The Bull and the Coyote

Wes Shirts

Memories of Linda Shirts Ferguson

Living in Mountain Home, Duchesne, Utah, life was very challenging for all ages. In 1917 or 1918 when Wes was around ten or eleven years old, it happened that a bull went missing.  His father gave Wes the responsibility to go and find the bull.  He mounted his horse and took off riding. He hunted high and low for the bull and could not find it. Just as it was getting dark, he found the bull down in a box canyon.   The problem was that the slope down into the area was made of shale.  Going down was not a problem for the bull. However, trying to get out was much more difficult due to the fact that the shale kept sliding. It couldn't get out on his own.  

 

It was now dark and there was no way that Wes could see to get the bull out.  The only option that he had was to stay there over night and wait for the morning light.  It was the longest night of his life.  He decided to build a fire and kept it going all night. He could see the red eyes of wild animals on the canyon walls.  It was pretty frightening for this very young man.  He was very grateful when the morning rays started to burst into the sky. He thought and thought about what he could do to solve the problem and get the bull out. He cut limbs from the brush and laid a path up the shale. Next, he led the bull over the shale and was able to return home.

He remembered that event as a point in his life when he knew he could accomplish a task if he just prayed, thought hard about it and kept trying.  This became his philosophy that helped define who he was.  Later in his life, his brothers and sisters would call him "I  Can Do It Shirts".  He was successful in his life and this philosophy must have carried over into everything that he did.

Another time, Wes was out riding on his horse and saw a coyote. Since there was a bounty on coyotes, West decided to shoot it.  He aimed and fired and the coyote went down. Was he thinking about the bounty as he threw the coyote body over the saddle in front of him and galloped home? As he was nearing the ranch, Wes was quite surprised when he realized that he had only grazed the animal. The coyote was alive! The coyote "came to" and found himself on top of that horse!  Needless to say, the coyote didn't stay on the horse long. Wes ended scratched up in the tussle with quite the story to tell.