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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1957)
EIGHT MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Sunday. May S, 19S7 osk5yw IPDOimeeir Cooties Hornbrook Mrs. Emma C. Parshall, one of the few remain ing early-day pioneers of Siski you county, Calif., whose father rode with Kir Carson in the days of the "wild west," celebrated her 87th birthday at her Horn brook home recently. Most of her 87 years have been spent in Siskiyou county in or near Hornbrook or Mon tague. She was born in Henley, called Cottonwood then, in 1870 in a house on the flats above Highway 99 near the present site of the California Division of Forestry building. House Burned When she was seven years old, this house burned down, and the family moved into the house where her son, Emory now lives. T.ms, ana the brick house, now owned by Oscar Barnum, were the only two plastered houses in Henley at the time. School in her day, she relates, was rather a hit-and-miss affair, the children coming and going when, and if, they could. She, however, completed all the grades then offered. The school she attended was one of three in the county, a little red one,, located on her father's property at what is now the southeast cor ner of Highway 99 and Henley Way. Her father had a big vine yard adjacent to the school yard, and every year when the grapes ripened, he would bring bunches of them over to the schoolhouse at recess and between classes. Gets Education Her last two years of school ing were obtained in Yreka. The first of these two years, her fa ther took her over in a horse and buggy, and she boarded with friends, coming home only infre quently. An epidemic of the dread diptheria closed the Yreka school that year, and she herself had a bad case of it. By the beginning of the sec ond year, however, the railroad had been completed and she went over by train on Sundays, and returned on Fridays. She has vivid recollections of her father, and of the colorful role he played in the history of the county. Tells of Father She relates: "My father, Wil liam Henry Smith, was one of the early pioneers of Siskiyou county. A vigorous, handsome, spirited man, he was born at Rochester, N.Y., on Feb. 3, 1832. His father died when he was very young, and he was sent to live with relatives in Michigan near Detroit. He voted for the first time when James K. Polk was elected president. When he was 14 years old, he crossed the plains twice from St. Joe, Mo., to Santa Fe, N.M., with Kit Car ton and two of his partners, Maxwell and McDermott." "He drove a "ten-mule team with a jerk-line, hauling whis key and other provisions. As they reached various Indian set tlements, they would have horse races with the Indians at the in stigation of Maxwell who was a gambler and race horse man, My father, being small then, and a great hand with horses, alwavs was chosen to ride in the races. But the white man's horses were no match for the fast little Indian ponies, and the Indians, who would bet on any thing and loved races, "took them every time. . Angered Maxwell . "This angered Maxwell, and on his return to St. Joe, he took all his money, and bought ' a fine, thoroughbred, trained race inirtlh)dtay n S" ' ALL IN THE EAR What you see m this girl's ear is Sonotone's new hear ; ing aid complete. "IT'S WORN ENTIRELY IN ! THE EAR no cord, no - extra "button." Weighs only , half an ounce. . Women's hairdos hide if completely.' On men, this amazing hearing aid is ' barely noticeable from any : j angle. : COM IN, mONf OR WftiTf. fUt DEMONSTKATION NO OtUOATfOM S0N0T0NE C. R. Adamson, Dist. Mgr. MO E. Jackson Ph. SP 2-5904 PIONEER HOME The old house above is one of the first ever built in the Hornbrook, Calif., area, and is where Mrs. Emma C. Parshall, 87-year-old Hornbrook pioneer woman now lives. The home belongs to her son Emory Parshall. In front of the house, horse. When they reached the Navajo country on the next trip out, Maxwell again promoted a race, and this time with a fine mount, father won easily. The Indians almost lost the whole Navajo nation to them blan kets, weapons, food, even some of their squaws. But when Kit Carson arrived at the scene, he would not allow his men to col lect, and those that had already collected, he made them return their loot. When his mule teams arrived at Santa Fe, he would trade the mules for cattle and horses and return to St. Joe and sell them." His business depended on the Indians' good-will, and on this he had built his reputation as a square shooter," and there was no room in his outfits for crooks or shysters, iatner never iosi his love for horses." Rode Horse "Later, . in his gold mining days, when he made big money, he rode a beautiful black horse named Brigham. When he would go into a saloon in Yreka, he would give a boy $20 to hold his horse for him. On his second and last trip to Santa Fe, father hired out to Carson's other partner, McDermott, and came to Calif ornia' with him. In Los Angeles, he met up with. John Hill who had come out from Illinois, and together they walked to Hang town (now Placerville) with their blankets on their backs and pushing a wheelbarrow contain ing pick, pan, and shovel with which they aimed to make their fortunes in gold. Arriving m Hangtown, they heard of a rich er strike near Yreka, so they set forth again." "There were only a few cab ins in Yreka then, and things did not look too promising, and, besides they- had heard of the discovery of gold in .Henley. Reaching the mouth of Cotton wood Creek, just up the Klam ath river