Grandad Edwards with Grandma in their late teens. She would bare 8 alive and 16 unfortunate stillborns.
My Grandfather was a Mountain Man back in the early days of Idaho’s history. He arrived with his parents and siblings by covered wagon from Missouri and settled into a sod house in the pristine valley that today is called “The Carey Valley”. Back then it was known as “The Empire of Alturas” and later, “The Little Wood River Valley” near present day Carey Idaho along the Arco highway or State Route 20. Some of his pioneering life’s adventures were recorded by his children. Some stories tell of his early childhood where at eleven years old he started his trapping business. Other writings recall his love for his young wife and while others tell of his twilight years as Idaho grew and towns became civilized with schools, churches and paved roads.
This is one story, and as you can see, it is unchanged by time. It was typed by one of his sons, my late Uncle Deloy back in the day. It recalls the humor of a people thought to have spent all their time mournfully scraping a living from the land. Oh, they did that for sure but not without a laugh now and then.
I hope you enjoyed this look into the past, I know I did. The original Edwards Homestead is still owned and being worked by family. The beautiful “Empire of Alturas” with it’s pristine rivers, streams, valley and Sawtooth Mountain Range all remain for us to enjoy to this day in the Carey area.
campfireshadows 
That’s a great story. Your grandfather may have lived a tough life, but it was an interesting one.
Interesting barely covers it! The stories I found (given to me recently by family) are nothing short of historical. Adventures while trapping, their house burning down, His “elopement” with his young girlfriend (my grandmother) , Illnesses, building log cabins etc give us a glimpse into the history of Idaho’s birth pangs and another chapter into the Old West..
What a hoot!!! I imagine the community had a great laugh over it as well.
They laughed till they cried. Can you imagine seeing the “Thunder Mug” come out with dark tea and donuts in it? What would people think? I tell ya, folks had a great sense of humor back then, different but great! LOL
THis is really charming! What a wonderful way to look back and see your grandfather in a fresh way! 🙂
Wonderful piece of family history!
Thank you for the thought 🙂 I ran across this story when I received a large packet of family info from an aged Uncle of mine. I met him only once in my life and I was only 4 at the time. I had lost contact with the Edwards of Idaho after my Dad passed away and we moved to the midwest. We were reuntied after all these years when I discovered a cousin living in Idaho. from there the entire family was found.
Love it! Can you imagine something like that happening today? OMGX1000! ha ha
The PC police would go nuts! LOL Thunder Mugs!!!
I am a Miami city boy and you never had me fooled from the get-go. This was impossible because they don’t make boxing trunks for badgers and they don’t wrestle because they know it is fake and therefor dishonorable for badgerdom. !
It was nude wrestling! LOL
Look what I found…
Badger Wrestling
@Badger_Wrestle
Official Twitter of the University of Wisconsin Badgers wrestling team & your home for all Badgers news and updates from both on and off the mat.
UW Field House · UWBadgers.com/wrestling
See? Badgers do wrestle! LOL
I thoroughly enjoyed this. What a great piece of personal history.
Thanks for the comment, I love history and weird facts so I try to sneak them in on all my short stories… I hope sometime you get a chance to read more and send comments 🙂 JW
Oh, I’ll be back – plus I’m following so I get to see your future work, too.
Then I’m sure well be bumpin’ into each other along the trap lines.
Hehehe… I see storytelling runs in the family then?! Must have caused quite a stir back in the day 😉
I bet it did. The story has been run a number of times over the years in the local paper there.