HomeMy Public PortalAboutBlackwell, Herman and Rose,f
County of,
-boise--------------------
On this-- - - -3rd-------- -- day of- - -- - august----- -- in the year 1906 before me
WB Boydstun a notary public
in and for said County, Personall appeared -Thomas McCall
known to me to be the person - whose name-- is—- --subscribed to the within instrument, and
acknowledged to me that. he executed the same; and on this_ --- 3rd--- -day of
August - --- in the year 1906___, before me, the officer above described, personally appeared
--------Louisa McCall ------- ------------- ----- -------
-- - - ----- --------------- - -------------------- -------------- known to me to be the pet-son whose name
-------- --------- I ------------ --
is subscribed to the within instrument, described as a married woman; and upon an examination
without the hearing of her husband, I made her acquainted with the contents of the instrument, and
retract
-
thereupon she acknowledged to me that she executed the same, and that she does not wish to i
such execution.
jn RIMMOS 04erjeat, I have hereunto set my hand and aifxed my official sea], the day and year
in this certificate first above written.
WB Boydstun--------------------------------------
-Notary Public-----
---------- -A-/
42
N ON
Ni
I �
rs
I
This indenture, Made this ------3d---------------- day Of august
------- ----- ------- ------- --- --------------------- - -------
---
in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and six ---- between ------- ..... ...........
of-----Thomas McCall and Louisa McCall--- of McCall...... County of.--- -Boise-- ------
State of -- ----idaho- -------the parties of the first part, and
-------CW Blackwell- ------------- ----------------- ---------------------- ---------------
Of --McCall---------- -- County of -----Boise-- State of----- Idaho--
the party of the second part ,
State of - - - - -- n1clel-0- ---- ------------ -------------------- the pa
Witnesseth that the'said parties of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of
seventy five dollars-----lawful money of the United States of America, to them in hand paid by the
said party ------ -of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, ha- __ -granted, bargained
and sold, and by these presents do.____ -.__ grant, bargain, sell, convey and confirm unto the said party
of the second part, and to_his--- heirs and assigns forever, all the following described real estate,
situated in- McCall - -- County --- -Boise------------------ ---------------- -
State of Idaho, to wit: -Lot 10, Block 1, and Lot 10, Block 4. Original plot of the
town Mccall, Boise county, Idaho
............ .. .......... ........... ........ ......... ....... ...... ........ .......... ....... ...................
Together With all and singular the tenements, hereditamcnts and appu rtenances thereunto belong-
ing or in anywise appertaining, the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues
and profits thereof, and all estate, right, title and interest in and to the said property, as well in law as
in equity, of the said part tZd of the first part:
To have and to Hold, All and singular the above mentioned and described premises, together with
the appurtenances, unto the part of the second part, and to - --his------------- heirs and assigns forever.
And the said parties heirs, the said premises in the quiet an6
"----of the part, and-_, ------ ---------------
peaceable possession of the said art- --.. ----- of the second part,__,A — ----- --
--------- heirs an] assigns, against
P!f 4r
'against all and every, person and persons
Az' ** s" t- an eirs, an
the said partL_"____Of the
whomsoever, lawfully claiming or to claim the same shall and will WARRANT and by these presents
torever C)
3n Wittwo 111prrof, The said part.c sct__41f� --- ---- handd,-
zd of the first part ha,-C.-hereunto
and seaj&the day and year first above written.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered in the Presence of
..................... ................................
......WM Page ...... Thomas McCall
.......John Cole... ...... __ .. ............ .......Louisa McCall... ............... ......
7-
.... . .......
.............. ....... ....... ..........
...........................
....................... ........ ............. ........
STATE OF IDAHO
County of Boise
on this 23rd day of october in the year 190 6 , before me,
a WB Boydstun, in and for said County, personally appeared Thomas McCall
known to me to be the person whose name --zo subscribed to the within instrument, and acknowledged to me
that he executed the same, and on this 23rd day of October in the year 1906
1906 , before me, the officer above described, personally appeared Louisa McCall
vi�� '20-" e e -4" known to me to be the person whose
_
name is subscribed to the within instrument, described as a married woman; and upon an examinatiod without the hear-
ing of her husband, I made her acquainted with the contents of the instrument, and thereupon she acknowledged that she
executed the same, and that she does not wish to retract such execution.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set in hand and affixed my official seal the day and
year in this certificate first above written
WB Boydstun
Notary
My Commission expires
April 7, 1910
WARRANTY DEED- -Short Form.
Printed and for Sale by the Signal, Weiser, Idaho.
this indenture Made this 23rd` day of october
in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and six" , between
Thomas McCall and Louisa McCall of McCall, County of Boise, State of Idaho the,
parties of the first part, and CW Blackwell
of McCall, County of Boise
State of Idaho, the parties of the second part.That the said parties of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of
on hundred and forty DOLLARS,
in hand paid by the said
party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, ha.� Granted, Bargained and Sold and
by /these presents do GRANT, BARGAIN, SELL, CONVEY and CONFIRM unto the said part of the
second part, and to heirs and assigns, FOREVER, all the following described real estate situate
i
in McCall County of Boise State of Idaho, to-wit:
Lots 7,8,9,11 and 13 in Block 4 original plot of the town McCall Boise, County, Idaho
TOGETWER With all and singular the tenements, hereditaments and'appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any-
'Wise ;apMrtaujmg- and the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues and profits thereof, and all
estate, right, title xad interest in and to the said property, as well in law as in equity, of the said part %ems of the
first pert. h,
appurtenances, unto the party of the second part, and to heirs, and assigns forever: And the said
part c" of the first part, and heirs, the said premises in the quiet and peaceable possession qQhe said
party of the second part heirs and assigns against the said part L" of the first part and ,- <�.ac%4
hei and against all and every person and persons whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same shall and will
warrant and by these presents forever defend.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, The said part c,t of the first part ham hereunto set ..� w .hander and
seal.Qi the day and year first above written.
SIGNED, SEALED A D DELIVERED IN THE PRESENCE OF ] ,
- -BB MCCall Thomas McCall
----EL Miller Louisa McCall
State of Idaho
County of ---Boise-----
On this...29th- -day of ----May---- ---- in the year 1901---, before me
--- WB Boydstun- -----a notary public - ---------- in and for said County, personal]
y appeared, Thomas McCall and Louisa McCall (his wife) -----------
known to me to be the persons ---- whose name are subscribed to the within instrument, and
acknowledged to me that.- they executed the same.
In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my official seal the day and Year
I . 11 this-certificate first above written.
- WB Boydstun
Notary Public
613- Warranty Deed
Panted and for sate by the Statesman Printing Co., Boise, Idaho.
This Indenture, Made this 29 day of May
in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and nine
between .Thomas McCall and Louisa McCall------- ------- - - - - -- -
of - - McCall-County of - Boise------------ -- -
State of _ _Idaho-- - - - - -- -the parties of the first part, and
-CW Blackwell of McCall-- - - County of-Boise - - -- -- - - - - -- ------- - - -
State of __Idaho- - - - -- -- ---the party _ __ of the second part,
Witnessethth, That the said parties of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of
----Twenty five-- - --- DOLLARS, lawful money of the United States of America to
them_ in hand paid by the said party _ the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, ha
g' , �,. granted, bargained and sold, and by these presents do_grant, bargain, sell, convey and confirm unto the said part . -_--.
of the second part, and to"
----- heirs and assigns forever, all the following described real estate,
situated in -__ MCCall - - - -- County Boise State ofldaho, to wit:
Lot ten (10) in block four (4) original flat of the town of mccall. boise county. idaho
.. ...................
