Ruth Ricks

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Voices of the Past
Life in the Ricks and Smellie Families
By Ruth Ricks
June 13, 1968
Tape # 11
Oral Tape by Harold Forbush
Transcribed by Devon Robb October 2004
Brigham Young University – Idaho
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On this 20th day of April 1984, the interview that follows first recorded on a reel to reel
tape is now placed onto a C- 90 cassette, in behalf of the Oral History program of the
Upper Snake River Valley Historical Society which is located on North Center Rexburg,
Idaho.
HF- Today it is my real privilege and honor to be in the home of Sister Ruth Rick’s house
on South First East here in Rexburg, Idaho. It being the 13th day of June on a Thursday
late afternoon. She’s invited me here because of my request that I might interview Sister
Ricks on some of the interesting items of the Ricks family, something about Rexburg and
more particularly on the life of her father, John Taylor Smellie, who was instrumental in
doing a lot, not only for Ricks College but for the development of the entire Rexburg area.
As a matter of fact he has made a tremendous contribution to the early development of all
of the Upper Snake River Valley. So it’s a real joy Sister Ricks to be in your home this
13th day of June in 1968. First of all, I would like to ask a little something about your own
life. Would you kindly tell us the date of your birth and where you were born? And then
just a little about your father and mother.
RR- I was born in Rexburg in 1895 at First East and First North in the old Walk home.
This was a home where the members of the church were entertained. And I often sat and
listened….. we had many good times together.
HF- Now your father was John Taylor Smellie and your mother was?
RR- My mother was Maria Lowly Ricks, daughter of Thomas E. Ricks and Tamar Lowly.
HF- And did they marry in Rexburg, let’s see, they probably weren’t married in Rexburg
were they?
RR- They were married in the endowment house in Salt Lake. Their mother Tamar Ricks
was the second wife of Thomas E. Ricks.
HF- And your mother of course was often at that particular union.
RR- Yes.
HF- I see. Now of course you grew up here as a young girl over the years of course you
apparently went to school. Would you tell us a little about some of the impressions that
you had of Rexburg during the years that you were growing up as a youngster?
RR- First as I remember was what we called going to school in the old log house, it was
over where the penthouse is now on Second South and First East. The ditch that runs
through the lot. Now at that time there was a beautiful creek with stones and the river
babbling over it. We would try and walk across the stones and sometimes fall in. I
remember the reunion that we had …. which was a delightful time of my life…
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HF- Now of course you had brothers and sisters, who did you fit in with the family and in
your family I’d imagine there were a number of activities that were carried on, and not
just comments along this line.
RR- My father was the only living son of his father. My father and mother had five girls
and when I was born they put it in the paper that I was a boy because a father … he wrote
the paper at that time, to the editor, … unto earth a son is born, so he went and put it in the
paper that John T. Smellie had a son. I should have been a boy.
HF- That’s really interesting. Now Sister Ricks after you received your schooling and so
on here at Rexburg did you find your husband locally or did you have to go away to find
your husband?
RR- My mother was with my husband’s mother in her last … and there was a tie between
the two families through the years because my husband always respected and loved my
mother. In fact, I think that she was like a second mother to him. I went to school with
him at Ricks Academy. Ezra C. Dalby was the principal. We both loved him dearly. The
few years that I had at Ricks Academy.
HF- And so we haven’t mentioned on the tape specifically the name of the man you
married but you can do this and state the date of this marriage.
RR- I was married in 1917 on January the 3rd to Alfred Taylor Ricks son of Nathan Ricks.
HF- Now Nathan Ricks did not state the relationship he had to the one we commonly
refer to as the founder of the colony here Thomas E. Ricks.
RR- He was a younger brother of Thomas E. Ricks.
HF- All this is very interesting. Now in getting at this interview pertaining to your father,
I understand that your father did leave a brief account or autobiography of himself and
more particularly we would be interested in getting the data pertaining to the valley,
when he first came into the valley. Now I would like to know what prompted, what was
the thing that brought about your father’s entry into the valley? What first initiated this?
