February 7, 1942

Saturday, 38th Day - 327 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

18 degrees above at 7 A.M.

A nice day except rather windy at times.

Donnie went to Boulder this morning with the Carolyns on the milk truck.

Dad went to Niwot for the ditch meeting.

A letter from Nora, she said Roberta was in Longmont hospital.

Operated on Jan. 24th.

32 degrees above at 9 P.M.and it is snowing some.

Wind in the N. E.

Long before 1942, the Lombard Milk Wagon delivered milk in Boulder, CO
Photo from the Boulder Genealogy Society Collection. 

February 6, 1942 Diary

Friday 37th Day - 328 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Temp at 7 A.M. 15 degrees above - 28 degrees at 8 P.M.

Not much doing today.

Dad and Don hauled hay this A.M.

Dad took four doz eggs to Niwot this P.M.

Got 25 cents a doz.

Read in the Niwot Tribune today that Eileen Jones and Leonard Nelson were married

Jan 24, '42.

The building in Niwot as it looks today
where the Niwot Tribune was published.
At the corner of Franklin and Second Streets.

February 5, 1942 Diary

Thursday, 36th day - 329 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

28 degrees above at 7 A.M.

Rather a disagreeable day - a cold west wind.

Don and Dad fixed the fence around Haystack.

Mrs. Clarke and Ella Davies called this P.M.

Flo[erence] here this P.M. late afternoon.

Club met with Mrs. Thorne this P.M.

I didn't go, had too much of a cold.

Cold this evening, still a west wind.

Temp 30 degrees above at 8:30 P.M.

Haystack Mountain and the fencing around it.

This large hill has been important to the Arbuthnot family since they first arrived in 1859.  It is the highest peak before you get to the Rocky Mountains.  So it served well as a lookout, as you could see who was coming from miles away.  The Arapaho camped here as the Left Hand Creek flows to the south side of the mountain, this was one of their winter camps.  For the gold miners, when it was too cold to be in the mountains, up in the mining camps at Gold Hill, the men would come down to Haystack and live in a small miner's cabin there near where the Arapaho were camped.   After Fred's father, William, had returned from going back to Iowa, he brought with him a special kind of ax that cut holes into the wood fence.  There is no count of how many of these fence posts that were cut, but there were many that were used around Haystack Mountain and other of the old pioneer's farms. You can see these fence posts today at the Haystack Mt. Golf club house where they are used as a room divider.  In the 1950's, Fred donated the ax to the Boulder Historical Society, along with other items that his family had brought with them.  In later years, may farm women would use these fence posts as an edge to their garden by laying down the log.  They would plant flowers in the holes of the post.  You can see this done at the Old Mill Park in front of the Affolter Cabin in Longmont.

Home of Fred and Margie Arbuthnot on Niwot Rd.
You can see Haystack Mt, where Fred was born, to the left of the house.
Photo taken in the 1970's.

The old fence post made by Fred's father, William Arbuthnot.
At Haystack Mt. Photo taken in the 1970's.

February 4, 1942 Diary

Wednesday, 35th Day - 330 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot 

35 degrees above at 5 A.M.
Not very warm this A.M. but warmer this P.M.
Carol Jane and Darold here this P.M.
Carol Jane here all day.
Don took his cull hens to Boulder this P.M.
Temp at 8 P.M. is 32 degrees above.

Margie Ann (Coe) Arbuthnot feeding her chickens.
Eggs were sold to the local dairy in Niwot.

February 3, 1942 Diary

Tuesday, 34th Day - 331 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

16 degrees above at 7 A.M. 
Dad went to Ditch Meeting today.
Mrs. DeWalt spent the day with me.
Myrna Dodd here this P.M.
Dad & Mr. DeWalt back by three o'clock.
Donnie went home with Don to help cull the hens.  He will stay all night.
A new 8th grader pupil at Batcheldor today from the Poppy house.
Yep tonight at 9 is 36 degrees and wind & rain from the west.
Letter from Mass. today.  [from Margie's son Ken]
The new neighbors on Poppe Place Sappington.

Mr. and Mrs. DeWalt at Altona Grange

The Left Hand Ditch Company

The Left Hand Ditch Company was started by Fred Arbuthnot's family and other neighboring pioneers.  The first Left Hand ditch was dug high above Ward, Colorado first during the gold mining days, but later for the purposes of irrigating the land below.  In a Boulder Daily Camera article from January 18, 1957, Jewel Jenkins interviews Fred Arbuthnot and records what he recalls.  In his account, he credits his Uncle Jim Arbuthnot with finding the source where water could be diverted from the St. Vrain Creek into the James Creek.  Along with Jerome Gould, N. M. Henry, and Sam Arbuthnot, they organized for the plowing and hand digging of the first Left Hand Ditch.

The company began in 1863 but wasn't officially recorded until 1866 with Jospeh H. Jamison as it's President.  Later, P. M. Hinman would be president, then Nicholas E. Bader.  Samuel Arbuthnot followed him and was President during the water wars.  A dispute in which the settlement established the Colorado Prior Appropriations water law.

Fred's Uncle Fred Bader (whom he was named for) was an early Secretary/Treasurer for the company.  He was later replaced by Fred Arbuthnot, Margie's husband.  

Since the building of the Altona Grange Hall in 1896, the annual meeting has been held here every February..

 Click here for the link to this company.

 Click here for the link to the Coffin v Left Hand water wars.

The three Freds. Uncle  Fred Bader, Donald Frederick Arbuthnot, Fred Arbuthnot.
Both Fred Bader and Fred Arbuthnot were Secretary of the Left Hand Ditch Co.

First inside page of the first minute book
of the Left Hand Dirch Co 1866

February 2, 1942 Diary

Monday, 33rd Day - 332 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

10 degrees above at 7 this A.M.

Cloudy most of the day.

I didn't get up until noon.

Two much of a cold but I feel better to nite.

The sow has 4 little pigs tonite.

Cloudy tonite.  Dad sent our Grange Insurance Assoc. today.

22 degrees above at 8:30 tonite.

Grange Assoc. $2.20

Common Cough Syrup in the 1940's

½ C Water
½ C Honey (it would have been raw honey back then)
¼ C Lemon Juice
¼ C Cinder Vinegar
2 Tbs ground ginger

Heat until a good simmer.  
Pour through a strainer or some cheese cloth.
Allow to cool and jar it up.
Give it a good shake before using.
For adults, give two tablespoons. 

Keep in mind that this was a tea-totaling household.  
In other households, whiskey would have been substituted for the water no doubt.

February 1, 1942 Diary

Sunday, 32nd Day - 333 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Temp 5 degrees at 7 A.M.
I was sure feeling punk all nite from my cold.
Donnie rode his bike to Niwot this A.M. with Lorn Hornbaker.
Dad went to see Bob Burke this A.M.
The girls [daughter's Una and Marjorie] came out at noon.
Some west wind to nite.
Don reported 6 baby pigs at his place when he came to to chore.
Temp this evening 34 degrees above.
Marjorie had a letter from Howard yesterday, from Ft. Riley.

When Don and Florence (Hill) Arbuthnot were married, they were given a baby pig.  It was the runt of the litter owned by Charlie and Pauline (Brammeier) Dehn.  That pig served the family very well as it gave many piglets.  Eventually, when it was a large hog, this pig was sold and with the funds, Don and Florence purchased their dinning room set.  This table and chairs and a buffet served many family dinners in their home.  It's extensions made for more place settings at holiday meals.

Don Arbuthnot with the hog that was sold for the dinning room furniture.