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Accessionain.
W9670
Date received
10/10/40
Consignment no.
1
Shipped from
Wash. Office
Label
Amount 12.p.
(incl. forms
1464-a.e.A4.4.0
WPA L. C. PROJECF niters 14 UNIT
Form -3
Folklore Collection (or Type)
Title &On. _town _life
Port lenst..,_Oregala. Date a/22139
Place of origin.
Project worker...iiiiialk...C....._Hiagjlt
Project editor
Remarks
Form A
Federal Writers' Project
Circumstances of Inter,it* Works Progress Administration
Name of worker
Address
OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES
William C. Haight Date March 29, 1939
Washington Hotel, Portland, Oregon
Subject
Small Town Life
Name and address of informant
Mrs. Erret Hicks, Canyon City, Oregon
Date and time of interview March 14, 1939
.Place of interview Home of hrs. Erret Hicks, Canyon City, Oregon
Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with informant
None
Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
Former home town of interviewer
Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
Mrs. Hicks had just moved into a not quite completed, new modern
five -room home. The house is particularly noteworthy for its modern con-
veniences. Indirect lighting, and air conditioning, were two of the fea-
tures of interest. he tiling effect used extensively in the kitchen and
bathroom was beautifully done. The fireplace was made from native rock,
quite attractive, although a little rustic for the extreme moderness of
the rest of the house.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, each bearing the proper heading
and the number to which the material refers).
W9670
Form B
Federal Writers' Project
Personal History of Informant Works Progress Administration
Name of worker
OREGON FOLFLORE STUDIES
William C. Haight
Address Washington Hotel, Portland, Oregon
Subject
Small Town Life
Date March 29, 1939
Name and address of informant Mrs. Erret Hicks, Canyon City. Oregon
Infion ,btained shou.d supply Lac, olLi,Jr_ 2.L 42;
1. 1.-1'cry 6. F...cccmolisYmeats with dates
2. eld3e end date of birth 7, Cpe..ir.. _s )rt,lrec4.-s
3. 8, Con --11 r,-:r,r)u.; activities
4. Placer lived in, with dates 9, ntinn
5. Education, with dates 10. OtA6r po.LAta gal.,,ert in interview
1. Dutch -Irish.
2. May 9th, 1873, Canyon City, Oregon.
3. One husband, three sons, Edwin, Arthur, and Prentiss.
4. Canyon City, Oregon. Griggsville, Illinois, Four years, but does not remember dates.
5. Graduate of Griggsville, Illinois, High School.
6. Music teacher, housewife.
7. Earning money, and building houses.
B. Episcopalian. Organist, choir singer, active in Guild, lodges and general
civic work.
9. Small, dark -eyed, dark-haired, well-preserved, lady. Wiry, and quick in actions.
uost distinguishing characteristic is her peculiar giggle.
10. Mrs. Hicks has lived with a man that has been drunk- for 40 years. Not nicely
tight, but almost stupified by liquor. How he has done it, and how she has
stood it has long been a question in the minds of the natives. Mrs. Hicks says
she is so used to Erret being drunk she forets. half the. time he is even around.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, eabh bearing the proper neaai
and the number to which the material refers).
10. hile talking to her she giggled and said,"You know I do believe
that I am not going to be free at all. I think Erret will outlive me."
While talking about her practical youngest son she told haw he got his
wife. It seems that Edwin was interested
prominent girl. With this goal uppermost
world to gain his wife. He finally found
that he would have.
in marrying a wealthy, socially
in mind he set out into the
two that would have him and
After carefully weighing the advantages of each he
finally chose and married well. He not only fullfilled his life -time am-
bition but presumably married a lovely girl. Mrs. Hicks commented, "Edwin
got his wife just like most people buy a horse. The way he landed that
woman reminded me of Will Rogers' in "David Harum."
Mrs. Hicks has a rather odd outlook on life. She is a source of much
good-natured amusement in Canyon City. She told me that her brother Dick
told her he thought she was terrible. Dick said, "Most girls are silly
when they are growing up, and serious during their adult life., but you
were the most serious child I have ever known, and certainly the silliest
woman I have ever known." Perhaps the above will illustrate the woman's
peculiar thought processes.
