Sitting Tall in the Saddle
James L. Davis
For Chris Nielsen life is still about sitting tall in the saddle. Not to say that it’s always been an easy ride, but for Chris and his wife Sonny, the Emery County couple can look back over their lives together and not come up with a whole lot that they would change.
In Chris Nielsen’s almost 70 years, he has been roping for all but perhaps the first four or five years. First school mates and then cattle on the ranch and later on the rodeo circuit. The fact that many of the rodeo hands he now competes with are young enough to be his children, or grandchildren, doesn’t dim his enthusiasm for the sport in the least.
“It’s been our life. I wouldn’t change it for nothing. If this ain’t living, count me out,” Chris said, draping his arms over one of his horses and smiling softly at memories spent team roping.
Standing in the driveway of the Nielsen ranch Chris gets two of his horses ready for roping, his hands moving out of habit as they saddle up the horses, while his mind jumps back over the years that brought him from a young boy in Price to an old cowboy, still roping, and still winning, in team rodeo events.
Chris won his 21st saddle during a rodeo held over the July 24 holiday, taking third in a field of almost 100 ropers, and the 21st saddle will in all likelihood not be his last, because he can’t imagine not roping.
“It’s the thrill of it. It’s the camaraderie of those who rodeo. They’re the greatest people in the world. You get to know these people. They’re different. You go away from it for a while and then you think, I’ve got to get back,” he said, his voice wavering with emotion for a lifestyle he loves dearly.
Where and when that love started stretches back to when he was just a boy and he discovered that there wasn’t much he enjoyed more than the thrill of roping.
“When I was a little bitty kid, don’t ask me where I got the roping bug from, but I went to school over to Price and when I was in the second grade my dad bought the pool hall over in Castle Dale. I would steal my granddad’s rope and take it to school and I’d rope the kids all during recess and lunch hour. That’s all I ever wanted to do, was rope,” Nielsen said, grinning.
That early love of roping would come to shape his entire life and it was through roping that he came to meet, and win the love of his life.
“One day Sonny’s dad, (By’ Johansen) asked me what I was doing on the weekend and if I wanted to come and help brand calves. When I got out there By’ said to me ‘climb on that horse and let’s see if you can catch one of them calves,’ so I climbed on the horse and roped and drug calves all day. After we’d been there four or five hours roping calves Sonny’s dad said ‘how old are you?’ and I said ‘I’m 10,’ and he said you just come work for me for the next 10 years and you can have Sonny for your wife. And I did most of the 10 years, but he paid me too,” Chris grinned.
Sonny, standing to the side smiled softly and nodded her head. “It’s true,” she said.
“She wouldn’t have nothing to do with me in the winter. When we went to school she had her school boyfriends but the minute school was out and she knew I was going to be roping, here came Sonny.”
The couple raised three children on the ranch, Shane, Amy and Hank and the two boys became skilled ropers themselves, practicing with their dad on the ranch and participating in rodeos when they grew older. While the two have a great deal of skill and have won saddles and belt buckles as well, they didn’t quite catch the bug of roping the way their dad did.
Chris and Sonny try to go somewhere every week and when they aren’t able to Chris is not all that happy.
“That’s what we do. We don’t look at the sights or anything, we just go rope. Sonny will sit in the stands and tell me what I did wrong,” Chris said.
And Sonny would know exactly what to tell Chris if he did do something wrong. While Chris’ reputation as a roper is legendary, the skill of Sonny as a flagger is also well known. She was one of the first women to be a judge for team roping and Chris’ voice cracks as he relates of her experiences gaining the respect of some of the top rodeo cowboys as a flagger.
As a header in team roping, Chris has collected his share of prizes over the years, both in the professional and amateur rodeo circuit. Although the memories are too many to properly categorize, he said one of his fondest memories was a team roping event where he had Casey Jensen of Cleveland as a partner and the two of them won $5,000 a piece by winning the event.
Today Chris knows that time has whittled away at his body enough to take the sharp edge off his skill, but despite a bad back, and the fact that he is missing half of one foot, he is still a fierce competitor on the circuit. When he was younger, professional rodeo team ropers were categorized by a number based on their skill. Headers and heelers each had a different scoring system and at that time Chris was a five, with the top rodeo hands in the world ranked a seven. The numbering system for ropers still exists today, with some changes.
Knowing that age was creeping up on him and that physically he wasn’t what he used to be, Chris said he had to petition to get his score lowered so he could still compete.
