Kenneth Ralphs' Altonah roots run very deep; in fact, his ancestors were among the first to establish a homestead there. A graduate of Altamont High, Mr. Ralphs has left the area only when it was necessary in order to make a living, but he's grateful he left the comforts of home in at least one instance: while working in the Brigham City area more than five decades ago, he met the beautiful daughter of a fruit farmer from Terry, Utah. Her name was Elaine Williams, and she became Mrs. Ralphs in 1960.
Kenneth has worked as a carpenter as well as in commercial construction. He worked on the dams at Flaming Gorge and Starvation Reservoir and helped construct Utah's freeways. Then, in 1970, he and Elaine settled on their 160 acres in Altonah and made ranching their full-time profession.
Elaine had no trouble adapting to her new surroundings. "I grew up on a fruit farm," she stated, "so working hard was a way of life. The only difference was I spent my summers irrigating instead of picking fruit!"
In addition to crops and animals, the Ralphs' raised 3 children on their ranch. "This is a wonderful area to raise kids," Elaine stated.
Somehow the Ralphs' made time to volunteer in church and community capacities. Kenneth was a member of the board of directors for the Duchesne County Farm Bureau for approximately a decade, and he has served on the board of directors for the Duchesne County Cattlemen's Association. Kenneth and Elaine both spent many years working in the Boy Scouts program and held many other unpaid teaching and leadership positions in their local ward of the LDS Church. They also take seriously their responsibility to know and assist their neighbors as home and visiting teachers for the church.
With little time left for hobbies, the Ralphs' have enjoyed what needed to be done anyway: they've camped, fished, and ridden horses as they've taken care of their cattle in the mountains and relished that time spent as a couple and with their 3 children and 10 grandchildren.
The Ralphs' feel they've grown closer through working and facing challenges together. "We spend many hours together," Elaine said. In addition, Kenneth and Elaine have each battled cancer, though not at the same time, and each served as the other's caretaker during treatment and recovery. "Fortunately, we are very best friends," Mrs. Ralphs declared.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralphs love the "open spaces" and relative peace their hometown offers and are honored to be the Grand Marshals for the 2011 Altamont Longhorn Days celebration.
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