Southeastern Idaho Maps -- 1880 - 1920

There are no detailed maps of the settlements of American Falls, Neeley, or Rockland where Fred lived most of the time. Perhaps one of Pocatello could be found, where Fred at times went to work, but on the whole there are only general maps of Idaho made available to look at. I've selected many of these and tried to "zero on" on the region where Fred lived most of his post-married life. I'll share them in chronological order. You'll notice that the small towns of Neeley and Rockland are not always mentioned, but the creeks that ran by or through them are often noted on the maps.

1876:

1880:

1882:

1883:

1889:

1897:

 1903:

1911:

1924:

1927:

Minerva Teichert Autobiography Part 3

Continuing on a thread from 2011, I'll continue along Minerva Teichert's autobiography:

I fell quite in love with a young country boy near Soda, but Ben Dixon spent money on me. He visited my home in vacation. He wrote to me every day. I believe, of course, his bon bons won me. We became engaged. I took up a homestead so did he. He wanted me to marry him and live on his homestead. I wanted him to come live on mine till I “proved up”. We were both keeping still about those homesteads, but finally fess up. We were both obligated to our fathers and had to “prove up”. I tried to final proof in fourteen months but failed, so did he… So, it would be at least three years residence before we could get married.

I had by now finished the 3 year Academic Course at the Art Institute in Chicago was back in Idaho dead broke and in debt. I took the first chance teaching a country school again. My family was living in Arizona so I went to my cousins in Sterling, Idaho where I taught 60 pupils in a tucked u[p] room without space for aisles. I would prove up on my homestead in early spring and be married soon as school was out. The night before I went to be married the brother of my cousin’s wife, who had been an admirer for a number of years, stayed late. He just sat there holding my hand in his silent way and the tears ran down the insides of his eyelids. If he had asked me I think I would have given Ben Dixon up, but he didn’t. He just held my hand very tight, almost crushing it, and let me trek on. I think he didn’t hear a word I said.

At last I was visiting with my other cousins, the Wades in Ft. Hall Bottoms when we went to American Falls to see “A Hundred Years of Mormonism” played in Film. An old chum asked, “What will your folks think when they find you’ve married out of the church?” I answered flippantly, “Oh, we should worry. After it’s over they’ll like it alright.” But her eyes told me she did not believe me. To tell the truth it was the first time I had thot about it. That night on the Bottoms I dreamed another man came and begged me not to marry Ben Dixon—that I was meant for him. I was angry and answered, “Of course I shall. I’m going to married next Sunday.” I could not see his face distinctly –I did not want to. I feared it might be Herman Teichert and he did not speak good enough American for me, but I noted the tweed of his suit and in a life time I could never forget the tiny red and orange flecks in that soft dark tweed. I have watched for it and longed to find it as I have traveled in cars across America. I’ve looked for it in the crowds on Coney Island, Atlantic City, Broadway, on the boats between New York and Boston. Sometimes I’d think I saw it, then the old man who stood behind the wearer would not be there. What would I have done had I recognized the particular tweed? I do not know. It seemed, in my dream, that everything in his life depended upon marrying me and he wept. I became alarmed and said, “why I’ll not marry Ben Dixon if you don’t want me to. I’m sure he doesn’t care so much for me as that.” When I woke up it seemed I could hear him saying, “You’ll never wait, you’ll never wait.”

I was so distressed I got up and dressed at the first hint of day. I walked along the river throwing rocks into the water and skimming them across the glassy surface and calling on my rebellious friends. Would I listen to a fool of a dream when I was to be married next Sunday?

At breakfast my cousin, Clarence Wade, said, “Minerva, what makes you so pale this morning and why were you walking along the river in the night?” “Oh, nothing,” I answered, but he and Cousin Marion, his wife both insisted I tell them what was the matter, so I told them my dream in an insolent way. They both declared, “You’ll never marry Ben Dixon.” Of course it was up to me to show them. For the fi[r]st time Ben Dixon asked me in a letter who should perform the ceremony. I answered Pres. Hyde of Pocatello Stake, my father’s friend. His next letter came Thursday. He said something that could never be unsaid—“I would rather live single all my life than to be married by a Mormon or in a Mormon church.” It was the first thing he had ever said against the Mormons and while I made no profession of religion I made the home plate with both feet. “Start your life!” was my answer. He came to me begging forgiveness but in his apology I detected a lie. He said he objected only to Pres. Hyde. So in Pocatello I saw President Hyde to ask if they had ever had any differences—Ben Dixon was a deputy sheriff at this time and Pres. Hyde Probate Judge. Wm A. Hyde answered, “No, indeed. I have always admired the young man. We are friends.”

