1870 - 1956

Simeon Ralph Sterrett was born March 1,
1870 in Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho. He was the second son of William Wilson
Sterrett and his plural wife, Sarah Ann Oakey. At the time of Simeon's birth the
family consisted of his parents, his older brother, Joseph, (who was almost
three) his father's first wife, Mary Jane Crandall, and a 15-year-old
half-Indian boy, Charles, who had been adopted as a baby by his father and Mary
Jane Crandall.
When Simeon was one year old the family moved to Soda
Springs, Idaho where he spent much of the rest of his life. There Simeon's
father built and managed a large hotel. The town derived its name from the many
mineral springs surrounding it and had been settled by several Mormon families
who were sent there by Brigham Young. The area at this time was still in a wild
and undeveloped state. Elk and deer were plentiful in the hills and some of the
Indians were still hostile. This had been a choice grazing land for the wild
herds. These same advantages attracted the settlers and later many sheep and
cattlemen, who made the valley one of the largest stock ranges in the West.
This was the environment in which Simeon spent most of his life, either in
Soda Springs or the nearby towns and ranches. Simeon's schooling consisted of
three months during the winter when the school was open, the teaching of his
parents, and his own curiosity to learn.
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William Wilson Sterrett |
Sarah Ann Oakey |
Simeon's mother, Sarah Ann Oakey, was a young girl when she
became the second wife of William Wilson Sterrett. He was at the time of their
marriage, 42 years old. Guided by a mother, anxious to have her daughters marry
good and faithful men, she had come to live in a home with a middle-aged man and
his first wife, Mary Jane Crandall, to whom he had been married for 16 years.
Sarah Ann became the mother of four children, Joseph, Simeon, Thomas, and
Ada. Later difficulties arose and she went home to Paris. So it came to be that
Simeon, his two brothers, and one sister, along with their adopted brother,
Charles, were lovingly cared for and raised by Mary Jane Crandall, who had never
been able to have children of her own.
So it was that later the temple
marriage of William W. Sterrett and Sarah Oakey was canceled and Simeon was
sealed to Mary Jane Crandall. Later in life, his real mother, Sarah Ann, became
a beloved grandmother to Simeon's children and fulfilled a rich and serviceable
life, becoming the mother of other children than those she left behind so early
in her life.
In the early years of his life, Simeon manifested a great
love for horses and, when he was eleven year old, went to work for Sol Hale,
receiving fifty cents a day. It was here he received his first lessons in bronco
riding. Mr. Hale would strap him on a wild horse and he would often ride till
his nose would bleed, but Simeon was always game.
When
he was 13 years old, he worked for A.D. Young, son of Brigham
Young, herding horses. As years went by, he became an expert rider and broke horses
for many outfits.
In 1885, the family moved back to Soda Springs. In 1870,
gold had been discovered in the Caribou Mountain district about sixty miles northeast
of the town. Soda Springs, being the headquarters for all supplies shipped in and out,
naturally attracted people from all parts of the west. Many of whom were of the rougher
element, and it soon became typical of the other western mining towns. The town at
Caribou, called Keenan City, grew almost overnight to a population of 1,000.
During the next three years Simeon spent most of his time at Caribou, dividing
his time between freighting, driving stage and prospecting. The freight outfits
in those days consisted of heavy wagons, usually drawn by six or eight head of
horses, and although he was but 17 years of age, his former experience with
horses was a great help to him. Freighting in those days was considered an art,
which required much skill in handling of horses and equipment. Driving stage
also had its thrills and dangers and the sixty-mile trip seemed long and
lonesome and holdups were not uncommon.
During the time Simeon was
driving stage a murder occurred in the vicinity of the mining camp, so hiring
William Winchell to drive for him, he went with a friend to view the scene of
the murder. While laying off, they decided to take a trip down the Snake River
on a raft. They built a good strong one and rode for two days, passing through
Browns Canyon arriving at last at the mouth of Cherry Creek, six miles from
Idaho Falls, Idaho. It was a trip never to be forgotten. He laughingly told his
grandchildren, they used to call him "Slippery Sim, the Snake River Pirate".
