Carl Foster Beckstead was born Nov. 7, 1904 in Whitney, Idaho, the son of William Albert Beckstead and Josephine Foster. He grew up there, attending the Whitney school, Preston High Schook, and college at Southern Branch (now known as Idaho State). In the summers he worked with his family on a ranch and large fruit orchard they had homesteaded near Twin Lakes. He also had a few acres at his home on "Whitney Lane," where he grew sugar beets or peas or pole beans, and had milk cows. Other employment was at the sugar factory where he was injured as a young man, losing half of a foot in a crane accident. He also worked at the pea vinery, school, and for his cousins, Lincoln and Cecil Foster and William Reese.
One summer day in the late 1920s, Carl and Ken Beckstead and Lindon Swainston cranked up the old Ford and drove down to Smithfield, Utah. Lindon was dating Kate (Katie), the young raven-haired daughter of James and Annie Roskelley.
On that particular day they must have planned a picnic, because it wasn't long until they realized they had no knife to cut their watermelon. Going to the Roskelley home to borrow one, they were invited in by Vida (Vi), sister of Kate, and given the knife. Carl and Vida were introduced, began dating, and were married in 1927. Carl and Vida had seven daughters and one son.
Carl was the kind of dad who was willing to hitch up the team, get out the bob-sleigh, and take school and church classes on sleigh riding parties. He especially enjoyed being a ward teacher with Cyril Whittle. Neither one had a car at the time, so they shined up their shoes and walked their beat.
The home of Carl and Vida, though modest, was always open to friends of their children, where they could have a "candy pull" or an evening of table games. They supported their daughter, Thayle, when she went from Whitney Ward on a mission to the Eastern States. Jeannine was a missionary to Central Atlantic States. They sent four of their children to universities.