Form C
Text of Interview (Unedited) Works Progress Administration
OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES
Name of worker William C. Haight
Federal Writers' Project
Date March 29, 1939
Address Washington Hotel, Portland, Orezon
Subject
Small Town Life
Name and address of informant Mrs. Erret Hicks.. aanyon_City, Oreepn
Text:
The clearest memory of my youth is the horror and fear of`the prev-
alent predictions that the world was coming to an end. I actually worried
myself sick each time a new prediction came out. he first time I saw fire-
flys I screamed with fright and horror ----I knew the world 'MS coming to an
end. This fear I carried close to my heart until I was a grown woman.
Despite the worry and fear over the end of the world, I managed to
have a good time. Particularly did I enjoy the sleigh riding and coasting
in the minter. The young men of the town would hitch up the horses to a
sleigh and gather all us girls up. The back end of the sleigh would be
filled with hay, and warm soft blankets. We mould snuggle down underneath
the blankets and sing songs, tell stories, and of course, make love.
Young men courted the women with a degree of dignity not used to-
day. There was none of the "Hiya Toots" stuff, I hear my grandchildren saying.
Candy, bouquets of mild flowers, and lace handkerchiefs were given as symbols
of interest by the swain to his girl.
It might have been a wild old town but ladies were treated like
ladies. 4115r dear me, you wouldn't think of dancing with a man that had
liquor on his breath.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, each bearing the heading given
above).
Form C. Hicks, 2
The dances were rather formal affairs, We would have a floor
manager, music manager, invitational manager, and another manager to es-
cort single unaccompanied ladies home if they were unfortunate enough to
need him. Oh yes --there was the call manager. He always solemnly announced
each dance, and if necessary gave the calls for the dance. At our dances the
young men always folded a silk handkerchief over their hand so they would not
soil our dresses.
Service to the church has been a main feature of iiy life --one that
has carried through all the years of my life. i'.he most amusing anecdote I
ever heard in church, and one that seems to be a classic around here, con-
cerned the story of Jesus walking on the water. One Sunday I told the story
to my Sunday School class. At the end of the period I told the young children
that the following Sunday one of them would have to tell me the story.
The next time the class assembled only one boy seemed to remember
the story. He told the story well. However, he ended it a little breath-
lessly with, "and I'll bet Jesus mother gave him a lickin' for getting
his feet wet."
Another young man was the janitor of the church. The high ceilings
in the building made it almost impossible to heat. He would try very hard to
get it warm, but still we nearly froze. One morning he had tried very hard,
but the church was still very cold, so he offered the following prayer at the
start of his class:
"Dear God. I've been tryint awfully hard in my mortal way to heat
this place up. I can't figure out anything else to do to get it warm except
to turn my job over to you. Will you -please heat this place in your own
Heavenly manner? Thank you, Pother."
Form C. Hicks, 3
Church services more interrupted one time by Big Pat, a lovable,
notable, character here. Big Pat was a gay fellow, but with it all a devout
Episcopalian. He donated much of the money for the windows and altar furni-
ture of the church. Well, everyone was down on his knees praying solemnly,
when Big Pat's_ gun slipped out of his holster, fell on the floor, and wont
off. Above the din and commotion his voice boomed out to his wife, Lary
"Jesus --Mary, I've shot our way to Hell." Big Pat was so humiliated by the
accident and by his words he stayed home indoors for nearly a week.
This same man died as the result, at least everyone think's so, -of a
superstition. Many people believe that if there is one death in the community
two more will follow rapidly. Big Pat believed in this firmly. His wife died
on the second of January, one year later his daughter died on the third. Pat
knew that he would die the following January. So, convinced of this fact, he
wont to Baker and stayed in the hospital many months. Then moved to the Hot
Lake Sanitorium. There was nothing wrong with him other than the belief he
was destined to die in January. :on, he lived until the following March. I
think that is one of the strangest things I ever knew anything about.
The Church is the one building in town that has not burned down or
been flooded out. Every time the town has burned down it's burned right to
the church and stopped there. Ile all believe that God has protected the
building from any harm. I can't think of any other reason that would have
saved the church.
