162602
Amos, Cooley, And West Families Oral History, Part 2/3
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Part OfAmos, Cooley, and West Families Oral HistoryIntervieweeGlenn West Lonnie WestInterviewerJoyce McBrideSubjectOral historiesArizona HistoryApache County (Ariz.)Navajo County (Ariz.)BiographyWhite Mountain Apache of the Fort Apache Indian ReservationApache Indians--WomenSnowflake (Ariz.)Lakeside (Ariz.)Sheep ranchers – Arizona--BiographyAmos, AbrahamAmos familyWest familyDescriptionPart 2: Glenn and Lonnie West tell the history of the Amos family, their great grandparents and grandparents on their mother's paternal side, and of the West family, their father's ancestors. In 1874, Milton and Allie Amos migrated from Missouri to farm in California. Glenn and Lonnie's grandfather, Abe Amos, was born in Salinas. The Amos family relocated for a time in Oregon where they started raising sheep. In 1885 the family moved to Arizona, and when they arrived at Holbrook, the father, Milton Amos died. Will, the oldest son, brought his mother, siblings and possibly a flock of sheep to what would become Lakeside, before there was a lake. The family had three homesteads. Will Amos hired Hans Hanson to build him a house for $300. Their mother homesteaded land that would become across the lake, and that was later purchased by Wallace Larson. Abe Amos homesteaded what would become Woodland and married Belle Crook Cooley, Corydon and Mollie Cooley's oldest daughter. The Amos families prospered, at one point shipping 1,000 sheep east. Great grandfather John Anderson West emigrated from Parowan, Utah, crossing the Grand Canyon at Lee's Ferry, to Snowflake, Arizona Territory in 1879. When they arrived, they unloaded a piano, promptly sat down and played hymns before entering their home. They established the John Anderson West Hotel. Their son, Ezra, married Julia Ellsworth, a daughter of Edmund Ellsworth, and her sister Retta married Hans Hansen. Ezra, also a sheep herder, after establishing his marriage, moved to Woodland. They bought Abe and Belle Amos' homestead, and settled down. Their son and Glenn and Lonnie's father, Earl West, was born on this homestead. After the sheep market bottomed out, Will sold his homestead to Hans Hansen and took his sheep elsewhere, Allie and her daughter and sons also went their separate ways, leaving only Abe Amos on the White Mountains. Abe and Belle sold their homestead and moved down off the Rim onto the reservation near Belle's parents. Ezra and Julia established the West Hotel in Lakeside and during the school years, the Amos school children would rent the top floor from them. Earl West became close friends with Earl and Elsie Amos. After Earl Amos drowned in the lake, Abe forbade his only daughter to see Earl West. As things heated up, and 16 year-old Elsie Amos ran away with Earl West with the law in pursuit. They were caught in Phoenix, Earl West was jailed for kidnapping, and Elsie was made a ward of the court. Earl and Elsie married in July 1920. Audio Length00:27:32Date Original2010-09-06Date Range1870s (1870-1879)1880s (1880-1889)1890s (1890-1899)1900s (1900-1909)1910s (1910-1919)1920s (1920-1929)TypeSound- NonmusicalOriginal FormatOral historiesLanguageEnglishContributing InstitutionPinetop-Lakeside Historical Society MuseumCollectionOral Histories of Pinetop, Lakeside, McNary and Whiteriver, ArizonaRights StatementThe opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee only. They do not represent the views of the Pinetop-Lakeside Historical Society Museum. Please contact the Pinetop-Lakeside Historical Society Museum with questions about the use and reproduction of this resource.
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IdentifierAmos West Family History, Part 2.mp3Date Digitized2010-09-06Digital FormatMP3File Size26 MB
Amos, Cooley, And West Families Oral History, Part 2/3, [Amos West Family History, Part 2.mp3]. Arizona Memory Project, accessed 10/10/2024, https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/162602
