HomeMy Public PortalAboutVasser, Harold "Slim"c
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
[In the mid 1980s, EAV's son. Robert M. Vassar, re-
quested that write down her most vivid memories of her
long and interesting life. The following two documents
are the result of that request. The originals are written in
ink on legal size yellow pad paper.]
The first document, dealing primarily with family history:
I was born October 17, 1902 in Kalamazoo,
Michigan, on Main Street. The house was
situated on the top of a hill across from a golf
course.
My mother's family came from New York state.
My sister, Mary, tells me that they were originally
from France, but my mother, Jennie De Water,
was born in Michigan. My mother's family
owned a farm in Alamo Township, Michigan.
She was a graduate of a Normal School in
Kalamazoo and taught school at the age of
sixteen for one year. To my knowledge my
mother had one brother, Gifford.
My father was one of the sons of Henry Tallman.
The Tallmans all came from New York state and
settled in Michigan in the early 1800s. My
father's grandfather "took up" four sections of
land in Alamo Township and gave one to each of
his four sons, Easton, Aaron, Vedder, and Henry.
They were known as successful, well-to-do and
well thought of farmers. Henry, my grandfather,
married Phoebe Van Arsdale. They had three
c iiildren, Lizzie, Martha, and James Garrett
Tallman. James was my father.
I remember my grandfather and grandmother
allman. They came to Boise a year or so after
cur family and I remember they lived in a small
house on Ada Street and Aunt Martha and Uncle
George lived next door. My brothers used to tell
the story that grandpa Tallman became ill and he
was given a bath and it killed him. (Undoubtedly
he was no accustomed to a tub bath). Grand-
mother was a stately woman and my only
memory of her is that she always sat in a high-
backed rocker, dressed in a long, high -necked
black dress trimmed in white lace. She always
had molasses cookies in the cookie jar. I can't
remember there being much of a family feeling.
In later years, I felt fortunate that we had a nice
relationship with Aunt Martha and Uncle
George.
My sister, Mary, told me that apparently grandfa-
ther De Water (whom I never saw) felt that
James Tallman was an upstanding, decent young
man and would be a good husband and so the
marriage of Jennie DeWater and James Garrett
Tallman was arranged. My memories seem to
differ a bit from the foregoing, but probably
Mary's are correct. It seems to me my mother
told me her father died when she was 16 years
old. She inherited a part of the farm and her
brother, Gifford the other part. We don't know
much about Gifford and I think he was probably
a drinking man.
James and Jenny had six children: James, who
died at birth; Maurice; Aaron; Lizzie (Beth);
Mary; and Edith.
My father had a grocery store in Kalamazoo --- a
partnership with Mr. Grannis who was some sort
of a shirttail relative. The store was knows as
Tallman & Grannis. Mary tells me it was a good
business but my father decided he would like to
go west. He had heard there was a need for a
variety store in Boise, Idaho. He went to Butler
Brothers, Chicago, and ordered stock for a store
in Boise.
He and the famnly moved to Boise in 1904.
When the arrived in Boise, they lived at the
Pacific Hotel until they located a house to live in
at 1117 Fort St.; a building just off Main St. was
rented for the variety store. When the merchan-
dise arrived from Chicago, it was of inferior
quality so after selling the best of it he gave up
-9-
The EDITH A. VASSA.R Papers
the business and started a candy -ma
at 13th and Fort Streets. (The building in now ess
occupied by a secondhand clothin hired Tom Smith as a candyg store). Father
failed at this business and T maker. Somehow he
business and that was the beginning m Smith bought the
of the Idaho
Candy Company.
Then my father got employment
can remember P Yment as a salesman. I
the other to his going to Caldwell, Nampa,
towns, in the Boise Valley, and
interurban cars and by on the
continued to sell for Oaks runtil his retirement.and He
later years, he and Sadie In
small farm on the Boise beficsecond wife) had a
I can remember
Beth telling me the keep
had an adequate little place
to live and did
p a cow for a while, but they
sold it because it interfered with their card play-
ing.
Much of the foregoing is the result of a talk
session with my sister Mary. I have no recollec-
tion of the years in Michigan as we
moved to
Boise when I was two
years of age.
We must have lived on Fort
Street for three or
four years then moved to 1117 Jefferson St. I
remember starting school at the old
ttier
school on 12th and Fort Streets, wherellwe hived
up until the time my parents were divorced.
[The following text was marked through in the
original but is included here since it has, I believe,
some significance:
Now I would like to give you my impressions of
my mother and father.
I know more about my mother because after the
divorce she and I were sent to Lewiston by train
with a trunk and a couple of suitcases. It is my
opinion, now that I am older, that we were sent
from Boise to avoid embarrassment
her family. At that time ivvorc swre not h and
usual things for older established f e
families/
My mother was an intelligent and
ambitious
woman --_ ambitious for her family.
all of her children to have an educionhand meted
instilled in them the importance of it. (My father
g after the 8th grade was a waste of
time and that young men should be out workin
and contributing to the f
n'" remember m hY income. I g
Y mother savingesand icn
ckels
until she accumulated $5.00 so she cold sneak a
$5.00 bill in a letter to Maurice and Aaron who
were enrolled in college at Ames, Iowa
Writing this makes me wonder how they
back to Ames, but I imagine they got
ed i
summer and used that money for train fen It the
seems to me I have heard them speak of "riding
the rails" too.
hen we
decided to "take
to Jefferson St., my mother
"take in roomers and boarders. At
that time, there was only
to
rent, but the boarders came in from othero ace
in town. Why she did it I m
P s
sure, opinion she did if from sheer boredom. T i is my
gave her an opportunityThis
who were doing things in he world. TLontact with
peey ople
a select small group of teachers, businessmen,
and one, I especially remember, who was a U.S.
Govenunent worker in
ment. He was a Dr.the Agriculture Depart-
was
mn other.
and I both
agree he was fond of
am sure
derived great pleasure and mental stimulation she
from these contacts even though it was an im-
mense amount of work.
She was not inexcep-
Y good health, having had six babies
without much medical attention. I remember
well she had a huge navel hernia and why it was
-10-
not surgically cared for --- I do not know. At
this time Lizzie (Beth) had gone to Cook County
Hospital to take nurse's training. She contracted nt
tuberculosis there and, after a period of rest,
into a doctor's office to work as a nurse. Mary
graduated in High School in 1913 and was
married right after gradthation. I was still going
also was married while
to Whittier School. Be
we lived on Jefferson St. as were Maurice and
Aaron.
