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Ellen B. Gordon 3/21/90:tape 1 interviewed by Celina M. Esch 0-3/4 3/4-11/2 11/2-3 3-4 4-5 5-5 1/2 5 1/2-6 1/2 Introduction: Born in January, 1908, no roads or railroads so traveled by riverboat on the Columbia river. After she was born couldn't get home for two weeks because of a snowstorm. Grew up in Skamania, a small town in Skamania county. Walked a mile to school. In deep snow their dad would take a team of horses to make a flat trail so they could get to school. fourteen kids and always a bunch of them in school at once. One of her sisters was her teacher one~ thought she was the meanest one. Quit school at age fifteen and got married daughter born in Stevenson. Her mother always had kids hanging around her. When her mother use to pluck chickens the three youngest girls including her would stand around and watch her with their noses on the table. They wanted the shinny stones that came out of the gizzards. Depression mama would cook, they had a farm so had food, papa had a dairy farm and sold cream, so thay weren't to bad off. Father homesteaded the place and donated some of the land to the county for roads. Father kills owl in chicken coop and it scared her because it was in the middle of the night. One brother would always shot a gun off on the fourth of July. Mother was afraid of snakes and would always try and kill them. One day walking to store Ellen tells her mama their is a snake under this tree, so mama tries to stir it out when it comes out she runs away but then comes back and kills. Just went to school, weeded in the garden drove the cows up about 20 cows. Marrie4 husband drove school bus, divorced after 5 years. Went to Portland to work on machines that cut out letters for signs 6 1/2-8 8-9 9-11 11-11 1/2 11 1/2-13 13-13 1/2 13 1/2-15 15-16 16-17 1/2 17 1/2-18 Marries again moves to Seaside Oregon then to Roseberg. Talks about different work experiences in Skamania, talks in detail about job in Portland cutting out letters for signs Seaside/fun there, lived there 4 years, dug clams. Roseberg hated it there. Everyone drank all the time. Big logging town, husband logged. One daughter had already grown up and was She cooked and washed, house work stuff. Jehovahs witness story. Sees same lady three times in one day, every times says shes to busy to talk to her and shuts door in her face. Driving home one night in thick fog a boat comes right out at her she thinks where did I get t~ but it was one of those amphibious things. Played pinochle and cribbage and watched T.V. Got a T.V. in or around 1953. Before that would drink and party went to a lot of dances. Worked in the woods so would drive out in the woods to kill time. Later on lived in Skamania daughter was still a baby. Norris moved in around 1929 and Elma Norrises wife were neighbors for a while. Meets Elma because Evert/her husband_,is Elmas step brother. They all live in Skamania. Would go to dances with Elma and they would also sew together making dresses taking turns hemming them and putting on ruffles. Noth .• n to do went to dances on Saturday just did slavey work. One time Norris and Evert left Elma and Ellen at home and they wanted to go to a dance so Elma a log truck that Norris had and they drove it to the dance. One time after a dance Norris was real drunk. They we~all driving home, Norris, Elma, Ellen, and Ever who was driving. Norris was real sick so they pulled over so he could throw up but for some reason he couldn't, so Ellen told him to stick his fingers down his throat but even then he couldn't throw up so Ellen did it and she threw up but he never did. Once in awhile they would go to a show in Portland. Once all four of them went to a show and went out to chinese food. 18-18 1/2 18 1/2-19 1/2 19 1/2-20 1/2 20 1/2-21 1/2 21 1/2-22 1/2 22 1/2-24 24-25 25-25 3/4 25 3/4-27 27-27 1/2 Quit High school when she was a junior to get married. She was smart when she was in the first grade the next year they moved her to the fourth grade already new how to read because of her older brothers and sisters. No trouble raising their daughter lived in Bonnivile until she was sixteen then moved to Seaside were she got married. She was smart too. Ellen was fifteen when she got married that wasn't young in those days her mother was sixteen when she got married. Now days kids are to stupid to get married that young they don't know how to work. Ellens mother was always singing she said it kept her from going insane. They would go to dances before the first war, square dances, Ellen was to little to dance just watched. During the war would knit socks for her brother. But he would never get them, the red cross sold her brother his own shrit that their mother had knitted for him. Tear sheets for bandages for the war effort. One