Have you ever heard of the legend that has been built around the
fire of 1898? Well, its rather interesting. Personally, I believe the story
is true.
The evening of the fire an out-of-town minstral troupe was playing
Form C. Hicks, 4
at the local opera house. The last song of the evening was a solo called
"There bill Be A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight." After the performance
everyone returned to their homes. In a short while the fire bell rang out
the fateful news. The old hotel was on fire.
All that night the townspeople fought the fire. Our home was
turned into a community kitchen. Yos cooked ham, eggs, toast, and coffee
until I thought I could never face an egg again as long as I lived. Oh
yes, and hot biscuits by the hundreds we made. One reason was because it
was colder than Greenland's icy mountains; despite the heat from the flames.
Well, the story about the fire is that the fellow that sung the
song was a morphine addict.
To make the song a real hit he burned the town
down. At least we know that he disappeared during the night and was never
heard from again.
(The interviewer remembers when some men were digging 111) a main in
the town. At that time they found a boot, and some man laughed and said, "I
guess it belongs to The name escapes my memory but the reference
was made to the man who burned the town.)
You know I was only sixteen when I came back from Griggsville.
Even so I was considered an extremely well educated woman. All the school
boards in the county wanted me to teach in their district.
I finally -went to Fox and taught there, earning $55.00 per month.
School life then was not much different than it is now. The children used a
double desk, whereas now they have single seats. I taught them precious
or"
little, I am sure. The curricula included reading, writing, arithmetic,
history and geography. Rather amusing is the fact that I had three pupils
that were 20 years old, and one 19. The 19 year old boy I had to whip. He
just stood and laughed while I tried to whip him with the ruler. A girl
student in arithmetic had gone further in that subject than I had.
k"orm C. Hicks, 5
When I was living in Fox, food was terribly hard to get. There
we were so far from everyone, and most of the time the roads and trails
were impassable.
I know I paid 50 cents for one orange. I was so desperately hungry
for fruit of somekind, I think I would have paid 0.00 had it been necessary.
Our daily food was uninspired, and hard to choke down after eating the same
things every day for a few months. The usual fare was hominy, mush, wild
game, beans, and potatoes. Usually the potatoes would freeze and we couldn't
use them. I certainly earned my salary there.
Clothes were not such a problem. About all we needed was something
to keep us warm. I wore cotton stockings or wool ones, high, buttoned shoes,
calico dresses, and long, heavy, woolen underwear, topped by several petti-
coats. I don't see how these young girls get by today with Te-he, a
dress and a slip.
When any one in Fox died it presented a real problem. First place,
the ground was most always frozen and hard to dig in. Too, there were ab-
solutely no facilities at all for burial purposes. Sometimes in order to
keep the bodies for a day they would pack them in ice. Always someone had
to stay beside the bodies and keep the cats and rats away until burial
time. No wonder the families carried on at such a rate. My, haw they would
howl, wail, and rant1 The funerals were heart-rending indeed. All burials
had a harshness to them that now there isn't. There were no flowers, only a
home-dmade rough box, and quite often no minister. In several instances the
people buried their relatives without even a pine box; just a blanket wrapped
around them.
The customs of mourning following the death of a relative were
,severe. You had to wear black for a year. The second year you could wear
Form C Hicks, 6
black and white. The third year, gray, black or white. Adows usually
confined their colors to those three regardless of the number of years.
No forms of entertainment could be attended for a year. The second year
you could go to a few things but not to many. -hen anyone had courage
enough to break the dismal tradition they were severely criticised.
Transportation? Most of the methods were comparable to the me-
dieval torture stories we read about. Gracious: I wonder now haw I ever
stood it.
One trip that was particularly hard to take was on the stage-
coach from Canyon City to Baker. This trip would take three days of the
roughest riding you could imagine, with the roughest language coming from
the driver you could imagine, too. I have heard those poor horses called
everything under the sun. Te-he---It was kind of silly ---a lady wasn't
supposed to know any swear words --but my heavens, we learned plenty when
we took a trip on the stage -coach.
The old coach would creek, groan, rock and bounce every inch of
the way. We'd go from mud to the hubs, to dust so thick you would have to
keep a handkerchief over your face to breathe. At times the four or six
horses would be unable to pull the coach, and we would have to get out an
walk. The shank's mare wasn't so bad unless it was done in mud, which it
usually was. However, most anything was a relief to get out of those
torture chambers and rest your bruised and baffled body.
Golly dingit, do you know that it took us three full days to
travel 100 miles?
One of the famous stopping places was at Austin, Oregon. The
lady that ran the place was a noted cook. My, what wonderful meals she
would servei Despite the fact the men would always call the food mule-
Form C. Hicks, 7
fodder, I noticed they ate it like they liked to stow it away. She was
one of the first persons in that country to serve carrots. Most people
felt that carrots were only good fodder for stock.
The McKuwen and Whitney stops were also well and favorably known.
I always had a jolly time at both of those stops. Those people were rather
gay and seemed to appreciate having a jolly time. I believe I first learned
to play whist at the .i.hitney's. It became quite a popular card game all
over the nation.
At home we used ordinary buggies, hayracks, or the deluxe sedans
for transportation. Of course the saddle horse was always used. However,
there really was little need for transportation because we seldom went any
place we couldn't -walk to. Nowadays if you don't travel around several
hundred miles a month you are hopelessly out of the swim of things.
(The following are superstitions that Mrs. Hicks believes in.)
1. If a bird flies in your house or around a"window of your
house you will surely have a death in your family. (She is certain this is
true because when she was going to school a bird flew in the gchool roam and
the following day a small boy was drowned while swimming.)
2. If a dog howls under your window it is a' sure sign of death
for someone you love.
3. The breakage of any thing you like or admire is a sign that
you are either losing a friend or a sweetheart.
4. You should never start anything on Friday that you can't
finish that day. Never start a trip on that day.
5. If there is one death in the community it will be followed
by two more.
6. Never turn your back on the cross, or bad luck will follow.
Form C. Hicks, 8
7. Always put your right shoe on first, or bad luck will follow.
8. Never name a child before it is born or death will follow.
9. If a child is born with a caul over his face he will never
suffer a death of drowning, and will be a genius.
10. Never tell your sweetheart of your past loves or you will
kill his love. (This seems to be to me plain common sense, however, she
said it was a superstition.)
Slang phrases I remember are pretty much the same today. Al-
though we never used nearly as many as they do now.
Golly dingit,
Gosh darnit,
Hellin high water used as "Vie went through hellIn high
water to get there."
Carnsarn it.
Dumfounded bloke ----someone supposed to be silly.
Old bilk old fogey, silly old man, a cheater.
Life has been a lot of fun for me. Despite Erret and his eternal
drunkeness I have managed to have a good time. Perhaps it is due to the
fact that as Dick says, I'm too silly to know better. But then I don't
think that is quite true, either.
Form D
Extra Comment
Federal Writers' Project
Works Progress Administration
OREGON FOLKLORE STUDIES
Name of worker William C. Haight ,Date March 29. 7_939
Address Washington, Hotel, Portland, Oregon.
Subject Small Town Life
Name and address of informant Mrs. Erret Hicks. Canyon City. Oregon.
Comment:
Mrs. Hicks was quite milling to give me any information she had,
but for some reason she couldn't remember very much. As she said, "I've
spent all my time thinking about how- I can earn some money."
There is a standing joke among the natives about Mrs. Hicks with
her money -making proclivities. Dr. Ashford, an early doctor of the com-
munity, said that you could put Mrs. Hicks on the Sahara Desert without a
single civilized instrument, and in six months she would came home with
all expenses paid, a profit, and a mortgage on the desert.
Rather amusing was her method in getting a hundred dollars from
her husband. It seems that some man had awed Erret a hundred dollars for
several years. Finally he offered to pay Mr. Licks. Mrs. Hicks in some
way g:ot the man to pay her. Yrs. Hicks said, "Erret has been storming
around here calling me a thief, a liar, a bad woman, but--te-he,--I don't
care, I got the hundred:"
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, each bearing the heading given
above).