Latah County Oral History Collection

Sam Schrager: No, let's start there. What was it like when you first came out to the Minidoka Project?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: What was a barren desert? That's all. And that the people who came could take up planes and they would call trek planes because we a plan to raise to the desert looking condition. And they had to build a little shack, a house in which there really was nothing more than a little shacks on them, bored. They could get them and plant trees around.

They could not do like they did back in Nebraska and Kansas. Make them out of them. The Saudis, they went outside the houses because it wasn't any sod on a project to use. They had to be and the logs had to be hauled in from other places, and they were required to plant trees on the property that picked it up.

Sam Schrager: And so this all is what your brother did. When he came out, he went and he took up a homestead and made and built a house and planted trees.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes, that's what he did. And then also for him. I you said that at that time they were just beginning to put in the irrigation. Then the local project was the big thing in irrigation, and they were just putting up the dam to hold the water and to dig the ditches for a gauge because it would ditch irrigation, not overhead.

Now they I'm sure that they do a lot of overhead irrigation. They did the last time I was there.

Sam Schrager: You go.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: And did. He had a team of extremely nice horses and he helped to dig the irrigation ditches on the main, the project that was in 19 and four, five and six.

Sam Schrager: Did he know what he was getting into when he decided to come out? And then did he know it was going to be a desert where he was? Oh man.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: I don't know about that. I it I believe that he had been in Alaska before that and had, looked around for gold before that and didn't find that desert kingdom. And that was a big thing. They were encouraging people to come and settle there so they'd be profitable and something worthwhile to put the water on the project.

Sam Schrager: So what made you decide to go out there yourself.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: To from, Nebraska for, for teaching? Because they were there, because my brother, both my brothers were there at that time, and, one of my brother died and was buried there near near Pearl. And, I came up to, well, to keep house for them. That was the spot to do that. Then instead, one teacher needed.

So I went over to Albion and took two that they teach and examination passed and, began teaching school. And the people I lived with, names were Brown Iverson. He was from Denmark. He had come from Denmark, but apparently that was about a mile. And, about a mile and a half from, where the schoolhouse was. So, I rode horseback most, but father, always in the winter place, rode horseback to school.

One day.

Sam Schrager: Oh.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: So you you stay well. Oh, I might say something about the school. I guess. it was a rural school. All eight grades. And all together there. I had enrolled 50 pupils, all together with an attendance of 30, 35.

Sam Schrager: What happened to the other 1501?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: It dropped off. They were too large to go to school. Work took them away and, things like that. And, the my thing was absolutely impossible to teach anyone under those conditions. Well, this is the way I arranged, the way I did the older, students, as soon as they had finished their classwork so that they had their, their, class for tomorrow, for the next day, I should say.

Then they could.

Sam Schrager: I.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: they could take the little ones, take these.

they could take in the little ones and hear them reading or help them with their math work or something like that. And so they were very anxious to do that. Every, eighth grader wanted to be able to help someone else. And the Lord hearing and the lower grades, in the school, that was an honor.

That was, a privilege. And they were doing something. So they were all eager and and so to do that and that way we did school begun at 9:00, school closed at 4:00. But 9:00 in the morning. School closed at 4:00 in the afternoon if all the work was done and if it ran over for 15 minutes, there wasn't too much, too much arguing about it.

But never more than that. Never more than that. But you. They had failed in their schoolwork. So fail so that they weren't, didn't have that word. or maybe missed too many words in spelling or something like that. Then they stayed after school until they finished their work, or had their work done, or their spelling, completed, or something of that sort.

They, they could be kept after school for 30 minutes without any question being asked. But that was kept longer than, 30 minutes. And, they complain parents would complain about that. So they really. Yeah, they really took their books home and study at home to have their classwork ready for the next day.

Sam Schrager: So you think it worked? And then I think the kids learned pretty well that way.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: That they I think that in I think the mere fact that, if they had their work all done, that they could help the, the, little ones in the first, second or third grade, they could hear, they could hear their spelling, they could take more than say on the farther corner of the room, all of this, you understand this in one large room.

