1880- 1938
Mary Janae lay quiet and comfortable in her feather bed. It seemed so good to rest after the ordeal of childbirth. Her new little son lay next to her, sleeping peacefully after having been admired by his plump five year old sister Rose and his two year old brother Ev, and of course his father Al had been pleased with this fine son. Mary Jane decided it was much nicer to have a baby when it was warm. Her last two had been born in the winter, but today, May 23, 1880 seemed a perfect day to enjoy the cool shelter of their rock house. This baby would be named after his father, but they would call him Will, and then there would not be any confusion caused by both of them having the same name.
Will had the usual childhood bumps and falls of any child who grew up on a farm. It seemed a natural thing for him to be loved and to love. He never lacked for playmates and in the next seven years he found three more brothers added to the family; Matt, George, and Roy. June 6, 1888 was an exciting day when he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
A year before, his Grandma Williams came to live with them after the death of her husband. The next year she died and two days later, on 13 April 1889, his mother presented them with a new baby sister whom they named Mary Ann after the grandma who had just died. On 13 March 1892 Gene was born. The next major event was the death of his Grandma Dalton on 3 June 1898. Will was 17 by then and would miss his grandma, who had lived near them all his life. The next year on 22 July, 1898, his mother bore her last child, a daughter, whom they named Irene. Now Will knew the house was too small for that many people. It was time he set out on his own.
Early in the morning he arose and went outside. The sun had not yet risen above the sharp, rocky mountains behind their farm, and everything looked so beautiful in the early spring light. His father had carved a beautiful farm from the fertile but rocky soil in Willard, Utah,. There were fruit trees of every kind, and the vegetable garden that would feed the family for the coming year was coming up nicely. Behind the house was the grape arbor, and there were even some Mulberry bushes where my father had experimented with raising silkworms. It was hard to leave all this when he had worked many long hours to help make it all possible. Harder still to leave his family, but Will was full of adventure and hurried to saddle up his horse and head for his first job away from home.
Being a cowboy on the Bar S Ranch was no easy job, but Will was used to hard work. That was one thing his parents had taught him, and he enjoyed being outdoors and riding his horse. It was only about 35 miles from home and only 15 miles from Tremonton, Utah to the
Blue Creek Valley where the ranch was. By 1901 Will had become a foreman at the ranch, but was restless. When his parents decided to sell their farm in Willard and move to Mlaad, Idaho Will quit his job and went with them. November was a bad month to move, and when they reached the new ranch, the Mifflin family was still living there. Boy what a houseful of people that was! Spring came and Will was on the move again. His family knew not where. But the following winter he was back home with a wife who seemed much younger than he.
The Willow Springs Ranch had its own school. It was a log building with only one room, but it was a school
Hulda Carter Dalton attended school there with the other Dalton children and five or six children from nearby farms. It was a hard way for a couple to start their married life, and bny spring Will and Hulda were openly fighting in spite of the fact that they were to be parents. When the weather became warm enough, Will took Hulda back to her parents in Ammon, Idaho (east of Idaho Falls),. On 13 July 1903 she gave birth to a son and named him Leland. Nine months later, he died of pneumonia. Will came back to his parent’s home and soon found a job working for Ben Waldron in Samaria on the west side of Malad Valley. Ben had a store where Will worked, and he soon took over the care of Ben’s registered stallion horse.
On 5 October 1904 he married a lady named Ruth Edwards in the Salt Lake Temple. For two years he and Ruth managed the hotel in Samaria and then went to Ogden, Utah where Will worked in the Express Office for the Union Pacific Railroad. They lived in the Broom Hotel, and then one day Will discovered that his wife was being unfaithful to him. After making many threats, which he luckily did not carry through, he simply disappeared and no one could find him.
July 4, 1922 in Walla Walla, Washington was much like the celebration in any other town; parades, fireworks, ball games, lots of people and a fun time. Even the day after, there was still an atmosphere of good will and another ball game. Will loved to play ball and to watch a good game, so he came into town with his lady-friend. Her name was Rose Della Harris and they were having a picnic in the park. Will excused himself and went across the street to a saloon to use the restroom. As he crossed the street he noticed a young man staring at him and observed that the man followed him into the saloon. When he came out the man was still there, and said, “Hello, Will.” “ Hello, “ he replied, wondering who it was. The man followed him and said, “Wait a moment, you are Will Dalton, aren’t you?” “Yes, I am, but who are you?” “ Well, “ he answered, I’m your brother, Gene.” Will stared at the young man and searched his mind for a memory of Gene, who had been 14 when he had last seen him. Now he looked at a young man 20 years old, but it was Gene. Tears came to Will’s eyes as he threw his arms around his brother and welcomed him back into his life. “How did you find me? What are you doing here/? Are you alone? How’s everyone? The questions tumbled out and Gene explained.
“Well a man named Sid Johnson of Cornucopia, Oregon wrote to Mother and told her that you were in Walla Walla. Will, you can’t imagine the tears Mother has shed over you. Wondering where you were, and why we didn’t hear from you, so I told her I’d come and look for you. Bill Fredrickson and I came up here and I asked the Mail Man if he knew where you lived and he showed me John Webb’s house, but I didn’t find you there. So I figured if there were a ball game, you’d come to it. I came here yesterday and today, Boy, am I glad I found you.” The two brothers embraced again, and Will led Gene to the park to meet his Rose.
