Latah County Oral History Collection

Oscar Johnson: I remember when we first started. That was the first time. And then later on when that.

Unknown: Yeah. But most of the time in the early days, we were ten, 12, 14, 15 hours.

Sam Schrager: The how come Seymour I was, I could we really didn't. Well.

Oscar Johnson: Well I mean I.

Unknown: Made a and molded but I had him. Do you men maybe we can.

Oscar Johnson: Make from the railroad. It was all handwork and he had mold which struck the clean and pounded down.

Unknown: That sand mold and pulled out of the mold. And then it had.

Oscar Johnson: To drive for several days and, it was a very process that they had to do for accommodations, for building.

Unknown: And it was man. And we had a big.

Oscar Johnson: Round kiln where, we take the top of bricks from your hand up to 60,000 bricks. Some of them if they were in a brick. And then we put a plank incline about 30 degrees. We put 100 bricks on a wheelbarrow from first to only an iron bars, and then finally get rubber dirt. And I tell you when you got a hold of them, handles it, but all the weight of them go right.

I think, and pick up the handle, and then you get down the bottom. did you know that was it? Get up and up was just the lower weight. But we had a 35.10 pound. But, you know, and I stuck with it. I we need money. It might have you jobs or skinny. What were they paying at that time.

Well, later on they paid up. I don't know what they paid. Four and a half a day. 2 or 2? Yeah.

Unknown: And, You see.

Oscar Johnson: Somewhere around there where my one, the over there might on a year two event, it wasn't that much. Then the World War Two men went out in the woods with it, made big money, went hard to get help. They promised to give four and a half, three. And I don't remember in in hour day. I think.

Rainy. Oh. And, they said it remembers. They sure did turn the war's over. Didn't cut it down to food truck.

Sam Schrager: This was the plan.

Oscar Johnson: Didn't want money.

Unknown: Every everything, if you don't mind. Or not too much about that.

Sam Schrager: Yeah, but,

Unknown: We just had to make our.

Sam Schrager: The conditions where you gotta go someplace.

Oscar Johnson: I gotta go and get the mail. No, I want the bank. Well, that's about all I can tell you. You can tell me. I want the next thing I want to ask you about when and have been. Okay. Well, they're middle of street for the horses.

Unknown: And, they had to see somewhere around here.

Oscar Johnson: They put the sawdust in on Main Street here and in Log Cabin.

Unknown: Big, dumb and big one log on top of. Know I could find the.

Oscar Johnson: Ducktail in pretty good shape. Been underwater. He. And it was almost impossible. Impossible to go through. All right. When you feed horses stuck here and I and more timber all round. And they were. Well, there were there were some brick buildings, but, a lot of them were.

Unknown: Just wooden building with a cold front down and, and they had.

Oscar Johnson: Too much was shoved. One of them couldn't handle all old business, and they at the there was no water system here. It just almost between every.

Unknown: Building there was a well dug well on the ground and. You know, the houses here moved and had pretty good fences around.

Oscar Johnson: It came to mind a man, but he played with, From my thing with his teeth. And it was for new place. Had barn had cow. And the kids come to school here and, you know, come on back. If we could afford the bars. That's right. And. Well, yeah, well, things have changed, you know, but. For the first year and a little before my, good.

And we just an old building up, but that was before my time. no. Mostly kids. They could talk to each. This is good in English, but after a while, they didn't talk Swedish around here. Mixed with the American, German and Norwegians and whatever. You know, and it's the most, after a few years, couldn't talk English.

I mean Swedish anymore. No. Did you remember people talking about Marshall Gates? Yeah, yeah, I went to school with Timmy and, Right. And and relatives. And I think I was down in there for two days, I think, Memphis State and I think gone his. He's still living down Lewiston someplace and and I remember granny his and they were right across from the bank that he had two cows and picket fence around the farm.

Sam Schrager: And Richie was kind of a nice lady.

Oscar Johnson: Yeah, he was a little bit hot tempered, but she was good. She kept behind him and Henry. They should. He was. And he delivered up differently than and but actually before my, before I was him.

Sam Schrager: But do you think his reputation was, deserved? Marshall. He's really.

Oscar Johnson: he had a lot of enemies. would threaten people like him. From what I hear. But they had a boardinghouse off the other side of the street, and they had a sign up here called A hotel. And the place he was going up and. Then stuff the disturbance, and they don't give me get go to read, shoot.

And, I think they here about 15, 20 years ago name was paint. Like he's the one that made sure you know, he moved up here. He had a big, I think he spent 10 or 15 years in jail, but he said that's the worst thing I would go through, which is every night I wake up and I can see that in front of me.

it it's a punishment. He said. You know, I can't get out of his mind.

