Home Care In Koosharem, UT

If you can pronounce THESE UTAH TOWN NAMES correctly... You're DEFINITELY a Utah Native!

Tooele:

Too-Will-Uh.

This is one that music stars struggle with the most. Especially because Country Fan Fest happens in Tooele every summer. It's not TOO-LEE. It's TOO-WILL-UH.

Koosharem:

Kuh-Sher-Rum.

Koosharem is pretty much the middle of NOWHERE, but it's NOT Koo-SHARE-EM!

Levan:

Luh-Van.

Do you know why it's called Levan? Because it's NAVEL backwards. As in Belly Button. As in the MIDDLE of the state. There you go!

Kanosh:

Kuh-Nosh.

No clue where this one came from. But it's not Can-ish it's Kuh-NOSH.

Moab:

Mo-Abb.

People get this one wrong A LOT. People always assume it's pronounced MOBE.

Hurricane:

Hurr-Ickin.

Don't you DARE get this one wrong. It's not the way it's spelled. It's also kind of bizarre that it's not pronounced like Hurri-CANE! It was named after the windy weather!

Kanab:

Kuh-Nabb.

All the time people pronounce this place as Kuh-NOBB. NO!

Kamas:

Kam-Muss.

This one is the hardest for me to remember. People think it's Kam-muss, kay-muss, or Kawmuss.

Manti:

Man-Tie.

This one should be pretty self-explanatory, but usually people think it's Man-Tee. NOPE!

Duchesne:

Doo-Shane.

It's NOT Do-Chesney! This one is tough, I'll give you a pass on this one!

Escalante:

Ess-Kuh-Lant OR Ess-Kuh-Lant-Tee

Truthfully speaking... I don't think anyone knows the ACTUALLY pronunciation of this place, because I always hear it BOTH WAYS!

Paragonah:

Pair-Uh-Goon-Uh.

I need to find the real reason Paragonah is named Paragonah. It sounds like a gibberish word!

Scipio:

Sip-E-O.

Of course... It's NOT SKIPPY-O. But actually... I think that would be more fun!

Black & White Utah License Plate... HOW TO GET IT NOW!

Here in Utah, we have the BEST license plate in the game... The Arches plate. Orange, Blue, White. GORGEOUS. But all the sudden, we suddenly have THE TOUGHEST plate of all time: Black & White! And you can get it on your car today!

I saw this from Twitter user: @SplashNephew where he posted these new Black & White plates on his Volvo (Below).

Twitter blew up with people wondering HOW? How can we all get these plates on our cars? Firstly: These are special plates that require annual contributions to the Utah Historical Society. Meaning, you will pay $25 for an initial contribution, and $25/year as an annual contribution. Here is a STEP BY STEP on HOW to get these plates!

These plates, NO DOUBT, will start showing up all over the place, so get yours today! I'm THRILLED these are finally available in Utah!

Wow! Utah's Next License Plates??

Utah's license plates are... OKAY. The Arches plate is AMAZING, but the others? Ehh...

I decided to design the NEXT license plates for MY HOME STATE: Utah!

1. The Dixie Plate:

There's not a chance this thing will fly, but I want it! I'd have it tomorrow! Fairly simple, but gives the St. George Pride Vibe with the sunset behind it. Showing clear skies that we get nearly everyday in St. George.

2. Modern Utah Jazz Plate:No. Forget what I said on the Dixie Plate. I would have THIS ONE on my car tomorrow! The Jazz just did a whole new rebrand and they're keeping it simple. Bright yellow with the black. It pops. I love this plate!

3. The Beehive Plate:

The Beehive State, The Beehive Plate. An actual hive in the background with gooey honey running behind the numbers. This one would be the most UNIQUE plate in the world, and I'm kind of crazy about it!

4. The Elk Plate:

This ones for all the dudes out there. The Elk is the state animal of Utah, and I know there would be TONS of back-country folk that would sport this bad boy! Come on!

5. The Fry Sauce Plate:

Our most VALUABLE resource: Fry Sauce! It's a Utah staple, and it's GLORIOUS! In Fry Sauce We Trust!

6. The Califutah Plate.

This one is made for all those Californian's moving to Utah and trying to turn Utah into California. It's essentially the California license plate with Utah instead of California... Just to make them a little more comfy here.

See! It's a dead ringer! They'd LOVE IT!

Who do we need to send these to? Let's have the MOST AWESOME plates in the nation! Come on, Utah!

The Beginning Farmer Institute is a free, year-long program by the National Farmers Union that helps those new to agriculture.

Starting a farm comes with risks.

After long careers in the military and education, Troy and Annette Allan, 47, knew this when they opened their Utah fiber mill during the pandemic. They often heard the assumption that most new agricultural operations don't survive even two years. But becoming students of the Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) gave them the confidence to push through the unknown.

"Although we grew up in agriculture settings, neither of us were [and] neither of our families were in agriculture," said Troy. "So we said, if we're going to do agriculture, we better get some education."

Applications remain open through December 1, 2021, for BFI, a free, year-long program by the National Farmers Union that helps those new to agriculture navigate the industry with business knowledge and practices.

"It's very difficult for beginning farmers to get their operation up off the ground or to take over the family farm if they aren't properly educated in business," said Emma Lindberg, senior director of education and programming at National Farmers Union. "They might totally understand how to do the actual day-to-day farm operation, but the taxes, the accounting, all the business side of things can be difficult and hard to manage for somebody who's just starting out."

Having an entrepreneurial edge is critical, especially with the rise of consolidation where larger farming operations make it harder for smaller farms to survive. This is the case in states like Wisconsin, which lost an average of one dairy farm a day last year. These circumstances can make it difficult for even multigenerational operations to flourish.

"My husband also grew up on a dairy farm, not far from here," said Danielle Endvick, a BFI alumna. "And I guess we both kind of thought when we were kids that this is what we would do forever. But it just kind of was one of those situations where my dad had kind of pulled me into the milk house one day and said, 'I don't see a future for you in this.'"

It wasn't long before her family sold their dairy farm in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. Still, Endvick never really divorced herself from her childhood dream of continuing what her family had started. In 2015 under a land contract, Endivck was able to buy back her family farm. It was good to return home, but she knew that she and her husband would have to chart a new path to get the farm up and running again. After a few years of experimenting with a beef herd, they joined BFI's 2019 cohort.

"It's just really inspiring to be in a group of farmers who are really trying to reenvision what the American agriculture system is going to look like and to have all of that inspiration and just try and charge forward and do good things for our communities," Endvick said.

The program emphasizes the diversity of their cohort, where multigenerational dairy farmers will find themselves alongside first-time hemp farmers, beekeepers, CSA (community supported agriculture) farmers with 2 acres of land, or farmers who grow produce in the city. Together and with support of various partners, they learn how to strengthen the business side of their operations and get insight into land access, sustainable farming practices, insurance, finding skilled labor, and food safety. The goal is to strengthen and empower American agriculture, Lindberg said.

"We want to start having our beef and our pork and all of our products coming from America," BFI's Lindberg said. "We want to be buying from American farmers, and we want to be able to give our farmers the support they need to be competitive in those markets, to reach consumers and have a really good end product."

After 14 months of operation in Koosharem, Utah, the Allans have already been able to bring that reality closer to home after being a part of the 2020-2021 cohort. They limit processing waste and have started collaborating with local multigenerational sheep farmers who were eager to produce their own products with their wool rather than send their wool overseas for processing, never to be seen again.

"We've helped, I don't know how many of our local sheep farmers, be able to get their wool processed, and they've started online businesses selling products from their wool," said Annette. "We've seen them cry. They come in and they rub [the processed wool] down their face."

The risky jump into agriculture was worth it, beyond the cost and labor, said Troy. Every final ball of yarn or textile is a tangible round of applause for sheep farmers, past and present.

