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About The Evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942 | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1941)
Linkville School By IDA MOMYER ODELL Clerk of District No. 1 and Past regent, Eulalona chapter Daughters of American Revolu tion. "THE year was 1877, the month A either November or Decem ber, and the day chilly, when two girls and six boys from all points of the compass strung in to the first Linkville school. We know the weather was wintry, for the Hanks children, Marlon, John, and Ella, came by sled from their father's ranch out beyond the Mortensen home at Pelican City. "Back" Grigs- by came on the bare back of a half broken filly from the old log cabin where he lived with a family near the present Eberlein ranch. Watt Allred and Jim Pearson lived down on the south side of Main street where Hub Wakefield's garage now stands across from the Willard hotel. Hattie and Quincy Brooks had the shortest trip from their home near the spot where now stands the Dr. George I. Wright house. In the 64 years which have passed since "01 Doc" Allen stood on the little platform of the schoolhouse and rang the hand-bell for school that winter day vast changes have been made in the buildings, equip ment and boundaries of School District No. 1. The expansion of the buildings has only been equalled by the contraction of the boundaries of the district. In 1877 a one-room frame build ing stood in the midst of a dis trict extending from the Barclay Springs ranch of Raymond Cox and Miss Gertrude Cox on the north to the California line on 'the south, and from Pine Grove In the east to the Jackson coun- t ' f ilk?" --5 -rii-vi 'J f ' T'.r. - if 11 -vi.1 ' L--Si -f'.4. (Lent by Mrs. George Humphrey) Recognise this building? It's the old Linkville school, which stood where the Medical-Dental building now stands. The picture was taken about 35 years ago. The old school building still stands, having been moved long ago to the southeast corner of Tenth and Pine streets, where it is now used as an apartment house and belongs to Miss Marie McMillan. That group of youngsters was the entire Klamath school attendance at the time the picture was taken. I This rare picture was taken about 1892. showing the upper-class of the old school that stood on the site of the Medical Dental building. Many of the children shown In the picture still reside here. The boys, left to rlghtt Guy Hamaker, Robert Baldwin. Walter Marple, Tom Kenney, Homer Marsh, Roy Hamaker, Charles J. Martin, Don Steele, Claude Fountain, Charles .Hamaker, Bradford Carter, Charles I. Roberts, (Dr.) George I. Wright, Richard Smith (now of Eugene) Joe Kessler. Middle row (girls): Dollie Baldwin Uerlings, Minnie Lee Henry, Carrie Hilliard, Nettle Thorpe, Frances Breltensteln Nail, Emma M. Van Valkenberg, Daisy Summers, Merrill, Louise Biehn Humphrey, Maude Baldwin. Upper row: Professor Eckert, Mae De Puy, Jennie Smith, Amelia Heidrich Hanks, Lydia Marple Lennox, Fannie Heynes Griffith, Clara Breltensteln, Mollis Haynes. - . 'v 1 "A v " 1 (Lent by Mrs. Guy Hancock) This is Herbert Dyar, Klam ath county's first school super intendent. He was appointed in 1882 when Klamath county was cut off from Lake county. His annual salary was $100. ty line in the west. Today seven beautiful modern buildings oc cupy a territory slightly larger than the city of Klamath Falls. However, embraced in the ex panse of territory which was School District No. 1 in 1877 and totally surrounded by that dis trict were Districts Nos. 2 and 3. Keno was one of these districts and the other was somewhere in the southwest corner of the coun ty. . When Pine Grove was or ganized into a district it was numbered four. These boys and girls, the first eight pupils of the first disctrict (Lent hv Mn. Clmnrn Hnmnhrivl Days of our county (then Lake), had to climb a knoll to report tor study. The site of the present Medical-Dental building was a stiff little hill sloping away from Ninth and Main down toward Seventh and Klamath. This hill became a nuisance to the pro gressive little village and a con tract was let to R. A. Emmltt for $2800 who had it removed by hand labor, cutting Main street .through but leaving the school At the foot of the hill in the middle of Main street stood a fine old willow tree, in front of our Pine Tree theatre. Nearby was a beautiful spring and from this came the drinking water for the school. A good child might take the bucket and bring it back brimming with spring water and pass the old tin dipper from thirsty mouth to thirsty mouth. According to Mr. Grigsby, "Old Doc" quenched his thirst from a bottle. The little rough-board school was built of lumber hauled to town from a mill near Spencer creek. The room was situated on land donated for school