Latah County Oral History Collection

But I don't ever remember having been there to hear him. oh. The man talked about.

Melvin Carlson: Him, but, I mean, I can't remember now what he preached.

About it, but I know he'd give a sermon.

Karen Purtee: This is Dick fair.

Melvin Carlson: Dick fair.

Karen Purtee: Did you call him the pack sack? Pack sack. Bill.

Melvin Carlson: I accept Dick. You traveled around all over the pack. Checked on the fact that said he did. He just made the camp take up the collection. That's the way he lived. I don't know if he's a real preacher.

If he were just making it easy. Living.

I was trying to think.

I was of the picture.

He would sell jewelry at the same time. There was one man come around I know selling jewelry.

We'd have all kinds of jewelry.

And watch everything into the camps. But I don't think it was Dick.

But it was another one.

But we had all them carriage, regular.

Karen Purtee: Did you ever listen to any of the sermons?

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah. But I can't remember what they were. Hell, fire and brimstone, I guess.

Yeah. That's what you did,

Karen Purtee: They'd have to come to you soon.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: ma'am, but, if they was around when, when we lived up. Lived in camp, I don't remember. Yeah. I didn't.

Melvin Carlson: Come.

Around camp seven. It was camp seven south of over here.

He come in there, and I. I think you and I was living there at the time, but.

You maybe didn't.

Know.

Karen Purtee: But if we ever went, I don't remember having been there. That's where I started out in camp seven. and, camp.

Did you work in the camp?

Melvin Carlson: No. And no work. And then they had a cabin there. They were living in.

Karen Purtee: No. We, I can just remember for sure. Or what time of the year.

Melvin Carlson: That's right. Yeah. The.

Karen Purtee: Had to go on. Little. They had just these little shacks that we lived in.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: Up there. And we carried water from the river creek. But it was, it was a pretty for a recruit.

Melvin Carlson: That was, that was.

Karen Purtee: Carried that in and heated water to wash in on the board. Did you find yourself.

This was in the. This was in the 20.

Melvin Carlson: It was. Yeah. 27.

Karen Purtee: 27

Melvin Carlson: 27. All of 27 and 28.

Karen Purtee: Exactly. Where was camp seven located?

Melvin Carlson: It was about four miles south of.

It was off of the Elk River road, and, it was, west of the Elk River road bank railroad running into it.

And,

A railroad come in from.

Or did the railroad come straight through from Bovill down and then went on down to.

Karen Purtee: I was trying to picture where the railroad track was.

Melvin Carlson: Well, it went down. It was not Boulder Creek. I've forgotten that was down there. And then went back and around to oh, way south there to camp 31 and.

Karen Purtee: That, you know, it crossed the highway there. We we turned them and cross drove them across that field down into the cave before we crossed the railroad track. But where was the railroad track? The camp. I can't recall.

Melvin Carlson: Okay.

Karen Purtee: was it nearer?

Melvin Carlson: Shack, come up from hell.

Come out from hell, man.

Oh, railroad men had come up. and then it went on through down to. I forget what they called the place down.

I remember I was down the road, there was a barber there.

Karen Purtee: So be down by park, by park?

Melvin Carlson: Yeah. Down through.

there. Green Park.

And.

Elk River.

Over in that area. Over. I can't remember their names anymore. I got through there than I remember. Yeah, somebody talks about it.

Karen Purtee: You remember any of the practical jokes? That's, Lumberjacks were supposed to be famous for the war.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, yeah, it was short sheeting them. then one.

Block the sleeves.

And a coat on that. They put.

One sleeve in the side of the other.

And then they put a block in there, and they pull it tight, I'll tell you that. It was, Then they'd roll the blankets.

It take a.

Blanket and roll a blanket. And they started up and you couldn't find. No. And start unrolling it.

Oh.

Just take your ordinary blanket and roll it up. And that would all be tucked in there, and you could not find a place to start. You would know if you didn't know how it was done. You couldn't.

Find a place to start that that was a mattress.

That.

But I know one night I had to go to monster, to a doctor, and I had the appointment at 7:00, and I lived. When I got back to camp, I heard, Jimmy say hello from Vogel, and I forget who the other kid was. They were sleeping in the bunk. One was in the bunk above me.

He was a snake and snake. And.

I didn't have no light or anything. I knew just about what had happened. So instead of getting down between the sheets, I just lifted the blankets, slept on top of the sheet, made sure, sheeted my.

Bed.

Fixed. That's it. You go in. You couldn't get your feet only about halfway down.

Oh, and when they done that.

Right, that isn't quite a.

Job.

I didn't say anything.

I just went to sleep, never said a word in the morning. And Jimmy and I can't think.

Of the other kids. And they were just kids about 18. They said.

what does it matter if they couldn't get to bed last night? I didn't have any trouble.

I never said I didn't say anything. And they were always late to get enough. They wouldn't get up.

Till the breakfast bell. Right.

Well, they had their boots there and the shoelaces were about that long. And I got them and I started and I just.

Tied knots with both. You both pair just doesn't put a string about what that log worked done. Well, they get.

Up just in time for breakfast, and then they jump out and they'd sit around and when the truck was ready to leave, they go pull their.

Boots on. The track was already lead to take us to work. They were were I made a dime for their boots. They couldn't get them on the left. Two boys I good character, good I have nots. They write out letters done quite often. You catch any late sleeper?

And then he missed. He'd either have to run with his boots, carry.

Them out and tie them up. Couldn't get them on, you know, full of dynamite. That was a common stock.

Because they knew.

Who did it.

Karen Purtee: So yeah.

Melvin Carlson: They knew right off. Do never pull no more stunts on me, though. That was the end of it.

Karen Purtee: Though some pretty mild.

Melvin Carlson: Well that's mild. There were some rough.

But, I can't remember old.

Karen Purtee: Well, let me ask a question of a later. Why do you think I was? Wonder how many other women were up there?

Well, let's see, there was Mary. What was the name of that other one with Mary?

There was only about four of us.

Melvin Carlson: I think it was four.

Karen Purtee: I think.

So you just all was working?

Melvin Carlson: Just wives.

Oh, there was, 2 or 3 flunkies or women flunkies?

Karen Purtee: Yeah. The flunkies to.

Know what's a flunky do.

Melvin Carlson: As a waitress.

Oh, okay.

Well, they always.

Call them flunkies when they're.

Hired and they're hired, and as.

Flunkies.

Karen Purtee: And I can't. I can't remember that one that was with, marriage so much, I can't recall her name. I haven't been able to think of her name yet. I wasn't think about it. Well, I can't remember if there was more than three of us in there at that. Came.

Almost seems like it was just the three of them, of two flunkies. So I would think there were four.

Melvin Carlson: It might have only been three.

Karen Purtee: Do you think of any other people anyway? When, they did, they hook up a team to, sled and take us into town. I know I remember going had a woman, not a druggist in Lowville at the time. We went in. There was cold. I take a the shopping.

Melvin Carlson: Oh.

Karen Purtee: Just they were pretty good to us there at that camp. I liked that camp. We went, took our washing down to their washroom. And it was that the place where we got the bear?

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: The, they had killed a bear just out. Did that come around to the jungles and they'd kill the bear. And so they gave each of us wives of bear meat, and it always made the, threat that no one would ever feed him. Bear me. So I know how I worked real hard to camouflage that bear.

Made him to eat bear mate. I seasoned it up and put dressing with it and got it all mixed up and tasted it. I thought it tasted pretty good, so I gave him some bear meat to eat. That was good. He said. What kind is it? I said, well, somebody, I guess it was a deer or something. I killed it and they gave us some from the came to sure dark.

And I said, well, yeah, this dark is game meat all dark like that, you know.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: Yeah, yeah.

They ate it and, and took a second helping. Of course, me and my big mouth. I couldn't keep this longer. I said, that's bear me. That was in the.

Two.

Melvin Carlson: Of them.

Karen Purtee: Or.

Melvin Carlson: the fellows I've got. It was Oscar. Virgil, The guy that got hit with some relation of Oscar Sturgeon. Yeah, from West Virginia. And he just couldn't wait till he got some of that bear meat. We're going to have bear.

Meat for dinner.

I walked in and I asked what you can have. You're guaranteed I don't want it locked in for dinner. And we had great big steaks. It wasn't a very big camp at that time. We had great big steaks, you know, and I took one I ate, it was, well, that's fine. Bear me. I didn't say anything. We got out and they said, oh, I thought you didn't like, bear me.

I said, I don't.

Well, it's a date. And I said, that was embarrassment.

Oh yeah.

It was the next day. The same.

Way.

And I ate a lot of meat, went out and they were raving about it. The third day we went in. The minute I stepped in that dining room, I knew what we had because I can smell very muted cooking. And I grabbed the big steak and, they handed me the butter and I said, no thanks. I don't believe I care of any value.

And I went ahead and made and I never said a word that was eaten. He look at me, maybe some more. And I got.

Out.

Back to the bunkhouse and said, well, how do you like the bear meat? They said, was that bear meat? I said, yeah, yeah, that was a good steak. But today was bear.

Me wasn't as good as I thought it'd be. They didn't like it either.

Well, if the bear meat too sweet.

I don't like it.

Karen Purtee: Sweet.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, sweet. All. Yeah. And then I've never liked it. Might be partly the reason that. Well.

Old John Picker shot a bear over here in the park.

And that was, oh, 19, 1415.

In there somewhere.

Karen Purtee: It's a big Duthie Park.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, yeah.

maybe a little later than that. And I think it was the old man picker.

And they had an.

Undertaker right where the Standard Oil Station is down here.

And in the front.

You had, a big, I think it was. I forget if he sold buggies or something, but it was a great big building there. Old plate glass windows, you know, and the undertaking violations on the back. Well, he addressed the bear out, and I got up there in the front and the wind.

And it looked just like a person hanging in there. Oh, that's you see a beer bear dressed out.

And they looked like.

Bears. It, it hung there.

And the train used to pull in here about 8:00 at night.

Do you hear about it? No. There were 2 or 3 women.

From Croy come off that.

Train. They come walking up there, looked at that just right over and at that thing. You had to drag it out. But he thought he had a butchered mama. Hey. You there. Oh, if that might be part of the.

Reason to that. I don't like their meat, but I've never been able.

Karen Purtee: That's why I said he would never eat it. He said it when it's butchered, it hangs there. It looks just like am. I am just like a person.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, but he had it there, right.

Out in the front end after taking batteries.

In the back.

Oh, you

what? Break. Anybody have eaten bear meat?

Oh.

Karen Purtee: That's greasy too.

Melvin Carlson: But he was pretty proud of it.

Karen Purtee: If it's cold, that's even worse. It's just. Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: Grease. Terrible.

Karen Purtee: You don't need to feed me.

Melvin Carlson: Anybody there?

Karen Purtee: But did you eat a lot of wild games up at the camps?

Melvin Carlson: No, we we never got to have. That is the only time we ever got in a wild game. And if we drove fish and if we could talk to cook into cooking them for us to do, we had a lot of fish in there. Right there is where it really took division. you used to grow up here, but he can never catch anything out in the creeks there.

And he got up there and he got pretty lucky he'd get the fish. And from then on he wanted to fish all. That, before that, he never cared for us.

