Milo and Lillie Ence were the eighth family to move into Ivins in the spring of 1924 with two young boys; they lived in a one room adobe house with a cellar underneath. Like all the young families that first settled Ivins, they started out with humble means but were excited to start farming and taking care of their own land. They also purchased a team of horses and a wagon for $600, this was their means of making a living and a way to get to Santa Clara for church and recreation. Milo and his team spent many days building the canal and reservoir. He also put in so much time building the chapel and was very proud of that. Milo said “We excavated for the foundation, hauled the gravel and sand for the entire structure, helped with the laying up of the walls and what carpenter work we could do. When the building was ready to be dedicated, an inspiring meeting was held.”
Farming in the Ivins sand was very hard work and this hard work was a family affair, with Lillie doing a lot of hoeing from morning until night, and the children working alongside her. The garden spot was between the house and the barn and also across the street from the house. They raised wonderful cantaloupes, tomatoes, corn and large striped watermelons. They would pick out the very best and take it to the stores in St. George to sell. A lot of their livelihood depended on what they could raise and what Milo could peddle. Afton their son wrote “We would eat what was in season. Corn for breakfast and corn for dinner. If we had beans, we had beans twice a day. Once a month, we went to St. George to the old Ice House and got 25 pounds of ice and made ice cream. We would buy a loaf of bread at the bakery. We would eat the bread with the ice cream just like it was cake."
Milo also continued to haul wood from the mountains when he had the time. This was not only for their own use, but also for sale. The red sand was really deep and got very hot in the summer and one night as Milo was returning from a wood trip, it got dark. As he neared home, the horses could not pull the load any further, so he finally unhitched them and went on home. Upon his return the next morning, he found that the road had washed out and there were holes where his horses had struggled to pull the wagon. Eventually, they were able to acquire a 1929 Chevy Coupe and made a rack for the back to do the peddling in. This was a much faster, easier way to travel.
Afton remembers, “When they were building the old highway, the men were working with their teams of horses. Pa and Reuben were using a horse-drawn road grader and Ed Tobler used a horse drawn scraper." It was Milo’s sons, Afton and Vendon’s job to be the water boys for this project. They would walk rather than ride their horses back and forth because it was so cold. They could keep warm better walking than they could while riding a horse. Afton remembered how chapped the sides of their legs would get since the water bags were wet and would rub against the sides of their legs as they walked. He also remembered that they worked all winter on that road.
By 1931, two more boys were added to the family, Irvin and Kay. With the addition of more children it became necessary for the two older boys to sleep outside. They slept under a horse blanket and there were even times when they would wake up with snow on the blanket. Then after a while they got a “lean to” they slept under and then they slept in an old discarded bus.
Milo was the water master for many years and would check on the Winsor Dam, while doing this he became very good friends with the Shivwits Band of Paiutes especially with Tony Tillahash and Stewart Snow. The Milo Ence family has always felt that it was a special honor when Stewart Snow asked to speak at Milo’s funeral to represent the Paiute Band.
Industry and thriftiness is something they grew up learning from their parents. They tried their hand at many projects, some they enjoyed and others not as much. They tried their hand at raising sugar cane and making it into molasses. They also decided to try raising turkeys for a few years. But with the coyotes, weather, and moving the turkeys from one place to the next, it became too burdensome. Their first cattle permit was an 18 head permit, their son Vendon said, “It always amazed him when they were out riding for the cattle, Pa could call and the cows would come right out of the trees for him.” The cattle round up and drive was long and hard, but a time the boys could all enjoy together. But one of Milo’s favorite jobs was being the school bus driver. He drove the school bus for 25 years and everyone loved him dearly.
Unfortunately in December 1957, Milo passed away leaving a sad family and a very sad wife. Lillie continued to live in Ivins for the remainder of her life. She was always active and would walk to the post office each day to get the mail, and she would stop in to visit with Lula or Mata or any of the other women in Ivins. Sometimes the women would go on little drives together. She also loved spending time with her family. Irvin and Kay remember Christmas at Ma and Pa’s house, “As the family grew and the house didn’t, we were really packed in, but that did not matter. We loved being together."
Written by Cherise Ence Spencer April 2023, Vol. 23 Issue 4 Ivins Newletter