When the mines closed Simeon went punching cattle for the old War Bonnet
outfit, Brand S-E, one of the large cattle outfits in the west.
The
village of Soda Springs was the headquarters for cattlemen, sheepmen and
farmers. The mineral springs had become widely known, and the ideal hunting and
fishing brought many people, making it a famous summer resort. The beautiful
Idanha Hotel was built in 1887 and was one of Idaho's landmarks.
In
December 1891, Simeon and his sister, Ada Sterrett, were
invited to Gentile Valley to spend the Christmas holidays at the Harris home.
The friendship of Simeon and Minnie (Emma Arminta) ripened into love and, during
the winter, they became engaged. They were married in the spring in his father's
home. To this union eight children were born--five girls and three boys. In
1894, he bought a farm in Gentile Valley and went to live.
Simeon was
ordained a teacher on December 1, 1900 by Bishop Ira Hogan and ordained an Elder
by Nathan D. Hatcher on March 3, 1901. On April 16, 1901, they were sealed for
time and eternity in the Logan Temple and had their four little girls sealed to
them at that time. Her sister, Harriet Ann Hogan, accompanied them to care for
the children.
In September he received a call to go on a mission. The
letter was signed by the first presidency: Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, and
Joseph F. Smith. He accepted the call and attended missionary school at Logan
for three months. He was called to labor in Southwestern States Mission. He then
arranged all of his affairs at home, paid his debts, leased his hay land to
William Larkin and got everything in first class shape so that his wife and
father could manage the place while he was away. He was compelled to sell a span
of beautiful black horses, which he prized dearly, in order to raise money to
help defray his expenses. His father, W. W. Sterrett, who had been a Patriarch
to the Bannock Stake, was at that time carrying mail from Cove to Thatcher. This
money helped support the family while Simeon was away.
On
February 14, 1902, their fifth baby daughter was born. And
when she was three weeks old, a missionary farewell party was held for Elder Sterrett.
In March 1902 he bid his family goodbye and started for Salt Lake City. It was hard
to leave them but his wife smiled bravely through her tears and assured him they would
be all right. She had Grandpa Sterrett to council and advise her and many true friends
and relatives; she was not afraid.
He traveled without purse or script,
depending on the Lord to help them find their meals and lodging. In his journal
it states, that one time he received a letter from Aunt Olive Peck. When he
opened it, it contained a one dollar bill. He said a tear came to his eyes and
he exclaimed, "God bless Aunt Olive".
Simeon was released from his
mission June 1904. He arrived in Salt Lake on June 6th. He reported at the
Historians Office, visited some friends, attended one session of conference,
then left Salt Lake and arrived in Preston, Idaho the same night. He visited
with Sol Hale, (a son of old Sol Hale whom he had worked for when a boy). In the
morning he had the joy of meeting his wife once more. She had come to Preston to
meet him, and they returned home the next day, where he again met his dear old
father and five little daughters. He hardly knew his baby daughter, as he left
her when she was three weeks old, and now she was a little miss past two years.
After his return, he held several positions in the Ward. He was First Counselor
to Brother Tom Allsop in the Bannock Stake M.I.A., Counselor to George D.
Anderson in the ward Sunday School, Ward Teacher and home missionary.
In
March 1905, Minnie Sterrett became
critically ill. In those days, when people were so far away from a doctor, they
usually depended on neighbors and midwives to care for them in sickness. Sister
William Larkin had been at her bedside for two days doing everything for her
that she could do, but in despair, Minnie called her husband, Simeon, and sent
him to Soda Springs after Dr. Kackley. Teams were relayed along the way and in a
few hours, Dr. Kackley arrived, but the stork had flown faster than the teams
could run, for a baby boy had already arrived. But the mother, who had so nearly
given her life to give him birth, still lay in the valley of the shadow of
death.
