Pennsylvania, Utah, 1912-1914

File — Box: 6, Volume: 30

Identifier: II

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Douglass worked at the dinosaur quarry and at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. Entries in this diary are concerned with the Douglass farm or ranch in Jensen, Utah.

8 April 1912--"This book is for farm, garden surroundings etc. to keep a record of work done at home on the ranch, thoughts about home and ranch life aspirations, plans etc. and is to replace the unhandy and cumbersome book which I have been using, which I had had made of printers paper. . . .
"The whole thing [farm in Jensen] is of course something of an experiment but I have a good deal of confidence."
31 May 1912--"We thought that this shower would put water into our upper reservoirs but there was no hard shower there. ... we had a slow steady shower for some time .... I went up to the desert claim. Found that the water had come down and washed the onion bed quite badly in places. Mr. Neilson had been irrigating part of [the] bed. It was the first day we had had water down to there. The night before he got it down to upper end of lower flat. The water that did the damage came down rocks . . . and followed the furrows he had made for irrigating."
9 September 1913--"Was thinking this morning that I wish before we settle down in our house in Utah and make our final plans we could make a long trip to the various parts of the United States and portions of Canada to learn all we can about the various modes of culture of all the things raised for pleasure, beauty and profit."
2 May 1914--"We found several months ago that we could not commute on my homestead in Utah. This was an oversight of the registrar of the land office and several others. This was a disappointment. Something had to be done. Pearl at once wished to go out there. She was tired of city life as we have to live it anyway. In fact it became almost intolerable. There are too many of us in the house, too many children, and too much bad influence in the streets.
"Well at last it was decided that she should go and attend to the business there, hold down the homestead etc. The only drawback was our separation. I knew a man could stand that better than a woman, and I knew how much I had to keep my mind busy."
7 July 1914--"I think a good deal about our farm lately and plan and scheme to get it where it will support us. The only way I see now is to sell some of our property here [Pittsburgh]. But one must sacrifice now if he can sell at all. I might borrow some money on home but don't like to do it. Yet it would undoubtedly pay in the end.
"If I could get $1000 it seems that we could get where the farm would pretty nearly support us."
2 September 1914--"On ranch in Utah again. At last I am where I have longed to be, and where I intend to spend the greater part of the rest of my life. I am far away from the degeneracy of a great city. I am out where the air is pure and sweet, where we have pure fresh food and where there is something of freedom and independence."
24 September 1914--"Mr. Olsen is now laying the foundation of our new house."
4 October 1914--"There are troubles and struggles and difficulties on a farm but, there are many advantages and of the kind which I prefer."
18 October 1914--"It seems that at last I am right on the verge of what I want to do--what I want to be but cannot quite reach it on account of lack of funds."
8 November 1914--"If we keep on finding such good things at the quarry we may work it nearly all winter. Then we are supposed to open up the mammal quarry and . . . hope [to] do some more searching in the Uinta. It may be we will get a part of summer in the Wasatch.
"If I could work for the museum until August I probably could get something to do here if I needed to.
"If I could sell my property in Pittsburgh, I would try to get the ranch so it would keep us and be getting better each year.
"I long for independence yet these are golden days and full of interest."

Dates

1912-1914

Language of Materials

From the Collection: Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.