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Eula received her education at Monmouth Normal
School where she received two years of education
training. After teaching elementary education for four
years she received a Life Education Certificate.
During the depression, there was no work in the woods
so John had to work at a rock quarry at Government
Camp on Mt. Hood. They had to live in a tent, but
enjoyed fishing and picking huckleberries in the moun
tains.
She taught elementary students in many of the local
schools, including Cloverleaf, the Agency school, Grand After retiring, the two raised cattle. They started with
PAGE 7,
couldn't stand to eat it, so they traded it to a meat cutter
for butchered beef, said Eula. They then bought a little
white face holstein calf and from her offspring raised as
many as 16 cattle at a time, said Eula. When John
suffered his stroke, the couple ended their cattle raising.
The two remember when a there was a lake in the
McPherson Road area of Grand Ronde. John would go
hunting for geese there. When the lake was drained, the
Indians used the area as a horse race track and played
shinny on the dry lakebed said Eula.
After school the boys would go out and play shinny. It
was a pretty rough game, said Eula. The shinny sticks
were made out of wood. Eula still has one her father
made. He also carved the shinny balls, said Eula.
The two met through their families who were good
friends of each others. John was also a good friend of
Eula's brother.
What has made their marriage last through 51 years?
Their mutual respect for each other, their sense of
humor, similar interests and their religion have kept
them together, said Eula. The two have especially
enjoyed their trips abroad and their fishing trips to the
mountains together, said Eula.
But other things have also made their marriage success
ful. Tm a strong person. I am a good boss," says Eula with
humor. "I'm a good boss," John returns with equal jest.
Ronde, Gold Creek and Willamina.
Eula says she really enjoyed teaching. "There are so
many I'm proud of," says Eula about the students she
taught. Perhaps her most notable one is Barbara .
Roberts, who is now Secretary of State for Oregon.
Eula retired from teaching in 1970.
Eula recalls her parents speaking chinook. It was
something she picked up from them. Since about 1978,
Eula has spent some of her time conducting Chinook
Language classes.
Eula has a long history of being involved with tribal
activities. Since age 18, she has served from time to
time on the Grand Ronde Tribal Council. John and her
regularly attend tribal activities and she enjoys sharing
old tribal photographs.
Eula has enjoyed opportunities to travel to such places
as Alaska, Mexico, and South America. Today she
enjoys working with a variety of crafts such as making
God's Eyes, Indian designed basketry from yarn and
raffia and making Indian dolls made of flour dough,
painted and dressed in buckskin and wearing beaded
necklaces and other items.
On the living room wall hangs two paintings of a white
house standing behind trees in fall colors of orange,
yellow and red. The picture set was acquired when they
were first married in 1937.
Perhaps their hardest time together was during the
depression when they were first married. After paying
off bills, three dollars was your spending money back
then, said Eula.
one jersey cow which they raised from a calf. John
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John and Eula Petite unwrap gifts during 50th anniversary .