from where Camp Lowe is located now, a man brought them across the river in a can oe, and here they stayed. They took up mining, and it was their hydraulics that made all the cuts in the hills above Henley.' Had Store . "Father also had a general store, blacksmith shop, and stage express, and was in part nership with John Hilt in a saw mill business near their Soda Bar mine. This was located two miles southwest of Hilt on the west branch of Cottonwood creek, and on the bank of the creek below the mine, a soda spring was found, and that is bow the mine got . its name. "He sold out his interest in the sawmill in the early 70's, and devoted his time to stock rais ing and farming. It was in this operation at Sod Bar that the elephant and mastadon tusks were hydraulicked out that are nw on display in the museum of the Siskiyou County Historic al Society in Yreka. Hundreds of Chinese were hired by father and his partners to work the mines, and it is not known how many thousands of dollars worth of gold were taken out." "In 1869, father went back to Michigan and married my moth er, Ellen Shetler, and they re turned to make their home in Henley. When I cam along, he gave me a middle name of Calf- ernia, after an old sweetheart of his back in Michigan. Albert, my brother was killed when he was 11 years old, in a fall from a hay wagon in a field across the road from Oscar Barnum s pace, Mother was always one to im prove herself, and she had many accomplishments. She took tele graphy lessons, and when I was seven years old, she took over the Western Union in Henley. Telegraph Office "Her telegraph office was the room which is now my bedroom. Mother handled the telegrams left to right, are Mrs. Parshall's father, Wil liam H. Smith, an uncle, Deloss Smith, John Hilt, a cousin, Del Smith, and E. J. Smith, father of William and Deloss Smith. The re production above was made from an early day photograph. KIRBY CO. Sales & Service 1028 Murray, Med. Phone SP 2-8355 (Sjlesnue Needed) I State Mouse Avoids Session Saturday; Six Fund Bills Pass OLD LOCK Mrs. Emma C. Parshall, Hornbrook, Calif., pioneer woman, points to one of the 100-year-old locks on the door of her home. A three-inch brass key, which her father bought when the house was built, is still used by Mrs. Par shall to lock the house at night. Mrs. Parshall, now 87, was born in the Hornbrook area, and in the accompanying article relates many of the experiences she had as a child. Her father was a friend of Kit Carson. concerning Black Ban s noia- up of the stage in the Siskiyou mountains." The lock on the door is the original one installed on it near ly 100 years ago. One just like it is on the front door of the house, . and Mrs. Parshall still has two huge solid brass keys each about-tS'i inches long made for them, and they are used each day. White Dress One of Mrs. Parshall's proud est possessions is a little white dress she wore when she was three years old, and which was made entirely by hand by her mother. She also did oil paint ings, and three of these paint ings, two of Mt. Shasta at dif ferent seasons of the year, and one of the mouth of the Colum bia river at Astoria, now hang in the Parshall home. "When I was a young girl," Mrs. Parshall said, "another girl and I were riding on my' saddle mare. As was proper in those days, we wore long riding habits, . and were riding side-saddle. The saddle turned and I was thrown from my horse at the corner where Mollie Cole's house stands,' and dragged as far as the cemetery. I didn't seem to be hurt at the time, but in later years, a severe spinal injury be came apparent, and caused my back to bow in a letter S." Now she is a tiny little figure not much more than four feet tall, white haired, and with her eye sight failing her the past. year. Her mind is keen as ever, though and her spirit young. "Oh just call me "Emma," she says, "don't Mrs. Parshall" me sounds too formal, and "Grand ma" makes me sound so old." . 'Little Cricket' ' "A favorite nickname for her among her neighbors is - "Little Cricket," earned for herself by her habit of going blackberry picking and her agility in climb ing over two gates, going into the corral where the blackberries grow. Up until a year ago, this was a familiar sight each sum mer. On a visit back to Michigan as a young girl, she met Wil liam Parshall, and they were married Feb. 22, 1888 in Par shallville, Mich. They returned to California, and together op erated a store in Montague where she worked, behind . the counter for 21 years. One son. Emory, was born to them, and he and his wife Eva now live in the home Emma came to live in when she was seven years old, and where she has made her home since the death of Mr. Parshall in 1950. Her father and mother lived for several years in Ashland, Ore., and he lived to be 93. Aft er her husband's death, her mother came '4o live with her in Montague, and she passed away there on Jan. 4, 1931. Salem U.R) The Oregon House avoided its second Satur day meeting of the 108-day ses sion by suspending its rules and passing on six appropriations bills Friday afternoon. The Senate also finished its business and adjourned until Monday morning. Joint Ways and Means com mittee members spent Friday afternoon cleaning up operation al budgets for the next bien nium and recommending out "do pass" a bill to abolish the three man board which now runs state institutions and give control of institutions to a director of pub lic institutions to be appointed by the governor. Gov. Robert D. Holmes advo cated the change in government al structure and the