Well, it was a shock to my vanity. For four or five years he had written to me every day or every other day and his letters had lead me to believe him deeply in love. I tho[ugh]t I should marry the man who loved me so much even tho[ugh] back in Sterling I was leaving one that I loved more. So Herman became my real sweetheart and my family moved back from Arizona. They wanted me to marry a Mormon boy. I knew none or ever had except speaking acquaintances so after another year’s teaching and to avoid our approaching wedding day, Mother offered to help me go to New York to study under Robert Henri. She begged me to wait a year. So I took French leave of Herman who was in Idaho while I taught in Pleasant View, Utah. I was easy to do at first for I wanted very much to study under Robert Henri, but what should I do with Herman. I quit—told him to marry a friend of ours. I was leaving him behind. This washed my hands of him. I think I threw his pleading letters on the floor and walked on them for days at a time, but I didn’t feel that way and many times I fought back the bitter tears with folly. I gathered a crowd about me in my boarding home. I kept in a crowd at the Art Student’s League. I was no longer a dashing girl. I was from now on mature. I did not ever let myself think. I painted like mad under Dimitri Romanoffski. I had had three years of drawing at the Art Institute under John Vanderpool but I joined a Bridgman drawing class in New York and stayed with him until he told me what ever told few, “You can draw as well as I, now, paint.”

There are a few details here as pertains to Minerva’s family:

(a)    The extended relationship with different cousins – different sets on her mother’s side.

(b)    Fred’s relationship to William A. Hyde of the Pocatello stake. The relationship here would have been through the church, not via a professional relationship.

(c)     There is a shocking resemblance or repetition between Ella and Fred’s courtship, along with Minerva’s. It’s a sort of mystical romance. The finding of one’s spouse via a dream. There’s also the way the “wrong match” was to be short circuited. Ella used an engagement to get her mother to allow her to go to school. She now was using the desire and promise for school to keep her own daughter from getting married.

(d)    Her parents cared that she stay married within the faith (even though she does not; Herman later converts when she goes to the hospital for lead poisoning). It’s somewhat surprising that Minerva had not thought about it to this point. Her parents were very religious and involved in the Mormon community. She helped fund a mission her father fulfilled in his 40’s. How did she not think about this until this time? What does that say about Minerva?

(e)    Parents go to and from Arizona. It’s not clear what makes them return or exactly when they returned based on these notes, something I will have to tease out further. I have a good sense of when they left, but not when they came back.

(f) Obligation to the father. Was this a financial and/or moral obligation? It is something she shared with Ben Dixon.

Dry Farmer, Creative Problem Solver

Mary Ella wrote a series of reflective articles on her and Fred's past in America Falls, Neeley, and Pocatello in the Spring of 1915 in the local American Falls Press. They've been quite the pleasure to find, and help flesh out some of the gaps in Mary Ella's life prior to meeting Fred, her mother Minerva Wade's activities, as well as Fred's own activities up until his mission in 1905. As always, they suggest further areas for research. I'll start with the April 22, 1915 article, "First Dry Farm Started in 1899" on the front page.

"First Dry Farm Started in 1889

Trials of a Pioneer in Harvesting Wheat with Scythe and Threshing by Hand – No Machinery to Harvest his Crops.
Mrs. Fred J. Kohlhepp Tells of Early Dry Farming Experiences Near American Falls – Inability to Procure Machinery Resulted in Developing Inventive Genius of Mr. Kohlhepp.

On April 7^th, 1889, Mr. Fred J. Kohlhepp went on his dry farm situated about five miles south of American Falls. He succeeded in getting in a few acres of grain and proved to his own satisfaction that dry land grain could be raised there.

He could get no machinery to harvest his crop and had to cut it with a scythe and thresh it by hand. This did not pay, so after spending all the money he had on hand, building and fencing, he returned to Pocatello on December 12^th and went to work again in the car shops. The next two years he spent in Pocatello trying to get money to buy machinery to improve his homestead, going on it only every six months to comply with the law, which was not as strict as the present time.

On June 16, 1893 he met with an accident from which he never entirely recovered. Being unable to work for wages he determined to make a success of his dry farm and hired help to break about fifty acres of land.

For several years he raised good crops of wheat but could get no machinery to cut or thresh it. Once he persuaded a man with a binder to come and bind his grain and he was filled with hope, when the team came with the machine, but when the man got on the grain field he decided the soil was too soft. It would ruin his binder, he said, so he drove away, leaving Mr. Kohlhepp in despair. But necessity is the mother of invention. He got an old mowing machine and rigged a table behind to catch the grain which was raked off by hand when enough was cut to make a bundle, thus saving several stacks.