Karen Purtee: That was a that was a good creek there.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah. There were a lot of fish in that.

Karen Purtee: Well, Mrs.. no. Was Sturgeon the boss in that one? She wasn't in there then? No. Was she.

Melvin Carlson: Who.

Karen Purtee: Was my sister Jill. Where them.

Melvin Carlson: I was trying to think. It seemed to me like she was there for a while.

Karen Purtee: I know she was in. Well, did they go on to camp one too? Was she there? If not, she was in that camp too, because I remember she was so allergic to everything. She kept herself in the cabin and it was all just steamy all the time, because if she got out dry, she was just there.

Melvin Carlson: She was there for a while. I was going to ask a little bit.

Ago, she wasn't there. And I thought, well, maybe I was mistaken, but I know.

She was in that camper. Oh yeah.

Karen Purtee: I remember being I, I was trying to think that was a camp. And if he was the boss and she was there.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, he was the boss. He opened the camp up in the fall. Started it.

Karen Purtee: It was a well at camp one.

Was it Welch.

Melvin Carlson: Ed Welch? Bill, Hiram Cole.

Was the clerk there.

Hiram Cole was the current clerk for, Oscar Durden.

Karen Purtee: Margaret, Smith's uncle. He was a little bit of a man. He was a.

Melvin Carlson: Bit of a fella. He hurt himself. Fell off the roof or something when he. The young fella never did go as back to his bothered. But he was a nice.

Man do ain't do anything in the world for.

That, If you want to know, this wasn't a trick. This happened up in camp 35. And not for a long. 1940. It was late. Just. They were shutting the camp down the next day before Christmas. And two fellows from Bovill decided they were going to build their bunk house. We all went to town and the clerk got loaded up.

Come home.

I went to bed. Most of us did, but Bill Zimmerman. And, Leroy Harris, there was about four fellows decided they were going to build our bunk house that night. Everybody been leaving for? They go and they'd carry, go down to one bunk house and get some fellows. They come carrying them through the one I was sleeping in.

I was right next to. And they were figuring who they could get next. Well, one fellow had locked, bunk house door. They took an ax.

And shut the door down right in.

And they were carrying that feller up there.

Commanders and all that as they went by my bunk. Bill Zimmerman, he happened to think about me, and they said your name. No, I'm not I'm not going. You're not taking me in there. Oh, he asked, are you?

Karen Purtee: What what were they doing?

Melvin Carlson: They want to build a bunk house up. There was only two of men, and there's room for camp, and they were just going to have a full bunk house the last night. Oh, they had.

3 or 4 different fellows in there already.

And they come.

Back after me and they.

Just grabbed the mattress. The whole works, the man right in it to carry him in my bed. And, when Bill got out of bed in the morning, he never made his bed.

He just throw the covers back. And there was a big deep hole right in the bed. So they come in there and I said, well, just wait. I said, you don't have to carry my black bear down. I said, get him a blanket. I said, I'll walk you. Okay? I got a dress. They grabbed my stuff, carried it in my head up and made my bed up at the other end at it all nice.

When they got done with it, I had well, as you boys, I carried back. It turned around. Here I was down in the full.

Bucket of water.

Over Bill's.

Bed.

Bill, look. Hey, zero zero. He said he couldn't dump water. Move out of bed.

You. He won't do.

It. I don't know.

And I said, what do you want to carry back now?

And I said, or.

Do you get this.

Water?

And then two arguing races. Tell him to go to hell. We ought to go to hell.

Why the water went in your leg hurt. Oh that big.

Oh.

oh. Billy, just, don't try.

To.

Live no more blankets, you know?

Yeah. We got so many blankets and it was cold. It was just before Christmas.

So that he would go to sleep with Leroy, to the little bedtime. That about 130 in the morning, they went out and around the breakfast battle to get up.

You know, there's a triangle. And they rang it.

Sort of out of old timers. they never thought they got dressed side. They, the side sat around. Well, it's a long time to write.

Oh, yeah. Ten years of old. I don't know how old. Jan two.

Oh, they had a massive, massive bunk house in, back and everybody that was in there, but a couple of them. But it wasn't their fault. Wanted to explain to them what was left, but they let me go back to my own bed again. They went right back and made my bed.

Karen Purtee: You got to have water. That's all I needed, that.

Melvin Carlson: Oh.

That was sure a mess that night. But it was funny that whole fathers, they were up and all dressed well, and some of them we used to put up. No, we didn't take lunch that morning. I was going to say they used to hit for, make their lunch right off, but then we'd all leave in camp so they didn't have to put up the lunch.

But that was a long way from 130.

To.

532 to 2 to get up.

Oh, gee. Yeah. Oh.

Karen Purtee: Well, how did the ladies occupy themselves? How did you occupy yourself in the camp?

Oh, I can't just remember so much to that one. But it was just fun just being in there. And we I guess, was that the one here and set up a, a tetherball and, the game room and they played tetherball or was that camp or and I.

Melvin Carlson: Can't, I can't even remember or camp or not.

Karen Purtee: I know we had, he'd put up a tetherball and we played. I think we had a spot there. We played croquet. Some of the guys would come up, and I remember I haven't had a picture someplace. one of my. I don't remember his name, but he came up there. He just loved to play table. He never played that.

You know, that of an evening after they finished their eating. And we just wandered through the woods some. Of course. Right. Time. You have to do your washing on the board and and, there wasn't too much housekeeping to do. So cooking. And I guess we went out every single weekend.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah.

Everybody left camp on the weekend and came out.

Karen Purtee: So we'd go out pretty soon as they get through working and come back so late Sundays, we can make it. So it's only for five days really down there, that camp. Because.

Melvin Carlson: in the summertime.

It was real nice. It just kind of a summer camp out.

Was a lot of us.

Karen Purtee: But in the winter, it got cold.

Melvin Carlson: Well.

It wasn't too bad the way they had their rigs. Big step. As long as you had fire and everything would.

Karen Purtee: It was at Camp one where they had the fire and moved us out.

Melvin Carlson: I guess I was trying to think of what Camp one was. where was camp one?

Karen Purtee: Down the park country.

Melvin Carlson: That's it. I was.

Thinking it was that was.

Over.

Karen Purtee: The hill. And they.

Melvin Carlson: Just the first camp.

When you got down the ladder.

Karen Purtee: There, and afterward they moved to camp 11. I think it was. But that first one, we had to go up a hill, you know, and then it was down over the hill and the fire, the fire had started and so they had all the checkers get their things ready and have it and, ready in case they couldn't get the fire to go back.

They were back firing. but, the wind was blowing right toward our checks. And the so they thought probably that we would have to move. And they were finally got so kind of dangerous there that they gathered us all up and took us up over the hill away from it. So we stayed all night. And so house down there, all of us, there were quite a few that we were parked on the chairs and drove and brought some flowers and everything else.

Quite a long night. But then the wind changed. They were going to load our cabins out of the flat cars. They had the cars already. There were just pick them up and set them on the flat cars to see and move them out if they got too dangerous. Oh, and they had them at ready. But then the wind changed them and they backfire.

And it. Was no more danger to the shacks. So the next day we could move back in. Remember that was quitting smoking section. And that, I think, was the same time they had that big fire. When we came out, we had to drive through smoke and and walk the hand of the car because the smoke was so thick we couldn't see ahead.

So he walked on the road. I drove and followed him because nobody could see a road. And that was between. Where was that during camp mobil or.

Melvin Carlson: I don't I wasn't. I was trying to.

Think, I believe I.

Was out in the farm.

Karen Purtee: That might be.

Melvin Carlson: Three of Paula, 31 I ever died and was a 31 year. And I went out, 3132 well, the fall of 31.

Karen Purtee: Was that the year that they had that fire in there?

Melvin Carlson: I believe it.

Was, I.

Karen Purtee: Think so, anyway, that was we sure went through.

Melvin Carlson: I stayed on the farm till 34.

Karen Purtee: I must have been right with that. Would have been this side of all, Bill. Maybe. It would have been because we were. We came out of Helmer.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

You went in and Helen moved across border Creek and back in Park from this side you could go through and come out on the other end through and go into Elk River, but do anything.

Karen Purtee: Else. Seems to me I can't just remember now for About Us it was. But it was after we got out on the road. On the highway.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, there was another track. And then I've been.

Trying to find.

Karen Purtee: The snow was so deep in there we couldn't take the car, Sam. So when we'd, we'd walk out, we'd walk the railroad track out to the where we had our cars park and then came and, I think that was the, the year that I bumped and the car moved up. We lose anyway, it wasn't guiding right. And, we'd come traveling along this highway, and of course, the snow was piled up high on both sides of the highway.

We couldn't get off at that stupid car all of a sudden, make a mess my head back for came, or else it would go, and all of a sudden it would climb up the stump, up the size.

Melvin Carlson: At, camp.

So that man.

Karen Purtee: Was at camp seven. That was camp.

Melvin Carlson: Because I remember after telling me about it and I took and drove it and it was, towing out this way was taken to death because I couldn't get it right, but it was a whole lot better. But that's where you go down the road. Not only did you turn right, square over and.

Karen Purtee: Go up the road, you never know what it's going to turn to. The right or the left to the hill, depending on which way it was going to go.

Melvin Carlson: You didn't know it.

Karen Purtee: It just reversed here all of a sudden to turn right around in the middle of the road. And it hit back.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, the wheels.

Were just setting out this way, angling the front.

Karen Purtee: Either direction.

Melvin Carlson: Instead of just going in. Just leaves before they were torn up.

Karen Purtee: and you could get that. And I said, do we have to go out this weekend? I just dreaded the trips out because that stupid car. And after we got it lined up, then it was fine. But I think we travel all that winter where that thing happened like that.

Melvin Carlson: I believe you did. It was in the summer when I straight into the summer.

Karen Purtee: And I know we walked the railroad track out because we couldn't drive in, Snow City, and I didn't have room. I kept the railroad track open, but not the roads for the checkers.

Melvin Carlson: But they had,

A freight road, and they operated in with portions. they come in with horses anyhow. And that was open. That went straight from seven. Back from seven. I know they didn't. They it was about about three miles in the road.

Karen Purtee: And I know that one time that the old shaking by, the railroad and a loaded one and the dyer was driving there was engineer, and our road from camp came right down. I remember that steep hill just right over the railroad track, right at the bottom. And I know I was driving that time, too, and we came right down that hill, and there just got there.

And here the old shaking by and pulled it over to the side. And it was on there. You said, boy, you said you had me scared there for a minute. I thought we got you. We thought I had to bet. There then, we had there was, that must have been camp one where Joe Parks were in there.

Joe and Ed Welch was,

there. She and I just did a lot of traveling. We rode. We even rode on the logs, logs that they bring in. Oh, and she had a baby. I was. at camp one. Then they let us go down. Our shacks were close enough to them. Okay, so we used the showers and and, their washroom was there too.

like, it seems to me like the kitchen. Help. They used to give us room for a while to.

Melvin Carlson: Be used to what.

Karen Purtee: I say at the kitchen. I think they used to give us something to eat. Was no go for a treat. They'd have something more than they needed or something. They give it to the women in labor camps. That was a real nice camp. I like camp seven and camp on both.

