On Saturday, April 4th I had the
opportunity to attend Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center and
what an opportunity it was! As soon as we (my wife, our 3-year old, and myself)
had bought our tickets, we were transported back to life on a farm during the
late 1800s to early 1900s. This experience included a demonstration of an
original table saw, a blacksmith shop, and a reenactment of a homestead, among
many more things pertaining to farm life. And the best part; the baby animals! For
only $25 for the family, it added up to a fantastic afternoon.
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| American West Heritage Center |
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| Entering Baby Animal Days at AWHC |
Out
of all of the attractions, I was most taken in by the homestead that offered a
look into the way things used to be on a farm. “Back in those days most things
took burning a lot of wood, and that’s exactly how we still do it here,” said
Chance Getz, who was operating the original table saw. After filling us in he
slipped us a few lengths of his fresh cut lumber and told us to trade them for
a few cookies in the kitchen. Sure enough, when we got there two women in
aprons and bonnets were hard at work, cooking snicker doodles over a
wood-burning stove. We also learned at the homestead that many farms had
another “summer” kitchen separate from the house. It was used during the summer
due to the unimaginable heat one had to endure just to cook a meal. It was very
educational to see people reenacting all the tasks dressed in the style of the
period. It makes you appreciate all the comforts we have now!
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| The motor used to power one of the original table saws |
After
getting our cookies we stopped by the blacksmith. There we saw a young man heating
up metal until it was red hot and then pound it into a horseshoe. Something
that seems so simple was quite a difficult chore back then. All of the people
who worked and volunteered there did such a great job of teaching us about, and
reenacting, early 20th century farm life. After asking if they had to hire on a lot of help, Sarah Gunnell, an
employee, informed me that although all of the American West Heritage Center’s
regular employees work on the Baby Animal Days event, they still rely heavily
on the help of volunteers in carrying it out. The organization did an
incredible job of drawing dedicated and enthusiastic people to help put on this
experience.
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| The homestead- the blacksmith can be seen on the left in the distance |
As
far as the main attraction (all the baby animals) went, it was no less fun than
the homestead portion of the farm. They had calves, colts, piglets, and even
baby bears for us to pet. Kamden, our 3-year old, loved it! He couldn’t get
enough of the little piglets. We were also able to hold some ducklings and
chicks. All the little baby animals were definitely on of the great perks of
life on the farm in those times. I further asked Sarah Gunnell if all of the
baby animals were theirs, or if local farmers provided some, or all, of them.
She replied, “We own most of the animals that are part of Baby Animal Days. We do borrow and purchase some animals from local farmers. Willow Park Zoo & Yellowstone Bear World provided animals for exhibit and then took them back home after the main event." It was obvious that they put a lot of work into giving everyone who attended the best experience they could.
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| Baby piglets |
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| Holding the baby ducklings |
The whole day was so educational and even nostalgic at times. It had me longing for the days when life was so much simpler. However, all the hard work we saw displayed wasn’t nearly as appealing and gave us a lot more appreciation for those who came before us. Sarah Gunnell, whom I asked how large Baby Animal Days is for them relative to all of their other events, said that it was their largest and most successful event of the year. It’s easy to believe. The American West Heritage Center’s mission statement is to “create an educational and entertaining environment that inspires our patrons to live, learn, and celebrate the American West Heritage by exploring the diverse cultures that shaped the Cache Valley and surrounding region from 1820 to 1920” (Poppleton). Based on this, Baby Animal Days was a huge success and any wanting to have this experience should attend.
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| One of the original table saws |
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| The baby horse |
Additional Information
Baby Animal Days is put on once a year around the beginning of spring at the American West Heritage Center. It is located at 4025 S. Hwy. 89-91 in Wellsville, Utah. Although Baby Animal Days is over, many more events take place throughout the year and can be found on their website, www.awhc.org.
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| My wife, Kamden, and I riding the train at Baby Animal Days |
Sources:
Getz, Chance. Personal Interview. 4 April 2015.
Gunnell, Sarah. "Re: Baby Animal Days." Message to the author. 20 April 2015. E-mail.
Poppleton, Ethan. AWHC. American West Heritage Center, 2012. Web. 13 April 2015.
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