"All of a sudden we hand them a product and we say, 'This is worth so much. You are worth so much.' And I think that's what it's about. It's about community, about building people, about taking care of our environment and making a difference … it's one of the greatest challenges I've ever had to do, but I love it."

To learn more or to apply for BFI's 2021-2022 program, visit their website.

Utah has some BIZARRE names, that are TOTALLY hard to pronounce and spell!

Do you ever wonder where these names come from?! Some of these places have some REALLY AWESOME stories as to where the names came from!

Tooele:

Many don't know this, but in the 1853, Tooele was actually spelled Tuilla. A MUCH easier spelling for the pronunciation! Some believe Tooele was named after Goshute Chief Tuilla, while others believe it's just a completely made up word. I guess maybe we'll never know!

Toquerville:

Again, this one has Native American Roots! Toquerville was named after Piute Chief Toquer! These town names are suddenly way cooler than we ever even knew!

Duchesne:

This is another town name that we're not SUPER clear on... But there are TWO possible reasons! There was once a French fur trapper named Du Chasne, who worked in the area in the 1830s! The other possible reason is the Ute Word Ute word "doo shane" means Dark Canyon!

Escalante:

Escalante has a bizarre name... Mostly because I regularly pronounce it TWO separate ways, Es-Kuh-Lant or Es-Kuh-Lanty. However the name comes from a Franciscan missionary, Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, who was part of an expedition to Southern Utah in 1776.

Kanab:

Kanab is known as "Little Hollywood" for all the Westerns that were filmed in the area! But what about the ACTUAL name Kanab? Well Kanab is actually a Piute word for "place of willows." These willows grow along the banks of the creek in Kanab.

Kanosh:

Ever been to Kanosh? Me neither! But the name comes from Ute Chief Kanosh. He started a farm in the area in the 1800's and was very friendly to the mormon settlers. He invited them to form a town, and eventually converted to the LDS church!

Koosharem:

I've actually been to Koosharem before. It's TINY and located really close to Fish Lake. But what does Koosharem even mean? Well, it's a Piute word for a "clover". Lots of clovers grow in the meadows there!

La Verkin:

La Verkin is ANOTHER big mystery as to where the name came from, BUT we do have some ideas! One idea is that La Verkin was originally from the Spanish word "La Virgen", as it's located on the Virgin River. Another idea is that there was a map with the spelling mistake of "LeaverSkin," which eventually just morphed into La Verkin.

You're DEFINITELY From Utah If You Can Pronounce These Towns Correctly

If you can pronounce THESE UTAH TOWN NAMES correctly... You're DEFINITELY a Utah Native!

Tooele:

Too-Will-Uh.

This is one that music stars struggle with the most. Especially because Country Fan Fest happens in Tooele every summer. It's not TOO-LEE. It's TOO-WILL-UH.

Koosharem:

Kuh-Sher-Rum.

Koosharem is pretty much the middle of NOWHERE, but it's NOT Koo-SHARE-EM!

Levan:

Luh-Van.

Do you know why it's called Levan? Because it's NAVEL backwards. As in Belly Button. As in the MIDDLE of the state. There you go!

Kanosh:

Kuh-Nosh.

No clue where this one came from. But it's not Can-ish it's Kuh-NOSH.

Moab:

Mo-Abb.

People get this one wrong A LOT. People always assume it's pronounced MOBE.

Hurricane:

Hurr-Ickin.

Don't you DARE get this one wrong. It's not the way it's spelled. It's also kind of bizarre that it's not pronounced like Hurri-CANE! It was named after the windy weather!

Kanab:

Kuh-Nabb.

All the time people pronounce this place as Kuh-NOBB. NO!

Kamas:

Kam-Muss.

This one is the hardest for me to remember. People think it's Kam-muss, kay-muss, or Kawmuss.

Manti:

Man-Tie.

This one should be pretty self-explanatory, but usually people think it's Man-Tee. NOPE!

Duchesne:

Doo-Shane.

