Story of the Red Rose

The Red Rose has always been significant in the Asay family, especially for Grandmother Asay. I always thought Grandpa gave the rose to the pretty girl driving the wagon. Joy Marostica re-tells the story:

Over the years I had always been aware that the red rose held a special meaning for my Grandparents, but it wasn’t until recently that I understood why.

In June of 1977 as we drove with Grandmother through the desolate Wyoming prairies on our way to Casper, we asked her to tape some of the events of her life. We were delighted to find her telling us of her romance with Grandfather.

In the early 1900’s Grandpa’s family was helping the church in the development of the Big Horn Basin and they had settled in Lovell. It was necessary on one occasion for Adelbert to go to Montana in search of a missing young boy. After traveling many miles he lay down for a nap by the Yellowstone River. Upon awakening he discovered a beautiful red rose lying on the bank. He stuck it in his shirt, jumped on his horse, and continued his journey. He could see a wagon in the distance and as he came closer he observed a young lady driving it.

This 17 year old girl was Delila Boice on her way to the Big Horn Basin with her family. She saw the lone rider with a flash of red on his shirt in the distance. She hoped he would be of some help for directions. As Adelbert rode closer she noticed he was very handsome; she hoped her father would speak kindly to him, and she felt anyone who would wear a red rose on a hot, dusty ride must be sensitive, nice, and wonderful!

Adelbert did give them directions and encouraged them to settle in Lovell, as the soil was fertile, the water clear, and it was so beautiful there.

Brother Boice took his advice and the following Sunday at church the courtship began - August 17, 1903.

In those days for entertainment the young people in Lovell danced on the Shoshone River Bridge. The dance hall was for the “rowdy bunch.” Reuben Allpin and Orin Elmer played the harmonicas and someone called the quadrilles. When a wagon wanted to cross, the dancers scooted to the sides. Delila’s and Delbert’s favorite dance tune was “In the Good Old Summer Time.”

On October 5, 1903 Delila and Adelbert were married in the tent home of her parents. They continued to enjoy dancing, and as their children were born they took them along putting them to sleep on the large pile of dancers’ coats.

The Dishpan Ride

Delila’s parents made good use of tubs. A small one was used for gathering woodchips as well as for dishes. The following incident is from Delila’s journal:

I remember the stacks of wood that had to be chopped and carried into the house to keep the stoves and kitchen range well supplied. We always gathered chips of wood for quick heat.

One time my niece, Louise Boice, and I returned from school. Mother said, “You girls hurry and gather the chips and I will stir up a cake and buttermilk biscuits for supper.”

We went to the porch and each took a large pan to gather the chips in. As we were looking we discovered a trail down the snow covered hill. We decided it would be fun to sit in the pan and slide down. My pan began to whirl and didn’t stop until I crashed into a quaking aspen tree. I wasn’t hurt but I was so dizzy and didn’t feel like eating supper. That was my first and last trip down a hill in a dishpan.

Visiting Teaching Message

Contented Cows

Story as retold by granddaughter, Joye Marostica, entitled

"Visiting Teaching With a Sense of Humor"

Delila loved her calling as a visiting teacher. To go into the homes of the assigned sisters once a month with a gospel message was to her a wonderful opportunity to show compassion to others.

Sister MacLemore was her companion, and the sisters they visited looked forward to their words of encouragement and occasional baskets of garden produce, homemade bread or other small gifts.

The lessons to be taught always came from the Relief Society General Board in Salt Lake, and their purpose was to help the women of the church to be better homemakers and mothers, and to point out ways of living the gospel in their daily lives.

In the early 1900’s some people had still not heard of milk pasteurization - Delila was one of these.

As Sister MacLemore and Grandma were preparing to do their visiting teaching one day they came upon a new word… pasteurize. They discussed it at some length and finally concluded it meant ‘putting the cows in a lovely green pasture in order to produce good rich milk.”