I understand that with a big pot bellied stove in the center of a room for heat in the wintertime. Well, if, Mary had her work finished so that she knew she was ready for tomorrow, she could take some of these little ones over there. And that fire the corner. So that wouldn't be bothering the class recitation over here.

And help them with their spelling or with their arithmetic.

Sam Schrager: Or did you have to work with each kid individually, or did you try to work with groups of kids? Oops.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yeah, but sometimes it was necessary to work individually, of course. And the arithmetic. And, on Friday afternoons, I hadn't done it for some time. after recess, there was special in we had spelling every Friday afternoon. There was spelling down and and rhythmic ciphering down. It was called Ciphering down, which they went to the board and it someone was a book was taken and, the teacher said this, the book contains 340 pages.

Now it where or if I think of a paper, it's the same. I think about the person who thought that he had nearest to where her finger was. Got to be the one to go to the board first, and then he could choose, select someone in the room to figure down with him, and the one who was chosen could decide what they were going to figure out whether it was going to be addition, multiplication, subtraction, division, fractions, or just a common practice in the decimal fraction.

And of course, then I got my eighth grade and it was square root. I don't have, I don't do I know, but they could they haven't been problems in square root or something of that sort. Now that was on a Friday afternoon. Ciphering down or spelling down or something. What happened?

Sam Schrager: Spelling down is a spelling bee where the kids take turns trying to spell words.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: So yes, yes, it's spelled out and it's called, well done many different ways. You used a two lines to learn, Johnny? Yeah, he guessed the newest page in the book so he could go over there and marry, with the next. So she had over there. Well, Mary could choose some, for her side. Jonathan. Choose some through side until everyone was chosen and stood in two lines on the floor to begin the spelling.

Sam Schrager: Did the leader pick everyone on his side?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes, yes, he picked everyone. Johnny over here. but he he just could choose one. And then Mary chose one. Johnny one, and Mary one, and so forth, back and forth like that until everyone was.

Sam Schrager: So Friday, Friday. And you played games. That was a fun day.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yeah, that was the fun bit. And then once a month we had a program, pieces to speak and, songs, special songs and well, that was most of it. And sometimes little dialogs. O'Connor little plays once and that was once a month. But, Friday afternoon was, play afternoon when they could do something different and they could slide what they wanted the cipher down or the spell down.

Sam Schrager: Did you have trouble keeping order at all? Were there ever. And the kids gave you a hard time? Do they play pranks? Do they test and see how far they could go? Why they could get away with?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well. I might say yes, but they didn't. I was such a cross person that they couldn't get away very much. And they. No, no, I was very severe. I was very, and I feel to this day that I was justified in being severe, that I, and and those days, well, I didn't resort to that sort of thing.

they, could switch children with a branch of a tree that's getting good. Switching or being unruly or disobeying artificial and so forth. And, all the times the rules and regulations were written on the blackboard so that there wouldn't be any, question about whether they had.

Sam Schrager: And, what would those typically be? What were your rules? And, in the classroom, what did you expect the kids to, not to do?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Whispering or leaving your seat without permission, leaving the room without permission. That was prohibited. You couldn't do that. You couldn't have even, no one got a drink of water without permission and no whispering. You see that? But take two people in and out, and they all began to whisper. What could you have? No chaos? No, never. And in speaking out loud.

And,

Sam Schrager: How would you discipline the kids? they gave you trouble.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well. Sometimes I stood in the corner with their face, them against the wall. They were disgraced. It was a disgrace to be punished. But that that Monday, if they couldn't behave in their seat, they could stand in that corner until they could behave. And, if they were too disturbing, they stayed after school. They were to disturb.

Sam Schrager: Do you think that it was harder for a woman to be a teacher than a man? In those days? I know there were a lot of men. Teachers too.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, quite a few.

Sam Schrager: I mean, as far as keeping the kids in order in line.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes, I think I think so, because the mere size of the man and the fact that he was a man, I think that they were more, Less unruly. So that way than with that man? That that woman. But,

Because I can judge that from the other. Because, as I said, I was very severe. I was, I felt that I had to because you're not going to learn from others. I do understand they can have talking in a room, but I felt then that they couldn't, that we had to have order. We had to have a quiet so that everyone would know so that no one would be observed the, troubled or.

