Thomas Matthew Rees - letter to my girls

To My Girls

            Inasmuch as I have been unable to make a statement as to my position and attitude toward conditions here at and around my home, I feel I should outline in writing briefly some of the factors involved, perhaps some that some of you do not know.  Grandfather took up his homestead under the original ten acre plot, a survey authorized by Brigham Young, probably as early as 1849 or 1850.  I can't find a record or date as it was not until 1869 and 1870 that the U.S. Government survey was made, and all records of title date from that date.

            Before the treaty ending the war with Mexico, in which the Mormon Battalion took part, this territory was part of Mexico, and the pioneers considered they were outside of the U.S., and as as the U.S. had failed to give them protection and a square deal, many of the early pioneers were glad to be out of the U.S.

            Grandfather was called to Dixie to help raise cotton before the U.S. surveys were made.  He still held to his farm, which was homesteaded by four of his neighbors, who deeded back to him his original farm.  He paid the cost of homesteading (to the U.S.) and the neighbors deeded to him for the price or cost of making the homesteads.

            Grandfather stayed in Dixie until after 1880 when he was an old man.  During the 80's there was a land boom all over this part of Utah and elsewhere in the U.S.  He sold 40 acres of his farm to some easterners, and we could have bought it back for less than he sold it for, after we came here in 1891.  Of course we didn't have the money.  It was the depression of the 1890's.  When he died he had left only 27 or 28 acres, and mother received one-third of that as her share.  It was a long narrow strip from 7th East westward to beyond 5th East, and 5th East was not opened up then.

            When mother died, and sister died, and then father died, I was administrator in all of their estates.  I bought Aunt Mary's 9 acres which joined mother's on the south all the way between 7th and 5th East Streets.  There were no roads down through either piece except through the fields and pastures.  I gave 2-1/2 rods off of the land I bought from Aunt Mary, and those of us who joined Aunt Mary with our pieces of land gave one and one-half rods making Mansfield Avenue a four-rod street.  It took years before we could get the county to make the road, and we did what we could to make it passable especially at the lower or west end (next to 5th East) and the slough where Mansfield Ave. makes the turn at now Green Street and just west of Green to as far as the Francom home.  That was before the days of automobiles, and very little money was spent by the county or state on roads.  It was a slow process and for us, the people, expensive as money was so scarce.  Man's wages $1.50 per day of 10 hours and $3.00 per day with a team--and no steady work.  I worked on the brickyard two or more summers to get money to go on to school in 1897-99 for 16 cents an hour--ten hour day for $1.60.

            When our house was built 1908-1910, there was no road, and all the rock, brick, lumber, etc. had to be hauled down through the pasture by team.  The horses couldn't pull the rock nearer than the soft ground on the north side of the irrigation ditch just east of where my coop, stable, etc. were.  This material, lumber, rock, etc. had to be wheeled the rest of the way.  I hauled the gravel from various places--East Bench, Cottonwood Creek, etc. and the sand came from the river, all by team and dump boards.  Then we mixed all the concrete by hand.  I did most of it.  All this took a lot of time and years of hard work.  Nickels were nickels and dimes were dimes.

            Down through the years, over 50 of them, we were building our home and the surroundings.  Only the last few years did we have electricity, city water, gas, sewer, etc.  I was kept from teaching twelve years by a fellow I helped put in the schoolboard when we first consolidated schools so I had to go away from home to teach which cost me a comparatively large part of my salary whether I went away and boarded or took the family.  Then all through the depression I couldn't get work as I was over 50 years old, and your mother went away to teach where unmarried girls wouldn't go.  Yet she kept going to school, all you children, your mother and I.

            I give your mother more credit than any woman I know in doing a wonderful job without equal anywhere.  I also give you children credit and honor in keeping on in school with very little financial backing.  Not many would have done anywhere near as well.  No better woman every lived than your mother, and few were as capable in doing education work as she was, either as student or teacher.

            Your mother was such a wonderful woman that I have gone on 16+ years alone rather than to get someone else who might have messed things up in our family.  I have never been interested in taking the risk.  I have thought so much of you children collectively and individually and have been so well pleased with you personally with your attitudes, abilities, your willingness to make a go of things that came your way.  I am proud of you and what you have done and what you do.  Of course there are a few things that could be bettered in all our lives.  None of us is perfect, nor can we hope to be.  I love you all individually and as a family, and it so hurt me lately, and I can't seem to get over it.  It has taken a lot out of me.  I am trying hard to get back my philosophy of life and my optimistic attitude.  It has caused me to think I don't care quite so much.  My pleasant relations with others help keep me going.  I have tried to do my best.  I have tried to treat you right, to be good to you all.  I have tried to carry on as your mother would wish me to do.  I know I can't take her place, but I have tried to do what I could.

