HALVERSON BOWEN MARY BOB-SLED

A VISIT to UNCLE T0M'S by

BOB-SLED

a letter showing the closeness of families

by MARY HANNA HALVERSON BOWEN

24 JULY, 1994

DEAR FAMILY;

This story happened long ago.  I don't remember how old I was, why I remember it is a big mystery.  

The first "Bob Sled" ride and the only one I remember.    My Father Andrew Halverson, had a team of horses, named Frank and Dick.   Each fall, we would borrow a bob-sled from our neighbor, Dell Roundy.  He didn't have a team of horses, so he and my Father would trade, horses for bob-sled! when ever they had need of one or the other.   Father hitched the team on the "Bob-sled", which was like a wagon box with four runners, two on each side, about four feet long.  The box was filled with good straw, which was the stock of the wheat.  Horse blankets covered the straw and quilts that Mother had made covered us, and we wore all the warm clothes we had. 

Mother did a lot of baking and roasting of chickens to help with the food.   My Father had a brother, named Tom Halverson, who had a large ranch or farm down below Spanish Fork, Utah, in a place called Palmyra.   Each fall, we as a family would go to Uncle Tom's to Slaughter the animals.  Father was a good butcher, and all our family worked good together, had fun. 

Joe and Mary Halverson

Father said, "Gid up" to the horses and we were on our way to Uncle Tom's and Aunt Em's house.                  Aunt Em was a very good cook and with the food mother had prepared, we were full all the time.   We left our home early in the morning, arriving at Uncle Tom's late afternoon, stayed about four days and home again.   What a wonderful memory I have of the trip.  I'm sure we made the trip many times, this is the only one I remember. 

I loved my Aunt Em, and kept in touch with her and visited with her with my older girls.  She was a wonderful lady and lived to be 100 years old. 

by MARY HANNA HALVERSON BOWEN