QJ0#PtIWr With all and singular the tenements, hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belong-
ing or in anyvtvise appertaining, the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues
and profits thereof, and all estate, right, title and interest in and to the said property, as well in law as
-
in equii r"-of the said part t" of the first part:
M it ` trio tV WOO. All and singular the above mentioned and described premises, together with
the appurtenances ,irnto the part. -- - -ofthe second part, and to_ , _c ✓
_ _.. heirs and assigns forever.
And the said pRr�`_c e,e_ of the first part, and
heirs, the said premises in the quiet and
peacea`bfe- possession of the said part --- - - - - -- of the second art � .
P - ^_ heirs and assigns, against
the said part _4"", -,of the first art and��
t� t - 'L4-"beirs, and against all and eery person and persons
tvhomsoever, lawfully claiming or to claim the same shall and will WARRANT and by these presents
forever DEPEND.
In Witness Whereof, The said art_- v
of first part ha &--f hereunto set
----- ._hand ✓,
and seaI4 . the day and year first above written.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered in the Presence of
VF Williams Thomas McCall
JK Berry Louisa McCall
I
lzi,erT.--ral tnid Ropv! 81—nck,�o-1 I
wlt.h 1�,-tty Unri-xio-d
Ylng(l 1
HISTORIC.Al RESZEARCH
FILE
Do NOT Ru,,,rjNh,--- b=oo i LIBRARY
UTTY "Can y�au tell ice, about viox a you warn bor"I Ham, A
was born in Long Cree-A, Oregor. iii 1835."
a4 PAYETTE LAKES
I iy lto%; abulif: you Roar ?" PROGRESSIVE CLUB
I was born me urith a covered "Pgin to
, in Enqinj�ebvaskn in 189.5. 1 en
lit,ytovi, Wtchington in 11.100. Than I came to Whitebird in 11901."
117,a w omny in your fadly Roae?"
"There fir,- tvtx in my fWA-1y, than 's five boys C?IJ -Elve girl "s. Im tha oldest."
"nov about your fcmlily, VerrSTIV,
;11 just tot one brother, I'm the oldest."
"Wltco;* dc:�ez George live?"
jr,
cjn, Ile a p
till alive.
�MT77 `VIn6t was your father'& occupation?"
`00 Wes a stock Men aTA a. rancher. IT,,, run the MdLtAll Vote) fax thrreL� or fo,:Ix
years. Then he bitilf, e bQr ecrose the aLreet from the hotel, lie r-led it
DInckwoll's Bar."
"Cen you tell us about your home here in McCall?"
"Well, in 1908 he built his bonio here. It was o eiSkit room houaa. kIy mti'�ther- hq,-A
tht f.1vtt bathtub in xallzi,11. It was a lumber house."
"Ohai: ebout your hwme, Rose?"
'Vell, in our hoop in Mrhitebitd. My father stvrted vrrlr for my gr6ndfr,tbcr, he
had a sao mill. V'a ho-mesteaded there and vn built as log h-,use. We loft whitebird
in 1910 and we ewe to McCall."
page 2
E "Gen Their nationality and
"little of your parents bve!�;,'cOull
,TTy Can you tell us 'A
where they lied cOT'le father
'uri eland th
(,u 6, _vine to pebraska
>,.osg my mothar was born in Miss c
was born in Iowa. 14y father was lZiGh was German and Irish."
ry_j,,Ty jjjnt,9 your natlonnlitY, Hormpn?"'
little Indinn I St�evs. That's a bout all."
HEr,yj,14 a little Irish and a litt-
BlEXTY "your nother or your father 'Indian?"
,jBTv4Wjj 4114y grandmother, On my grandmother's side, on my father's Sick -"
bETTY 1%ra&t, Indian?"
prritWi "Cherokee"
family come id your e frop, before th4_y came to Oregon?"
,I*y 'Ylhere d
1,*X;amN ,Well, my father was born in Arkansas. He come across the Ploirs in a covered
wason to Oregon."
,N,1TTY "from Oregon you c"117ke to Td&hO?" C
IIERMAN *No, from Oregon. we went to Walla Walla, Washington and lived there a year. Gore
from there to Ideho. U
BETTY itMIat means of travel did you have?"
.jE.Rj.DUj ,We had & te&m and wagon. "
"There was an Indian WO -S there too in Oregon. yqu were in on it."
Indian ware broke out. They built a fort . If it
IIERmtx 1%4hen we got to Oregon the dians would've killed all of us. They sent my red's
badn't been for that the In
I' brother out to scout and see where these Indians were. They shot his horse out
Page 3
HERMAN "from under him, killed his horse but he made it back to the fort. They didn't
get him but killed his horse."
BETTY "When did you come to Idaho then, tell us about that ?"
HERMAN "Cove in 1902."
BETTY "Where did you settle in Idaho then?"
11"MAN 1°01dMoadows"
BETTY wfell us about what YOU did from then on."
on aid rode race horses for s 0,
HERMAN "I went back to Oreg �jjple of years over there.
Mother worked in the hotel for old man Hubbard. The old tog hotel it' Old tIeadowa-
That's when dad bought these sheep."
BETTY "Tell about getting the sheep."
TIERMAN "Well, dad was a little short of money nnd he run across this feller whtlk had a
little money and he didn't know what to do tith it. Dad told him it would be
a good deal if I he bought a little band of sheep and take and butcher th". Held
make a lot of money out of them. -9',o they started to Thunder Mountain and
they got to Warrens and the country was full of people up there-
So they thiu-,,Iot
they'd just stop there and butcher them out to the minors."
BETTY "Did they make any money?"
BEIU4AN IM yeah, they made good money."
BETTY "Then when did you come to the McCall area?"
HERM "Come to McCall in 1905."
30E "When you lived up there in Seasash meadows did you mother live or work up there
in a bar?"
'
` ^
Page 4
UUMN "Yeah, that was from 1903 to t05 that she worked up there."
3ETTY 'ton you tell us about that?,#
;2-RMAN "Well, the Hubbard boys built a house up there Just out of rough lumber and
put in a bar. They h&d a dining room there so mother got the dining room.
They were diggjn3 that big ditch and she boarded the ditch diggers."
JDE "Carl you tell us somethi I ng about the miners, Herman?"
j6t� "t'" "Well'"tell about the men that wev murdered up at Warrens."
=tt4" "TkTell, there was a fella by the name of Bob 141hilet. and he had a Placer mine on
Califonis Creek. Old man Long and another fella, I can't hhink of hie name,
they htd some mines up above him. They got into a fight there. Old man Long ord
this other man were camped on WareEagle, that's Just on ton of the hill froin
tbe mine. He come up there and and they had & camp fir out in front of the
tent. Old man Long was setting on a box by the fire, he shot him And lie fell
right over In the fire. This man in the cabin had a boy about fifteen--yeprs
old. He evidently seen what was going on and he run out Of the cabin * d
run down over the hill. Whiter shot at him and shot him through the calve of
the leg and they boy fell over a log. Whiler . thought he'd killed him, he didn't
go down there to see. He w6nt on in the cabin and this boy dad was in asleep.