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
people outside our home than he was to those of
us at home. My idea of his business ability
differs from Mary's. Perhaps in (mine) is based
on the fact that . mother
her heritage
she was heartbroken when he sold I always (the walnut grove on the farm). Y
under-
stood it was money e from that sale thahim Kalamazoot When he
in the grocery bus
sold the store to come west, some smooth
salesman talked him in to buying inferior mer-
chandise. By the way, the old "Pig" tobacco jar
person and Sundays was the gift he brought home to mother when he
Mother was also a religious P g pro riate
were the Sabbath at our house. I can't remember returned
have brought for she had no use
what happened to the boarders � re there. undaysi do d gift
booze or tobacco.
neither can I remember that they
remember going onday School, church,
Sunday afternoon, and
Christian Endeavor on
again for evening services.
Another thing I remember about him that caused
me embarrassment and hurt, as a child, was that
church on occasion he would run into my father when he
manytimes about my brother was making his rounds asAatsa lesman in one of
ese times he would
I have told you dstores. Maurice's second wife who was a Roman Catho- the groceryconversingwith some of the lady customers
lic so they were married in that faith. Mother while waiting for the owner (this was after the
was so upset about it that Maurice had the bishop divorce). I would go up and try to talk with him
of this diocese call on her. After he left she ignoreThe est I o on
d he would
home
washed every inch of the chair he sat in with soap anbecause lhe was busy• After the divorce he
and water. never contacted me in any way.
She was also most intolerant of Mormon mission -
on their rounds --- wouldn't even The older members f my f of seemefather.hve
es who called had more pleasant
regret that I do not have.
were advocates parents were divorced in 1914 or 1915, I
quite a woman --- far ahead of believe. For about a year or so we still lived in
All in all she was Boise with Maurice (for a while), who was
her time in intellectual ambitions for both men between marriages. Then we later moved to a
and women, but she retained some of the puri-
her earlybackground. She small house on O'Farrell St. and also to one of N.
tanical teachings of 12th or 13th.
would have been a great "women's libber".
an
talk to them -- just shut the door in their faces.
I'm sure she felt the Bishop and the Mormons
of the devil.
My father was a handsome man o a pleasant to
a minimal
amount of education.
Divorces tooldonger in those days to become
final and finally my father married Sadie
Laubaugh, Ernest's mother. After this marriage,
-11-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
my mother and I were moved to Lewiston, Idaho,
by train. There was no north and south highway
then. Now that I am older, it is my opinion we
were sent from Boise to avoid embarrassment for
the older members of the family who had their
homes established here.
I suspect I was what was known as a "change -of -
life baby", my sister Mary being eight years older
than I was. Undoubtedly, unwanted.
My sister Beth is the only one I can remember
feeling close to. As a child, she was very good to
me as she was all through her life. Otherwise, I
think I just grew like Topsy.
Our move to Lewiston and the divorce, even as a
child, made me a bit resentful especially because
we were leaving my brothers and Beth (Mary was
married and away from home at that time). Both
Beth and Aaron had their first children by that
time and I adored their5abies and was allowed to
help with them now and then. Besides, it was
very lonely for us in Lewiston and I think it must
have been a tragic and sad move from my
mother. My greatest and lingering grievance was
that I had no contact with my brothers and sister
from then on. I can remember Beth coming to
see us once and Mary once before she, her
husband, and Esther moved to Europe and that
was all until my mother's death in 1926.
I forgot to mention that my mother and I spent
about six months in St. Louis and vicinity with
Mary and her husband.
When we lived in Lewiston, we had $60.00 a
month on which to live --- $15.00 a month of this
was for the rental of two housekeeping rooms.
My mother soon tired of that lonely existence so
she rented a house close to the Lewiston Normal
School and rented out three housekeeping rooms
to girls attending the school. That worked out so
well that later she rented a large, old house with
about five sets of housekeeping rooms. I'll never
forget the cords of wood I split there.
We lived there until my senior year in high school
when we moved to Moscow because my mother
felt I must have a college education. (I always
wanted to be a nurse, but was not allowed to
take training as such because of Beth's experi-
ence.)
We went back to living in housekeeping rooms in
Moscow. On becoming 18 years old, my father
quit sending alimony money so mother decided
something should be done. How she ever man-
aged it, I don't know, but she went to the bank
and made arrangements to buy a house on
Washington St. that was suitable for roomers and
boarders. We were in business again. Our
rooms were usually full and many times we had
12 or 15 at the table. In the summer, the Univer-
sity Faculty Club (single professors from the
University of Idaho) lived there, closed their
dining room, and had their meals at our house.
We also had men from other rooming houses
who came there for regular meals at $6.00 per
week. As I remember, room and board was
$30.00 a month. We were very busy and my
mother worked very hard. I used to wonder why
she did it because, at that time, Maurice and
Aaron had moved to Florida and were making
loads of money and were good enough to send
us $150.00 per month. We could have lived
nicely on that amount. Now, at this point in my
life, I think I can understand --- it was loneliness.
She once told me she was sorry about the di-
vorce.
I was out of college three years between my
freshman and sophomore years to help at home
but, at mother's insistence, I returned to school
and she had a student to help her for his board
and room. She passed away in 1926 from breast
cancer.
-12-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
She was a splendid, courageous woman and,
believe me, I still have regrets that I wasn't more
help to her in many, many ways.
My mother died in my senior year. After the
equity in the house was sold and the bills paid, I
can well imagine the finances just about broke
even. Beth took care of things and after talking it
over it was decided I should stay in school. Beth
and Ernest sent me $35.00 per month for board
and room and Maurice and A.V. paid my tuition
for the second semester. I worked at odd jobs
for a bit of spending money --- baby sat, worked
at cleaning up a beauty shop, introduced
Kellogg's new cereal products in grocery stores
and worked extra in a variety store. The day
before commencement, I fell and broke my ankle.
Beth came up and took me home with her to
recuperate. That summer, I took Jim and Lucile
up to Newcomb's camp for a month and there I
reestablished a relationship with Aunt Martha and
Uncle George.
Teachers were plentiful then, as now, and even
though I applied for several schools, they all
wanted experienced teachers.
Because I was still a bit incapacitated with the
ankle injury, I stayed right on with Beth. While
in McCall, I became friendly with Helga Cook
who was the postmistress. In October, Mrs.
Cook phoned me that there would be a midyear
vacancy for a teacher in McCall High School.
The requirements were that I could teach En-
glish, Spanish, Latin, and typing. I applied and
got the job. I took the beginning class in typing
every week at Links for a month to learn meth-
ods and brushed up on Latin I got along OK and
was "signed up" to return the following year.
