Memories

This week I would like to share more on the Ed and Mabel McCord family which I wrote about in the September 30th Eagle.

Their daughter, Ruth, shared a full life history of her parents and children.

I would like to follow with some memories of personal time spent with two or three of them.

The year was 1942, World War II was in progress. I was in the seventh grade and Dale McCord was an eighth grader.

At his graduation in the old high school, a couple from Alzada came for the occasion. Things had been worked out and we loaded our suitcases and ourselves in the back of the pickup and went to Alzada by the old road, arriving at Alzada after dark. “Someone” took us in for the night and the next morning “someone” took us to the ranch of Claude Fruit. Claude was a bachelor and was in the middle of lambing. Dale had worked for him the summer before and knew how to help. Sorry, I knew nothing about ranch work.

Claude wasn’t too understanding and decided to give me the job of cook! He showed me the beans, how to cook them, and there were hot dogs in some brine in a crock. Claude made breakfast and had the best biscuits I ever ate.

Shearing time came and I was glad that I could be of help and enjoyed it. The crew probably came from Mexico.

During this time, a neighbor who lived close came to help. His name was Bill Karinen. Bill asked if I would like to come and work for him. I couldn’t pack my suitcase fast enough.

We went to his ranch and I discovered his wife was Bessie (McCord) Karinen and they had two young daughters named Ginger and Carol.

The ranch had wonderful buildings including a bunk house and a big barn with room for horses on one side and stations for four cows on the other. Electricity was supplied by an engine and a number of batteries — so nice.

We milked four cows morning and night and fed twenty bum lambs. My job was to watch which way the herd went in the morning so I could ride out and bring them in.

While working for Karinens, I learned that Roy McCord, his wife Pearl and two little boys were herding sheep for them and lived in a sheep wagon.

Roy had two wonderful saddle horses and entered in the Alzada to Ekalaka horse race. I believe he did well and was a top placer.

Back to Dale McCord: I don’t know how long he worked for Claude Fruit but after that he joined the Navy. After being trained he was placed on the atomic powered submarine which was the first submarine to go under the ice cap.

Well, these are memories of many years ago about a family who was a part of Ekalaka and Carter County history.