Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com Wednesday, May 12, 2021 B15 The City Council: A fictional narrative of Rural Life in the American West Episode 161: Gustav Gut Jim Tindall ■ He By had a lot to do with the mundane cutting of hair, where he heard many a tall tale and laughed heartily. He and his fellows fought through the battles of Rich Mountain, Chickamauga, and Resaca, among others. He buried friends; he buried the loathsome. He was im- partial to his passengers as a ferryman to the afterlife. Gustav set up shop in downtown Warhaven on the southeast corner of Catbird and Jay in a three-story frame building he helped construct finished with white clapboard siding. Originally, he had an office up front which included the chair for dentistry and barbering, and a rolltop desk for conducting the business of billing and receipts. He could be stern; he could be impish, his remedy for dark gnawing remembrances of combat. Gustav joined the Methodists and became betrothed in 1877 to Esther Krilling, the daughter of a West Hills farmer. In the following year ,the Guts organized Oddfellows and Rebekah lodges, and helped to develop the IOOF Cemetery with lanes and appearances. When Gustav Gut arrived by sternwheeler in Warhaven in 1875, his skills included dentistry, barbering, and undertaking. He very soon proved he was indispensable under the business name of Gustav’s Shop of Preparations. After five years in this jack-of- all-trades position, soul searching showed Gustav he felt most alive working for the dead, ministering to the needs of those left behind. His parents had fled the famines and revolutions of Europe in 1848, emigrating to America and settling in Cincinnati. He had been 8 years old. The ships and trains and riverboats had en- thralled the boy. From then on when he daydreamed, departures were full of chivalrous, daredevil travel. When the Civil War erupted, Gustav mustered in at Camp Dennison into the 9th Ohio Infantry, the regiment made up mostly of Germans. It was in this service to country that he learned the embalming arts. War was a bitter pill, but he swallowed hard and countered the horrors with irrigation, and that lovely boulevard into the burial ground, which we now call, respectfully, the Last Mile. He and Esther raised two sons and a daughter, Esau, Betheul, and Sarah. They resided on the third floor of their business. When in 1880 he decided to divest of teeth and hair, he researched for able, com- petence to fill his shoes. He had learned barbering from observation and trial on his siblings; he had grasped oral medicine from reading a book — actually two books, Taft’s A Practical Treatise on Operative Dentistry and Harris’s The Principal and Practice of Dental Surgery. Now there were dental schools. He wrote to the Dental School of Harvard University, securing the interest of one young gradu- ate, Dr. Harold Thisby, who agreed to set up practice in Warhaven. He also placed an advertisement in the San Francisco Daily Dramatic Chronicle, seeking a barber, and was successful, engag- ing Herbert Rammling, a 30-something fellow origi- nally from west Texas. To make these deals Illustration by Peggy Ohlson sweeter, Gustav purchased two lots a block up on Dove, and had two buildings constructed to the men’s specifications, then rent- ed these facilities to them reasonably. He named his new, focused business Todstadt’s Mortuary. In addition to his professional skill sets, Gut was a talent on the pump organ and the flute, playing for many funerals. When there was a fire or other emergency that might include physical mayhem, he would willingly respond with the volunteers, and if his talents were needed, he was there and performed them always in his quiet dignified manner. Grisly or macabre deaths were a reality, and remain so, of course, but before the automobile, these events were a little less frequent. Accidents on the farms or ranches or in the woods were common. Twice in his career he had to sew two halves back together. One of these tragedies occurred in the West Hills when too much tension was applied to a barbed wire; the other when a wagon load of glass loosened up descending a slope in the Craggies, cleav- ing the teamster. Gus was a faithful man; his prayers always contained regards for his silent, passed clients. Gut was elected to the Warhaven City Council in 1882 and served three terms, presiding as mayor in ‘85 and ‘89. He was a very capable and entertaining public speaker. His speech- es invariably contained poignant insights into life in each of Warhaven’s five voting districts: Downtown, Uptown, the West Hills, the Plateau, and the Craggies. BUSINESS CARD Billboard F U L L C O L O R BUY 11 MONTHS GET THE 12TH FREE! email sales@gorgenews.com or call 541-296-2141 2495 Cascade, Hood River, OR 97031 ERICK REYES 541.705.0516 CCB# 231232 OWNER ERICK.REYES.0789@GMAIL.COM G orgeous TURF SIT BACK, RELAX AND ENJOY THE VIEW • Weekly Lawn Maintenance • Spring & Fall Clean-up • Tree Pruning • And so