Mv dearest Gag te - O w in g to th e fa c t th a t we a re g o in g to y o u r fia n c e s house f o r d in n e r I h ave a h it o f lim e f o r w h ic h I h a v e been v a in ly s e a r c h in g e v e r s in c e R a ym o n d got hom e I w a n t so m u ch to ta lk to y o u th a t I can h a r d ly w a il e v e n u n t i l W ednesday Yes I co n fe s s 1 was a lit t le s u rp ris e d I t h in k c h ie f ly because I h a ve s p e n t a ll s u m m e r t e llin g fo lk s 0 no you are m is ta k e n n o th in g s e n tim e n ta l I assure vo u ju s ta co m m o n lo v e f o r horses o u t d oors etc etc u n t i l I had c o n v in c e d m y s e lf too B u l l guess y o u don t need to see it s p la tte re d o u t in in k to k n o w (h a t n o th in g on e a rth th a t I k n o w o f co u ld please me b e tte r In fa c t it is one o f those t h in g s th a t seems so id e a l th a t it can t possible be tr u e R aym ond I suppose to ld you h o w he b ro k e th e new s he came up to th e house to b r in g th e m occasins an d baskets an d b e in g as E lls w o rth and m o th e r w e re th e r e he iu s t beam ed a ro u n d on fo lk s in g e n e ra l But I needed to go d o w n to w n so I w e n t o u t to go w ith h im h u t in ste a d o f s ta r tin g dow n he s ta rte d up and lo o k in g o u t o f th e c o r n e r o f h is eye he asked me i f 1 k n e w w h e re I was g o in g and o n m y d e c la r in g co m p le te ig n o ra n c e he said n o n c h a la n tly To look o v e r th e o ld C u rtis s place He 11 n e v e r k n o w how close I cam e to g r a b b in g h im a ro u n d th e n e c k b u t 1 th o u g h t th a t m ig h t be p re m a tu re So we w e n t on u p and c lim b e d out and w h e n we got in s id e by th e c re e k I faced h im and o p e n ly accused h im o f b r in g in g Gagie C a rte r up h e re m th e c a p a c ity o f M rs R a ym o n d M c K e n n o n and he lu b ila n t ly fessed up He goes a ro u n d in th e most e c s ta tic fiz z o f h a p p in e s s yo u e v e r saw A nd 1 am o n ly on e peg b e h in d h im ’ l e tte r J B to G C S e p te m b e r I I 1914 up beneath their feet They dropped down vertical trails to tiny, sweet meadows picketed among the cliffs A Stellar s Jay oversaw the setting up of their camp one evening Biscuits were started and the girls lay in the flowers washed in the tcy stream, and Jean scaled a pine tree further up the trail to better visit w ith Grace The moon began to tip over the ragged inky horizon and paused elegantly for a timeless moment in the prickly spear of a fir The stew murmured gently in a black pot over the flames and trout browned in a skillet The Dutch oven squalled, steaming half buried under glowing embers Someone shook out a blanket Nearby, a horse sneezed into the dusk starting up a toad s grumbling down by the creek tip in her pine tree Jean s head was careening w ith memories and voices and people, and most of all. spinning clearest of all. were the words of a nine year-old girl I w r ite you th is w ith a h a p p v face Goodbye w ith lo ve y o u r tru e fr ie n d G race R aym ond dear - So y o u w e re n t able to s u r p r is e a n y b o d y I don t see how p e o p le a re su ch good m in d re a d e rs 1 guess it w o n l be a case o f k e e p in g people g u e s s in g w i l l i t ’ U nless it is about th e date T h a t was too f u n n y about G eorge g r e e tin g y o u w ith c o n g r a tu la tio n s th e m in u te y o u came in 1 w is h I co u ld h ave been in h e a r in g d is ta n c e w h e n you and J in n y w e re ta lk in g about it Wasn l she e v e n a lit t le l i n y b it s u rp ris e d P in g it I suppose n o t M y la m glad she is p la n n in g to come dow n soon So yo u t h in k th e C u rtis s p lace w i l l do? I l l bet Jean was tic k le d w h e n you m e n tio n e d it V h a t is th e house l i k e 7 You II have to get J in n y to sneak m th e r e a nd size it up w h e n no one is lo o k in g l e tte r G C to R McK S e p te m b e r 14 1914 "O f course I m ig h t w a il a n d see w h a t J in n y has to say b e fo re I w r ite to y o u b u t I re c k o n 1 11 iu s t w r ite a lit t le note to s o rt o f le t o f f steam I can h a r d ly w a it fo r Jean to come th e re s so m u c h to ta lk about I got $u< h a fu n n y lit t le le tte r fro m h e r today t e llin g how tic k le d she was a lm o s t as m u ch so as you w e re She e ve n said she w as a lit t le h it s u rp ris e d V e il th a t s s o m e th in g to have s o rta s u rp ris e d tw o fo lk s -- h e r and M ile s V h a t do y o u suppose I'v e been d o in g th is m o r n in g 7 C a n n in g i r u i l f o r o u r c e lla r S tra n g e b u t c a n n in g n e v e r did seem so in te r e s tin g b e fo re Jean says th a t she fin d s she w i l l have to b r in g me hom e w ith h e r 1 guess you k n o w h o w I w o u ld lo ve to com e 1 h a r d ly see how 1 can as 1 w i l l h a ve to m ake tw o t r ip s to P o rtla n d b u t m aybe it w i l l w o rk o u t n o c w ay V o u ld n t it be (m e i f I could be th e r e a ll th is f a ll to p la n t h in g s w ith y o u 7 Don t you suppose yo u 11 h a ve to come d o w n w ith c a ttle s o o n 7 1 re a liz e th a t y o u h a v e n t been hom e a w eek ye t b u t o f course it seems lo n g e r L e tte r G C to R McK S e p te m b e r 16 1914 Grace and Raymond were married in January. 