Toward the end of the school year, I was pre-
sented with the opportunity for a scholarship in
social work with the Red Cross (all this happened
through Beth's connections, I am sure). I took
the six month training with the San Francisco
chapter and they then kept me on for three
months.
Then I was sent to Ogden.
You have heard stories about my police work,
etc. so I'll skip all that to tell you about McCall in
1929.
I left Boise (how, I don't remember --- by bus or
trolley?) and went to Nampa where I caught the
train to McCall at 7:00 am. Then, as now, it was
a logging train but, at that time, it had one
passenger car. It was right after the holidays in
January so the train had quite a few passengers,
perhaps 12 or 15. We arrived in Banks and
found a huge snow slide across the tracks so we
spent hours there waiting for clearance. It was a
pleasant time, though --- we sang, played cards,
and even hiked through the snow up to the old
store to get candy bars and soda pop left over
from the summer season. Usually the "stopping
place" at Banks was open, but guess they closed
for the holidays. We arrived in McCall at 7:00
am. There was deep, deep, snow and it was dark
as pitch. I didn't know exactly which way to turn
and was pondering it when an odd -looking old
man with a lantern in his hand came up to me and
said "You're the new teacher?". On learning I
was, he asked me to follow him down the track
to his house where I was to meet his wife, the
Clerk of the School Board. It developed that he
was Jimmy Darkwood and his wife was Blanche.
(Martha Chitwood's parents.) I was informed
they had a bedroom for rent, right next to the
school principal's room, a Miss Clark. They
didn't ask whether I wanted to stay there or not,
just took my belongings upstairs and there I was.
The room was rough lumber with many knot-
holes peering out through the thin coat of blue
calcamine and was cold as a wedge.
-13-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
I had room and board there, a bath every Satur-
day and the only vegetables we had were
sauerkraut and rutabagas because Mr. D. was
famous for his homemade kraut and besides they
were vegetables they raised. On Sundays we did
have canned corn for a treat. They would play a
little pinochle in the evening and would occasion-
ally have the preacher for Sunday dinner. Mr. D.
owned the Lakeport Hardware which was lo-
cated near the present Star office. Mrs. D. was
mistress of all things, the store and all. She spent
most of here time there so had a lady (Maud
Rodman) who kept house and did the cooking.
When the Darkwoods' got too bossy, I would go
out to "Ma" Rodman's cabin and visit with her.
She was fun and we had many a good laugh over
the Darkwood's peculiarities. Think I have told
you about the time "Ma" and I chipped in to-
gether and sent $1.00 to a place that advertized
an item for men only, sent in an unmarked pack-
age. Mrs. D. always brought the mail home and
we were both happy that the package was not
marked. "Ma" grabbed it out of the mail and
slipped it in her apron pocket. When she went
out to her cabin, I following and amid much
giggling, we opened the package and there was a
shiny brass collar button worth about ten cents.
We laughed about that years later, too, so it was
well worth the money.
The Darkwoods also had a "fella" picked out for
me. His name was Warren Boles and he was a
forest ranger there. I had remembered seeing him
around at college, but never knew him there. I
did go to a show with him a couple of times, but
couldn't stand him. Got sick and tired being
chased around the dining room table after the
family retired
[At this point there are two handwritten pages of
EAV's original manuscript missing.]
wish I had accepted Dad's proposal.
Better quite this meandering and try to describe
McCall at that time.
There were two blocks of businesses on the main
street when ran from what is now the corner on
which the Harwood building stands to the corner
across from the Yacht Club. There were a few
vacant spaces between the old false -front busi-
nesses. There were three hotels, the Lakeview
and another that was called the Lone Pine and
then Deinhard's had rooms and an hotel in con-
nection with a meat market that Bill Deinhard
operated.
They were all two stories high and the Lakeview
Hotel (Peabody's) had a two story outdoor privy.
The Lone Pine had a dining room and pool hall
on the first floor.
There were two merchandise stores: Williams -
May and Geeland's. (Oh yes, there was a big
pine tree in front of the Lone Pine Hotel, right in
the middle of the street and another one in the
middle of the street between what is now the
Park Motel and the Harwood Building.)
There were a couple of other pool halls, a picture
show where Shaver's building is now and the
post office was in that block too. I can't recall
there being anything on the lake side with the
exception of a small stone or concrete building
that one of the McCalls built for a bank and
another building of two stories that housed a
pool hall downstairs and the people who owned
it had living quarters upstairs. The old drug store
was there in the present location. The streets
were all dirt roads and the sidewalks were
wooden and about two or three feet above the
road. The Dog House was there then and was
run by Roy Stover. I have called them pool halls
-14-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
but, even though it was in the days of prohibition,
they were saloons with a good stock of moon-
shine whiskey. If people had beer --- it was
homemade beer and we never heard of wine in
those days. Your Dad liked to tell the story of
the time he just missed going to the county jail.
Seems a gang of young fellows were going up
and help Archie Wolf (who lived out by the road
which goes around the lake) bottle some moon-
shine. Your Dad had a date that night so he
didn't go along. Anyway, the Revenuers caught
them and they all were sentenced to 30 days in
the county jail. Gail Standish was one of them.
It seems they all had a good time there. They
managed to get out of jail and go see their girls in
Cascade and guess it was a fun month for them.
At that time the roads into McCall were not
open. The mail came from New Meadows by a
sled pulled by a horse. I can remember the thrill
of standing on the street and watching the first
car come in from New Meadows that spring.
The residential area wasn't very large. There was
one dwelling beyond Carl Brown's house and
from there to the Lardo bridge there were no
houses. There might have been a shack or two
on the other side of the street, in that area. The
dwellings were scattered --- some on the streets
where the city hall is and some down by Kasper's
house. The old saw mill was across from the
present Star office. Out our way, there was our
house, Standishes, and the Zimmerman house
plus the house that the Gillespies live in. As you
will remember, there was nothing between there
and Newcomb's Camp.
When we bought our property from Fred Will-
iams, Ralph Pierce had a bunch of cabins on the
lake shore, but they were soon condemned and
removed. Bet you can remember the lumber
yard in back of our house.
I know this is poorly written and I don't dare
read it over or I would probably destroy it.
Anyway, it is a start and the least interesting. I
will get on with the Big Creek diggin's one day
soon and will try and do better.
You may read this to Rod, but please don't keep
it. Just store these dumb things in your memory.
My life wasn't very interesting, but thought
perhaps you might have a better understanding of
your old lady and her background.