When the baby was about ten days old, Simeon Ralph Sterrett drove
to Wayan to get a load of lumber, and while he was gone, Minnie became worse,
and Fred Christensen, a nephew of Minnie, drove to Alexander to meet Simeon and
sent him for the doctor. He met him on the road between the Point of Grace.
Simeon took his team and hitched them onto Fred's buggy and ran them all the way
to Soda. He intended to get a fresh team at Soda from his brother, Tom Sterrett,
at the Caribou livery barn, but when he arrived there, all of Tom's teams were
let out, so he got the doctor and ran his team back as far as Grace, where Dave
Sullivan met him with a fresh team. (A distance of about 12 miles). Sullivan's
team was all harnessed and ready, and the heaving, dripping team was traded for
a fresh team and the race began. They went past fields and scattered farm
houses, around bends, down the big hill, across the river, and finally up the
lane to home with Dr. Kackley clinging to the swaying buggy. He said it was the
fastest ride he ever had in his life. They arrived in time to save Minnie's
life, but milk leg had set in and she lay in bed for three months. Her right leg
was lame for the rest of her life.
In 1905, Simeon was nominated for Sheriff
of Bannock County on the Democratic ticket but was defeated at the general
election. The family left the Valley and moved to Sterrett, Idaho, 10 miles
northwest of Soda Springs, where Simeon leased his brother Tom's ranch.
Grandfather Sterrett stayed in the Valley and continued to carry mail.
In
1908 John Ellis was elected sheriff of Bannock County and Simeon was appointed
deputy. Due to his appointment, the family moved to Pocatello, the county seat.
John Ellis did not have very good health and he needed a deputy that could do
all the outside work, while he did the office work. Simeon Sterrett made all of
the arrests, etc.
During the summer of 1915, Simeon took up a homestead
of 360 acres on the Divide at the head of 90% Canyon. At this time, he was
foreman of the Idaho ranch, and during the next three summers, the family lived
on the dry farm and the father came up and stayed at night in order to prove up.
In 1921, they sold the homestead and built a beautiful home in Soda Springs.
Shortly after this, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company of Butte opened the
phosphate mines up nine miles north of Soda Springs. The town was called Conda,
and Simeon received a position in the compressor office.
In 1925,
President Heber J. Grant called one thousand short-term missionaries to go in
the mission field. They were to be men of missionary experience who would need
little training and who could completely finance their own mission. He asked for
one missionary from every ward in the Church. Simeon volunteered to go from
Conda. He was called to labor in the Central States. This mission had been part
of the Southwestern States mission where he had labored the first time 23 years
before. He was set apart by James Hart, and in November 1925, left for
Independence, Missouri, which was headquarters of the Central States Mission.
The Mission President was Samuel O. Bennion.
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Home of Simeon Ralph Sterrett in Thatcher,
Idaho |
He was indeed glad to be called back to
the same place where he had filled his first mission years before. He could now
see the fruits of his labors. He found that the seeds they had sown had
flourished and now in Independence there was a large and thriving branch of the
Church. The same was true of Missouri in general. There had been many changes
for the better. He met many of his old friends and baptized some worthy people.
This time he labored in the Central States for six months, performing a
wonderful work that was much appreciated. He was released in April 1926. I quote
in part of a letter, which he received, from President Bennion after his return
home. "You made a good missionary and I only wish, Brother Sterrett, that we had
more men like you who could come to the mission field. Your presence here has
been an inspiration to me, and all the missionaries and the people as well,
where you have worked, and I take great pleasure in writing you this letter".
After
his return he was ordained First Counselor in the Conda Ward
Bishopric. On the May 20, 1928, Apostle Melvin J. Ballard ordained him Bishop of
Conda Ward. He served in this position for the following eight years. Bishop
Sterrett was loved by the members of the Conda Ward and greatly appreciated by
the Stake Presidency for the work he accomplished there.