It's NOT Do-Chesney! This one is tough, I'll give you a pass on this one!

Escalante:

Ess-Kuh-Lant OR Ess-Kuh-Lant-Tee

Truthfully speaking... I don't think anyone knows the ACTUALLY pronunciation of this place, because I always hear it BOTH WAYS!

Paragonah:

Pair-Uh-Goon-Uh.

I need to find the real reason Paragonah is named Paragonah. It sounds like a gibberish word!

Scipio:

Sip-E-O.

Of course... It's NOT SKIPPY-O. But actually... I think that would be more fun!

Black & White Utah License Plate... HOW TO GET IT NOW!

Here in Utah, we have the BEST license plate in the game... The Arches plate. Orange, Blue, White. GORGEOUS. But all the sudden, we suddenly have THE TOUGHEST plate of all time: Black & White! And you can get it on your car today!

I saw this from Twitter user: @SplashNephew where he posted these new Black & White plates on his Volvo (Below).

Twitter blew up with people wondering HOW? How can we all get these plates on our cars? Firstly: These are special plates that require annual contributions to the Utah Historical Society. Meaning, you will pay $25 for an initial contribution, and $25/year as an annual contribution. Here is a STEP BY STEP on HOW to get these plates!

These plates, NO DOUBT, will start showing up all over the place, so get yours today! I'm THRILLED these are finally available in Utah!

Wow! Utah's Next License Plates??

Utah's license plates are... OKAY. The Arches plate is AMAZING, but the others? Ehh...

I decided to design the NEXT license plates for MY HOME STATE: Utah!

1. The Dixie Plate:

There's not a chance this thing will fly, but I want it! I'd have it tomorrow! Fairly simple, but gives the St. George Pride Vibe with the sunset behind it. Showing clear skies that we get nearly everyday in St. George.

2. Modern Utah Jazz Plate: No. Forget what I said on the Dixie Plate. I would have THIS ONE on my car tomorrow! The Jazz just did a whole new rebrand and they're keeping it simple. Bright yellow with the black. It pops. I love this plate!

3. The Beehive Plate:

The Beehive State, The Beehive Plate. An actual hive in the background with gooey honey running behind the numbers. This one would be the most UNIQUE plate in the world, and I'm kind of crazy about it!

4. The Elk Plate:

This ones for all the dudes out there. The Elk is the state animal of Utah, and I know there would be TONS of back-country folk that would sport this bad boy! Come on!

5. The Fry Sauce Plate:

Our most VALUABLE resource: Fry Sauce! It's a Utah staple, and it's GLORIOUS! In Fry Sauce We Trust!

6. The Califutah Plate.

This one is made for all those Californian's moving to Utah and trying to turn Utah into California. It's essentially the California license plate with Utah instead of California... Just to make them a little more comfy here.

See! It's a dead ringer! They'd LOVE IT!

Who do we need to send these to? Let's have the MOST AWESOME plates in the nation! Come on, Utah!

Survival in the Wild West once depended on tight-knit communities of skilled people willing to work hard. The value of their currency was in their word and their skills. We set out to central Utah to speak to a mountain man and a cowboy who still live by these values.

Wayne County, Utah— there are no major employers or industries. Here there are very few “good jobs” or even careers. People manage to get by with less. Miles from big freeways, there are no big towns. Towns reveal their smallness by their weird names: Bicknell, Loa, Lyman and Koosharem. Developers don’t invest in Wayne County. Instead, people seem to happily accept their lives of hard work, making much less money than city folk. So, why do people choose to live here?

“Because this is the greatest place on earth. These are the best people you will find anywhere.” James Barney explains succinctly. After a tour of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, James has moved back home to Koosharem to raise his family in the very small town in which he grew up.

He found a bargain on a foreclosed home, and he has fixed it up for himself and his wife and three children. His twin brother, Tim, is working in California doing excavation trying to save enough to move back. And, his younger brother, Wayde, gets by with his wife, both taking whatever jobs come their way.

