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 ;