During the early days of Henefer, Charles had many narrow escapes with his life. At one time while walking home from his work, which was a distance of about twenty miles, he was attacked by a pack of wolves and his only weapon of defense was a stick he had picked up to aid him in the long walk. With the aid of this stick and an unseen power he came out unmolested by the fierce animals. There was a time when he had a very severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism, which lasted about six weeks. The pain and fever was so severe that it turned his hair completely white. It remained white for his entire life.

One time Charles took Esther and her three boys, Parley, Hosea, and Noble to American Fork, Utah. They went from Henefer by way of Kamas where they spent the first night. The next day they traveled as far as Charleston where they stayed with Charles’ brother Enoch Richins for three or four days. As they entered the crossing of the Provo River, the team and wagon were washed down stream for quite some distance until Charles got full control of the horses and got them up the bank. They had to pay a toll charge to go through Provo Canyon. They stayed a few days in American Fork with Esther's father, Thomas Ovard, before returning to Henefer. Charles was known as a friend to the Indians who came to the settlement. Chief Washakie came to Henefer often. At one time he had 1,500 of his Indians camped near the river for a period of three months. Washakie was a friendly Indian. He wanted to be at peace with the white people, but he was not particular how much his Indians begged for food or other things they wanted. Washakie and his white wife spent much time in the little settlement, and were always friendly.

Charles Richins believed what Brigham Young had taught—that it was better to feed the Indians than to fight them. He was very generous with them and often gave them as much as half of a beef to feed their people. The story is told that on one occasion some of the Indians got drunk and got rather hostile. In order to avoid impending trouble, Charles told the Indians that they could have their choice of any of the beef in his herd. The Indians chose a new prize bull that he had just bought to sire his herds. Rather than cause any trouble, Charles let them have it.

Charles, Successful Farmer and Stock Raiser in Henefer

Charles was a successful farmer and stock raiser in Henefer and then later in Colonia Diaz, Mexico. His boyhood environment in Sheepscomb, England, an agricultural community, prepared him for stock raising and dairying. He accumulated considerable real estate and was financially successful. Water for irrigation was first brought onto the Henefer bench in 1867. Charles was the first to apply for water. At one time he owned over 200 acres of farmland in the Henefer Valley. Many residents worked his ground on shares. He was generous with his possessions. He contributed the ground for the first Henefer church house, which was built where the present church building stands. He also contributed a portion of the ground for the Henefer cemetery. On July 24, 1874, a big celebration was held in Henefer, which included a great meal. Robert A. Jones wrote in his life story that Bishop Richins furnished the beef.

Parley T. Richins, son of Charles and Esther said the young children in the family had plenty of work to occupy their time. At an early age the girls learned the art of housekeeping while the boys were taught to milk the cows, till the ground, and do all the other chores that come along with animals and a large farm. Parley told an incident of how, while herding cows, his brother Madison threw a good-sized rock at a cow and struck it in a vital spot on the head and killed it. Louisa had charge of the milk and cream, churning the butter, preparing the eggs and other products for market. Some of these products were taken to Salt Lake City by ox team and wagon.

While maintaining the Big House in Henefer, Charles had another home and an apple orchard in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Parley related a time when he and his cousin, Alma Richins, traveled by team and wagon to Mill Creek in Salt Lake City to meet Charles, who brought four fifty-gallon barrels of apple cider he had made from the apples in his orchard. They took the cider to the Big House and stored it in the cellar.