time at a dance during the war a telegram came that said Fred, Ellens brother, was missing in action. Her mother didn't say a word to any of them 'ust told them they had to go. Later Fred showed up one day he wasn't missing in action but he had been wounded pretty bad. That had been the entertainment for kids going to dances and watching the grown ups dance. No real entertainment for kids in those days. They were enough brothers and sisters that they could have a picnic any time they wanted, sometimes the neighbor kids would go along too. Once Ellens father had her mother stick her hand in a sack of snakes knowing that she was afraid of them. To get him back she had one of the kids catch her a frog because he was afraid of frogs. She then chased him around the ranch with it. Once Ellen took her mother to Seaside when she was living there. They took her out to Chinese food. There Ellen told her that the soysause was bug juice and the meat was rat meat. Her mother would believe anything, but then Ellen told her she was just fooling her. Later on Marie took Ellens mother to Mexican food and told her the tortillas were elephant ears. Her mother said well if they weren't they should been they were so tough. That was her mama a good sport and she would believe anything. End of interview
Object Description
Rating | |
Title | Gordon, Ellen B Oral History Interview, 1990 |
Interviewer | Esch, Celina |
Date | 1990-05-08 |
Description | 27 minute oral history with Ellen B Gordon, conducted for a Women in the West (HST 398) course at Washington State University. Discusses her childhood on the ranch working both in the fields and domestic work, and notes how the depression and World War I affected the family. She married young to a logger, and as a result had to move around a lot for work and so she was mainly a housewife. She discusses life in a logging town and what entertainment she and her husband enjoyed. |
Subject | Ranches; Housewives |
Coverage | North and Central America--United States--Washington (State)--Skamania County--Skamania; North and Central America--United States--Oregon--Douglas County--Roseburg |
Type | Sound |
Genre | Interviews |
Publisher | Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries: https://libraries.wsu.edu/masc |
Rights | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
Rights Notes | In copyright. Item is in copyright until 95 years after 2011 publication date. |
Identifier | ua220b04f27 |
Source | Is found in Archives 220, Women in the West Oral Histories https://libraries.wsu.edu/masc/finders/ua220.htm at Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) https://libraries.wsu.edu/masc |
Holding Institution | Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries |
Contributors | Digitization and description funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities We the People grant for Washington Womens History to the Washington Womens History Consortium, a part of the Washington State Historical Society. |
Language | English |
Digitization | Original audio cassettes were converted to wav files using Audacity and a USBPre interface. Mp3 files were then created from the wav files for online access. Film clips were created as mpeg-4 files using Adobe Premiere Elements 9 to add selected images to the wav audio files, and then converted to flv files for online display. Print documents were scanned to 300dpi pdf format using a Xerox Workcentre 5030 copier/scanner. |
Description
Title | ua220b04f27_Abstract |
Full Text | Ellen B. Gordon 3/21/90:tape 1 interviewed by Celina M. Esch 0-3/4 3/4-11/2 11/2-3 3-4 4-5 5-5 1/2 5 1/2-6 1/2 Introduction: Born in January, 1908, no roads or railroads so traveled by riverboat on the Columbia river. After she was born couldn't get home for two weeks because of a snowstorm. Grew up in Skamania, a small town in Skamania county. Walked a mile to school. In deep snow their dad would take a team of horses to make a flat trail so they could get to school. fourteen kids and always a bunch of them in school at once. One of her sisters was her teacher one~ thought she was the meanest one. Quit school at age fifteen and got married daughter born in Stevenson. Her mother always had kids hanging around her. When her mother use to pluck chickens the three youngest girls including her would stand around and watch her with their noses on the table. They wanted the shinny stones that came out of the gizzards. Depression mama would cook, they had a farm so had food, papa had a dairy farm and sold cream, so thay weren't to bad off. Father homesteaded the place and donated some of the land to the county for roads. Father kills owl in chicken coop and it scared her because it was in the middle of the night. One brother would always shot a gun off on the fourth of July. Mother was afraid