Memories

I would like to end my articles about my Grandad and Grandma Townsend with a few of my memories of them and the homestead place near Tie Creek.

During my third, fourth and fifth grade school summers, I would go to their place and spend quite some time with them. Even from my time there at that young age, I can still see some of those buildings. This includes the house that had one large room downstairs which included the kitchen, dining room and living room. There was also a large coal and wood cook stove for cooking and for heat during cold weather. A room on the end of all of this, divided by a curtain, was the bedroom. There was a narrow stairway up to the loft where there were other sleeping quarters.

To the south of the house there was an old log house (probably where they first lived), and a cellar for food storage. Going on south some distance was a barn, corrals, chicken house, granary and an ice house which was built into the side of a hill.

There was also a windmill with wonderful water that ran steadily into a large wooden tank that watered livestock and ran into the garden. This water supplied moisture which grew strawberries that were picked by the dishpan full, along with watermelon and cantaloupe and a variety of other garden produce.

As far as livestock, they had ten or fifteen head of horses. I don't remember them having any cattle at the time, but they usually had a milk cow or two. Grandad had a team of horses that he used and one old work horse named "Old Nell" that I rode and steered down the corn rows as he used the cultivator. He and I planted a few acres of corn with the "jab in the ground and release planter." Grandma always had chickens to feed and she used the old fashioned way to set hens to hatch more. Several pigs were also raised to butcher.

Believe it or not, there was a small garage that housed a 1927-29 Chevy car that I learned to drive with. It was very seldom driven.

As with many homesteaders, Grandad walked a lot. I can't remember him riding a saddle horse, but I have no doubt he did during his early years.

Oh yes, we all (Grandma included) went fishing down at Tie Creek at the bridge close to the Tom Padden ranch. We probably caught whitefish, minnows and bullheads. There were no fancy rods or reels, just bamboo poles, a line and a bobber.

On the fourth of July, my dad would purchase a large assortment of fireworks and our family would go to Grandad's on Tie Creek. In the evening, at dark, he would shoot off airborne rockets, etc. The Tom Padden family one mile to the east would do the same for us to see and enjoy.

One of those fall days while at Grandad's before school started, I went to Uncle Abe's who lived one mile north of the Padden Ranch on the corner of the Ekalaka/Camp Crook Road. We took his old Ford Model T truck and went to Guy Lende's where the community men were threshing grain. The machine probably belonged to Ray Allan. We used a team and wagon to gather the bound grain from the field to the machine. I had stern instructions: "Do not let the pitchfork go into the machine."

Well, this may bring back some fond memories of your grade school days and times with grandparents. If they are still living be sure and give them a thank you.