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."

History of Karl Lorenzo Probst - Part IV

History written by Karl L. Probst in 1968:

"Besides teaching school and farming, I played for many dances, using the saxophone, trombone and guitar. we traveled in all kinds of weather playing in surrounding towns in and out of the valley."

Old Midway Social Hall where Karl and his orchestra played for dances.
(Notice the pot rock construction.)

"I was Sunday School and ward chorister approximately forty years and was Wasatch Stake Sunday School chorister for eight years."

"In the year, 1914, while attending B.Y.U., I was selected for the Wasatch Stake to take the Scoutmaster's Training Course that the Church had initiated. I was chosen Scoutmaster in midway and worked in Scouting for about forty years as Scoutmaster and on the Troop Committee. Also, I took a course for college credit that gave me the 'Scoutmaster's Key.'"

"I organized a male quartet composed of myself as second bass; Reed Kohler, bass; Rulon Huntington, lead; and Roy Huffaker, tenor. We did much public service, and sang for funerals, on programs, etc., for some forty years. This quartet took first place in the Utah Farm Bureau Contest. I organized other groups and put on about six or seven minstrel shows to help raise money to pay on the present Midway Second Ward meetinghouse., and after the money was matched, it made about $6,000 toward the chapel."

"My favorite sport was baseball, having pitched and won many games. I came by this naturally, because I could curve a ball when I was in the sixth grade. I have obtained a hunting and fishing license each year and never missed a year from the time I was fourteen years old."

"My wife and I served a six-months' mission in the East Central States from October, 1961, to April, 1962. We also spent several winters in Mesa, Arizona, doing temple work and enjoying the warm climate."

"Over the years, I developed the ability to do fancy handwriting and was asked many times to sign numerous certificates, invitations, etc."

"During my farm days, I got into the silver fox business and had a ranch of my own––about twenty pens. We made money for several years and had good luck, and then the styles changed, and the women weren't wearing fox fur. We sold the last ones for $10.00 a piece and got out of the business."

Fox Pens on the Probst Farm where Karl raised silver foxes for their pelts to be used for clothing, 1940's.
At the peak, he had about 500 foxes.

"I also had acquired by this time some black Karakul sheep; the first ram I bought from Texas at a cost of $250.o0. It was the only Karakul ram in Utah at that time, and I crossed him on Suffolk ewes, and their offspring were half bloods, and I kept crossing this ram until I got a 15/16th blood, almost purebred. I also purchased a ewe then, too, and kept inbreeding until I finally had a quality of pelt that was valued at about $25.00 to $30.00 a piece."

"I sold a carload of sheep to Hemingway in California, keeping twelve yearlings that were the highest quality of broadtail type fur. I kept one ram lamb to breed on these twelve, having let the old ram go to California. I figured I had the best ram, and these twelve ewes were the best in America for their quality of fur. I figured now that I would really make some money. I had this valuable ram in the corral with some horses, and about two weeks after I had sold the other sheep, I went up to the barn one morning, and the ram was lying dead. He had been kicked by a horse and had a broken neck, so I had no ram to breed these twelve ewes with. so, I wrote to California to try to get the old ram back, and they informed me that they had already killed him because they didn't think he was worth anything. So, with this disappointment, it put an end to my experiment in the sheep business."

"We also raised peas for silage, sugar beet seed, milk cows, head lettuce and hay. Just recently, I have purchased two rare Mouflon sheep, almost extinct. The ewe now has a lamb."

"We also had a raspberry patch up Snake Creek in the apple orchard which produced berries very abundantly for some time. However, the State Park has now purchased this ground, but I have continued to lease it back since that time. This year is the last time I will take care of the raspberries up Snake Creek. The bushes are just about all dead."

"The last year I taught school, I decided to try making a guitar. I found a large log up Snake Creek, hauled it to my home and with an ax, chopped it down to size. I then took it to the shop in high school where I smoothed it and cut it to the pattern I had made. By the time school was out in the spring, I had finished a very good electric guitar. Later, I invented an instrument I called the Melody Harp. I have made many of these. Lately I have been making Spanish Guitars, and have been experimenting with different kinds of wood. I still have many ideas I want to work out."

Karl created this Trade Mark for his Melody Harp.

"Since retiring from school teaching, I have kept very busy with my hobbies––painting, guitar making, and fishing. I have painted many pictures, many of which I have given away, and some I have sold."

"At seventy-three years of age, I have very good health, enjoy life, and hope to live to be one-hundred years old."

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.