An Endurance Horse Race Gone Awry By John M. Larsen My mother stood with her arms crossed, staring in vain up the mountain behind us. Dad and I sat by the crackling campfire but all eyes searched the
When Game Birds Were Plentiful By David E. Metcalf The colorful bird flew fast and low, directly toward me. “This will be an easy shot,” I thought. In a situation like this, sometimes I was right and sometimes
A Slow Reveal Story and Photo by Diana Hooley The corner of earth I’ve lived on in Owyhee County for more than forty years is in the desert, south and west of Hammett. The word “desert” is oft-abused
I’d accidentally explored the Wilson Creek area three years ago, at the hands of a GPS-less driver who’d mis-understood directions to Reynolds Creek Cemetery (see IDAHO magazine, February 2012, “Good and Lost”). Although the driver strenuously denies it, we were essentially lost amongst the area’s mountains and valleys for a couple of hours. Continue reading
My friend Regina and I hang back a bit from Owyhee County rancher Paul Nettleton and his hands. As long-time endurance riders, we don’t quite fit in with the ranching crowd: we’re riding Arabians, and our horses wear endurance saddles. Continue reading
My love of Owyhee County started when I was barely two years old. Back then, I frequently stayed with my aunt and uncle in Guffey, where my aunt told me stories of Owyhee County, including tales of Big Foot, the Lost Dutchman Mine, and the ruins of Spanish conquistadors.
Of course, I had no idea at the time of how rich my own family’s history was in the region. Now, at age sixty-seven, I’m deeply engaged in genealogy research our family is conducting in the county. My role is to repair old photographs. I also have explored all the county lands owned by my ancestors, and have traversed the area in all directions from corner to corner, on foot and in my jeep. I have taken hundreds of photographs in communities, and of land formations and wildlife.
My sister, Sharon Job, became interested in genealogy research when she was thirteen years old. This prompted our mother, Virginia Almquist, to ask relatives for information about the history of her family. For decades, they collected wedding invitations, birth announcements, pictures, obituaries, and other materials. Sharon has entered much of this information into a computer program and plans to coauthor a book with relatives in Canada and Pennsylvania. Continue reading