“Some people say I still rope like a five, but I’m crippled. So I wrote a letter and said this foot here is cut off and I’ve had laser surgery on my eyes so many times it’s hard for me to see, so I want my number lowered. They wrote me a letter and said, no, you win too much; we can’t lower your number. I wrote them another letter and had a letter from my doctor and I got my number lowered from a five to a four. A four was supposed to be a beginner, an inexperienced roper or an old guy like me,” he said.
Leading his horses out to his corral Sonny runs the chute as he takes a little time to rope a few steer. While it takes him a little longer to get into the saddle, once there he rides easy and when Sonny releases the steer he is ready…riding tall.
Return to Top
Stalemate over Green River Judge
Josie Luke
Green River Citizens were given an uncommon opportunity on Aug. 19, when the Emery County Commission meeting was held in their city. Because of the uncharacteristic circumstances, the meeting focused on issues which held special importance to the city.
Though there were four agenda items which were of particular interest to Green River, the issue which proved to draw many citizens to the meeting was the commissioners’ decision on whether to hire a judge for Green River since Judge Betty Burns retired earlier in the year.
The decision has proven to be especially divisive for the county commission, since, with Commissioner Drew Sitterud on administrative leave, the two remaining commissioners cannot come to an agreement on the issue.
Commissioner Jeff Horrocks related that the two had “agreed to disagree” on the subject, so until they have a full commission, with a third member to break the “stalemate,” a decision cannot be made.
Green River Mayor Pat Brady addressed the subject at the meeting, an action he said he would take at the city council meeting held earlier in the month. He maintained that the city has a great desire to keep the position in the area, both because it is a high-paying full-time job and because with the judge in the area, issues can be dealt with quickly.
He reminded the commissioners of the distance Green River citizens would be required to travel, especially those with drug and alcohol problems who are required to attend programs in the other side of the county. Brady also reported that local law enforcement officers would prefer to have the judge in town.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Patsy Stoddard asked the commissioners why, if the funding was available two months ago to pay a judge, there was not money available to hire one currently.
Commissioner Gary Kofford responded, saying he had not intended to bring the subject up, but said there were new positions to fill, and they needed the money to fill them. He explained that his view on the position was affected by several people in the county who were telling him that, “we do not need a J. P. here.” Kofford continued saying, “When you say you need a judge in here, you don’t.”
Green River Councilmember Karen Silliman commented that the next training for the judge’s position would occur in September, with the next training not occurring until February 2009, so were the commissioners not to fill the position, technically, the judge could not take the position until then.
Kofford expressed, “All I’m asking is to give it a try for a few months. Let’s hang on and see what happens. I personally think that we can make it work.”
Horrocks explained that he “is not against putting in a judge,” but said that there are a lot of issues they have to consider, especially the county budget. He described the budget as “quite a complex operation,” and then reiterated what he had said earlier about the Commissioners’ decision. “We disagree. He’s not going to change and I’m not going to change, so consequently, we’re at a stalemate.”
The commissioners also addressed a request from the Green River Boy’s and Girl’s club for assistance in purchasing and maintaining a new van for the organization. Several club representatives explained the importance of the boy’s and girl’s club to local youth, and the many activities it provides each year. They also reported the city council had already committees to assist in the purchase.
Kofford explained that the commissioners would have to look further into the request because the usual donation the commission can grant is $250, and the club would need much more than that amount in order to acquire the van. He suggested that they also look at other options for the club.
The development lease with the Utah State Institutional Trust Lands Administration for an industrial park near Green River was also discussed. The issue has brought an outcry with the recent news recently that one of the industries considering the park is a nuclear power company.
At a previous meeting, the commission had considered a draft of a development lease with SITLA, and had declined signing the document because of several issues they wanted to be clarified. During the August 19 meeting, Emery County Economic Development Director, Mike McCandless explained that those issues had been resolved, and along with County Attorney David Blackwell, encouraged the commission to move forward with the agreement by signing the development lease.
McCandless maintained what he has said from the beginning, stating there “will be no cost to the tax payers of Emery County” in the development. He reported the county will not have to pay for any improvements to the property. “Everything is triggered by what the developers decide to do,” he said. “Our job is to coordinate.”
Several people in attendance expressed concerns about the companies which would locate to the industrial park. Sarah Fields stated, “I hope that Emery County does not deeply commit itself to the project without looking into everything.”
McCandless expressed that he wished people wouldn’t spend so much time worrying about a few companies which may not be as well looked upon as others. He assured those in attendance, that along with companies which for some were less appealing, he has been contacted by a number of companies which would be more “exciting opportunities.”