James’ father is Koosharem’s famous mountain man: Robert Barney. Barney raised James and his brothers without electricity and running water for about ten years. They lived in the mountains around Asay Creek. “I broke my boys by living in the mountains. We would catch fish. We lived right by a stream. By the time my boy was four-years-old, he would catch a mess of fish for his dinner.” Robert and his young boys learned how to live well, so when they had the opportunity to return to Koosharem he didn’t see any need to change things up.

Robert converted a pioneer grist mill into their cabin. The beams and trusses are old fir trees. Their water needs were satisfied using a barrel under the overflow of the town tank. “I had a fireplace with a 55-gallon drum on it. And when we would get home we would build a fire. Before supper, we would take baths. Then we would sit here in bed by the kerosene lamp and take turns reading a story,” says Barney.

Barney looks like he would be comfortable hanging out with Jim Bridger or Jedediah Smith. He uses his axe to chop a big log into kindling like an accomplished chef chops potatoes for a stew.

I first met Robert Barney four years ago. I found him a fascinating character so I wrote about him. Not knowing if he would ever read my story or if I would ever see him again, I assumed he was a recluse. But rolling into Koosharem to see if we might find him again, I found he is actually quite famous and social. And everyone knew about the story we wrote on him years ago.

Meeting Barney and touring his cabin resembles traveling through a time machine into a trapper’s cabin. “Do you wanna taste some bear ham?” In just seconds he has his cast iron skillet heated up. He pulls out a thick slice, and fries up each side a golden red-brown color. It’s slightly gamey and salty, but tender and satisfying. Barney sends us home with his beef jerky and elk sausage. I had not expected Barney to be a mountain game culinary genius. He also generously shares his food with folks in town both by giving his meat away to the needy and hosting huge cookouts using his massive fire pit and 22 Dutch ovens in which he usually cooks mutton.

Barney and his boys sustain themselves by hunting during the summer. But what do they do during the winter? Their favorite winter pastime is building an elaborate shed on the ice, spending all day ice fishing and pulling up huge fish. “You can’t believe the size of the fish you catch because you are right in the middle of the lake.” Barney has built a storage shed on his property specifically for their ice fishing implements and giant sled. Fishing and hunting, and the benefits of living in an area with such abundant game allow Barney to share the meat he processes with his neighbors. This is just his way of giving back to the community, which he says has given him so much.

“When I first came up here they accepted me right into their arms, even though they didn’t know me or remember me. And they were all good with the kids. The mercantile is kind of a hang-out. My mother’s cousin owned it at the time, and everybody gets all their information from there. But stopping in there, and everybody is really helpful. Every time one of your kids starts to do something that might be a little bit wrong you will get a phone call from somebody. ‘Your kids are up here, doing this or that.’ So the whole community helps raise all of the kids.”

While Robert has electricity now, it required an interesting argument which he describes.

“We lived here for four or five years without power. Then the church came, and the bishopric came and asked me, says, ‘Would you use power if you had it?’ I says, ‘we don’t need power, we get along fine without it’. And he says, ‘Would you use it if you had it?’ And I says ‘that’s one thing I don’t have to worry about because I don’t have it. So I don’t have to worry about using it.”

“But he says, ‘That’s not the point!’ He says, ‘if you had it, would you use it?’ And I says, ‘I reckon I would be pretty stupid not to.’” So, Barney has added power, running water and even an indoor toilet. We ask Barney’s son Wayde if he didn’t mind growing up without electricity. “It’s great! Power just ruins your life.”

Robert Barney has been employed at the Sorenson School for 17 years, and has slowly modernized his cabin. He now has a satellite TV, indoor toilet and electricity. But he still spends his free time chopping wood.

“Now when I get my permits for wood, the new lady says to me, ‘You must be a glutton for punishment.’ I said, ‘that ain’t punishment, that’s recreation. My fun time!’”

