News from Utah.

As the entered the hotel the desk clerk handed them the telegrams.
Linc's father opened the one from Matilda first. It read, Come
home soonest. Your Father has had stroke. M. H.
He then opened the one from his Brother Axel that read, Return to
Utah ASAP. Dad has suffered a stroke. Axel.

In their room, Thomas called the airlines to get passage ASAP and Linc
started to pack up their belongings. They were fortunate to get a
flight back to the US within the next two hours, so they headed to the
airport.

Six hours later after a couple of plane trades and delays, they
landed at the Salt Lake airport where they were met by Matilda, and
boarded a plane for Las Vegas where they were met by Uncle Axel.
This was Linc's, Father's, Brother. James Axel Hanks who was Married
to Fannie Booth. They didn't have any children. He took them back to
his mini ranch he called "El Gato Grande". The Big Cat, because of
the huge stuffed cougar in the den. It was in the house when He
bought it The last owner killed the cat when it tried to get in his
chicken house. After he died, his wife didn't want the thing so she
left it in the house. Axel decided to keep it and named the place
after it. Linc thought it was cool. Both Axel and Fannie were
lawyers.

It was too late to start the drive to Grandfather Hanks ranch so they
spent the night here with Axel and Fannie.

Thomas and Axel had two sisters, Edith Anne, second born who was
married to a Baptist preacher name of Jacob Jones. And third born
Agnes Louise, Married to a contractor Name of Fred Annis. Thomas
was the youngest of the family.
The Father of the family was James Lucas Hanks Married to Janet
Bertrum. James Lucas Hanks, was born in Salt City Utah to Ramond
Eli Hanks and Elizabeth Sims.

As a young man of twenty he met a fellow, name of Dan Young, who was
a prospector and wanted someone to partner with him in a venture
over in Nevada. They went over and did some prospecting around
Manhattan and other places, including Goldfield Nevada. They found
a creek outside of Goldfield that did have a bit of gold and filed a
claim. Later, they found a small vein and filed a hard rock claim,
they Called the Lucky Day Mine.. They weren't getting a lot of gold
but the new mine was promising. Dan just wasn't satisfied and wanted
to strike out for Alaska. James declined, saying he wanted to stick
around and maybe buy some land and build a cabin, since they were
living in a tent.
Dan took off and went on up to Alaska. Even though his name was still
on the claim.

Up to this time, they had milled the ore out by hand in a tiny hand
mill. James was lucky a few times and hit a rich pocket. He bought a
larger hand mill, and built a small cabin on the claim. After a few
more real nice pockets, he started buying up as much land as he could
around the claim, till he had acquired two hundred acres. This by
converting the mining claim to a homestead claim. Not a large ranch by
any means but good enough to raise a family on. He had met a girl on a
ranch near him and these thoughts filled his mind. Janet Bertrum was
her name . She was the only child of a wealthy rancher, but she did
take a shine to him. Met her at a church social. Her Dad may have
looked down his nose at Lucas, but had to admit he was a hard worker.
The two lovebirds had been seeing each other for about three months
when her Parents were killed in a head on collision with a drunk
driver. Janet couldn't begin to run the ranch so the two got married.

The Bertrum ranch, called the Bar-B, had a ranch manager and a crew of
8 to run it, so the newlyweds lived at James ranch he called, "Windy
Acres", out highway 96 near the town of Goldfield. They built a
large four bedroom house on it at the mouth of the canyon where the
mine was located. The wind blew up the canyon in the morning, and down
it in the evening. Hot a hard wind, but enough for James to call his
ranch Windy Acres. The place was more farm than ranch. Had a dozen
cows, a few pigs, some chickens, lots of fruit and nut trees plus a
huge garden. Janet learned to can the produce and meats. They raised
the four children on it.
Axel said he wasn't cut out to be a farmer, and went to college to
become a lawyer.
Edith went to school back east and said she would never go back to Nevada.
Agnes met her husband when he came to Goldfield to do a job, and they
were now living in New Zealand.
When Thomas went to school; in Provo He met, and married, Matilda.
They stayed there to work and raise a family, But Linc was their only
child.
Lucas and Janet were the only family left on the farm. Linc dearly
loved the place and had since he spent one summer there when he was
nine, and again when he was thirteen years old. His folks always
managed to spend at least a week there every other year. He and his
Grandfather always went and stayed a day or so at the mine.
After the children left and Lucas and Janet grew older, they hired a
couple to live with them and help them. Couple named John and Trudy.

Janet had passed away two years ago and so this visit was an extremely
sad one. After Janet died, Axel, at the request of Lucas, put the
farm in Linc's name with himself having life estate. The old Bertram
ranch put in trust for the rest of the family.

Linc worshiped Lucas, and never grew tired of listening to the tales
of his ancestors, and tales of prospecting. This is probably one of
the reasons he went to school to be a geologist in the first place.

After spending the night at Axels place, the family all piled into
Axels motor home, with his jeep hooked behind, and drove on over to
Goldfield.

To be continued.