pur poses by Uncle George Nurse and occupied for such purposes until the Central school was torn down to make way for expand ing business. "Readin', 'Ritin and 'Rithme tic" was the course of study, reading being taught from the Third Reader, arithmetic start ing in division, with spelling from the old elementary Speller. Neither geography nor grammar was included in the curriculum, either because Doc Allen couldn't teach them or thought them un necessary. All eight scholars C. R. DeLap in 1881 i - . jT v I W : V'n -- i (Lont by C. This choice old-time portrait shows C. R. DeLap. prominent Klamath pioneer and still an active business man. as he appeared in 1881. Mr. DeLap was Klamath county's first elective school superintendent, taking the job in 1884. This picture was taken by the San Francisco Gallery, which advertised on the back that enameled photographs were SO per cents extra and no reslttings would be given for "groupes or tintypes." were in the same grade and took the same studies. "Ol' Doc" Allen was a R. DeLap) ! about 60 or 65 when he took charge of this first Linkville school. His pupils well remem ber the flowing beard, stained with tobacco juice, and the older ones recall the alcoholic breath and none too steady gait. Mr. Grigsby tells of the old board floor with its wide cracks and how Doc could spit through the cracks (sometimes). After six weeks attendance at this school Mr. Grigsby, then a lad of 15, took a job herding sheep for his futuro brother-in-law, Henry Conn. When school was about to close Ed Brooks got out a petition to have the term extended for another month or 6 weeks and since Doc's contract had expired Ed was appointed teacher for this additional term. It is hard to determine whether this was a private school, with the teacher paid by subscription (as was the first school at Mer rill), or whether he was paid out of county funds. Some of o u r old timers have one impression, some of the other. Woodshed Incident . As nearly as we can learn to day Allen and Brooks received $30 or $35 a month for their services. As the community grew, the little one-room school be came inadequate and it was sold to Ludwig Blchn, (father of George Biehn and Mrs. George Humphrey) who moved it across the street behind his hotel and made a woodshed out of it. This woodshed, which stood back of the location where Charles Whlsenant now has Everbody's Drug, was the scene of one of our irftcresting bits of local history. In 1909 two boys, one quite young the other over 21, held up the Klamath County bank and made off with about $3500 in gold coin. This they hid in the chips in Mr. Bichn's wood shed, then the younger boy hid in a haystack and the older after changing his clothes at the hotel got on a hay wagon and went out to a field to work. Some citizens suspected the haystack of harbor ing a thief and had their suspi cions confirmed by prodding it with a pitchfork. The young lad was taken and as the hay wagon returned to town that evening the older man was arrested. They were arrested on Friday, con fessed on Saturday, indicted and pleaded guilty Monday and were on their way to Salem Tuesday All but a couple of hundred do! lars of the gold was recovered. An amusing incident in connec tion with this holdup was a tele phone call from an agitated de positor who asked the bank em ployees If his money was with the gold stolen,, Klamath county was cut off from Lake county in 1882 and Herbert Dyar was appointed as first school superintendent at a salary of $100 a year. He was followed by C. R. DeLap who was the first elected county su perintendent, in 1884, After the removal of the old school house to the Blchn prop erty across the street, a new one- room building was put up, and when lt, too, proved too small for the growing town a T was put on, The one-room building became the nucleus of a build ing which grew until It became quite sizeable as can bo seen by taking a look at the apartment nouso on the southeast corner of Tenth and Pine, This property, now belonging to Mario McMH- Five More War Years! Newsman Recounts War Story By BOB LEONARD 'THE British high command anticipates tho possibility of five moro war years in thoir modern defensive slcgo of gi gantic Troy. This was the report of Virgil Pinkley, European manager of the United Press association, who visited Klamath Falls brief ly during tho week. At best, British military load ers don't foresee an ending within the next two years and predict it will be three or four years beforo the flames of Hit Icrlsin aro beaten back and final ly extinguished, according to Pinkley. Tho 'brilliant siindy haired young newsmun with tho trlunor quick mind and finger-tip mem ory, was winding up a two month vacation trip in the Unit ed States after 12 iilinost contin uous years of foreign press