I loved the ranch on the Lemhi. So many unforgettable memories of my childhood there, some not so good of course, but most were great! I feel a warmth and satisfaction in remembering childhood and that of my family.
Our ranch was seventeen miles from Salmon, and eight from Baker, (Idaho), which had a mercantile store, everything imaginable sold there. How we loved to go with Dad to Baker after food staples, or other things Dad needed for the Ranch. I loved the smell of the big room, kerosene, harnesses, leather, apples, coffee. Along the walls were hung bridles, saddles, harnesses, coils of rope, axes, saws, and in barrels and kegs were nails, bolts, horseshoes, nails, and many many other things needed for ranching.
Then, behind the counter were the things for ladies. Boxes of the “unmentionables”, bolts of cloth, oil cloth for the tablecloths, dishes, pots and pans, either iron or granite ware and food stuffs, cereals such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, flour, baking powder, soda, salt coffee, and etc. In big barrels were the big dill pickles, crackers, and big wheels of cheeses, dried fruits, like peaches, apricots, and apples. And, of course the thing that was most appealing to us kids, was the big jar of hard candy sitting in a prominent place on the counter! Dad always tried to make sure we had a little sack of candy to take home. But, Mr. Reed, the store owner, always gave us some to eat while Dad and Mother shopped. We hardly ever bought flour because Dad would take wheat up to Lemhi to the Bolts and Oltined (spelling) mill, to be ground into flour to last the winter. We had all our meats, pork products, beef, chicken. We always had a garden, and Mother canned vegetables, fruit from the orchard, and meats, Dad and Mother made their own ham and bacon. And of course, we had milk, butter and cottage cheese, so there wasn’t any danger of going hungry!
