Sawtelle

By Deverl Stoddard

The name Sawtelle was derived from the first settler who set up ranching, trapping, and fishing at the base of a mountain in the heart of Island Park, Idaho.

His name was Gilman Sawtell. In 1868, his base camp was located on the northern shores of Henr

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Publisher Avenue
• Release date: Apr 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869349897

Book preview

SawtelLe

By

DEVERL STODDARD

Copyright © 2007 Deverl Stoddard

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-56684-698-1

Dedicated to

Connor, Ciera, Cade, Cort, Jaylynn, Bryson, Jalyssa, Preston, Bridger, Cambry, Sidney, Londyn, Milan, Sage, Hunter, Brandan, Addyson, Preston, Bostyn, Kreedan, Lilyan, Broc, Cole, Alyn, Teagen, Boston, and Londyn.

May you always make correct choices and enjoy the beauties of nature as you journey through life.

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the enormous help given to me in creating this book. I wish to thank Joan T. Haeberle for her long hours of editing and her encouragement to complete the book. She assisted greatly in the editing in such ways that helped make the book more effective and pleasing to read. I also wish to thank Blair D. Pincock for his expertise in layout and formatting. My wife, Patty Lou, also gave support and listened over and over to the stories as I would write and rewrite after the many suggestions.

About the Author

DeVerl Stoddard has spent many years working with people in the construction business. He has traveled throughout the United States, Central and South America, Egypt, and Israel. During his travels, he has made a study of people and how they interact. He works with his five sons in the family construction business, which provides a study in and of itself. He has a master's degree in industrial education and a minor in history from Utah State University in Logan, Utah. He and his wife, Patty Lou, their five children, and 27 grandchildren live in southeastern Idaho, near the Island Park area where Sawtelle Mountain is located.

The Name Sawtelle

The name Sawtelle was derived from the first settler who set up ranching, trapping, and fishing at the base of a mountain in the heart of Island Park, Idaho. His name was Gilman Sawtell. In 1868, his base camp was located on the northern shores of Henry's Lake, just north of the mountain. The man's name was misspelled by Brigadier General Oliver Otis Howard, Commander, Department of the Columbia, who was engaged in the Nez Perce campaign against Chief Joseph. The misspelling remained and is often used today as it refers to the silhouette of the mountain, as seen looking west, displaying the head of an Indian in full headdress, lying on his back.

This book tells one of the many legends about the mountain known today as Sawtelle.

Table of Contents

Dedicated to

Acknowledgments

About the Author

The Name Sawtelle

The Fires Bring Reality

The Separation

Responsibility

A New Friend

The Landing

Friends and Enemies

A Confrontation

Friendships

Circumstances

Encounters

Tlaxcala

Customs

Strategies

An Excursion

Attempted Stalls

Powerful Leaders

Families Reunited

An Interruption

A Bold Venture

An Understanding

An Opportunity

Plans Tainted

Ambushed

The Pace Slows

A Grim Find

Two Friends

The Reunion

A New Land and a Ship

Too-oohatams

A Home for the Winter

Analyzing the Artifacts

A Parting

Difficult Separations

Harsh Country

The Bannocks

The Bartering

The Invitation

The Mountain

The End of the Quest

The Fires Bring Reality

Mario leaned against a pile of canvas for a pillow and slept for a few hours. Suddenly he was awakened by an eerie, yellow, flickering light that bounced around and off the sand and water. At first he thought he was dreaming. Then realizing something was seriously wrong, he immediately rose to a sitting position. He could hear men shouting. Standing up, fully awake, he scanned the beach for anything that might give him an answer to why the shouting and what the source of the flickering light. Smoke hung in layers as it drifted in from the sea. The smell of burning wood filled the air. Smoke caused Mario and the men to cough and their eyes to sting.

Startled, Mario cast his eyes toward the sea, from where the illumination and smoke were coming. He could see several fires burning on the water. It dawned on him as he counted, one, two, three... eleven fires. Eleven! In shock he realized all the ships were on fire. Other men had come to the same conclusion.

A sailor shouted, The ships! The ships are on fire! Everyone stood in awe. Some men began to scream, others pleaded for assistance in an attempt to save the ships.

It was evident that the fires had been set on purpose, as all eleven ships were burning and it appeared that the fires had been started on the lower decks. A bright yellow glow could be seen in the portholes just above the water; the entire decks of the ships were ablaze. On some of the ships, main masts and the arms were aflame, causing the masts to appear as crosses, casting eerie reflections of light on the water.

