Ernest and Jetta Reber with one son and two daughters moved to Ivins in February 1926. They were the twelfth family to move onto the bench and were one of the last of the original settlers that were given a plot of land by the irrigation company in hopes of making a life there. Their son Jack wrote, " I remember well the day that we moved here (Ivins). We had a team of two horses pulling two wagons with all our earthly possessions on it. A site was selected for the house to be built. We lived in a tent for the first year and a half. We had no water and no lights. We were pioneers in every sense of the word. We hauled water many times from the Santa Clara Creek in barrels. Ditches were plowed through the town site. After the water system was organized they turned the water into town each morning. We would fill our water barrels. We usually had to let the water settle so the sand would go to the bottom. In time, the water would clear so we could use it. Dad had to go to the mountains for wood. We cooked on a wood stove. For lights we used a coal oil lantern, much like Abe Lincoln.” Their daughter Shirley remembers "When we were children we often went on "outs”, as we called them, with friends and neighbors. We would go on camping trips for a week or so to the Pine Valley or the Cedar Mountains. Oh, what fine times we would have together. Each family would bring their best food and we would share. They would often buy mutton on the way, which our mothers would cook in dutch ovens over the red hot coals. How delicious the food tasted.”
Ernest and Jetta had six children. They were free hearted people and everyone loved them. Jetta crocheted often and would crochet many lovely things, such as napkins, table runners, doilies, she would give them away to family members and friends. She was a great cook and like most of the women in that time with her children's' help took care of the house and the gardens.
Ernest never hesitated to do anything to provide for his family. He first worked on the roads like most of the young men did. Then he raised truck produce such as carrots, onions, and radishes. He started trucking garden produce and citrus fruits to outlying communities around St. George. When the three older children were in their teens, he went into the turkey business. Raising turkeys is a lot of work. Jack wrote "Dad wanted me to think about going in with him in the turkey breeder business. Bill (a friend) was in the business big time. He wanted us to produce eggs for him. It looked quite promising. For a couple of years it looked like it would work. We would get our small turkeys in the spring and raise them to maturity. We would then handpick the best birds for breeders. In the spring we had a lot of fine young turkeys. One night I was awakened by thunder. It was followed by a very hard rain. I called Dad and we immediately went to check on the turkeys. We couldn't do a thing and they all drowned. We were out of the turkey business. Dad sat down and in his frustration shed tears.”
After that devastating blow, Ernest andJack decided to get a grain combine and they would cut grain all over the area for people. They would be gone most of the time in the summer, but would come home on the weekends. Jack said "In those days it was very hard to earn a living. There were no jobs. You had to MAKE your job.” In the1940's, they purchased a farm in Beryl Desert north of Enterprise; they would live in Ivins during the winter months and then live up in Beryl during the planting and summer months. Their son Jack also invested and helped with this farm. He mentions in his writings, "We had to level the ground and drill more wells. This all took a lot of money. As I look back I don’t see how we ever were able to survive. We didn't know the word quit.”
Jack also wrote, During the early 1950's the government was testing atomic bombs in Nevada. They called the test site Mercury. Many of the days they would set off bombs. The test site was about 125 miles due west of Ivins. We could hear the bombs go off. Many of the shots were at night. We could see the glow when they were fired. In a few hours we would see a dirty cloud come over. This was a radiation cloud. We were all exposed to the radiation from the detonation of those bombs. We were guinea pigs and didn't know how deadly they were. Finally, the A.E.C. (Atomic Energy Commission) people would come around and tell us to go indoors and remove our clothing, shower well(including our hair), and wash all our clothes. The radiation was very high. Our food supply was all contaminated; our water, our milk, our gardens, everything was radiated. We had no way at the time of knowing the dangerous situation we were in. It would be many years before we would know the truth of our situation and the trials we would suffer as a result of the radiation we were exposed to.”
In 1960, while Ernest was cutting grain, he suffered from a heart attack. They were able to get him to the St. George Hospital but unfortunately he passed away the next day. There were many sad hearts when Ernest passed away. Jetta was still active in church and social affairs throughout the years. She belonged to a Rhythm Band made up of ladies from St. George and the surrounding towns. She played the drum and Mata Ence, her sister, played the harmonica. They really enjoyed making wonderful music. In her later years, she began to get forgetful and had to move in with her children, they would all take turns. In 1982, at the age of 81, she passed away. Shirley their daughter wrote, "Our parents were never rich in worldly goods, but they were truly rich in friends. They will forever be loved and revered by their children and associates. What greater heritage can one leave than this?”
Written by Cherise Ence Spencer July 2023, Vol. 23 Issue 7 Ivins Newletter