The older I get the more I appreciate ‘old stuff’ with character.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
And that includes these very old railroad signal poles with antique glass insulators carrying low-voltage wires adjacent to the Union Pacific railroad line near Monida Pass, Montana. Red-tailed hawks hunt from them regularly and since the poles are only about half as tall as typical modern power poles they make good platforms for bird photography. These photos were taken two years ago and I’ve posted other shots with hawks taking off from the poles but these photos have never been published.
Normally I wouldn’t place the bird near the center of the frame like this but I wanted to include as many of those old glass insulators as possible. These days insulators like these are collector’s items. These power lines haven’t been used for a very long time and I fear that Union Pacific will tear them down one day. There always seems to be a few insulators missing from each pole and I have to wonder if unscrupulous collectors have been absconding with them.
Here’s another more traditional composition of the same photo for those having less interest in the old poles and insulators.
1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
This is a different hawk just after it landed on another pole in warmer light.
The Monida area gets some of the most severe weather in Montana and believe me, that’s saying something. And looking at how much of the top pole has weathered away over the decades I have to wonder about the storms it has seen in all those years. When I was a young kid in the 50’s my family with dad driving often traveled over the pass (or attempted to) in early or late winter on our trips between MT and CA. That was long before the interstate was built and those trips were often dicey and dangerous. These photos were actually taken from that old, mostly unused, road.
I have a very personal interest in Monida Pass, this railway and these poles. I’ve told parts of the following story before so if you already know it or just aren’t interested in western history or my family history (the latter is completely understandable) please just skip it.
This was the route of the original Utah and Northern Railway conceived and partially built by Brigham Young and the early Utah Mormons in the 1870’s but eventually taken over by Union Pacific. My great-grandfather Joseph Smith Dudley was a freighter, hauling supplies in wagons from Utah to the Montana mine fields in the 1870’s and on each of the many round trips he made he crossed over Monida Pass twice. Joseph’s freighting enterprise was put out of business when they built that railroad in the late 1870’s so he began staying home in Utah full-time to attend to his farm and family. But the tragic and sordid tale doesn’t end there.
In February of 1879 “Killer Joe” as I affectionately call him killed one of his neighbors, Henry Wadman, in a fight with 3 pistol shots. Henry had been having an affair with Joe’s wife and he had admitted as much to others. At trial for murder Joe was found not guilty for reasons related to self-defense but there was a lot of animosity in the community on both sides over the verdict and Joe’s “fine brick home” mysteriously burned down. So he eventually moved to southern Alberta to escape the notoriety and carry on with his life with his new wife (my eventual great-grandmother).
So here’s the point (and this should demonstrate how strangely my mind works sometimes). If it hadn’t been for the railroad these power poles were associated with Joe likely wouldn’t have been in Utah to find out what was going on between his wife and Wadman. And if he hadn’t killed Wadman he’d never have moved to Alberta to escape the notoriety so his grandson, my father Wayne Dudley, would never have met my Canadian mother Lorna Prince. Where would that have left me??? When I look at these poles I’m probably looking at evidence related to why I even exist.
I can’t tell you how often I ponder that vagary of circumstance when I’m camping in the area of Monida Pass and photographing hawks on these poles.
Ron
Notes:
- I learned most of what I know about ‘the killing’ and the subsequent trial by researching scores of old newspaper articles from the time. Here’s a link to one of them from the Ogden Junction published on June 11, 1879. These old articles are hard to read but I was so fascinated to learn those details about my great-grandfather from so long ago I spent hundreds of hours finding and researching them (at least a half-dozen Utah newspapers reported on the 5 day trial). Neither of my parents ever told me about the incident and I’d be surprised if they knew the story themselves. It’s possible though.
- Joe’s first wife, Matilda, eventually remarried and lived a respectable life. I’ve visited her grave. In fact, some of her children are buried in a cemetery very near my home and both of my parents are buried in the same cemetery. However the story is long and complicated and to think of her as a cheater or villain might not be completely fair. According to testimony at the trial Wadman initially forced himself on Matilda and then eventually told her that if she told Joe or anyone else he would kill Joe and drown her children. But the “affair” lasted for 5 years (all the time Joe was hauling freight) so it does makes you wonder…
This is fascinating. And I have been over that pass many times en route from Idaho Falls to a friend’s ranch in Lima. Next time I will watch for the insulators and ponder your story!
Thanks for sharing this colorful chapter in your family history.