Ways and Means committee voted 9-5, mostly along party lines, to sup port his plan. Sen. Francis Zieg- ler, Corvallis Republican, voted with the majority in committee but will probably oppose the bill on the floor. - Sen. Howard Belton, Canby Republican, failed in a move to postpone the bill indefinitely. He was supported by Sen. An thony Yturri, Ontario Republican. Yturri argued that control of institutions by a board was a wholesome thing for the state. He said there had been very few clashes in the board since it went into operation in 1915 and that state government had never been held up by board squabbles. Public Would Be Denied "If the board were abolished, the public would have no infor mation on the conduct of state institutions such as is supplied by present open meetings of the board," Yturri said. He added that the governor was too busy to attend to all institutional - ntatters and that there was always the possibility that some governor would take advantage of close control over institutions to thwart the public will. Sen.'. Ward Cook, Portland Democrat, supported the govern or's program. He agreed that Oregon's board government had been good in the past, but said it could be improved by closer executive control and responsi bility. "Now, a board member can always point a finger -and say 'Joe did it'," Cook said. The board is composed of the gov ernor, secretary of state and state treasurer. . Belton said that under the present board system the press and public can always attend meetings and get information on state problems. Sheet Metal Workers Set Strike Deadline ' Rep. Robert Duncan, Medford Democrat, said that the govern or had the responsibility for run ning the institutions and should have the power to act. Duncan said that if the people objected to the job the governor was do ing they could always vote him out of office. Recommends Budgets Operational budgets recom mended favorably to the House floor included $2,633,144 for both Eastern Oregon tubercu losis hospital and the state tuber culosis hospital; $204,733 for the state executive department; $966,129 for the Department of Finance; $2,647,000 for the sec retary of state's office; and $2,- 601,781 for MacLaren School for Boys at Woodburn. The MacLaren budget was up $228,000 but Belton said it was justified because of increased enrollment at the school. Also provided for was a school camp in Lincoln county. Other legislative highlights: Penal institution: The House approved expenditure of $712, 000 for completion of work on the first two units of the new intermediate penal institution to be built near Salem.-The insti tution will be designed to reha bilitate younger prisoners. Finance: Expenditure of $6, 218,032 by the State Industrial Accident Commission for the next biennium was also ap proved by the House. Retarded children: Senate joint resolution 6, calling "for an interim committee to study the problems of mental retarda tion in children was passed by the Senate. Forestry: Reorganization, of the State Board of Forestry to provide a nine-member " group appointed for four-year terms was okayed by the House and sent to the Senate. Spokane U.R) Representa tives of the Sheet Metal Workers Union . and the Inland Empire Sheet Metal Contractors Associa tion met here Saturday with Federal Me-.liator Louis Ziman in an effort to reach agreement on a new labor contract. . The old agreement expired on April 30. The negotiations affect about 550 union members in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and northeastern Oregon. The workers asked for a 28-cent hourly wage increase. The as sociation, representing 75 firms, offered an increase of 14 cents -an hour with a six-cent hourly increase for health and welfare programs. - Although the strike deadline was reported to Monday work- ers at Pendleton; Ore., left their jobs at 4:30 p.m. Friday and a spokesman for the group said the strike was on and workers would not return Monday un less a settlement was reached during the week end. i : Western-Allies Issue Statement on Display Berlin (U.R) The three Western Allies issued a joint statement Friday protesting the military demonstration of East Germany's armed forces during Wednesday's May Day parade in East Berlin. . The Communists paraded units of their 120,000 man army among the four powers occupy ing Berlin. - Two Appointed to State Livestock Group Salem (U.R) Dr. Kent Ma gruder, Clatskaine Demorcat, was reappointed Friday by Gov. Robert D. Holmes to a new term on the. Livestock Advisory com mittee which he has been serv ing as secretary. , . Gov. Holmes announced the appointment of C. Alfred Bo- quist of Tillamook to succeed Chris Hoffman of Bay City on the committee which advises the State Department of Agri culture on matters relating to livestock identification and theft prevent. Terms of both are for three years. WEATHER By United Press . Northern California: Fair Sun day but patches of fog on coast in morning. You See It We Have It SB G O Q THE DRY CLEANER'S FINISHING PROCESS Yes, we have STANU, the same process advertised in LIFE and used by many leading garment manufacturers. And we give it to you. at no extra charge. With STANU, all your fabrics will take on a new fresh look and feel. Even older garments will look rich again because STANU replaces the original finish of fabrics. Makes them stay cleaner, wear longer, resist wrinkling, too! Call us soon. See what a difference STANU will mean to your clothes. " Bettet MEDFORD II and Beautiful Dry Cleaning 30-32 NO. 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