serv ico when he stopped here. HOPES BASED ON TWO ATTACK LINES A veteran of Finnish-Russo wur covering, reporter on tho in active western front during the "phony war" period, Moscow visitor, and eye-witness to tho first three weeks of tho air blitz on London, Pinkley, in tho war years and before, has usually been on tho front news lines when "top-head" news has been in the making. British authorities base tliclr hopes ot an ultimate victory on two main lines of attack one passive and the other active the experienced observer said. Both depend on continued and increased United States' aid in all branches of military and eco nomic warfare. In briel, Britain believes that in time German reserve supplies will run out ond German Hume morale will fuller. BELIEVE HITLER WORKING ON RESERVE Neither revelation is new but here's Pinkley' fuller report of each: Tho British belle vo Hitler's Juggernaut is subsisting 25 per cent on newly produced alloys and petroleum products and 73 per cent on reserves. They cm phasizo Germany, Italy und France produce only seven tenths of one per cent of the world's oil supply within thoir continental borders, and, even with Rumania, can turn out only 2.8 per cent. They bclicvo it Is only a question of time before these reserves will run out. The British think that with constantly Increasing bombing attacks over the homeli-nd, com bined with an ever-decreasing German food supply, continental civilian morale will sink to a point where spontaneous and si multaneous British-inspired sab otage end revolt will flare in all occupied countries as well as Germany itself. Anti-axis lead ers predict a 50 per cent drop in European farm produce next year and point to the Scandi navian countries' slaughter of animals and poultry for lack of feed. HITLER HAS THREE COURSES British leaders say that even now their agents have been forced to hold back sabotage at tempts in isolated instances In order to save possiblo futuro un derground leaders from discov ery and the Hitler chopping block. Pinkley said most observers see three courses open to Hitler. He can either attempt an all out Invasion of Britain, continue to hammer away through tho near east and build a bridgehead In North Africa, thereby cutting British Mediterranean lines, or withdraw to the continent and consolidate his new order beforo resuming tho offensive. The sec- lan, was used as a school until the Central school was built. Of the eight scholars forming tho first school in our history, three arc still living. Mr, Grigs by, who furnished most of tho material for this article, lives in Klamath Falls. Hattie BrookB lives somewhere outside of our state, and John Hanks Is also still alive. The name of Hanks has been Identified with school his tory for three generations. J. L. Hanks served as director in the early years of the district; his son, Marion Hanks, as director in tho next generation, and Mrs. Eva Hanks Clemens, daughter of Mr, Marion Honks taught in tho system for a number of years prior to her marriage. Quincy Brooks and Jim Pear son have long been gone. Mrs. Ella Hanks Eastwood died sev eral years ago In the Merrill Val ley. Watt Allred was killed In the tragedy Involving an Indian car crossing 'the Dorris railroad track some years ago. Tells Wor Story ' r t 1 If ; - , fatW.lWil Virgil Pinkley, European manager for United Press, says war may lt five more years. ond courso Is the apparent one, If British contentions of his re serves are true. Ho will not, Britain says, attempt an invasion unless chances of success aro nine to one. Hitler, Pinkley observed, Is still being underestimated by most Americans. Far from being only u warlord with a mighty machine, ho is also a political, diplomatic and military genius with an uncanny sense of timing. Hitler's ability to merge all psy chological and material units of attack into tho proper moment for attack has titus far spelled one of tho chief differences be tween victory and stalemate. BETTER NEWS UNDERSTANDING A guide toward better Ameri can understanding of foreign news was offered by tho en grossing nowt expert. "Attempt," ho said, "to separ ata tho news you read into two clusses. "lt the story Is an cyc-wltness one or attributes information to 'usually well-informed' or 'un impeachable.' sources, it can be accepted as the truth as far as It goes. If, however, it quotes a government spokesmun or news agency, it should bo treated with reserve us It probably contains propaganda. All three major American news services with representa tives outside tho United States aro doing a fine job in tho face of repeatedly difficult situations, Pinkley maintained. Thcro are now over 750 trained reporters on the foreign sccno in contrast to six in operation at tho start of tho last war, he said. Censorship, according to Pink