Well, what do I say? interrupted in in that word so that they could have a quiet father was telling and recitations were always done. see the school building? The school room was large, and the children, the seats were back. So that up near the teacher's desk was, a large bench on which they, fifth grade set from.

They came up, came up to read, they turn, stand, passed. That was what they had to do. They could turn from their seat, they could stand by their seat. And then they passed up to this recitation bench. That's what was called a recitation bench. And then they sat up near the teachers so that they would not disturb with their reading or with their talking or so forth, would not disturb the rest of the students.

Sam Schrager: See, they recited just to you.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes, yes, definitely yes. At their first session with them, just for the teacher up then, and as low as it could be, so as not to disturb the rest of the room.

Sam Schrager: Did you, Decide about passing the kids from grade to grade? Or is there much, ever much question, or would you just pass a kid on each each year? Or was it severely graded.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Like severely graded? Very much so. He had to pass a certain, examination, a required examination, and, the state of Nebraska and the state of Washington said out state questions that was to be asked of them from the, from the public, all junior high, no grade.

Sam Schrager: What about Idaho?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, and Idaho.

Sam Schrager: Did.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Too. Yes. That, they sent up these questions that the pupil must be able to answer them correctly to, pass from one grade to another and to pass from the eighth grade. So it was to go in high school, the state sent out a list of questions that had to be answered, written, answered. And these were sent to the county superintendent, who, did you could read them that they had questions, had the answers had to be sent in to the county superintend Hinman, who had the last word in whether they should go from the eighth grade in the high school can talk about rural school.

Georgetown. And that was true, too, in the not too often been called the Nebraska in the, but in the, intermediate range.

Sam Schrager: What did you think of the fact that did you think that most of these kids were not going to be going on, as I understand it, in the rural schools, in the old days, an eighth grade education was considered pretty good.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: It was. And he in a very great deal was made about it. And, the last day of school, we had, eighth grade graduation class and the picnic and, he received a, eighth grade diploma, which was like a big book, you know, an eighth grade diploma that he was through with the eighth grade.

Yeah, a big thing was made of it. And, I had lovely new dresses for this occasion and so forth. Had been they'd been in the seventh grade for two years. So each grade maybe, but they finished the eighth grade and was a big day. The last day of school was a big day for these, students who passed the examinations, county and state examinations.

Sam Schrager: So do you think that the examinations that they had to pass pretty much contained or summed up what they did need to know to be able to get along and in, practical life skills after, after graduation, or were there other things that you felt they had to learn? And you, you.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Know, they naturally, automatically and learned a great deal of other thing? Yes, I do, I think that in many respects, they, were Qualified to cope with situations that they found outside. every bit as well as I. And I had done some teaching in my school, as well as, and some are today.

Yes, I do. They were older chronologically. You see. That's true. They were old chronologically. Then what they after they. And I think that makes a difference.

Sam Schrager: Why is that? Because they started later or took them longer.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, yes, they were longer. Maybe they'd be two years on the eighth grade before they finished. They had to go to school. Keep going to school. You see, that was the main thing. Parents wanted their children to go to school, and if they had to be two years in that grade, all right, then they were two years.

Sam Schrager: And it wasn't a disgrace to not have to go and say, no.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: No, no, it was not. So they they,

Sam Schrager: What do you think that they, that they did learn by the time they were done to be out of school? What what out of the eighth grade? What what would you know about what? How much could you do? Yeah. By the time you were done.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, now, you mean in the way of, school or in the way of, making a living or.

Sam Schrager: Well, I mean, in the way of schooling or the, should they be able to read, read a regular adult book, whether it be where they are expected to be able to do.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, I had them read the papers in the newspapers, and we had, every week, the civics class, to bring in, something from the papers that they felt that both, applicable to, certain situations be able to distinguish what was beneficial for reading and, not trash. They, Well, what do you have today for, that you want to bring to the class of the school?