Tears broke and ran down Mario's cheeks as he realized what this meant—he was trapped in this forsaken land. Anger filled his mind and evaded reason. All means of escape from this land had been lost. Someone would pay for such a thing. His feelings of contempt made further sleep impossible.

Soldiers gathered in small groups to murmur in low whispers. Many were coughing, others cursing, and some paced along the beach. Both the smoke and fire were constant, irritating reminders of what had happened. Why? was on the mind of every soldier and sailor on the beach, but no one had an answer.

To help ease the strain, Mario leaned against a wooden crate from the ship's cargo, just as Fend, one the young soldiers he had been with in prison and on board ship, walked up beside him.

I can't believe it! Why would anyone burn the ships, Mario? Why? It is our only way to return to Cuba. No one knows where we are! We are stranded.

The speculation began. Was it the natives? If so, would they attack the exploration party on the beach? Was it another exploring party? What about the English, or the Italians? Had they heard the stories about New Spain? Who could benefit?

Where is Cortes? one of the men asked. He will know what to do; he will know where we can go.

Another soldier stammered, What will he do?

Mario turned this thought over in his mind, and then pondering the question, he asked himself, What can we do?

As I see it, we have no choice. If we were to go to ... His voice became a whisper, I guess we don't have any place to go, no options.

Fend broke from a concentrated stare and began to speak, If we return to the village of Vera Cruz, we will end up in battle again with the natives. What a place to be stuck! This is worse than prison.

Mario's thoughts raced, then he pressed, What do some of the men think?

Fend, having talked with other soldiers, said, The ones I've talked to don't have an answer either. They are at a loss as to how or why this could happen. They don't dare say too much as some think that Cortes may even have ordered it.

Mario listened and then commented, Cortes is determined to establish sovereignty over this land for our King and Queen; he wants to spread Christianity. Maybe some of the soldiers got caught up in the adventure.

Looking toward the ships, Fend replied, I don't think there was anyone who wanted to revolt.

Mario lowered his voice in questioning the thought, Was it Cortes? Why would he? He could not have done this by himself; he would have needed the support of his cadre or some of the soldiers. What purpose would it serve him to destroy the ships?

Fend spoke, If it's so, we could not stand up to him. With his cadre and horses he could cut us down; and if we did win, where would we go? We have no ships.

Both men just stared at the offshore fires. Thoughts surged through their minds, but neither man continued the conversation. The sun had started to light the eastern skyline and details of some of the blackened ships' hulks could be seen, others had sunk below the water's surface.

The Separation

Mario, at 18 years old, from Cadiz, Spain, had been sick both emotionally and physically since leaving his beloved country. Many factors caused this sickening turmoil within him: the never-ending rocking of the ship, the foreign smells, the food, the battle he had fought, the ache in his heart for home and the embrace of his mother. It had been months since he had been placed before the court where a sentence had been pronounced and he was immediately taken to the musty, stinking prison. That was the day everything changed.

Mario's thoughts drifted to his home, the land he loved, and his friends. He and his friends were having fun that early summer day. They were running down the streets of Cadiz, darting in and out among the carts that were positioned in front of the shops. This was entertainment for the three.

That week grapes had just come into season and he and his friends had bartered for a handful of grapes from one of the carts. This particular Friday, a cart filled with bottles of wine had been pushed at a different angle to all the other carts, causing added congestion on the narrow street. Mario was the first to run through the maze; he nearly bumped the wine-bottle cart, causing the vendor to grab the cart. Chasing behind, Sanchez crashed into the cart spilling a few bottles onto the cobblestone street, breaking them. Fernando, slow and clumsy, lumbered onto the scene. He tried to dodge the cart and broken bottles, but could not stop.

The merchant had been huddling over the bottles as if he were a mother hen trying to protect her chicks. Fernando slipped and fell into the man, knocking him down, causing the cart to tip over, breaking the remainder of the bottles. The cart owner grabbed Fernando and held him until the police arrived. The police dragged Fernando into headquarters where the officers made threats as they questioned him. Fernando tried to blame everyone but himself, as he attempted to tell one story and then another. Finally he made no sense at all and started to bawl. Applying additional pressure, the officers promised him if he would tell them the names of the others, they would let him go.