RR- … John went that night to mother Tamar’s home for dinner and he asked my
Grandfather Thomas E. Ricks what he needed here in the way of living and Grandfather
said he needed surveyor and a bookkeeper and on this request father was sent here by
President Taylor.
HF- John Henry Smith was here by assignment, I take it, as an Apostle of the LDS
church?
RR- Yes, he was. He came here very often, on different occasions. Mother told us many
times about the different things that he came up to take care of.
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HF- Let’s see, now if I get this correctly, John Henry Smith was the father of George
Albert Smith. Is this correct?
RR- Yes.
HF- And he in turn, that is to say John Henry Smith, was the son of the Apostle George A.
Smith.
RR- …
HF- I suppose.
RR- ….
HF- Well now if you have an introduction that or something that just blends right in
presenting this autobiography of your father this would be fine and we might just have
you present some of this now.
RR- My father said in 1885 things were opening but there was little work inside in Salt
Lake, I had… to pass of John W. Taylor. He had to really encourage settlement in the
Upper Snake River Valley of Idaho where a company of Cache Valley people had gone
in 1883 under the leadership of Thomas E. Ricks of Logan, a colonizer of wide
experience and had been one of the early Fort Lemhi exhibitions of 1850. Apostle Taylor
who said that it would be a good thing for me to go to Idaho as they were in need of a
surveyor to run their land and survey the canals then being constructed. Accordingly, I
left for Rexburg April the 26th 1885. There were a number of others who left about the
same time. On leaving father he gave me a gift of one hundred dollars and with my bag
filled with surveyor instruments I started. I reached Moffit Lake about 9 P. M. and slept
out under a rail fence with the wind howling around me. In the morning I washed in the
Snake River and commenced my trip. At 20 miles to the latter desert to Rexburg passing
my …. And blanket since I reached about 2 P. M. hading have arrived the last five miles.
On getting out at Rexburg, everyone seemed to avoid me and I later found that I had
ridden into town with an enemy of the people and I was suspected of being a spotter to
trail some of the brethren who were then hiding from the Marshals. After sometime I met
Thomas E. Ricks Jr. to whom I gave letter from the Apostle J. W. Taylor which partly set
me right with him but even then there was some … He invited me to his home where I ate
dinner and then in the afternoon I met his father Thomas E. Ricks with whom my life in
the succeeding years was mostly spent with. He was a man of strong personality, out
spoken, and a few words that everyone … A man who followed his leaders, and expected
others to follow him. He kindly invited me to his home and Tamar’s where I secured
board and lodgings. He told me that they required surveillance… and … of the Rexburg
canal which had to be enlarged. The day following my arrival I purchased with seventy
dollars the two and a half acre lot of the corner of what is now First East and First North
of east the corner. In the evening I pulled out the sagebrush and prepared it for cultivation
and brought two sacks of potatoes for seeding. When Presidents Ricks and Bishop
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Chedspen first visited Rexburg country in the fall of 1882 the … brothers of Eagle Rock
said they could not ripen potatoes there as it froze every night of the year.
RR- Circumstances soon arose which changed my plans entirely, at this time the U. S.
Corps were hunting the society and…. Here at Rexburg, one morning about 4: 30 A. M.
March …. the three of the worst cutthroats tired to force an entry into the house. I was
sleeping in the room by the door and immediately resisted them, warning them to retire or
I would fire on them though I had no arms. It had such affect that they cut back for a time
and consulted. Then they came and tried to force the doors and windows but I resisted
them and again threatened to fire on them. This continued for over an hour then they
became uneasy as people would soon be leaving so they drove off and arrested John L.
Roberts and George T. Boyd. As soon as they left President Ricks went across the street
with the …. As soon as they left I became a secret watcher. Sister Ricks and her
daughters were taken off to some secret place. The same day I took very sick and I
thought I would die. President Ricks and President Woodruff came to me to see me.
President Ricks said, “ He would have been captured if it had not been for the Lord and
I.” Under the advice and company of John Henry Smith, I left in secret for Salt Lake as
the monsters were after me for resisting them.
