Lee and Minnie

Archie Leo McKinnon and Minnie Luella Marshall

How we relate:

They are the parents of Byron Gene McKinnon

Who is the father of Don McKinnon.

Archie Leo McKinnon was born on September 1, 1894 in Randolph Utah. His parents were Archibald McKinnon Jr. and Elizabeth Hoffman. He was the sixth child of 13 children – the youngest being a little boy who died at birth.  Archie was known throughout his life as Lee and sometimes Leo.

Lee and some of his siblings. Lee is on right on the back row.

Living on a farm, Lee was expected to help take care of the place from an early age. Since his family was so large, he would feed the cattle and took over many of his father’s chores so that he could work at other things to support the large family.  When still quite young, Lee was hauling coal from the Almy mines in Wyoming, and was not dressed warmly enough, without any boots. His feet were frozen quite badly and he suffered with foot trouble the rest of his life. 

Lee grew up and went to school in Randolph, Utah. He graduated by the age of 13 since there was not a high school in the area.  When Lee was just 17 years old his, mother died unexpectedly while she was giving birth to a baby boy whom also died.   Lee picked up extra chores around the house and farm in order to help his widowed father.

Lee, on left, and half brother Harold Brough

             Lee grew up and went to school in Randolph, Utah. He graduated by the age of 13 since there was not a high school in the area.  When Lee was just 17 years old his, mother died unexpectedly while she was giving birth to a baby boy whom also died.   Lee picked up extra chores around the house and farm in order to help his widowed father

In 1914, World War I broke out. Lee’s father had him deferred from military service in order for him to stay home and work on the ranch.  Lee couldn’t take being one of the boys not going to war, so he enlisted anyway in 1917. He was sent to Fort Douglas in Tooele, Utah to prepare but the Flu epidemic broke out killing thousands and Lee was sent back home. World War I ended shortly after he enlisted, and though he did not fight, he was willing and that is what was important to Lee. 

Archie Leo’s Draft Registration

Lee was a hard working man. Most of his life he worked from dawn until dusk doing various jobs. Working on the farm, cattle ranching, training horses and hauling logs from the canyons were some of the things he did. Lee was an excellent horseman. Later in life, his son Gene recalled him as “one of the best cowboys in the country.” Lee always had one of the best horses in the area. Before he was married he broke horses (some of them just fresh from the range and wild), charging $5 a head. People came from near and far for him to break their horses because he was a firm trainer, but never cruel. He had a way with horses.  He also made bridles, bits and spurs to sell. 

 

Lee is in the middle with a black coat and black hat.

This is a group of young adults sight seeing in SLC in 1913.

Lee’s younger sister, Lottie, was best friends with a girl named Minnie Marshall.  Through their friendship, Lee and Minnie became friends, and then ultimately eternal companions. Lee and Minnie were married in Randolph on December 3, 1918.  Lee was not the religious type and so they were only married civilly during his life.  After his death years later, Minnie had them sealed in the temple.

Minnie Luella Marshall was born on December 10, 1895 being the only daughter to William Andrew Marshall and Tamson Minnie Egan. She had two older brothers who were William (Willie) and Darrell.  The Marshall family had recently settled in Randolph after moving from Bountiful. With the Homestead Act, they were able to obtain 160 acres in Randolph. They built a little log cabin with dirt floors and dirt roof about 10 miles north of the town and lived there for several years. 

Later they moved to a ranch where Minnie’s father worked as a rancher and got paid $35 a month.  It was here that Minnie was born. She was said to be born on a night that the weather froze to negative sixty degrees. Her father told her when she was a girl that he froze his fingers while he hitched up the team to go to town for the Midwife who assisted in her birth. 

Minnie claimed that as a child she was very much a “tom-boy.”  From Minnie’s autobiography she stated: 

 I know I much preferred to ride stick horses, build corrals, jump off haystacks, and ride in the wagon or to do anything the boys did rather than play with dolls. My brother Darrel once told me dolls were only a bag of sawdust and a painted face. To prove the fact, he took out his pocket knife and cut the doll open and let the sawdust out. I never cared much for dolls after that. Another prank he played was to take apart my most prized and expensive toy piano. I can still see the keys laid carefully in a row on the floor and no other parts of the piano. After putting it together again, we were never successful in making a sound come from it. I cried for days and have never forgotten and to this day still hold it against him.