1915 They lived in La Grande and had three children. Jean. Martha. and Dallas Now lhat Grace and Jean were both married women they began to organize Hen Party camping trips w ith their friends into the near by mountains Over the years dozens of women joined the forays into the wilderness (Xten men were banned from the eipedilion. the girls preferred to lough it out on their own Sometimes George and Raymond went along hut they were usually set the task of wrangling the horses (Once the English author Neville Shute learned of the trips, became intrigued, and managed io get himself invited along ) Grace loved these trips She put together scrap books and albums documenting the outings She loved to stand on top of Eagle Cap and look down on the rivers lacing away in all directions like spokes in a wheel T he span o f li l e is n o t lo n g e n o u g h N or broad e n o u g h th e sea N or broad e n o u g h th is w e a ry w o rld To p a rt m y fr ie n d fro m me F rom Jean B ir m e s notebook T h e re a re s tra n g e th in g s done in th e m id n ig h t sun By th e m en w h o to il f o r gold T he A rn e tr a ils h a ve t h e ir s e cre t tales T h a t w o u ld m ake y o u r blood r u n cold, T h e N o r th e r n L ig h ts h a ve seen q u e e r s ig h ts But th e q u e e re st th e y e v e r did see V a s (h a t n ig h t on th e m a rg e o f l ake l.e B arge I c re m a te d Sam McGee R obert S e rv ic e C lo iste re d w elco m e d wooed by th e M in a m D re a m in g d ro w s in g , s ta m p in g o l horses. Sun on th e h ig h peaks a n d we m ust be g o in g - M im a G Cooper Stand on th e c o r n e r o f Eagle Cap Gaze on th e B asin o f Lakes Those are th e p laces I m g o in g to Pack t r ip s th e Hen P a rty takes 3 041.4 H . 4 f * . t » - CAWTW» tuN «<•«* LUM) X ífí-l-j r I ( t r i jun • C4CIC After her three children w'ere born Grace s health became a little run down She was so busy w ith her fam ily she payed little attention to herself A persistent bronchial infection would not leave her alone and eventually she had to be hospitalized for tests, and to give her a chance to put on some weight She remained cheerful, mainly worried about Raymond and the kids Grace spent her last year in La Grande She had her friends Jean and George. Raymond and her sweet children to fill her world Quite suddenly a bout of scarlet fever took the last of her energy and fight Grace was fo rty one years old It was the 28th of August, 1926 Jean Birme stepped in and helped raise Martha and Dallas For the rest of her eighty seven summers, she continued to go on her Hen Party trips into the Wallowa Mountains, riding eighteen miles across the dusty Grande Ronde Valley io the foothills, then on up into the high mountain meadows Soon they would wake up on a rough, springy bed of grass Friend Mima w'ould be cooking peaches for breakfast, words beginning to fly up inside her as she watched the sunrise brighten the forest Jean would be saying good morning to the horses They would spend the ne it few days on the high trails, where mountains carved of solid stone rose 1 L.-54 Í«A. >• -------r ------- 1---------;— . . . . S a u Y» <♦. ««• f a . B u j e o n , j.wE» • * 4 « . ***•_ '“ .. - 4 4 » fu * - 1 44 .1t halcca rru ít- r a v M on C» T rx’ f*. tSiC ( «-4rtk * .VAX »4*— »»H*.. 1. ' ♦ A». » «A' . < • k ittv y , .'4fV44 •.., >»•»»' L ,, !»► >( 1 M H íN t <4h »4 >' S l*4U» 4.. . 4>, r » . . **-»«• » . i • « 4 / -•’ .Air». ÍP t X j A h W « tl T h is ends o u r th re e p a r t s e rie s o n G race C a rte r M c K e n n o n V e t h in k G race is th e ty p e o f p e rs o n w h o m we w o u ld e n jo y s p e n d in g tim e w ith no m a tte r w h ic h lim e we m ay be l i v i n g in a n d we w is h we co u ld h a ve k n o w n h e r o u rs e lv e s But h e r m e m o ry a n d h e r s to ry s t i l l re m a in a nd f o r th a t we are g r a te fu l A lt th r e e co pies o f A S h o rt T r ip to A la ska in 1914 T he J o u rn e y and L ife o f G race C a rte r are re a d ily a v a ila b le th r o u g h th e U p p e r L e ft Edge o r at J u p ite r s Rare and Used Books in C a n n o n Beach V e s h o u ld m e n tio n a g tm th a t th e s to ry was c o m p ile d a n d w r it t e n b y M a r ti Reece a nd Jessica la c k a f f G race s d a u g h te r and g re a t g r a n d d a u g h te r r e s p e c tiv e ly a nd r e s p e c tfu lly