What did you find? And they were proud to bring something that they felt was worthwhile. They read for a purpose. They read the papers for a purpose. And, I will say that, and I checked here the material that was sent to me in that route just this last week, that,

There was less trash and less, same material in the papers in those days. And part of is today, I think that is one of the. Worst charges that we can have against dark TV. In against the papers is. some of the. Almost, the same material that is in the papers and then on TV. The. just got letter here.

How do you feel about, TV? What do you what can you do to clean up TV? To take to, well, section up. oh. The airways have a material right here. And I got read some of the way because I believe it should be the.

Sam Schrager: What would the civics you civic class study. Did you look at, current issues?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: We studied the Constitution of the United States. The first thing they did was to learn the preamble of the Constitution. We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, to establish justice, secure domestic tranquility, and provide for the common defense, do ordain and establish this form of government for the Constitution of the United States.

Yes. That's one the first thing that they learned. Yes, we studied the Constitution and then the state constitution, more limited or limited the than the United States.

Sam Schrager: Which created did this? Was this the eighth grade or?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes, sometime dropped out. Seventh. The eighth grade with your high.

Sam Schrager: With was this, after the study of American history or was this the study of American history?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, it was neither. It was along with it. You see, history begins down in the, third or fourth grade. You know, we began studying history there. but the do not get into the details that we do at school. But no, that was a part that was the civics class, and the history class were two different classes, but they were studying and they studied the Constitution of the United States, but it is called Constitution.

That name was asked in some schools.

Sam Schrager: Did you do much of what would now be called current events when they took go and say, well, this is what's going on in the country. We have this, question, this problem.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, absolutely. That's what I say. It that's that's as far we've got and I think got input. What you have, what do you have now in the current events that we had, it was called current events often two what did you find that, that you have to tell the rest? the class or to tell a school about what's going on.

Sam Schrager: With the kids, discuss it with each other as, the boy may after you, major, you presented what you had to say. Was there discussion?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: A low level limit. Today? You must realize that in a school like that, where the other classes had to be respected, there just wasn't too much time for things like, for class discussion. You realize that the classroom was a room for discussion. Time was limited. Often ten minutes apiece. And you can't do too much in that.

Sam Schrager: I mean, ten minutes for each class.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes. Yeah. It's where you have so many in one room and so many different classes for the day. there isn't enough minutes to have,

Sam Schrager: With the civics class, let's say, meeting in one corner of the room and so that they could, could read their what they had to say to themselves and, and not bother the other classes or the other kids or, or did they read to the whole class? To everyone?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, if they brought something, a little clipping from the paper that was brought to class and read what the teacher read to them, and or now maybe a few minutes of discussion on that, but, or it could be an hour pass to run on it silently. during study period. During study period, you see. But we had a, civics book.

You see that study as well as current than current events. And once a week I usually had, current events in the morning to begin the day with the opening and part of the opening exercise once a week at least. I had the current events for the as part of the opening exercise. Let's go. And, that could be discussed and, you know, what do you have today?

Did you have your hand up over here? What was it that you had that you wanted for today? And that was part of the opening exercise?

Sam Schrager: what would. Well, the older kids were doing this. The younger kids would be studying on their own.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: They'd be listening.

Sam Schrager: Listening to.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes, for opening exercise. And everybody participated.

Sam Schrager: When you're history class met and history class got together and those kids talked and or you talked to them, and then the other kids would do their own homework at that time.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, do their own study work. They'd be studying for the next class to know, to see. They'd be studying for their next class. One one teacher had the recitation man was always up near the teacher's desk, of course, so that they would be separated and would not be interrupting the students at their on theirs. And by the way, they

And that's when I was go to the school and then to some after I began teaching the seats, and this were large enough so the two could sit in the, in each seat. And then when the school became a little rumors larger, so they each one got to have an individual seat. That was something, you know, that was something to have one individual seat that was something didn't have that back them in a bigger project, didn't know they had.

They sat in to see.

Sam Schrager: What were the facilities.

