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EMERY VANCE
I was born in the year 1885 in Mercer County, Illinois. After many long and tedious hours of traveling by covered wagon, trying to keep stock and possessions together we arrived in Missouri -- year a891. In 1895 we moved to the Missouri Ozarks. My father always had a great desire to go west. In the year 1902 father assembled his family of six boys and two girls and started west on the train. After many days of travel we arrived at hartline, Washington. My father took inventory of his money and found he had only $11.00 to feed his family with. Shortly afterward father filed a Homestead right 7 miles from Leahy -- 6 miles sout of Delrio.
In the winter of 1903-1904, my brother Guy and myself helped my father, who was ill at the time, feed his cattle at the home place. Many mornings the snow would blow through the cracks of the cabin and we would be encased in a blanket of snow. At times it was difficult to force ourselves out of bed. The old water bucket in the corner had its own problems as it was frozen so tight the water could be lifted from the pail in one frozen lump.
Many winters the snow would be too high to travel except on skis. It was just such a winter that we came across 14 horses -- seven of their companions laying in the snow -- their legs bloody from the endless pawing through the crusted drifts for food. The horses were very wild. We started driving them toward the feed grounds; they were very weak and would wait for us to trample a path so they could proceed. It took five hours in this harassing manner to drive the horses two miles to the home place.
Many days of drifting snow and high winds marooned us on the ranch. Our wood supply was dwindling fast and we were wondering what might happen if the weather continued stormy. As a last resort we started out on skis looking for what wood we could gather. Above the high drifts we spotted tops of sagebrush. Making our way to the brush we took shovels and dug it out, then tied our rope around it and pulled it out of the snow.
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A great sport was tracking down and killing coyotes from horseback. We would spot the coyote, then with the aid of a trail-hardened dog, the animal was hunted down and killed. The coyotes were numerous and, they were hunted for their pelts. At times we would kill five in one day's hunt.
In the year 1910, with an Indian interpreter by the name of Mike Marshall, (a 22 year old Indian Boy), we rode horseback to the reservation to buy cattle. Above the Saint Mary's Mission and between the thickly wooded timber of the mountainous area was our destination. Mr. Haley helped us to round up 25 head of wild, shorthorned steers, and as per our agreement of $50 apiece was reached, we started on our way to cross the Columbia River. Our next problem was to find the shortest and best way to travel with 25 wild steers. Mike suggested the trail that he had hunted over as a boy, but had only been across once. After minutes of deliberation, we started through the thickets -- not wanting to get caught at dark in the mass of entanglement. As we approached the Wild Goose Ferry, the air was clear and sounds could be heard distinctly as they echoed from across the river. Mr. Bryan, busy at his daily duties, was doing carpenter work. Each stroke of the hammer echoed across the expansive river. Each sound was caught by the nervous herd. Everything was almost under control when the sound of a dropped board crashed through the air. As each animal, at rocket speed, bounded over hill and dale, our horses followed in hot pursuit. Many minutes later we again had our herd assembled, and Mr. Bryan thoughtlessly called to us that he would be unable to take us across. Immediately the restless herd, their nostrils dilated from the recent chase, took flight. Again we started after them and rounded them up -- corralled against a bluff and a lake on the other side. No, I won't forget the roundup at Big Goose Flat. The next morning our herd crossed the river on the Ferry at 9 a.m. Mr. Bryan's sister fixed us a breakfast, our first since 5 a.m. the preceding day. You can be sure the hot biscuits, chicken, coffee, jam, fruit, bacon, potatoes and gravy were readily consumed. The cattle were driven to Wilson Creek and loaded on the train.
In my early cattle buying days on the reservation, many of the Indians were unable to speak English. At times it was necessary to have an interpreter to converse with them. About the year 1910, I was employed by H. F. "Butch" Hartman, the local butcher in Hartline to buy cattle from the Indians. After miles of riding across the reservation, we very often bedded down for the night at the Chief's wigwam or some other Indian's home. Our beds were much different than they are now. A blanket was handed each guest which he put across his back, then folded across the front -- the ground was the matress.
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Oft times Indian Chief Peter Paul's wigwam was welcome to us. Knowing my taste for huckleberries, the Chief's wife would always have a large bowl of huckleberries and sugar set out when she saw me coming. At that time, labor was very cheap and you could hire the Indians for 25 cents apiece to ride to the Steveson Ferry from Nespelem (8 miles), to help load the cattle on the boat. Many of the cattle were corraled at Peter Paul's campsite, known then as little Nespelem -- before their long journey to the river. Many wild broncs were ridden by the Indians at the corrals after the days work was done.
In 1911 while I was still working for Mr. Hartman, we purchased 80 head of hogs from "Steamboat Bill" Andrews who had a homestead at the bottom of Steamboat Rock. While I prepared the slaughterhouse grounds to hold the oncoming herd, "Steamboat Bill" was driving the herd of hogs on foot, leading his saddle horse, to which a cow was tied. At the end of the procession was a large collie dog.
During the years of trading on the reservation, I have crossed several of the ferries located on the Columbia River -- Seaton, Steveson, Hopkins, Pendell and Wild Goose Ferries.
On May 4, 1912, I was married to Gertrude Witmer at Spokane, Washington. We lived at Hartline for two years and in 1914, we took up a Homestead 9 miles east of Leahy and 6 miles south and 2 miles east of Delrio. Our home was a two room board house. When we first started farming, our animals consisted of a team of horses and one milk cow. Money was quite scarce, so it was necessary for me to work out "punchin header" to support the ranch. Felt real proud that I was able to buy 11 head of yearling calves to start my herd. One morning, to our bitter disappointment, our herd had the disease known as black leg. We lost 7 of our original 11 head.
