Just my cup of tea

July 13, 1972
Herb and Beulah Higgins, Dick George Road, had company from San Bernadino, Calif. James Winnermark arrived on June 28 and Herb and Beulah closed shop at noon Friday, and accompanied by their guest, drove to Brookings, pulling a travel trailer where Walter and Gladys England joined them. They brought the boat which they launched. The party went 15 miles out, trolling for fish. Walter caught the only salmon and the others caught black snappers. They returned home on the fourth, and Frances left to visit friends in Ferndale, Calif. before going home. Frances and Beulah have been friends for many years.
Mrs. Wilma Armstrong who makes her home in Carpenteris, Calif. is visiting her daughter Helma, husband Sam. A Michel, Dick George Road, and plans to stay about two weeks. She has not seen her family for a year, but there was a very special reason she wanted to spend her vacation with them this year–she could not wait any longer to see her new little granddaughter, Sherry Anne. The baby was born in Grants Pass June 19 and weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce. Sherry Anne was welcomed home by her brother Duke and her sister Lota. Also welcoming the new baby were her paternal grandmother, Mrs. Maxine Thresham, and grandfather Roland Thresham. Sherry Anne is Maxine’s first grandchild.
Philip Leveton drove from Portland to visit Mrs. Leta James. Philip lived in the James Farm Home for several years. This was his second to visit Mrs. James since leaving the Home. The last was seven years ago.
Philip returned to Portland by the coast route, accompanied by Jack Casey. Jack met his mother in Lincoln City, where they are spending two weeks of Jack’s vacation, then they will go to Phoenix, Ariz. where he will spend another two weeks visiting his mother and his sisters and her family.
Mrs. James was also happy to greet another one of the students who used to live at the Home, Charles Nida, who resides in Klamath Falls. Charles was not sure he had found the right place because it had been 12 years since he had left, and the trees had grown so much and the Grange Hall had shrunk in size. Mrs. James and Charles enjoyed a trip to the Caves Saturday.
Mrs. James reports that both Philip and Charles have their own apartments and are making their own way.
Eulene Barnes had company last weekend, her niece and husband, Rowens and William Davis from Onalaska, Wash, and her nephew Emmet George from Gridley, Calif. Rowena and Emmet are children of Alma Parker, Eulene Barnes’ older sister. About a month ago Mrs. Parker’s home and of her possessions burned. The Illinois Valley News printed her picture standing where her house had been, just back of the old Holland Store. Last Sunday her children had a new house-two rooms and bath-almost ready for their mother to move into. It was all framed and the roof finished. Saturday morning Dean Mayfield came with his hammer and saw and worked all day helping to build the new home. The day after the fire Warren Mayfield came with his bulldozer and made all of the debris from the fire into his field, so there would be a clean place to build the new house.
William and Elza Bosanko, Kerby, celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary June 20. Before that date arrived, they received a telephone call from their son Robert in Crescent City. Robert told them to get ready to travel because he and his wife Irene were giving them an anniversary gift of a trip to El Paso, Texas. They were accompanied on the trip by Robert and Irene’s children, Tom, Patty, and Sandra. On the way they stopped and took the tour of Boulder Dam. Bill and Elza had never been to El Paso. They surprised their son Bill and daughter-in-law Edith who did not know they were coming to visit. The Bosanko’s saw 7 of their 9 grandchildren, 5 of whom they had never seen. They also saw their little great-granddaughter. While visiting El Paso all of the family went to the White Sands National Monument for a picnic.
Bosanko’s son Bill spent 22 years in the U.S. Army, part of the time at Ft. Bliss. He has been at Ft. Bliss the last 8 years in Civil Service in the fire department.
After returning home Bill and Elza went to Hyatt Lake with Robert and his family, where they fished for 5 days.
Phayo and I had fun on the Fourth. We went to Wimer to their old-time Fourth of July celebration. They called it “Bang Up Celebration.” We thought it was a good name. “Be American-Nothing’s Greater.” The pit barbecued beef was great. But the two events we enjoyed most was the frog jump and the parachute jumps. Boys and girls of all sizes brought frogs of all sizes-one so small they had to warn the judges not to step on them. He jumped 9 inches his first three jumps. The champion jumped 14 feet. Most of the frogs took three little hops and then long jumps, which of course did not count, and the children had a hard time catching their frogs again. Four parachutists, two at a time, jumped from a plane so high it was barely visible. They landed in the school baseball diamond, which was surrounded by power lines on three sides. One landed just a few feet from the target, one missed it by about 90 feet, and the others were closer.
Have you given thought as to the age of human habitation in Illinois Valley? Present civilization can be numbered in known years beginning with an occasional explorer or trapper to the discovery of gold in 1851. That much older occupation of the Valley did occur is shown by artifacts that have been found here, Perhaps one of the oldest and most unusual of these was the granite mortar found by Henry Pfefferle while working as a miner at the Deep Gravel Mine near Waldo. This mortar had been used by its stone age owner until the inside was worn through the stone, which was about 14 inches in diameter. This artifact was found at the depth of 65 feet underground, still in the gravel bank where it had been for untold centuries. W.J. (Billy) Wimer, owner of the mine, gave this artifact to the Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce for a permanent display. However, it later appeared on display at the office of Isham Transfer and Storage Co. and is now forever lost with its interesting history. Was it buried by glaciers that covered Illinois Valley, and how many thousands of years ago was it in use prior to discovery about 1905? What a story would be revealed if we could know its entire history!
Several more places in the Wilderville area have changed ownership. The Harry Highlands at 4881 Fish Hatchery Road sold their farm to the Don Silcocks from New Hope, and will be moving shortly to Burgess St. in Grants Pass, where they bought a new home.
The John Hemingways at 1300 Ingalls Lane sold their property to Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Goin from California. They are all settled in a new house, painted yellow, that Arnold L. Hoffman built near the school at New Hope.
Gary Wilkins, Mrs. Hemingway’s son, is Navy Seamen AE3, aboard the Aircraft Carrier Midway. After sailing from Guam, his ship will be on the Gulf of Tonkin where Williams will remain until his duty is terminated the last of September and he returns to the states.