Xmas 2006 (Part 2)

December 29th, 2006

Christmas afternoon we packed up our presents to take to the Blackburn event. Chris played Test Drive Unlimited until a few minutes before we left and then I had to put it away to take along. I was going to stay overnight there so that I could leave for VA from Hudson instead of backtracking about 75 miles.

I had asked for something that had more sentimental value (and a story) than the gift cards we had received in the past. I wanted something with a bit more of my grandparents in it than monetary value. I got exactly what I asked for and it’s probably one of the best presents I’ve ever had.

In a small-ish box there was a roll of silver dollars (Morgan 1921s and Peace dollars from 1922-1934) wrapped in a toilet paper tube. Upon the tube was written in pencil: “$20 for Wyoming Antelope License”. Awesome. There was also a letter. 6 pages of my Grandfather’s handwriting explaining the coins, the tube and my grandfather’s time in 1954 & 1955 with the great-grandfather whom I never met. It was/is perfect. I have reread the letter twice now and have had to limit myself to handling the coins since I do not want to wear off the pencil.

The letter was as follows:

12-25-06
In the fall of 1954 Dad and I went to South Dakota pheasant hunting. We hunted three or four or more days until we had our limits, which I think was 10 birds apeice.

Then we headed for Wyoming mule deer hunting. We didn’t have the foggest idea where to hunt. So when we got to Buffalo we looked up the game department office. The game warden told us to go down to Ten Sleep and maybe his brother would let us hunt on his ranch. So down we went, thrw the Big Horn Mts. over the Powder River Pass 9666ft. It was 8:00 or 8:30 when we got there. We ask at a gas station where the Ted Frizzon ranch was. We were told Ted over at a school program. So over to the school we went. We ask if Ted Frizzon was there, he was, a lady went and got him.

We talked a little while, told him his brother had sent us down. Told him what we did for a living. Ted said come out in the morning and we’ll go hunting. So we were out there in good, help him finish up his chores.

We got in Ted’s old jeep pickup and climbed up in the mountains. I shot a nice buck on the way up. That’s the one hanging in our back way.

The Big Horn Mt’s are flat on top with deep revines or coulees. We drove and walked along the edge, until we got to a place where we could see the bottom of the revine. Then Ted got out a big crowbar a pryed big rocks loose and let them go crashing down the mountain into the timber below. Dad & George (Ted’s nephew) stayed up at the top of the revine. If there we any deer in there they were comming out the top.

We each shot two nice bucks that day, gutted them out and called it a day. Then the next day George & I with horses hauled the deer up and out of the coulees. George was telling about taking two Chicago Bears football players hunting. The first day he just walked them all day up and down in and out of one coulee after another. At about dark they are at the bottom of about the deepest coulee. He told them we are going to have to get with it if we are going get out of here before it gets dark. So he just took off and left them, they pooped!! That ended there bragging.

Back then ever time you bought something and had change comming, they loaded you down with silver dollars. So I came home with quite a few. So for the next Christmas I put 20.00 in silver dollars in a toilet paper tube for my Dad’s Christmas present. Thats what a Wyoming Antelope license cost back then.

In 1955 we went to Montana instead of Wyoming. We took 90 to Boseman with no idea of where to hunt. So we went out to the airport, got a bush pilot to fly me around to look for elk. We left at daylight. We flew up and down the Gallatin river valley, no elk, saw some moose. Finally he said, Ill show you some elk. He did, lots of them, just over the border in Yellowstone.

The 320 Ranch borders Yellowstone so that where we went. Rented a cabin. The weather was warm, stayed warm for two weeks or more, so we hunted with a guide, with horses every other day. The other days we hunted on foot closer to the ranch. Finally it snowed 18 inches. I shot a nice muley. Didn’t make a good shot and he made it over the line into the park. We went over into Yellowstone, gutted him out and covered him up with brush. The next day we called the park, told what we done. The park service gave us the OK. The next day we went up after the deer. The eagles beat us to him, drug the brush off and destroyed the hindquarters all we saved was the horns.

Then a day or two later it turned cold. 32 below. A couple of days later some elk moved down out of the park. I got a bull, Dad shot a cow. Dad said he wanted something good to eat. We ate them both, I couldn’t tell the diffrence.

The day we got our elk there were six or more hunters out with their guides. They saw elk too, but their guns wouldn’t shoot. They were froze up. They had brought their guns inside at nite after being out where it was so cold. They drawed moisture and froze up back out in the cold. We also wash the actions wof our rifles with gas to get all the oil out. We all ate supper at the ranch house, sat around a big long table — good food!

During the warm weather two elk were shot, one by the wife of the owner of the ranch. She taught school, down the road a ways toward Boseman. When school was out she told the kids to go quietly to the bus. She had seen an elk browsing around back of the schoo house. She had a gun at school so she hot him.

The other one that was shot by a guy for Iowa. He rented a cabin, got situated took his rifle walked fromt he ranch house down to the barn, went back behind the barn a little ways and shot the elk. So he packed up and went home.

We had two good hunting trips in 1954-1955. Seen a lot of beautiful country.

That’s how the 20 silver dollars wound up in toilet paper tube for Dad’s Christmas Present.