Here we go.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Now in some schools, in some schools they furnish the books for the pupils, in others the pupils had to furnish their own pay for their own, bring their own books. And of course, if the school district is furnishing them, the books were kept from year to year and would be pretty well worn out by the time they were through with the was done, in some cases for the school district, furnish the books, and then sometimes the parents had to furnish that.

But depending on the, money available to the school district.

Sam Schrager: And what was it like at Minidoka and so far as the, the, facilities like that, do the kids have enough books and enough materials?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: They in the way of pencils and tablets and so forth, they had to furnish their own, you know, composition, the tablets, the pencils, things they had to furnish their own at that time, I was in one school where they, one school district furnished a limited amount so that each child had a tablet and a pencil to begin school.

And that's all it was furnished to them for the school. And, others had, other schools. They didn't even have that. But they did. They had to bring their own pencils, tablets and so forth. And of course, for the school district, furnish the books. Well, they had to last last and would be pretty well worn out. But the, they were kept in the school room from one year to another until they were used up more or not used.

Sam Schrager: That is one more question I think I have about the school and that is did did grades, double up? I mean, would you have if you were studying American history, which have seventh and eighth graders studied together? Or if you were studying arithmetic, would you have maybe the third and fourth graders and fifth graders studying together so you could have more kids in a group?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: No, not a.

Sam Schrager: Lot of classes than.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: There were a number that's been, I say ten minutes for class recitation. But, in many cases average. No, because, Charlotte's in the second. there are exceptions, you understand all these rules? that, a child in the second grade could not read in the third grade book. Otherwise he'd be in the third grade, say, sometimes they were able to do that, be able to read better than what they could understand and and to read it.

arithmetic problem, for example, and understand that sufficiently to be able to solve the problem. And then many times in, some of those old spellers, there was a combination of, English, spelling words. For example, here would be this list of, 10 to 12 spelling words up here. And below that rule of spelling word would be a paragraph with blanks.

It was so often. Now fill in the correct blank with the word from up above you see a combination of English and spelling. That, that that would have done in some books.

Sam Schrager: And then when you say recitation now, do you mean, did that for one kid or for the whole class? The whole the whole subject, you say ten minutes recitations every ten minutes for the six plus.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Six pupils in the year in that geography studying. And we called it geography. They were Tanner, should say there were ten pupils in there, and we would have ten minutes for a period of, of that of deciding on that geography lesson that they had spent, we hope, of our studying and,

Sam Schrager: The minutes each.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: ten.

Sam Schrager: Minutes for each kid.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: No, no, ten minutes for all of them.

Sam Schrager: That's what I thought.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yeah. So quickly. Yeah. Mary went the cap of Mississippi. She forgot. What's the capital of Florida?

Sam Schrager: Tallahassee.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: The. If I could answer quickly, then it went to someone else. No. No one at ten minutes. Time to to answer the question of each one. No. Maybe there'd be only ten minutes. Time for the entire class recitation of the, geography or science or whatnot.

Sam Schrager: How much did you have to prepare for these classes?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, I definitely always knew what it was. Yeah, we had, teachers, class book and that was, open to, the county superintendent. She came. What may I say, your class book was a book in which the teacher kept note. every not only of all the pupils that were in the school, not only all of those in the different classes of being clear, but also the work that they were accomplishing.

the year on the 15th day of January, what did they have in, social science and what did they have? What were they studying in spelling? And, what were they having in their mathematics? It was a log book. And then teachers had to have her record that. So the concept then came along I, I'm speaking about these rural schools, not, not,

City schools, that school and, that teachers had her, book and all of her classes outline and what they're going to do on the certain days. Yes. She'd work until 12:00 many a time to have, work ready for everyone for the next day. Paid 15 or paid 27? one question on page 27, the,

What? Jimmy, what was that? When you read that question, get the answer, please. Like that? Yeah. So teacher kept, her outline book, her room class book.

Sam Schrager: As you've talked through the years, how do you do you feel that, the methods and, have changed, as, as you start seeing the difference between the way the schools were in 1930 as opposed to 1910 and then 1950, as opposed to 1930. What kind of change did you see?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, yes, indeed, there has been change. And, I will say this. I don't think it's all it has all been for the best. I do know this, I've done substituting over here in Moscow schools since I've been here in the last ten years. And, In some respects, yes, of course it's better. It should be.