P.S. Come to think of it, there was a house on
the lake side; the one Granny Parks live in, and I
was told a prostitute lived there but I can't
remember her name (The Irish Queen). Oh yes,
the Community Church was there too.
-15-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
The second document, dealing primarily with the first
years of her marriage and the birth of her son in the back -
country of Idaho:
Dear Bob,
Dad I were married at Beth's by Dean Rhea (who
later became Bishop of Idaho) in the library at
Beth's home which is located at 1307 N. 16th St.,
Boise. If I remember rightly, those present were
Beth's family (Ernest, Lucile, and Jim), Clara
Otness, Cora Carter (Simpson), and Betty
Tallman who was staying with Beth and Ernest.
Betty, in case you don't remember, was John
Tallman's sister, perhaps four years older than
John. She is no longer living. After the cer-
emony, Beth entertained for about 21 people and
it was beautiful. The guests left about 10:30 and
Lucile; Cora, and the neighborhood kids kid-
napped Dad and took him out to the city dump
which is the present location of Julia Davis Park.
They had a big time and Dad loved it. After that,
we went to the Idanha Hotel and stayed that
night, then up to McCall by bus (called "the
stage" in those days). On arriving in McCall we
went to Aunt Martha's where we were given
another chivaree and Dad was kidnapped again
but wasn't kept long as Dan LeVan was taking us
into Big Creek Headquarters early the next
morning. There were about six inches of snow in
McCa11 when we left about 8:00 am the following
day. I'll never forget the trip. To me, it was an
awesome and beautiful trip --- a heavy snow
storm in the McCall area, but, as we neared
Warren, the storm lessened a bit so we stopped
there, at the store, and picked up the mail. While
there, I met Otis Morris, store owner and post-
master, Elmer Patterson, his uncle and helper and
"China" Sam.
Ob�1'va '� w. S
P r , , t("'a
Otis Morris was born in Warren's (or Warren's
Diggin's as it was originally named). He was
highly respected and greatly loved by all who
knew him or did business with him. He grub-
staked many a prospector and was a kindly
power and arbiter in his little kingdom.
Elmer Patterson was a real character. Will never
forget my attempt at ordering a couple of gold
pans from him, by phone. He informed me he
was sorry they didn't have any, but he quit
ordering them because they no sooner received
them than some "feller" would come in and buy
them.
China Sam came to Warren's in the early mining
boom days and continued to live there the rest of
his life. He was a happy, gentle, little Chinaman
and everyone loved him. Can remember there
was also another Chinese in Warren's called Lien
Dick. Guess he was quite a character.
Polly Bemis was there in early days. The story
was that Bemis won her in a poker game. They
were finally married and lived on the South Fork
for years. After he died, she lived to be over 90
years and died at a rest home in Grangeville.
If, by chance, you should want to know more
about any of these characters, Mrs. Ruby
McDowell, who lives on the road between your
place and Eagle could tell you. She took care of
Otis Morris until he died and spent quite a few
years in the Warren's area.
On with the trip --- The going go pretty rough
after we were out of the South Fork Canyon due
to the storm. We made a stop at the Hackett
place and then on over Elk Summit. Dan LeVan
was driving and it was difficult to tell just where
the road was in spots. I can remember your Dad
standing on the running board now and then to
keep us on the road.
-16-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
The arrival at Big Creek Headquarters was, to
me, a spectacular sight. We rounded a turn in the
road and there it was, the little log Ranger Sta-
tion, an outdoor privy to the side and back of it, a
log woodshed directly in back, and about a block
away the big log warehouse. The most impres-
sive of all was seeing the flag flying high. I still
think of it as a gorgeous sight --- the brown
building on the white snow and our beautiful flag.
We were greeted by about six of the lookouts
and packers who had come in from their duties.
They had dinner ready and gave us a most cordial
welcome.
The Ranger Station was a small log cabin consist-
ing of a living/dining room, bedroom, kitchen,
and bathroom like this:
The end of the dining room had a little divider on
each side and that end of the room was where the
Forest Service switchboard was kept in the
winter. There was also, in that area, an army cot,
a library table, and a straight chair. I later made a
couple of bookcases out of six carnation milk
boxes and placed one at each end of the army
cot. I had taken some books in with me. Stained
the cases brown. The dining room was furnished
with a heating stove, wood box, and a long table
covered with oilcloth. The table had a long bench
on one side, chairs on the other and at each end.
It would seat about twelve people. There was
also a small table for Dad's radio and a rocking
chair in that room. The kitchen had a couple of
small cupboards over the counter top with no
doors on them; there were three drawers under
the counter top --- one for silverware and two
for towels, etc.; a big Monarch range; a very
small table; and a big wood box. The bathroom
was equipped with washbowl, mirror, toilet, and
tub. The bedroom had a double bed and dresser
in it. There were no light fixtures, just hooks in
the ceiling from which to hang the gasoline
lanterns. The dishes (on arrival) were tin pie
plates, tin cups, enamel bowls and pans, and
knives and forks were some kind of tinny stuff
too. Did you every try and eat canned tomatoes
or sauerkraut from a tin dish with a tin fork or
spoon? Ugh! --- it was awful.
At that time of year, the employees all came
into Big Creek for their exodus to the "outside"
as their employment was seasonal. Another
sight I will never forget was the day they all
pulled out for the "outside". There were about
twenty men, each riding a horse and about five
pack strings consisting a total of about forty
horses and mules. (At that time, the Forest
Service supplied the lookouts with food from
the Big Creek warehouse. It was all done by
packers and their pack strings.) All these men
and their stock loaded up at the warehouse and
took off just like a parade past the Station. To
Dad it was work and "old hat", but, to me, it was
a thrill to see such a sight. It was so colorful
and, as they passed the Station, I stood in the
door and waved and they all doffed their hats and
waved to me.
-17-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
After we were alone, we got busy and made
room for the things I had sent in and it wasn't
long before we had .curtains at the windows (I
had taken in material, but made them by hand.)
They were of orange and brown material and
looked nice. We unpacked dishes and the silver-
ware that I had bought at Kress's.
Dad inventoried the grub in the warehouse as we
wouldn't get more until July the next year. And,
of course, the lookouts and other would all be in
before the roads were opened.
There was plenty of the staple foods: flour, sugar,
rice, eggs, macaroni, ham, bacon, sardines,
Vienna Sausage, canned vegetables, canned
salmon, canned butter, canned milk, buckets of
lard and the like --- but no chocolate, brown
sugar, nuts, shrimp, or any of the extras. Charley
Loughrey, our prospector neighbor, was going to
Yellow Pine with a couple of pack horses for his
winter grub so we sent an order with him for
some of the extras. The men had left us a half of
venison and a half of elk so we did have a bit of
fresh meat. We had lots of canned fruit (no juices
in those days). The only fresh vegetables we had
were potatoes, carrots, and a sack of cabbage and
some dry onions.
