The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-11-29

| had u pair of mOccasins on and got
home about an hour before shutdown
and | thawed my moccasins out so l
could pull them off. My feet were as
white as snow, froze stiff, and the next
morning they were all black. | was
laid up for about five weeks. That was
the winter of 70 and '76. | drew the
frost out of my feet with coal oil and
don't think would exaggerate if |
say that quart of water came out, and
that is all that saved my feet, that coal
oil. The nails all came off my toes,
every nail, and the skin all peeled of
my feet. The next winter ] lost the
nails off my toes again, shed OFF as clean
us could be and grew out again.
We were forted up from the Indians
to what is called the Laberee place in
TO or II, not positive. | did some
frei ghting to the Dalles making trip
once or twice IL year, some from Una
tlla.
Whenever we would want to go visit
ing in those early days we would pack
up our bedding and go and spend the
NIGHT. We all had good times. There
were no saloons or liquor in the valley.
Every body would so home satisfied the
next morning. | think the second
dance they had in the valley they had
at my place. ! think we had about SIX
couple. | think there were six ladies
and we had about twice as many men.
rh, wa, about '113 should Judge. The
principal business in the valley was
stock raising in tno,e days. think
the first school was IL private school by
e.. +. Cooke. He hired Il teacher one
winter by the name OF Clayton. |
,nluk That was the first school and then
we had ID public school up there III our
neig hborhood. We used to have schools
in the cabins around quite awhile. We
put up a hall up here on the Laberee
place and started Grange. We had
the upper part for grange and the
lower part for school. That was III
early days. | can't say positively
whether that was the first school or
not. The, also had school above here
in below Peter Wold's. | think those
schools were running before they had
IL school in town. They used to visit Il
great deal more than they do now.
There were only few in the valley
then and they would go quite Il ways to
visit one another. | went down to
Seiah valley and got my seed corn and
| guess every man below when he came
n went to Umatilla to get his seed
corn and | don't think they got any
wheat. | guess about the only wheat
we had for long time come from what
| brought in first. Ludi and Dutch
John had brought some wheat in here
too from down below somewheres. We
had post office at Bulls place where
we used to get mail; that was started
in either 20 or II.
never thought when came to the
valley that there would be such set
Element and didn't think the land
was as productive as it is. We used to
all settle on the creek bottoms and used
to think sage brush land was no account.
After you would raise crop or two 1t
would be worn out, but it is the most
productive land we have. Last year
off of 100 acres raised 220 ton OF tim
othy hay, and the year after l came
here was about $500 worse off than
nothing. | was $500 in debt and had
about $500 in goods. Two-horse wagons
cost about $l60 when they were first
freighted in. First blacksmith shop
we had was over across the river and
was run by Jake Becker's father. |
have sent my pillow shares to Cmatila
to have them sharpened. | would send
! them down by teams going and it would
take 10 or II days for the trip. We
didn't have any lawyers or doctors.
Once in a while a preacher used to
come in here. Old man Flint from
Yakima came up here and preached FOR
us about '73 We all seemed to be
happy and enjoy ourselves. There was
no social distinction in those days
First breaking | cone | changed
work with Ludi. | would come down
here and help him break and then he
came and helped me. snapped work
with Tom Haley. People used to change
work. exchange tools and divide up
different kinds of work.
Startling, But True.