Daryl Keck to be honored during Three Island Crossing activities

Daryl Keck has taken part in the crossings since 1986. [Click to enlarge]

Keck began participating in Crossings in 1986 at the urging of his good friend Bud Allen, and began as an outrider for Allen's wagon. Later, Keck designed and helped build a replica of the ferries used during the mid- to late-1800s to bring people, animals and supplies across the river until the first bridge was built in the early 1900s.

A history buff, Keck spent months researching current-powered ferries. With the help of volunteer labor and donated materials, Keck and his crew built the 32-foot replica during the winter of 1992-93. The ferry made its Crossing debut in 1993, with Keck as its pilot, a position he would hold until 2003 when the ferry was retired.

With the goal to make the Crossing as authentic as possible, Keck accompanied Marv Wootan and Mary Prints to the Duck Valley Indian Reservation to discuss with tribal leaders the possibility of their people joining in the annual Crossing celebration.

Hoping to heal old wounds between Anglos and Native Americans, the group came to an agreement that the Shoshone-Piute would join in the annual reenactment. For many years, thereafter, tribal members led the wagons and riders across the river just as their ancestors had done during the 1800s.

Keck is member of the Three Island Crossing Committee and served as its chairman from 1995-1997. With other supporters, he traveled to the state capitol to gain the support of Governor Phil Batt and Idaho legislators in helping to finance the construction of the Oregon Trail History and Education Center.

The importance of the Crossing, for Keck, is to keep history alive. He became enthusiastic about the history of the area after reading the Whitman and Spalding diaries, two missionaries that traveled through the area in the 1830s.

He is not interested in bringing any recognition to himself. Instead, Keck supports the Crossing because: "I want to show what history is and what it means."

He is sad to see the annual Crossing come to an end and laments the lack of knowledge today's generation has about the importance of the Oregon Trail and the contributions pioneers made to opening up the west.

Keck was born at home on the family farm in Marshal County, Kan,, on Dec. 5, 1921. His love for horses and farming developed at a young age as he watched his father work the family's 320-acre Kansas farm using horsepower. At the age of ten he formed a dream to some day own a cattle ranch, but that dream would have to wait until the young boy grew to become a man.

Keck left school after the eighth grade. At the age of 18 he moved to California and went to work as a welder in the Bethlehem Steel shipyard in San Pedro.

His Kansas sweetheart, Jeannette Olson, followed Keck to California and the couple was married on in July 1942. That same year, Keck joined the Army Air Corps where he became a sheet metal worker.

During WWII he served in Italy. His primary job was to patch artillery holes in aircraft. Keck was honorably discharged in November 1945.

Following his discharge from the military, Keck moved to Jerome where his father had relocated, and worked in his father's salvage business. He then logged in the area around Galena Summit and began building log cabins.

He and Jeannette moved to Hammett in 1962, and the dream of a 10-year old boy finally came to fruition when the couple started a cattle ranch. But ranching is a risky business, and Daryl continued to operate his construction business to help support his family, which now included five children. He laughs at the term "retirement" and continues to own cattle and a few horses.

Jeannette and Daryl celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary last Wednesday. The couple has 14 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.