of snakes and would always try and kill them. One day walking to store Ellen tells her mama their is a snake under this tree, so mama tries to stir it out when it comes out she runs away but then comes back and kills. Just went to school, weeded in the garden drove the cows up about 20 cows. Marrie4 husband drove school bus, divorced after 5 years. Went to Portland to work on machines that cut out letters for signs 6 1/2-8 8-9 9-11 11-11 1/2 11 1/2-13 13-13 1/2 13 1/2-15 15-16 16-17 1/2 17 1/2-18 Marries again moves to Seaside Oregon then to Roseberg. Talks about different work experiences in Skamania, talks in detail about job in Portland cutting out letters for signs Seaside/fun there, lived there 4 years, dug clams. Roseberg hated it there. Everyone drank all the time. Big logging town, husband logged. One daughter had already grown up and was She cooked and washed, house work stuff. Jehovahs witness story. Sees same lady three times in one day, every times says shes to busy to talk to her and shuts door in her face. Driving home one night in thick fog a boat comes right out at her she thinks where did I get t~ but it was one of those amphibious things. Played pinochle and cribbage and watched T.V. Got a T.V. in or around 1953. Before that would drink and party went to a lot of dances. Worked in the woods so would drive out in the woods to kill time. Later on lived in Skamania daughter was still a baby. Norris moved in around 1929 and Elma Norrises wife were neighbors for a while. Meets Elma because Evert/her husband_,is Elmas step brother. They all live in Skamania. Would go to dances with Elma and they would also sew together making dresses taking turns hemming them and putting on ruffles. Noth .• n to do went to dances on Saturday just did slavey work. One time Norris and Evert left Elma and Ellen at home and they wanted to go to a dance so Elma a log truck that Norris had and they drove it to the dance. One time after a dance Norris was real drunk. They we~all driving home, Norris, Elma, Ellen, and Ever who was driving. Norris was real sick so they pulled over so he could throw up but for some reason he couldn't, so Ellen told him to stick his fingers down his throat but even then he couldn't throw up so Ellen did it and she threw up but he never did. Once in awhile they would go to a show in Portland. Once all four of them went to a show and went out to chinese food. 18-18 1/2 18 1/2-19 1/2 19 1/2-20 1/2 20 1/2-21 1/2 21 1/2-22 1/2 22 1/2-24 24-25 25-25 3/4 25 3/4-27 27-27 1/2 Quit High school when she was a junior to get married. She was smart when she was in the first grade the next year they moved her to the fourth grade already new how to read because of her older brothers and sisters. No trouble raising their daughter lived in Bonnivile until she was sixteen then moved to Seaside were she got married. She was smart too. Ellen was fifteen when she got married that wasn't young in those days her mother was sixteen when she got married. Now days kids are to stupid to get married that young they don't know how to work. Ellens mother was always singing she said it kept her from going insane. They would go to dances before the first war, square dances, Ellen was to little to dance just watched. During the war would knit socks for her brother. But he would never get them, the red cross sold her brother his own shrit that their mother had knitted for him. Tear sheets for bandages for the war effort. One time at a dance during the war a telegram came that said Fred, Ellens brother, was missing in action. Her mother didn't say a word to any of them 'ust told them they had to go. Later Fred showed up one day he wasn't missing in action but he had been wounded pretty bad. That had been the entertainment for kids going to dances and watching the grown ups dance. No real entertainment for kids in those days. They were enough brothers and sisters that they could have a picnic any time they wanted, sometimes the neighbor kids would go along too. Once Ellens father had her mother stick her hand in a sack of snakes knowing that she was afraid of them. To get him back she had one of the kids catch her a frog because he was afraid of frogs. She then chased him around the ranch with it. Once Ellen took her mother to Seaside when she was living there. They took her out to Chinese food. There Ellen told her that the soysause was bug juice and the meat was rat meat. Her mother would believe anything, but then Ellen told her she was just fooling her. Later on Marie took Ellens mother to Mexican food and told her the tortillas were elephant ears. Her mother said well if they weren't they should been they were so tough. That was her mama a good sport and she would believe anything. End of interview |
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