We bought another home just north of the school house. It had two rooms downstairs and bedrooms upstairs. It was painted white on the outside with corrals and granaries in the back. While living here we were very happy with our small family.
Blanch and Fay Hamblin, 1st & 3rd living daughters of Carl and Ida Hamblin. ca. 1914.
Mother and father were not far away so we visited them often. This winter was very long and cold. We continued to be active in the church and answered any call that was made. Carl served as Ward Clerk and with my help the books were kept up to date. It was while we were in this home that I worked in the Mutual Improvement Association (M.I.A.). When religion classes were started, Sister Wilkins and I worked in this organization together and made several trips to Alpine together. While we were here, Oscar Schultz came to stay with us. He was a boy that was related to the Beckers in Springerville. He was much help to Carl. Just a few weeks before Christmas, Carl and one of my brothers took Oscar with them and went to Holbrook after a load of freight for Becker Mercantile of Springerville. They left in plenty of time to be back for Christmas and Carl intended to visit Santa Claus while he was gone. But this was not an ordinary winter with ordinary weather and the roads were very bad. We looked for him for several days before Christmas, but he failed to come, and that was a sad time for the children and me. Grandmother Hamblin was there with us as I was expecting another baby. Fay had been born in this house on July 7, 1913. It was nearing the time of Priscilla's birth and we worried that Carl would not be with us when the baby came. But Carl was as worried as I was, so they left their trailers loaded with valuable goods between Concho and Holbrook, and good-old faithful Oscar to guard them. They left plenty of food and bedding for him and they took the lead wagons and teams and came home. The roads were very bad and muddy and they had to drive slowly. Santa Claus was very late that year at our house, but he brought Santa gifts with him and arrived at our house on December 27th. The children were very happy with the things Santa had sent. I was very happy to see him. He stayed home until after January 1st, but could wait no longer to bring the rest of the freight to Beckner's, so he returned after it. When they returned to the wagons not a thing had been touched. Oscar had guarded it well, but I imagine it was a very lonely ten days he spent there. Luck was with me and Carl returned home the afternoon of the 9th, and at six in the morning of the 10th, Priscilla was born. Soon after her arrival, before she was cleaned up, my brother Marion came in and knelt down by my father and whispered something in his ear. Such a sad look came over Father's face and before they could tell me what had happened, I knew my sister Dora's daughter, Maggie May, had passed away. She had passed at exactly the same time Priscilla was born. (January 10, 1915) She had never been a strong baby. How sad life is for some of us. We try to live right but it seems fate is always against us. I wonder why these things have to come and make us unhappy. Priscilla was our sixth daughter, so far no son to carry on the Hamblin name.
Carl & Ida Hamblin's five little daughters. Back: Fern & Blanche Front: Fay, Priscilla, & Klea ca.1916.
We now had six little girls including stillborn. We always called her Ida and I am sure that in the hereafter I will have the opportunity of raising her to be grown. If I don't I will be very disappointed. In the following summer or spring, Klea became very ill. We worked so very hard to save her life. One day Sister Wilkins came over and wanted to give her calomel. I had never heard of it or used it, but she had tried it on one of her daughter's tiny babies, so finally I decided to let her give some to Klea, provided she stay and watch the effects, which she did. After taking the last dose, Klea went to sleep and didn't wake up until morning. Ir was the first nights' rest I had for days. She improved from then on and was soon well. This was my first experience with calomel. Father had been given some years ago and his mouth was salivated from its' use. I was reluctant to give any to Klea. When Father had taken it years before, it had been straight calomel. Later something was added to it to keep one from being salivated. Since then I have used it a lot in my family. Later I described Klea's illness to a doctor and he said he would say she had a congested liver. We depended so much on the Lord in all our sickness. Don't know how we would have raised our families without the Lord's divine aid. Shortly after Priscilla's birth, all the children came down with whooping cough. All of them got along alright except Fern. We nearly lost her but God spared her life and we had much to be thankful for.After the children were all better, in the spring of 1915 we decided to sell the home in Nutrioso to my brother Frank and bargained for Lyman's Ranch, just over the divide between Nutrioso and Alpine. We moved in th spring, as soon after the children were well enough to make the change. There were two large cabins on the place, one we used as a kitchen, the other for a bedroom. It belonged to Lyman Hamblin. It was a beautiful ranch and we loved the scenery. Nice cold springs and meadows, surrounded by quaking aspen, spruce trees, and pines. But it was also a lonesome place with no one close, just our family. It is now known as Tal Wi Wi Lodge. It is a summer resort and many beautiful homes line the road and back in the trees and hillside. The two little cabins still stand in the midst of all this. (The one where the kitchen was had been mad into a bigger home but is built around the original cabin..) Before this, a boys home was built there. Shortly after we moved there Fern took sick with the croup. Perhaps her lungs were still weak from the siege of whooping cough, She was a very sick little girl and we were far from help of any kind. We put her in a tub of extra warm, almost hot water and wrapped her in blankets to make her sweat. Her father administered to her and she began to get relief. God had heard and answered our prayers once more, but many times during that day we thought she would choke to death. We depended so much on the Lord for help I don't know what we would have done to raise our family without His divine aid and the priesthood which my husband held. This was a very pleasant summer spent in such a beautiful spot where we could hear the songs of the birds and gather lovely wild flowers. we raised hay for our cows and planted a large garden and potato patch. No one was more happy. We attended Sunday services in the Nutrioso Ward. We would drive down early in the morning and return in the evening. I can remember the children singing their happy songs while enjoying the ride.
Tal Wi Wi Lodge still exists today.
It is on the site of Lyman Hamblin/John Willdard Lee's ranch.
It's beautiful! Tal Wi Wi means, "The fertile land the sun first shines upon".
It is from the Hopi Language.
I think I would like to stay here someday!
I have copied some information on calomel for you. It is frightening to think that this is mercury! Thankfully little Klea was only given it for a short time. It sounds like Granpa Lee had taken more.
"The name calomel is thought to come from the Greek κάλλος beautiful, and μέλας black. This name (somewhat surprising for a white compound) is probably due to its characteristic disproportionation reaction with ammonia, which gives a spectacular black coloration due to the finely dispersed metallic mercury formed. It is also referred to as the mineral horn quicksilver or horn mercury. Calomel was taken internally and used as a laxative and disinfectant, as well as in the treatment of syphilis, until the early 20th century. Until fairly recently it was also used as a horticultural fungicide, most notably as a root dip to help prevent the occurrence of clubroot amongst crops of the Brassicaceae family.[4]
Toxic effects were soon noticed in individuals given large doses for long periods, in whom excessive salivation, gum inflammation, loosening of the teeth, gastrointestinal upset, and an ashen appearance developed."
Next time: The mischief of little girls, a new baby, and other adventures!
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