Ephraim (Red) Larsen was born in Malad, Oneida, Idaho on November 17, 1890 to Erick Martin Larsen and Christine Dorthea [Nielsen] Larsen. Because of his auburn hair color he was nicknamed 'Red'. He was 8th of the nine children born to Erick and Christina. His older siblings are: Emelia Ingrid [Larsen] Holt (1875-1911), Erick Martin Larsen Jr. (1878-1940), Jared Larsen (1880-1880), Joseph Larsen (1882-1882), Jennie Sophia [Larsen] Richards (1884-1972), Annie Elizabeth [Larsen] Kinter/Keller (1886-1977), Nephi Larsen (1888-1888) and a younger sister Leone Christine [Larsen] Stromerson (1893-1977). 2 half-siblings: Mahonry Moriancumer Larsen (1879-1959) and Ellenora Josephine [Larsen] Lone (1882-1956). Jared, Joseph and Nephi all died as infants. During the time that the family lived in Malad, Erick got into debt, mortgaging their home and 40 acres of land. When the mortgage came due, he could not pay and lost it all. A friend let them live in a house at Portage, Utah for a while, but then Erick decided to homestead 160 acres of land up the northern part of Mink Creek that was called Klondike, because of the deep snow and very cold winters. In the spring of 1892 the family moved to Mink Creek, Idaho. It was a wild place to live and the family was never lonesome thanks to blow snakes and gophers by the hundreds, skunks and porcupines. The family was penniless the first winter on the ranch and endured many hardships. There was 6 feet of snow all around and they spent most of the winter "snowed in". They lost all the horses but one team and all the cows but one. They managed to keep the cow alive by feeding her old straw and syrup and the old hay out of the bed ticks. The family fared a little better on a diet of lump-dick flour mush and molasses. They had no milk because the cow was going to have a calf. They did have a few wild chickens from time to time that gave them the necessary strength they needed to survive the harsh conditions. It was a winter never to be forgotten but somehow they made it through to spring and that is when Leone Christina was born in Mar 1893 on their ranch in the Strawberry area. Ephraim's father was a harness-maker by trade and to supplement the family income, he spent most of his time working in his shop in Preston, Idaho while Christina and the children took care of the farm. Ephraim attended school in Mink Creek and graduated from the 6th grade but that was as far as he could go as the little school in the area did not provide for any further education. Ephraim grew up working on the ranch and helping his mother. His mother was a good farmer but her health was failing her, and as his older brothers Erick and Mahonry had both married and moved away from home most of the work and responsibility fell on his 14 year old shoulders. By this time the family had 3 cows and no horses, but foot walking was free and plenty of room to do it. Ephraim had a little Stevens .22 rifle that he used to bring home plenty of chickens for them to eat. They were able to borrow two old horses, "Rock and Randy" to pull the 12 inch hand plow. Ephraim was able to plow 8 acres and sow it out of the back of the wagon while little Leone drove the team using the wagon tracks for markers over the swath. They were off to a good start and they raised 75 bushels of grain that year. They sold it for enough money to buy flour, and chicken and pig feed. That summer, they were able to plow another 5 acres and plant fall grain. Ephraim felt like the next year was a turning point. He earned 6 little pigs and 18 pet lambs. They were able to breed the animals and make a start raising livestock. Also, that year they raised 500 bushels of fall grain. Ephraim worked hard. He cut cedar posts and traded for a team of good horses and he kept getting young calves and raising them. At the end of 5 years, they had 6 good milk cows, 29 head of feeders stock and 18 head of sheep. In 1909, Erick traded Mahonry the ranch for Mahonry and Adelle's house and 8 acres in town. Erick and Christina moved down into Mink Creek to live in a little two-room cabin which stood below the old school house hill. Christina's health was failing her and she passed away on 8 July 1910. After all his years of hard work, Ephraim felt betrayed by his father and in September of that year he left Mink Creek with only his saddle horse, overalls and jumper and the blue sky as his home. Ephraim went to work making harnesses for a man named Charles Larsen for 3 months and then he got work as an apprentice fireman on the railroad at Cache Junction. It was during this time that he met an English barber. He learned a new skill from this man and became very good at it. He worked there with him for two years before he heard that Rigby, Idaho was in need of a barber. He made the move to Rigby and went to work in a shop with Fred Adams. Before long he was introduced to the young woman that would become his wife. He and Irene Pearl Call were married on June 28, 1915 in Rigby, Idaho. