George rented a house in Prineville for his wife, Martha, to live in while he and his father-in-law made plans to build two houses. At a place near Grizzley they found suitable logs and loaded them on wagons. When they arrived at The Cove they had to lower each log by rope nearly a thousand feet to the canyon floor. Two years later they moved into their new homes.
The soil lived up to expecations and before long they were harvesting extra vegetables and fruit that they could sell. They loaded the surplus produce on pack horses and took the long trail up to the canyon rim. There they reloaded their cargo onto a wagon and began the thirty mile trip to Prineville.
By 1886 Rogers had completed the reqired improvements and received the patent on his land, signed by President Cleveland. Over the months he received frequent visits from T. F.McCallister, who was a cattle and sheep rancher and owned several ranches in the Prineville area. McCalister saw big ideas for the Cove and in 1888 he offered to swap a house in Prineville for the property. Rogers took he deal.
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To Be Continued......