            The Marshalls lived on that ranch until Minnie was old enough to go to school when they moved into town where they built a small log cabin with dirt roof.  Minnie remembered how her mother whitewashed the walls and hung fabric curtains to make the house look clean and livable. Later it was remodeled with a shingle roof, a wooden floor and modern windows. The first floor coverings were rag carpets.  Minnie helped her mother wind strips of fabric into a ball and watched her mother sew them together to make the rags. This was the custom of most families in Randolph – to have rag carpets. The carpets had to be taken off the floors every spring and fall. Minnie remembered the fun she and the neighborhood kids would have as they pounded the dust out of the carpets using old brooms and sticks. Before putting the rugs back in, the people would put a layer of straw on the ground for added comfort, then the carpets were tacked in for another few months. 

Minnie loved school. Since her birthday wasn’t until December, she was nearly seven before she could start school. She already knew how to write her name and print, so she was able to skip the first grade. 

 

 At a “Watermelon Bust” in 1910. Minnie, aged 15, is in the back row 4th from the left.

      Images of main street Randolph in 1912

For most of Minnie’s life her mother, Tamson, was battling illness. In Minnie’s journals she documents the many doctor visits her mother had to take and many times her mother couldn’t get out of bed. With this being the case, Minnie stayed close to home and helped out with many of the duties a mother or wife would tend to.  Below are some entries:

 June 16—1916  It has been awfully hot here yesterday and to-day.  Mother is not coming home.  She is taking treatment from a Chiropractic Doctor.  I do hope he can help her.  I am going down to stay with her just as soon as I can. 

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August 9—1916   Oh! I am blue, blue, blue, and almost broken hearted. Wed. I went to see the Doctor about Mother.  And oh! He said he didn’t think there was any cure for her.  She may live for years and just gradually get more helpless.  We are going to take her to the best Doctors in Salt Lake.  The Dr. here said to take her but that about all we would find out would be that her case was hopeless.  Oh! Think of that.  I just couldn’t tell Daddy or any one else.  Here I am with her alone day and night, knowing that, and yet, I have to be cheerful and act happy, talk and laugh and be the same as ever.   She can’t move unless I help her,  for over a week she hasn’t taken a step. 

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          Nov. 9—1919  I am kept very busy these days.  Last month Mother had to go to Salt Lake to see the Doctors, her knee was so bad they took a liquid from her knee and put her entire leg in a cast.  She gets around a little with crutches but isn’t able to do much.  My poor Mother seems like she hasn’t had a very enjoyable life, first one thing and then another so much sickness and still she remains quite cheerful and uncomplaining.  I some times wonder how she does it.

            Minnie always dreamt of leaving Randolph to go to a bigger city and attend college, but she was a loyal and caring daughter who stayed close to home to help her mother and father, mostly due to her mother’s illness. Years later Minnie’s daughter-in-law, Ella Mae, recalled “Minnie sacrificed her whole life to helping others.”

In 1918, after Lee and Minnie were married, the newlywed couple moved into Minnie’s aunt’s old house. Minnie worked at the local telephone company and Lee continued to work for his father’s ranch, where he received $30 a month. Some months when money was scarce, they would receive no pay.

Minnie, far right, with her coworkers from the telephone company

Lee worked for his father for a few years after marriage, but both Minnie and Lee longed for a place of their own. He quit working for his father, borrowed some money and bought 160 acres to raise cattle on.  He worked tirelessly to keep the place, build it up and pay it off.  He spent his entire life making the place and died before it was paid for completely. But he loved the place and the hard work was what gave him satisfaction and pleasure. 

On January 17, 1920 Lee and Minnie had their first child -  Frank. Minnie wrote about it in her journal:

February 16—1920   I am a Mother!  We have the most wonderful little baby boy in the world.  I never dreamed anything could be quite so lovely and to think, He is mine!  He came to us January 17, will be a month old to-morrow, and oh he is nice.  He has the most lot of hair you ever saw, it was black when he was born but is a dark brown now and he has large gray eyes.  I think perhaps as he gets older they will change to brown.  But his little body is what is so wonderful.  Just perfect in every way and oh he is so strong.  It is a picture of never ending delight to undress him just to see him stretch and kick such a strong little back and oh just lovely every way and We Love Him.

  I was awfully sick before he came but when I look at him, he is worth far more than what I suffered.  Just nurses and sleeps all the time.  Oh! But he is a good baby.   As for Lee, he has been wonderful; all the time I was in bed he got every thing for me and now he is oh so good.  He hardly ever comes from the store unless he brings some thing for me; candy, oranges, apples or some little delicacy that he thinks I might like, and he is so good about getting things for the house.