Melvin Carlson: camp seven on the first round out there, we were just building roads and stuff, and, I was sitting at the same table as Hiram Cole, then Hiram Oster storage room. So.

Glamorous.

It was. I wouldn't know about ten, 12 people in the camp. And I don't know, I guess the cook had a great big kettle of soup, and he must have had a set amount in the porch, saving it till the next day, because, Hiram, we was all sitting there.

And Hiram eight.

One bowl of soup gets dip puts in.

He looked Richard down. Chipmunk ground. Oh, Jerry's about the cook and he lays it down. He said, here's why don't you feed your pet and let them help themselves.

And he kept right. I'll be gone.

The rest of your show very soon. Beside we were.

But yeah.

Karen Purtee: That was another thing that at one of the camps, I know I had my floor wax. So you just skate on it just about. And a chipmunk came in there. They just would come right around the cabin, get me in the cabin. And we had a kitten at the time there at this particular one, and the chipmunk was in there and the from came in and he tried to catch that chipmunk.

And of course all they did was just stay up there and pull on this wax floor. They could neither one up yet anywhere.

Melvin Carlson: I.

Karen Purtee: Remember it, and I just nearly leveled ourselves silly over watching those two animals. And on I'm trying to get away from the other and try to get it. Neither one of them could get anywhere. Finally, I guess a squirrel. Maybe it was a squirrel. Anyway, you finally managed to make it or jump and got outdoors. Yeah, escaped time, but it was real fun to watch it.

Melvin Carlson: I didn't want to come.

Karen Purtee: Right up to the cabin.

Melvin Carlson: What camp it was in. I believe it was up by the turkey couple of sawyers. There was about four feet of snow and they had to dig down and the stumps had to be is white pine trees had to be cut 16in.

From the ground.

And there was a great big white pine tree and they saw as a notch. And then you get around the back side and the trees.

Tipped over.

And a big black bear jumped out of the stump.

oh.

They were.

Weren't they, just so.

They could get out.

so.

The berry got out, took all. But,

Every once in a while that winter. Then the rest of the winter, the birds find another place to hibernate, and they'd have gone to the log, get under logs, they hook on to the logs to take off. And there in the bird.

Go.

All in.

One thing. There.

Who?

It was that person.

Karen Purtee: Hmhm the bear often came around the camp because they threw out so much garbage, you know? So they were practically everyone, I guess, had a bear.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: But only that one time that they killed the bear to feed everybody.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, the one camp that was up out of Bovill, the other way towards Park, the bears used to get out around the garbage dump and I don't know who it was. They took a five gallon.

Keg.

And they drove spikes in it all around and put honey in the bottom of it. And that was what I'd call crude. There's a whole.

Bunch of sitting.

Around there. There comes in there.

The bear wouldn't bother the people, but he gets his head down in that and he couldn't get it out. See the nails? If you go, oh, the bear would crash. He would get turned around in circles and he finally hit it.

Against a tree and busted.

It. And then.

Everybody laughed.

Yeah.

Everybody laughed.

Karen Purtee: Then you got out there.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, he got a he got it off. Yeah. And he was mad. He was taken after anybody was inside. took.

Karen Purtee: Of you. You must have been a bachelor then in that part of that time.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, I was a bachelor 11 years old.

Karen Purtee: Oh, well, did you go out and celebrate?

Melvin Carlson: Oh, you know, celebrate. Oh, I tell telling all.

Karen Purtee: Oh, well, I, let's see. How do we say this? The lumberjacks are noted for some of their celebrations and fights for the lumber.

Melvin Carlson: Of the year.

Karen Purtee: They work hard. And all that weather, cold and wet and everything till they get a steak made. Then they head for Spokane. Have a big weekend.

Melvin Carlson: Well, I never.

Went to Spokane.

Karen Purtee: You never went.

Melvin Carlson: To. The only time we went to Spokane and we'd be starting out. There's no work here. We go to Spokane looking for work. But we never went to programs.

Karen Purtee: But a lot of them did.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah. Oh, one fellow went to Spokane. He had to go away, and he drove all the time. He had to have a hat. He come back broke.

No, I.

Definitely.

Karen Purtee: Grew up. Lose everything they had that come back broke.

Melvin Carlson: And I seen some of them fellows sitting in the log and jam. They'd be badge and underwear and everything. They could go up to the commissary, get anything they needed because they had money come in, you know, just charge it. But they had to sit there.

And patch clothes.

That I wouldn't even think about it. And, they couldn't afford to buy new ones. And when they draw their dime, go to the door and go to Spokane and buy clothes. Come back.

Not a.

Stitch. It wouldn't have a stitch. You just put the head start all over here at.

You know what.

Karen Purtee: Though?

Was this from drinking or gambling or both?

Melvin Carlson: And they did drink and gamble. They get drunk before they get there. And then, people there that are just nothing but living and, you know.

Karen Purtee: Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: I may just keep them drunk until they were broke. Then they had no money.

It couldn't get any credit, had no money.

They came back to camp, broke. No one.

Oh, that was 2 or 3 fellows didn't even have.

The money to pay the.

Income tax. They would go in and pay that and spend it all. And here is income tax time. Yeah. And it only take them a month to make enough. They didn't know what he was going to do. So talking to me. And I said well the government has got it here that that time they give you slips.

Yeah I know and

You and Sandy and how much you made and put the information out and send it to them, and then maybe they mail it back to you. And as long as they have that by the income tax rate, it was all right. March 15th, I think it was at that time. And so I said, I said, what'd you try that did, did it work?

By the time they got it back to the do, they had the money they had.

oh, yeah.

Well, let's say glad of that. Give them 30 days extra.

Unknown: what do you have?

Melvin Carlson: I don't know, one.

Karen Purtee: We had this, little tiny stove to bake on there, but, I mean, gingerbread, wasn't I? I, I knew that must have been one of k seven. No, that's when we had the log cabin, so it must have been k one. And it made homemade ice cream. So winter and and ice cream and gingerbread. We it tastes good.

I never ate it. So once you get sick though. Oh, boy, was you sick that night. Desperately sick. I was really worried.

Melvin Carlson: Right.

Karen Purtee: Because you didn't have a doctor? Very close.

Oh, no. Doctor, if you just stayed sick the next day, I expect you to have to go on. But by the next day, he had recovered reasonably. I think he was probably able to work.

Melvin Carlson: Able to work? Reminds me of up.

Reminds me of the Elk River basin. All he and I was on together up there. It was my birthday the first day of October. He was telling everybody in camp, boy, he was. You're going to work for me that day? I just laughed, I was fine, so the next morning I got up and people are sitting around laughing.

You know, I couldn't figure it out as a matter.

And, I went down to the, restrooms there and come back, and here was underwear hanging on the railing along. They're all dirty.

I don't know what the some of the men.

Got to eat that night. The whole camp, there was only 2 or 3 of us in the whole camp that it didn't affect. They all had diarrhea. Oh.

and then they were sitting in there, I laughed, and I said, what's the matter? And only was one of. You couldn't hardly eat breakfast. We went to work, but he worked me all right. The next day he'd help me fall off trees, and I'd start sore, and he'd have to go. He'd come back, make one cut.

He'd have to take off.

And I was off work all. It was a hard way to do it.

Oh, that whole campus, I don't know, they had some kind of a. cream.

Codfish or something. And I didn't eat.

Any of it.

And I think maybe that's what it was.

But.

I just. I don't know why I did. I like being codfish, but, I didn't eat any that night. And some of them just go, you know, eaten all the time. I think that was it. Oh, some of them didn't even make it there to the outhouse.

Oh.

Karen Purtee: Well, when did you start working up? Out in the woods.

Melvin Carlson: In the woods? Well, I think 22, when I first I was 16.

When.

Unknown: So,

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, from 19 6 to 22, 19. I went up there and I passed as 18 assigned. They had to be 18, and I signed up as 18. I went right to work.

No trouble.

Karen Purtee: This was just one of potlatch regulations.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah. Letters for.

Oscar Sturgeon.

and then the next day. And I had to tell them how old I was, strange, come out on the job, and he'd sure ask me all the time. But, being 18 years old, I.

I'd sit there. No wonder. Well, how do you know how old.

You are, too? Yeah.

Karen Purtee: Oh, we.

Melvin Carlson: How a big money do you. What was we getting? Two and a half a day.

Or something like that or something like that. Working with it.

Age or big money at that time.

Karen Purtee: Okay.

Melvin Carlson: And then they finally raised it to a dollar, oh, $4 a day, and we were paying $1.20 a day for board. So we didn't have too many rainy days and there were stormy days. You didn't work. You're done. All right. But then the board would eat up the rest of the money.

You didn't order.

stay in there. Saturday and Sunday were. That would cost you money. But if you come out, it.

Cost you more.

Yeah, I think it.

Karen Purtee: Well, finally, they didn't do it by the day. They did it by the thousands.

Melvin Carlson: Of eligible.

People. well, I.

Karen Purtee: Guess some of them still work by the day.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, a lot of.

Work by the day.

Karen Purtee: But they could go. The Sawyers keep going.

Melvin Carlson: Well, the Sawyers at that time, I think it was son by the thousand. But I was working on landings and cutting roads, you know, just working by the day. When I first went in.

Karen Purtee: When they would, were it, then they could work as hard, fast as they could. And the more the harder they were, the more money to made. I can't so of course the chip.

Melvin Carlson: And these that. Was a camp for campfire north of, Vogel. I was on one job there, and I was one of them. For a man. Oh, we had a beautiful baby, but I had to peel all the logs. He was a big. And he was driving on a run.

And I asked him.

How much are we getting for that? Two and a half and house. And that's what day is getting over there. And I said, well, did you ask the boss? No. He said he'd tell us tomorrow.

Well, I work three days.

And, the boss come up the fourth day and I see you. I mean, they come back from the with the drag. I said, did he say how much he's getting? No, he said he'd tell us tomorrow. I said, I'm quit. I was losing about 5 pounds a day. Way I was working, I dropped, I dropped 15.

Pounds.

In three days. We were really work. And I put a shirt on like this. It was one of them blue cranberry shirts. And a night when I dried, I could just.

I didn't just stand up straight sweat. Yeah, that's why it was. So I quit when to do what I.

Come after they took my board out, I made $51 in some sense today. And while I was working, I'd stayed.

Karen Purtee: $51 a day.

Melvin Carlson: $51 a day. And that was in 1925. I got $153 in some sense for three days work. They paid us off by 2000. But this man I was working with, he.

Worked a whole month and he made one.

Hundred and $67. They cut his wages, but they didn't know what to pay.

To start.

With. So that's the way they paid me up.

If I had to work the whole month, I wouldn't.

Have made very much more money than I did.

Karen Purtee: Oh my goodness.

Melvin Carlson: oh. He would.

Not. Then he quit.

I seen him in town afterwards, told him how much I made. He made less than they did across the other side. We had way the best chance. he was mad that. Oh, that is the best money I'd ever made for a long time. Was up there $51. It figured out just about $51.20 a day. Aboveboard.

Karen Purtee: Fellow best friends. Brother Titus was a teamster up there. the same time I had my. Those fellows that drove their teams were sure proud of their horses.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, man.

Karen Purtee: Wow. And they had a right to be. They were beautiful horses. Teams were just as.