The commissioners elected to move forward with the lease, and encouraged the community to attend a public hearing on rezoning the area on Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. in the Green River City Hall.
Emery County Personnel Director, Mary Huntington, also approached the commissioners to approve the hiring of Shannon Hiatt as a full-time aquatic center manager and Jim Gordon as a part-time Ambulance supervisor. She also revealed that the Recreation Board had approved Gaylee Jeffs to take over as Recreation Director. The commissioners approved the hires.
Return to Top
Miner’s Memorial plagued by delays
Josie Luke
Though Huntington City is not funding the Crandall Canyon Miner’s Monument near the Huntington cemetery, the city council has been extraordinarily involved in the process, both emotionally and physically.
At the Huntington City Council meeting on Aug. 20, this was made apparent when councilmember Julie Jones began speaking about the memorial. She revealed that unforeseen circumstances had held up construction on the memorial; stages of construction that should have been completed weeks ago were still waiting to be done.
The anxiety and emotion were evident as Jones and Mayor Hilary Gordon described what was yet to be done to those in attendance. They revealed the wall the bronze sculpture will be mounted on had yet to be poured, which was in turn holding up the sidewalk and laying sod, and with school starting again, the six scouts who are working on Eagle projects at the site are now back at school, leaving them with less available time to finish their work.
Even with all of these issues coming together to make the completion by the dedication date, Sept. 14, seem unfeasible, with calm assurance in her voice, Jones maintained, “Whatever it takes, we will get it done.”
Jones’ statement was not without substance. Two days after the council meeting, the memorial wall had been poured and was being unframed, the sidewalk was framed and being poured, the base for the flagpole had been started, and there at the site was Jones, coordinating the work of the different contractors, running to the store to get drinks for workers and helping with the base for the flagpole. Mayor Gordon had also been there mid-morning.
Seeing that the monument is completed has become a personal obsession for Jones, whose son worked at Crandall Canyon Mine. She said she views it as an honor. “There are nine families counting on this for closure I feel they need,” she related. “It’s an honor for me to do this. It gives me something I can do to give them peace, so it will be done.”
The dedication for the Huntington Crandall Canyon Miner’s Monument is still set for Sept. 14. Any community help will be appreciated. Those interested can contact Jones, or the six scouts that are involved: Nathan Mecham-laying sod, Tyler Pulli- sprinkling system, Colton Barnett-electrical, Bryson Weaver-flag pole, Calbe Woolsey-cement and rock benches and T.J. Turner- trees and plants.
Return to Top
Orangeville council considers
changing parking ordinance
James L. Davis
The Orangeville City Council will gather for a work meeting on Aug.26 at 7 p.m. to develop a new ordinance for parking on city streets.
The council has been discussing for several months a proposed change to its traffic code. Currently most of the parking on city streets is restricted to parallel parking only, but with the wide streets in most of the city it has been proposed that the parking be changed to 45 degree parking throughout most of Orangeville.
The debate has been on how to word such an ordinance. Two earlier proposed ordinances were not voted on by the council because the council felt the ordinance would lead to confusion on the part of the public.
What the council has been considering is changing the traffic code to allow 45 degree parking on all streets that are at least 99 feet wide, which covers most of the streets in the city. Only parallel parking would be permitted on streets less than 99 feet wide, which includes the streets of Orangeville subdivisions. In earlier draft ordinances streets had been listed that were permitted for 45 degree parking, which is why the council felt it would lead to confusion.
A concern by some on the city council was in changing the parking on Main Street in front of Cottonwood Elementary, fearing that changing to 45 degree parking could lead to safety concerns for school children. Principal Dennis Jones of Cottonwood Elementary, in an earlier city council meeting, did not voice a strong opinion about either parallel or 45 degree parking on Main Street, but did indicate that the school felt strongly that the parking at the main entrance to the school on 200 South should remain angle parking. The council has no plans to change the parking in front of the elementary school.
What the council will consider during its work meeting is how best to write the ordinance in a manner that will lead to the least amount of confusion on the part of city residents.
Other proposals for the parking ordinance would address the parking of semi trucks within city limits. In earlier versions of the proposed ordinance parking of semis on city streets would not be permitted, but some on the council objected to dictating that truck drivers could not park their trucks on city streets if they could do so without obstructing their neighbors’ driveways or property.
The council hopes to finalize the wording of the proposed ordinance during the work meeting so that they can bring it to a vote at the next city council meeting on Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. Return to Top |