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Logan, Utah L.D.S. Temple. They became the parents of 8 children, Calvin Ephraim Larsen (1916-1992), Thama [Larsen] Pugmire/Brown (1917-1997) Mathew Eric Larsen (1919-1987), Ross Call Larsen (1922-1997), Dorothy [Larsen] Rowland (1924-2013), Ardith Larsen (1926-1928) DeEsta [Larsen] Windley/Rousey (1928-2020) and Shirley [Larsen] Salvesen (1931-2020). Eph & Irene moved their family to Ririe, Idaho in 1925 where he opened up his own barber shop. They raised their family in the little town. Eph enjoyed the area as he was an avid fisherman and gardener. He was the Fire-Chief in the town for many years and during the depression years, he went to work for the Olaf Nelson Construction company during the day and then would come home and open up his barber shop in the evenings. He spent the rest of his life as the town's barber and his shop was always a gathering spot for a "shave and a haircut" as well as good conversation with the other men in the town. He was a very kind man and very loved in the community. He would always give the little children a nickel after he cut their hair as a reward for good behavior although sometimes his interpretation of good behavior was very liberal. He kept his grandchildren employed sweeping up the hair in his shop and was famous for sharing his "orange sticks" with them. He cut his last head of hair the evening of April 21, 1966. He closed up the shop, had his supper and then went to sit in his easy chair where a few moments later, he suffered a massive heart attack and died. Time of death was listed at 8:35 p.m. Funeral services were held at the Ririe 2nd Ward L.D.S. Chapel in Ririe on April 25, 1966. Interment in the Rigby Pioneer Cemetery, Rigby, Idaho. (Information taken from a auto-biography written by Eph Larsen)
Ephraim (Red) Larsen was born in Malad, Oneida, Idaho on November 17, 1890 to Erick Martin Larsen and Christine Dorthea [Nielsen] Larsen. Because of his auburn hair color he was nicknamed 'Red'. He was 8th of the nine children born to Erick and Christina. His older siblings are: Emelia Ingrid [Larsen] Holt (1875-1911), Erick Martin Larsen Jr. (1878-1940), Jared Larsen (1880-1880), Joseph Larsen (1882-1882), Jennie Sophia [Larsen] Richards (1884-1972), Annie Elizabeth [Larsen] Kinter/Keller (1886-1977), Nephi Larsen (1888-1888) and a younger sister Leone Christine [Larsen] Stromerson (1893-1977). 2 half-siblings: Mahonry Moriancumer Larsen (1879-1959) and Ellenora Josephine [Larsen] Lone (1882-1956). Jared, Joseph and Nephi all died as infants. During the time that the family lived in Malad, Erick got into debt, mortgaging their home and 40 acres of land. When the mortgage came due, he could not pay and lost it all. A friend let them live in a house at Portage, Utah for a while, but then Erick decided to homestead 160 acres of land up the northern part of Mink Creek that was called Klondike, because of the deep snow and very cold winters. In the spring of 1892 the family moved to Mink Creek, Idaho. It was a wild place to live and the family was never lonesome thanks to blow snakes and gophers by the hundreds, skunks and porcupines. The family was penniless the first winter on the ranch and endured many hardships. There was 6 feet of snow all around and they spent most of the winter "snowed in". They lost all the horses but one team and all the cows but one. They managed to keep the cow alive by feeding her old straw and syrup and the old hay out of the bed ticks. The family fared a little better on a diet of lump-dick flour mush and molasses. They had no milk because the cow was going to have a calf. They did have a few wild chickens from time to time that gave them the necessary strength they needed to survive the harsh conditions. It was a winter never to be forgotten but somehow they made it through to spring and that is when Leone Christina was born in Mar 1893 on their ranch in the Strawberry area. Ephraim's father was a harness-maker by trade and to supplement the family income, he spent most of his time working in his shop in Preston, Idaho