Robert and his wife, Annie, moved west with their two
children on March 31, 1881. They were bound for the famed wheat fields of
Washington. They reached Cokeville, Wyoming about eight months later. The
family stayed the winter in Cokeville and Robert worked at getting lumber
and making railroad ties for the Union Pacific Railroad. Annie helped cook
for the laborers.
In Cokeville, Robert received a bullet from a "quick triggered" bad man and
was nursed back to health by Annie. He was shot in defense of chivalry and
respect for the women of the wagon train which he was traveling with.
In the spring, the wagon train set out again on the Emigrant Trail. This
trail led up through Eagle Rock, now Idaho Falls, Idaho, through Arco,
Bellavue, and Camas Prairie. The beauty of the prairie and green grass was a
sight to behold and the party split. The Hicks' stayed along with Andrew
Fletcher, M.L. Davis, and Jonas and Wilson Carter.
Living quarters were dug into the hillsides until homes could be built.
Supplies were bought from Kelton, Utah. The family set up on Corral Creek
which was had by Joe Jones, one of two settlers that the families found
living on that part of the prairie. The other was Charles Babingson.
The home on Corral Creek was later sold to Frank McCarter and the Hicks
family made several more moves eventually ending up in Boise, Idaho.
Robert was famous for his mining prowess. He developed a claim in the mountains above Salmon, Idaho near Stormy Peak just off the Wallace Lake, mountain road. When he became an old man, he gave the claims to his daughter, Alma and they were forever-after known as 'Aunt Alma's Claims.' Robert used a large high-pressure spray system on the claim to wash the soil into a sluice where he separated the gold.
Grandma Hicks tells the story of the time when Robert
had a mining partner who decided to steal some of Robert's gold which he
kept in a coffee can under his bed in his cabin. Robert caught
him in the act and shot him. The bullet didn't kill the man, but it
rendered him hospitalized for quite some time. The law investigated
and found Robert was justified.
The picture to the left is what is left of Robert's cabin. Doris Hicks is standing on the remains of the porch.
Robert was the father of Victor Leslie Hicks, my great grandfather.