He went in there and he shot him three or four times then he took the gun barrel
and beat his head into a Jello. They took Bob Whiter into Grangeville and he
was supposed to hang on a certain day and they tak him to Boise. They were
stretching the rope with a sack of sand to get the stret ch out of it. The day
w .
LI
Page 5
ORMAN "before he was to be hung the governor pardoned him to life in the nenitentary.
He stayed there I don't know how many years and then they pardoned him out. Fv0-
body knows what ever come of him. lie was afraid to come back. The Long boys
said they'd kill him."
ROSE "Tell about whn he come to your mother's place,"
HERMAN "Vell, after he killed these people up there he coma down to wheremothere was
boarding these ditch diggers. The Hubbard boys had this saloon. He come in
there and he said, Nyell, I gat rid of some them guys up there.' or something
to that affect. I don't know i£ that', word for word. They tried to get him
to put the guns up and he wouldn't do it. lie had a rifle and a air; chootesr on
him. So they poured the whialcey into him and got him drink. the butcher that
was working for mom and dad was sleeping out in the tent. He coaxed him into
going out and going to bed with him. He got out there and he went to sleep
right away. This butcher got the guns off of him. Early next morning they
saddled up and took him to Grangeville. They was afraid the miners was gonna
mob him before they get to Grangeville with him."
BETTY "M a child did you have chores to do, Herman?"
tiER14AN "Oh yea, I had chores to do. I run a walking plow and I had to hold my hands in
the air like that to hang on to the handles. That's wnen ve was ranching in
Oregon. lead used to raise lots of hogs. He farmed and raised grain to feed
these hogs. He raised a hundread and fifty heed of hogs. Then he'd drive them,
to Pendleton, eighty miles. Lot of people think you can't drive a birch of hogs.
When you drive a bunch of hogs it's like handling a ouch of sheep."
Page 6
aETTY Vas it your dad that raised hogs in the valley?"
OR= "Yeah, we raised as bunch one time and hired a butcher to make bacon. He said
he was a bacon maker. He spoiledcall the meat we had. Then we had another
buck of hogs and it was in the wintertime. It was about as snowy as now. We
started to EU6rgreen to ship them to Portland. We got over here to Rock Flat
and couldn't get no further kith them. I had to leave them there that night and
at lot of them froze their feet off and we olokt a lot of them. I finally got
them to Evergreen with half of them crippled."
JOE "I remember buying veue hogs, from dad one time and he drove them to Meadows
after the train got into Meadows."
BETTY "After you came to McCall your dad dealt more with cattle."
tIE RMAV 11yeahol
PIETTY "How many ranches did you have."
jjERMAjq "Had four ranches at one time.
JOE "How about the sheep you bought?"
HERMAN "I and dad bought as bend of sheep down at Grandview. Brought them up here. I
sheared them at Horseshoebend and brought them on up here. I had them about Goo
and a half months and I sold the lambs to John Stringer. An old falls from
Weiser come up and bought the ewes that fall. I made a damn good piece of money
out of them."
JDE "What year was tt your dad had those long horn cattle here on the school section,
Herman?"
BERMAN "I don't know what year that was. Him and his brother Henry they went down to
Page 7
�11ERMAN "Mexico and bought them. Just mead andhorns, that all there was to them,"
BETTY "Ilermaan, where did you go to school ?" '
IMPJMN "Most of my schooling was in Long creek, I went to high school in Pendleton."
BETTY "What about your schooling, Rose?"
cSE "I didn't have too much schooling. I went to Whi.tebird. The wheaather was so
bad and muddy that we'd have three months in the fsi.l end then maybe in the
spring we'd have smother three Lnant %s. So we didn't have too much schooling.
My lust school was up here at ?4ccall."
'ETTY 'Vho was your teacher up here ?"
OSIa "Edna Stodders"
'ETTY "Were there Indians cone up this way, Herman?"
XPjL 4 "Yes, the Indians come from Nez Pierce. come over here and catch Salmon from
the Payette River. They tmuld core here and fish thorn aaad hang ghem up hn
trees and dry them.."
ETTY 'Vere they friendly ?"
Cl RMAhI 'bh yeah"
"Can you tell anything interesting ?"
"Well, the only thing I can tell is there weaa a scruaa%, and she was a widow. She
had a as ranch over there with ponies. She liked us pretty good and she talked
good English. Dad and I and a photographer that used to come up 4n the summer
we went down to the camp one clay. Dad wanted to get his picture taken with her.
The other Indians put up a big arguement about it, they didn't : *ant no picture
0.& '
Page 8
HERMAN "taken. She said, 'I'm going to have my picture taken anyway.' and she went
and put on her.best outfit with the beads and everything. So the fella tool;
the picture. She patted dad on the back and said, 'We married now!'"
ROSS "I've got the picture some where, I can't find it now. His dad was half
drunk and his tie was crooked and he looked as much like an Indian as she
did."
HERMAN "When we got the picture and mother seen it, oh God was she mad! She had a
big wheat ranch out there and she told me she had about forty head of horses.
But the other Indians put up quite asquack. They didn't want her picture taker,
i with him. We got it some plane. Mother thought she burned them all up, but
she didn't."
BETTY "Were
there Chinese people around 'McCall in the early days ?"
I1HERMAN "No, there wasn't very many Chinsmen around here, except one Chinaman that run
the hotel that died here,. Then that old.T'u that used to run a hamburger stand,
he was around here a year or two. Ile was in Meadows a while and then he went
down to RoseberVy. He was the dirtiest crook of a man I ever seen."
BETTY "What were your Sundays line ?"
HERMAN "They were just like any other day. The stores and everything kept open on
Sunday."
BETTY "Did you have any Sunday school ?"
HERMAN "Yes, my mother was a Sunday school teacher at one time."
BETTY "I heard my mother, Ida'.Brown, t*11 about what a wonderful woman Fanny Blackwell
was. We were neighbors and whe was real glad to have Fanny help teach Sunday
r
Page 9
BETTY "school. Then somebody objected because your dad run a saloon so your mother
said that she wasn't going to teach Sunday school any more. My mother felt
real bad about that. She said Funny Blackwell ties one of the finest people
she ever knew. Besides that, your father bought the organ for the Sunday
school. lie bought it with the idea that they kept it for Sunday school and
church and not hauled it around to the dances."
HEP14AN "That's right!
BETTY "That organ's still here. What were special holidays here?"
HE DIAN "Well, the Fourth of July and ChIristmes and New Years."
BETTY "Tell us what you did on the Fourth of July."
HERMAN 'Ve'd drink lots of whiskey and dance all night till nun-up in the morning. Vle
had baseball &&mes. Meadows and Council and Van Wyck and McCall And Roseberry
all had a tevm. By gosh, they had some pretty good ball teams, too. They use
to play every Sunday come place. Quite a lot of money changed hand; too."