RR- ( Inaudible) Then it was reported the Judge … and it is safe for me to return then to
Rexburg. I returned. While staying with Tamar I became acquainted with her daughter
Marie, and knew… and we were married by Apostle M. S. Nell at the Logan Temple the
9th of October 1885. To this woman was born 9 children, Gwenavir, Mary, Irene, Mable,
Ruth, David, John, Assail, and Nelly. On June 20th 1886 I had purchased a log house and
lot from John Dalling. My wife and I planted an orchard. The first fruit grown was kept
in a bin in the house … We also raised a garden. We bought a planting wood stove which
was the admiration of the neighbors. Seven being the common size, but I was thinking on
the log strips of wood, it would burn and … Our furniture consisted of bulbs, washstones,
cupboards, a rocker, six chairs and a table. Mother gave us a set of dishes, Father a
second hand organ. We were the happiest couple that ever started out. We had but little,
we knew with but little. We resolved to serve the Lord. At this time I was working for
Thomas E. Ricks managing his store for $ 45 a month. This was a good salary. During the
summer of 1886, I and company with Thomas E. Ricks, Jr., R. S. Jorgon … were set apart
under the instructions of President Taylor to view the upper valleys of the Snake River.
We had spotted horses each and one … We crossed the Rexburg bank that’s over the
Lyman creek which we followed to Kelly’s Ranch on the south fork. We had to break a
trail much of the way. We entered Swan Valley and prospected the valley and decided
that it was suitable for farming. We then rode up trail creek and by evening came to some
salt …. That night we were awakened by the … grabbed their rifle and sat up. Down the
canyon came a herd of elk. Each of us took a… over the Teton valley, located coal
deposits, and decided the country fit for cattle raising on it. At Victor five years later, I
surveyed the country site. I then visited Teton Basin and found grains, vegetables, and
some fruits growing abundantly. There was however much jealously among President
Rick’s family because I was entrusted with his affairs at Rexburg during his absence to
England as he was forced to leave his business and he would be absent for sometime.
This spread to some of the family in Logan who eventually brought about conducence
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saying that the farm which was located here in what is now called Cache Junction and a
fine herd of … and … I unexpectedly, on February 4th 1886, was seized by his creditors.
Wilford Woodruff, re- owned it. He was left without a … other than what … he
accumulated, that’s John T. Smellie.
RR- In a new country a man brought a team and a wagon as I was. I did some surveying
and got a job at a saw mill for a time. It was quite trying at times and I got quite down
hearted. The settlers had little from the sale of their property in the south, but that was
mostly gone and we were all living on flour and white gravy with a little bit of fresh meat.
It was interesting times when we heard a rifle go off, as it was a sign that beef was killed.
Then each would go and get a piece and which we each carried home on a … As … paper
was a luxury. We usually paid in trade, this beef cost three and four cents a pound. Were
that it was so now, as I like it because it’s five times as much and not so good.
RR- At this time I planned the town site of Rexburg, made up the papers, … went to
Blackfoot, Idaho where the New Land office was and had the papers recorder also …. In
July 1887, I received a letter from Elder Joel Drenells of the Presidents office of Salt
Lake saying, my name had been suggested for a mission and asked if I would respond. In
the next six years… my dear wife with our baby … decided to answer yes though we
knew not how we could go. In a few days we received a reply saying that I had been
expected and to be in Salt Lake by October 18 ready to leave on a mission, which amazed
us how to go there we did not know. We had nothing and it cost two hundred dollars and
then by the hour of departure it was all anxiety that the way might be open for me to
respond. We had a cow and a heifer. We offered them for sale but no one had come. We
offered our organ but no one could buy it. October 18, 1887 we had nothing to go with. I
was finishing the shingling of a roof on the 15th and Brother William … I was working
strong and said, “ Well Brother John, we knew you were going on a mission.” “ Yes,”
replied I, “ but I don’t know how.” “ Well,” replied he, “ we often of heard of them not
going but never of those not going who wanted to go.” And he went on his way. The
following day to my surprise the Stake Presidency … and made us a gift of $ 125 dollars.