About that time, Thanksgiving was a couple of
weeks away and we were pretty well settled in
and we thought it might be nice to have some of
our neighbors (the nearest was three miles away)
for a dinner. Dad sent down the creek to the
Wallace ranch for three chickens. He ordered
them by phone and the mailman brought them up
on his return trip. I wish you could have seen
those poor chickens. They were so inbred that
they appeared like three bantams. We fed them
wheat and canned corn and butchered them the
day before Thanksgiving. I baked them for hours
with dressing and we had spuds, gravy, canned
vegetables, and a cabbage and peanut salad,
pickles, olives, and pumpkin pie. It turned out
OK. There is a picture of the guests in one of the
albums. Jake Jensen came the farthest. He lived
at Crooked Creek, about 28 miles away. Vern
Carnegie from Smith Creek (3 miles) and the rest
from the Werdenhoff mine: The Harenbergers
were caretakers there; Mr. Richards, a mining
engineer, and his daughter, Betty; Charley Ma-
son, a promoter for the Werdenhoff. By that
time most of the snow was gone so that after-
noon the guests left --- all but Jake Jensen who
stayed on for a few days. The others walked as
far as Smith Creek where they had left their car
when they came.
All the time we lived at Big Creek, we had very
little time alone. When visitors came from down
Big Creek they always stayed three to five days.
Each year we were there, new people came in ---
at least two or three and we finally had neighbors
as close as Harpers were and the Williams boys
and their father about a mile up Big Creek.
Guess I have told you that the first winter we
were there we worked for our board and room.
The later ones, we made $25.00 per month over
the winter. Those were depression years and we
were glad to work under any circumstances.
Our mail, in the winter, came once a week, on
Sundays, and Dad either walked or skied down
to Smith Creek to get it. We were not allowed
to receive any mail other than first class, or letter
mail and newspapers as the mail was backpacked
in by a carrier from Warren's. He traveled by
snowshoes or skis from the South Fork to lower
Big Creek and, if I remember rightly, he stayed at
the Werdenhoff, then made it down Big Creek
and then back up in a couple of days.
-18-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
Our only connection with the outside world was
the telephone --- when the lines weren't down.
By the time January came, we weren't able to
reach McCall even by getting others to help in
relaying. Dad had an old radio receiver but the
reception was very poor. All we received was
screeches, howls, and whistles. Our newspaper
was always a week or ten days late and receiving
seven newspapers at a time sort of took the edge
off of reading them.
The McCa11 to Warren stage made two or three
trips a week in the summer. The summer stage
brought mail and freight into Warren and was, of
course, motorized transportation. In the winter,
pack horses were used and, if there were passen-
gers, a bobsled was used. As the winter pro-
gressed, the horses were shod with snow shoes.
There a couple of handmade wooden horses
snowshoes in the things you have at your house
and, if I am not mistaken, one is marked L and
one R. I believe they were used only on the front
feet of the horses, but am not sure as I never
made the trip in winter. The winter trip made
their first stop at Halfway House. This building
has been destroyed to make room for the present
road. Halfway House was maintained by who-
ever had the mail contract. I only hope there is
some kind of an historical marker there by this
time. I have heard Dad tell about stopping there
in midwinter and having to enter the building
through an upstairs window because of the deep
snow. The next day the stop for the night was
Burgdorff and the next day they made it into
Warren's.
Before Thanksgiving, I was sure I was pregnant.
I wrote to Beth and she wrote back immediately
and insisted I come to Boise right away. Dad and
I talked it over and we decided May would be
plenty early and a better time to go. So --- we
waited.
The Horenbergers went "outside" for the winter,
right after Thanksgiving. Rose was cooking up
there and decided to have a party so she phone
people up and down Big Creek. I can remember
some of those who were there: Rose, Tom
Coski, Emmett Routson, Noel and Una Routson,
Verne Carnegie, Eric Jensen, and Mexican Joe.
I'm sure there were more, but those are all I am
able to recall.
Dad and I left the Station and walked to Smith
Creek. It was sort of a rough trip for me because
I couldn't handle skis well enough to use them.
Dad skied but was patient with me. When we
arrived at Smith Creek the Routson boys met us
with a dog team and sled (Pictures of the dog
sled and teams are in the album.) The last six
miles of the trip I was strapped on the dog sled
so tightly I couldn't move a muscle and when we
arrived at the mind, I couldn't even get off the
sled because my muscles were so bound from the
hike and the dog sled experience. Finally, with
help, I got into the cook house where Rose had
things well in hand. After having two or three
slugs of moonshine, I thought I might live. Rose
had a marvelous dinner and we had a good time.
We sang, danced a bit, and played poker. Eric
Jensen had brought his fiddle and the music was
awful. When we played poker Eric decided to
use his skills as a gambler and after he won
everyone's money, told us what he had done.
(How we traveled home from the party, I don't
remember.)
Sometime a month or so after the Christmas
party, Verne Carnegie decided to have a party at
Smith Creek. Of course, we walked down there
and What -A -Party! Much more moonshine than
at the Christmas party and the men were pretty
well swacked. We did the usual card playing and
singing and dancing with the music being sup-
plied by an old windup phonograph.
-19-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
The building there was just a bunkhouse with a
kitchen in one end. No running water or bath-
room facilities. Along towards morning, Dad and
I went to bed and, from our bunk, had a ringside
view of the activities. The one thing I remember
vividly was the men doing calisthenics and Tom
Coski, who had been in World War I, training the
men as a drill team. They were getting ready to
fight the "Japs". That was in 1931. Another
thin` I remember one of the men had a big shank
venison bone and they would all take turns
gnawing on it.
Those two events were our only social activity
there.
After than, we just stayed at the Station and
worked. Dad put in full days, except when we
had company, cutting wood for the next winter,
cleaning the warehouse, etc. I spent my time
cooking, washing, ironing, and other household
duties. We had a great deal of company. That
first winter, our guests were mostly old prospec-
tors who traveled for miles so their stay would be
for four or five days. They slept down in the
warehouse which Dad kept well supplied with
firewood. We played pinochle, poker, cribbage
and the like. I was kept busy cooking as we had
three squares a day. Dad would always Dad
would always get breakfast which usually con-
sisted of hot cakes, bacon, hams or venison, eggs,
canned fruit, jam, and coffee. I would get dinner
and supper always having pie at noon and cake
and fruit at night along with meat, spuds, and
vegetables. Then too the washing and ironing
had to be done and the place kept clean. Very
often the guests would help dry the dishes.