Susan K.
Susan, They’d be kinda hard to see from I-15 but if you watch carefully you should be able to see them.
Beautiful Hawks. I too love the old insulators. And interesting story. I gather your Father moved back to Montana. Beautiful state. My Great Grandfather, Harrison Hickok is Cousin’s to Wild Bill Hickok. I guess most of us have a good story.
Jean, actually it was my grandfather that moved to Montana in 1929. It was only a short move – perhaps 100 miles or less.
Interesting story Ron, and the Red-tailed take off photos are really good. I delved into the ancestry somewhat years ago and learned that our Sanborn family arrived in America from England in 1632 when Lt.John Sambourne with his brothers William and Stephen settled in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. One of our relatives was the famous abolitionist Franklin Benjamin Sanborn who was a financial backer of John Brown and almost got hanged for his participation. A Southern posse came up to Massachusetts to capture him and take him south to be hanged, but the local folks were alerted to what was happening and were able to stop them. He agreed to proceed to Boston for a trial, and there was found not guilty. Among those who testified on his behalf were Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and others. Like most families over a few hundred years I am sure we have some horse thieves and other undesirables among the notables.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Wow, you have some fascinating family history, Everett. My Dudley ancestors arrived in 1630 and helped to found the Massachusetts Bay Colony but some of them soon moved to New Hampshire too (Exeter).
I so love your blogs and these with history, both family and otherwise, are particularly cool. Add in a launching redtail and just WOW! Even though I’m not able to post much, I read every post, albeit often several days later–in short, when I can sit long enough at the computer. Each of your posts is a major delight for one reason or another, or several. And just thank you!
I don’t think my family has any major history, historical events, but I haven’t yet investigated anything, either. Who knows what skeletons await in my closet 😉
I didn’t think my family did either until I stared investigating, Laura. You just never know…
Glad to see you back. I sure hope your health situation improves.
What is in the Red-tailed beak?
Nothing that I can see, even in the high res version of the images.
Old insulators, old stories (and true stories at that). Even without the red-tail this would be an excellent post (Sorry Laura). The red-tail is icing on the cake.
My father made an oyster look garrulous and my mother was a stranger to the truth. Some day I will have to explore.
If I were you I wouldn’t be able to resist digging, EC – especially given the history of many of your early immigrants to Australia. And yes, I noticed that you’re up and at them early today.
I’m just a biologist and an amateur at doing Ancestry, but have to believe if not then, than later the egg that was you would have a different name, maybe? At any rate I like your story. My history goes back to 1630-1637 in Plymouth, MA. However, it seems, at least as far as I can uncover, that any behavior that was unseemly was not reported on as it would be today. Genealogy is all fascinating.
Love the Red-tail shots. I’m old enough to have seen the actual working lines with that type of insulators in Maine.
Many thanks for the post.
Thank you, Dick. Because of some of the notoriety in my English history I’ve been lucky enough to trace my ancestry back to the 1200’s. Fascinating stuff.
I love that last shot. 😀 And Killer Joe? Great tale!
Thanks, Arwen.
I like the picture of the Hawk and old telephone pole. It gives the picture some color and interesting items to look at. I have a few of those old insulators that I have collected. Working on my Ancestry for many years and wonder about what happened in the daily life of some of the relatives, that were divorced or passed away. I seem to find a lot of divorced couples in later life. Divorce was not that common so I thought in the olden days. We all have a few skeletons in the closets.
I don’t think it was very common, Trudy – at least not like it is today. Matilda didn’t contest any of Joe’s claims in the divorce, in fact she admitted that all of them were true. But of course the most glaring skeleton in this story is the killing.
I’m absolutely fascinated by the skeletons in my family history.
We missed Montana this summer with the move from S. Cal to S. Arizona. Still in the process. I suspect we will be up there for at least 2 months next summer and I can’t wait. We typically hang out in the Ruby Valley and Darby area, but perhaps will wander further north for a bit if we make it extended stay. Will depend somewhat on the weather in S. Arizona. Thanks for the posts Ron. I have not been too communicative due to all the real estate issues.
Sounds like you’ve been a busy guy, Frank. Congrats on the new home.
First, those old glass insulators have long been very collectable. I’ve seen them in antique shops going back 30-40 years. Never understood why anyone would be collecting them… However, looking at the ones on the poles in your photos, and thinking about how you came to be, I can see the attraction. Your family history is fascinating. I wouldn’t be surprised if your parents didn’t know the story. At least based on my experience, it’s pretty amazing some of the things parents don’t tell their children, including some things the children would be better of knowing. I hope that your antibiotic is starting to work and that you are starting to feel better.