RR- So he got to go on his mission. He was called to the High Council of the Stake and
he was also called to be a member of the State Board of Education and became very
interested in the office. This was April 11, 1891, there were twelve members on the first
board of education and we were making plans for better school systems. In the election of
1896, I was elected town surveyor and was then in 1898 was re- elected. This brought me
two hundred a year as I had as I had a … the store duty required all my time. On the 2nd
of August 1893 I was admitted to citizenship by Jack Standlard of the … In 1893, I left
working for Vern and Winters, about a year or two years he did this. To this I had been
offered the agency of the home fire insurance company of Utah and this brought me over
several hundred a year over my wages. In 1894, Salt Lake and I decided to open a branch
store in Rexburg and I was offered the management at a hundred and twenty five dollars
a month salary. I accepted and continued to hold until 1901 when they discontinued all
retail business. This store was located at Main, on Second East. This was the biggest …
Store in the country and we did a lot of business. I used to have four or five clerks, more
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pretentious than the little log cabin store I operated in 1885. I also was one of the
organizers of the first telephone lines in the county.
( Inaudible)
RR- … five girls up until 1898. We made some additions to the home and had stopped
and … which had helped to increase my farm to 120 acres. We also had a comfortable
home and didn’t want to move, but little did we know what the future holds. In the fall of
1899, I and Alf Jakes bought three thousand head of sheep from the Clinton Sheep
company for two dollars and seventy- five cents a head and feed them on my place during
the winter. . In the spring of 1900 we met with the most severe loss in our sheep. We had
then the original 3000 and I had individually ... We had all one hundred and fifty of their
lambs. During May a heavy snow came and they began grubbing through the snow for
food and ran onto Larksford. The result was that more than half of the youth were dead
having little over one third of the youth left in number. It was an awful reverse where
everything had been prosperous. A few days later it was disaster. However, I resolved
that something had to be done so I got on my horse and rode to Rexburg…
RR- I had been a stockholder in the Rexburg mill for many years but they had not been
successful. The church was 75% of the stock. I arranged with President Smith to buy this
and [ help] the company assuming the management. Within a year they were running
night and day shipping as much as thirty cars a month to all the western states. I
continued this until 1904, when we decided to move from Rexburg. I had not such
thought but [ my wife] wanted to go back where she saw Oregon where many had been
living and she thought would be suitable but I would not take my family was LDS was in
the minority. I suggested Canada where … were in a large establishment. …. There I met
Apostle John W. Taylor who had called me to Rexburg and he encouraged me to settle at
the town of Raymond. I bought six hundred and forty acres of wheat land there. A few
days later I returned from Rexburg … I and John W. Taylor immediately appropriated
ourselves as ….
( Inaudible)
RR- In the spring of 1905 we saw three hundred acres under cultivation in sugar beets. ….
The evening the fielding was completed I rode down from my home in time to look over
the fields. It was all level as the floor that was on a Thursday and on Saturday I passed
there on way to an appointment. I could see that a hail storm had passed over the field.
This season was very dry and the poor crop had ….
HF- Now Sister Ricks, your father then moved from Rexburg and went to Raymond,
Canada in 1904 and how many years did he remain in Canada?
RR- He was there for four years in Canada, working with John W. Taylor. Then we came
back. He went into the mining business first out in Hagley and he lost quite a lot of
money and was not successful. Then he went on a mission to the Eastern States Mission
with Denny Rich, at the time when Brother Smoot was Senator. Then he came back to
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Rexburg and worked as the assistant manager, I believe it was, at with…. Taking the land
on the lot where the hospital is. At that time he started to build a new home here and
never completed it at the foundation. Then we moved to Salt Lake. There he worked in
the selling of flour and elevator business and then went to Franklin where he ran a mill.
He died at Franklin.
