When Train Came, Charlie was just Hangin’ Around

This article was published in the Arizona Newspaper

When Train Came, Charlie was just Hangin’ Around
By Kenneth Arline

Once upon a time, a motorcycle and a train had a near head on collision on the railroad bridge across the Salt River in Tempe. Charles M. Lewis, who will soon be 84, well remembers the near tragedy. He was piloting the motorcycle.
Before going into the details of how Lewis eluded the train, permit me to tell you something about the man. He was born in an adobe house east of Mesa on Sept. 13, 1890.
His father was a rancher and Charles Lewis’ earliest recollections are “working from sunrise, to sunset.” He also remembers Indians with their bows and arrows, riding across the desert on their ponies, looking for rabbits.
One of his first paying jobs was working in a cantaloupe field for $2.50 a day. “Five dollars pay every two days looked awful good to me,” Lewis said.
On or before Lewis was 18, he put together $225 and acquired a 3-horsepower motorcycle from a dealer in Phoenix.
“He took me out by the Indian School and tried to teach me how to ride it.” Lewis said. “I remember taking one big spill.”
By the time Lewis had driven the cycle to his home in Mesa, he “really knew how to ride it.” No license was necessary. He added: “They didn’t know what a driver’s license was in those days.”
When Theodore Roosevelt came to the Valley in March 1911 to dedicate the dam named in his honor, Charles Lewis and another Mesa'n rode their cycles over the Apache Trail to attend the dedication ceremony.
The trip to the dam was made without incident, but coming back, Lewis had trouble climbing a portion of the roadway about 10 miles west of Roosevelt. W.S. Dorman who lived southwest of Mesa, came by in his automobile and offered to help me with a rope, Lewis said.
“About 20 feet from the top a wheel of the cycle hit a rock and I fell off. Dorman dragged the cycle on up to the top but didn’t damage it.”
When he reached Fish Creek, Lewis bedded down for the night, on the ground about 100 feet from the Fish Creek Inn. “There was a big hotel there at the time.” He said. “People riding the stages between Globe and Phoenix would stop there for the night.”
The next morning, Lewis and two other cycle riders maneuvered their machines up Fish Creek Hill. “We got up the hill by dismounting while the machines were still in motion and running along side,” Lewis explained. “On reaching the top, we had clear sailing on into Mesa.”
Lewis then told about his “worst scare”- the near tragedy on the railroad bridge.
“I believe it was before the ride to Roosevelt,” Lewis said. “Riding across the bridge was easy if you were going fast enough—15 or 16 miles an hour. The spaces between the ties didn’t matter. It was like riding a plank.”
“This one time, I was headed toward Phoenix. When I got to the middle of the bridge, I saw a train coming around the corner on the north end of the bridge. All I could do was stop the cycle, jump off and climb out on one of those big concrete piers. I held on to the machine, while one wheel rested on the concrete. I managed to hang on until the train had passed, but boy that motorcycle was getting pretty heavy by then.”
Lewis said he gave up motorcycling when he married. He is the father of five children, who have given him 105 grand and great grandchildren.

Grandpa Charles Martin Lewis Always liked having a garden, when he was older he had a very small one, just so he could have a garden. Later in life, he was helping work in an orange orchard and one of the tree limbs hit his eye, and blinded him in that eye.