            Now in explanation.  I haven't taken any interest in flowers and lawns, but have enjoyed garden work.  I have kept so busy with my legislature work, my garden, my job appraising that I had no time or energy left for flowers, lawn, etc.  I have thought a rough natural environment more beneficial to people, especially children, than a formal lawn and flower garden.  Economically the work on the garden and with the cows, has been more satisfactory and more profitable.

            I like people and am interested in their problems both generally and individually.  I am concerned about industrial, financial, and governmental problems as they affect people and their relation.  I don't like racketeering in business, in labor, professional or any other line of human interests.  I like a fair, square and honest deal with everybody concerned, and real opportunity for all.

            I have been fighting for a junior college and a vocational school in Salt Lake County and City for years.  I wanted them within walking distance of the corner of 33rd South and State Street, the most important corner in Salt Lake County.  This would give honors to the school for all of the County and City, South Davis, and North Utah Counties, Tooele and Park City in Summit County.  I thoroughly believe high school graduates would do better in junior colleges, not too large, than going directly to the universities.  I had to give up junior college seriously when the Church bought Fairmont Park for that purpose but am still hoping for the industrial school.  I helped get the one in Provo out of the army barracks in the fairground up into Provo near Bryce and Provo High.  I helped get Weber College on its new site, and a school at Roosevelt.

            I am more interested in solving teen-age delinquency than in lawns and flowers, also in the old folk's problems, in the tax burden, the waste of public funds, in labor problems, in industrial problems, in conserving national resources, etc.  These to me are more serious than lawns and other artificial settings around homes.  I like these too, but they are minor in importance.

            I like things to appear (look) nice within reason, but I am not in such a hurry about it.  It has taken 50+ years to get what we have under great difficulties, sacrifices, and I would rather my six children to be college graduates than to have a nice appearing place and no college students.

            Now what I planned since selling to the Church, and I had turned down many offers; I also had spent $1200+ cash having sewer connections made so there would be 11 connections for eleven lots.  Most of these will not be used now.  What I planned, I began working on 15 months ago or more when they started dumping the red sandstone on the place;  I knew I would have to give up gardening, the cows, pigs, etc. so I anticipated building a place where I could store things I think so much of and a place for tools, etc.  I would have taken all my sheds off without waste, without burning hundreds of dollars worth of material--parts, poles, planks, tin roofing, etc. even boards and two-inch stuff.  Much of that I wouldn't be able to use but someone else could, and I would rather give stuff away to someone who could use it than to wantonly destroy it.

            That hurt me, still does, and it destroyed a relationship I was trying to build up with John which I hoped would help me with him.  If I could have done that it would be worth more than I could tell.  That has been a difficult situation, and it is extremely more difficult now, perhaps impossible, all because of the way that stuff was destroyed and how I was disregarded; I had no say.  I couldn't save anything to help me build with, not to use in a building but to help build with.  I will have to pay two or three hundred dollars for planks I already had total or partly.  This all had to be done, not my way, I had no part in it.  It could have been done my way with less cost and leaving me something to work with.

            Now about my condition and the delaying things.  Let's look at things as they are.  Last year I had no garden, but I worked hard, too hard for an 80 year old man, all summer.  I wanted that red sandrock.  I can get it no other way.  The quarries are not worked any more, not even with roads available to them.  Then I was running a campaign.

            Sept. 10, a year ago, I was run over by an automobile.  That kept me lame and in misery all winter.  In fact it was nearly the middle of May before I could walk without pain and discomfort in much of my body.  I spent a miserable time in the legislature.  After the legislature was over, I had to be wise, careful, and cautious, and gradually developed a little so I could do some work again.

            Then I tried the garden on John's land as an experiment, to see if I could raise a garden there and if I had any water left in my wells.  The garden and the other things took all my time and strength.  That garden built on a weed patch, morning glory much of it, poorly plowed because it was too dry due to the several dry years we have had and the fact that it went unworked many years.

            I thought it unwise to try the hard work building in the hot summer weather.  The trip to Dixie added to the garden problems.  I have finished most of the garden work now except harvesting--potatoes, celery, tomatoes, etc. and am about able to start building.  I hope I can borrow some planks from the church before they take them away..

            To add to all the above was the operation I had last Thanksgiving.  Then of course I am 81 years old, and I do much more work than any 81 year old man I know.  I must be reasonably careful and stay within bounds of reason and common sense.  I am not lazy; I don't waste time, yet I don't like to do more work than needed nor hurry up just for looks and appearances of things.  Now I have to buy lumber to work with if I can tomorrow.  This is a partial outline of conditions and why I haven't done things earlier. 

            I am wondering what to do.  Shall I sell out?  Or just get out and go somewhere else?  I am so stuffed and crowded that I can't find anything, arrange anything, or do anything.  I must build what I have in mind and then try to solve some of these other things. 

            I'll go on loving you, being proud of you, and pulling for you all.

                                                                        DAD