We were very fortunate having plumbing and hot
and cold water. The water was heated by coils in
the cook stove. When I washed I used two big
galvanized wash tubs and a copper boiler. The
soiled clothes and towels were soaked for a while
in the first tub, then rubbed on the board --- the
white things first then the colored clothes. After
scrubbing the white things they were boiled in lye
water in the boiler then fished out with an old
broom stick, stuck into a big dishpan, then
dumped into a rinse water and then in another
rinse water. The colored clothes just went
through the two rinse waters. All the filling the
tubs and boiler, scrubbing and wringing were
done by hand. Then the clothes were hung on an
outdoor clothesline where they were left until
they were frozen nearly dry. They were then
brought in and draped around until totally dry
before they could be sprinkled to be ironed. The
ironing was done with old sad -irons that were
heated on the cook stove. Some difference in
that procedure and automatic washer and driers!
Oh yes, the lye water was always used to scrub
the kitchen linoleum after the wash was done.
Cooking was a bit of a problem too, trying to use
canned foods (especially meat) after the elk and
venison were gone. I still gag when I think of
Vienna sausages and canned corned beef. By
spring, the bacon and hams were moldy and the
eggs pretty ripe, but we got along. I used to
make pigs -in -a -blanket our of Vienna sausages
and finally had to top them with a cheese sauce
before we could get them down and it finally
came to the time we couldn't stomach them in
any way.
We also had lots of canned salmon and finally
ended up using that for dog food. It was a poor
grade of pink salmon and was awful! The next
year, at my suggestion, we had a case of good
red salmon which helped. We were very fortu-
nate though, because most of the people in there
-20-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
depended on beans and venison. I have never
eaten worse meat than venison killed in June.
(Dad never broke the hunting laws, but we were
invited to dinner once, our last year in there, and
were served venison (ugh!).
After New Year we stayed at home and answered
the phone and worked the switchboard for the
natives. Anyone calling from up the creek or
down had to be connected through the switch-
board and all outgoing calls to Warren or Yellow
Pine were handled the same way. One thing nice
about that was that if there was any gossip or
excitement we could connect the parties and then
press a button and listen in. We never bothered
to do that though unless we thought something
or somebody had some news.
The lookouts, packers, etc. started coming in the
latter part of April. It was nice having them
come in even though it made a lot of cooking and
washing. All of the boys were so nice about
helping. I always had help with the dishes. Many
times the table had to be "set up" twice. The
evenings were great fun as we always had a big
poker game. Another thing that I enjoyed was
that once in the while one of the men would bring
their wives in with them.
Along in May we began to think of my getting to
the "outside". The day before we left, I got
everything tidied up, some baking done, and
washed all the dirty clothes. After finishing the
wash, I scrubbed the kitchen floor, as usual, with
lye water. Soap and lye water made a slippery
combination and even thought I had used it many
times, that time I slipped and fell flat on my
bottom. I just didn't think anything about it. The
next morning when I awakened there was quite a
wet spot in the bed which caused me embarrass-
ment because I thought I had wet the bed and I
would have to leave the sheets for Dad to wash.
To make a long story a little shorter, we were
ready to leave for the Werdenhoff about 10:00
am. I was wearing the same outfit in which I was
married. We were to meet Noel Routson at the
Werdenhoff. I would leave Dad there and Noel
would take me over Elk Summit by dog sled as
far as the Smoke House where we were to be
met by a horse and wagon which would take me
to Warren's and, from there, I would go to
McCall by plane and then go on to Boise.
The trip from Big Creek to the mine was a rough
one. There had been a snow slide in the canyon
between Headquarters and Smith Creek and the
piled -up snow was about two feet deep. Every
step I took, my feet would go to the bottom and
it was a case of stepping and pulling your feet
out --- one after another. Then, instead of taking
the road up to the mine, we took the trail which
was a switchback, steep walk but it did lop off a
mile or more from the trip. It was all tough
going, but we made it in good shape.
At that time, there were only two men at the
mine as spring work had not opened up.
They had dinner ready for us which consisted of
lima beans, ham, and sourdough biscuits. One of
the men was a Mr. Abbott and the other was
Harry Pillow. I had a bit of trouble thinking of
Mr. Abbotts name, but who could forget Harry
Pillow!
About 5:00 PM, I began having cramps and
diarrhea and I was so dumb I thought it was the
beans. By 7:00 PM, the cramps were so severe
that I couldn't get to the outdoor privy so the
men and Dad made me a bedpan our of a gallon
sized syrup can and it began to dawn on me what
-21-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
was happening. You were born about 11:30 PM
in a terrific thunder and lightening storm that
made telephone service to any place impossible.
When you were born, I sat up in bed to look at
you and said, "Oh, isn't he cute!" Then I noticed
that the umbilical cord was wrapped around your
neck. I asked for thread and scissors and tied the
cord in two places, cut the cord so it could be
unwrapped from around your throat. Then the
cord was tied in two other places closer to your
navel and was cut again. We never once thought
of sterilizing the scissors or thread
Dad was the most useless of the four men (by
that time Noel Routson had arrived). He would
come in and hold my hand and do anything I
asked him, but later the men told me that all he
did was pace the kitchen floor and roll one
cigarette after another. As soon as you were
born, I sat up in bed and looked at you, but later I
realized what a puny little baby you were. You
looked like a newborn baby bird that had fallen
from the nest. You were long and very thin ---
about 21 inches long and no actual flesh on your
body --- truly skin and bones. On you ankles,
wrists, and elbows, the skin which had not filled
out laid in big flaps. What you weighed we will
never know. Later, when you were three weeks
old and after you had plumped up a bit from the
Eagle Brand milk, you weighted 5 3/4 pounds,
blanket and all. If you had been in an hospital
you would have been placed in an incubator. The
men brought me some Wesson Oil and a soft
cloth and I cleaned you up the best I could. Then
they got a big cardboard box, lined it with pillows
and we wrapped you in one of Mrs.
Horneberger's woolen gray petticoats.
The men stoked up the fire in the bedroom stove
and you were placed very close to it. I was
always so happy when you cried because I knew
you were all right.
After the placenta came Dad and I examined it
and it appeared to be all right so Dad disposed of
it.
That is how you came into the world, darling.
Neither Dad or I knew much about birthing, but
we did the best we could and the end result has
been the joy of my life.