Being unable to get it threshed he constructed a merry-go-round, using the horses to tramp the grain and thresh it with their feet. He raised good wheat and corn in 1897 when there was no rain from April to October.

In 1900 he decided to raise rye and feed it to cattle so he might have success even if the threshers failed him, so he put in about fifty acres, which yielded an excellent crop, the whole field averaging six feet in height. This drew the attention of all who came near. Many made special trips to see the wonderful dry land crop and said: “Why cannot we do likewise?” Some of them did and from that time dry land farming has grown until American Falls is one of the largest grain shipping points in the United States.

Mr. Kohlhepp had been laughed and jeered at and told his land was not worth five cents per acre, and asked if he could raise enough to feed the rabbits, which indeed were a great pest, but he persisted and proved his principle, not only in raising grain, but potatoes, peas and other products.

Had machinery been available Mr. Kohlhepp would have proved his theory twenty-three years ago, that wherever grass will grow, grain will grow, but pioneers must have patience and it sometimes take a life time to prove a principle."

Several items of interest:

(a) 1889 and Neeley property -- I assume this is the Neeley land, which I believe BLM has land grant records of. I'll need to corroborate this.

(b) Railroad work -- Notice how the article states he "went to work again in the car shops," implying that he'd worked in the car shops in Pocatello prior to 1889. I also believe his autobiography describes him doing railroad work in the West during his travels in the early 80's.

It's interesting to see for what purpose he did the railroad work -- it was for the end goal of making a success of his farm, and getting help for his land. It was ambitious, and as noted, tragic.

(c) The incident referenced feels like it means the eye incident that left him blind in one eye. A devastating injury for a 31 year old, at least according to the time that this article noted. It no doubt changed the course of Fred's life and financial prospects.

(d) The creativity Fred had here to solve his problems is impressive, and something I've wanted to understand further. I can only vaguely understand and visualize how the mower and the cattle merry go round worked. I'm curious how the animal hoof threshing didn't destroy the grain. But to be honest, I know very little about farming, so I've got a lot to learn here.

(e) Other little details: rabbit issues, public ridicule to public admiration

It's rather sad that Fred didn't have more success, in proving out a theory that others in the community then profited far more from.

Frederick -- Runaway/Missing in 1879

Frederick's short autobiography noted how he'd run away as a teenager and began a western trek across the United States -- first to Wisconsin (joining the loggers out there), then in Minnesota and the Dakotas, over to Montana, Wyoming, and finally Utah. I'll get to posting on his reported trek in the future. Of note is I discovered an article in The Boston Transcript dated June 3, 1879, that looks to corroborate Fred's story, and no doubt had made his parents sick.

While it could be Fred was "just missing," it looks highly unlikely given Fred's reported sudden departure. Fred did note returning at least twice back to Boston while traveling in the Midwest US, which explains as well while you'll see him listed in the 1880 census (enumerated on June 5, 1880; just over a year later) as a "Student" back in Boston:

I can only imagine the heartache this caused his family. On the flipside, what was it about Jamaica Plain and Fred's family that made him want to leave, and head "West of Eden" (Jamaica Plain was known for its arboretum and beauty, called the "Eden of America")? His sisters were nearly all married, his father was trying to get him to get involved in business (can we imagine anything less of an immigrant father). This is an interesting question in Fred's life, that doesn't have a clear answer just yet.

Ella Kohlhepp - Painting in Mesa 1911

Amelia Piquet's letter showed how the Kohlhepps were moving to Mesa Arizona in the Fall of 1911. I'd shared Ella's involvement in the Arizona suffragist movement shortly after arriving in Mesa. Another thing Ella got involved in within Arizona with painting. Both her and Fred had artistic interests, embers which ended up smoldering in Minerva Teichert. A notice in the Arizona Republican on December 2, 1911 for "List of Premiums Won at Seventh Annual Arizona Fair" has an entry for Ella, noted here as "Ell Kohlhepp, Mesa."

It's an "Amateurs Only" category, but she won first place in oil figure painting. I wonder if any of her artistic productions survived?

Fred's Missionary Farewell - 1905

On September 11, 1905, the Neeley ward and Mormon community put on a farewell party for Frederick before he began his travels to the East and overseas to Germany and Switzerland. This event was recorded in the Deseret Evening News in a blurb, "Current Gossip from Neeley, Ida." in their September 16, 1905 issue. It notes:

"Neeley, Oneida Co., Idaho, Sept. 13--Mr. Kohlup left Neeley, Monday, for his mission to Germany; before leaving a farewell party was given him at the schoolhouse where an impromptu program was interspersed with dancing; ice cream and cake were served. Miss Minerva Kohlup, who has ben studying art in Salt Lake City this summer, may join her father in Germany, next spring, where she will continue her studies. Miss Kohlup shows evidence of remarkable talent and it may be that Idaho will have cause to be proud of a great painter in her in the course of a few years."

