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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 2019)
B2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2019 Princess: ‘She was the single most important infl uence in my life’ Continued from Page B1 Remembering Grandma Myrtle “I lived in South Bend until I was 12,” Judy says. “Our house was about three blocks from Grandma Myr- tle and Grandpa Fred Wood- cock’s place. I visited Grandma — the last prin- cess of Oysterville — almost every day of my childhood. She was the single most important infl uence in my life.” During those well-re- membered visits, Myrtle told her young granddaugh- ter about the Chinook tribe. She shared with her the tradi- tional tribal stories, showed her the beautiful baskets made by their forebears, and, on special occasions, mod- eled the intricately beaded headband that Judy treasures to this day. “I credit Grandma Myrtle with the pride I take in my Chinook ancestry and, with the knowledge and understanding I have of our history,” smiles Judy. “Grandma Myrtle was referred to as a poetess/his- torian during her lifetime,” Judy says with justifi able pride. “She and Grandpa Fred were charter members of the Pacifi c County Histor- ical Society and her poems, which refl ected her deep understanding and love of her dual heritage, were often published in the Historical Society’s quarterly maga- zine, the Sou’wester.” One of Grandma Myrtle’s stories involved her mother (Judy’s great-grandmother) Cecile “Jane” Haguet John- son. Jane’s father, Louis Haguet, had been born in France and came to Vancou- ver about 1840 with the Hud- son Bay Company. He settled in the area, worked as a car- penter, and in 1841 married Helen Poirier, the daughter of a Chinook Indian chief from The Dalles, Oregon. Cecile Jane, born in 1848, was the oldest of Louis and Helen’s four children, and all of them were the fi rst to attend the Providence Acad- emy in Vancouver, a Cath- olic boarding school estab- lished in 1857. Jane’s fi rst salary Jane became one of the early school teachers in Pacifi c County and, for her fi rst assignment in the Wil- lapa Valley area, she was offered a pig in exchange for a term’s work. That seemed a fair salary. Her Ilwaco fam- ily could make use of a pig. At school’s end, the farmer who had raised the pig teth- Cecile ‘Jane’ Haguet Johnson Howard (1848-1920) lived south of the Oysterville Baptist Church with her husband, ‘Cap’n Jimmy,’ and their nine children. Some years after James drowned on Shoalwater Bay, Jane married William Howard of South Bend. Photo courtesy of Espy Family Collection Cap’n Jimmy Johnson (right) strikes a pose with oyster tongs along side his Oysterville neighbor Abe Wing who samples an oyster fresh from Shoalwater Bay. Circa 1870. Sydney Stevens Judy Little proudly models the Chinook headband worn on many special occasions by her Grandmother Myrtle Johnson Woodcock. ered it behind the school- house for Jane to take home the next day. Unhappily, in the morning she found that a bear had done away with her “salary” during the night. Although she never knew him herself, Grandma Myr- tle also spoke highly of her k c a B g Givin father “Cap’n Jimmy,” as he was known throughout the Willapa Bay region. For years he carried the mail from Astoria to Willapa Val- ley and was respected as one of the expert sailors on the bay. He often distinguished himself during the plunger races at the annual regattas sponsored by the Oysterville Yacht Club. A well-known photograph of Cap’n Jimmy and his Oysterville neighbor Abe Wing show the two pos- ing — one with oyster tongs and the other about to eat an oyster fresh from the bay. The photo, perhaps a pub- licity stunt, gives a hint as to the fun-loving personalities of both men. Cap’n Jimmy’s father (Judy’s great-great-grand- father) was also a captain and also named James John- son. He had worked as a river pilot for the Hudson Bay Company and, in 1849, took out a 640-acre Donation Land Claim in the area called “No’skwalakuthl” by the Chinooks — the place we now know as Ilwaco. James Johnson, Sr. was married to Comtia “Jane” Koholwish of the Lower Chinook Tribe. More than pride Hearing the stories of her family from Grandma Myr- tle gave young Judy a sense of pride in her heritage. “But more than that,” says Judy, “seeing how hard Grandma Myrtle worked for the tribe made me want to do my part, Bingo and was able to make some signifi cant changes in the way it operated.” She suggested to local members of the tribe that they make baskets to sell and encouraged them in other Native American artwork projects, as well. “I like to say that I helped put ‘Chi- nook’ back into Chinook Indian Bingo,” she laughs. During that period, Judy lived at the home of cousins Les and Lucille Wilson of Nahcotta. These days, Judy is back in California living near her children and grandchildren, but she says: “For as long as I am able, I’ll be making the trip back to the place of my heritage. I’ll be there at least once a year for the First Salmon. It’s where I feel closest to Grandma Myr- tle and to all the stories and traditions of my Chinook ancestry. It’s where I feel most at home.” Sydney Stevens is an author and historian on the Long Beach Peninsula. 2019-2020 g a difference in k a m to e id u g a ty in Clatsop Coun too. Back in the 1950s and ‘60s, Grandma helped reg- ister tribal members, work- ing toward the much hoped for, eventual recognition of the Chinooks by the federal government.” Judy remembers, too, the 1951 dedication of Fort Columbia State Park on the Columbia River — an area that has been an important part of tribal life for untold centuries. “Grandma Myr- tle spoke in the Chinook language as she offered a prayer to the Great Spirit. I was eight years old and wit- nessed this impressive cere- mony. I knew way back then that I, too, would one day be a strong supporter of the tribe.” And, eventually, that opportunity came. Judy had spent the years since she was 12 living in California and in Alaska. She married, raised two children, and had a 20-year career in social and health services. “Then, in 2000 I was hired as interim manager of Chinook Indian We are working on the 5th annual edition of Giving Back To Submit information about your non-profit Fill out a form at this link: https://tinyurl.com/y5no5nlw or email: Lauren McLean at: lmclean@dailyastorian.com to receive a form via mail/email. Deadline for submissions: October 4th, 2019 Look for 2019-2020 Giving Back in the October 29th edition of The Astorian Giving Back provides our community nonprofits and corporations that support them, a platform for informing the public about their services and opportunities to donate or volunteer. Giving Back is a resource for companies and individuals to use in researching information to assist them in their charitable giving plans. 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