Memories

In this article I need to describe how Bob and Grace got together in Carter County as she had been teaching in Oklahoma and he was on his homestead in Montana.

Grace arrived in Ekalaka on April 30, 1912. She came from Baker in an “open car” on a cloudy, windy day. Johnny Johnson, the driver, gave her his fur coat to wear. Late April of 2017 may be similar to April of 1912, but we don’t ride in an “open car.” Times have changed and we should be thankful for outfits with electric windows and heated seats.

Read as Bob tells of their wedding:

She changed into her high school graduation white dress and carried an arm bouquet of pink carnations that she brought from Omaha. Mr. Fred Dworshak, Justice of the Peace, performed the ceremony in the parlor of the Old Ekalaka Hotel with Anita and Mrs. Albert Martin as witnesses. Dinner was being served just as the wedding was over and we ate a good meal served family style around a large table with much teasing.

They needed to get to their homestead home, so they borrowed a team and wagon from the livery stable with a tub and washboard jiggling in the back. They had a tarp and heavy quilts to keep them warm for the twenty mile journey to Edwin’s home (Bob’s half-brother) where his wife, Aneita’s sister Mary Phalen, had prepared a wedding feast for them. Later they drove to their homestead home. It would be their home for the next seventeen years.

One of the essentials for any homestead or home is water. Renshaw couldn’t find good water near the house. He dug a well across the Little Ramme which caved in. He dug another well and this time he rocked it above the water line with water washed rock. Framework was built to hold a swivel pulley and a wheel on which a rope ran with a bucket on each end. This allowed one bucket to be drawn up and emptied into a pail while the other was filled. Renshaw also built a sled to carry two fifty gallon barrels, one he filled with well water and the other from soft creek water. He put in a pump in 1918.

Because the Sweeneys had been so good to Bob he wanted Grace to meet them. He borrowed a buggy and drove to their ranch. Sweeneys were again kind a gave him thirteen chicks which later laid eggs all winter, enough to sell some and help with the grocery bill.

From what I have read, a milk cow, some chickens, and a pig or two often saved many homesteaders.

Very little moisture fell in 1913 but the grain produced was enough to warrant threshing. They hired Robert Yates Sr. with his horse powered thresher. The horse went around and around to operate the thresher. Grain was very scarce and Renshaw was thankful for his crop.

Again Bob taught 17 students at the Peabody School in 1913-14 for $50.00 per month. He had to ride the round trip of 15 miles. Grace also taught at the Ewalt School south of Buffalo Creek. A round trip for her was seven miles. She used a buggy and a gentle mare for her drive. With the $100 she earned and saved they bought a wagon from John Ketchen near Ridgway and a milk cow from a neighbor.

On weekends Bob made trips to the Hall & Snow Sawmill east of Ekalaka for slab and winnie-edge lumber to build a barn, hauled their winter supply of wood, and dug a large sized cave. During Christmas vacation he built the barn and chicken house working some hours by moonlight. To say the least, this young couple was full of energy and ambition.

A son, Morris, was born April 16, 1914 with Mrs. Lizzie Kettner attending. In November of 1916 a little girl couldn’t wait for the midwife to arrive. Bob’s mother officiated with Bob holding the coal-oil lamp during the delivery. She was named Morine. Bob reported that he accidentally blew out the lamp at a critical moment during delivery. No mention of Dr. Sandy was reported.

Well, next time I will share a lot more about this couple and the times, places, weather, and individuals which made their lives so very interesting.