But, In some things, I'll tell you, Two years ago, it was great. Neal. Memory work. Memory work. Good. Memory. And I think that's a pretty good thing. But, there wasn't the time to put in to working out and, figuring out and, making propositions and so forth as it is now and then, I think it's a graded, that can do some exist today is, much to be commended or street.

Sam Schrager: Strict.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: memorization. But that's what it was, years ago. Memorization was a big thing. And, well, it just wasn't timed as, for guidance for anyone to, the guiding them, everyone in them ought to be able to help them to work out some of the big problems that they that they have today, too, that they can to me.

Sam Schrager: And what problems are you referring to?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: What are things that, given a certain man, condition, existing condition, what would you do? How would you, go about solving that condition? That wasn't that. It just couldn't be so much of that in those at that time as there is time for now and for of of course, I haven't been teaching regular in there. I haven't had to get the, teachers book now for,

Well, I've been in Moscow now and then in 15 years, and I haven't had that delivery since the year when I didn't do a substitute teaching. I used the work that was already prepared. But teaching.

Sam Schrager: How have your own methods did your methods change? through the years?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Oh.

Sam Schrager: How did they change?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: well, I think the greatest change was, depending. It was largely strictly memory. Memory work. And now it's more, working out the problem instead of the books. And this. This. You memorize that? Well, now, then you're given a problem and you solve it, whether it's, what's going to be done with, I don't know, or something.

Now then it was stated there and the answer was given, but now you, work out your.

Sam Schrager: What I have in mind now is, is something a little different is what in your own teaching methods, the way you yourself taught, let's say the way you taught 1910 and then the way you taught in 1930 or 40. When you're teaching our final, let's say, how are you teaching in, in the later years, did did you find your own ways of teaching change?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Oh, yeah.

Sam Schrager: Did you discipline the kids last and did these things change?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Oh, that's the one thing I'm afraid of. And, pretty cross, I guess.

Sam Schrager: Well, what did change in the way you taught?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, no. In this plan or.

Sam Schrager: In in just in your own methods.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: What will I think the reason you said was that.

Sam Schrager: You myself taught less memory work.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: No, later. But in the beginning, it was memory work with a lot of so much of it work. And. No, you got away from that. I think, from memorizing the book said.

Sam Schrager: What kind of, regulations did you feel under? I know you and you showed me this. This calling allowed once a week and not at all for a female teacher. But. But you said that you didn't have to do all nearly all these things weren't written in your contract. But what were you expected to do as a teacher?

Minidoka. What? What do you think the the community expected of you as far as your out of screen?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Pretty rigid. A teacher was looked to as the example. I know there's a man or woman and if, if a child saw a man's mouth teacher smoking mother, what do you think he smoked? Well, we'll just see about that. He won't be here next year. No. they, yeah. Compared with, the liberty there, I don't know.

Liberty is the right word.

Sam Schrager: Liberalism.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Liberalism has so much greater now than it was even, when I was teaching, of course, it wasn't as rigid as, as that, but. There weren't any sharp dresses and there wasn't any here. Wearing of the women didn't wear pants. if they had to ride to school now, if they lived so far in the wintertime, they could wear overalls or jeans.

But if you call them, and then take them home. But they didn't keep them on in school, they took them off with the coat and their mittens on their caps. you know, then they took them off and hung them up. That's the same thing. They didn't wear their the overhaul of them pants. during and during the day, but they could wear them home and could wear them to school, but they were taken of the opportunity in the school.

Sam Schrager: Could you go out on a date as a teacher? Did they allow you to?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Very, very seldom, yes. I went to dances, I loved to dance, and I,

Didn't go to dances. Nothing was ever said. Department. No. We're, Well, I do know that, dancing was, frowned upon in some places, but, not all, not all. And, I danced, like, very.

Sam Schrager: Well, I believe that you met Mr. Craig down here at the Minidoka Project. Why? You were why you were living there. Was that when you were teaching that you met him?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes. of course. You know this. He was Minister.