Utah Stories

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I am a story teller and journalist. I have a passion for farmers, local craftspeople, and folks who aspire to create, build and grow their business in the local marketplace. Why local? By supporting locally-owned businesses we create more opportunity for entrepreneurs, and we claim our sovereignty to shape our communities how we want to see them. I aspire to build Utah Stories Magazine into a household Utah name, and assist Utah businesses and makers with marketing. On the journalism side of things my passion is investigative journalism that offers true insight into issues. I believe strongly in the forth estate: strong, meaningful, insightful journalism is essential to a free market Democracy.

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CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — On a quiet, scenic ranch in central Utah’s Grass Valley, the certified trainers at Big Dog Academy are working to build unbreakable bonds between dogs and owners. They train service dogs along with emotional support animals for a variety of needs.

“Training a service dog is an intense program and takes a lot of time,” trainer Wayne Ogden said. “This is a commitment for both you and for us, as well as the dogs.”

One such owner is St. George resident Delaney Forsyth, who has epilepsy and can experience as many as 20-30 seizures in a month, sometimes as many as five or more a day. Earlier this year, she obtained an collie-heeler mix named Juice and contacted Big Dog Academy about enrolling him in service dog training.

Ogden said Juice underwent an evaluation and completed six weeks of pre-training in the winter. Afterward, he returned to Forsyth’s home for a month so they could continue bonding. Now almost 6 months old, he’s back at Big Dog Academy for the next phase of his program.

“He’s just a puppy and is a long way from being an accredited service dog, but he’s already helping her,” Ogden said.

Along with providing potentially lifesaving assistance, service dogs also lend a comforting paw to people with epilepsy and other medical conditions, as Forsyth said she discovered.

He did so amazing during my first seizure. At first he watched the convulsions really well; he watched my face and my hands and feet very closely. He was watching my mom and my sister move me around and he was scared at first, but he didn’t want to be away from me so he laid right against my back all stretched out.

He just stayed right there until I came out and never moved. When I started to come back more and more, I was able to turn over and he was there… He never licks but he was licking my hands to let me know he was with me!

Service dogs can be trained to do a variety of tasks for people with epilepsy, including barking to alert caregivers when a seizure occurs, moving to protect the person having a seizure or activating an alarm. The process takes anywhere from 8-14 months.

While training, dogs spend part of their time at Big Dog Academy and some time at home with their owner. Ogden said they receive plenty of opportunities to socialize with other dogs and people, getting accustomed to all the sights, sounds and smells of the real world.

All service dog training at Big Dog Academy is overseen by Ogden, who holds a 4,000-hour certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor. He has personally trained 13 service dogs from beginning to end and helped train hundreds more during his career.

Big Dog Academy trains medical service dogs for people with autism, diabetes, epilepsy and hearing loss. They also train dogs for therapy work and emotional support. Ogden said that while many clients start with puppies, older dogs can also be trained to provide assistance.

However, not all dogs are cut out for the program. Ogden said about 80% successfully complete training, adding that the ones who fail aren’t “bad” dogs; they just don’t have the aptitude for service work.

Ogden said Big Dog Academy is a more financially attainable alternative to other service dog programs that sell the dogs along with the training. Many of those organizations have a waiting list years long and may charge several thousand dollars.

Along with service dog training, Big Dog Academy offers 30-day customizable boarding and basic training or puppy training packages. The unique training facility encompasses several hundred acres along with a massive indoor boarding kennel. Dogs are picked up and delivered back home at no cost in the Utah, Nevada and Colorado region.

The certified trainers at Big Dog Academy follow love-based and praise-based instruction methods to develop obedience fundamentals, as well as addressing deeper behavioral issues like aggression. Dogs receive exercise, entertainment, socialization and play along with training at the ranch. They’re kept busy from sunrise to sundown.

Whether clients are looking for intensive service training or just to help their pooch become a better pet, Big Dog Academy is dog training made easy with one-of-a-kind programs.

“We’re very patient and understanding with both the client and the dog,” Ogden said. “We’re eager to do whatever we can for whoever we can.”

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.

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