With this promise, he stammered, Mario, it was Mario. He caused me to chase him. I was trying to catch him.

When the officers came to Mario's door, they were very stern and asked, Senora Marinda, where is your son? Visibly shaken to have police at her door, she replied, He... he is not home. Fear gripped her as she asked, What do you want with him? Frantic, she tried to keep her composure. Was he safe? Finally, very troubled and disturbed that the police would not tell her what they wanted, she promised to bring Mario down to the station when he came home.

Tomorrow morning will be fine, one officer declared. They simply turned and left.

Where was he? What could the police want with her son? Many thoughts began to race through her mind. What could he have done? He had always confided in her. She had faith that he would not do anything wrong. Whatever it was could easily be cleared up. The possibilities still continued to pop into her mind as she tried to concentrate on her daily tasks. Had he been falsely accused? Had he met new friends? Was he spending too much time with them? Were they to blame? Had he done something with them that he had not told her about? She tried to push any negative thoughts out of her mind. Still, the police wanted to see him. What was it?

When Mario came home late that afternoon, his mother, with questions churning inside, tried not to show her alarm as she asked him where he had been.

Out with my friends, Mario replied.

Are they at home?

Mario beginning to sense something was wrong, replied, I don't know.

When she told him that the police had come that afternoon looking for him, Mario was shocked.

What have you done? she asked.

Mario began to explain his afternoon's adventure. The three boys had simply gone to the marketplace. Mario knew nothing of the broken bottles of wine as he was some distance ahead of Sanchez and Fernando.

Then worried, he burst out, Mother, what did they say I have done? They didn't, she replied. We will find out when we go to the police station tomorrow morning.

That night no one talked much. His sister, unaware of the visit by the police, would attempt to tease Mario as she often did. Mario sat and stared, wondering what the police could want? Perhaps they thought he had seen something, or wanted to know about one of his friends. Maybe he would be asked to be a policeman.

Mario did not sleep much that night and when morning came he was up early to build a fire. He helped his mother prepare their simple breakfast of dried fish and slightly fermented grape juice. At the table his mother was quiet, deep furrows lined her brow; but his sister, Frontera, chattered on about a Portuguese schooner that had docked in the bay. He had not spent much time chatting with her. She was just always there, always talking with his mother.

Mario dressed in his cotton shirt and brushed down his blond hair. His mother appeared at the doorway wearing her worn-out gray dress, the better of her two dresses. How Mario wished he could afford something nicer for his mother. He knew she worked hard to provide for her children.

Sanchez's and Fernando's parents had been summoned to appear before the judge as well.

When the three families arrived at the station, the other parents stood quietly away from Mario and his mother.

A coldness could be felt. Fernando's mother vented her feelings as she stood waiting for the judge to arrive, It is your son's fault that we are all here.

Fear gripped Mario and his mother, as they now knew something was very wrong.

The constable was stern as he read the report and the charges against the young men. Sanchez started to explain that the three young men were having fun, but the judge stopped him from explaining any details and declared: The loss of merchandise sustained as a result of the boys' action must be paid in full. The amount of the claim for damages has been submitted by this merchant and deemed by the court to be reasonable. The cost of the damages will be divided equally among the three malefactors. The court will expect settlement agreeable to this merchant who suffered the damage. Payment is expected today or a period of time in debtors' prison will be required. The time spent will be at the discretion of the court.

The parents of Sanchez and Fernando were able to pay for their portion of the damages. Mario's mother had no means to pay, therefore debtors' prison was Mario's fate. No relief for the loss suffered by the merchant was considered or granted in Mario's sentence. Debtors' prison served no benefit to the merchant as it added another expense to the cost of government. The merchant would have to assist in the cost for housing the prisoner through paying additional taxes.

The look on the faces of Mario and his beloved mother was of shock, pain, and anguish molded together. Fear and worry added additional heartache. Mario was immediately strapped into irons and led away as his crying mother looked on.

In early fall of the year 1518, Mario was dragged from his cell and marched along with several other men to a pier and onto the gangplank of a ship. This was near the same dock in the Bay of Cadiz where his father had been killed. On the ship, the prisoners were chained to rings secured to the sides of the ship below the main deck. This ship was destined for Cuba. Words were spoken by a city official who stood on the main deck that led down into the hold of the ship.