On November 17,
1935, David A. Smith sustained him as a member of the Idaho Stake High Council.
He served in this capacity until June 1936, when he was called to fill another
mission. This time it was a stake mission in the Idaho Stake. After serving on
this mission for two years, Dr. Kackley advised him to move to a lower altitude
because of a serious heart condition.They moved to Oakland, California where
their two sons, Alton and Clifton and families lived. His health improved and
they were active in the Elmhurst Ward, Oakland Stake. He served in the High
Priest Quorum Presidency and also Ward Teacher.
After World War II they
moved to Ashland, Oregon where they spent the remaining years of their lives.
Ashland, at that time, was in the Northern California Mission. He was a source
of strength to the young, growing Branch. He was at once made a counselor in the
Sunday School. The young missionaries frequently called at the Sterrett home
where he was happy to explain the points of the gospel that were not clear to
them.
In the spring of 1947 Simeon Sterrett was sustained a counselor in
the Branch Presidency. By September 1947 they had raised sufficient funds to
build their own chapel. During the construction of the building Simeon worked
out his assessment on the building. He was now 77 years of age. The chapel was
dedicated on November 21, 1948.
Shortly after, this Branch was
reorganized. Simeon was a Ward Teacher from 1945 to 1951. On January 4, 1951, he
was called on his fourth mission. This time he was to labor in the Northern
California Mission in the Rogue River District as a Stake missionary. He labored
15 months 11 days teaching the gospel, converting and baptizing several people.
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Home of Simeon Ralph Sterrett on Gresham and
Iowa Streets in Ashland, Oregon |
From his mission journal I quote, "I held
a few more meetings with Brother Burt Adams. My old tired heart went back on me.
The doctor said I had to quit all of my activities and take it easy but that is
hard to do. President Collins Hassell released me March 11, 1952. So ends my
fourth mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints".
This
was far from being the end of his inspiration to the membership of the Church,
however. Everyone who had questions on the gospel would come to him for help. He
could be found at any time reading the books on the gospel and the scriptures
and gleaning more and learning. He became known as Grandfather Sterrett to
everyone in the Ward.
Simeon was particularly fond of teaching his
grandchildren and would start a gospel conversation whenever they came to visit
him. In January 1956, he had a stroke and passed away May 22, 1956 at the home
of his daughter, Josephine, who cared for him during his illness. He was loved
and respected by all who knew him and his memory will ever be cherished by his
posterity.
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L to R: Clifton Alex Sterrett, Simeon Ralph
Sterrett, William Alton Sterrett |
Comments below by Beverly Jean Sterrett
(granddaughter):
We lived near my grandparents all during my childhood
until their death. It was always a treat to visit them. They lived on a triangle
lot between Gresham and Iowa Streets in a white house in Ashland, Oregon. The
house was located on the top of a steep hill about three blocks from the town of
Ashland and about 7 blocks from the Church. Although Grandpa had a very bad
heart, he was too proud to ask anyone to take him to town or to church. He would
walk to town and then walk back up the hill and have to rest for a long time to
get his breath back. He was always active in the church. He and Grandma would
always be in the chapel on Sundays even through both had hearing problems.
Whenever we visited Grandpa and Grandma, they would usually have some
interesting story to tell us. They always made us feel so welcome in their home.
They radiated a love and respect for each other. Grandpa was a good size man of
six feet or more and Grandma was a small lady of about five feet three inches.
Grandma always used a cane to help her walk as long as I can remember. Grandpa
had a great imagination and a terrific sense of humor and could make any story
sound as if you had been there when it happened. During the last part of his
life, he had one heart attack after another and eventually his weak body gave
out. Although he was weak physically, while he was sick, his mind remained sharp
and he could remember things that happened to him a long time ago. I will always
admire grandpa for his strong testimony and the love he had for his family and
the Church.