The History of the Johnson Ranch, pt 7

Everett and Margaret

Everett attended the local Sodergreen school, firishing the eighth grade, then attended University High School, graduating in 1939. While in high school, he stayed in Laramie during the week, first with his grandmother Johnson and later at a boarding and rooming house run by people named Taylor. He always looked forward to getting home on weekends, though.

He enrolled at the University of Wyoming and had attended two years when World War II changed everyone's lives. In June of 1942, he enlisted in the Army and spent 3 1/2 years in the service,. much of the time in the European Theater of Operations as a radio repair technician. Following the end of the War in 1945, he returned home and enrolled at the University under the G. I. Bill, graduating in June, 1948 from the College of Agriculture with a major in Agronomy.

In the meantime, in 1946, he and Margaret Eaton from Veteran (WY), a student in pre-med, met at Annie Moore's Boarding House at 9th and University. Margaret graduated in 1946 but their interest in each other deepened and on March 7, 1947, between quarters at the University, they were married in the Baptist Church in Torrington, WY.

Following graduation, Everett took a job teaching the "On the Ranch Training Program for Veterans", a job which he held for four years until the program was discontinued. After renting for a couple of years, he and Margaret bought a house in Laramie.

In 1952, when they decided to move to the ranch, they sold their house. Everett had been paid $400/month and they had saved from that. The house had cost approximately $9,000 (two bedroom with unfinished basement tract house) and they had finished the basement and planted the lawn. In 1952, it sold for $12,000. With the margin on the house and what they had saved, they built a small, modern two-bedroom house for Wes and Geil and they moved with children Joyce and David into the older, larger ranch house. By hiring a carpenter and Wes and Everett doing a lot of the work, the new house was built for about $6,ooo.

The two families lived on the ranch for twenty-one years, working through the ups and downs of the economy, going throuzh drought and normal years, and raising the children who knew the pleasure of having grandparents as a part of their lives.

The author has not described all of the community and organization work the Johnson families have been involved in. When there' was a need, they were there, as were many ranch families, giving their best and Everett and Margaret continue to be active in organizations and community activities.

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