Sam Schrager: To see him, to see himself shooting.

Oscar Johnson: he shot, and open cloud kind of cut away some of it open. We come to independent. You needed one man. Pretty good shot. He fired one knee. Try and that corner, the hotel. That's hearsay, you know? yeah, that's what I thought.

Sam Schrager: Yeah, that's what I heard, dude.

Oscar Johnson: Yeah.

Sam Schrager: We,

Oscar Johnson: Oh, he was good, I guess. And he was tough. But then I ended up at one time, I think it had. I believe they had five saloon here. You know, but the money went back before. Or I can remember.

Sam Schrager: Karen told me that I should be sure to ask you about,

Unknown: Okay. The birth of your.

Sam Schrager: Wife's first child. Is that. Is that this new. This is some story about the doctor.

Oscar Johnson: Oh. well, Amish doctor, Myers. Well, money was scarce at base two, and I lived in. worked for the, Well, that's right, I've been in four years, so. Madre. Do I forget about it? Yeah, I so what? Here we are. We had one goal, and my. Well, I don't came over and he said they're a couple over.

I'm getting kind of nervous as a doctor into going to do so. Well, let me do sit down, take a little bit what you said. It was about midnight and the baby arrived and so I got nurse at Doc. Would you want a cup of coffee or would you rather have a beer? Oh, if you don't mind, I have read in everywhere, but lucky enough I went down at one place I just frozen up to.

I got a beer. You like beer? Yeah, yeah, well, I guess it, but time to settle up. But I haven't got any money. Well, he said nobody had, but I said so. I'll give you a tumbler to a cold. And, then maybe I can pay you a little work dressed up. Well, it cost me, I figured $40.

Yeah. So I thought that was much.

Sam Schrager: Was that right? During the depression?

Oscar Johnson: And it was 1933.

Sam Schrager: Did you work in that? You worked in the trade during the depression?

Oscar Johnson: Was that what you did? The. I worked there from 19. 28 to 1932, I think it was.

Sam Schrager: How rough was it for people in town.

Oscar Johnson: Where it was okay. It was rough.

Unknown: Or.

Oscar Johnson: Equivalent. And, and then they got to blister us. WPA and one thing, another. Go woman. I'm sure it made a little money here instead, but in the sewer system, the labor cost less than $10,000 in account of the hand and bit of her account. I couldn't figure across the street you'd have that one.

Unknown: After the regular one.

Oscar Johnson: Listen, I don't want to keep you on this. Yeah, I'll have to go.

Sam Schrager: But maybe there's some time when you.

Oscar Johnson: I mean, when you first started. Not on the first time. And then later on. I may be on that.

Unknown: Yeah. Like, most of the time in the early days, we were ten, 12, 14, 15 hours day.

Sam Schrager: How come? Seymour, I was I good? We pretty darn well.

Oscar Johnson: Well, I mean, I made a and molded but I had helped two, three men making a Big ten mold break from the railroad. That was all handwork. And had mold, which struck the clean and pounded down that sand mold and pulled out of the mold. And then it had to dry for several days. And, it was a very process that they had to do for accommodations, for building.

Unknown: And it was, I mean, and we had a big.

Oscar Johnson: Round kiln where, we take the top of breakfast. We held up to 60,000 bricks, some them, if they weren't a brick. And then we put a plank incline above 30 degrees, we put 100 bricks on the wheelbarrow. And first we only had iron bars and then finally get rubber tired. And I tell you, when you got a hold of that paint, what we just said.

But only way to go ride lightning and pick up the handle and you get down the bottom. I didn't know that was a job and I was just overweight, but we had a 35 pound tent. But, you know, I stuck with it. I would need money. And I tell you, jobs are scary. What were they paying at that time?

Well, later on, they paid up. I don't what they paid four and a half a day to. We were doing you. Yeah. And, I see somewhere around there where one near, where there might on a year to them. It wasn't that much. Then the World War Two men went out in the woods where they made big money, land hard to get help.

They promised to give four and a half, three. And I don't remember in in hour day. I think.

Rainy. Oh, and. They said it remembers. They sure did turn the war's over to cut it down to 4:00.

Sam Schrager: This was the plan.

Oscar Johnson: They wanted money every day.

Unknown: And, you know, I don't know too much about that. Yeah.

Sam Schrager: But,

Unknown: We just had to make our.

Sam Schrager: Own conditions where you got to go.

Oscar Johnson: Someplace you got to go and get the mail. Now, I want to thank. Well, that's about all I can tell you. What you can tell me. I want the next thing I want to ask you about when they're beginning. Okay. Well, they're middle of street for the horses.

Unknown: And, they had 2 or 3 sawmills around here.

Oscar Johnson: Sawdust in on Main Street here and in Laurel Canyon. Break down and big one log.

