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Basque Oral History Project Index Interview Tape Index
NAME: John Frank
Mallea
TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Tape 1
Side 1
0-11:00 John’s parents are José Mallea (from Bedaroa) and Agueda Lecertua (from Ea); both were farmers before immigrating to the United States. José was in the Spanish army in the Philippines, and also fought with the cavalry in Cuba before looking for work across the Atlantic. He came alone and worked in the mill at the Delamar Mine for a while before returning to Euskadi to marry. José and Agueda wed in Spain before coming to the US. All the children were born in this country; their names are: Virginia, Consuelo “Connie”, Alice, Mary, Inez and David. John is the middle child. He describes his unusual birth: José had to hustle his wife from the house in search of a midwife, and John’s birth certificate reads “born on the road to Delamar.” The town was about 2,500 people, and nearby Silver City was about the same size.
11-17:00 José bought the Rail Creek ranch after his kids were born; it was half a mile from the Oregon border. The family raised sheep, cattle, and a few saddle horses. John’s uncle Jack Cortabitarte was his father’s partner for a while. The family moved into Jordan Valley in 1919 (John was born in 1912), where José owned a garage for several years before taking up trucking; he eventually bought his own truck, and hauled just about everything. When José passed away, Agueda drove the truck for a few years before selling it. He explains finding an old newspaper article about his father under a neighbor’s wallpaper. Agueda raised the kids, gardened, and took care of the house while her husband was still alive.
17-24:00 John’s parents rarely spoke of the Basque country to their children. He does recall that his mother got very ill on the month-long boat journey to Ellis Island. His father said that in the Philippines, the lice would move their blankets away before bedtime! José also witnessed a bird hypnotized by a snake, and when John went to Guam to see his son in 1983, he can only recall seeing one bird. The snakes must have gotten them all! He talks a bit longer about snakes and his travels in Guam.
24-20:00 John was born December 3, 1912. The family spoke mostly English growing up, and although the kids picked Basque up at home, José and Agueda reserved Spanish for private discussions. John and his siblings had a bit of trouble adjusting to English in school, but he learned quickly, since two thirds of the kids were non-Basques. John cannot remember any tensions or prejudice between ethnics groups, probably largely due to the community’s relative isolation from more populated areas.
Side 2
0-6:00 In school, John didn’t participate in many sports—mostly because they weren’t available—but went into the desert landscape to play a few things. There were other ethnic groups in town at the time, including Native Americans and Germans. Men and women from neighboring tribes came over, and enjoyed cooking ground squirrels. He discusses food.
6-16:00 There were 3 boarding houses in town, many of which played live music for dances. One place had a piano, some boarders played the accordion, and José Mallea was a txistulari. John’s first job was a buckaroo, but he was always picking himself off the ground, so he knew it wasn’t for the long term. He was then a herder for Andy Little for several years. One camp tender was responsible for 2 bands, and when this was a French Basque, John had a hard time communicating with him! They finally had English in common, but John recalls a few mix-ups they ran into over the cooking fire. Apparently, this man liked to eat, and was hopeless without his camp tender.
16-21:00 John worked for the Little operation for 3 consecutive years, but never for the whole summer. He also helped John Archabal and a few other ranchers during lambing time. When he adds all these sheep experiences up, they total close to six years. John mentions Benito and Augustina Chertudi, 2 neighbors of his. There was also a Chinese man called “Boots” by the townspeople. A man named Bill Ross owned a large complex that included a hotel, a barbershop, and several stores.
21-26:00 After the sheep, John began work for Jenaro Rementeria in an auto garage, which he did for 8 years. He then became an owner of Valley Grocery and Supply for many years, working in the Delamar and South Mountain mines in the meantime. He describes life in and about these tunnel mines, which he did after his marriage (he was in one of the tunnels when one of the kids was born!).
26-30:00 John met Annabel Gluch when she was a high school student in Jordan Valley; the couple was married in St. John’s Cathedral in Boise in 1938. Since Annabel wasn’t a Catholic, she had to stay for three days and go through “the works”. John was working at the Parks Grocery Store at the time, and was kept on for his personality even though the store couldn’t pay for all the help. He worked many odd jobs to make the best of these tough times. His job in the mines consisted of cleaning ore from dynamite blasts, then drilling into the tunnel walls with a sledgehammer and pick.
Tape 2
Side 1
0-10:00 John mentions that he worked for Delamar Mine after he “retired”. He discusses owning Valley Grocery from 1949 to 1976: the store everything—shoes, clothes, food, school supplies, haying equipment, tools, horseshoes and much more. There was another store in town, but it wasn’t nearly so well stocked. Some customers had credits extending into the thousands of dollars for years after it closed, but they almost all paid it back. John and Annabel sold more fishing and hunting licenses than any other outlet in Oregon for a time. Many Californians on their way to Idaho passed through there. The couple had to sell out their business under unexpected circumstances, since the building was sold out from under them.
10-21:00 John mentions the owner of the building in which their store was located. He then worked a bit at the mine, but there was no store there, ad he only stayed. Annabel found work as a bookkeeper and typist, and retired in 1981. John retired in 1977, and explains his decision to sign up for Medicare and Social Security a bit earlier than he had expected. His first check—to everyone’s amazement—was enormous!
21-30:00 John and Annabel’s children are Joseph, Ronald, Richard and Audrey Anne, who all went through school in Jordan Valley. Some of the boys went through the Navy. The family didn’t speak Basque at home, since Annabel’s parents had come from Germany and the Isle of Mann and she was not a Basque speaker. The couple’s parents spoke little English, but still got along very well. Jordan Valley has changed a lot over the years: roads, population, customs and so on. John’s kids had to work a lot even as youngsters, unlike many kids today, who are left to their own devices and get into mischief.
Side 2
0-13:00 John’s kids didn’t grow up with a great appreciation of their Basque heritage. Annabel tried to learn Basque from friend Jacinta Calzecorta, but this woman passed away before she made much progress. Since neither one of them knows anyone in the Basque country, the Malleas have not made any trips there, even though his brother has gone twice. John remembers that his mother corresponded with her family only rarely (the black envelopes indicated a funeral). He recalls the story of a mysterious sheepherder who shot himself and had to be trucked around all over Oregon and Idaho to find a coroner, who finally found the bullet hole under his shoulder blade. John considers himself to be an American, but appreciate his Basque heritage, even speaking Euskera with some neighboring Basques. He mentions that many girls in Jordan Valley use chewing tobacco.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Archabal, John: John’s
friend
PLACES:
Bedaroa, Bizkaia
THEMES:
Education |
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