Pictures

Charles Martin Lewis and Rose Millet Lewis

Charles Martin Lewis

Charles Martin Lewis son of Elmer Ellsworth Lewis and Anna Rebecca Fellows was born September 13, 1890 in Mesa Arizona in the home of his Fellows Grandparents. 1 mile east 1/2 mile south of town. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair.
Many are his memories of childhood day at his grandparent’s farm in Iowa and their own farm. His older brother Eddie had died as an infant, but when he was 10 years old his mother had another baby, a little sister Annie to play with.
Charlie was baptized in an irrigation ditch by Bishop Horne when he was 8 years old. He began his schooling at Lincoln School riding to and from school on his little pony. Miss Blanche Macarthur and Miss Coplan were his first teachers.
Just after his second year of school he went east to Iowa with his parents to visit his Lewis grandparents. He enjoyed hunting and fishing with his father and grandfather.
He also attended school while in Iowa. They had gone back there to live but when the snows came in the fall and they were snowed in his Father decided to return to Arizona. He remembers well the happy days spent with his grandparents and especially the day that Grandfather drove them to the train, 11 or 18 miles away in a wagon. They had to stop every few minutes to clean mud off the wheels.
Well he remembers his first introduction to sleet. As he came home from a party one evening he stepped on the icy snow and scooted a good distance.
His grandparent’s farm was on a hillside and they used to gather blackberries and wild pineapples there. His grandfather was tall and slender (170 p ounds) his grandmother was a fleshy woman over 200 pounds.
After their return from Iowa they moved into the 40 acre home where his mother now lives, in January 1900. They lived in a small home part of which still stands until their new home was completed in March 1922.
He started his third grade of school at Alma School west of Mesa; Mary Millet (Davis) was his teacher. He graduated from eighth grade in 1906 and attended one year of high school.
When 17 years old he bought a motorcycle and rode it to Buckeye on the 24th of July.
On Christmas day 1909 his cousin Ernest McCaulla wanted him to go to a Rodeo in Phoenix. He asked Miss Emma Johnson to go with him. Poor Ernest’s lady friend was a society lady, and Ernest had to sit and eat sandwiches a\with her while Charlie and Emma had a nice turkey dinner. It was a grand time but they missed their train home and were very late returning.
He married Miss Emma Vilate Johnson on September 13, 1910 in the house of their parents, but they immediately afterward took a honeymoon trip to Salt Lake City for a temple marriage. There were 4 young couples who made the trip to Salt Lake by Train. While he was in Salt Lake Charlie received his Patriarchal blessing from James H. Martineau, Emma’s grandfather.
His blessing promised him he should have the power to stop bleeding. In later years his sister Rita had been sick of ulcers of the stomach for over a month, hemorrhaging heavily. The doctor had given up hope for her. Charlie went to her and administered to her. The doctor hadn’t expected her to live 2 days and was indeed surprised when he returned to find the bleeding had stopped and she was gaining strength. She is alive today.
Emma and Charlie lived on the 20 acres east of his parents for one year, and then moved into a little two room home they had built on their 20 acres west of his fathers land.
God blessed them with a son, Eddie Charles, September 18, 1913 and a daughter Marjorie, December 25, 1916.
They had moved into their new 5 room home on the same 20 acres before the arrival of their second son, Samuel Sheldon on July 4, 1918.
It was a very happy little family of five living on their little farm and many were the happy hours the parents and children spent together. They often worked together on the farm and in the evenings spent hours listening to the delightful stories mother told.
Along with his farming Charlie owned a 3 Threshers and for 10 years he made a good living threshing for others until he lost his thresher in a fire.
The happiness of this little family was shattered when in April 1920 the mother died from appendicitis, leaving the lonely devoted husband with his three little children.
Charlie found peace in his church work. He was second counselor in Sunday school for 2 years. (1921-1922) and he also took part in genealogy work.
In 1922 he became counselor in Mutual and in August 1922 he was chaperoning a crowd of men and Gleaners on a Mutual Excursion to the cool mountains. He so arranged it that Miss Rose Millet should ride with him and the next day they went walking and later, he asked her to dance.
On December 25, 1922 Miss Rose Millet became his wife and they moved into their newly remodeled home where Rose made a very happy home for him and his three children. Charlie and Rose were blessed with a daughter, Rose Ione on June 29, 1924 only to have her called home on January 10, 1925.
On Aug 22, 1926 twins were born to them, Verdine, and Verdell. They were blessed to keep only one of the twins, Verdene.
Eddie, Marjorie, and Sammie loved little sister Verdene so much and were just as happy when a little brother arrived July 3, 1933.
On July 2, 1934 Charlie’s father died after a painful illness.

His daughter Marjorie married Joseph Lee Brown, March 8, 1935 and Eddie married Verna Bushman September 17, 1935.
During the next few years Charlie farmed and worked on the State Highway near Fish Creek and Roosevelt Dam. October 12, 1938 his son Samuel and Ellenor Clark were married.
Charlie had been a member of the High Priest Quorum of Mesa Fourth ward for several years and happy that his three married children had temple marriages.
In 1942 he went to work for the Government as Jr. Aircraft mechanic at Williams Field. Later he was given charge of the tool department of Reclamation department there. He is a sincere hard working man. His big aim is happiness for his family-and he has truly been a companion to his sons. Bad luck has given him financial difficulties and he is straining every effort to clear every thing. Besides his work of 8 hour shifts at Williams Field he has been buying calves at auctions in Phoenix and raising them and besides that, farming his 20 acres that he may progress as best possible. May God give him the health to succeed. On September 5, 1943 he was presented with “twin” grandsons. One the son of his daughter Marjorie and the other the son of his son Sammie. The grandsons being born just a few hours apart, both in Mesa.
This gives him 11 grandchildren.
The grandchildren being:
Eddie’s-Marilyn, Shirlene, and Wayne
Marjorie’s- Charles Lee, Marge Ann, Karl, Joe, and Phillip
Sam’s-Elaine, Sammie Jr. and Dannie

Christmas vacation 1943 Charlie and his wife Rose and son and daughter Verdine and Clyde motored to El Paso Texas where they were very welcomed by their son Eddie, Verna, Shirlene and Wayne , who were living there wile Eddie was foreman of Reclamation Department at Bigg’s Field. All of Charlie’s children and Grandchildren are truly devoted to him.


Aug 28, 1957
Verdene married Rulon Rogers and they have 10 sweet children. Clyde was married to LaRae Cunningham Aug 30, 1956. Eddie and family live in Albuquerque they are the only ones not living near home. Charlies grandchildren now total 25.