Unknown: On top or. No, because I could find it.

Oscar Johnson: Still in pretty good shape. Been under water and it was almost impossible to go through. I mean, when you see horses stuck here and.

Unknown: I.

Oscar Johnson: And more timber all round and they were well, yeah, there were some buildings, but, a lot of them were just wooden building with a cold front. and, they had too much was shoved. One of them couldn't handle all the business, and they and the there was no water system here. It just almost between every building there was a well dug well.

Unknown: On the ground and they.

Oscar Johnson: Open houses here. Most of them had picket fences running counter behind them. Either playing with the. Government paying which was cheap and it was for new place had barn had cow and the kids come to school and you know come on board like nobody could afford the barn. That's right. And well, in, things have changed, you know, but.

For the first year, that little before my time good at Swedish food and and no wood burning up here. But that was before my time. no. Mostly kids airplanes. They could talk Swedish. This is good in English. But after a while, they didn't talk Swedish around here. Mixed with the American. Many German. no interest. And what have you.

And the most, after a few years, couldn't talk English. I mean Swedish anymore. No. Did you remember people.

Sam Schrager: Talking about Marshall kids?

Oscar Johnson: Yeah. Yeah, I went to school with Timmy and, Right. relatives, and I think I was down in Everett. Is, I think, Memphis State and I think, his he's still living down Lewiston simply.

And I remember Granny Hays and we're right across from the bank up there and had cows and big adventure. And the farm.

Sam Schrager: And she was kind of a nice lady.

Oscar Johnson: Yeah, she was a little bit hot tempered, but she was good. She kept behind. And Henry, they should he was and he lived up this way then. And but actually before my, before I was him.

Sam Schrager: But do you think his reputation was, deserved? Marshal Hays was in.

Oscar Johnson: I know he had a lot of enemies, and they would threaten people like before, and I hear. But they had a falling out of the country on the side of the street, and they had this sign down here going up or down, and he was gonna go up and. Then and stuff the disturbance and, and ultimately get any go to shoot and anything I hear about 15, 20 years ago maybe was paint like he just wanted it shut.

He, you know, he just up here, he had a big car and, I think he spent 10 or 15 years in jail, but he said that's the worst thing I would go through, which is ever night. I wake up and I can see that in front of me. And it it the punishment. He said, you know, he can't get that out of his mind.

Sam Schrager: To see him, to see himself shooting.

Oscar Johnson: he shot he when he shot cloud kind of way. So the tournament becomes independent. You needed one man. Pretty good shot before I had one good knee try, and I'm gonna hit the hotel that's here. So, you know, yeah, that's what I thought.

Sam Schrager: Yeah, that's what I heard, too.

Oscar Johnson: Yeah. Oh, he was good, I guess. And he was tough. But then I agree with them. At one time, I think it had I believe they had five second here and, you know, for the money. Think back before or I can remember.

Sam Schrager: Karen told me that I should be sure to ask you about,

Unknown: The birth of your.

Sam Schrager: Wife's first child. Is that. Is that this new. This is a story about that with Doctor.

Oscar Johnson: Oh. well. Emerson. Doctor. Myers. Well, my name is Karen Bass, too. And I live in. worked for the, Well, that's right, I've been in for years. Madre. Do I forget about it? Let me he with. Here we are. We had one goal in mind. Well, doc came over and he sat there a couple hours.

but getting kind of nervous as a doctor into going to do so. Well, nothing to do that. what do you say? Did you. About midnight and the baby arrived. So I got left at Doc. Would you want a cup of coffee or would you rather have a beer? Oh, if you don't mind, I have read in everywhere, but looking up, I went down.

I had one place I just frozen up. So I got a beer. You like beer? Well, I guess it took time to settle up, but I haven't got any money. Well, he said nobody had, but I said so. I'll give you a number to a call. And, then maybe I can pay you a little word dressed up.

Well, the coffee, I figured $40 and so I thought that was much.

Sam Schrager: Was that right? During the depression?

Oscar Johnson: It was 1933.

Sam Schrager: Did you work on that? You worked in a dairy during the depression. Is that what you did?

Oscar Johnson: The. I worked there from 19. 28 to 1932, I think it was.

Sam Schrager: How rough was it for the people in town.

Oscar Johnson: Where it was? It was, excess or equivalent and, and then they get to Mr. Rusk. WPA and one thing, you know, they go on and on and it made a little money here instead. But in the social structure, the labor cost less than $10,000. We found the hand and bit of hand. How am I good to go to straighten out that one.

Unknown: After the regular one?

Oscar Johnson: Listen, I don't want to keep you on this. Yeah, I'll had.

Sam Schrager: To go, but maybe there's some time when you.