Our closest neighbor was Charlie Wanscriver, a bachelor, who lived less than a mile away. My brother Guy homesteaded a short distance from my home, but had the misfortune to lose his home with fire. He moved to my mother's old home place and lived there several years.
Aroud the year 1915, a dry spell hit the country. My brother and I had planted our place in rye that year, which consisted of 70 acres. At the end of the year, we cut only 6 loads of hay and that was mostly weeds. The winter seemed long that year, although it was a normal winter. We had to buy straw from our neighbors to keep our cattle alive.
In 1918, the Government sent their buyer, Mr. Baker, to puchase horses from us for the Cavalry. They wanted horses of strong bodies and standing 16 hands high.
When we still lived on the old Homestead, one day we noticed a great flame. When we looked out the window -- to our amazement -- we discovered our haystack and barn were ablaze. There was nothing that could be done to stop it.
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After our misfortune we moved to what was then called by brother Clive's Homestead.
Three of our oldest children and my brother Guy's three children went to the school known as the Lone Pine School District #32. While the boys were still in the first and second grades each boy was given a mule colt to ride to school. Mrs. Henry Wyborny was their first teacher.
A few of our neighbors in 1922 were Albert Dorsey, Al Derby, Fred Rommel, Bill Rommel, Frank Swanson, John Kagic, Fattie Bonesteel, and Edgar Schrock.
In 1928, my brother was burning weeds in the field. He had a team of horses and a rake. I came across the field to help with the job. Looking to the west, we saw a large black bear. Thinking we were just seeing things, we blinked, but the large shape was a bear. We hid behind the schoolhouse until the animal got closer. Scaring him toward thehouse, where I could pick up my lariat, we started out after the bear on horseback. Circling the lariat around my head, I hoped to snare the huge beast. Luck was with me, as the rope zinged through the air and landed over his neck. Working with excessive speed, my brother threw another loop over his head. This didn't suit the huge fellow too well, but there wasn't much he could do. We managed to get a chain around his neck. Keeping the line taut, we got him into the barn. This only infuriated him more. The chain became entangled in his hair and the bear strangled himself. We took his hide and made gloves for the children to wear to school.
On the Fourth of July, my brother Virgil and myself were ferrying the Wyborneys across the Columbia River on the Wild Goose Ferry, when we noticed the water rushing into the back of the boat. We didn't alarm our passengers, but started baling as fast as we could. We had just reached the opposite shore and made our way to safety when the boat sank. We were shaky but safe.
In 1929, I purchased the Bill Rommel ranch and we moved there. Our four children then attended the Mansfield school.
Emery Vance
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GEORGE TREFRY
1876-19
In 1884 I came to Washington Territory from Defiance, Iowa, with my mother, her aged mother, and my three brothers. We first lived near St. John which was called "Conn" then. In 1888 we came to Douglas County and lived as squatters near the Columbia River at a location joining the present Jay Seller's land. I believe we boys spent most of our first 30 years on horseback. We all worked out usually for stockmen, and did some farming.
Sometime about 1900, Fafe Pike, John R. Victor, my brothers Charlie, Alec, Jim, and I built the first schoolhouse of this area. It was made of logs cut near the river, and built on unsurveyed land that is now known as the John Brazel place. Lee McArthy from Almira was the first teacher.
Stubblefield Point, above the breaks not far from Barker Canyon, was so named because one foggy winter day Bill Stubblefield on horseback rode out on a huge snowdrift overhanging the Coulee wall. Unaware that he was on this drift, Stubblefield looked down and realized his plight. He told me, "I left that horse like a bird!" Both horse and rider got back to safe territory, but had the snowdrift broken off, they would have fallen about 400 feet.
I have seen the country change and really grow up. When we first came here, the native grass was so thick and tall that when it was damp your feet would become soaking wet as you rode through it on horseback. Over pasturing - mostly by horses - thinned it out and gave the sage brush more growth.
The period of droughts, beginning in 1924, was particularly rugged. The grasshopper invasion in 1924 was so devastating I hate to tell about it. The hoppers really came in the late fall of 1923, laid eggs which hatched the following spring. Then those insects began to chew up everything edible in their path. They ruined trees, even some of the sage brush, all grass, crops, and gardens. Trying to salvage some good out of my grain crop, I turned my horses in so they could pasture there, but I'd have to go up every day to the water trough and skim off a deep layer of hoppers before the stock could drink. Wagon roads were actually "greasy" from crushed grasshoppers. In late summer the grasshoppers all left, forming a huge cloud as they soared away in the wind. They landed across the coulee in Grant County. Many a Delrio farmer that year cut late-grown russian thistles for hay; and much stock was moved out to winter elsewhere.
Helen Rinker
MAE (RINKER) SNODGRASS
I came to the Delrio country with my parents, Cora and Wash Rinker, in 1904. I recall the great lot of clearing and plowing that my Dad did mostly with a foot burner breaking up the sod. After building our house, Dad had no money for a barn and that first year he built a barn out of rocks. It was large enough for 8 head of horses. He hauled the
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rocks in, then he brought poles from the canyon and put these across the top and covered it with straw. It made a very warm barn.
By using horse power, Dad ground wheat coarse for cereal and finer for flour for our own or some neighbor's use. He had an emery wheel which he connected on the power grinding outfit with which he sharpened plow shares for everyone. We kids had to drive the horses for the outfit.
Our water was quite a problem. When we moved there, the well was a quarter of a mile from the house. We children had a wagon with two 5-gallon cans and had to haul all our water up to the house. We also had to pull it up with a bucket over a pulley. Later on Dad dug a well closer to the house, but we still didn't have enough and had to use water from both places. Years later sufficient water was obtained by drilling a deep well; a windmill and electricity now provide adequate water for our old ranch.
Mae (Rinker) Snodgrass
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