HF- Well now Sister Ricks in going back after you have told me about the final years,
you might say of the wonderful and abundant life that your father had lived and the great
contributions he made, going back to the time, just after the return of his mission to New
Zealand and I presume by this time Thomas E. Ricks had returned from his mission in
England. What were the conditions like, what did your father do? Was he called upon to
work with Thomas E. Ricks additionally?
RR- He worked in the Sunday school, in church work and he worked with Thomas E.
Ricks in the ZCMI store. He was manager of the store. During this time they had the
school for the larger students, the academy, Bannock Academy, up in the top of the store
building and in the bottom part they had a store where father had a number of clerks who
helped him. Robert Archibald was one of them, Janie Rigby, Sister Louisa Spori, these
are the ones that I remember that worked at the store at that time. This store was a store
that supplied people as far as into Jackson Hole, would come down here to Rexburg.
HF- This store apparently was in competition with the one, I guess, which Jacob Henry
Flamm operated.
RR- It must have been. I have often thought about that. I have known Brother Flamm
from when I was a little girl, from when I could remember. One of my sisters worked in
Flamm’s store later on, in the years after I had returned from Canada, my sister Irene. She
married Raymond Red, who worked there. It must have been because I am sure that they
did. I looked up the dates that it would be.
HF- Now the Thomas E. Ricks and family also had a great interest in the mill or the mill
which produced the flour and cereals and things like this for the area I guess. How
extensive was it, could you give me a little history of the operation of this mill? Where it
was located and some of the background for it?
RR- It was where the Old Mill Hollow is. My father in law first worked at that mill when
he came into the country. He didn’t come when Thomas E. Ricks came in 1883. Nathan
Ricks came later and he worked at this mill but when my father took it over it was after
Thomas E. Ricks died and after the ZCMI store was closed. The church who owned 75%
of the stock would have turned it to my father but he felt like he needed someone to help
him and so Brother Webster, Brother Winters and Brother Hemsly, there might have been
others, were in on this business endeavor. They operated that, the mill, what we called the
second flour mill in Rexburg.
HF- How long did it continue to operate and how extensive was it used by the whole
valley residence?
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RR- It sold flour into Nevada. I saw that it went into Nevada and solicited. At the time
father came back from Canada and worked at the mill he was sent back here by President
Joseph F. Smith because the church owned a great deal of the stock and he asked father to
come up here work it out and see if they could get it on a paying basis and they did.
Father went out into Nevada and to the mining camps and solicited business and they
would send their flour by car load into Nevada.
HF- Now I assume that they would get their grain from the ranch and maybe the upper
valley, up into Teton Valley some of the grain there came down and was brought down
and milled here.
RR- Well I can’t say definitely about that because of the mill that was at Teton, the mill
that still stands there must have taken care of the wheat around in that part of the vicinity
such as Newdale. I don’t believe Teton Valley raised a great deal of wheat and I imagine
in the early days that the wheat would be slightly frosted.
HF- I think that’s true. I know that some of the interviews I’ve made suggest that wheat
wasn’t grown in Teton Valley until, I am thinking now maybe 1890 or in the 1900’ s and I
think that it would be a very limited amount. They had a real problem with the frost up
there and it would probably be considered as feed grain rather than good milling grain.
Well, now you continued to live here, I suppose, with your mother and father all the years
up until the time of your marriage.
RR- I was in Salt Lake at the time of my marriage and I came up into Teton Basin on a
ranch that my husband had located there in the year 1917. He had gone in 1912 on
government lease land and established a farm, the farm that I own today in Teton Basin.
HF- And this is out in the Felt area isn’t it?
RR- Yes.
HF- And you people also operated a store for awhile? Would you like to comment about
that directly?
RR- We operated a store in conjunction with Henry Forrester and Chris Coles, my
husband being Alfred Taylor Ricks up there. The store served the people … the store we
now own the building at the present time.
HF- Sister Ricks I suppose we should bring this to an end. I know from my personal chats
with you, you have a tremendous volume of knowledge of the Upper Snake River Valley.
You are a great admirer, of course, of Thomas E. Ricks and his decedents.