            Minnie and Lee both worked hard to get enough money to be able to stock the ranch with cattle and sheep.  Minnie worked at the telephone office during the day and then at night spent hours feeding many lambs by bottle until they learned to drink on their own. Lost sheep were gathered from the mountainside to be added to their stock, and Lee learned that buying calves were cheaper than buying a grown cow, so he often bought more calves and put them two or three to a cow to be mothered. Although he quit working for his father, Lee continued to visit him daily often helping in whatever chore he was doing. He was constantly helping his many brothers and sisters and also many people who were less fortunate than he. He spent many hours taking others to Evanston, Ogden or Salt Lake to go to doctors or hospitals. He was a good man.

Minnie and Lee loved ranch life. Minnie wrote:

June 15—1920  We have a cow now and make our own butter.  We also have a little pig and six little chickens.  It seems more like home when we have things around like that. 

We are selling our cream, now.  Besides making butter.  Our cream check came to $3.17 every little bit helps. 

            On January 2, 1925 Lee and Minnie welcomed their second son into their family when Byron Eugene was born. He was known as Gene throughout his life in Randolph and later years as an adult.  And 5 years later on May 20, 1930 their third and final child was born – a daughter they named Arlene.

In Gene’s autobiography, he remembered his childhood:

We all had chores to do – milking, cutting wood, feeding the cows and horses, and etc. My father got us one of the first radios in town and I well remember how we used to hate to leave the old “atwaterkant” with its water batteries to go out on cold winter nights to do chores. I remember too how the neighbors used to come in almost nightly to listen to the gravelly voice blurping and squealing through that old radio.

The winters were always cold and blizzard, but often if it was sunny, we would all bundle up and get on the hayrack with dad to feed the cattle. Frank and I would hook our sleighs on back and mother would bundle Arlene up and ride in the front beside dad or sit at the back so she could watch us. Mother always worried about us in most of the things we did, but dad would always say, “Oh, let ‘em go”, and usually that’s what we did.

Throughout their lives, Minnie and Lee were very active in the community. Lee was the secretary to the cattle company known as the Randolph Land and Livestock Company practically all his life. He also was the president of the Randolph Woodruff Canal Company. He worked as Deputy Sherriff for some years and also as a Brand Inspector for over 30 years.   He was chairman of the Rich County Rodeo association and was instrumental in bringing the first professional rodeo to Randolph.  He was also a “jack of all trades.” He did all the plumbing in their home, and also wired the electricity when it became available in Randolph. He was a carpenter and built a barn and garage. He also worked hard in the canyons cutting down logs for lumber that was needed.  He was an exceptionally hard worker and he would do anything for his family.

Garage built by Leo

           

Minnie was very active in the community as well. From the time she graduated school in the 8th grade, she  worked hard to be responsible for herself as she took jobs and helped her parents as they grew older. She never went too far from her parents home just to make sure that they were ok. In Minnie’s lifetime she took on many roles. She worked as a postmaster, wrote for the Randolph newspaper, was a rancher, worked as a telephone operator, worked in the Randolph bank, and most importantly was a devoted wife as she raised a family. She served countless times in the Relief Society, was a chairwoman of the local Literary Club, and was a member of the organization Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

Minnie at the telephone switchboard

Relief Society leaders in 1942, Minnie is first on the left

In 1957, when he was 63 years old, Lee had a severe heart attack and almost died. He never fully recovered and Minnie worked at his side and took on a lot of the ranch chores that Lee was no longer able to do. Much to his dismay, he taught Minnie to do the things that he was once able to do. She hauled hay, spent hours feeding, branded the cattle, and did most of the herding of cattle.  She was his constant companion.  The next year in 1958, Lee was driving out in the field when he had another heart attack. This time it was fatal and he died on November 5, 1958.

        Minnie continued to live in Randolph and manage the ranch for many years after Lee’s death. Eventually she moved to Evanston to live with her daughter, Arlene.  Minnie lived to be 96 when she passed away on November 25, 1991. Lee and Minnie left a legacy of hard work, determination, compassion and faith to their posterity.           

           

Minnie, aged 92, in front of her home in Randolph with great grandchildren.

Sources:

·         Randolph: a Look Back

·         Biography of Archie by Minnie McKinnon

·         Autobiography of Minnie McKinnon

·         Autobiography of Byron Eugene McKinnon

·         Stories told to me by Don McKinnon (Grandson)

·         Stories told to me by Ella Mae Bingham McKinnon (daughter-in-law)

·         Pictures from various family documents in Don McKinnon possession