This was a nice event the people of Neeley put on for Fred. It also suggest Minerva's closeness to her father, wanting to be near him with her studies. She never does go to Germany while he is there. I will need to go through his mission letters, postcards, and journals to see if it ever becomes an item of discussion. Minerva's artistic prowess is here being hinted at; Minerva had just turned 17 at this time.

Ella Kohlhepp -- Suffragist in Arizona

Fred and Ella moved to Mesa, Arizona at the end of 1911. As per usual, Ella kept herself busy after settling down. This included fighting for women's suffrage (the right to vote) in Arizona. An article entitled "The Suffrage Meeting" in the Arizona Republican was published on September 22, 1912. It states:

"The meeting of the Mesa suffragists at the Mesa opera house Friday evening, is said to have been quite harmonious. The ladies perfected a local organi[z]ation by the election of the following officers:
President, Mrs. John T. Vance
Vice-president, Mrs. Dwight E. Huston
Recording secretary, Mrs. Ella Kohlhepp
Treasurer, Mrs. L. E. Irwin
The next meeting will be held Thursday afternoon, September 26, at 2 o'clock at the Vance auditorium."

This snippet is interesting in showing Ella's political activities. The states she'd lived in prior had already secured for women the right to vote -- Utah while she was a child (1870), and in Idaho nearly 2 decades before while she was living there (1895). She was only continuing that expectation in Arizona. At the time of this article, the initiative had already qualified for the ballot on July 5, 1912. When voting occurred in November, roughly two months subsequent to this recorded meeting, voters overwhelming approved the initiative, making Arizona the ninth state to give women the right to vote.

That Ella is voted in (a certain irony in voting for officers for an initiative that focuses on voting) as the recording secretary speaks to her capabilities and presence. She was seen as educated enough at this Mesa chapter to be fit to fulfill these responsibilities.

Beyond this, it's interesting that in this article the other officers choose to be noted by their husband's names, and yet Ella does not have this for her. She is not Mrs. Frederick Kohlhepp.

Minerva Teichert - 1969 Letter

While looking through some of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' archives, I came across MS 5224: Minerva Teichert papers, 1956, 1969, circa 1968. There's not much to this manuscript -- 2 letters, and a list of paintings she did up to 1968. However, one of the letters has an interesting description of Minerva's childhood. It was written to my grandmother, Laurie Teichert Eastwood, on February 12, 1969. Here is the transcription:

Dear Laurie,
I'm wondering if Nadine's story isn't much like mine.
My mother had a small store in American Falls, Idaho. My father was living six miles out on the ranch.
Mother took in garden stuff from all the farmers and I had to peddle them out, in the town -- not a tree nor a rose nor a green thing in it.
Little by little I was losing my sight and maybe my mind. It was a terrible time for me. I walked a mile out of town to get Mrs. [?]igler to come quick. The baby was coming!
When the baby came she was a little "doll" but I was fast losing my sight in that hot little desert town. When Annalee was a month old my mother took me down to North Ogden to grandma's and left me for grandma to raise me. She took a wagon load of north Ogden fruit and left me down there. It was almost time for school to start but I had drops put in my eyes so I could see again.
I was lonesome and almost blind and afraid of everything when grandma had to go to hot springs and deliver another baby.
School started and I could find my way round. I had read everything with squinted eyes. I started. "Fifth grade" was highest grade in American Falls so i tried it.
The master caught me copying from the little boy next to me so next time I copied from a little boy on the other side. The teacher caught me, and shook me very hard. I cried and went home to grandma's. She was gone, there was no one to play with. I heard only a bull bellowing up by the graveyard. Finally Mrs Zimmerman saw me from her place. She said, "What are you crying for." I answered, "Quince Blaylock shook me." "What did he shake you for?" "I copied." I don't know anything about arithmetic -- not anything! She said, if you will take care of Pauline, I will tell you about arithmetic and I can get my apples peeled.
What a wonderful teacher she was! I listened to the magic of ten fingers and ten toes, how numbers began, add, subtract multiply and divide.
It opened up a new world for me. I'll always bless that good neighbor. I didn't say "fiveteen" anymore. I loved numbers. Grandma took me to fast meeting. Bishop Ward administered to me and said "I command you to see." Gradually I sneaked back to school with Ines Dean[?]. I kept going. When no one else knew where a city was -- I did. I prayed, I ran, gradually I showed them I could jump over a chair back. I was happy. Before Christmas I was promoted into the big room, eighth grade in Arithmetic.
Most of the time grandma was gone. Some times I was hungry. I was very little but people took me in all winter. I graduated from the eighth next May and had filled all their books with drawings. I was promised .25 a piece but only a few got it paid, but I "graduated" in a lovely white dress in May. I always thanked my Heavenly Father and good sister Zimmerman for my sight and bringing me back to life and love and desire to do good. This life is a great experience. May our Heavenly father bless dear little Nadine to live! to see! to think! and happiness will come gradually. You'll hardly know when. I bless you to live, darling, live!
Grandma

