By Ruth Louise Partridse On a bitter cold morning 1 February, 1896, Will Slick, a stl dent at the Tc-lluridc Sz-tmnl 4 Electrical Engineering, a r o s from his bed, went to the windn as people will on getting up, an what he saw startled him. Dres lng hastily he went out in in vestigate. The school was located i buildings still standing at lh mouth of Provo Canyon, an xi hat had startled youne Slic uns the rlu-tix nt water in Prov River, inr in thosc days belcu dams and rliluhos and dwvrsiu i-nnals mnt. ilu-lr mil, Prov Fun um mnsirlenahle- of surnam-or nas lmlil this mon Ai hrnstlnsi lu- nunnlumprl t rhr- linusi-Mt-per nlm cnnltt-ul in rho- rr-sulmit buys, that xlwx num tuna In-mi el tc-ry In srmvl sluln up the canyon in th nishl Alter broalmisl, Will Sllck sa: died a tug black horse. an started up the canyon to su what was dammioz oft the rw: ilow. I-le lnnnd it at Fr-rguson’ Flat, named for Billy Ferguso who had a house. barn, granarg and the usual buildings of home he was proving up on got ernment land. What Will Sllc naw was nothing familiar, bu an unbroken expanse of snow from mountain to mountain. H0! rllied, he rode down the canycl as fast as his mount would narr, Passing the school, Slick tom he liver bottom (Carterville ‘oad and at sight of farmers h. yelled at them, “Thcrehs bee1 i slide in Provo Canyon ani lilly Ferguson Is buried up” Then he rode on toward Provo -Ie rnuat have Dassed the farn rf Fer8uson’s two sons, and giv an the word. but he galloped oi ntu Provo, right down to “th, yank eorner,” Lhe site thcdc day u’ the City DNB- Ilere he fran muy passed was ward w al and sundry. At once horses were saddlet nr harnessed to buggies am Viton!. and the eavalcade se nut for the scene uf disaster al ‘ast as they could Bo. This wa: lot very fast. The lce and blttel :old did not help the enndltlm rf the canyon road, something hat. we can hardly imagine it his day of paved highways. Tha ‘oad was narrow. twisted, Iul il stumps, rocks, ruls, chuck ioles, going straight up one sidt rl a hill and straight down the rther on dugways that droppei Away from the wheels. i Slernuous Riding It is remembered that Lhe firs: it the Party reached the I-lat abou toon, which would call fur some trenuous riding. both hy Will Slicl ind the men wha Iolllcwed bin lack. The Frou? began tu dug Ion lilly Ferguson, alter looking ovei he monstrous slide ul snow, whicl ad come crashing down the soutl ide of the canyunv acx-on x-lvm lndroadandwllllnitzltlorcetila . pushed up the mountain on Un ther side, and lell back, with dou le Iury onto the home ul Bill) erltuson. Billy Ferlnson waa an interest N man in his iwvn right. ge has Derated a toll gate where pring leIlnowia,’I’heroad andabridgl here were maintained some sa; W Ne county some my by 1 Driv te-nomliluy. Probably bot!. Mr Yilliam (Old Man) Biublck wai nterested. and ao was Oseai P9″‘!. and of course there wen then. nmsnnly David naman .ven then. there was dllliculq bout “righls” in the canyon nn-ina hat and other adb ani la in anna ni .1 uu ARTIS’l”S DRAWING 0I-‘ FEI’l( Kei-by of the home and harnyay killed when his home was dashed Ferguson on the front porch. w Provo Canyon. and Provo wanted it for her own. They would t.ry to uutwit Lhe toll hy coming into the canyon above lt. Toll charges, according to Waller Taylor, were 50 cents for a wagon and horses, loaded or not, each wayithat is, up and down the banyon. Critters wen 10 cenL$ (that is, horse and cows) but sheen were only three: or Iour cents a s head. and could be so much a’ bunch. A buggy Paid Z5 ce-nts as iid a horse being ridden. ‘ When tiually the road was thrown ipen as “free.” Billy Feifuson ook up a homestead nt Fergusnn’s Flat. one miledthis side of Vivian Fark of these Iys. Having tasted lite in the wilriwand make no misake ahuui il. it was wildfFex’gnann los: interest in city ways, and as a matter of lact, he had a very 1lce thing in his canyon home. l’here was a spring there, with a watering trough for animals. Travzlers over the hard canyon mad would sto)! at FerEuSon’s and order 1 meal which Billy cooked himself. ie’had a small store there with trackers and candy. cookies. gingersnaps and so on in small wooden barrels, A man could have sim1le repairs made on wagons and iarness, and there was a hed for he weary traveler who wanted to stay the night, and he was wel:nme. for Billy Ferguson loved ieople, and he loved to tix for hem, and pass the time of day. Way Wlth Wlldlile Billy Ferguson had a way with rirds and animals. It was known hat when he went outside and whistled