This page tells us how our Grampie Ellery met the love of his life! I don't suppose your great grandfather set off to drill a well for the Nasons thinking he was going to meet the woman who would become his wife!
God's purpose and God's plans are always amazing to me. Wouldn't you like to hear more of this love story? We do have some interesting and beautiful old letters that can be shared in this blog someday.
The well drill shown here was an early one, but not the original one. This is the updated version from the 1940s and 50s.
It was a percussion drill and, oh was it noisy! Grampie worked very hard pulling the bit out and "sharpening" it with a sledge hammer over hot coals.
It is said that the original drill had iron wheels like a railroad train and that it was powered by coal. Can you imagine that monster going up and down the road belching coal smoke? It must have been a sight to behold.
Grampie Ellery took his family on drilling jobs whenever he could and they slept in a tent on a wooden platform that he had constructed for that purpose. Likely the platform was to help keep the inside of the tent dry.
Here you can see the back of what Grampie called the "Chuck Wagon". I remember seeing different stages of it's construction. It was a major leap from tent living to have the house built on the back of a farm truck. It had bunks, cabinets, table, stove, and the ability to run an electric cord to power the lightbulb inside. No refrigerator and no water, but several of us spent some happy days and nights on the job with our Grandparents. Many of us enjoyed it at Cary Lake after our grandparents retired. It became a guest house of sorts at Grammie Muriel's request. What memories!
No comments:
Post a Comment