,BETTY "I reviember W.icn we -CAre first married ule'd celebrate one year In McCall and
the next in Meadows."
iHERMAN "I remember one routb of July when they had horse races. We had friends
staying at what's Lake View V1,11age now. Oh, the worst rain atorm, it was just
a clour burst. We went over and stayed in the tent for a while. Then every-
body came to our house. There weren't enough beds and they made beds on the
floor. I don't know a lot of people there bit you took everybody and made them
as comfortable as you could."
Herman "Something else I could tell about. They used to have a weelts horse racing here
every year. My dad would give a thousand dollars toward the races, to put on
a weeks horse racing. Of course they charged., but held give a thousand dollars
4.
Page 10
RRERAN "out of his pocket to keep the horse races."
JOE "Where did the horses come from, Herman?"
HERMAN 1%vlell, a lot of good horses come here. I cen remember one horse they called
Sizzle Grinder, he was from the east. fie was one of the beat. But they come
here to train their horses for these biS�,,er races. We used to have some
good horses here. Soma of them come from all over the country. This one horse
1,m talking &bout, he from the cent, come place. He was supposed to be
one of the best. Yeoh, we used to have a weeks races here, beseball gaiies here
every Satuiday and Sunday."
'lie used to dance up here maybe ? always on 1*riday night.
HERMAN '%Ie cased to dance all night till the sun c(rla up. Now they dance till 1:03
and quit."
BEIM "Where did you dance?"
RE&MAy 'yell, they had a dance hall right on Main Street for a while. I can't think
of Vho built that. Then Paul Page used to have his picture'i-fshlaws there st one
time. Then Vioure come in and built that dance hall on the corner. We ucdd to
dance over in Newt William's old store, it had an up stairs."
DETTT "The most I remember about t1int upstairs, Uncle Newt, he had everything stored
up there. Even the caskets. we kids would think it was more fun to get
some green kid and get him to go up there. Lot turn the lights on and then
get down and oh here's a casket. 11ey used to get wore scared."
HDRMAN "When dad built that bar over there ell they had in the old saloon o- any
place In town was just old coal oil lamps, they had them hanging frow the
coiling. A fella come in here and aelling these gas lamps. Dad said, 'You
Page It
BERM "light them up and put them up there. If they're brighter than then coal oil
lamp hanging over the bar there, I'll buy couple of them.' So he hung them up
and things just brightened up. Dad said, 1111 take two of them right nova.'
In them old coal oil lights you couldn't hardly see the cash register, or
ring up a sale or anything. But they didn't have anything better than that
then. I'll tell you another one. There used to be lots of sheep�L in this
country, lots of sheep herders too. There was a bunch of them up there ona
night end they got drunk and got in a fight. Dad said, 'You can't fight ii,
the saloon but I'lltell you what I'll do. You fellas go out there if you
went to fight and I'll hold the light for you if you went to fight.' P-, took,
out one of these lights. Wet;t out there and stood an the porch of the saloon
and lie heldthe light fot them!"
JOE, "Your dad told me he had as bartender one time he thought was knocking down
on him, but he was real gooney. He said one dey he sent up to the cash
register to put the money in it. You dad said I slipped up behind him and
goosed him and said, 'How much you knock down?' and he said,'Thirty-five cents'
and he said, 'I fired him right there."'
HERMAIN "10,11 tell you another thing about that butcher that spoiled all the meet.
Dad hired a butcher and he was supposed to be a bacon maker, ya know, and
cure this meat. Had him in the butcher shop there. He had a picture of a
girl about twelve, thirteen years old and he put it up in front,,-.of the cash
register. Dad had the first two cash registers in McCall, too. He had one in
the butcher shop and one in the bar. He had this picture up there and he thought
it was kind of funny he had that picture up there and he asked him what's that
picture? He said, 'That's my daughter.' Dad•ust took it down and he come back
Page 12
HEM4M "a little while later and by God it was up there again."
END OF SIDE ONS
ROSE
'Ve went out to Eloheimo's place out on the ridge. We went out by
bobsled
and we took Josie and Jake Harp with us."
JOE
"ghat time of the year was it, Rose?"
ROSE
"the 23rd of February."
JOE
'ten you tell us something about this Eloheimo? Ve was a precher,
wasn't lie?"
Flo SE
"Yeah, he was a preaclier."
JOB
"And very well educated."
IM MAW
,es. A Finle-nder told me, I said
"Seems he could talk seven Iunguef,
if he don't
talk uiiy better Finlend than lie does English how do you understaud
111ra. He
said, 411le can't talk Finn eikher. He can't talk Finn or..y better tan
lie talks
English!' I don't lu.jou, if you should have that on there or not."
D-LTI*y
'Vlell, I think that's alright. I know, they used to live in town
omatimes in
the wintertime. The Bloheimo kids went to school w1hen I did."
VY,RM
"rhey never lived here."
BETTY
"Yeah, they lived in town."
RE IAN
"By god I never knew it."
ROSE
'10ne of the daughters, she taught school, Eve Eloheimo."
JOE
"It was the oldest girl."
ROSE
"Me oldest girl and the other one was. The other girl taught school too, I
can't think of her name. The brother was up here lost summer and
Aie met him.
Page 13
ROSE "He lives around Portland. We talked to hire, Albert Eloheimo."
i JOE "He brought a bunch of people in hrre, a colony of them when he came in, didntt
he?"
HE, WAN "Yeah, lie was the main guy with the Finnish people at one time."
ROSE 'yell, she was hind of a preacher too, wasn't she?"
BETTY "I don't remember about thtt.
IROSE "Yes, I think she did."
JD2 "They were very well educated people. The Finns
were real thrifty people,
frugal. Do you remember Mark Peterson, Herman?"
HEUIAN "Yeah"
JOE "He run the first sttf;e didn't lie?"
H=40 "He run the first stagres from Evergreen into HeCall."
JOE 'tan you tell us something about when you drove strge Cor Lou Baird."
HETOM "Sell, when I went to work for Lou Baird he had the mail contract to Warren.
Ile was running the State House across the lake. He had a road house and had
a Chinese cook. I made the first trip into Warren in a four horse etage. 01
came back that night a put away the horses. They got supper ready and I went
into the dining room and set down and the Chinaman come running in and he said,
IF*, you no eat in here. You eat in kitchen.' I was pretty mad and I went to
Lou and I said, 'If you owe me anything just pay me off.' and he wendered what
was the matter and I told him. He tried to spolit-gize to me but I said, 'No
ir I'm working for a ir.an that's no reason I can't eat with him. The job is
yours as far as I'm concerned.' and I walked off the job."
Page 14
JOE "Well, you drove stage for Ross Krigbaum too, didn't you?"
HERMAN "Yeah, I drove a four horse from old Meadowe to McCall."
JOE "That was one of them old time attges with the hood on the back."
HERMAN "Yeah, one,, of the old time stage coachs."
BETTY 'Vas the road up Goose Creek then?"
HERMAN "No. Goerge and I were working for Ross I don't either one of the other.
See, Ross had the contract for building that first road up Goose Creek. Ile
also had the mail line to McCall. When he got it finished and opened it he
brought the first mail stage up there."
JDE "Can you remember when be started that road, Herman? Was that in the fall
of 1507?"
HERMAN 1111o, it was later than thnt, I think."