while Christina and the children took care of the farm. Ephraim attended school in Mink Creek and graduated from the 6th grade but that was as far as he could go as the little school in the area did not provide for any further education. Ephraim grew up working on the ranch and helping his mother. His mother was a good farmer but her health was failing her, and as his older brothers Erick and Mahonry had both married and moved away from home most of the work and responsibility fell on his 14 year old shoulders. By this time the family had 3 cows and no horses, but foot walking was free and plenty of room to do it. Ephraim had a little Stevens .22 rifle that he used to bring home plenty of chickens for them to eat. They were able to borrow two old horses, "Rock and Randy" to pull the 12 inch hand plow. Ephraim was able to plow 8 acres and sow it out of the back of the wagon while little Leone drove the team using the wagon tracks for markers over the swath. They were off to a good start and they raised 75 bushels of grain that year. They sold it for enough money to buy flour, and chicken and pig feed. That summer, they were able to plow another 5 acres and plant fall grain. Ephraim felt like the next year was a turning point. He earned 6 little pigs and 18 pet lambs. They were able to breed the animals and make a start raising livestock. Also, that year they raised 500 bushels of fall grain. Ephraim worked hard. He cut cedar posts and traded for a team of good horses and he kept getting young calves and raising them. At the end of 5 years, they had 6 good milk cows, 29 head of feeders stock and 18 head of sheep. In 1909, Erick traded Mahonry the ranch for Mahonry and Adelle's house and 8 acres in town. Erick and Christina moved down into Mink Creek to live in a little two-room cabin which stood below the old school house hill. Christina's health was failing her and she passed away on 8 July 1910. After all his years of hard work, Ephraim felt betrayed by his father and in September of that year he left Mink Creek with only his saddle horse, overalls and jumper and the blue sky as his home. Ephraim went to work making harnesses for a man named Charles Larsen for 3 months and then he got work as an apprentice fireman on the railroad at Cache Junction. It was during this time that he met an English barber. He learned a new skill from this man and became very good at it. He worked there with him for two years before he heard that Rigby, Idaho was in need of a barber. He made the move to Rigby and went to work in a shop with Fred Adams. Before long he was introduced to the young woman that would become his wife. He and Irene Pearl Call were married on June 28, 1915 in Rigby, Idaho. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Logan, Utah L.D.S. Temple. They became the parents of 8 children, Calvin Ephraim Larsen (1916-1992), Thama [Larsen] Pugmire/Brown (1917-1997) Mathew Eric Larsen (1919-1987), Ross Call Larsen (1922-1997), Dorothy [Larsen] Rowland (1924-2013), Ardith Larsen (1926-1928) DeEsta [Larsen] Windley/Rousey (1928-2020) and Shirley [Larsen] Salvesen (1931-2020). Eph & Irene moved their family to Ririe, Idaho in 1925 where he opened up his own barber shop. They raised their family in the little town. Eph enjoyed the area as he was an avid fisherman and gardener. He was the Fire-Chief in the town for many years and during the depression years, he went to work for the Olaf Nelson Construction company during the day and then would come home and open up his barber shop in the evenings. He spent the rest of his life as the town's barber and his shop was always a gathering spot for a "shave and a haircut" as well as good conversation with the other men in the town. He was a very kind man and very loved in the community. He would always give the little children a nickel after he cut their hair as a reward for good behavior although sometimes his interpretation of good behavior was very liberal. He kept his grandchildren employed sweeping up the hair in his shop and was famous for sharing his "orange sticks" with them. He cut his last head of hair the evening of April 21, 1966. He closed up the shop, had his supper and then went to sit in his easy chair where a few moments later, he suffered a massive heart attack and died. Time of death was listed at 8:35 p.m. Funeral services were held at the Ririe 2nd Ward L.D.S. Chapel in Ririe on April 25, 1966. Interment in the Rigby Pioneer Cemetery, Rigby, Idaho. (Information taken from a auto-biography written by Eph Larsen)