After a word of prayer asking the Lord for his guidance in this important health lesson - they started out. Among the ladies on their route was the wife of Doctor Edward Croft. Before reaching the Crofts they stopped to see Sister Stewart, fortunately Brother Stewart happened to be home… after their very ‘informative’ lesson, he very tactfully explained the concept of heating milk to prevent disease - much to their surprise!

Delila was so grateful they had started with prayer and had their act together before reaching the Doctor’s home.

That evening Grandma laughed as she told the family of her blunder… turning humiliation into an extremely funny joke on herself.

Delilah and the Red Poppy Hat

Delilah May Boice circa 1902

MY HAT WITH POPPIES

"While we lived in Waterloo, the men found work.  I was lucky to find a job at the J.B. Welcome Ranch and worked there two summers helping cook for the haying crew.  I made $25.00 a month.  Back then, that was good money.

During the winters I worked for Mrs. Solabadger until she moved away.  She could not take their sheppard dog, Sport, and she wanted to find a good home for him.  She asked me if my folks might want him.  He was a good cattle dog and Father was happy to get him.

With the money I earned, I helped the folks some and bought my clothes.  I was 17 years old and I wanted to have a new outfit to wear in the new community.  I bought material and Mother made me a beautiful rose dress.  I bought shoes and a lovely hat.  It was white leghorn with a wide brim.  One side was turned up and and the top was filled with red silk poppies with a black velvet ribbon. 

Just before we left on the journey to the Big Horn Basin, I had my picture taken in my lovely outfit.  I was excited about the coming adventure and driving my parent's camp wagon.  I tied my new hat up in a tea towel and fastened it to the top of the wagon.  Two days on the journey we met a man who wanted (to) trade horses.  Father said that he would for $75.00 more.  The trade was made and the horses were switched onto the wagon I was driving.  The new horse looked like Black Beauty, except for a deformed front leg, but that didn't prevent it from being a good work horse.

We had been traveling about ten days when Sport ran alongside the new horse and got kicked and a broken leg.  Father said, "We'll either have to shoot the dog or haul him."  Every wagon was loaded to capacity.  I said, "Put him in my wagon."  The camp wagon had a stove bolted to the floor and I traveled with soup and so forth cooking on the stove.  Father and Will set Sport's hind leg and put him in my wagon.

A few days later the ties that held my new hat to the roof of the wagon came loose and had fell in front of Sport.  He chewed the hat up and scattered the red poppies.  When I discovered what had happened, I was brokenhearted.  I gathered the poppies hoping to do something with them later.

As I started on down the road, I kept thinking about my pretty hat.  Every once in a while, I would look back and scold, "Shame on you Sport!"  Finally, he started putting his paws over his eyes and then he would raise one paw and look at me and whine as if to say, "I'm so sorry."

My four year old great-grandson, Charles Shumway III of Las Vegas, Nevada was told this story and shown the picture.  He cried about it and said, "My Great-Grandma is gonna have a hat."  He wrote a poem and on my 90th birthday he gave me a white wide brim straw hat.  I have had many hats, but the hat he gave me is my prized one."

"When the dog ate your hat,

It made me feel bad.

I bought you a new hat,

To make you feel glad."

    -- by Charles Shumway III

Story as written in "Handmaidens of the Lord," a collection of histories and stories by Gwendolyn

pp329.

Delila's granddaughter Marlene Wasden Cupit had a dress and hat made for the occasion of the 2004 Asay Reunion held in Orem, Utah and re-told this story.

(double click on image to enlarge)

News paper article appearing in the Lovell Chronical in Anna's Column following and Open House honoring Delilah Asay on the occasion of her 92nd Birthday.

The Relief Society Ladies

    The Relief Society House - Lovell Wyoming       

         

This is one of my favorite stories Grandmother Asay told about herself.  The photos and story below are taken from the Adelbert Asay Family Book   (double click on  images to enlarge)

Please excuse our dust...

we are under construction, but please check back with us later for True Pioneer Stories as told by Delilah May Boice Asay to her children and their children.  Grandmother's legacy is in her desire to keep the stories and history alive.  This blog site is dedicated to that great effort.