This letter is a little treasure trove of information and insight into the Kohlhepp children's childhood. I'll call out items throughout the letter to consider:

(a) Nadine -- this is my aunt, Nadine Eastwood, who had very poor health when first born and as a kid. Apparently, she was really struggling, which made Minerva draw the comparison.

(b) Parents spread apart -- It mentions Ella running a store, and Fred out on the ranch. To make ends meet it appears they did not work together (and sometimes live together) that often.

(c) We see the kids were often sent to work to contribute to the home's funds. It was a poor life.

(d) The town without a green thing in it is clearly very dusty and sunny. It's not clear what caused the poor eyesight condition.

(e) Minerva goes a mile out on her own to get help for the birth of her mother's next child, Annalee. This means that Minerva was 10 at the time (turning 11 the following month). I assume the woman she looked for was a midwife.

(f) With her failing eyesight, it appears that Minerva was too much for Ella to take care of. This was the 6th living sibling. She is dropped off with Minerva Wade to be raised.

(g) It shows how a lot of times, Minerva did not get attention and she was forced to be independent. Minerva Wade is out as a midwife delivering children, and a 11 year old girl is often left by herself.

(h) Minerva sounds clearly behind on arithmetic. Her educated parents do not have the time to teach their own daughter in these matters. 

(i) Joys of physical violence in schools. Could be interesting to look up Quince.

(j) Who is the Mrs. Zimmerman referenced here?

(k) I bet the Bishop Ward here is the James Ward from the other article, whose wife Harriett had passed away.

(l) We see her already entrepreneurial with her art. Drawing art in other kids books for a quarter.

Fred and Ella at Grand Missionary Reunion -- Ella Sings in Tongues

The Deseret Evening News published an article on March 6, 1902 that described a "Grand Missionary Reunion" held on March 4th. This reunion was set to be annual one for the missionaries of the ward "with their co-laborers throughout the Church." It isn't quite clear what group of folks this encompassed. However, it was a fairly festive event. The article describes the meeting house as "decorated in rich profusion with portraits, photos, groups, and scenes of missionary work in various parts of the earth. On a platform, in front of the choir railing, were photos scenes, curios, relics, etc. of various missions of the earth." Elders and bishops of nearby wards and local returned missionaries were provided with badges and seated on the stand. It was an all day event full of songs, speeches, recitations, reports, meals, and closed with a dance.

In the afternoon section Fred (noted in the article as "F. Kohlepp") gave some remarks. Fred hadn't served a mission yet (I'm still fairly certain he never served in the Eastern States Mission), so it isn't clear what he spoke on. Perhaps he related his conversion story and the effects of missionary work on his own life? Clearly, he was inspired to serve one when he accepted the call 3 years later. Another interesting note in the article is that of Ella Kohlhepp, who is described as performing a "song in tongues." I noted in a prior post how she had prophesied in tongues, and this is consistent with that experience, and some others that I will eventually get to writing down here from Annalee Skarin's books. I may take those with a grain of salt, but I think there may be some truth to them, such as at least make some mention.

Ella Kohlhepp Poetry -- Read at Funeral

The Deseret Evening News on March 25, 1902 contained a notice of funeral services held for a Mrs. Harriet Ward. The funeral was held the day before on March 24 at 2 PM in the North Ogden meeting house. Harriet was the wife of Bishop James Ward. The services were conducted by James' counselor, James Storey. During the services, the article notes that "Lines dedicated to her [Harriet's] sacred memory by Sister Ella Kohl[h]epp, were read by W. H. Crandall."

Items of note:

(a) We see more evidence of the artistic inclinations of the Kohlhepp family. In a prior post, I documented 2 copyright entries for musical compositions by Ella, and others she'd hoped would be sung at General Conference.

(b) Since W. H. Crandall read the lines, it's safe to assume that Ella was not there in person.

(c) Who was Harriet to Ella? She must have been significant for her to write the poetry. We know Ella's mother lived in Ogden, and she visited here frequently, so they must have made some connection.