Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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Hi, here I am again. Last week it was about the Finks, this week we continue on. In 1930, Reuben married Elizabeth Homberg. Four children were born during their married life –Alvin D. in 1931, Marvin in 1932 and the twins Marciel & Maurice in 1933. The Frederick school was closed prior to 1931, therefore from 1931 to 1951, the children of Reuben & Elizabeth – Alvin D., Marvin, Marciel and Maurice attended the schools in Odessa while living with their parents on the Lin...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up)....
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. After my time in hibernation, I told you about one of my dreams I had during hibernation. In it, Joyce and I rode our mules "gettyup" and "slowpoke" from Odessa out to Batum to visit her future mother, Bertha Raugust Kiesz. They were not our mules, we rented them from C.C. Doering who was running the Doering Livery Barn in Odessa,...
Odessa subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. When comparing L-B-D lifestyle for children of those early years vs today’s children, it is like comparing apples to oranges. Today most children have HDTVs, cell-phones, i-pods, computers, ATVs, ORVs, cars, pickups, motorbikes, motorcycles, automatic weapons, toys, many changes of clothes, a million choices of food types, AM-FM radios, p...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. In 1961, prior to graduation from Washington State College-University, Joyce and I would visit her parents, sister and brother-in-law, Robert "Bob" Monroe in Odessa and out at Batum, her brother - Gordon, his wife - Margie, their children - Mike and Vickie. Occasionally as we passed through Odessa heading out to Batum, we would notice...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. As I mentioned a few months ago, I first became aware of Odessa in the summer of 1955 because of the railroad. I didn’t know about the L-B-D until the winter of 1956-57. After attending the New Year’s Eve dance at the Odessa city hall where everyone was dancing to “swing” type music, we all left the dance and ended up somehow out at Leo...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. TOR – 1/9/1964 & 4/16/1964 - Through testing and operation of the Titan I missile system, certain maintenance and modification tasks have been identified and must be accomplished to maintain this strategic weapon system operationally efficient. Work at the site on updating, will begin about 5/15-5/18 and last between two/three m...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up) Hi, here I am again. 9/10/1959 - TOR - The Odessa Chamber of Commerce has instituted action to get an extension of the present oiled road from Odessa to connect the missile site, a short distance. 12/3/1959 - TOR - Work started at Batum. Site is called "1A." Excavation will go down 165 feet. The number of men employed at the site should be between 150 and...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. At Batum, the first work will be the drilling of wells and lots of site work. One of the wells will be a 30-inch one, sunk to a depth of 90 feet, from where it will continue as a 24-inch well, the largest well ever to be drilled in this area. It will be an extra deep well, intended to go at least 1,000 feet in depth. The 30-inch well...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. In The Odessa Record, the missile hubbub started in April, 1959. The papers dated 4/2/1959 and 5/14/1959 mentioned – A report says – Area to get two missile sites containing long range weapons – bids called for April 21. One site will be one mile north of Lamona on the Harms place. The other will be a few miles south of Batum on land...
Hi, here I am again. Just prior to hibernation, we had completed our review of the first 50 years of the L-B-D. During the review, I mentioned that when you investigate the L-B-D, you would discover three schools (Janke, Lauer & Batum), you would discover the tennis court/barn/softball field at Batum School, the Hoffnungsbergh church & cemetery, the missile base, the grain facilities at Lauer & Batum, the railroad tracks. By 1950, all the above listed were no longer a part of the district except the grain facilities,...
Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week – the Kiesz Children….. Joyce remembers the following about living in the L-B-D: (30.) There was usually no room in the kitchen’s “cool box” for pies and other bakery goods so goods were kept on the kitchen counter. I’m sure today a person would keep them in the refrigerator. In the old days, no one got sick …. after all, when the items came out of the oven it didn’t take long for them to be eaten, like within two seconds. (31.)...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week - the Kiesz children... Joyce remembers the following about living in the L-B-D: (14) Using wood stoves to cook/bake, to heat water for washing clothes, taking baths, washing hands and face, etc. (15) Using the back door to the main house to go outside to the underground cellar where the vegetables, the food tha...
Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week – the Kiesz Children. Joyce remembers the following about living in the L-B-D: (30.) There was usually no room in the kitchen’s “cool box” for pies and other bakery goods so goods were kept on the kitchen counter. I’m sure today a person would keep them in the refrigerator. In the old days, no one got sick …. after all, when the items came out of the oven it didn’t take long for them to be eaten, like within two seconds. (31.) That during harvest time, the Kiesz family would...
Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week – the Kiesz Children….. Virgil remembers the following about living in the L-B-D: (10.) His dad had 14 horses; needed 12 of them when pulling heavy loads, deep plowing. His dad’s first tractor was a track-crawler type diesel. His dad’s first car, a used “rag top” Ford. Second car was a used “hard-top” with 4 doors, In 1934, the third car was a used Model-A-Ford/2 door and in 1939, it was his dad’s first “new” car - a Chevrolet with a small trunk attached at the rear. (11.) His d...
Hi, here I am again. Continued from last time: The Kiesz Children. Farm life for Gordon and Virgil was hard. The Kiesz family usually did everything by themselves. Never used extra help except during harvest when one person was usually needed to help out. Of course there were years when the crop consisted of one - two bushels per acre, when extra help was not needed. It was the early 1930's, the depression was still on. Virgil and Gordon milked cows and cared for them, cleaned the barn, collected the manure inside, outside...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. The next articles presented about relatives from the L-B-D are because if I don’t, I will be asked to leave my Spokane home permanently. I will find all my possessions out in the street. Clothes cut in pieces, computer destroyed, truck tires slashed, money source gone. I guess, I would be “homeless,” “penniless.” Therefore the next...
Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week “The Schibels.” On 09 April 1919, Henry Schibel married Katherine “Katie” Frick. Katie was age 19, Henry age 22. Katie’s parents were Heinrich “Henry” & Anna Margaret Schafer Frick. At the time, the Fricks were living in Adams Co. TS 20N, R31E, Section 2, about 1-1/2 mile north of Moody and almost 2 ½ miles southwest of the Schibel farm. I have been told the Fricks settled in the area around 1900; that they were the last in the area to farm with horses which was toward the end...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week “The Schibels.” As Don Schibel was growing up, he knew what it was like to be without money - to live poor. No part time working for other farmers for him, he had to worked at the farm. It wasn’t until his two years in Spokane (1941-43) with his parents when he had money in his pocket. He was able to work while...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week “The Schibels.” In the 30s during the change from horses to tractors, most fencing that had been installed for control of the horses and/or protection of the grain fields, started to be removed. Today there is no such fencing whatsoever in the L-B-D except at the missile base. Also in the 30s as tractors sta...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up.) Hi, here I am again. Continued from last week “The Schibels.” Don told me “his father changed over to the tractor around 1935 when farming started to improve.” By 1936, farming was better and in 1939 when WWII started, the crops were very good and the price was a lot better than it had been for quite a while. The “Great Depression” was over. In a 1935 TOR...
Hi, here I am again. On the west side of Kagele road, on the west edge of the L-B-D in Lincoln Co. TS 21N, R31E, Section 36 is the Schibel farm. The attachment of the Schibel name to the farm started with Georg Peter before 1911, then Henry, Don and finally Jeff today (2010). One of Don’s sisters and her husband also farmed on the land for a period of time. Talking with Don Schibel and looking at the Schibel obituaries, I learned that in Russia about 1888, Georg Peter & K...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Dream 2. Continuation. Walter Jr., Jacob, (b. 1896, Walla Walla, Washington. d. 11/14/1993). When he was 3, his family journeyed by wagon via Lyons Ferry on the Snake River to the Odessa area, where they homesteaded near the present town of Odessa. Mr. Walter graduated from Odessa H.S. in 1916. He also attended Washington State College. He married Rachel Ma...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Dream 2. Continuation. Steffen, Edward Martin, (b. 6/21/1886, Russia. d. 3/1963). Parents: Edward M. and Fredericka Steffen. Edward married Amelia Graber in 1906. Steffen, Herbert Wilhelm, (b. 11/3/1893, Eugene, Oregon. d. 4/4/1981). Mother: Fredrica Freschau; Father: Edward Steffen. Wife: Helen Christel. Along with his parents Herbert moved to the...
Odessa Record subscriber Larry Fisher of Spokane continues his series of articles on the history of the Batum/Lauer area (where his wife, the former Joyce Kiesz, grew up). Dream 2. Continuation. Schmidt, Jacob J., (b. 8/17/1877, Neu Messer, Russia. d. 4/20/1950). Son of John Peter Schmidt and Maria Christina Oestreich Schmidt. He married Elizabeth Green on 1/13/1913, likely at the Schmidt homestead near Batum, Adams Co., Washington. Schnell, John, (b. 12/20/1860, Russia. d. 7/29/1936). Father: Conrad Schnell, born Russia. Wif...