HF- Sister Ruth Smellie Ricks and the interview will be concluded on this tape.
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HF- She was in the circles of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and also this area, and
now that we have created this Upper Snake River Valley Historical Society has been real
active as one in gathering history and there is a tremendous amount of history about you,
in biographies, and autobiographies and so on. I just wish that the time would permit us
and the tapes to fill of these were such that we could record a lot of this because it is real
good. Perhaps one day, with more proper time we can get some more material from you.
I really want to thank you this afternoon for the material that you have provided us on the
life of your father John T. Smellie. Now as we close perhaps you would like to make one
more comment on anything that you would like to say pertaining to your father and his
life up in this area or Thomas E. Ricks or anything you would like to say.
RR- I remember when Thomas E. Ricks used to drive his team of white horses with
buggy. He would visit the different wards. I especially remember his last days when he
was ill. He would often come into my mother’s home for a little bite which she would
quickly prepare. Mother’s home was always in order and was always ready for her
company. I remember one day a group of men came in and Heber J. Grant was with the
group and it was late evening and he said, “ We can’t come in on Sister Smellie like this.”
And one of the other men said, “ Oh, yes we can. She’s Thomas E. Ricks’ daughter.” I
remember that so well. Grandfather was a very loving man. He one time came to collect
money from a lady at Salem and she hadn’t paid her monthly payment that she should
have paid on the college and he said to her, of course it called…… he said to her, “ You
know I brought these people here and I must take care of them.” I think that was lovely
and she told him of another time that he came and she said, “ Father I haven’t any shoes
for my children,” when he came to collect his monthly payments and he said, “ You pay
your payments and I promise you your children will have shoes.” I remember the day that
they laid the cornerstone for the Bannock Academy. I could see my Grandfather with a
black hat tipped down over the side of his head. It was a windy day, and it was chilly but
I shall never forget the laying of the cornerstone for that first building. I’ve heard it said
that he stood where the building is and said to the men when they first came into the
valley, “ Brethren, here we will build a city.” I heard another story of Thomas E. Ricks if
you would like me to tell it.
HF- Wonderful.
RR- If I have time. My neighbor here, Sister Ebsy Clifford’s father, was a young man
who brought his furniture from Roberts up that way and had to bring his over in March to
the ferry, the ferry that crossed the Snake River. At this time in his history he writes and
says, the ice had broken up and when he came to the ferry, who was waiting there for him
was Grandfather Thomas E. Ricks who at this time was quite old but he was there and he
alone to help him across the ferry. Mr. Sommers, Ebsy Clifford’s father said, that it took
them until five the next morning to get the ferry across the North Snake. When they
reached the other side, the side towards Rexburg, Grandfather said, “ We thought we were
lost, but providence saved us.” And this man quoted as that next to God, was Thomas E.
Ricks. He wasn’t a Mormon but all of his children joined the church.
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HF- Thomas E. Ricks undoubtedly was a real leader from the materials that I’ve read
about him, he had a tremendous leadership capacity, leadership of men, ability to
apparently organize men in getting, and motivating them to work and progress and
develop the area and of obviously his background had been along this line of colonizing
before he was sent up here. Isn’t this correct?
RR- Yes, he fought in the Black Hawk War. Brigham Young called for two experienced
Indian fighters and Thomas E. Ricks was one of them. His name as far as I his
granddaughter could find is not listed as one of the Black Hawk Soldiers, but he was.
Aunt Tabaka received a pension from the U. S. Government for this work. Also I think
that when talking now of Thomas E. Ricks, one should remember that as a colonizer he
was especially suitable for this work. When he was called for this position in Idaho, my
mother said that is was the only time he ever complained against the church and she said
it was very little but he had been building railroad beds and had received quite a bit of
money and had promised his children, who had helped him in this work, that they should
go to school.
HF- Again Sister Ricks we thank you for all of the information which you have presented
to us in this interview.