Susan, my parents were always forthcoming, even with stuff that might not be considered flattering in a Mormon family history. Sometimes they waited until I was a little older to tell me but as far as I know they always did. That’s why I’d be surprised if they knew.
Ron, I’m glad your parents were forthcoming. Mine decided that their children didn’t need to know about their Jewish heritage until one of my sisters got into social trouble with her boyfriend’s family. So I was 21 or 22 when I learned that. Weird experience.
I’ll bet it was!
The theme of a mundane artifact catalyzing the engaging long narrative is classic literary device – A La Recherche du Temps Perdu by Proust is an example. You could take this narrative quite a way if you felt like it -people love this stuff.
Excellent point, Martha. And I’m happy to know that I’m not the only one drawn to this kind of story. And when it involves your own family that attraction is magnified considerably.
Great story Ron, fun stuff and really glad Henry was messing around with Killer Joe’s wife and Joe let him have it for such fowl deeds. Otherwise, I would not be reading your post this am and not have the opportunity to check out some nice Redtails! By the way, what happened between then, and now?
Frank, my grandfather, Joe’s son, moved from southern Alberta just over the border to Montana in 1929 and bought a farm when my dad was 9 years old. That farm is where I was raised and it’s still in the family. You may have seen many of the old granaries and barns they built on the farm when I’ve posted photos of Great Horned Owls roosting in them.
Great story, and great photos. Thanks again Ron.
Thank you, Steve.
Beautiful photo’s including the insulators 🙂 Many do collect them and used to go to some lengths to get them tho getting off the top of the pole might be a bit of a challenge! Quite the family story. Over time I’ve found many things like that don’t get passed down – “we don’t talk about that” and, eventually other’s just don’t know……;) Youngest brother, Mike, has flown over Monida hugging the highway in his Luscombe in his younger day! Always made it BUT certainly got dicey at times!
Judy, I long to know where that story stopped being passed down in my family. I can guess why it did but I don’t know when. My folks lived with me for the last 5 years of their lives and it was so damned shortsighted of me to not ask more about what they knew about our family history.
We just don’t think of that stuff when we’re younger………… 😉
Super series and really interesting history!
Charlotte
Thanks very much, Charlotte.
A very good read! Fascinating history you have…the things books are written about. Your post today while not exactly serendipity, it is a strange coincidence to have it this week…I always document insulators with a photo when I see them. On my weekly drive to the U.P. Tuesday I saw some I hadn’t seen before…new power poles are being put up along northern WI/US highway 141 and as you referenced, they are much taller, so foliage had been cut exposing some very old poles still standing…hence a different insulator. Growing up in the far northern tip of the UP of Michigan (Copper Mining area), there were the same pole lines along the tracks; and incidentally walking the tracks provided easy access to prime berry picking areas. I would find insulators along the tracks and bring them home. They always looked pretty on a window sill with the sunlight shining through the different colors of blue. Thanks for the great post today!
It’s interesting how so many types of berry bushes seem to prefer “disturbed” areas next to roads and railroads etc. Thank you, Kathy.
Love the old insulators and the old stories.
Thank you, Marty.
That was interesting to read……I wonder what happened to the first Mrs. Dudley……….probably went back to her elderly parents, or maybe became a “dance hall girl”…….
nor much else for a “ruined woman” to do in those days.
Kris, her name was Matilda. She eventually remarried and lived a respectable life. I’ve visited her grave. In fact, some of her children are buried in a cemetery very near my home and both of my parents are buried in the same cemetery.
However the story is long and complicated and to think of her as a cheater or villain might not be completely fair. According to testimony at the trial Wadman initially forced himself on Matilda and then eventually told her that if she told Joe or anyone else he would kill Joe and drown her children.
But the “affair” lasted for 5 years (all the time Joe was hauling freight) so it does makes you wonder…
I’m going to add this to the Notes in my post.
It can be surprising how much family history often doesn’t get handed down, or maybe its handed down in a repackaged form. My wife recently engaged in an extensive search of our family histories and we were quite surprised at what she found vs what we had been told. I prefer the real story. Best wishes to your speedy recovery!
I prefer the real story too, Dave. It isn’t even close.