“Cherry Trees by Otto Hackenberg”

The following undated article was submitted for this family project by Eleanor Abraham, Rainier historian and member of the garden club, who had asked Otto to write about trees.  It is an interesting insight into the “multi-tasking” cherry tree in the family orchard that always mystified Josef’s grandchildren.*

“Cherry Trees by Otto Hackenberg”

“. . . On the farm where I was born dad had homesteaded in 1886, and government rules required a house to be built, a certain amount of land to be cleared, and a certain amount of fruit trees to be planted each year in order to hold on to the homestead.  The size of dad’s orchard that I can remember as far back as 1911, I am convinced that he planted, and in some cases grafted fruit trees on wild ones.

He had a larger orchard than the government required him to have.  By 1911 some of the cherry trees had grown quite large, the trunks were at least a foot or more in diameter and the trees over 20 feet high.

There were three large Black Republicans, one large May Duke.  The May Duke tree was usually loaded with cherries, but it was an early variety and the birds would start in on them as soon as they started to turn red, and the birds usually won out.  Those we got to eat were far from being ripe.  The same for Governor Wood, also an early cherry.  *Perhaps about in the year of 1900 two native wild choke cherries came up and dad had a Bing graft from somewhere, and he grafted one of the trees to Bing and the other to Royal Ann, both grew, and nearly always they both had a good crop of cherries.  Perhaps the two varieties were good for pollination for each other.  The trees were pruned so that they resembled one tree.

About 1912 a seedling cherry came up in the yard.  Dad told my older brother Bill to get a Bing graft, and graft the tree.  He did.  But some years later when the tree started to bear, it had Royal Anns on it.  Dad wrote him about it, and my brother wrote back, “If you want Bing cherries from that tree, pick them in a milk pan, and they will go Bing!”

1929-Married Again

Journal Entries:
Married Carrie May 22, 1929 –

Otto left Oct 1929: Sold place to Joe Feb 26, 1930

1920 and 1921

The year 1921 brought tragedy with the suicide by hanging of the children’s beloved “Mamma” Dora on November 11th.  She had been in declining health and there are many 1920 – 1921 journal notations such as “Dora sick.  Did housework.”  Otto was 12 years old at the time and the only one still at home with his parents. Emma was married and close by in Rainier.  She often came out to check on her mother, or took Dora home with her for a few days.  Joe Jr. “left for good” according to Josef’s sendoff for 1919 and only occasionally back to visit, Rudy lived in Underwood, and Bill and Ina were both in California.
Josef’s end of the year journal summaries:

“Sendoff for the year 1920:  The year 1920, the year of worry, trouble and expenses, was financially fair, very wet in spring and fall.  Repaired fences extensively, seeded 25 acres to pasture, cut out part of north fencerow, lost much time through fire and wife’s sickness; bought 22 Victor records and a small drugstore (?).  Farewell rotten year 1920!”

“Sendoff for 1921:  The year 1921 has been the worst year since 1886 for me; financially poor, lost wife by death, much time and money through her sickness, in fact the last half was a time of worry and trouble.  Finished fencerow, bought wire and 8 Victor records.  Farewell rotten year 1921!”

“Sendoff for 1922:  The year 1922 has been one of the worst I have lived through.  Financially very poor, extreme in cold and drought, dust, smoke and fire.  All crops were good except summer grain, hay and pasture.  Lost heifer; lost shingle shed and much fence by fire.  Laid new floor, built granary; had many aggravations through gossiop;  joined Correspondence Club and corresponded with 20.  Farewell rotten year 1922.”