Adam Adrian and his wife Mary were both born in Bavaria, Germany. Adam was 21 when they left their home country in 1863-as did many people in the mid to late 1800's-possibly due to the poor farming economy.
He settled first in Ohio, but joined the US Army in 1870 and was sent west to Arizona where he served as an escort to the mail stages. Later he was stationed in California, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada, receiving an honorable discharge in 1875.
He then chose to settle his family in Nevada-and went to work at the Buffalo Ranch in Humboldt County. He decided to try his hand at raising alfalfa, and though everyone in the area just shook their heads at his plans, he DID raise alfalfa! Probably the first alfalfa raised in the state of Nevada.
In Denio, Nev., he helped settle the community when he built the store in 1903 and a large horse stable-then settled into a sod house on Trout Creek Ranch. He lived to see the railroads replace the overland stages and airplanes cross the sky above his home on the high desert, but one may wonder if he realized that nearly a century and a half later he would still have direct decedents in the Denio, McDermitt and Orovada area.
One of the Adrian's daughters, Kate, married John Denier and they had two daughters, Daisy (Sherburn) and Marie, who married Irwin 'Mustang' Smith. Irwin was raised on a family operation in the San Joaquin Valley in California. He left home at a young age when, after his father's death, his mother began selling off property. He worked as a buckaroo on different outfits in Northern California, Oregon and Nevada, coming to Denio with Miller and Lux bringing horses, mules and cattle.
After their marriage, Irwin and Marie owned the Trout Creek Ranch from 1916 to 1928, before they moved to Battle Mountain where Irwin did contract haying and mining. (He and two partners owned part of what is now Battle Mountain Gold.)
They returned to Denio in 1932, running the Poor Farm and the Point. The seventh of their eight children, Earl 'Bud' Smith was born there and lived in Denio his entire life, except for four years served in the military. He went to high school for one year in Winnemucca before transferring to Crane Union High School and while there he met his future wife Francis (Rathburn). Francis's parents, Ralph and Lilly Rathburn came to Winnemucca from Utah when Ralph, who worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, was transferred there.
Bud and Francis' daughter LaRena (Bengoa) was born in Amarillo, Texas while Bud was stationed there. They returned to Denio, and there McDermitt Combined School alumni Frank Smith, and his older brother Earl (MHS 1984) who lives in and works for the city of Sheridan, Wyoming-the great-great grandsons of Adam Adrian-joined the family.
Frank was born in Winnemucca on Nov. 6, 1967 and soon went home with his parents to Denio. He attended kindergarten in Winnemucca where his sister LaRena was going to high school, followed by grade school in Denio. Memories of this time are of trapping bob cats, and coyotes, and starting to learn to team rope. He also enjoyed it when he was old enough to start helping his father's friend-and LaRena's father-in-law-Chris Bengoa Sr., at the Kings River Ranch.
He left Denio to join Earl, who was living with their brother in law, Chris Bengoa and sister, in McDermitt at the start of the 8th grade remaining there through high school. Chris and LaRena were operating the Quinn River Merc at the time and they lived in an apartment at the store. Frank helped at the store in his free time until his senior year, when the family moved to the Lucky 7 Ranch as Chris took over as the ranch manager. Frank says that his two little nephews, Rusty and Kelsey, were more like little brothers and he enjoyed being with them.
He was on the football team coached by John Moddrell that won state championships his freshman and junior years. He also played basketball, and he team roped in the high school rodeo circuit. His favorite classes were math, John Moddrell's science class, and Mike Taylor's shop/ag class. Probably one of his favorites on staff at MHS was his sister LaRena, who enjoyed a reputation as being an excellent teacher. Besides helping in the store and later at the Lucky 7, Frank worked for Gary Minor riding colts and working cows.
Graduating in 1986, Frank spent a year at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore., then a year working for Chris at the Lucky 7 before going to Crescent Valley and the Cortez Gold Mine.
After a few months he bought his own stock truck and spent the next five years hauling cattle out of the Denio area. He also worked for John Rattray, helping him gather mustangs on the Sheldon Antelope Refuge. After he sold his truck he went to work for Ray Zabala stacking hay throughout Humboldt County. In the winters he filled the days doing day work for different ranchers.
He met Denise (Cady) who had lived in Winnemucca since her family had moved there from Alaska when she was in the third grade. Her granddad, Cecil Good, was a pharmacist for Cecil Good in the old Eagle Drug Store on Bridge Street. Frank and Denise were married on August 19, 1995 and he spent a year working for Ecidro Echeto, a sub-contractor for Nevada Bell, as a heavy equipment operator before employment with the Buckley Powder Co.
The Buckley Company was originally one store, opened by J.D. Buckley in Silver Plume, Colo., in 1921. It evolved through the years, becoming Buckley Powder Company in 1953. In 1959 it grew to include Montana and Wyoming and in 1993 Buckley of Oklahoma was formed via the purchase of CONA Explosives.
After five years in Winnemucca with Buckley Powder Company, the company transferred Frank and his family, including his son, Justin (born Oct. 12, 1996) and his daughter Taylor, (born Jan. 7, 2000)-the great-great-great grandchildren of Adam and Mary Adrian-to Ada, Okla., in 2002. Frank started as a blaster in Oklahoma then became an area manager. He now is now a sales and technical representative. His company does contract blasting for road cuts, pipe line ditches, and rock quarries retrieving aggregate for highway use and concrete.
Frank and Denise love living in the Sooner State (so named for the famous prairie schooner race to homestead choice parcels of land in the 1800's). Justin is a junior in high school now and plays baseball in a fall and spring league. Taylor is in the 8th grade and loves gymnastics and horses. Two years ago she started learning how to team rope with her dad.
Frank says that the Oklahoma schools are excellent and Denise works for Majestic Fund Raising-an organization that sets up fundraisers for the Oklahoma School Districts. They don't see moving from the state that they have come to call home. Besides the great school system they like the people and the opportunities that are available in their area.
Frank has his pilot's license that he earned under instructor Joe Dory in Winnemucca in 1998 and says his hobbies are flying and team roping. He isn't looking at retirement yet but those two hobbies will probably still head the list when those years are reached.
What would this man who works with explosives, flies airplanes and team ropes for fun have to say to students at McDermitt today?
"I think there is a better learning opportunity in smaller country schools, so pay attention and take advantage of your situation. MHS is more like family than school!"[[In-content Ad]]
