“Ina commenced to walk” on January 8. Josef was in Rainier that week working for the Winchesters grubbing and cutting staves and wood. He and Rudy, now about 5 years old, went to Rainier for another few days at the end of the month. This time Josef built a fence for the Winchester’s. The usual winter chores went on during January 1897: Grubbed, went to McKee’s for flour, worked on horsepower wheels, filed handsaw, cut and hauled in stovewood, made a new hayrack for wagon. Held school board meeting, hauled in split blocks, cleaned clock and sewing machine.
February 1897: Ploughed, grubbed, made a manure shovel and brake lever. Went to Rainier, “got smelts, heavy load. Smoked smelts.” Trashed oats, cleaned peas, cut wood. “Severe west-northwest storm, filed saw, cleaned trees out of meadow.” Hauled maple for cart tongues. Visited Nelson’s. The last week of February was spent in Rainier, “Made fence and pruned trees for Dady.”
March 1897: Ploughed, planted potatoes. Pruned and grafted orchard trees. “Hauled the children on the cart to Larsen’s place, went to Beusch’s, left the ox there, Dora went to Rainier. Hauled potatoes from Beusch’s with Mike.” On Dora’s trip back home several days later, Josef “carried Ina from Larsen’s” indicating a possible problem with the road version of the ox and cart. On March 25, it was “rainy, terrific wind, thousands of trees fell, cleaned out meadow on hill, cut trees out of the cow trail, cut logs out of the road.”
April 1897: Cut logs on trail. Ploughed, sowed and harrowed in peas, clover, and timothy seed, planted potatoes. Went to S. M. Rice’s for chicken feed and provisions. Cleaned moss off roof, whitewashed trees. Josef made several trips into Rainier “and worked for Dad on new house and garden.” On April 18 “Went to Rainier with Willie” and two days later “Raised Dad’s house.”
May 1897: Josef “worked for Dad”, “worked for Dad”, “worked for Dad”, and finally on May 17, “Dad moved in the new house, river raising”. On one trip back home for a couple of days, Annie Johnson [sister-in-law] came from Rainier with him to visit the homestead. The last 10 days of the month were spent catching up home chores: hoed potatoes, worked on county road, made a timber sled, hauled planks, put in blocks and posts for grain barn. There were also visits to Beusch’s, Lohman’s, and Nelsons. Dora and Rudy went to Rainier.
June 1897: “Worked for Dad. Worked at Beusch’s.” Hauled planks, mowed orchard and meadow, “made together some hay”, hauled in hay. Dug out the road on the hill, worked on grain barn. Fixed bull harness and bell strap, harnessed bull calf for first time. “Visit of the assessor.” “Made petition about road plank to County Court.” Fixed timbers/got some rafters ready at Alley’s mill. Put up studding for grain barn. Josef took Rudy to Rainier once, and later “went to Portland with Rudy on the Iralda.” The notation on June 30 of “Farewell you rotten hay month!” sums up his struggle with the weather to save his supply of winter hay.
July 1897: While in Portland, Josef and Rudy had their picture taken. Once back from the big city, it was more of the same “Worked for Dad, cut wood and built a walk to his house.” “Quarreled with J. Wilson.” Worked on grain barn, made shakes, mowed at Beusch’s, mowed hay on the hill, hauled in hay. Hauled rafter lumber from Alley’s mill. Picked blackberries. “Mother came” and stayed a couple days at the end of the month.
August 1897: Picked blackberries, mowed wheat, china peas, timothy, and oats; made shakes, finished roofing grain barn, finished flooring. “Wrote a letter home and prepared pictures to send.” Went to the investigation at Alley’s mill, worked for Dad painting house, picking apples. Got in wheat and oats, “felt all worn out, rested.” Dug potoatoes. Dora went with Willie and Ina to Rainier for a 3-day stay. It was “hot” and “smoky” “big fire”. “Changed carts, went with Mike to Rainier for Apples and pears.” Trashed and cleaned wheat, cleaned chicken house.
September 1897: Grubbed by the well house and in meadow, trashed and cleaned peas and wheat. Cut down a big tree below the barn. Split stumps. “Tremendous showers”, “big hailstorm”, “thunder and showers”, “terrible days for fruit.” The weather wasn’t the only problem, “got hell from yellowjackets”. “Picked Bartlett pears and Petit’s [prunes], ate loads of fruit, rested.” Ploughed, sowed wheat and rye, harvested clover seed. Cow had a calf.
October 1897: Went to Rainier with Willie [who stayed for 2 weeks], cut stovewood for Dad, came home with heavy load. Worked at Beusch’s. Picked “Fall Peppins” “Seckel” pears. Made a feed rack and cowstand. At the end of the month, “Mother came out and went home with Rudy” [who stayed in town for about 3 weeks.] During the month there were visits from F. Kilby and Ollie Rice.
November 1897: Another long, dry summer “first water in well” on November 7th. Went to McKee’s for flour and apples with Mike. Cut wood and ditched at Beusch’s, went to Headlee’s about hogs. Filed saw, cut and hauled in wood. Went to Rainier, cut wood for Dad, visited Bob. Hauled potatoes into grain barn, trashed peas, stored rutabagas. “House got a fire at 5 o’clock in evening.”
December 1897: Hauled manure, cut and hauled in wood. “Very rainy” “Much thunder and showery, creeks very high”. “Made a truss for Rudy” who, now 5 ½ years old, was apparently still having a problem with the “rupture” mentioned much earlier. Trashed and cleaned barley and peas, “fixed cart up.” He then went to Rainier and back with Mike three times, and on one trip brought home flour. Went to Beusch’s about meat. “Visited the school, looked about fencing on the hill.” Repaired the rutabaga cutter, fixed stovepipes on house and kitchen. On the last day of the year “All of us suffering with a bad cold.”
“The year 1897 has been financially better than the previous 5 years, extreme in wind and rain, splendid crops of grain, hay, vegetables and fruit were raised everywhere. Built a grain barn, cleared 1/8 acre, grubbed 1 acre, grubbed ½ acre meadow. Farewell glorious year of 1897!”
