One summer he told Allene and LaVella that they could keep busy raising and feeding animals and the garden. It turned into quite a project! We had one sheep for burrs, big Devil Creek calves to feed by bottles, pigs also. We played bull fighting with one animal and when Bert Call came to load the cattle. This one almost got L.M.. 

One young fellow thought he had gotten the best of L.M. one day. L.M. made a deal for the best of the litter on a pig, and when he let it out of the sack it was a runt, almost dead. I, La Vella, fed it on the bottle and babied it. Nothing was said to the young fellow. The pig thrived. When at last he was put in the pen, L.M. thought he’d be killed but he was the head of everything that there was and continued that way until he was sold. 

L.M. was down to see Uncle John Knudsen at Tremonton, and his girls were putting red henna on their hair. So they talked to L.M. into a pack. His hair was pure white. He went out into the fields with Uncle John and left the henna on too long. When he came back they washed his hair, it was orange. He thought he would come home and give us all a big laugh. Just at the time he came home Mother said, “Oh you fool”, the ambulance went by. It shocked us as we knew who it was for. Before we could say a word L.M. was on the run to console, forgetting his predicament with his hair. As he walked into the house up the hill from us, he took off his hat. They smiled and he was so mortified, he came back home, grabbed the hair clippers. Mother said let’s get some peroxide but before she could get it out of her mouth, he had taken a swath down the front of his head and the clipper broke. So into town and to the barber and then a bald head for the summer. He said it was ‘cool’. 

At the rodeos L.M. had Ned Tovey as an Indian and stole Virginia (as a young child) and scalped Alvin Camp. Scared everyone. Made a loop down below the school yard in the parade. 

The hours, weeks, and months of getting thoughts and work involved in a process of a big extravaganza was used in a big production of St. John Rodeos and 24th of July celebrations. The longer it went the bigger it became and the more hours of work. L.M. had quite a library of books. History books were brought out and hours were spent going through them for pictures of who looks like who. Mitchell Deschamps was Lafayette, Andie Talbot was Ben Franklin, on and on into the night. Night after night. He rented costumes from Ogden Wig Supply, and asked each family to supply horses, buggies, or wagons. Anything pertaining to that period to make a beautiful parade. We worked hard building chutes, tearing out shrubs and weeds along the Devil Creek. 

The road graders built roads, so cars could pull up the hill and people could sit in cars and watch the parade. 

He built two chariots so they could have a chariot race. He talked the Indian people into coming and camping on our property to get ready for the stagecoach hold up. 

Alvin Camp was the intended victim each time. In fact every time they had a parade. There was an open air dance hall. Hamburger stand and Frank Robertson (who worked for us occasionally) the cook, would call out “A whole cow and calf for a dime”. And Ice Cream and a soft drink stand and a lot more. Finally L.M. said let’s have a reunion. So we had the Madsen, Knudsen reunion. That started it. Lorraine Pierce was queen of the rodeo. The parade was a grand success so they say. LaVella was on a wild horse, and was lucky to get through without getting thrown. The next week the horse did buck a fellow off and broke his leg. 

The costumes were put in the chicken coop for storage and all other things that were to be needed, saddles, silver martingales, bridles and so many things and the place burned down. What a tragedy. No insurance so everything had to be paid for. What to do with that amount of cash receipts? L.M put the cash in a pillowcase and threw it in the old yellow rosebush. It was so large and thorny he said that no one would go in there looking for money. He was correct. They also had a dance down at the schoolhouse. 

We had Silver lady, a famous, trick Arabian horse and a lot of Rodeo people would stay on between Ogden and other rodeos. 

L.M. was always helping people with money, food, time and advice. He always said he had no time for fancy dress. The work ethic and friends meant more to him than show. He had friends all over South East Idaho and Northern Utah. He loved rodeos. We went to Sun Valley, Idaho, opening rodeos. Soda Springs, Garland, Preston, Malad and oh yes of course Bull Canyon rodeos. A few from St. John will remember that. He took 25 horses and others to the 24th parade in Ogden. 

L.M. and Eunice lived at Mitchell Deschamps old house in part of it and she taught at St. John in 1910-11. 

Cornelius Jones was a student of L.M.s also Morgan Tovey. Morgan Tovey, Cornelius Jones, and Evan G. Jones spent lots of time at our house, visiting with him and asking for advice. He always had a group of young people around him. People called at all hours of the night or day just to talk to him, Yet, he couldn’t talk to his own children. 

Charlie Wight would go downstairs to smoke and L.M. would catch him and really be upset. (He was a very strict teacher).