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away but caused no problem when we challenged them.
After about two weeks on the road we reached El Capitan and joined Dad. We rested there for awhile and Floyd and I enjoyed riding on an ore truck driven by our Uncle Duck Sorrells who was married to Dad's youngest sister, Edna. One would think there was a lot of automobile traffic on the roads in those days but there was not. I cannot remember having any problem with cars on the road on that whole trip and we were on major roads at all times.
We and the horses were well rested when we left El Capitan on our way to the "Valley." The cattle were driven along in or near the road as we traveled toward Salt River. I recall the camp at Hicks Wash the first night out from Globe. There was nothing remarkable about it except it just seemed to be a wonderful place to camp over night.
Crossing Salt River and Roosevelt are unforgettable. The river was in flood from rain and melting snow so we waited a few days for it to go down. Finally we decided to cross the cattle at a point above the lake. We had the help of a local rancher named Hoyt Medlar who rode a little mule that could swim like a duck. Floyd, Dalton, Medlar and Dad drove the cattle into the river. Dalton and Floyd were on the upstream side. Dad and Medlar were on the downstream. Dad was riding Fox and somehow he went over a riffle into very deep water. Both horse and rider disappeared under water. It seemed as though they were under for a half hour as we watched from the bank. Finally Fox's head appeared, then the saddle was visible and at long last Dad bobbed up. He had slipped off the saddle and grabbed Fox by the tail in an effort to help him in the deep water. I saw Mom brush a tear off her cheek as Fox and Dad waded out on the other side.
Floyd and Dalton took charge of the cattle and Dad came back to the south side to help us get the wagons across. This involved going downstream some five miles to a ferry boat landing where the teams and Fox were placed aboard a strange craft to be ferried across about three miles of wind swept water. The wind had been blowing all day and there was quite a swell running on the lake. We stayed in the wagons as they were driven aboard. The horses were unhooked and placed beside the wagons. There was some discussion about waiting for the wind to die down but with Floyd and Dalton on the other side we felt that we needed to be over there. The boat was a square contraption made of heavy timbers and was propelled by a Model T engine mounted on the side. The engine was reluctant to start but finally got going. The floor of the boat was covered with water and I remember watching the waves go from one end to the other as we went across.
We finally made it to shore and joined Floyd and Dalton who had driven the cattle down to the north landing. That old ferry boat was a real experience. A few years later Dad and I crossed there with a team and wagon. We got on board, unhooked the team and I was holding them beside the wagon. The team was Red and Roan. Again the engine was difficult to start and by the time the "Captain" got it going we had drifted some distance from the shore. When the engine finally started it back fired with a loud noise and