Melvin Carlson: Everybody in the barn.

Take care of the horses and feed them and curry and then they'd argue it was a better all day Sunday. But, I guess it'll go on that tape. All right.

Oh, yeah.

I forget it was up in the Elk River basin.

And it was in the winter, and they were out there, and one fella had a great big boy out right in the back here, you know.

And it was sure he.

Couldn't sit down or nothing.

So he was telling another cattle. And the fellow said, well, he said, have you busted it at.

The Corps out of it will noise.

And I can't see it, I can't.

He said, well, you do it. Me yeah, but he was out in the barn. So he gets back in the corner where the medicine cabinet works. Ramaphosa's pants down this valley. He worked on it.

You got it.

All in the car and everything up.

It just reaches up and gets.

A duck bottle or is. Oh, yeah. All right, all right, all right. Out the snowdrift. Right.

oh. And then there was a stream out of that. Well.

Okay.

I don't think I did drink that bull.

Karen Purtee: Well, that was a trip. Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: Oh,

Karen Purtee: Like a mean trick.

Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: but if the Skinners could.

Figure.

Out what effect.

It.

That. Oh, turpentine. Oh. That'd burn.

So this is all Maverick turpentine?

Another dog?

oh.

Karen Purtee: That's pretty good. That's okay.

Well, that reminds me of what you were telling me yesterday about the the home remedy that your mother had.

Melvin Carlson: That I couldn't. Well, I know all that old man Ferguson used Robert Ferguson, you know, Clarence.

And.

Their dad is, What do you call it as a pity or something?

Yeah, they put that in an old, dirty sock, and he'd wear that around his neck all the time when the.

Flu or anything was going around barefoot. He wore clothes going around. He. I didn't know dirtier than sock, the better it was.

Oh.

Yeah.

He had that.

All the time. Then he carried. A potato in his back pocket for rheumatism. And then he'd have a copper band on his hand around his wrist. I've seen a lot of that. But he carried a potato in his back pocket for rheumatism. I don't know where he figured that or.

No, that's what he did it.

Karen Purtee: Well.

Melvin Carlson: I don't know.

Why.

I don't.

Know how bad he had rheumatism or.

Anything, whether it eased up or not.

But that's that was why his home remedy. For that.

Karen Purtee: I want it again. I'll take the one that your mother used about the.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, that,

Karen Purtee: Cut on your leg.

Melvin Carlson: Well, that.

Was just,

Bread dough.

I've made it out of, Boston bread. Anything. Just milk. Just make it just so it's a dough, you know, not too thick.

Karen Purtee: This is that cook.

Melvin Carlson: With its,

Regular bread. Yeah, yeah. Take, a loaf of bread. Just take a little of the center out of it.

And put milk. Now, of course, in the camps, we had nothing but condensed milk. I'd put that in. But mother just used regular cows milk and homemade bread. But, just so soft. Not too soft.

Just put that right over and put it right around a bandage. The next morning.

It'll all be drawn right out. It's a poultice. What it is. It just draws.

Around.

The. What does that I don't know, but it sure.

Works.

I know when she took that off my leg the next morning, who was this.

Sliver sticking out about that part she got.

Ahold of? It was a good inch long. More a whole little folded. Right.

But, some more back.

On for.

A day, I think, to draw the, person stuff out of there because it was infected, cleaned. It never bothered a bit.

Karen Purtee: And you've done this since.

Melvin Carlson: I've done general, I forget it. There's one.

I forget what I.

Had on my thumb, but it was a great big swell again. It just took it all out overnight. Never just to make a hole for it.

Through all the posts and everything right out of it. Oh it works. It's good for just something like that. No. Yeah it does. It isn't one of the cure all for everything.

Karen Purtee: I put it on your toothache too,

Melvin Carlson: Okay.

Karen Purtee: Was there anything special she did for toothaches or.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah. Do they?

Karen Purtee: Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: I, I we get toothache and we could get to the dentist.

And, coconut mother take I darn I put in, but I don't I don't kill you. Thank you. I'll kill your toothache. But then those.

Kids.

If she wasn't there, we'd get it. You know, I would take a toothpick with cotton.

I think of her.

Like that, and we.

Could fill it on, and we'd.

Have great.

Big sores. You know, that burn would. Know what was it? Seemed to me like, you know, carbolic acid. Oh, carbolic acid. Well, that'll kill, that'll kill the nerve in. Or do you.

Karen Purtee: Want.

Melvin Carlson: Something good or not? But, we'd have great big sores on our lip, you know?

Mustard. Get it in there.

Just take a little and put it in there.

Then we'd have to be awful careful. She'd hold it in there for a while.

But. And then maybe take another one.

With clean.

Cut and wash it off.

But we just kittens and she wouldn't be home and.

We'd have a toothache. Get a goblet and put it in there, Quit ache and pull it out.

Maybe sometimes we just take the toothpick out.

Of the carton and clamp down on the hospital. Awful. Would be some awful looking inside.

Though.

Karen Purtee: You were. Say something about a beat, fellas. How'd they make that.

Great in beats and put it on a cloth. Put it over a saw and, wrap it up.

Made it all better.

To do the thing. I guess it.

Melvin Carlson: Did. Yeah.

Karen Purtee: And the mother used Paramount Fastener, and when we'd have toothache or something, she'd put a little on the cotton and put, peppermint oil up or a little peppermint oil. Wintergreen. Either one. And tuck that to an aching tooth.

Melvin Carlson: We have a lot of times we had a cavity.

Take clothes.

Karen Purtee: Home.

Melvin Carlson: And put the clothes.

Karen Purtee: Close to, you.

Melvin Carlson: Know, we take the whole clothes. Oh.

And be on the long stem. And we.

Put that in and it'll.

Hold it there. Oh, we.

Kind of tickled them to get that one hold about that.

Karen Purtee: We never did that. But we, seemed like we had bottles with a little liquid in it. That's what we used for on clothes, oil up, oil, a winter rain, something like that.

Unknown: know.

Karen Purtee: Put it in for.

And, let it close. Like some other programs for diarrhea.

Oh, yeah. There's something liquid there.

We take that mother purpose remedy.

That's what I gave one of my little squirrels. I gave castor oil one and mother crows to, One of them died and one left. I don't know which one was which.

I'm surprised that one did.

They all had diarrhea.

Did either of you remember your your parents telling stories a few years? Did they come from England or recently? Did they have old fashioned stories?

Oh, they were all born in this country. My one of my grandfathers on mother's side, my grandfather on mother's side, was born in England, where part of the family was born in England. I think maybe he was born in York State. But, mother, my mother's mother was born in Saint Lawrence. those islands in the Saint Lawrence River.

They were originally definitely from England.

In fact, we have worked out a family tree. And I do have somebody that signed a charter on the Mayflower.

Oh, my goodness.

So we are definitely from the island.

One the original, sir. Did your mother have any tales from Norway?

Melvin Carlson: I don't.

Remember.

Unknown: Of. And, that. Oh, that. A lot of stories? No, I don't remember.

Melvin Carlson: They used to sing a lot of little songs from sweet, unnamed translated of an English, but I don't remember.

A.

Lot of my folks were in the Mayflower.

Laughter one fella who was telling me about. His folks over in the Mayflower. And he was right. You know, he wasn't bragging about it. He was telling me. He said, well, he said, I don't know whether I should brag about.

It or not. And I said, why.

Are you here? For the simple reason. The damn customer run out of interest.

You.

But he got over one speaker. They were all right. They were running out of eggs. My mother.

Oh, yeah? Yeah.

Karen Purtee: And the latest is there.

Well, I don't know the one that there. They might have ran him out of England.

Melvin Carlson: They run a lot of mouth.

And they were good people that did just that. They didn't believe what they were doing over there. My stories and they got out to.

Some of them, ran out.

Some of them got out before they got to column.

Yeah.

Nothing wrong with the people.

Karen Purtee: If you know why your parents came over.

Melvin Carlson: I don't know. I know my mother. I think there were two of them. Had a sister.

Came over here.

And they two brothers, you know, I guess his brothers come first, then he come afterwards.

You got.

But, why, they all, I imagine, just to get away from over there.

Karen Purtee: So they they met and married in America. You know, you got a Swedish father.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, I don't know. Maybe my dad was running out of Sweden.

Okay.

You never know.

What's that.

I see? Maybe dad was rather sweet. Maybe that's.

True. I don't know.

Karen Purtee: He went to Dole lab. Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, I think you would.

Karen Purtee: I probably wouldn't.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, there was nothing wrong with that. You could tell some good ones.

He always had a crowd around him on Sundays when he lived out there in the ridge. Only, probably to come over there, have a bunch of beer, and they'd sit around. They all come over to see Mark.

And then.

Have your stories.

Karen Purtee: I remember him.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, I don't well, I wouldn't, wouldn't be around. I was out working. There was a farmer.

Kids around back then.

Karen Purtee: I remember that time that your brother Bill wasn't that the doctor that he had? He was out a little bit.

Melvin Carlson: You put me on the.

Some took some Limburger cheese.

Karen Purtee: Inside of his head. But on the inside, his father's head bound down there. He hated it. He hated Limburger cheese. Anyway, with a badge. You know what it smells like. And, his son in law pillows husband at that time was, Limburger being. And he ate Limburger cheese all the time. So, Melvin's father was out in the field out there, and he came in.

Tell me that. You say, what did you say there?

Melvin Carlson: He came in and he was cussing. I don't know any damn place I go. I smell hamburger, cheese. Well, both hot. That stuff would go on. And all the rest of you forgot about Bill in there. Oh, you talk about man being bad, bro.

Karen Purtee: All the rest of us all knew about it, so we were just could be died.

You'd be giving these kids some ideas.

Where they is got here?

Yeah. I would have some more good stories.

Waiting for some more good stories.

Melvin Carlson: Well, I don't know. I just can't think.

Karen Purtee: Are there any.

Other kids I can.

Melvin Carlson: Tell you?

I was talking to Harold Milton down here this morning, and you know, you'd ask him about the games we played and what we did at Literary Project.

Karen Purtee: Okay. Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: But, they had the literary agent, the Victor Berg, and two other fellows they'd put on just short skit, you know, and there's one fellow is completely bald.

Headed, and he'd go ahead and glue a little piece of sandpaper.

Onto the back of.

His head. They'd be pulling.

All kinds of crazy stunts.

From afar. Reach up, striker match.

This match up, sparks fly all over the,

Sandpaper, just about the color of his head. You could make up to start with.

Wow.

That was really excited for you.

Get to see you.

Unknown: Trying to to the other 2nd July. How they were well mean.

Karen Purtee: You used to do quite a bit of us with this play on even Frank Rock in my house from 5 to 11 we had the old where the old Oddfellows Hall was down here many, many years ago.

Where was that.

Put on plays?

Melvin Carlson: That was right. You know, where the Lutheran churches.

Karen Purtee: Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: Right across the same street had both holes.

But where.

Karen Purtee: That apartment.

Oh, where the apartment building.

Is now, it was all later.

Melvin Carlson: I was.

Karen Purtee: Unemployed.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, we used to have dances there in the wintertime. The one winter, there was nothing going on. So King Walker and myself, we started. We just called up everybody in the.

