Nov.
20, 2018
Liz
Writes Life
Sure
do hope we actually get rain this week. It will, both, help and cause
problems down in Paradise, where firefighters are working to stop the
terrible flames, but will turn the ash into gummy stuff making it
more difficult to search the ruins. I saw that our Congressman Doug
LaMalfa accompanied President Donald Trump into the burned-out Camp
Fire area. That will create important connections helping Doug bring
more concern and aid to Northern California. Did I mention I am happy
he won the election!
The
devastation is so immense, I really can't imagine how difficult it
is. Sure do appreciate the firefighters, emergency responders and the
relief workers.
Family
With
it being Thanksgiving, I decided to share about my family and what
life was like back in 1930. This was during the beginning of the
Great Depression. As a reminder (since I haven't written about them
for a while) my dad is Hearst Dillman, who was part of a large family
that moved to Scott Valley in 1928 from Arizona. My grandpa is George
Dillman, his wife is Rose Ann. Dad's siblings are Bob, who is 3 years
older and the rest are younger. In order: Clista, RoseMae, Charlie,
Katie, Evie and Con. Previously, sister Veda, had died, while living
in Arizona.
At
this time, the family is living in Etna. In 1930, George was out of
work after working on the Six-mile gold mine in the Salmon River
country. Apparently, the owners were not finding enough gold and
closed down their operation, so the eight workers were out of a job.
George
decided to go to the Scott Valley Bank manager looking for options.
Ranches were being foreclosed upon, when the owners were not able to
make their land payments. This had happened to Paul Denny out at his
Oak Farm Ranch half-way between Etna and Callahan on Eastside Road.
George and the bank struck a deal. The Dillmans were to live and work
on Oak Farm, receiving half of everything that was raised. This began
their accumulation of milk and beef cows and horses. So, George moved
his family to Oak Farm.
Once
again, the large Dillman family was living in a two-story home with
many bedrooms. It was a spacious Victorian with a large front porch
and two screened-in porches upstairs for sleeping outside during hot
summer nights.
When
first moving into the Oak Farm home, there was a Koehler generator
plant to power a few lights. Water was heated in a tank attached onto
the wood stove. Within a year or two, electricity would be installed
and Rose Ann enjoyed cooking on her first electric stove. Believe it
or not, power companies were so eager to have customers that they
even gave electric lamps to families, so more electricity would be
used. (I remember one of these lamps as my parents used it in their
living room.)
There
were about 120 dairy cows that needed to be milked everyday. George
and Hearst milked them for several months and then hired Luther
White. Luckily, the Oak Farm ranch had a gasoline-engine compressor
that operated a vacuum pump milking machine. Still, milking was
time-consuming and seemed to be constant as it took many hours to
milk morning and night.
Each
milking required 40 gallons of water to be heated in cast iron
kettles at the dairy barn. The water was used to clean the dirt and
manure from the utters of the cows – again by hand. The milk and
cream was picked-up by the local creamery truck driver.
Hearst
attended Etna High School and drove the family's Model-A car to
school taking sister, RoseMae, and picking-up neighboring teens. When
arriving home, Hearst was known to hit the front door at a run,
stripping-off his shirt to change into his chore clothes. Galloping
down the stairs, Mom Rose Ann would hand him a loaf of homemade bread
to eat as he hurried out to the milking barn. She had cut the top
third off, buttered it, spread thick cream and then sprinkled sugar
on the lower part. She then replaced the top. Ranch women were known
for their large and filling meals.
By
late spring, the farming season was in full force. Help was needed,
so extra ranch hands were hired. Rose Ann and her girls cooked many
meals for the hardworking crew. Hay had to be cut, allowed to cure
and then hauled to the barn by wagons and teams of horses. Harvesting
in the summer meant cutting and hauling the ripe stalks of grain to
the stationary thrasher and separator. It was itchy, hot and dirty
work!
Rose
Ann was known to hold parties during summer evenings. Eleanor
Dannenbrink (Hendricks) and Igurna Willimas were favorite friends
that visited and stayed overnight with Clista and RoseMae. Pranks
were played – in full force. The teen girls were known to dump
buckets of water from the second-story porch down on siblings and the
hired men.
Rose
Ann was quite a prankster herself. During the next winter, she
decided to take several of her children for a sleigh ride. The horse
was hitched-up and off they went through the snow. They were having a
good time, when all of a sudden she tipped the sleigh over – on
purpose. All the kids ended up in the snow face first, but no one got
hurt. They just laughed.
So,
even when life was hard, the Dillman's (like many families) figured
out how to have some fun! I hope we are kind in our pranks, but have
some fun this Thanksgiving with family and friends.
POW
The
next Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting will be Thurs., Nov. 29,
2018 at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.m.
Liz
Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in
1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan.
Call her at 530-467-3515. Check out her blog at:
LizWritesLife.blogspot.com.