The two brothers visited, Rose listening, Will learned that George had married and Roy had married Matt’s widow, Eliza. Mary was married and he had many new nieces and nephews. It was like a breath of spring to hear all the news of his family. He wondered why he had never kept in touch with them all these long years.
He had thought of them often, especially during the time he had been in the hospital after being trapped in a mine cave-in. He had been crushed in a standing position for many hours, and one kidney had been badly damaged. This was while he was at Cornicopia, Oregon. Probably that was where Sid Johnson had known him and eventually written to his Mother.
Will went off to play ball with some of his friends, and Gene and Rose sat in the shade and got acquainted. “Tell me about your family, Rose, “Gene said after he had told her about the Dalton Clan. And Rose talked about how her grandparents, James B. George, a smith by trade, and Louise George had come across the plains from Independence, Missouri in 1864. It had been a hard trip and at Fort Hall, Idaho a baby boy, their first child, had died. He was buried in the Unknown Babies Grave there. They had settled at Peppers Crossing, Walla Walla County, Washington and it was there that Emily was born and later another daughter named Dolly, and one named Evaline. Eva married a man named John Tedder and they had four children; Myrtle, Cora, Elmer and Jessie. Sometime later the mother died and the four children made their home with grandfather J.B. George and their father John Tedder. Then John died and three years later the family moved to Iowa. Emily George had married John William Harris and Rose was their daughter, born at Peppers Crossing on 30 July, 1892.
Gene worked in the grain harvest and that fall he and Will worked for John Webb feeding cattle during the winter. In the spring, Gene went to Burley to feed sheep and Will stayed on with Webb.
Will was a jolly man, full of Dalton humor, and loved to tease. On 5 August, 1914 he and Rose were married. In those days it was common to have a Shivaree as soon as the wedding was performed. The bride and groom were whisked away in an old hay wagon, or sometimes even a wheelbarrow, and everyone followed through the streets making a great deal of noise by beating on kettles, singing and shouting, throwing rice, and tying old shoes behind the carriage. Often, if they could manage, they stole the bride from her new husband for a few anxious hours. This day however Will, not to be outdone by the merry friends, secretly placed Limburger cheese in the hat bands of several of the men’s hats. What a mess that was: A stinking mess, one might add!
Shortly after the marriage, the couple went to work on the farm belonging to Rose’s parents, John and Emily Harris. It was on the Walla Walla River near the town of Milton-Freewater, Oregon. They spent the summers on the farm where they rented a house, and in the winters they fed cattle for John Webb.
The next year, 1915, the Dalton’s were saddened when Rose gave birth to a stillborn twin sons. The next year, another son was stillborn. Will and Rose were so sad and thinking a change would be welcome, they moved to Walla Walla, Washington. Will was able to get a job at Tum-A-Lum Park and in 1917 they were renewed by a visit from Will’s mother and his brother Gene. What a thrill it was for mother and son to be together after 11 years.
Will then worked for his brother-in-law, Alan Hughes, in his grain warehouse and at a creamery. How happy they were when Marvin Eugene was born on 20 May, 1918.
Not long after this, the Dalton’s had the opportunity of going to Leona, Idaho where there was a placer mine. Only this time Will would not work in the mine, but he and Rose were in charge of the cook shack. Rose did most of the cooking and Will cut the meat, did the heavy work and the lifting. He was able to get brother Gene a job there in the winter of 1922 and the two brothers enjoyed being together again. Working at the mine was a solitary job, even though it was beautiful in the mountains.
The kidney which had been damaged in the mine accident continued to bother Will, and in 1924 the family went to Spokane, Washington where Will was admitted to the hospital and the bad kidney was removed. The family moved back to Walla Walla and Will went back to work at the creamery on North Palouse Avenue, not too far from where they lived. The next year they were in Portland, Oregon where Will worked for a building moving outfit. Next they moved to Pendelton, Oregon where she worked for Hamley Saddle Co. Then back to Walla Walla for more work at the creamery. How happy the family was to be home again. And on 24 November, 1927 they were blessed with a baby daughter, whom they named Mary Lou. Will then worked for the School District as Custodian at two different schools.
Life was not all moving and work though. Will loved to hunt and fish, especially to hunt ducks and pheasants. It was an expensive hobby, though one that was not pursued too often. The family’s favorite outings were to go to the City Park for a picnic and a fun time, and when the Fair was held each year everyone went to that. Will’s love of baseball still held a soft spot in his heart, and he enjoyed seeing a game whenever he could.
The family went to church regularly and for Rose it was a “must”. They enjoyed doing things together and got lots of exercise , because they never owned a car.
In 1937 Will had a disagreement with the School District, quit his job there, and took odd jobs wherever he could find them. In 1938 and 39 the family ran a little restaurant or lunch room in the YMCA in town, but Will’s health was not good. On 2 October, 1939 he died of cancer and was buried in Walla Walla, Washington.