in a certain way. all the rirds within hearlmg. tame and wild, came and lit on his shoulders. iis head, anywhere they could. it nust have been a silht. ‘ And there was the little dog, Belle. neu; wu mu of n-is-iss. silly vnuld put her on display. He playnd the guitar and he would aay, ‘Come on now. Belle-let’s see what you can do.” then he’d Play i lively tune and little Belle would lance on her hind feet. around and around and be M proud as Billy rerguson. It wafjust n way ne sad. Ferguson loved Ilowera ton. He ind somethin! of a Ireenhouse in iis little canyon home, with glass ranels in the roof as the illustraion shows. His house plants were n marvel and a wonder to all who iassed by. Oh yea, Billy Ferguson lad auch a lite as any man could covet, and here he wu. buried bn. ilu nhs- las nn. .59.’3% ‘2”…… l nf Billy Ferguson, historic fig to pieces by a tremendous snuwsl h his beloved dog, Bello, nloae b l-ia.! had joined the party began tal uncover thlnls. workini with Pick ind shovel in the bitter cold. Aa he barrels from the store were un-l me.-eu 3…1 passed up vn.-engl. uml role dug in the snow, the men, half rtarved and hail frozen, wolfed hem down, Lhe crackers, the ginzersnaps, the candy, and then went trimly on with Lheirlwork, knowng by now that there was no hope rf finding Billy Ferguson alive. there wasn’t a chair or stick of urnilure left whole. Of a cupboard ul dishes. one was unbroken. Found la Bed About three in the afternoon hey found Bllly Fergusim, asleep n his bed, wloh his lalthlul Little log Belle asleep beside him on be Ilnnr, her head between her laws. It could lust he that the iwful vacuum made by the rushng avalanche took the breath of hose livin!. as a draft does a candle, for there was no slKn of struggle, or terror. A good way n go, berm-e use weisht or use zrushlng snow was even felt. or One unbroken dlsh. And aomehing else. One wall was ldt landing, and on that wall was he ell painting from which the llustratinn was made. It was ralnted on a lovely summer day .y a local artist, one .IosBPll lerhy whu lived on “the bench.” l is called Orem, these days. Vhile he was painting the house. vlth Billy standing in front. a overed wagon drove up. it wss he Marlot brothers, returning rorn a lruit peddling trip to Park titty. ‘Tll put you in the Plcture.” let-by promised. and be did. You ‘an just ree the walgon disappeardwvn the narrow road, $:;:1 later. M11. Mary Clayton who wu Billy Ferguson dwellerl bought rzuit hun I Peddler. Ie brought her purchase in the iouse and as he turned to leave. ia caught sight of the pleture of lilly Ferguson’a houaa hanging rn the yvall. “You see that covered waeon way down that nad7” he asked exellldly. “1’hat vas my brother and I. We drove not just aa Kerby waa painting hat Dletlurel” What a ntranec rome in pan. that Marlot. withnut knowing who Ml”. Claytvn vu, abould ehanoe ta enter he muse and see that Plctnral Aa always in tales of sudden Iealh, there were alter thoughts hat prove interest-ll’!. Years star gah. a na and Witt papa or s priming by Joseph ire of Provo Canyon w-hu svas de in IE6. The picture portrays r’ ynn that night of the snowslide. He $tMPP9d at Billy Yergusonls as everyone did, had lllpvor. and was persuaded to stay the night, and yet. for some reason. he lust could not, and finally, not knowing why. he told his host he had declded to lo on after all, and he braved the bitter cold of that February night, and left the snug harbor of the Fernuson house to travel on. Otherwise. he would have been killed too. One wonders If he died an easier death, 1.rahaDDierone?Dldbegalnhy leavinat mm muws? who can understand these things? There was- no reason to on that night, yet he went on. at some mysteriThomas John and Fred Ferguson. n mn, brought the body to town in a walon. and took it to the Graham and Jones undelakinl establishment. This was Pebmr-y xs. Billy rmzusm. was buried l’0hrl-IU? ily thnibtrthday of hl! second son. ‘ For many years there Was a trace of Lield alone loundation nd A watering trough an mn-it the spot! where the anow allde came down and took everything with lt. I can remember it well. We would stop there to water tha horse, father and I, and he would atm playing his mandolin and sw in a hushed voice. “A unarmed !’;’ae!’=e1es.!l&i here in a annw sllde,” and tg made me shiver. The trough is gone. ‘Ihe road do-esn’t pass there anymore. The canyon Billy Ferguson kaew ls Eolie. too. the trees, the water, everything. I wander whatever became at that ein-r cold mntngl has ennaltu-ted so many! A ‘lkn Ind.