History: Idaho Homesteaders - The Ottleys
I wrote the following story for the South Idaho Press' Centennial Farms supplement published July 1, 2007
By LISA DAYLEY
ELBA - In 1889, Fred Ottley was working in southern Utah when his cousins told him God’s country was in Idaho.
“They told him ‘you’ve got to see where we’ve been,’” said Ottley’s great-grandson Tommy Hutchison.
Thinking they might return, Fred and his brother, Henry, buried their tools so they wouldn’t be stolen and rode to Idaho. Fred and Henry passed from Malta to Oakley and back through the City of Rocks.
“They decided to stay,” Hutchison said.
Fred paid $1,000 for 80 acres from homesteader Samuel Wood.
“He gave Wood 25 head of cattle, $400 and made payments,” said Tommy’s wife Brenda.
Fred lived in a log cabin and worked for James Dalton for $1 a day. While working for Dalton, Fred met his bride-to-be Abigail Lewis.
Abigail had her own claim to fame.
“She was a descendent of Lewis of Lewis and Clark,” Tommy said.
Fred and Abigail raised nine children while living in their cabin. To support his family, Fred raised livestock and claimed the brand “OI” – one of the oldest in the state.
“I don’t know what it stands for, but we like to say it stands for ‘Old Independence,’” Tommy said.
Elba’s rocky ground made it impossible to raise anything but cows.
“Grandpa had cattle and then raised hay. That’s about all you can do up here,” said Fred’s granddaughter and Tommy’s mother, Thirza Ottley, who lives on the old Ottley Ranch.
Abigail also brought in an income.
“She worked as a midwife. Grandmother was mighty wise,” Thirza said.
Fred and Abigail were exceptionally good grandparents, she said.
“I loved to stay with them. Grandpa was very kind hearted and so was Grandma Abby,” Thirza said.
Fred and Abby had a lot of chickens, pigs and cats for their granddaughter to play with.
“Grandpa loved white cats and so do I,” she said.
Tommy doesn’t share that love.
“They ended with me. They met their demise,” he quipped.
The Ottleys also grew a large raspberry patch. Tommy recalled going outside in the mornings and gathering “a hat full” of raspberries for breakfast. Eventually, the garden got too much to handle, Tommy said.
“The raspberry patch met its demise too. I couldn’t keep the weeds out,” he said.
As a young girl, Thirza spent a lot of time with Fred and Abigail’s sons Henry and Ewart riding the range.
“Anytime they moved cattle, I got on a horse and went with them. I rode and rode and rode. I just lived on a horse,” Thirza said.
When Thirza was in the seventh grade, her parents, Lewis and Margaret Ottley, purchased a home next to her grandparent’s ranch. They later purchased additional acres and eventually owned around 400 acres.
The Ottley’s new home was in need of repair.
“Someone had been brooding chickens upstairs,” Tommy said.
Margaret completely redid the home.
“It was quite the showplace,” Tommy said.
Tommy loved the five-bedroom house and expected to live there someday.
“I knew it would be mine,” he said.
Tommy feels a strong connection to his ancestors.
“I owe those people everything. I feel like they’re probably around. Some people might freak out at that, but I feel like they kind of guide us,” he said.
What would Tommy’s progenitors think of the ranch today?
“We’ve planted 2,500 trees on this place in the past five years. We’ve redone the irrigation ditches. My grandparents would be proud of it,” he said.
Today the original 80 acres remain in the family. The Hutchisons also have the deed to the property.
“It was signed by the president of the United States. It’s just one of those things that happened to make it through time,” Tommy said.
While caring for the ranch, Tommy also works in Heyburn at Walton Inc. Brenda tends to their five children and four grandchildren.
The Hutchisons love Elba and have no plans to move.
“I tell everybody that this is where God comes on his days off,” Tommy quipped.
As for those tools Fred buried; did he ever go back and get them?
“They’re still there somewhere,” Tommy said.
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