Sam Schrager: Oh, he was a minister.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: He was a minister, a methodist church, here in Moscow has, window that was put in in memory, T.C. Craig, which was a father of Stephen Craig. Yeah. And it had the name plate him like that. That and that's who it was. And that's, and that and he was working. Steve was working, and the magnetic project in that.

Oh. What capacity? just don't remember now because, I, you know, I didn't know him too well then. And then I was on teaching, you.

Sam Schrager: See, and.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: So I just. Thought I no, I think that's, No, that was he was lying. I don't remember what. Oh, it was doing way of working on the project.

Sam Schrager: What was it like living with the family when you were teaching? That wasn't your own family, was it? Pretty nice living in the family?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yeah. So, yeah, I found that they always, respected the teacher and was glad to have her and, made it home like, and and, I always had, a sleeping room, bedroom and, work and, but, we ate at the same table. Otherwise, that was just one other family. Yeah.

Sam Schrager: And, did you pay them room and board from your salary, or was that paid? Well.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: I that came from I don't that came out of my salary. most I got a large sum, $125 a month. Just think of that now.

The first school back in Nebraska. When I first began teaching, I. I received the magnificent sum of $25 a month. It was in Franklin County, Nebraska, and I bought it with a half sister, so I didn't pay very much for it. I think it was $2. I bought it and it went maybe two and a half a month.

I didn't pay very much for it, but I got $25.

Sam Schrager: What was in it? Minidoka, do you think?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: I believe the last ten that I talked to there, I think I got 125. Yes, but it was. And,

I think, I think the board was, the 15 one place was $15 a month annual report, know and, and now, like, with these, warm springs that in the foot of the horse to ride the school instead of having this one. Yeah. I had the horse, I had the horse and everything like that.

Sam Schrager: Do you remember how the project, was going when you were down there? Was, were people really up against the wall and really close to, failure, or did they do pretty well? How did the people it.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Was very, very, difficult. And of course, there weren't too many in that. The saddle that later. No, to, to,

Well, first thing, there was no limit to build a house, and it wasn't so hard to make a saw. They house, not Nebraska. There was, but there in the Minidoka project, there was. And, they had to hall where, they made, loan. Yeah. houses log cabin and one of the schools that I took, I don't know, Jell-O was a long school house built out of logs, and that they had to be hauled, many miles from wherever they could find trees that was going, growing that they could cut and use and make the logs.

Sam Schrager: How do you think it compared to in your mind when you, and when you came up here and saw Moscow, what this country was like up around here compared to the Minidoka country down there?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, it looked pretty good to me because, from a barren desert, semi-desert region at the time that they were settlers and on the on the project, you know, all but then and and, there was no cabins here allowed us here and, and, Paul had a story behind and Haven one time. I believe it no longer exists named for Senator Heyburn.

And you know, there had to be a store for general store groceries and a few yards of material and, so.

Sam Schrager: Forth with Moscow and Moscow. That,

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Moscow looked like quite a quite a sizable, place. Yeah. Well, still look like one little city compared with one another.

Sam Schrager: What are you do you remember the towns as being like that?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, Moscow. You mean? Well, it,

Sam Schrager: Was,

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Quite small compared to what it is today. No tall buildings and no, and of course, it had the Methodist church. There was a methodist church here in Moscow and the Catholic Church, of course. And, I believe there was there was an Episcopal church, there was a church building, but they they had the services and but the Methodist Church had a building.

Sam Schrager: Where this church is very, very important. And, the social life of the town.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes. Yes, definitely.

Sam Schrager: Can you describe a little bit of what the, what people did around the church and.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, they had to they had churches, services in the morning and again in the evening after the whole it. Yes, indeed. Sunday evening you went to church just the same as you did in the morning. And they had Sunday school in the morning. They had the Epworth League bus. organization. The Methodist Church was the league for the, for the young people.

