This is one of a series of caches that are associated with the local history with a focus on our family.
This triangle shaped property near the rail road tracks was once occupied by William Crockett Allen. He preferred to be called Bill and was sometimes known as WC, he did not like the name “Crockett” as he was named for David Crockett of Tennessee, where he was born. He and his wife LZ Allen (maiden name Irwin) moved here before the Korean War from the Pear Park area a few miles to the west. They had 6 surviving children.
Bill and LZ started their journey in the Texas panhandle where in the style of “grapes of wrath” drove to the California central valley in a Model A Ford along Route 66. They worked as seasonal farm laborers following the crops and found themselves in Washington. When the farm work ended, Bill with his oldest son cut fire wood by hand and sold it for 75 cents a rick. A rick is 1/3 of a cord - they could cut 1 cord per day.
They migrated to Pear Park Colorado in 1935 to help with the peach harvesting, there they lived in a barn. Two of their children were born in that barn and attended the Pear Park School where they were taught by Mrs. Chatfield. Bill hauled gasoline from the refinery in Grand Junction to Wyoming twice a week for years. While in town, he helped with their gas station and garage located on Highway 6 in the Pear Park area.
During the Korean War there was a lumber shortage. Bill and his oldest 2 sons would fell trees on Grand Mesa and haul them to this property where they would saw them into dimension lumber and sell to Southerland’s. One of my first memories of this property was the size of that saw blade which was taller than me.
The property had a peach orchard and I recall climbing the trees and eating the peaches during harvest. The house had no inside toilet, the outhouse was situated on the east side of the wooden barn that still exists. The house was built in 1900 and sported two trees in the front yard and the cottonwood to the west. My two cousins and I all had chicken pox at the same time at this house, I remember taking an oatmeal bath but do not remember if it helped. In the spring we would walk the canal and pick asparagus, another pastime was placing nails on the rail road tracks.
Bill and LZ moved to Jeffrey City Wyoming about 1961 during the Uranium boom where Bill was a heavy equipment operator at the mill until he retired. He enjoyed the abundant fishing in the area and was renowned for his fishing. LZ legally changed her name to Linda Zodene, she always liked the name Linda. After the uranium bust, they moved to Silverton Colorado and then back to Palisade.
Bill lived 94 years and LZ lived 87, they died exactly 1 year apart in Palisade.