HF- The following material is copied from some notes that I have taken as I have chatted
with Sister Ruth Ricks and it will be this tape probably on this track will be finished out
with notes and different interviews that I make with her later on. I am making this one for
example on the 11th day of October 1971 which is more than three years after the first
portion of this particular track and I think that it should be noted that I have a real goal
and purpose now in that I am writing the synopsis of the brief analyzed history of
Rexburg and her Grandparents of course Thomas E. Ricks and his second wife Tamar
were very close to her, as that is to say Sister Ruth Ricks, and so I think that she can give
me quite a lot of data first hand on this. Now here is a little transcript of some materials
and we talked about on this tape.
HF- John T. Smellie was constructed of rock, it was a rock home.
RR- Yes.
HF- It was on First East and First North.
RR- First East and First North.
HF- And that would be one full block North of the present day location of the bank.
RR- Yes across the street from the old…. First North First East.
HF- In other words…
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RR- You meant the other Bank, First National and I was thinking of the Bank of
Commons. But isn’t on the same side of the street.
HF- Is it over on the East Side?
RR- Yes.
HF- I see and then it’s one full block North of the Co- op.
RR- Yes.
HF- Ok. I got that straightened out in my mind. Then one more question, the …. and after
they had hauled the logs and the coals and so forth from… area and brought them on to
the Rexburg town site, the first home built which was on the 25th of March 1883… There
is a conflict.
RR- … Or was it Brother Smith, Doug Smith, a log house?
HF- It says this, it says that it was a log house with a dough brick and it was on Thomas E.
Ricks’ property just north of the present day location of the court house. Ok, now it was
used as a home and then it was used as a store?
RR- Yes but that was Jane’s home. It was a log house used as a spare and that was the
store that Father opened when he first came here. But Jane at first used to hand out things
there. I know that she did because when they first came they came in 1883 and Father
came.
HF- But you know later in another account which states that the first home was built on
the property where the courthouse is for Jane Woods the third wife of Thomas’s. Isn’t
there a little bit of confusion there?
RR- No, it was built there. They used to have a quarter of a block, each of them. Usually
there were four homes on the block at the beginning and then of course things changed. I
think that it was Jane’s home that was the first home. Now did Brother Smith say, I’ve
heard that somewhere that he said that his home was first? He was with that group that
came first but I think that it was Jane’s home and it was this log home with a dirt roof. I
remember.
HF- Now as she continues to point out at a little bit later date the ZCMI did decide to
establish a branch store in the city of Rexburg and it was constructed right south of the
court house corner, the present site of Phillips 66 and in this home, that is to say in this
store, her father John T. Smellie managed it until 1894- 1901 at which what time I guess
the store was concluded. They closed it. But in this store Janie Rigby, Louis Spori, and
Robert Archibald were employed there working for her father. In the upstairs, in the
upper room, they used it as a kitchen area for the older pupils and students of the
Academy. Ruth recalls that her father had purchase of the home, the quarter lot, on First
13
North and First East of Rexburg and on this a cabin had been constructed by John Dalling.
Now John Dalling had built this home, John Dalling had a part in the construction of the
ferry, the ferry service. John Dalling had married one of the daughters of Thomas E.
Ricks, I think there were three men who had married three of his daughters if I am correct,
the daughters of Tamar. These men were Alfred Jakes, John Dalling, and John T. Smellie,
all brothers- in- law. John T. Smellie and… became involved in the sheep industry. Now as
I understand from her this farm of John T. Smellie was on the south side of the Teton
River up from the bridge which crosses the river north of town and it’s in this area that
there is a patch of land and so forth. I am not too sure how big of a farm he had up in
there but then he had across the river was wheat land. She commented when she referred
to a picture of the home that the log home first constructed by the brother- in- law, John
Dalling had been moved to the rear of the lot and the rock home constructed so that the
picture showed the rock home and just a little glimpse of the log original home which had
been moved to the rear, and this was quite typically true of so many of the homes in
Rexburg. After times became better and they could build and improve in the building the
farmer dwelling was moved in the rear and was used as a chicken house or a barn or
granary or something of this nature.