The next morning Dad got a phone call through
to Warren's via the South Fork. At the South
Fork Power Station he talked with Capt. and
Mrs. Bert Spillman. Mrs. Spillman called Mrs.
Eyman, a nurse who lived in Warren's. Mrs.
Eyman rounded up a couple of baby bottles and
some Eagle Brand milk sending them down to
the South Fork that day. The next day the
Spillmans came in. One of the Big Creek men
met them with a horse for her to ride. Mrs.
Spillman was great! She is the one who made
you the undershirt out of her husband's woolen
underwear.
Now, let's go back a bit. I had you in bed with
me much of the time because I loved having you
there and I was told you should be put to the
breast to learn to nurse, but you refused. Fi-
nally, we would give you a bit of water, by
teaspoon.
Mr. Abbott said his wife ran a maternity home
and that was the way to do it. It kept you going
until Mrs. Spillman arrived and from then on we
were able to communicate with Mrs. Eyman in
Warren's and we took her advice.
When people hear about your birth they so often
say "How could you do it?" The only thing to do
was to let nature take its course. One couldn't
say "Hey, there, hold up a bit --- this isn't the
time or place". Right?
-22-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
As I look back on it, the night I thought I had
wet the bed was, undoubtedly, what was known
in those days as "the water breaking". That is a
strange bit of terminology but right now I can't
think of the medical term. Probably it was caused
from the fall the day before.
One bit of advice I did not take from Mr. Abbott
was that I should have a douche right after the
placenta came. I felt that nature and the good
Lord had helped us that far and we should leave
well enough alone.
We stayed at the Werdenhoff three weeks be-
cause I began having a temperature. After that
Dad, the Spillman's and you and I were driven to
Smith Creek where we were met with horses. I
had never been on a horst in my life and had to be
instructed in the proper way of mounting. After I
was seated in the saddle, I asked Dad what I
should do then. He and the men around howled
with laughter and Dad said, "Just sit there.
You're a hell of a mountaineer, aren't you?" Dad
walked ahead with you in his arms and one of the
men led my horse.
We were met by the crew at Big Creek and they
all made a big fuss over you. Persis and the kids
hadn't come in yet so we were allowed to stay in
the Station until they came. Then we had a tent
to sleep in.
The Spillmans stayed about a month after we got
back to Big Creek. Later we found their job was
over and they were glad not only to keep us but
to have a place to stay for a while. They were
wonderful!
The Forest service men were so kind and helpful.
They could hardly believe it all had happened.
Two of them, who had helped me with dishes
many times, told me that it was such a surprise
because even though they had been at the Station
before going out on trail work (about two weeks
before you were born), they didn't even guess or
notice that I was pregnant when they left the
Station.
You appeared to be doing well, gaining weight
and adjusting to your feeding schedules. You
were, apparently, a happy baby. The latter part
of June you began vomiting your feeing shortly
after taking it. This was of great concern to your
Dad and I, but there was just no way to get out
of there with a baby because of snow slides up on
the summit. Profile was opened on July 5th and
Dan took you and me out. We stayed at
Newcomb's that night and went on to Boise, by
stage, the next day.
When we arrived at Beth's, Ernest immediately
called in Dr. Tremaine who was the first baby
specialist in Boise and at that time was the only
one. He gave you a thorough examination and
came to the conclusion you were suffering from a
pyloric stenosis which is a spasmodic condition
of a stomach muscle. He told me it usually
happened about six weeks after birth and was
probably caused by the lack of fresh vegetables in
my diet. He advised medication that might relax
the spasms and, if that was not a success, surgery
would be necessary. Then he prescribed a new
formula --- some kind of fancy stuff that was new
then and is still available. That was an anxious
time, believe me, because, had the medicine not
been successful, he doubted if you could survive
the surgery. The medication was a success,
thank God! You and I stayed in Boise until
September 1st.
-23-
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
One thing that I thought was interesting was that
Dr. Tremaine was not able to work out a formula
that would be suitable for the back country.
Ernest got out his old medical books and found
one using evaporated milk, lime water, and milk
sugar. He obtained Dr. Tremaine's approval and
it worked real well.
After we returned to Big Creek you never had
any problems. You were a bit slow teething,
crawling, etc. but that was no cause for alarm.
We did not have to worry about colds and other
infectious diseases in there because they just
didn't happen until the last year we were there
and air service was available for part of the year.
I will write more later, but the foregoing was the
greatest year for Dad and I.
After reading this, do feel free to ask me any
questions that come to your mind. I realize this
isn't well or explicitly done, but perhaps you will
find it of interest.
Times change and people adjust to them, but as I
look back it seems to me we had a good family
life and faced our responsibilities --- all of us.
Perhaps we made many mistakes, but I can assure
you that according to times and conditions we
did the best we knew and we both (Dad and I)
love you deeply.
More later ---
Old Me
The EDITH A. VASSAR Papers
There were several typewritten copies of this narrative in
E4 Vs files; one had the letters G.S."W.G. " entered in ink
in the upper left corner of the title page and a circled
numeral "6" in the upper right corner of the title page.
The "almost fifty years ago" reference would suggest this
narrative was written in the late 1970s or in 1980/1981
since the events documented took place in the late fall of
1931.
THE TRIP HOME
It was almost fifty years ago that we, as newly-
weds, left McCall, Idaho during a heavy snowstorm.
Our destination was Big Creek Headquarters Ranger
Station on the edge of the Idaho Primitive area of the
Idaho National Forest.
We were chauffeured by Dan Le Van, Ranger of
the Big Creek district. The snow storm that momingwas
the wet, feathery, sticky type making poor visibility. I
was thankful that both Dan and my husband were
familiar with all the twists and tums in that narrow road
because we were the only car on the road that wintery
day. They had both traveled it many times on foot and
horseback but to a tenderfoot, like me, it was an unfor-
gettable experience.
The first stop was in Warren, Idaho where it was my
good fortune to meet three of Warren's most prominent
citizens - Mr. Otis Morris, owner of the General Store
and also the Postmaster; Elmer, his assistance and
"China" Sam. The latter was often refereed to as "The
Mayor" or Warren. I must digress a bit and tell you
something ofthe character ofthesethree gentlemen. Mr.
Otis Morns was loved and respected by all who had
contact with him. The extent of his kindliness and
generosity was great, varying from supplying medicine
for ailing dogs to grubstaking itinerant prospectors and
supplying winter rations to those who could not afford to
pay. His sound counseling and advice were sought by all
who knew him.
