East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-07-19
GIRLS FILE ON
HOMESTEADS
WEAR BOYS CLOTHES AND
WORK AS HARD AS MEN
Seattle Girls Work in the City Dur
ing the Summer and Go TO Their
Homestead Claims In the Winter
RevoIvers Are Their Only PrOtec-
ton Against Instruders.

Seatte.-Dressed in boys clothing
with flannel shirts, sombrero hats and
| loggers' boots, two comely stenogra-
pliers of Seattle will soon be enjoying
the excitement of life in a cabin in
the Olympic foothills. 1t was more
than five years ago that Miss Rose
A. Schfinen and Miss Evelyn Miller
went into the Hob river country, in
Jefferson county, and took up two
homesteads of 100 acres each. They
built two cabins near the line between
the two tracts, and during the fall
and winter of each year live there,
that their rights to the land may be
established. A clear title would have
land is now In litigation and they will
have to wait until the courts have
decided as to their rights. The little
cabins are ten miles from the nearest
postoffice, as Hob is in the western
part of Jefferson county, and once
week one or both Of the girls make
the trip on foot. They are supplied
with army ponchos and brave the
weather in their desire to get mail
from home, which is read by candle
light before big log fireplace. With
big rocking chairs and books and
magazines the two girls have all the
comforts of home. But they do not
depend upon the kind heartedness of
n ~ ouK nrnfaafinra ff0nn the
sterner sex. In holster at the side
Of each is a hammerless Colts re-
volver, which is kept as clean as
watch. These are ever their COM
panions. While at dinner and while
they sleep the girls have the ham
merless Colts near at hand.
Kept IL Secret.
Miss Miller is the best shot" said
Miss Schwinen yesterday. "She can
bury the head OF a reasonably sized
tack at twenty PAGES" Miss Schwi-
men explained that their homestead
claim had been a deep secret and
that they had not told ii for two rea-
sons-the fear OF being bothered in
their lonely location and the fact that
that they had been expecting to write
a book which would contain their ex-
periences.
"Our plan is this" said Mss Sch
winen. I'VE stay on our farms in the
fall and winter, and in the summer
come to Seattle and take the places
Of girls who go away on their vaca-
tions. In this way we earn money
enough to stock our cabins with pro-
visions for the long days of fall and
winter"
Miss Schwinen for a time was a ste
nographer I'm the office Of the board
of school directors but recently has
been doing extra work in the office
of Charles L. Moore & Co., engineers.
Miss Miller has been doing special
work in downtown offices. Both will
give up their positions early in Sep
tember and go to their homestead
claims.
when we get the patents for our
land" said Miss Schiwinen yesterday,
1--WE expect to buy ponies, and then
we will not have to tramp the seveA
miles for provisions and the ten miles
for mail" Both of the girls are
skilled riders. and when they get the
funds and the ponies will spend a
great deal Of their time in the sad
die.
mo, we don't get a bit lonesome" |
said Miss Schwnen, in answer to a
question If they did not feel very |
much alone. miss Minnie Swof-
stead, cashier at the Drexe cafe,
has a homestead claim about mile
from us. She has been there nearly
five years. and, as her claim is not
IN litigation, she will secure a patent
for her farm in the near future"
Miss Shofstead expects to resign her
position in September and go to her
'arm.