[or-roots] Mother's Memories

[Virgene or Dean Travis]

     My mother grew up in eastern Oregon in a small community called Harper
(in Malheur Co.) about halfway between Burns and Ontario on Hwy. 20.  Her
father was a rancher.   Here are some of her memories.

     "The Civilian Conservation Corps (part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New
Deal to put people to work during the Depression) came to Harper about
1939-40.  The boys were from the inner city areas where there was no work
and, often times, a shortage of food.  The camp was located at the east end
of the valley and was run like a military base, with barracks and a mess
hall.   I've heard my dad talk about the construction and improvements of
cattle watering locations on the open range, and what a good job the CCC
boys had done.
       One Sunday, the Harper girls were invited to the camp for dinner and
the food was good.  Several of us helped with the dishes; some of those pans
were huge.  One of my girlfriends met her future husband that day."
 - - - - - - - - -
Article from Harper High School newspaper, October 1941
"Because of the surplus of cotton in the United States, the government is
making it possible for needy people to get mattresses.  Anyone with an
income of less than $500 a year may secure a mattress if they pay 75 cents
and make them.  The program not only benefits the ones who may secure a
mattress, but it will also make a market for cotton growers.  Many people in
Harper are benefitting from this program.  Everyday the old schoolhouse is
filled with mattress makers."

         My mother then wrote:   "My mother made one of the mattresses. It
was about six inches thick with a cover of heavy pillow ticking material.
Around the edges, top and bottom, there was stitching through the covering
and about an inch of cotton filler that made a roll. This kept the cotton
from slipping out of place.  When it matted down, the mattress was taken
outside, laid flat, and beat on with broom handles."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
1942.
          We were living on the old Carter place about one mile north of
Harper when two Japanese men (Harry & Charlie) were sent from Seattle to
live in the house across the road from ours.  I can't recall that they had
to work when they were there.  They owned a bowling alley in Seattle and
were married to Caucasian women who came to see them a couple of times.
They bought milk and eggs from Mom, and Harry would visit us sometimes.
           On a trip home from Vale in the old '33 Chev, we had two flat
tires and only one spare.  Harry picked us up and drove us home.  There were
some remarks made by people in town about us being Jap lovers.  When we
became aware of this, Mom talked to us about skin color.  She was of German
descent and wondered what our fate would have been if we hadn't been white."

        "German prisoners, sent from Vale, were used on a neighbor's farm
for planting and/or harvesting sugar beets.  There was one guard with them.
I recall that the guard was not clean and not military-looking.  We parked
the car one day and went over to talk to him.  "Do you think that any of
these men will try to escape?" we asked.  The guard throught not.  The
prisoners had been told that everyone had a gun and would shoot to kill.  Of
course, this wasn't true.  Some years later we heard a story that one or
several of the prisoners had returned to the U.S. to live.  I don't know if
this is true or not."

--Virgene Travis
      in Montana