much more... • Retirement Plans • College Planning • Insurance gorgeousturf@gmail.com Columbia Hills Construction LLC Info@FairPlanetAdvisors.com 541-705-7918 “Do Well While Doing Good For People and Planet.” (541) 490-2942 OR CCB #234564 Michelina A. Roth David M. Roth, BFA TM Financial Planner 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE Painting . Tile Work . Flooring . Doors . Drywall Kitchens . Baths . Decks . Fencing . Gutter Cleaning . etc. H A N D Y M A N S P E C I A LT Y • Comprehensive Financial Planning • Socially Responsible Impact Investing • Environmental Social Governance 1-541-965-9426 Securities offered through Securities America, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC Advisory Services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Fair Planet Advisors and Securities America are separate entities. *FREE ESTIMATES* Professional Pavers & Construction Jeff Burns Jeff Burns AVALONBIOSSAGE Asphalt & Paving • Excavating • Road Building Cell 541.399.3360 services@hrpropavers.com Offi ce 541.386.1227 Cell 541.399.3360 services@hrpropavers.com columbiahillsconstllc@gmail.com OR LJC. #3393 Site Prep • Sealcoat • • Land Asphalt & Paving • Excavating Road Clearing Building Striping • Utilities • Demo Site Prep • Sealcoat • Land Clearing Striping • Utilities • Demo Offi ce 541.386.1227 Hood River, OR 97031 1767 12th St. #384 Hood River, OR 97031 OR CCB #215531 WA #PROFFPC831L7 Jeremy Lane, Owner 541-490-2633 AVALONBIOSSAGE Site Preparation • Utilities • Foundation Excavation • Septic Systems • Stump Removal 1767 12th St. #276 Hood River lanesexcavation@gorge.net Bonded & Insured CCB# 185807 Debra Lutje CMT, LMT 541-296-9303 avalonbiossage@gmail.com Full Service Repairs, tune up, lube oil filter, Full Service Repairs, tune up, lube oil filter, Full Service Repairs, tune up, lube oil filter, (no longer towing, up sorry) Now offering custom exhaust installations to 2 1/2" Now offering custom exhaust installations to up 2 1/2" Now offering custom exhaust installations up to 2 1/2" We Call can for take care of all tune your automotive Full Repairs, up, lube problems. oil filter, hours: Call Service for hours: hours: Full for Service Repairs, up, lube oil filter, 1250 East Call Steuben Bingen, WA tune Full Service Repairs, tune up, lube oil filter, 1250 Steuben East Steuben Bingen, WA 1250 East Bingen, brake service WA and transmission service. ʽ ¹¼±«¸ ¾«¸¶¯Ã ·³¾² «¼¸¯Ã ʧ ¯·¬¯¼ ʧ Now offering custom exhaust to 2 1/2" Now offering custom exhaust installations installations up to up 2 1/2" Now offering custom exhaust installations up to 2 1/2" for hours: 509-493-8292 Call Call for for hours: 1250 East Call Steuben hours: Bingen, WA 1250 Steuben East Steuben Bingen, WA WA (east end of Bingen) 1250 East Bingen, ʽ 2017 ¹¼±«¸ ¾«¸¶¯Ã ·³¾² «¼¸¯Ã ʧ ¯·¬¯¼ ʧ 1596709 https://fa.morganstanley.com/michael.schock Tarot Card Crown Chakra Third Eye Chakra Jill Guenther OREGON BROKER 541.490.3156 2495 CASCADE, HOOD RIVER, OR 97031 “Helping people find their place” Spring! HOME and GARDEN hg Readings by Linda Se Habla Espanol 202 Cascade Ave Suite H | Hood River, OR | 541-399-1306 ! g n i r p S Columbia Gorge News Market Gorge Wide in monthly issues BEST OF HAWAII FOUR-ISLAND TOUR Adventure | Design | Food | Real Estate | Trends $ CLOG-FREE GUARANTEE 2,599 2,349 * 12 days, departs year-round CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE 15 % OFF d n a E M O H TM Full Color Every Ad! BACKED BY A YEAR-ROUND FROM $ 1-888-817-0676 promo code N7017 * Free date changes anytime up to 45 days prior to departure for land tours, up to 95 days prior to departure for cruise tours. Deposits and final payments remain non-refundable. Prices are per person based on double occupancy plus $299 in taxes & fees. Single supplement and seasonal surcharges may apply. Add-on airfare available. Offers apply to new bookings only, made by 6/30/21. Other terms & conditions may apply. Ask your Travel Consultant for details. YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE * + 1-855-536-8838 10 % + OFF SENIOR & MILITARY DISCOUNTS Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 2pm-8pm EST 5 % OFF TO THE FIRST 50 CALLERS! ** | Promo Number: 285 *For those who qualify. One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. **Offer valid at time of estimate only 2The leading consumer reporting agency conducted a 16 month outdoor test of gutter guards in 2010 and recognized LeafFilter as the “#1 rated professionally installed gutter guard system in America.” Manufactured in Plainwell, Michigan and processed at LMT Mercer Group in Ohio. See Representative for full warranty details. CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 WA UBI# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Reg- istration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900 Registration# PA069383 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H License# 2705169445 License# 262000022 License# 262000403 License# 0086990 Registration# H-19114