ley, is naturally ono of tho news men's major problems but loom ing almost as large is the constantly-shifting obstaclo of com munication. At tho war's out set, realignments were mado which were to exist for nearly eight months. With the blitz across tho lowlands ond France, Amsterdam, which had become tho city desk of Europe, was no moro and Zurich, Switzerland, was to take its place, UNITED PRESS CASHES IN Plnklcy's service cashed In heavily on the big Dutch city, however, before lt died. In 1930, tho United Press began to work on tho possibility of an exclusive telnphono lino between Amster dam and London. It took throe years of doing, but by 1039 the United Press had established their lino under tho listing of a stato department wire. With first roports of tho Ger man move on May 10, half tho UP's 12-man Amsterdam staff was spread over tho wholo f. Holland, each near a telephono. As the battlo developed, each man's report was phoned to tho headquarters bureau, written In to a wholo and shunted to Lon don, from whero it was sent overseas. Mcanwhllo all lines between tho continent and the British Isles except for state wires had been cut, leaving the United Press Willi the only direct pipe line from the battlcfront. For five hours tho Amsterdam boys continued to send a complete story of actual fighting whilo other ossociatlons were forced to fall back on meager reports from word-of-mouth ond diplo matic sources. . POST-MORTEM CENSORSHIP Zurich held on as a central news point until tho Balkan swoop but now It's pretty much catch-as-catch-can on spot news reporting. Sometimes as many as nine similar messages ere sent out over as mnny routes with a prayer ono will arrlvo In tho not too distant future. Stor ies sent at tho soma time have beon known to arrive over 38 hours apart. Gorman post-mortem censor ship, 1'lnkley sold, Is the most freo but tho most devastating. Each correspondent Is freo to write und rcleuso what ha pleases, but Is held strictly and personully accountable. There by, If tho story doesn't pleas Dr. Goebliels' propaganda min istry after It's sent, tho writer Is very likely soon on his way out. POODLE DEAD, POODLE ILL Earlier In hostilities, Amori. cun newspapermen were ulleny uble to slip into a cluublo-lalk J) slang Jargon which fooled avail . the British, but the censors fi nally caught on and it's raroly used now, A quickie over tho Zurich Bucharest telephone during lust full's Iron tiuurdlst rioting in Kumuniu did get by, however. Tho Kuiniiiuan telephone cen sor at tho riot's beginning re fused to let any mention of casu alties pass, bvvcrul attempts by tho Zurich U. P. staff to query Frank Stevens, Bucharest man ager und poodle (under, on tlie number of dead and wounded fulled. Finally Zurich asked for per mission to Inquire into the health of Stevens' two "ailing" poodles. Tho censor, a dog-lover, ugreed. Stevens' reply was that the first poodle, whose name ended In three zeros, had died, and the second poodle, whoso name also - ended in three zeros, was stlll sick. There was the answer: 1000 dead and 2000 Injured and wounded. WARTIME LIVING UNDER HARDSHIPS Regardless of censorship diffi culties, the American boys are usually ablo to get the gist of story through, Pinkley said, and quoted the British and German moves Into Syria and tho recent Hltler-Mussolinl meeting as ex amples. Llfo under wartime conditions tho news executive reported a being exactly as described In many press dispatches. American cigarettes aro virtually extinct In Europe. If obtainable, ono pack age will bring $1.55 in Switzer land and $1.85 In Sweden, both neutral countries. In Berlin, a reasonable fncslmllo costs $2.50 per pack. Hot water Is priceless in most v occupied countries and can be used In Sweden only betwoen the hours of 4 and 9 p. m. on Sat urdays. Fuel of any kind 1 ut terly scarce and many schools hava had to bo closed for lack of heat. ' But despito the hardships, the danger and the uncertainty, Pinkley is going back to the big show. From hero he went by rail to San Francisco and was scheduled to fly back to New York before returning west to clipper Manila-ward. By KLM Dutch Airways he'll fly from Manila to Singapore, then trans fer to British Airways for a series of hops ultimately landing him at Cairo destination from San Francisco to Egypt in nine days. NOSE FOR NEWS FINDLAY, Ohio, (?) Robert .') Rnsencraus, a reporter for the Findlay Republican-Courier, got a story on his regular call at the draft board. Tho board had a new quota, colling for one man. about July 11 Robert Rosencrans. Slugger Wallace Vice President Henry A Wal- lac singles In game betwean Hamilton Fish's "litatesmen" and Lowell Thomas' "Nine Old Man" In charity Softball gam at Griffith Stadium, Washing- ffflM. Sv Er op-- 5 I i (Continued Next Week) .j ;