Country and told them we were going to have a dance.

And we had to pay off our.

Jews way.

Told them be $0.50 admission. But we had a big crowd. We had enough to pay doc and pay for the rent of the hall. That's all we.

Care for.

Next week. Somebody else took it. We had dances going all winter.

Oh, do I have.

Karen Purtee: Parties? Take things in there. They used to have big parties in there. You know, they're not only dances, but they have puppets too.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, yeah. All right. Okay.

Karen Purtee: I was thinking what I thought. When did the telephone come in? When did the telephone service come in?

Melvin Carlson: Oh, we had telephone.

March.

We got that telephone. Were 1915 or.

So.

Up there on the farm.

Karen Purtee: 1915, I think. So it was a long time ago. I remember when the first radio I ever heard, the first radio was, the year I taught over at Union School.

Melvin Carlson: What happened was that.

Karen Purtee: One of the young fellows there have made it crystal safe and all. So excited about that radio and invited us down to their house so we could hear the radio. The there we all sat with our ears glued to it. Oh, isn't that wonderful? But we didn't hear much.

Melvin Carlson: The first.

Karen Purtee: Good.

Melvin Carlson: Radio that I heard. We'd went to Moscow for a 4th of July celebration and we drove over there with one of them old hacks. So that was before 1928. And probably 18. I was just a kid, but they had a big street dance and this radio, they had it up on the side and that's where they got their music.

And I know none of us bleed. We figured it was all a fake, that it was a phony drive, but it was a radio, right?

Karen Purtee: What year was that to be?

Melvin Carlson: 18 or 19, I think it was 18. Oh, one.

It might have been 17.

Karen Purtee: No, that would've been. That was the radio.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: Well, they weren't very common. I know, because this kid had made this one and that was my first experience for the radio.

Melvin Carlson: With an old Smith and the first radio I really heard in my house.

Karen Purtee: You know.

Melvin Carlson: Will Smith out.

Of the reach of those now. And that's all that was.

That was before 1920. I know we'd go over there and sit in the evening. We get.

From the stern.

Francisco or some station down there. We'd all sit.

Around there and wait for them to play the Strawberry Row.

Oh.

Yeah. Would that come with all ears?

Oh.

Karen Purtee: That was your favorite.

Melvin Carlson: Day, right? That's.

Karen Purtee: I used to have an old phonograph that we had in our cabin that they saw, and they had. They had to turn the crank. It was so proud of that phonograph. But before that, you had one that you did. You have to keep turning it to keep it playing.

Melvin Carlson: Well, I was just going to speak about that.

We had an old Victor phonograph and, it was a Victrola, but at that time it was a victor, and it was about that square of the base of it, and it had a turntable on it and a great big long horn.

Well, Mrs..

Beam lived up above there, and the spring broke. Yeah. So you couldn't wind it up, you wind it up and then play a record or two. Record, maybe a.

Record and a half where she was bound.

And determined. She was going to hear these music, hear them record. She'd never heard it. You so mothers she had us kids.

We that was it. And turn the crank would make it go. Oh it's beautiful. We wanted to get out of it and we turned it faster a little bit. That turned slow. The music you ever heard. But we didn't get out or we had to sit there. Oh, that was beautiful.

Yeah. you never.

Got out of it. We got to crazy.

Too bad you haven't got that old phonograph, right?

Not like,

one of the control of the lid opened up. Then things are worth money.

Karen Purtee: Yeah, I know what a pity that we say that we let that one go. It was, it only played, 12 inch records. However. 78. Well.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah. 78. You can play any size, you know, anywhere they can.

Karen Purtee: Set that thing anyhow.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: But, but you couldn't. Not for the slow speed. It just had one speed.

Melvin Carlson: To one speed.

Karen Purtee: Well, I never gotten I guess we sold it to somebody or other. Meanwhile, of course, we got a three speed of their electric. That's one. They had to crank it up and get it to go on. It would play one record and then you'd have to crank it up. Yeah, another record. But, it was a nice one.

It was. You're proud of that phonograph?

When you lived up at the camps, did the fellas kind of come in and mingle with with the married guys? But did you have the the single fellas from the camp in for party?

Oh, yes.

Oh, yeah.

Melvin Carlson: The men were all good.

They wouldn't go unless they were invited. Or sometime they'd walk by, maybe stop and say hello, but they never bothered otherwise.

Karen Purtee: Oh, no. there were some of them that, were special friends of the fellows and we'd have them. Yeah. That was the, you know, for a meal or like I said, we'd have the games and they'd come up there and play games. Not too many of them. There were 2 or 3 there, or especially mainly we, we hobnob mainly with the married other married people.

But there were some of these that had worked with and if any of I'd like to have, I can't remember that one name, that one especially that was so crazy about tetherball. He'd come up there every time he'd get a chance, and then it would have a game of tetherball. And I sure did like that. But I forgotten his name right when he came about.

Why, we probably have him there, or we'd have lunch afterward or something. You know.

There were rules against him. There weren't any rules against the fellows.

In the polo or anything. You know?

Well, we used to enjoy going down to the barn and watch, Whitey. Yeah, shoot the horses. I.

Melvin Carlson: Was trying to think which.

One of the fellows it was.

Oh, there's quite a.

While before them. It was a north of Old. He was a barn boys in the barn. Boys. He was the barn boys. You done as he said. And there was a law. No smoking in the bar. But one day he was out there doing work on a man all dressed up.

A couple of, you know, there's one.

Row dressed up with a big.

Cigar in his mouth, starts into the barn. The fella jumped up in front of him and hey, he says, you can't go in that barn and smoke.

Well, I kept from going there.

You can't go in that barn and smoke furniture. You know who I am, he said. I'm a liar.

Doctors I had to the whole works.

The big bar.

So you know, the whole work.

Man says I don't give a damn if you're. Jesus Christ, you're not going in that barn to smoke. When you look down, turn around and went lay the cigar out there in the stuff. That's right. Good. All if you do want anybody to find it, though.

Karen Purtee: Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, did say that Bubba will make it, but he didn't let him go in there.

Don't.

Karen Purtee: Did you ever run into Laird out there? Right. Did you ever running the Laird?

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah.

We used to go out. I didn't know him because he would wave of our class. He never come and mingle with the crew at all. We used to see him.

He'd come out to the camp not too, But everyone's around. Oh, I'm A.W. Laird.

Today.

Karen Purtee: Was he being driven around in this car? We'd come out there.

Melvin Carlson: Well, this is before they were driving cars.

You'd come in on the railroad.

They they they didn't.

Drive any cars. And then he came to speak as before.

Well, a lot of the roads, they weren't able to get him.

To 25, 26. Some of the camps they could in the summertime. It depends on the time of the year.

Karen Purtee: What were all the different job you done? I know you mentioned 2 or 3.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, I had done just about everything.

There was.

Butter Island.

Brush. That was my first job when I was first with him. The wind tunnel and the sun logs and swamp and drove to the old road.

Karen Purtee: Oh. What swamp?

Melvin Carlson: That's, lemon and, getting the logs ready for.

Getting to the landing and, then doggone well. Oh.

Karen Purtee: All right, let's talk.

Melvin Carlson: Road on the smaller dog, but had what to call dogs. They'd be.

Changed about that, along with the.

Hook.

They come in and you just taking a drive. There's one hook into the log in front and one into the log and back. Let it be so they'd. It'd be about that far behind. And they cut down from where they go and other logs behind it and tacked on follow.

Karen Purtee: Oh, okay.

Melvin Carlson: And then I helped build.

Shoot to roll logs in to shoot. I never agree to shoot. Well, you want to know what shoot it.

Yeah.

Oh, that was up there.

The Elk River country was real steep. They take. And, they lay one log flat, not too big one. Then on the sides, they lay, cut. They'd cut it out so that it was.

Just to try and cut and,

All that be steep.

Hills. Well, on the top they pulled the logs and they couldn't get down.

These because it was to pass to the.

Teams, and then.

We'd have a landing. They had to pull on them and they'd roll.

Them into the chute.

They'd take off down the chute.

Karen Purtee: Try to look at the road.

Melvin Carlson: One by themselves. And when they hit the bottom, they'd shoot, drive straight out, and some places would be pretty flat. We'd have a man with grease. I could reach it after grease and other places on the hill were just too steep. They'd get too on too fast. Yeah, what they call a gooseneck. It'd be a square piece of iron about that square.

Or maybe about that long that had come down this way, then over.

And then it go down into the chute fastened.

And the logs would.

Hit back, not to slow them up, but the bar. Could you just see streaks of bar flying through the air? Wow. Little danger.

To be.

Around when that stuff was going.

Karen Purtee: Yeah. Do you get water at the at the end or ground or.

Melvin Carlson: No. Just have to ground up where I live.

Some places under the rivers, they run them right into the rivers and then they flume down.

I never worked on a flume.

Put down on.

Camp.

Back through there. They had flumes or ladders made similar to a chute under the water was running in them. Logs floated down. You see pictures.

Of them, I think, on TV.

Karen Purtee: That might be.

Melvin Carlson: Well, Disney had.

A show show some of that on one time.

Karen Purtee: Now, what did this man with the with the axle grease have to do?

Melvin Carlson: He'd have to grease the chute so you could come down, and maybe it'd be a level spot and then take off again. Oh, and he'd watch logs.

And if the logs would.

Slow, I'd up. You get in there, you'd have a long swab, a rag on a pole.

And he'd grease act with axle grease.

Karen Purtee: Oh, so the.

Melvin Carlson: Log and make it slick.

Karen Purtee: When people go on.

Melvin Carlson: One log.

And maybe stop there, and the other one would come down pretty fast.

Had it started in a way, they'd go again.

Karen Purtee: yeah. That that must have been prone to a few accidents.

Are there some of those, hills were steep like that. The horses would just go down on the gallop to keep from going out of the way of the logs. They tried to have the logs kind of come down out to the side.

Melvin Carlson: Well, they always had them hooked on so that, on the hills and they'd start and Bennett, Skinner I'd see the, the logs start to run. He'd just holler.

J and the horses had just first.

Or left, but they'd take right.

Off to the side and the logs go on by.

The double trees.

To come on out with them. Horseshoes. However, would you say J. And that meant to get off? It wouldn't mean it'd be.

Maybe it'd be the right hand side, but they meant all jails do it might take off to the side.

Karen Purtee: Trained horses. Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: Oh yeah.

Karen Purtee: Well, let's say. Yeah. You, you help build the the shoots.

Melvin Carlson: help build it.

Yeah.

Karen Purtee: Well, the logs, but you didn't grease, okay?

Melvin Carlson: I didn't do any grease on.

However, all the logs into them.

Karen Purtee: Oh, yeah.

Melvin Carlson: Oh I do and I did practically. I was not even working the blacksmith shop.

Helping the blacks in between times.

Partner lay off or something we saw.

And then.

supposed to be anything else. So you go work in the blacksmith shop, hand ax handles.

Or something like that as a job I did in my accent. Okay. And then I know they break a lot of hands.

Karen Purtee: when you did a lot of roads, too.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah. We built a lot of.

Roads.

Too. But police talked about that yesterday. Number two.

Shovel.

But, You don't build a trees in there that.

What they all the logs in the wintertime.

