Staci's Notes: Our Adventure

Happy New Year everyone!

This week: My dad called me up on Wednesday and wanted to take some pictures of the places where my Grandpa Jones and he grew up. We traveled to Bloomington, St. George, behind Bloomington, tried to look for Atkinville and went to Littlefield and Beaver Dam. I will do my best to explain these pictures and remember the things he told me, but he could tell you more if you want to know more. I also took my video camera and got some video.

This is where my Grandpa Jones grew up as a kid. This house is in Bloomington. It was down a street called Manzinita Drive. You had to turn left onto Manzinita from the main road.

This was Grandpa Jones' neighbor across the street. My dad said that Grandpa Jones told him a story once of a skunk getting into this house and the lady picked the skunk up by the tail and threw it out and the skunk didn't even spray her.

Another picture of the neighbor house.

This is the road we came down and dad said it used to be the main road in Bloomington.

This is not a good picture, but where this house sits it used to be the old school house.

My dad and I found this park in Bloomington and behind this park up on the hill he said it used to be where one of his uncles used to live. I think he said Uncle Afton, but I could be wrong. He said that your house was the only house on this side of the river and your uncles house was the only house on the other side of the river and you could tell when he was home at night because you could see his outside light on. He said we should have a little Jones party at this park sometime.

Behind the park.

My dad said where this brown house is up on the hill was about the spot that his uncles house was.

Behind the park.

My dad said this is something that Grandpa Jones used to call the Dug Way.

More Dug Way.

And more Dug Way.

This is the old bridge in Bloomington. My dad said that it used to be the only way to cross the creek.

Side view of the same bridge.

This is in St. George. This is the house that Grandpa Jones used to rent.

This is also in St. George. This is a picture of three houses. The first house the brown house is where my Great Grandpa Jones my dad's Grandpa Jones' house used to be. The next house was Great Grandpas neighbors and the third house behind the tree is a house my Grandpa Jones built.

This is another view of the house that my Grandpa Jones built. Dad said that after it was built the family was eager to move in because it was Christmas time and on Christmas Eve the roof collapsed right on top of there Christams tree and everything and Grandpa had to go clean it up right then.

This is not the best picture either, but this is the house where one of my dad's unlces lived I think he said Uncle Ordell. We passed by another uncles house in St. George also I think he said Uncle Chester, but didn't stop and get a picture.

We stopped at the St. George Visitors Center. Dad said that his Grandpa Jones worked at the old visitors center. This is called a Cannon. I will expalin in the next picture.

This is a picture of them using the Cannon at the St. Geogre temple sight. Dad said that the south side of the temple and the south side of St. George used to be in a swamp. They would bring some kind of gravel or granite or something in and smash it down with the Cannon on the south side of the temple to build it up before they built the temple. Dad said that they wanted to move the temple sight because of the swamp, but President Brigham Young wouldn't let them. He also said that the temple prophesy was that the temple would be in the center of town and every one thought that that was crazy because the south side was all a swamp.

Some of the tools used to build the temple. Dad said that the park behind the temple that my Grandpa Jones was the one to level the land for a park. He also said that the hill that the airport is on that my Grandpa Jones was the first to run water up to the top of the hill.

This is my dad's house in St. George when he was little. There is still some origional brick on the side of the house.

Another view of the house.

This is back behind Bloomington. We took the new overpass that they built before you get to St. George and went all the way until the road stopped and we found Grandpa Jones' old farm land.

This is a drop off that became a pond where they would take the cows.

This is a drop off where down below was the old pig pen. If you look close at the picture you can see an old tire dad said that it might be an origional tire where the pig pen was.

Just a picture of the fields.

Dad said about where these houses are sitting was your old dairy barn. I enjoyed hearing some of the stories my dad told about the farm. He showed me the bend where Uncle Jim crashed and broke his hand when he was coming home on leave from the military. He said one day he was out working with Grandpa in the fields and the ranger came by and Grandpa told my dad to go tell uncle Jim that the ranger was out. My dad said he walked a very long way then climbed the steep hill up to the house and when he told Jim all Jim said was well what does he want me to do about it. He told me that once him and Uncle Ray built some stilts on tin cans out of wire or string that they used on the hay and they crossed the river on the stilts. He also said that one time him and Ray rode their bikes clear to the dump and on the way one of Uncle Ray's pedals broke and so they found some wire and dad towed Ray to the dump on their bikes then they called Grandma Jones and she wouldn't come and get them so my dad towed Ray all the way back home.

This is the old elementary school where I went to school in Littlefield.

A house in Littlefield that my Grandpa Jones built.

Grandma and Grandpa Jones' house in Littlefield.

This is not a good picture but I can't remeber what my dad called this, but it kind of looks like a wagon and he said that him and his brothers and sisters used to all pile into it. Still in Littlefield.