That was young people. It was called an athlete and that was strictly Methodist name. And, they had prayer meetings on Wednesday night and, people attended them. If you aren't there, that how come you weren't up to prayer meeting last night? But they happen to attend these things? Yes. Religion, thing. How much larger? place or much larger part of the individual lives than in Moscow?

There were. There were two things. you were a church member, but you weren't. Three. Of course, there were Catholics here to hospital, but the Methodist is the largest at that time.

Sam Schrager: What were the. Were the Methodists? closely knit as a group? Were they were they close to each other in their personal lives, besides going to church together?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, yes, because of that was the focal point of their meeting that see, that was a big social activity in that they could have.

Sam Schrager: Can you remember some of the responsibilities that Stephen's father had as the Methodist minister?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, yes. of course. he was an ordained minister. He preached, on Sunday morning and again Sunday evening. And he had, the prayer meeting. Of course, he presided at funerals and weddings and, and sometimes, you know, married in the church or married in the home. Yeah. And, always tried to go and see, the real sick ones, you know, and be with them maybe in times he was called to be with them when the family felt, death was near where they want the minister there.

And that was another thing that he had to do.

Sam Schrager: Did many people seek advice and counsel from you?

I seem to these days.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Yes, I do, I, I just don't know what kind.

Sam Schrager: Of a man was he? Do you remember, can you describe him to me and tell me what he was like?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Well, he was a medium sized man. I would say a little like in here is something you, And now the awful things. He wore a beard in those days. Sometimes, yes. I remember him as having a beard, but not long hair. That is real long. But, no, his hair was always,

Sam Schrager: Cut. And what was he like?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: now, in, stature, he was, Oh, I'd say 160 pounds. He was not. He was not a large man. No, no.

Sam Schrager: It was he. What? I'm really wondering. Get time to get out after. Was was he a man that, people could talk too easily? Or a man that was sort of,

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: For sure. No, he. No, he was easy to talk to. Yes. He was he was always ready to tell you what you could do. What you also doing? about the thing, if you do this or that, he was ready to.

Sam Schrager: Do.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: That.

Sam Schrager: Do you think he was a, Was he very inspired by his religion?

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Oh, yes. Definitely, yes, I think so. Yes. It it was it was his life. It was all there was to live for. It was the, you know, it was life and all the life that there. Was. But he was. So he's very down here now, go back a little further since you're asking about him personally. He was, a lieutenant in the Civil War.

He was,

What do they call him? Well, anyway, Minister, in the in the in the civil to the people of the North in the Civil War. And he was in that. I cannot think of the word that.

Sam Schrager: Was not important. I know what you mean.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: He was telling the troops, as that. But it's also, minister in the Bartlett. he was and he was in, Oh, that prison. That awful prison that they had. He was there from Andersonville. Yes, he was there. It was captured in the Andersonville prison for a while. And one thing that he delighted in telling.

There they were. Rice was cooked and put in trough, and then they could go on and they had additions they could dish out right from this trough. And that's what they that's what they had to eat while they were there. One of the staple thing, and one of the things that he remembered so well, he had befriended and helped a little, Indian boy.

And when the Indian boy found out where he was and that, I'll tell you what, he was having to eat this rice served up in the tall. Why, he, he went up and he found that, meat crackling, piece of pork. Yeah, skin of pork. You know, he found that that and that and brought that to T.C. Craig.

And that was in his mind, just a wonderful thing to have a piece of, crackling of meat to eat that that rice. And we told them many times, the Indian boy finding it cracked at one point.

Sam Schrager: Do you remember his sermons at all? What? They were little.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: Nothing? No, a little there. And I don't have any anymore. None of them all. I never heard him preach very, very often anyway. And and all of his sermons and their repetitive things. Stephen had them. But, when the house burned, everything like that. All right, so we just have many record of.

Sam Schrager: some.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: you know, none of the image. No, that's too bad, too. But fire does destroy everything, you know, and that's what happened.

Even not only.

Sam Schrager: Did he talk about his Civil War experiences very much.

Anna Vivan Hise Craig: No, he didn't, unless he was questioned. No, he, he did not. He, of course, was against war so that he just didn't feel to the he wanted to dwell, or to talk about.