Okay.

Karen Purtee: Yeah. I mean, a little rough. They said I could go.

Melvin Carlson: And pick a pick.

Karen Purtee: And I'll get. You need to take know.

Melvin Carlson: Okay, okay.

Karen Purtee: Let's see what, number two shovel is disappeared. Shovel?

Melvin Carlson: Yeah. A short hand.

They've got the long handles phase, but the number two where they always take it down to short handle. I mean, they were just a spade. You know, we keep them sharp as eraser, and we just stand, drive down, get a shovel full, throw. Just that way all day long.

The only time I'd get a break was on a fire.

And we'd get. First thing we get on a fire.

I'd get me a shovel. That's what I wanted. And of course, they'd have fellows, relaxers and.

Stuff.

Turning the brush out, getting ready, and then there'd be a bunch coming along. Dig them. Fire trench.

Oh, they'd make trench about that wide.

Karen Purtee: Does that all just go three feet?

Melvin Carlson: Well that's all, if you tried to make it any wider.

They wouldn't get anywhere.

Oh, and if it, wasn't burning fast, well, that would.

Hold it if we could stop it on that.

And I'd go to the office and get me a good pile. I'm getting me a shovel. I'm gonna work till I get pretty near to the head of the string, and I'd sit down and start filing a shovel. Somebody say.

What do you do? filing a shovel. Does that help? We're. Try it. I take make a cut or sharpen mine, or you take mine and I'll sharpen your, I'll get.

That sharpened. Somebody else come along. Same thing over.

And I sit down. A long string went by. oh. Then I'd take get my shovel sharp, go to the head of them again. Say that you over. I never shovel the trouble of dirt.

The boss. Go on. And what do you do?

I'm sharpening shovels and, it's a, Well, that helps, don't it? But he knew, you know, she had on us. The boys come along, and they want.

They're sharp.

And so I just treasure them.

That's all I can to keep my it. Oh, well, there's tricks and all trades.

Karen Purtee: Yeah, you better tell your trick about milking cows, too.

Melvin Carlson: About what?

Karen Purtee: Milking cows.

Melvin Carlson: Well, all that. Well, now, that was a long time back.

That was back in the 20s. You been on. I worked for that dairy farmer.

There's one.

Spring. There was nothing to do around here. And Logjams had no. So I got tired of just laying around and I thought, well, I'll.

Go to Moscow and I'll see. Go to the service.

Station where the farmers should follow him, see if.

I can get a job.

Well, I went there and I spent some time there. nobody needed help. I goes to Pullman. I got over there, and I pulled into the service station. yeah. They said there's.

A farmer out here. Dairy farmer? Need to man.

So he told me where it was, and I went up. You bet.

He said, I've been looking for a man. So the first job.

It was on Monday, the first job I.

Got was.

Holland commoner for horses in Amherst.

Tractor?

Well, that's a pretty smelly job.

But there nothing else.

To do, so I did. I spent a whole week on that. I got done early on Saturday. And he had a big dairy farm in New College. Well, you should come down. You know, you get them to help me. Tell me they, you know, I.

Get these college boys down and they to one of them know how to milk. But he said, I show them and he said they're good milkers. I didn't like it, but they're all good Milkers he said, I just show them. How's it done?

So this Saturday afternoon it was real early. So I unhook, put the horses in the barn, and I went in and told him I was done. And he said, well, he said, go ahead and turn the horses out in the pasture. So I went and don't come back. And I said, well, do you got anything else for me to do?

I figured I was going to get to go home early. Well, he's just getting your milk. I said, oh yeah, I'm a good milker. You bet. Oh, fine. He should know that cow over there, you real gentle cow. Well, to milk the cows, I'd have to go and wash my hands and clean all up. You know, I didn't do any of this.

I just went over and I grabbed a bucket, and I sat down on that stool, and I started.

Milk chocolate milk in my hands. Dark milk in the milk. To be running off of my hands, down into the bucket.

When he was doing some work.

And I reached down and got a little strong, threw him the bucket. Forgot the cow milk.

That he was watching me, but he didn't see me.

Get the straw course.

But when I got done, I walked over to him, and I had the bucket low enough so you could.

See milk all.

Over the outside, the bucket running all.

Over my hand. My hands were dirty, you know, running into the bucket. I thought, well, what cow next? Well, he said, you've been working all the days that you don't have to milk. You can call it a day if you want to.

It never bothered me about $1 billion a. Year. He figured if I was a good bill for all those years and tried to teach.

It, you know.

I worked there two weeks after that, and he never asked me to go to.

Karen Purtee: Work. But you didn't know how to milk, right?

Melvin Carlson: If I told him I didn't know how.

Karen Purtee: Then he would have told me.

Melvin Carlson: But when I told him I was a good no, I guess he gave up. All day. Yeah. I mean.

My hands, the milk.

Would just running off from.

You're not supposed to do that at all. You're supposed to get, rag and warm water and wash them all.

Brush all the straw.

And clean them up, you know, and I didn't do nothing to that.

I ever thought about it.

Karen Purtee: Another manure spreader to.

Melvin Carlson: One bucket of milk. He didn't sell.

Karen Purtee: I couldn't even feed it to the pigs.

There's. What are you probably strained at this holiday?

Melvin Carlson: No, he didn't dare see that milk to spoil past. And, he didn't. He wouldn't dare. He don't. That.

That's the reason. May have to be sure. Protected with that milk. If they get anything like that in it. Right. It's in a spoil. Spoil and.

Herd.

Karen Purtee: Like your bread.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: I was listening to that last night. I was trying to figure out what you could have done with that bread.

Melvin Carlson: To do it.

Karen Purtee: To the bread that you baked.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, the bread of ain't.

No, I don't know either.

But I know it is that he threw some of it out to.

The chickens, and the chicken broke.

The bills trying to eat.

It.

Didn't it?

The first batches of sour curdled the milk, but we got our bill toast the.

Karen Purtee: oh.

Melvin Carlson: But it looked good.

Karen Purtee: You never told about you making the cherry pie in the camp, or were you baking or cooking, too?

Melvin Carlson: Oh.

Karen Purtee: If they didn't like it, fine.

Melvin Carlson: Let it up and I'll ask you that.

Was it. Oh.

Put me to cooking up there to catch Skinner and run them in the kitchen for a week, waiting tables and washing dishes. I figured they just figured.

It was enough for me to cook. Oh, that is all right, I made it.

Karen Purtee: Yeah, but that still wasn't about the fire. You told them if they didn't like it, they could make their own. Well, yeah. I started to eat his and he said, why? That's. Oh, that's just the way I like it.

Melvin Carlson: And I was.

Up there.

that was up there.

Karen Purtee: Was that up there?

Melvin Carlson: Oh,

First man to kick was to take over.

Oh, my God.

I couldn't.

Get anybody to kick.

But they done a three weeks.

Job and two weeks.

Oh, I don't know whether my cooking was a good dad, too much energy or if it is a farmer that they wanted.

To get back home. But I had it made nobody in all days, you know, no dinner to get. I send out lunch and then I just jump on the cab, ride over to the other camp, put in about.

Two and a half, three miles over the hill.

And I'd be over there dinner time and I'd eat. I could.

Live on. Wouldn't be with.

Age.

Karen Purtee: well, did the do the cooks in the old lumber camp there were full in practical jokes.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, I don't remember in any really.

Karen Purtee: There was an awful difference. Did the cooks.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah.

Karen Purtee: My. Someone could cook some. They hated it. How about mush? He was really very much. He was. Was he a good cook?

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, he was a good cook. We had a good cook up there at camp five north of Bovill. Ralph Hansen, he was getting better.

And he was good. He wasn't, you know.

He wasn't the best, but he was.

Good. Everybody bitched and complained. They everything was wrong.

So finally they transferred him. But he in some other place was in another one.

And then they had reasons to care. Yeah. They didn't get nothing.

But I always found that the ones that done in the most kingdom was the ones that never had nothing to eat at home. they never had anything at home. They were probably started at home.

And they bit you about the. You'd find that pretty near all the time.

People that did have something good at home, why they knew what was good and what was.

I just saw a few version. Oh, there she was. She just had it back. She used to go for those who. Maybe they. She had went home yet, Maybe she hasn't went home yet. I've been right here in the house. She hasn't tried to call you. She said she probably be here before you take off. Or you talk to her.

You tell her I leave, encouraged again. because.

How is Harry? Can he ride yet? Maybe that is. Oh, well, that is a trip. There were some nails, but,

I was pulling or.

Tipping over these.

outhouses. Oh, and there was one up back where,

I church station.

Here.

So back in that area someplace, we'd get up there and they had an alarm some kind of way.

Karen Purtee: Yeah. House.

Melvin Carlson: Well, wire around some way. We to hit it or something. they did.

Ring in.

house.

Karen Purtee: They knew you were there.

Melvin Carlson: And they turned out, but we kept out of that it. And finally the man went out and he sat in the outhouse, and the door opened out. Most all of them. The door opened up, but we got together. We got a rope, went up there.

Ran a rope around it, tied the rope and pushed it over there. And so.

the Carl Anderson that was, he used to be cop here.

One year old.

Here's, he'd, he lived up there and beside him.

And the.

Beer running across the railroad. He was an old man. He must've been up there 70 something. He'd always go across the railroad track and see another woman, a younger woman, spend all his money on her, and his wife wouldn't have.

Nothing to.

The boys. They take grabs his. One day.

Carl Anderson was in that box. And they were carrying bodily carrying and poles across carried him down there across.

The railroad.

Tracks. Started up a business. Right. older. So they he heard of it. He was out there, I don't know what he had. oh 44, 45, 90 or something. He fired a shot. It went into the outhouse, but then he fixed him. They never got any after that because he'd went and dug one in the basement.

You use.

Karen Purtee: Talking about Halloween.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, yeah.

Karen Purtee: And the outhouses around. Yeah. He just about time to flip this over on that before you think the the next one. Where the which one was that?

Right. Burt Ridge.

Melvin Carlson: I hadn't heard that. I hadn't heard that.

Karen Purtee: You ever heard that one. And I guess he'd always made such a fuss about it. So they were picking on him twice, but each year they just looked forward to going out. And out there and, do something on Halloween. Them on him.

You can mention him. You can mention him. Let's say.

Mention names.

Here. Yeah, that's all right. But yeah.

His wife might not appreciate.

Melvin Carlson: It. It's all right right here.

But he goes on that date. It's all right. You can mention it here, but it goes on.

Yeah.

No, it's.

Karen Purtee: Anyway, this particular Halloween, he was waiting for them. And when they came, why they all they turn the horses loose. They painted them. They they came out with paint and they paint the cows and paint the horses and all kinds of terrible things in this particular Halloween, while they had, I'm not sure if that, if they had paint and was painting on that time or what, but anyway, he came out to chase them.

He yelled at them, you know, and they just ran over the field lickety split. And they they laughed about it. Afterwards, they said he didn't even take time to dress. He ran across the field in his underwear. They ran again.

Oh, carrying a good boy. Oh, boy.

Jerry might be able to to fill up on that, because I have a feeling that he might have been amongst that. There were the teenagers from school. they were doing it.