JDE "My brother worked over there and ha died in FeUruary of 1909."
HERMAN "It might've been, I just can't remember."
JDE "I know he worked over there in the fall."
HERMAN "Well, the old road used to go across Pock Flat, down over the Meadows Hill.
A lot of freight went up over that old hill. You know how them freighters used
to do? They always had team belle on their leaders. You come along and over
take some guy stuck on a hill someplace. You take off your team and put it on
and pull him out and you'd take his bells. NVbe the next guy come along and
got you unstuck and take your bells! Yeah, that was the fun, if you had to
hook onto a man you took his bells."
Page 15
JOE "I remember going to Evergreen with Frank Rash. We come up Goose Creek.
The swing teams would just yell at them, 'Get over the chain.' and over the
chain they'd go and jerk her around the corner. How about, what did you do
for pleasure in McCall, Herman?"
HEDIAN "Well, it was mostly dances then. That was before there was any picture shows."
JOE "And baseball.
HUXUINT Y.Yealt, baseball and horse racing."
JOE I'Aat was gone of the old time musicians you lied there?"
HWLAN "Well, vie had severil. Purt'luear everybody could,pl.ey a little on the fiddle.
shellilhite and I don't know, Charlie Boyle, lie was pretty good."
JOE "Who was your caller?"
HE=AN "Well, McFall he called a lot."
JOE "How about Shall White?"
HERM "Shall called."
JOE "Abobt when did Musical Martins come to McCall?"
HEWN "I just can't tell you what year that was. Ily dad owned them two lots on the
corner. He sold them those two lots and they built a dance hall there on that
corner. I can't remember what year that was."
ROSE "Must have been about '10.11
BETTY "That's where Shavers parking lot is now."
'ROSE "Yes, I think that was about 1910."
iHERMAN 'bn Lenora Street, that street was named after wry mother. old man McCall
named that street for her."
Page 16
JOE "Can you tell us something about the people of McCall and the Irish Queen?"
HERHM "I could tell you a lot about the Irish Quenn."
joE "Can you tell us any tales about her?"
HEM4AN 'To, I couldn't tell you any tales."
ROSE #I$he was a nice woman-'i
HERIVAI: "She was a nice women that had a big heart."
ROSE "She tended to her oml business, never bothered nobody."
JOS "I can tell you a tale about her, and what MazA Peterson told me one time but
it wouldn't go on very good on this tape!"
RD S E "When they core for her w!Askey, they never come into the saloon, they ccmme
to the back door."
jjrW,t d
a them days a woman was supposed to come in a saloon at *U. Y
come up to getttheir beer and whiekay. We had a stairway went up the back
end there to them rooms. nicy come knocking on the back door we'd go to the
door and take their order, so much w1hiskey, so much beer. Myebe they'd buy
a drink for the house but they wouldn't go inside. By God, there's more Wor.-en
in there bars than men now. bother used to go down some times on Sunday
mornings and help clean out the tsar room. Help scrub it or sweep It out. She'd
go down and there wouldn't be nobody in there. Just lock the door while they
was scrubbing. Some of the women thought that was awful because she'd go down
and go in that bar."
JOE "Can you tell about some of the fights and shootings they had at Mc011, Merman ?"
Ll
PXSe 17
HERMAN "Well, I could tell you shout dad holding the light for them feallaas to fight
by."
ROSE 'Vou already told that."
HERMAN "I already told that to you."
JOE "I was juat wondering, when old TawAreek got hit in the head with a atick of
wood, was you around there then ?"
HFpWIl "1'a, I wasrs't here. I was dawn on the reach. Then that time that fella
killed that fella there in the bar roam."
.JOE "That was Grant Bishop."
BERMAN " le. war, down in the lower country then, vie h*d our cattle down there foodirg.
in the winter. Its shot hiss right there in that bar room."
B ' Jell Norman, can you tell us about whan Fred hrigga and his dad was poi.a oned
up thorn wtxen you lived up on Secash?"
BEMjAH "yell., I can tell your a little: about it. I was in Oregon when that really
happened. I can't re nember the man's naras that had a placer mina at ruby
,,eawdowq. Fred Dri.ggs end his clad was working for this fella in the mine up
there. A woman come in there, a strange woman. Nobody ever did know who
she woo or where she come from. She stayed there three or four days or a week
I don't knew just hoes lane. They got poisoned in theTmeaen tima. They ncvo�r
did know whether they got poisoned by eatin, caennaed food or some of therm
thought this women poisoned them. But wh'y: °she pbisoned-thcm nobody ever acid
know. They figured maybe she knew this fella that had the placer mime there,
they thought there might be something between them. But anyway, they
poisoned while she was there."
Page 18
JAI "That was Biel Harps dad and brother."
RErd4AN "That's right."
RO SE , "I went to school with him up here."
HErJ,AAN "Yeah, I was yin Oregon at that time. The folks was in Secash Meadows then
at the time it happened."
JOE "You people run sheep for a while didn't you , Herman?"
HErJIAI "Yeah, we run sheep in '26 1 guess."
JOE "Can you tell us about that band of sheep you bought down at Grande View?"
IIEW40 "Well, we bought a band of sheep down at, Grande View. There vas all ages of
sheep in there. They was supposed to have been 1=bed out but they was still
lambing yet. We started across that desert in the first of March. We bought
some grass land 6awn on Wise Creek, the other side of Boise. We got down there
and by gosh, they got tick fever in them. They begin to die and we didn't know
what was the hatter with them. So dad come out there and it was awful weather,
the wind was blowing, no gross and cold. .1 said, 'You better go in and get
the veterinarian and come out here ans see what's wrong with these sheep.' He
went in and got the veterinarian and brought him out there and he looked at
one or two of them and said, 'You got tick fever in them.' So we had to
build a trough there. We hadn dipped them with a horse brush. Catch them and
lay them on their back in this trough and scrub them. Scrub the soap into
them to get them ticka off them. You could just run your hand under a foretleg
of 6iie of thdm old dwds and pull your hand out and you'd have a handful of them
great big white ticks, like you see come off of horses. We must've lost
I
rime 19
HERHAV "seventy-five head of ewes quite a bunch of-,-lambs. You go out there in that
sagebrush and you'd see dead rabbits end I couldn't figure out what was
killinigp all them rabbits."
ROSE , "One of our men, wh&le we was talking of ticks there, he come down with tick
fever. Herman, skinning those sheep end it got in his finger. Fie didn't
break out but he got as thin as he could be. It went right up hib arm and
broke the Fourth of July and that was in April."
HERHAN '�,,*erch"
ROSE '�,Iarch, then the Fourth of July that thing broke."
HERMAN "Coming out under my arm there as big as a hen egg. That never broke till
July. My God, ruanin3 dorm any lea and into my shoe top to beat."
JOE "mere did you take them sheep frwa do-.m there on Black Creek?"
REPM4 "Nell, we was gonna cheer there. We got a couple boys out there had as little
rhearin3 machine, yap know, So we got: into this tick fever business and he
got tick fever too and had to take him to'poise. So then I trained them an
over to Borseshoebend and got enother shearing crew there and cheered them in
Horseshoebend. And I brought them on up here. I sure Bred them here and then
I sold the lambs to Stringer then I sold the ewes that fell to a fella from
Weiser, his son. Made some good money out of that outfit. I bought two bads
next year and that pznie come along and about 1,roke the. whole outfit."
