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--> --> June 26: Two Basque families Jeff Cheek Some of the Basques who contracted to work for $40 a month, an excellent salary in the early 1900s, stayed only long enough to build a stake and then went home. Others ignored the anti-Basque discrimination and cast their lot with their new homeland, but preserved their Basque culture. The French Basque Laxalts and the Spanish Basque Ugaldes are examples. Dominique Laxalt had his share of disasters, but more than his ration of Basque tenacity. Born in the old country, he had saved enough as a herder to buy his own ranch. The agricultural crash of 1923 wiped him out. Undeterred, Laxalt hired on as a sheepherder in Nevada. His Basque wife, Teresa, opened a boarding house in Carson City, so their children could go to school. I interviewed Jeanne MacLean Fieberling, a 77-year -old widow who remembered the Laxalt sons. "Paul was in the class ahead of me, Robert was in my class. They were the nicest looking boys in school! And very bright. We all knew they were going to amount to something." She smiled, and 60 years fell away. "Robert was my escort to the Senior Prom," she said. For a brief instant, she was 17-year-old Miss Jeanne MacLean, dancing with Robert Laxalt, the handsomest boy in the senior class. Jeanne and her colleagues were right about the Laxalts. Sons of a Basque sheepherder, Robert became a diplomat, college professor, and author of 15 books - most with Basque themes. His older brother, Paul, was elected Governor of Nevada, then United States Senator from his home state. Jose Ugalde was from the Basque village of Angiozar. He came to America in 1911. As a soldier, drafted into the Spanish army, he fought the Moslems in Spanish Morocco. He noted that Basque units were given the most dangerous tasks by Spanish officers. He deserted, made his way to France, picked grapes to earn his passage, and sailed for America. Jose worked hard, saved his money, and eventually bought his own sheep ranch. He met his wife Teresa when she came to America to cook in a Basque boarding house. They were married in 1929 but their Basque identity prevailed. They went all the way back to his home village for the ceremony. Then they sailed home. A son, Jose Junior, was born in 1930. A second son, Wesley, arrived in 1932. When running the sheep ranch became too difficult, Jose sold it and bought irrigated farmland near Fallon. His sons ran the farm. He was still alive when his grandson, Marcelino, graduated high school in 1980. Marc spent the summer in Spain, studying the culture his grandfather had talked about. The experience changed his life. An interest in his Basque heritage became an obsession. He returned to the U.S. for college. He is now Director of the Basque Studies Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a recognized authority on Basque culture. One of the dishes Mrs. Laxalt served in here Carson City boarding house was Basque Sheepherder Stew. INGREDIENTS: 3 pounds lamb, cubed 1/2 cup flour 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon each pepper, basil, and marjoram 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 medium onions, chopped 3/4 cup dry, red wine 1 1/2 cups water 1 cup cooked peas PREPARATION: Dredge lamb cubes in flour, brown in hot oil. Add remaining ingredients except peas. Bring to a boil; simmer for 30 minutes. Add peas, then cook for 10 minutes. Serve. Jeff Cheek lives in Medford. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing