The Perambulator

We always camped in the open at night. Sometimes we would be by a trout stream where we could get some rainbow trout that were just wonderful eating. Other times by a lake, and one time right out in the desert without water, and by the time we reached water the next afternoon the horses were nearly famished. Guess we were lucky to get to water. This place that we found water was right out in the middle of the desert. I suppose that you could call it an oasis although there were no palm trees around it. This small lake was hundreds of feet deep and had a small overflow that ran for a short ways out in the desert sands so there was plenty of fresh green grass for the horses. We remained there for several days so as to give the horses plenty of time to rest up. The mothers washed clothes, did some baking and plenty of resting. There was a lot of fish in this small lake and we could help ourselves to all we wanted. There was a small catwalk built at the edge of the lake for the purpose of getting water and one day when no one was with me I went out to this catwalk with my fishpole to catch a fish. I had no more than dropped my hook into the water than I had a fish and as I turned to land the fish I apparently looked down into the water and with the bright sun shine on the water I turned dizzy. I thought surely I was going to fall into that deep water, but thank goodness I managed to get off the catwalk. I don’t believe you could have paid me enough money to get me to go back on that walk. You see, I couldn’t swim.

It is 431 miles from Ashland (A) to Ontario (B).

After we got to Ontario, Oregon, my dad and Uncle Elmer  chartered a freight car and loaded the horses, wagons and all of the other gear into the car. Dad found a barrel some place to put in the freight car to put water in for the horses while on the train ride. I had to help carry water to fill the barrel. There was a small boy at the place where we pumped the water and he had a real nice puppy. This boy tried to act smart while we were carrying the water so he would toss the puppy up in the air and catch it. He thought this was real cute, but once when he tossed the puppy up in the air he missed catching it and it landed on the ground. Poor puppy, the fall to the ground killed it. It hurt me very much to see the boy treat the puppy this way as I had been taught to be kind to all animals.

Dad rode in the freight car so as to take care of the horses while on the way to Wessington Springs, South Dakota. The rest of us rode in the passenger train.

At Wessington Springs the two families separated. Uncle Elmer bought a farm out of town. Dad fixed up our covered wagon again and we started west. When we got to some relatives that lived about thirty-five miles west of Pierre and ten miles north of Hayes we visited there for several days. This was during haying time. Of course I had to help in the hay fields. I drove a team of horses hitched to a hay sweep. With this hay sweep I would drive the horses so as to gather the hay out in the field and bring it to the hay stacker that would put the hay up on the stack.

Could this picture be from that very day? There's a boy standing just behind the horses, possibly George.

After we got to Ashland Oregon we found dads Uncle Frank and he in turn helped the two families find a big house that we could live in during the time dad and uncle looked around for some place that would be suitable to buy. After looking around for about six weeks they decided that they weren’t going to find anything around there that they wanted. We children had a lot of fun with all of us living in the same house. Only nine of us children counting the baby that was too small to play with us. We would take walks out to the edge of town to a place that we thought and pretended was an abandoned mine. Guess the abandoned mine was just an old gravel pit but it served the purpose for our minds.

I had the measles while in Ashland and the folks thought it best for my eyes to stay in a darkened room. During this time a circus came to town and they were holding their parade which was coming down the street where we lived and I sure wanted to see the parade as I had never seen one. All the rest of the folks were on the front porch to see the parade, and where was I? I was peeking out from behind the window shade and I saw the parade too. Guess I didn’t go blind from watching the parade.

My father and Uncle Elmer decided to each buy a lumber wagon and a team of horses and fix up a covered wagon, load all our possessions on the wagons and start out on our own to try and find a place. So we headed out east-south-east, and eventually landed at Ontario, Oregon. On the way we children had a lot of fun. Most of us were too young to assume many responsibilities. In fact there wasn’t much for us to do as far as work was concerned. Dad and Uncle took care of the horses and Mother and Aunty took care of the cooking. The wagons were loaded heavy enough that going up the mountains on the mountain trails all but the drivers would have to walk. You will notice that I said mountain trails. That was just what they were. Many, many stretches of the trails were too narrow for two wagons to meet and get past one another. Ever so often there would be a place carved out of the side of the mountain that would be wide enough for two wagons to meet and pass. We met quite a few freight wagons on the trails but generally where there was room to pass. These freighters would have anywhere from four to ten teams of horses or mules pulling their heavy wagons and the lead horse of each outfit would have a cowbell hanging from its neck to warn anyone coming up the trail to pull to one side as soon as they found a place wide for passing, and wait.

In the mountains we went through forests of great big trees. Being that we were walking most of the time we could have fun by looking for the biggest trees that we could find. When we found an exceptionally large tree we would join hands to see if there were enough of us to reach around it. As far as I remember we could reach around all we tried.

My fathers uncle Frank lived in Ashland, Oregon and had written to dad about what a nice country it was around Ashland and wanted dad to come to Ashland and raise fruit. Dad decided that we would go to Ashland if his brother Elmer and family would go along. Uncle Elmer lived in southeastern Nebraska. Both dad and uncle Elmer sold their farms and both families went to Ashland. Uncle Elmer and his wife had six children making eight members of their family and with five members of our family this made quite a bunch of people travelling together. We went by train to Seattle, Washington and then changed to another train to go down the coast to Ashland. How well I remember that long train ride. We rode day and night as we went on the pullman train, which is a train that has berths or sleeping accomodations. Also, there was a dining car where people could go to get their meals if they so desired. We didn’t go to the dining car as it was too expensive, therefore, our parents carried food with us. Before every breakfast, dinner and supper a colored porter would come through the train and call out “first call to breakfast” or “first call to dinner” or “first call to supper” as the case might be, and a few minutes later he would come through calling “last call” for whatever meal it might be.

Coal burning engine crossing a bridge. (this image is not from their trip but is an old family photo)

When it came time to retire for the night the porter would come through and make up the beds for those that were ready to retire. There was an upper and lower berth. When it began to get dark in the evening the porter would come through with a long firestick and light the kerosene lamps that hung over head in the cars. There were a lot of tunnels that the train had to go through in the mountains. Before entering the longer tunnels the porter would come through the cars and light the lamps and tell the people to be sure to close all windows so the smoke would not come in the cars. In those days all trains were coal burners and put out a lot of smoke. As soon as we were through the tunnel the porter would come and extinguish the lights.

It was very interesting to sit next to the window with the window wide open to see all the change of scenery as we passed through the different parts of the country. In the steeper parts of the mountains there would be as high as five engines pulling and pushing the train. The railroad tracks had to switch back and forth going up or down the steep places and there were times when we could look out the window and see most of the side of the train when it was going around some of the curves. Two engines in front, two engines at the rear and one engine in the center of the train. One thing we had to watch out for when we were looking out the window was to keep our eyes well protected so as to keep any cinders from the engines getting into our eyes. I managed to get a cinder in my eye and until mother could get it out it sure smarted. Guess that taught me to keep my head inside the car.