JOE "Than you went back in to the cattle business."
LiERULN "Yeah"
IZE 'IAat year was it you had the Taxes cattle up hera?"
Page 20
UEFlUN 'bh, that was wry long, I can't rerttembpr. That was ton around '13 or 114.
We went down in Mexico and bought them cattle. They're all head and horns,
that's all there was to them."
JDZ "How old were those cattle?"
HERMAN I bet thore were some of theta in there ten or twelve years old. Yhey'd
fight your horse. You Fide out here in the fiild and they'd throw their head
up and come right toward you. By God, you had to give away to them, too. A
lot of the Finn people used to walk through that field, I used to be seared
they was gonna kill somem.e. But they got on to it pretty quick. They Cot
so they wouldn't go through the field."
JOB "2'haV4 when you had this school section."
HEM AN "I had this %glole school, section, yeah. Vim cattle never layed down. No-
body ever saw them lay down. racy just walted arettud that fence, just
like to beer on a chain."
IBETTY t."You folks were never in with George when he had the milk business, wera you?"
!HEDIM "Dad was in but I wasalt. After he quite va had a dairy down here."
Ijog "wall, you drove log too, didn't you Herman?"
i
mm" "Yeah, I logged here."
JDE "Who was you logging for?"
iHERKAN "Oell, I logged here about two days for Ed Cessner. That was the time thnt
Roy Stover and Hank Hoff, they was the first two boys that went out of here
in World War I, out of the county. I'Lank was driving this four horse loggin4g,
nlick for this guy up there. lie wanted a cook and he wanted a driver. So
Page 21
HERMAN "Rose and I went up and hired out. she was going to cook and I was gonna
drive this logging truck. So the first day Or so.."
ROSE 111o, we were there quite a while."
HE U% "Avywry, we were logging back in there at the penninsula. The ground was
awful. . soft. We loaded these logo up. I was sitting up on the. top log,
ya know, between two loge and one in the middle on top. He had to hcA his
cross haul team on there to pull me out of there, it was soft ground, lie
got out there and that old truck was going down and hitting them rocks and
it would go like that, ya L-now. jj:jstead of leaving theca loge out so this
top log would go down in the crevace he hod them cinched in too tight. T
was sittirig up there straddling this top log and ho was driving the cross haul
team in the lead. This log begin to go back and forth and I hollered twee'
he said, 'Vtlat do you w-&--bt to stop in a place like this for?' so I told him
off right there add good. I waun't gonna let that log roll off there r-rd
roll on top of me, it just rolled back and forth. I just throwed the lines
at him and took off. I went down to the-cx:3p r-nd I told Rose to pack her
suitcase. I left him up there with a log truck and no cook!"
ROSE "You had an awful good logging tema , too."
We was up there at a dance at Morgan's
HERHAN "Yeah, George and I used to log.
dance hall. Orville Hubbard, he was driving a logging team for Hoff and
Brown. They had them nice big horses, weighed a ton, I had this white horse,
I'd raised him. He was at pulling son,aof a gun. So we was in there and big
mouth Orville. We got to talking about pulling horses. I said, 'Orville, I
F
Paga 22
HERMAN "got a horse that will outpull any horse Hoff & Brown got.' 'Boy, you don't'
he said. 'well, I'll tell you what I'll do. Brown's horse is bigger than
mine but by Gerd I don't hink he's got a horse that will outpull this horse
of mine. I'll het you a hundred dollars that he ain't got a horse that will
outpull this horse.' of course Orvill didn't have the money and Carl
happened to be down at the bar. Fie took off dowxt there and told Carl and
Carl coarse up there. Carl said, 'Xhat's the big deal ?' lie had a buckskin
horse, Doff & Brown did, I think he weighed a ton. He said, 'Herman Grants
to bet a hundred dollars that he got a horse that will outpull old buck.
I want you to put up a hundred dollars.' Carl, he just laughed rat him and
laughing at ute, too. Curl said, 111emat':'t, I don't vmnt to take your money.'
I sadd, 'By God, you're welcome to it if yov can outpull that horse of mine.'
so that was the end of that. We didn't get no bet up. So after then I sold
that team to 11off & Brown, He'd break everything loose. He could beak a¢
single tree. So they took him out in the woods out there and they used him
for cross hauling and skidding. One day liaet Carl on the street and he had
that Trig grin on his face. I can see him, fret. *By God Herman I was the
luckiest man in the world when I didn't bet you than hundred dollars.' I didn't
know than just what he tiara talking about. 'That daann horse we can't keep
nothing out there. He breaks everything we tie up. He'd done just what
you'd said he'd done. He just jerked old Buck plum off his feat! I'm daard
lucky you didn't put that hundred dollars up.' -You know what they dome? They
Page 23
IMRMAN "put than in that damn burner and by god they ruined them. Burned their
feet off of them. That ground and them aches is just hotter than bell. I
think they sold them to Dill Deinhard. They was both crippled up so bad
they uasn't no good. But that was the pullingest horse ever I saw. Arid
about the ungliest horse, he had awful crooked hind legs. But by God,
when you hooked him onto something, something Come. A harness of sometraing.
Duck would out weigh this horse of mine by two hundred pounds."
JDZ "Harman, toll about when Roy Moy and Lloyd rode with you to Headows when
you i: ?are driving stage fro Krigbauw."
EMRMM "Oell, I was driving stage for Krigbaum, stage coackb They had them boots on
behind to carry trunks and one thing and another. Roy, his dad and mother
core out here on a visit, they was his mother's sinter. So these kids started
to go back to Kausas. So the stage had to lea" McCall about 4:30 in the
morning to make cont-wetion with the stage that want to Council. So these
kids warited to ride on that boot behind. It use in October and cold as the
devil. so I said tb their dad, 'Thay can't ride bcck there, they'll freeze to
death.' fie said. 'Let them ride back there if they want to. Let then) got cold,'
So they rode back there. t sera rwc got to Meadows they were purt'near frore to
death. Hanging on to those ropes back there, they damned near froze."
BETTY "Who did they come to visit here?"
1HEMW 1j;ellie Williams you know wes sister to Loyd's mother." Yeah. Roy he remembers
it, too. He said, 'I'll never forget that as long as I live."'
PaSe 24
JDR "Bell, those women were Close's weren't they ?"
Uful M "Newt Williams wife was a Close. Also Roy's mother was a Close. Sisters
to Audi and Doc."
BETTY "Audi and Doc were twins."
SEMM "Yeah"
(break)
UERMAN "It was a one cylinder and the crank was on the side. The damn thing wouldn't
run any faster than you could walk. I remember he and the old lady get out
there in the summer time and drive it dawn the street, ya know. People take
after it just like the circus was in town. You could walk as fast as it ruse,
put, put,put# it was one cylinder. Everybody in town mould be out watching
that damn thing,."
.DE "That was under the seat, the engine with a crank slang side ?"
HMU4AN "Yeah, and a chain drive."
3DU "I think the first one I ever rode in I think it was a Buick. I'm not sure.
But you got in the back, the door was on the bask end. Then it had the crank
i
on the sidd. I'm not sure that it was. Probably a 1905 Model A Ford."