Elmer, Otis' clerk and assistant, was also good
and kind, but quite a character. One incident that comes
to mind was the time my husband phoned him advising
that a "dude" prospector would like the store to send a
good gold pan to Big Creek on the next mail. Elmer
replied, "Well, Slim, we just don't have any. You know,
they were all sold as soon as they came in and we just
couldn't keep them in stock so we quite ordering them."
"China" Sam had come to Warren in Gold Rush
days. He was also known as the "town crier" and
handyman. The women in town could rely on him for
news and assistance in small chores and in community
affairs. All three of these men were recipients of great
respect and affection from those who made their ac-
quaintance.
Now back to the trip. Our next stop was at the
Hackett Ranch. Jim and Flora Hackett were other
interesting and lovable characters. At one time their
home was called a "stopping place" so the met and knew
everyone who traveled from the "back country" to the
"outside" and treated them royally. At one time Jim
Hackett played professional baseball with the Chicago
Whitesox. We were offered food and drink there but the
snow was getting deeper and we could not take the time
to partake of their hospitality.
Our climb took us over the nearly eight thou-
sand foot Elk Summit. Many times Slim had to stand on
the running board to prevent the car from sliding off the
narrow road.
After eight hours of hazardous traveling my
first glimpse of Big Creek Headquarters came into view
- a small, flat piece of open ground (approximately four
city blocks) embraced on two sides by mountains. The
ground covered with pristine, white snow and there was
the small brown log cabin, the large brown log ware-
house with the crystal clear stream between them and in
the center of it all on a high, peeled log -pole was flying
the American flag.
It gave me the feeling we were encircled in God's
arms. I knew it was home.
-2-
Ike: Obit: Robert Miles Vassar, 72, b. Werdenhoff Mine,ID; also lived CA,AK.
Page 1 of 2
Posted By: Bonita Olmer
Email:
Subject: Re: Obit: Robert Miles Vassar, 72, b. Werdenhoff Mine,ID; also lived CA,AK.
Post Date: July 23, 2005 at 16:52:16
Message URL: http://genforum.genealogy.com/vassar/messages/169.html
Forum: Vassar Family Genealogy Forum
Forum URL: http://genforum.genealogy.com/vassar/
Following is the full text of the obituary:
Robert Miles Vassar "Bob", age 72, died at home near Caldwell on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004. He leaves behind:
Lucile Westby of Boise, his first cousin; Rod Simpson of Caldwell, a friend for 40 years; Paul Shoemaker of
Caldwell, friend; and Munch, the lovable, impish, faithful family dog. Bob was born on May 20, 1932 at Jhe
Werdenhoff Mine in the Idaho Primitive Area of the Payette National Forest. His mother Edith Vassar nZe
Tallman and father Harold Vassar "Slim", a ranger at the Big Creek Ranger Station, 5743 elevation, decided on
the 19th that the time was getting close for the birth and set out by dog sled, in deep snow, to cross Elk Summit
along Big Creek, Smith Creek, Elk Creek, South Fork of the Salmon River and on to McCall, 5031 elevation,
where there would be a doctor available for Bob's birth. The stress of the seven miles up the mountain from Big
Creek to the Werdenhoff Mine was enough to start Edith's labor pains. They stopped at the mine for the night --
and shortly after midnight Bob was born, delivered by a miner named Miles (therefore Bob's middle name in
honor of the miner). Bob was the first white child born in the Idaho Primitive Area as several Idaho history books
document. His mother Edith, a teacher, was originally from Kalamazoo, Mich. After moving to Idaho, she
married Harold Vassar of Caldwell. With her husband, she helped tend Forest Service Camps and Ranger
Stations, as cook, and in her motherly spirit, offered mental and physical support to all the miners and hermits
living in the "back country." The Big Creek Ranger Station became the social hub of the area where anyone might
show up for conversation and a meal at any time. Bob's personality reflected the characteristics of his parents. He
was outwardly friendly, his mind was sharp and able to logically interpret information, and he had a genuine
feeling for life, freedom and individuality. He was a special person to all who met him. During his childhood,
after Big Creek, the family spent life on the road, during World War II, managing Civilian Conservation Corps
camps in such places as Riggins, and then they later settled in McCall where his father became chief Ranger in the
U.S. Forest Service. When asked, Bob could talk about chasing rattlesnakes in Riggins and the oppressive
summer heat, but most important, he could describe how Payette Lake at McCall was all his for swimming in the
summers. His description of the slow-paced, vibrant life in very small town McCall in the 1930s and '40s, where
any kid had the forest and lake to themselves, helps one to understand and appreciate what once was. Bob
graduated from Donnelly -McCall High School in 1949 and immediately went to the College of Idaho (Albertson's
College) in Caldwell. After three years, he transferred to the University of California, Berkeley where he majored
in astronomy. He graduated in 1954. Under his professors, he made significant finds in the solar system, with the
aid of an enormously large new machine called the computer. Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Coast Guard
and served duty on the border between Russia and the United States along the Aleutian Islands. When discharged,
he went back to Ketchikan, Alaska, where he taught school and worked as computer programmer with the pulp
mill. While there, he married another teacher, Mina Fields from Texas; later they divorced. From Alaska, Bob
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Ike: Obit: Robert Miles Vassar, 72, b. Werdenhoff Mine,ID; also lived CA,AK. Page 2 of 2
started work for IBM in 1962 in San Francisco, then in Ibaden and Lagos, Nigeria, where he taught computer
science at the University of Ibaden. His students were from all over Africa. During the second Nigerian
revolution, 1967, IBM transferred Bob to Cura❑ao and Aruba in the Netherlands Antilles, where he worked as a
computer instructor, and computer programmer at Royal Dutch Shell and Standard Oil Co. Upon the death of his
father in McCall, he moved to Eagle in 1969, to be closer to his mother. He worked with computers at the Idaho
First National Bank, Boise State College (University) as instructor and systems analyst, Hewlett-Packard and
started his own computer business. During this time, to express his enthusiasm for opera, he helped establish the
Eagle Island Opera Company with Rod Simpson, and they produced, in 1979, in the Liberty Grange Hall, the first
world performance, since the 18th century, of the opera "Una Cosa Rara" by Martin y Soler. Later the duo
collaborated and founded "Initium" dedicated to producing CDs of music from the 18th century in manuscript
form. Bob also published three CDs of his own music. In 1991 he developed lung cancer and lost one lung. A
short five years was predicted for his life, but he fought on and lasted for 13. An informal memorial service will
be held at home near Caldwell at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30. Call for address and directions: 455-8604 or 455-
8686. No flowers please. Contributions in lieu of flowers could be sent to: Idaho State Historical Society, 1109
Main Street, Suite 250, Boise, Idaho 83702.
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