THE COW THAT KEPT HER COOL ~~~ Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 6

 THE COW THAT KEPT HER COOL

Mrs. Dorothy J. Buchanan

Richfield, Utah

Professional Division

First Place Anecdote

Since we were children, most of us have heard about the cow that jumped over the moon, but this cow I have in mind jumped under the moon---or that is, she fell into a cellar, back in those pioneer days, 115 years ago. My great-grandfather, Jens Larsen, came to Mt. Pleasant in 1859 and soon began to build his first house-- of necessity a slow process. He planned a two-room, block adobe house with a dirt roof and cellar. 

At first, only the north room was built, which the family occupied.

Then the cellar was excavated and Jens planned to build the south room on top of that.

Things went along smoothly until one spring day the valuable family cow strayed too close to the cellar and fell into it, but fortunately was uninjured.

Quite a hubbub ensued when friends and neighbors hurried to the spot to offer Jens advice as to ways and means he should employ to get the cow safely out of the cellar. 

The cow was heavy and the cellar was deep. 

How could they ever manage it?

They possessed no tools or mechanical devices to help them. 

But as pioneers were noted for their ingenuity and skill in many things, there was always a way! 

The men simply threw piles of hay and straw into the cellar until it was high enough for Bossy to walk calmly out. She was the only one who had not been excited!