I -
HERMAN "there was another fella come up the Salmon Raver about that tide. He had an
awful time getting from Riggins to New Meadoww."
"I worked down that way in 1914. Homer Lavender run the store at Riggins and
he had a car down there. But the only place he could run it was just right
there by Riggins and up towards Squaw Creek. The rest of the roads Tvre too
rough to drive over."
P.age 2 5
ROSE 'bur old doctor had one of the old Fords I guess."
BMW V
ROSE '14odel T and we lived in ricer Creek, across the river. Held drive it up the
river. That was about the first ect I thiiik I ever saw."
JOB "Is that the one that vient in the river there?"
M rul I A, N "Yeah, Doe Hoffman. They got a marker there Ort the road."
ROSE "We lived there before he got his car and ho came by saddle horse oll U-m!
time. He rode that horse fast all the tWe and those old saddle be3a were
just a bouncing. But he would go all over that country."
HEMM4 "By God, these doctors now wouldn't go to the clinic to enctor you if you
were dying."
JOB A lot of people lived there then Rose, Didn't they?"
ROSE "Yeah, a lot of people. Lots of homesteaders. Ile was our doctor there for
years."
V
END OF TAPE AND INTERVIEW_
Marie Blackwell was born in this house April 13, 1919
Date of photo - 1909
3 Deeds to house and land:
August 3, 1906 - Lot 10, Block 1, lot 10, Block 4
Original Plot of town of mccall, boise county, ID
($75) deeded from Tom and Louisa McCall to CW Blackwell
October 23, 1906 - Lots 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 in block 4
Original Plot of town of mccall, boise county, ID
($140) deeded from Tom and Louisa McCall to CW Blackwell
May 29, 1909 - Lot 10 in Block 4
Original Plot of town of mccall, boise county, ID
($25) deeded from Tom and Louisa McCall to CW Blackwell
Left Middle Standing
George George Jim Patty Aunt Rose Blackwell
Blackwell Blackwell sr Blackwell Sloane
(Rose's son)
Right
Clem Blackwell
Crowds watch as jumper takes off at McCall'sfirst ski hill, near Little Lake.
This was the Blackwell Hill on the former York homestead built under the directorship
of Clem Blackwell
Clem Blackwell house. corner of Lenora and Second street
York homestead house, later bought by Clem Blackwell - Lick creek road
i ,
0 —
vo-
to
N b,t 'llt Ail
' - \ .
4.....yr
` a se N _ //
••
•
��i U V U 1 1 U & V v "
b y J o y W e l l e r M i l l e r j u s t a f e w m i l e s f r o m t h e
R o s e a n d H e r m a n r a n c h . C l e m a l s o o w n e d a
B l a c k w e l l w e r e m a r r i e d b o a r d i n g h o u s e a n d
6 9 y e a r s m i n u s o n e d a y . s a l o o n .
T h e d a y b e f o r e t h e i r G r a n d p a B l a c k w e l l
a n n i v e r s a r y , H e r m a n l i k e d t o j o k e w i t h t h e
p a s s e d a w a y . F o u r d a y s g r a n d c h i l d r e n . H e t o l d
l a t e r , F e b . 2 6 , R o s e d i e d . t h e m t h a t H e r m a n a n d h e
I t w a s a f i t t i n g e n d t o d u g P a y e t t e L a k e a n d
t h e i r l i f e s c r i p t . T h r o u g h t h a t a s t h e y w e r e
t h e i r l i v e s , q u i e t a n d t h r o w i n g t h e d i r t o v e r
u n s e l f i s h R o s e h a d t h e i r s h o u l d e r s , t h e y
a l w a y s t h o u g h t o f H e r - f o r m e d B r u n d a g e
m a n ' s w e l f a r e b e f o r e h e r M o u n t a i n . S o m e o f t h e
g r a n c h i l d r e n s t i l l b e l i e v e
i t ' s t r u e .
W h e n R o s e a n d H e r -
m a n w e r e f i r s t m a r r i e d ,
t h e y r a i s e d s h e e p . L a t e r
t h e y c h a n g e d t o c a t t l e
a n d e v e n t u a l l y f o r m e d
B l a c k w e l l D a i r y . M c C a l l
o n l y h a d o n e p o l i c e o f -
f i c e r i n t h o s e d a y s a n d
w h e n h e n e e d e d r e l i e f
H e r m a n t o o k o v e r t h e
d u t y .
" W i t h o u r f a m i l y l i v e s
c o m b i n e d , w e h a v e l i v e d
i n M c C a l l f o r 3 0 0 y e a r s , "
G e o r g e a n n e s a i d . " F o r
e v e r y y e a r w e h a v e f i v e
f r i e n d s a n d t h e y a l l c a m e
t o s h a r e w i t h u s t h e l a s t
w e e k o f F e b r u a r y . T h a t ' s
w h y w e l o v e t o l i v e h e r e . "
o w n .
B l a c k w e l l i s a n a m e
l a c e d i n t h e h i s t o r y o f
M c C a l l , a n d w e l l i t s h o u l d
b e . H e r m a n c a m e t o M c -
C a l l i n 1 9 0 5 . R o s e a n d
H e r m a n w e r e m a r r i e d
h e r e F e b . 2 3 , 1 9 1 2 . T h e i r
d a u g h t e r , M a r i e S t r o d e ,
a n d M a r i e ' s d a u g h t e r ,
G e o r g e a n n e S p a l d i n g ,
a n d G e o r g e a n n e ' s s o n ,
M a r k S p a l d i n g , w e r e a l l
b o r n i n M c C a l l . I n f a c t ,
G e o r g a n n e w a s b o r n F e b .
2 9 i n t h e B l a c k w e l l h o m e
w h i c h w a s a c r o s s t h e
s t r e e t f r o m t h e c u r r e n t
S t r o d e h o m e o n H i g h w a y
5 5 s o u t h .
H e r m a n ' s f a t h e r , C l e m
B l a c k w e l l , s t a r t e d
r a n c h i n g i n M c C a l l a f t e r
t h e t u r n o f t h e c e n t u r y
w h e r e t h e p r e s e n t
S t r i n g e r R a n c h i s
l o c a t e d . B l a c k w e l l l a k e i s
90th milestone observed by resident
MCCALL — Not too many
were also extended at the
"oldtimers" have been
same time to his only grand -
around as long or have as
son, Kenny Strode, who is just
many colorful memories as
exactly 60 years younger.
Herman Blackwell, who
Here for the occasion were
turned 90 years old yester-
Herman's "kid" brother,
day, October 22nd, and is
George Blackwell, 84, now of
currently completing his 70th
Vale; his grandaughter, Mrs.
year of residency in upper
Will Spalding of Wendell; a
Long Valley and McCall.
nephew, Jim Blackwell of Las
Birthday greetings were
Vegas; grandnephew and
brought to the honoree by
family, the David Blackwells
nearly 50 relatives and
of Boise; a cousin, Mrs. Eva
friends Sunday during a
Calhoun, from his native
family celebration hostessed
Longcreek, Oregon; and
by his wife, Rose, and his
more distant cousins, the
daughter, Mrs. George
Rollie McGordens of
Strode, in the Blackwell's 37-
Cascade, Gay Robie, Dolly
year McCall home. They
Gill and the Jay Davis family
of Riggins and Margie Deasy
of Boise. Other out -of -town
guests included Elsie Jacokes
HISTORICAL RESEI l"
of Jerome, Ethel Rife of
F!
