1 Roy Philip Gatch Born 27 May, 1919 at Melbeta
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Roy Philip Gatch Born 27 May, 1919 at Melbeta, Nebraska. In those days women didn't go to hospitals to give birth, so I was born in the farmhouse which my father, Charles Edgar Gatch, had built in 1898. I was the last child of Lela Lovina Gatch (nee Williams). Dr. Farquhar was her doctor. I was raised on the farm near Melbeta. My father must have had good years in the early twenties. I barely remember the carbide lighting system we had. In 1926 my dad paid $1,000.00 to have the electric lines extended from G. M. Crabill's farm to our place and we had electricity. I remember our first radio- a huge Majestic Cabinet model. My dad bought a Willys Knight in 1927. It cost $1,800.00 (Fords were selling for ($650.00). It was a 4 door sedan and was very elegant for it's time. We went on a vacation that summer to Yellowstone Park. Joe Woods bought a Willys Knight too, and we traveled together. On the 4th of July we traveled through snow-cuts which were higher than the cars. Cora Mae, my older sister, and Neil, my older brother, had a snowball fight. My memories were many. The first night the ranger told us that bears would probably get in the garbage cans and to beat on pans to scare them away. Sure enough, that night we were awakened by people beating on pans. Several bears were rummaging through the garbage cans, and paid absolutely no attention to the pan beating. Next morning we discovered the bears had robbed our supply box. My Dad had made a box to bolt on the back of the car. The bear had raised the lid, ignored a package of hot- dogs, and had taken a package of bacon instead. The bears were thick around the campgrounds. They sold bear candy so people could feed the bears. I had some candy and fed several bears. I was on Fishing Bridge and a bear came across the bridge. People were lined up along the rail fishing. They didn't bother the bear at all. I thought I had some candy and reached in my pocket. The bear waited expectantly. All I found in my pocket was an empty bag. I pulled my hand out and tried to explain to the bear. He was disappointed and checked out my jacket himself. My Dad was scared to death that I would hit at the bear and get mauled. I guess I was too scared to move though, and the bear finally moved along. I remember the Handkerchief Pool, we sent a handkerchief through the pool. Currents would take the handkerchief into the interior and a few minutes later return it to you. I remember the geysers, Mammoth Terraces; I remember Yellowstone Falls--both upper and lower. It was no doubt the highlight of my young life. Scouting was one of my main activities during my growing- up years. The first activity was in the Boy Rangers of America started by Emerson Brooks. It was similar to Cub Scouts and had ranks of Brave, Hunter, and Warrior. The highest rank was H-Pa-Nac. Fred Hanich was our leader at the start and later on the preacher, A.O. Kenyon took over. It was for boys 9 years to 12 years. At age 12, I joined the Boy Scouts and attained Eagle Scout rank when I was 14. My brother Neil had started in Boy Scouts a couple of years before I did. The troop folded for lack of leadership, and Neil become a lone Scout. He was the first Lone Scout to attain Eagle rank in the Wyo-braska Council. 4-H Clubs were another activity I participated in. For three years I raised pigs and showed them at the county fair. We (Neil and I) also raised Hampshire sheep 1 which we showed at the fair. One year I had a Jersey heifer. It was the year before I went away to college. I planned to have her bred and use the money from her calves for college. She proved to be barren and was sold for beef for $50. I later used the $50 for engagement and wedding rings and said I traded my cow for a wife. In school I was considered a brain. I went through high school with a 92+% grade average. We had a small high school. We had only eight or nine boys and basketball was our primary athletic endeavor. We had a good sized gymnasium for that time. In our conference, Henry and McGrew played in old store buildings with probably 12 ft ceilings. Sunflower and Harrisburg had reasonably good gyms also. Our graduating class had two girls and five boys. I was the valedictorian and graduated in 1936 at the age of 16. (I was 17 about a month later). In our senior year track was added to our athletic program. I sent away to Sears for track shoes and visualized becoming a great quarter miler. When the shoes came I tried them out on my "track". My track was around the block in our town of Melbeta. Next morning I could hardly walk -- not being used to spikes and running on my toes, the calf muscles had rebelled and tied up in knots. The track meet was only a couple of weeks away, but I had to go back to my street shoes until my calves loosened up. I finally got to running in my track shoes but it was only a few days before the meet. Our basketball coach helped all he could but he had not been trained in track events. The day of the meet, however, he told me that I was not really geared to be a quarter miler and suggested I run the half mile instead. Five boys lined up for the event. The first lap wasn't bad, but as we went around my legs were really protesting. Down the final stretch, three of us were neck and neck. I came in third and collapsed just past the finish line. They made me walk around but my legs were like rubber. That night when I was sitting in an easy chair my legs knotted up and I had the worst muscle cramps I had ever had before or since. Moral--get your muscles in shape before a strenuous event. All my youth was spent on the farm. I went through the Great Depression (1929-1933) and the "Dust Bowl" days (1934-1935) on the farm. The farm insolated us from the Depression and while we had little money we lived off the farm. I had friends whose folks had to go on WPA and accept relief. We would go to town (Melbeta) on Saturday night. They had a free movie. The theater was outdoors between a couple of store buildings and we sat on planks, Later it was moved into an empty building. The movies were silent with subscripts. The older kids would read the subscripts for those who couldn't read. When "talkies" came to the valley, we had to go to Scottsbluff or Minatare. Scottsbluff had an elegant theater called the Egyptian. It was very ornate and had an organ which was played before the picture started. During the depression I got a nickel each Saturday for spending money. Our farm was irrigated and much of our work was associated with irrigation. In the spring we had to skin out the main ditch with shovels and get out all the weeds that would impede the water flow. During the dust bowl days, there would be days of dust flying and filling the sky. We had lamps on in the daytime it was so dark. 2 It also filled up the ditches with dirt. It was particularly bad in 1935. We had to dig out the ditches completely. That was the worst drought year too. We planted our crops and watched the extreme heat shrivel them. We would irrigate, but a few days later the corn was all shriveled up again. We had over a month when the temperature never got below 100 F even at night. In the daytime it would get to 120 F. A person would sweat all night long. My Dad would get us up at 3:30 AM and we would harness up the horses and get to the fields while it was still dark. As soon as we could see, we would cultivate a few rows. The horses would be lathered with sweat by 8:00 AM and we would stop for breakfast. We couldn't go out again until nearly sundown. We always had a hired man. Then they worked for $30/month and keep. The one I remember most clearly was John Ross. He must have worked for my Dad from when I was 12 years old until I graduated and went away to college. John had been married to Eva Dutton but they had divorced. He had two sons, Evan and Frank, and a daughter, Ada. John was good with mules because he let them know right off who was boss. Herb Hanich, a former hired man had been afraid of the mules, Buck and Jennie, and they would bite at him and kick. He had to bridle them by standing in the manger. Not John -- the first day he grabbed one by the tail and said "Get over". He walked up beside Jennie, and when she reached back to bite, he brought his knee up in her belly and knocked the meanness right out of her.