dad was discharged from the Army at Fort Logan, Colorado, the latter part of Feb 1919. He met Cree Wright and married her June 23, 1920, in the Salt Lake Temple. They lived in an old log cabin down on the Weber River, where their oldest son Bernard was born the following spring on April 1, 1821. Dad was teaching school in Oakley near Kamas, Utah. I remember his telling me that his first teaching contract was $800 for the school year.