Melvin Carlson: Talking about the horses over. Reminds me of Paula Deen. He used to have beautiful horses, big ones. And they were all match pretty and all the same. And he was proud of them. And he took good care of a to you. About as good a carrier as anybody in the country. Maybe a better care than most in morning after Halloween, he came out in the barn.

He'd always get up early and go out, feed him, hurry and harness him. And he got out here. His horses.

Were all harnessed.

And he looked at him and looked at him. And then he fed him and he went in for breakfast and he told his wife. He said, I don't know what's happened to me. He said, I forgot the harness.

My horse. It it worry, you know, you want to go to work brings him out. And of course, they didn't have the right harnessed and the right horses.

Horses that'd work on the right hand side. They'd maybe have the left hand harness on them, or one that was in their center. They'd had, some of the outside harness on, you know, the lions would be on the outside. Yeah. He could tell. Then he knew.

What had happened. I wish should have seen his artist.

It's started.

And over there where you're going to dig, but you're going to start the next morning. He comes out. Here goes his wagon. Right up the road to the bartered. Oh, they've taken it all apart. Carried it up there in parts and put it together under this barn. And another time they had a little way out in the pond.

Well, they used to run them out in the ponds, so the wells.

But this didn't have nothing. And to wade out there and hook something on it to pass.

Into that room. And that was nothing, something like that. And, I forget where it was in some place here. They took a.

Man's cow and put it up in the hay, mount up the stairway. And he had an awful time, just like, oh my goodness.

Karen Purtee: How they get that low.

Melvin Carlson: Or you take a bunch of, fellows.

And they could just.

Do anything.

Karen Purtee: Oh, I love them. What what are some of the other things you did as a kid?

Melvin Carlson: Well, I didn't say I did that.

Oh no. Not. Yeah. Yeah.

Karen Purtee: But you guys knew about it.

Melvin Carlson: Right. No, no.

They don't do any of that stuff anymore on Halloween. all they do is little kids who,

Karen Purtee: They still. Oh, you know.

What I think?

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Well, I don't know, up there.

The little kids grow up, and then they do. They put razorblades and.

Stuff and apples here.

Karen Purtee: I don't think they have here, but,

Melvin Carlson: They.

Karen Purtee: They kids orders not to have anything that's made.

Melvin Carlson: By.

Kids of the year that I knew got cut rate razorblades and apples or pieces of.

Really careful in any of the kids.

I know. Laura Lynn's kids, when they go, they only go to just the neighbors around. She will let them go anywhere around town. Yeah, and of course they're all right. But then if there's any big pieces that can't do anything, she investigates them all before they, every. They can't eat any till they get home.

Karen Purtee: Did they go off trick or treating them like that when you were a kid?

Melvin Carlson: Well, we never went trick or treating. We went trick.

Karen Purtee: You know, trick. But you didn't worry about the theory. Yeah. okay.

I don't think they did that. I don't yeah.

Melvin Carlson: There was no trick or treat. No.

Karen Purtee: No, that was just the thing that they did. They wondered what they would be doing and would they be drinking? You'd always be kind of worried to know who might come around, you know. And I want to say, like, the trick were those that put back.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah.

Karen Purtee: If they didn't fight back for they wasn't any fun that that's the reason why they like that one out on the ridge. Because he fought back, made his boast that they couldn't do anything out there I guess. So they just went wild.

Melvin Carlson: And I'd come through Moscow around midnight one night on a Halloween night. And I don't know how they did it, but they had.

An old.

Separator, but they actually.

Pulled right out in the middle of it. They had all kinds of equipment, everything you could think that Main Street was just lined with got.

To do is take manpower.

You'd grab a hold of.

one of them thrash machines. You know, they're pretty.

Heavy.

Metal separators. They had that right out right across the street, Main Street. Well, it was what you call a, What do they call these courses?

Where?

Karen Purtee: Obstacle course.

Melvin Carlson: Obstacle course? That's what it was.

Karen Purtee: What? What do you think about chivalry two? Did you remember any good? Oh, well, I know you got to fill us in on that.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah. She left. Oh, yeah.

Just won't consider it.

Karen Purtee: Okay.

We used to go tandem.

glory.

Of chivalry is all the time. And we get the loudest things that would make the most noise of anything we can get in. Of course, everybody with me to a certain place. No, I'll just pullin on this one and batter down the place practically with our noisemakers. But, And we usually do it quite soon after a couple was home, after they had been married, we'd come to their house, and then they would drag out the treats and we'd have a nice social evening.

So when if nine were married, that's one of, I guess, I think kind of almost backfired. But it's been great. we just took for granted. We were both old timers around, you know, not old. But then we were here, and lots of friends each. So we just knew they'd all bragged about what they was going to do to us when we were married.

So we got back by way of Manhattan. Wonderful. All kinds of treats to have ready for them when they get old. Chivalry was,

Well, like, what?

Like orange juice and okay. And then nuts and I suppose I don't remember if I did any baking or not, but we had, quite a variety of stuff. And, as I remember, we neither one of us were drinking coffee, so. And I didn't know how to make coffee, so I can't remember if we were prepared to give them coffee or not, but I doubt it.

Not if I was going to have to make it because I was going. It all about. We figured we'd have these other kind of treats, like oranges and candy and food like that. And we had it. We waited week after week after week went by. And the course oranges will only keep so long. So we gave away in a.

So then the oranges were gone. And as people would come in the family would come or we can deal with candy was gone. I think we did have cookies or something. And they would only last so long too. So we ate those, and I don't remember just exactly how long it was. And we just decided and we felt a little bit let down because we had expected to be thoroughly shivery naturally.

And they never did come. And we wondered why they never came. Here is well, one night it got late. We'd gone to bed and all of a sudden the racket began and Ed and I both sat and nothing. And then, of course, the stars were all gone. No chance to get anything. And here it was. So when they came in, we just said, just just you bad.

Treat the party anyway.

Oh, yeah. So they stayed home, but it was pretty late, I know, and they didn't stay too long. Of course they couldn't have a social.

Melvin Carlson: Sociable cup of coffee.

Karen Purtee: Not even a piece of candy. I remember we might have had enough candy left so we could pass that around. I'm not sure.

Melvin Carlson: But yeah, that was all.

Karen Purtee: We told them it was their own fault. They didn't need waiting so long because we were prepared for them before. And I know one other couple that I heard about afterward. They, they got caught the same way they'd waited too long for them. And they weren't prepared. here they came, banging around there, shivering them, and they went rustled up.

A storekeeper went down to the door and got stuff, but we never did. But they went down. They went to this dark paper and, rustling out of bed. So they'd go down and over that. So they did. This is a jigsaw of. we just told them that they.

Have the shivery there. It's just noise making things or,

They never did any harm, did they, Alvin? As far as you knew. No, no, no, they just, remained shivery.

Melvin Carlson: no, they,

Karen Purtee: I just made a big racket counter.

Melvin Carlson: Carrying people up all.

Karen Purtee: Night. Yeah. No, I see a welcome welcome wagon with lots of racket mills or tin cans, what have you. We thought I know, and I decided maybe one reason why they hadn't. She read us that we were in town and they hated to disturb the neighbors. Oh, that was why they hadn't been. And neighbors behaving when they got ready.

And it made the noise.

Melvin Carlson: A lot of times.

They used to catch them as soon as they were married.

After they get out of the church or.

Wherever they married, and if they get.

The man, they take him.

Down and put him in jail, or.

They take him way out in the country, wouldn't let her know where he's at, well, turn loose and make him walk back.

Oh, oh.

They could put her to jail. Lock him up.

Overnight.

oh. I a nice room. Yeah.

But, I got to think of some of them Halloween tricks. You know, them outhouses. They backfired on people. I know one fella.

I'm trying to think of who he was. I thought of.

I was after he got some.

Help. And after dark. You want to move this outhouse a hit a couple feet.

We always sneaked up from behind.

Karen Purtee: You always look out from behind.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah, but I wasn't. I wasn't the one that fell.

Well.

oh. Cleared up because of a dirty drink.

Oh.

Karen Purtee: A dirty.

Melvin Carlson: Air, yeah, yeah.

Karen Purtee: Brought it just.

Marbles at the at the different things I can think of when they're going to do that. Of course, a pound party, they sometimes have pound parties, but they, they were different than no shivering. They didn't always. Well, sometimes they would do that. It would depend on, I guess, who it was. They might give him a pound party. That would be a reception.

They'd bring him a gift and, everybody would come, and they were supposed to bring us something. You know, it was sold by the pound like sugar was by the pound. Better by the pound.

I say something of that kind.

So they called it a pound.

Party wandered with the name came from that raid. I would tell the people.

Or they often did, that when the a new minister would come to town or something like that, and they'd give him a pound party or if everybody had had bad luck or something like kind or they lost my fire or something, they give him a pound party, or he would come with food or something good.

Melvin Carlson: Talking about the pound, though, did anybody ever tell him how they used to sell butter? Here, make butter yours. When we first moved into this country, it was always in crocks. Back in Dakota, we'd have crocks and they make the butter and they'd, fill these cobs. It would be a 2 pound tractor, a 5 pound crock, and then you go and buy some butter.

They'd spoon it out in the way they put it on paper and wait. They didn't have moles like that.

Karen Purtee: Yeah.

Melvin Carlson: And we hadn't been here very long. And mother got one.

Of these, butter molds. We remember what they.

Would mold you put the butter in, and then you squish it tight, trim it off.

In each jam.

And they'd weigh just about.

Exactly if you put it in there. Right. Active. Great. And. Oh, she was so proud of this.

And then they'd have their papers.

They'd get.

Wax paper.

Maiden name printed on it. Who made the butter and everything?

And she was demonstrating it at home, you know, and.

She had it and turned it over.

While all the butter went.

On the floor. Oh.

Karen Purtee: Ours was, for reform. Little boards that care you have to use as a board came together and they fastened on one corner. They just pull it, pull it apart, and there'd be the pound of butter.

Melvin Carlson: These were.

They were born to come out this way and up. And then over here on. They were hinged.

In one corner shape.

When you'd laid full of butter in there, then squeeze them together tight and trim off the ends. And they had one.

Pounds and 2 pounds.

Karen Purtee: Two hours to put it right on the paper and then push it down on the top, see, pull instead and then, take and shave it off and then pull the board away and then put it was what kind of paper? I've got some of them.

Melvin Carlson: So it wasn't.

Wax paper, but it was.

Karen Purtee: Oh no, it was,

Melvin Carlson: Paper made special for that paper.

Karen Purtee: Made specially for it. It was real. Them. And they had the right. On top was the name and the address of the person that made the butter.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, no.

Karen Purtee: My mother sold butter every farmer.

Melvin Carlson: Every farm woman. I had a great big.

Bowl, wooden bowl.

And a big wooden spoon. That's what they worked about her with butter churn. They'd work all the butter, milk and stuff like that. It's always good butter, too. You got? Yeah.

Karen Purtee: Good butter.

Well, work to get there. Oh, yeah. A lot of work to get to it.

Yeah, and to churn or churn during Jersey girl you got it together and then you had good buttermilk go too.

Melvin Carlson: But we used to have one of them big barrel churn.

Oh.

And lid on I don't know if that in there.

And then.

it was a rod come around this way and each side that you over and then plant it together. But we didn't.