Speaking to the chained prisoners, he declared: Hear this! The final order from the court declares this pronouncement: 'You prisoners are never to return to Spain. You have violated our laws and therefore we have banished you from Spain. You have no homeland and must seek a new place you can live."

Mario, in anguish, recognized that he would never again see his mother. The punishment did not fit the crime, but it served a greater purpose by allowing the Spanish government to obtain the necessary manpower to explore its newly discovered colonies founded by Columbus. These young men could be trained and used as soldiers to help colonize New Spain.

Mario's mother was heartbroken when he was cast into prison. She felt anguish that she could not pay for the damages; now the misery was almost unbearable. His mother and his sister stood and watched as he passed by in chains. He was taken onto the ship, bound for a land none of them knew anything about. That last picture of his mother vividly burned into his memory. The tears running down her cheeks and the suffering in her face would serve as a constant reminder to Mario of the pain inflicted on his mother. At eleven years old, his sister had little concept of the situation and failed to realize she would never see him again.

Responsibility

Mario loved his father, Ricardo Merandez, who had been killed in a fall on a ship he was helping to build. His father was assigned to work the rigging and had fallen from the top rigging, hitting the deck; he was killed instantly. Mario was only thirteen at the time.

When a shipyard worker brought word of his father's death, Mario cried himself to sleep. But he would not accept the news of his father's death and for days kept looking and watching, for he knew his father would return. Eventually, of course, he realized that his father was not coming home.

He often reflected on what times were like when his father was alive. He remembered how he and his father carved small wooden ships and together they would take them down to the ocean to sail them. As the tide came in, Mario would throw one of the tiny ships out as far as he could and then watch the waves bring the ship back to shore. His father explained to Mario how the wind and the tides would move the large ships in and out of the port. At other times they would just sit on the dock and his father would tell him how ships worked. The rigging would allow the sails to be raised and lowered to adapt to different directions of the blowing winds. Mario was just happy to be with his papa. Time seemed to stand still. He loved his father and wanted to grow up to be just like him.

Mario felt that there was nothing much left to live for. His mother and sister were important, but they could not understand what his father had meant to him. Nobody could understand.

Time passed, and Mario allowed his depressing feelings to grow as he knew he was the only one to suffer such a great loss. He found no interest in sailing the ships his father had carved for him. He did not want to go down to the docks and watch the ships. He avoided everything that reminded him of his father. His mother watched and tried to talk to him, but Mario knew within himself that he and he alone understood how badly he felt. Mario withdrew within himself; he didn't even want to go outside the house.

One evening as Mario sat staring into the coals glowing in the fireplace, he glanced at his mother who was sitting at the table. Tears were running down her cheeks as she silently cried. Her small frame shook as she tried to conceal her emotions. Mario slowly pried himself away from the fireplace, stood for a moment, then slowly walked over and sat down beside his mother. His thoughts began to spin as he wondered just how he could console her. He could see that perhaps mama did understand, and could give him answers to some of the questions that had been consuming and burning deep within him. He stammered, What is death? Why did he have to die? Did he go to heaven? Why can't we talk to him? Why can't we see him? Does he know what we're going through? Does he see us? Will we be separated also?

The tears began to flow down Mario's cheeks as he and his mother embraced and held each other tightly. They did not talk for a long time, but simply held each other, both sobbing, as they attempted to console one another. His mother did not try to answer his questions, but explained that she too had the same thoughts. As they continued to talk it helped Mario feel better, even though he did not receive answers to his questions. Finally, mother and son concluded that only by confiding in each other, talking together, and relying on each other could they gain enough strength to endure.

That night Mario spent many hours in deep thought, and by the next day he had established some goals. He would do anything he could to keep his family together. He would assume the role his father had played in their family. His mother had been doing the best she could, she had taken in laundry, done cleaning, baking, anything to keep the family together; now he would do his part.

Early the next morning Mario set out and as he wandered down the streets near his home, he studied the various shops and businesses he passed. People paid no attention to him. Old women carried bags, old men sat around chatting in small groups. At one gathering he overheard a conversation about a new land. The men talked about Cristobal Colon who had led an expedition to the west across the ocean and discovered a new land. This meant little to Mario as he had determined he was not going to sail on any ship, ever.

As he continued to walk, he came upon a boy about his own age. They sized each other up. Then the other boy asked Mario his name. In a short time the two were chattering away, each having stories to tell. Mario learned the boy's name