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| Grandma Lucille Chase McCracken Beard |
My
Grandma, Lucille Chase McCracken Beard, liked to relate a story of someone
stopping along the road in Tetonia to ask for directions. This person was
"highfalutin" in appearance and behavior and she decided to put him
in his place by asking, "Have you been to Felt yet? If you ain't been to
Felt, you ain't been nowhere."
Reminiscing about Grandma, and her advice
to the tourist, I wondered if I had ever been to Felt. I found this picture
online, and it looks like somewhere I have been, but I cannot be certain.
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| Felt, Idaho |
Aside
from the humor, why do you think Grandma had a fond place in her heart for
Felt, Idaho? It is time for a history lesson.
Felt was previously known as the
Hunnidale District or Valview. Besides a few homes, the only other buildings in
Hunnidale/Valview were a post office and a church. This is where the
significance for Grandma comes into play. She was married to Demar McCracken (listed on the original marriage Affidavit as Demar Mack, but later corrected to his legal name) in
the Valview Ward by Bishop Perry O. Hatch on July 12, 1926, at the very young age
of 15. The marriage license specifies that she is a white female over
the age of 18. There is no mention on the license of the event being witnessed
by her parents, who must surely have been required to give consent for an underage
union. Her husband, had just had his 29th birthday.
So, if you have been to Felt, you have been to the location of the marriage of Lucille Chase to Demar McCracken, an important historical site to our family.