Mind sharing butter tall of mother would make bread. we'd be churning it out.

And especially if the cream was a little bit sour.

That when they get good and thick, the bread would be baked. She'd start. She'd come out.

And open up the churn, slice off some bread.

Put the cream sour cream with a lot of.

Sugar on it. You talk about something good to eat.

That was good. We didn't like journey butter at all.

Yeah.

Karen Purtee: That had its reward,

Melvin Carlson: But we had a lot of credit. You sold a lot of butter. Then we had.

One of old dash terms. one.

Of them old dash churn.

Karen Purtee: That's what we had. That was the old Dasher.

Melvin Carlson: Well, then we had another machine just going to make a little after she started selling the cream instead of the butter. The butter to an awful lot of work. little one or beer? About a two gallon jar. But there was one woman trying to think of who that was. She'd have just a gallon.

Mayonnaise.

Jar similar to that.

She'd put cream on that and sit in a rocking chair, and she'd be so in a rocking chair, butter.

Karen Purtee: I would that here like, like buy some and then put it in there. I don't drop it. You just take it, go back and forth, back and forth. Pretty soon it gathers.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, this woman.

Was sitting in.

Karen Purtee: A jar.

Melvin Carlson: She'd have it under her.

Arm or some place up.

In that rock. And I just worked the butter.

Sure.

Karen Purtee: That's right.

That's getting the job done at once,

Melvin Carlson: a marriage Hamilton's wife, she was telling about one time she went to, She never liked creamery butter. After that, she went to work for a farmer out there, and, they were selling cream. I don't know where it was. She didn't mention it. She didn't mention the name, but I forgot.

But one day, the cat.

Belly.

Free. Three. All ready to go to town.

Five gallons of cream.

She just picked the cat up from the mouth of the cabbages, where we should all the cream down into the Darfur. The can send it all in town. So the green.

Karen Purtee: Went on a sampling cream down there. There was cream came in. It had a mouse in that one time to there it was.

Yeah.

I don't know what they did with it.

Melvin Carlson: Well, that's all sterilized. I imagine it was.

Yeah.

Karen Purtee: So I know it was a long time for I'd go buy any butter. I'd think about that mouse cream.

Melvin Carlson: Well, I had heard so much about it, thank goodness. I mean, I like margarine all.

Karen Purtee: Day, you know, I couldn't I just marveled that they could make decent butter out of it. It was so stinky.

What were some of your your job while you were working at the cream? What were some of your duties while you were working at the creamery?

Some of the things that we did have duties there. Well, that was, when the cream would come in mine, it would come in in various kinds of no, no one brought the same kind of a container. They brought small containers, gallons or five gallons or ten gallons. We'd stir it all up. And then we had a special dipper with a little spell, rather, or a little lip on it, or whatever you call it.

We stir it all up, take out a nap to put in our little glass container, and when we get enough to fill a thing that whatever that was, that you put it in there, then after you get them in there, then you turn it off. Oh yeah, we had to add a little acid of some kind in each one, and then you turn it on that go whipping around straight out until certain time, and then after that are done right.

Then you measure, see how much cream butterfat there was in it. You'd marked it on the card. You had. Each man came in or you came in, had their name and you put on their way up. You'd have to weigh it when they brought it in. And then after you determine how much butterfat was in it, you put that down because they got paid by the amount of that I don't.

Were there a lot of people like that put the cream.

Quite a lot of people in cream.

Melvin Carlson: Did they make butter? They did for a while down here.

Karen Purtee: But I was trying to think if they did, I, I can't, it seems to me like they did like they had a big back side of a thing there, and I'm sure they did.

Melvin Carlson: They made butter for a while, but I don't know how long they, they did the potato.

Karen Purtee: They shipped.

Melvin Carlson: It because.

Karen Purtee: I remember we dumped it in these containers and we'd dump it after we'd taken the weight. It and take in the taste of it and got all the record, and then we'd dump it into the bigger vats. And then, there was an outfit, came by and picked them up and they took them in Lewiston or someplace? I don't think so.

I know I wasn't involved in any butter make myself, but it was just mainly the cream testing, and, like that.

I wanted to ask too, about the fires that went through big metal. Did anybody lose any houses? I mean, you mentioned once before that the schoolhouse went home in 31, had purpose. The schoolhouse was burned down. 31. Yeah. Did other people lose homes or. Ma'am?

Oh, yes.

Melvin Carlson: I was trying to think.

Karen Purtee: You lost your barn.

Melvin Carlson: We lost the barn?

Yeah.

Karen Purtee: And there was, Was it brewer's place that burned? It was somebody who ever.

Melvin Carlson: Lived up in.

Bookmarks. No, I don't remember.

Karen Purtee: Well, the one down in there was burn. And then further, all where there was a house burned to my house was that. Did, Ted Carlson's house burned? What became a his house?

Melvin Carlson: Ted Charles. And that was the, one right across from Roy.

Karen Purtee: No. Well, that was across from, Orville Carlson was kind of Roy House.

Melvin Carlson: Right there.

Karen Purtee: Roy Nielsen. Roy nielsen.

Melvin Carlson: No, I don't think so.

Karen Purtee: It couldn't have because the timber wasn't there. Why would it burn?

Melvin Carlson: But there were some places burned.

But I can't thank you.

Karen Purtee: Well, how about up in there? George Carlson's was there. One of those burned? They weren't.

Melvin Carlson: Real.

Shoemakers. I think they saved most.

Of the place. And the people? The first fire. But the second fire.

I don't remember. I know the prairie fire. We saved ours and burned both.

Karen Purtee: Yeah, but that second one, I know some of them and some folks I think would have lost theirs. But they were all out there fighting because they had several buildings. And, the sparks flew and they had strong hay and everything else, but they and the woods came so close to the back there, that they could have easily last year if they that picked up take it off or turned on like some of them did they, they moved them out.

How about Victor Nelson's.

Melvin Carlson: he was living on the post place.

Karen Purtee: But then that house burned.

Melvin Carlson: I don't know, the barn did, because it's.

Karen Purtee: I believe.

Melvin Carlson: It. Yeah.

When I was up there.

Karen Purtee: Maybe they could have saved it a bit and stayed there. But they they weren't people because lives that are burned, I believe they're.

Melvin Carlson: Over pretty near.

The edge of.

Karen Purtee: The town. Something burned up there.

Melvin Carlson: But the barn was still.

Karen Purtee: There, sir. Polson. It was.

Melvin Carlson: I think some burned.

Back this other way over toward grandpa. The flat.

I know something burned.

Karen Purtee: They either lost their house or like them, they lost their barn. I think there were other barns, but, they they just had to fight for their. It lasted quite a while, and they had to watch because, sparks would fly down. And if they weren't right there, they would have lost theirs. I know.

But the schoolhouse went home, but the schoolhouse went up.

You know, the schoolhouse.

Melvin Carlson: For what year did that burn.

Karen Purtee: That burned at that time.

Melvin Carlson: The 31,

Oh, yeah. They built another schoolhouse. That's right.

Karen Purtee: That's the reason why it seemed to me like when that burn, like there was, if it Ted Carlson didn't burn, then it seemed like there was some building over in that area that did burn. But I can't think it would have been. And I don't see why kids would burn because it was just surrounded by fumes unless it caught in the field.

Nobody watched it. That's good.

Melvin Carlson: I wasn't around too much. I was around a little bit. But yeah, I was working in the woods. I had to get back up again.

Karen Purtee: I know that was the day. That was August 11th, 1931, because, that was the day we got Jerry and we were out to show him off. He was adopted. We brought him up from Lewiston that day, and we were there.

And, we were ink. it was getting late, and we were going to go to camp and, then we saw that smoke coming in. Mother and I walked up to the top of the hill to see if we could, because at that time of the day, in the month and the year, that was a bad time to have any fires.

And we walked up there to see if we could see where it was. It wasn't a very big one at that time. And then Ed was really anxious to get back to camp because we had quite a ways to go. It was getting late, so we left. And then practically you might feel helpless after we left because then it just all of a sudden it was a raging inferno.

And I said, Eric, it. I missed all excitement. Oh, I wish.

Melvin Carlson: We had.

Been there. But the wind.

Came up all at.

Once and I fired for my own, my own.

House and stretch. they'd be, I would think they'd have it out here in a mile or two. Further on there, the fire coming up carried. It sparks chunks of bark, you know, from.

Stuff.

Karen Purtee: I know. Hester was home. I guess, but anyway, they're all up, and they just work furiously to save the place because it was right at their door. I know they had gone and they were evacuating people and telling them to go to town. They set up, places downtown where they could take them in and fix beds and food for them.

Melvin Carlson: The old Grafton's place burnt.

The old ripped orange place burnt down.

Karen Purtee: Yeah. That's right.

Melvin Carlson: Yeah. And the barn and everything. Yeah.

Karen Purtee: Everything went there.

That's the fellow that owned your place originally.

That was the one that we bought the place from him. And he just lived of what would it be? Third of a mile.

North of us.

Melvin Carlson: Quarter mile.

Karen Purtee: After mile.

Melvin Carlson: Third of, between, around a third of a.

Mile away.

Karen Purtee: From him.

He was kind of a character, wasn't.

Melvin Carlson: Oh, he was.

but he used to have an old screech owl. Did you hear? Have you heard about it?

Karen Purtee: Well, Helena told me a couple of.

Are you? Go ahead and tell.

Melvin Carlson: They drove up the street. Joliet,

Did you tell her about the street?

Joliet?

Karen Purtee: I told her some, but you go ahead and see what this is.

Melvin Carlson: Old street jail. And he called her feet everything.

He had picked.

Karen Purtee: Up.

Melvin Carlson: And, he'd get out there and could be.

A big.

Beer.

The owl would come and land on his shoulder. But one night.

We'd gone.

Home from, we've been to the show.

And it was dark. We just kids be going by there. And I started.

To beat it, beat.

Them three or.

Four times, and I got the knife scared of me coming right off the shoulder.

Oh, look.

Burke, brother, did you tell her about.

Karen Purtee: Tell him. No, I didn't tell him about that one.

Melvin Carlson: Little bird rider. He was.

Down there each day with grit quite a bit.

And.

He was going down after water.

One more.

I was going by there and he stuck his wrist. I tackle head out.

Of the hard way. Bird, bird, what do you want? If you want mush for breakfast, you got to pick a bird. The body that got into it.

Oh oh.

Oh, that's so.

Karen Purtee: Great,

Well, I was telling our about that screech owl. How we took. We catch mice at home and take them up there, and how I'd eat them and swallow them down. And then after a while, you spit the skins of the feed out.

Melvin Carlson: And he used to screech.

You know, you'd call that, and he'd let us come.

Down the screech.

he.

Had two horses, you know, he's quite a horseman. And he went to break one horse. It was a three year old, 3 or 4 year old. And the horses stubborn. He couldn't make a move.

Or make a move.

Because he gets, another team puts a chain around the.

Horse's neck that on the front.

Takes off, broke the.

Horse's neck. Oh.

It was no good doing what it was.

Oh. yeah.

That fellow was.

A character out.

And that bird rider was too. Did you know him? Bird rider?

Karen Purtee: Was he the one that was that bird?