Language that marks a generation

There are bits of information unique to Virgin Valley. Places, names, events, glossary of terms, and such that can tend to validate and identify a valley “Old Timer”.

Glossary and Pronunciations

Harse: horse, Barn: born, Carn: corn, Spud: Potato, Spug: Sparrow, Flipper:  A small catapult made from the croch of a limb, two strips of rubber inner tube and a patch of leather. Pummer: Pomegranate, Ameetun: a meeting, Heist: move or shift over, Abit: a little more, Pragress: Progress, Mugwamp: fence sitter, mug on one side of the fence, wamp on the other side, Oose: The soft inside of a Joshua Cactus. It was used as soap for washing clothes. Sidehillgillywampus: a large man-eating lizard with legs shorter on one side  than the other, enabling it to run around the side of hills very fast. Known to frequent the hills above Bunkerville on moonless nights, especially at family camping spots or Boy Scout camping sites. Stint: A measure of distance about 20 feet. Used when cleaning the  Irrigation canals in Virgin Valley. Pige Fit: An extreme temper tantrum. Bottle Stopper: A sour-tasting plant growing on the side of the gravel hills in the spring time. Sand Gates: Sand gates are places along the irrigation canals in Virgin Valley where gates are placed in the side of the canal to open and flush the sand out of the canal back into the river. Slew: A marsh or water soaked land overgrown with cat tails and reeds.

games

Ring Balsam: A game of marbles using a circle scratched into the soil. Willers: A game of hide and seek played at night. A fire was home base, The person designated “IT” carried a long supple willow and could whip the person found until he jumped over the fire. Mumble peg: A game using a pocketknife and throwing the knife to peg in the ground near the opponent’s feet. Player must move their foot next to the knife. When a person can’t spread their legs any further, the other person wins the game.

Names of places

The Lane: A road in Mesquite now called Smokey Lane & Leavitt Lane. Also, the road from town to the old Bunkerville Welfare Farm. The Narrows: Virgin River Gorge Devil’s Gate: A narrow canyon between rock cliffs below the Seeps Springs in the Bunkerville Mountains. Dud Spring: A spring of water in the Bunkerville Mountains named after Dudley Leavitt. Hen’s Spring: A spring of water in the Bunkerville Mountains named after Henry Leavitt. Weir Grass Spring: An artesian spring on top of Bunkerville Mountains named after Weir Leavitt. The Corner: The sharp corner of Mesquite Blvd and Sandhill Blvd. JL’s: Bowler’s Department store on Mesquite Blvd. Cabin: A camping spot in the Bunkerville Mountains above Mesquite. There is a small stream of water in fall, winter and spring. White Rock: Same place as Cabin. A large white wedge of granite is on the east side of the canyon, just above the Cabin campsite. Sam’s Camp: A wide place in the canyon above Cabin campsite.  Sam Darling, an old miner from Bunkerville had a small cabin here while he prospected in the mountains. Taglo: A mine on the east side of Sam’s Camp. Petrified Springs or Little Jamaica:  A mineral springs above Littlefield, Arizona on the east side of the Virgin River. Across the river from Beaver Dam Wash. Mormon Wells: A place up Beaver Dam Wash from Beaver Dam about 4 miles. There are many cottonwood trees and the old foundations of a stagecoach stop and an old school. Davidson’s Grave: A gravesite along the old California Trail near Toquop Wash. A Moapa Valley family named Davidson died along the trail when their buggy broke down and they ran out of water.  Their young boy was sent on the horse to find water at Mormon Wells.  Littlefield residents were cleaning out the well when the horse stumbled to the water. They followed the horses tracks and found the young lad dead on the trail. They continued along the trail and found his parents both dead at their buggy.