John Sampson Hacking Jr., was born June 23, 1867 in Cedar Fort, Utah. He was the sixth child of fourteen children born to John Sampson Hacking Sr. and Jane Clark Hacking.

John S. Hacking had the first herd of sheep that came in from the west. He came to Ashley Valley in the early 1880's with 3,000 head of sheep from which was built a major industry. It was said that John Hacking was a very good operator and at one time had more land and sheep than any man in Uintah County.

He purchased his first ranch in the Vernal area in 1884. John S. Hacking married Mame (Mary Elizabeth) Hall, March 29, 1893. This couple journeyed to the Logan Temple in Northern Utah, April 26, 1893. They traveled by team and wagon. They had seven children: Myron, Alice, Milt, Clyde, Iowa, Jenny and Harry P.

Mame Hacking was a very capable manager and was a helpmate in building up their ranching business. It was no small job to keep the several sheep camps supplied and they manged to do this successfully for many years.

John Trujillo and his wife, Dahlia, herded sheep for Hacking and John and Mame were fond of the Trujillo's. Mrs. Trujillo helped in the Hacking home and taught one of John's sons to speak Spanish before he learned English.

John Hacking was a strong leader in the sheep industry on Diamond Mountain. He was also a man who was extremely influential in the development of Ashley Valley. He was County Commissioner for six years. During his tenure in office, the first bridge across the Green River at Jensen, Utah was built and completed in July 1911. They also built a large brick home during this period. This Hacking home was a landmark in the valley. John Hacking owned and operated a large sheep shearing plant on his ranch in Vernal. He was a stockholder in a large ranch which was organized for raising purebred sheep. At first he raised Merino sheep. When the wool of the Rambouillets became more preferred, he switched and raised Rambouillets. John was a director for the Uintah Sheep Growers Association and he was appointed County Sheep Inspector. During one severe scabies attack among the herds of sheep, they were quarantined within the state of Utah. It was John Hacking's duty to see that all the sheep were dipped thus eradicating the scourge. The program was completely successful and shipment of sheep from Utah was made possible again.

Honesty was an important characteristic of John Hacking. His word was as good as a handshake. He and his wife "Mame" were known for their unselfish generosity. They were generous with their sheepherders and were friends to everyone regardless of color or creed. Many a homeless child found refuge in their home, and they shared their possessions with many families who were hard up. No one ever left Mame's kitchen hungry.

After the hard winter of 1918 and 1919, John Hacking suffered serious financial problems. Many sheep perished. Feed for those that survived was scarce. John Hacking never really recovered from these serious losses, and then came the Great Depression. He was unable to surmount the pressure brought on by these circumstances. During the early 1930s, he not only lost his wife and great helpmate, but he lost his whole outfit.

John S. Hacking Jr., died September 17, 1947 at the home of his daughter, Alice H. Murray. He resided the last several years of his life in Vernal.

-One Hundred Years of Brown's Park and Diamond Mountain, by Dick and Daun DeJournette