Utah, 1914-1916

File — Box: 6, Volume: 31

Identifier: II

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Douglass worked the entire time at the dinosaur quarry in Jensen, Utah. The diary entries, concerned primarily with the Dinosaur Ranch (so named in 1914), are by both Earl and Pearl Douglass.

25 January 1915--"I have printed on the back of this book FARM. Perhaps the best title would be Farm Life. It is for the record of farm life in its hardest sense, not only what is done and to be done but its brightest dreams. Whatever would go more fittingly here than anywhere else we intend to write here.
"Our object is not at all to raise grain, vegetables, fruits, stock etc to see and get money to put in the bank to rest! We want money. We need a good deal but if we had it we would want to make it keep busy accomplishing something good all the time. But the main object of all is to live better and more truly."
1 February 1915--"I have a new scheme now. We want to catch the water or what we can of it from Camp Gulch to water some corn and other things on the east field of the 27-acre lot."
18 February 1915--"Have recently been trying to get information about plants for food forage etc for dry land or limited irrigation."
25 February 1915--"Making Reservoir above road to water part of 27 acre lot. . . . Get as high as 24 eggs per day."
25 February 1915--(Pearl Douglass) "Am planning and developing plans for the new house. ... It will be a happy day when we can say we do not have to depend upon a salary for a living."
28 February 1915--"Have turned water from Reser. 1 to land where orchard is to be. Water flowing out all the time but water slowly creeping up banks of reservoir. It certainly looks good."
19 March 1915--"If I am not paid [by Carnegie Museum] in proportion to the skill and judgment required, the preparation and experience demanded or my earning ability I must do the work just as well carefully thoroughly and expeditiously as if I were amply paid, for by accepting the position I morally agree to do the work to the best of my ability."
2 June 1915--"Crops still doing well. . . . Little if anything shows signs of lack of moisture."
22 June 1915--"Nearly everything we planted is doing well and growing nicely except in spots where [the] ground baked on top. Here the seeds are often prevented from germinating properly. they do not grow thickly[?] after germination, and soon the moisture evaporates and leaves the ground dry to a considerable depth. One by experience can almost tell [the] condition of [the] soil beneath as to moisture by walking over it. ...
"The corn, squashes, potatoes and as I said nearly everything is doing well now, but of course there is not water enough in the ground to carry them through. From my past experience here I expect rain inside of ten days. In spite of what people think, I do not believe that we have had our usual amount of moisture up to the present time."
10 July 1915--"This has been a period to test our experiments in dry farming and in watering before sowing and etc.
"There is no water in either reservoir now. Drained No. 1 about 2 inches off I judge and No 2 a few days later. There was only enough in the latter to water part of the pumpkins and potatoes."
18 July 1915--"Still hot dry and no rain or any good signs of any that I can see. We have no water but need it much for crops though the time is rich in lessons which the long early dry hot spell will teach us. We need the crops but we may need them more at some other time and the lesson too. If we had a good soaking rain now and had our reservoirs full we would have lots of good fresh things to eat and a good deal to feed. But we can not make it rain, what we can do is to learn to use the resources which nature gives. . . .
"I hated to go down to the field to see things dying."
28 July 1915--"We are surely having a test of dry weather conditions. This has been an unusual spring and summer so far. We have had no rain to amount to anything since May 19. just 10 weeks. . . . We certainly would like to see a good soaking rain. It would mean a good deal to us this year but if we do not we will learn a lot anyway and put it down to the credit of experience."
12 August 1915--"Still hot and dry.
"Have had only one rain to wet the ground since May 19 or 20. That is 12 weeks. We had a quite a smart shower last Saturday the 7th and in some places it wet down an inch and a half or 2 inches. Some of it probably went a little deeper below, but it is doubtful if it had much effect on vegetation, the ground was dried out so deeply on top."
4 September 1915--"At last the rain has come."
14 September 1915--(Pearl Douglass) "We had our first frost this morning. Have not been out to see what damage was done yet."
20 October 1915--(Pearl Douglass) "This was our 10th wedding anniversery. It finds us living in Utah, and at this time separated for 4 or 6 weeks. We are progressing but it seems it takes a long time to get a start. The first year it seemed that ten years was a long way off. Now its here and we are still in the beginning. But the secret of the shortness of time was our happiness. We have been contented in each others care. Only one little boy has come to bless. As time goes by we miss the others more."
2 January 1916--"There is big talk now about placermining activities here next spring. If there should be we could undoubtedly dispose of the surplus [crops] If now we could have a store of stuff for our own use."
14 March 1916--"Yesterday there was no work done at the quarry as the boys could not get over [the river] at least with safety. We're looking for ice to go out all day as well as the day before."
3 April 1916--"Our reservoir broke and we lost all the water but if I can get it repaired so as to get it full again and get it cleaned out it will be an advantage. We did not get it in very good shape last fall. It is not dry enough to work at now."

Dates

1914-1916

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.