Caldwell and Jim Sims of
Boise, joingd by a few
longtime area friends.
O --
Herman and George . were
just boys when their parents,
DO NOT F$E�aOv` 10 °.
�—
the Clem Blackwells, first
settled in Meadows Valley in
1902 and then moved over to
McCall three years later. Mr.
PAYETTE LAKES
PROGRESSIVE CLUB
1111! r l
and Mrs. Blackwell leased a
combination livery barn,
hotel and bar for a year, then
bought the first surveyed lot,
on Shaver's corner, in McCall
and built a saloon with up-
stairs rooms there. They also
built their own home on the
site of the present post office.
That dwelling, one of the
oldest remaining here, was
later moved to east McCall,
where it is currently owned
by the Dave Smiths.
Herman was married to the
former Rosina Riggs in 1912
and the couple lived on
ranches on the east side of
Long Valley and west of
Donnelly before moving into
town in 1938 into their
present, then brand new,
home.
Herman remembers when
McCall was "Lakeport ",
when the railroad first came,
the first flour and saw mills,
and the remarkable changes
in the area that have come
over the past three - quarters
of a century. He and his wife
love to reminisce with friends
and have retained
remarkably good "McCall
climate" health. Their home,
on the south outskirts of town,
is always open for con-
versation and fellowship.
-THE STAR- NEWS— THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1975
(See story on page 2)
MR. AND AIRS. HER31AA Ju.avnrvr.LL
Golden wedding couple
McCALL— Friends and rela- o and have
Feb. 23, near El
been residents of McCall most'
tives of Mr. and Mrs. Herman of the time since then. They
Blackwell of McCall, have been raised livestock and operated a,
invited to attend a golden wed- retail dairy business on a ranch,
ding anniversary reception on near here for several years)
Feb. 25 from 2 to 5 p. m., in Where they now reside.
the Yacht Club dining room.
Hosts will be their son-in-law
I and daughter, Mr. and Mrs.
i George Strode; their grand -
1 daughter and her husband, Mr.
!and Mrs..Willard Spalding and
their grandson, Ken Strode.
The Blackwells were married
Star News Reflections 3/16/80
He. used to drive the stage-
Herman Blackwell came to McCall in
1905 at 17 and recalls that "there wasn't
a. damn thing here then."
"Just old man (Tom) McCall's
Place," he said.
He said he came to this area so early
that Payette Lake wasn't even here.
"I dug that lake out myself," claims
Blackwell. "The dirt I pilled up to form
Jughandle."
He added with a gleam in this eye
that not only has he been around for a
long time, he's the best lier here abouts
to bout.
At 92 Blackwell lives at th6.Payette
Lakes Care Center with his wife,
Rocena. The two celebrated their 68th
wedding anniversary Feb, 23.
He was born in Oregon but.moved to
McCall early" in the century to help his
parents run a hotel. He was a bartender
for his folks but tried his hand at many
different occupations through : the
years.
He moved to Boise for a time af-
terward and became a member of its
police force.
During McCall's winters, he said,
there was no mode of transportation
aside from skis and dog sleds.
Before cars or trains came to the " "There used to be seven to eight feet
valley he drove a four -horse stage oflsnow," he said.'If you"wanted to go
between McCall and New Meadows anywhere you had to strap on skis at
down the old Goose Creek Grade.` least three months out of the year:"
"We delivered mail and passengers � ~ -The thing that stands out in his mind
to the railhead at New Meadows for two now about the valley in the early 1900s
or three years," said Blackwell . "It is its lack of people.
was a long time ago."
After his stint as stage driver h
raised sheep for a couple of years the
became the town policeman.
e "There weren't very many of us," he
n said. "Just a few homesteaders and the
Finnish settlement. When the old Finns
"There wasn't much excitement...,- came they couldn't speak a word of
mostly just some chicken coop rob- English.
bers " he recalled "There used to be "I knew them all."
• a
lot of sheepherders around here.
They'd come into town, get drunk and`
start fighting. It'd take up a good part
of my time keeping them straightened
out."
Herman Blackwell
Before the trains, people and
«supplies rode the stage coach to McCall from
New Meadows. Willie Pottenger drove the stage along the
road, which at that time turned west at Rock Flat and went
over the mountains and down Big Creek to Old Meadows.
May 2, 1972
McCall Scene
Sixty short years together - Mr. and Mrs. Herman Blackwell
MCCALL —Miss Rosina Riggs
wasn't quite seventeen when she
came with her family from
Whitebird to spend the winter of
1911 -12 in McCall. She entered
school in what is now the McCall
City Hall and soon after met
Herman Blackwell, a bachelor in
his mid - twenties. On February 23,
1912, sixty years ago last Wed-
nesday, the couple were married.
Their wedding took place at the,
home of Rev. William Eloheimo
near the old Finn Hall southeast of
town. Accompanied by their at-
tendants, Josie Hull and Jake
Harp, the couple made the six -mile
round trip in a horse -drawn bob-
sled. They returned to their first
home on a ranch and have been
McCall area residents, excepting
for a few winters spent on the
Oregon Slope, the entire sixty
years.
Wednesday's anniversary
celebration was a drop -in open
house for about 40 long -time
friends, hostessed by the honorees'
daughter, Mrs. George (Marie)
Strode. The "bride" greeted guests
in a smart valentine red pantsuit, a
refreshment table was centered
with a decorated cake with red and
white accents, conversation,
primarily of early McCall days,
flowed until late evening, and a
highlight was a telephone con-
versation with their gran -
daughter's family, the Will
Spaldings, in Jerome, including
great - grandchildren Mark and
Marcy.
McCall Pioneer notes 85th hlirthrl.x,
HERMAN BLACKWELL
Ca11 was inhabited by
of - 7 five other families and a
ba elor when, the Clem
Blackwell family moved here
in 1905. Last Thursday the
Younger son of the original
settlers, Herman Blackwell,
celebrated his 85th birthday
in the company of his wife,
daughter and husband, the
George Strodes, his kid brot-
her, George Blackwell of Vale,
and a nephew, Jimmy Black-
well of Vancouver, Wn,
The next to longest, after
Neal Boydstun, McCall resi-
dent still here has a treasury
of memories ranging from
his parents' life wl-JIe he was
a young man growing up amid-
st Warren and Thunder Moun-
tain mining booms, the family
home on Lenora Street (named
after his mother) at the pre-
sent post office site, to exper-
iences as stage and mail route
drivers and as a valley sheep
and cattle rancher.
Now retired, he and Mrs.
Blackwell, the former Rosina
Riggs of Whitebird, whom he
married in February, 1912,
make their home on the south
outskirts of McCall The old -
timer shares his October 22nd
anniversary with the couple's
only grandson, Kenneth St-
rode, who was unable to be p
heree °SltF�CH
F6 LE
0 —
DO NOT REMO',,E dr_`" -)M LIBRARY
PAYETTE LAKES
PROGP,ESSIVE CLUB