Category: Karuk Tribe

20th Karuk Reunion was a Great Gathering

Leave a comment

14Reunion1703Smileys
by Judy Bushy

Although the day was warm, it wasn’t quite as hot as some Karuk Tribal Reunion days have been in the past! Tents were all over. This year was the 20th annual event at the Tribal compound, Administrative, medical and dental clinic and other offices are there as well as the People’s Museum and Multipurpose Building that used to be the Happy Camp Elementary until back in 1989 when the new school was build on Park Way.

The largest and most prominent white tent being the one where all the Health Services were located. Keeping people safe and healthy is very important to the Karuk Tribe and we are grateful for all that they provide, not only for Karuk Tribal members and descendants, but also for the entire community.

The most fun of the event, to me at least, was to see bunches of children in joyous play swooping down the water slides, splashing and playing! In a day when there is concern that our children spend far too much of their time glued to modern technology, cell phones, I-pods, and computer screens and games, Active play in the out of doors in water play was fun to watch! The kids all wore big smiles, some with toothless grins common among youngsters in the early primary years. They were all especially cute, at that age in life when new teeth are a momentous occasion!
After watching them for awhile, and trying without much success to catch the blur of their activity and constant motion on camera, it was time to go to lunch in the air conditioned Senior Nutrition site.

It was ther that I had the pleasure of meeting Huddleston Oakes! Huddleston grew up at Ferry Point and his sister, Arlene was the young girl who visited Stella in her book about living on the Klamath River, Dear Mad’m! He uis listed, with Arlene in the Methodist /church roll for 1939. It was happy news to hear that he can read Klamath Views in the Siskiyou Daily News in Weed as well. His mother, Virginia Effman Oakes, and later added Anderson) wrote newspaper articles before my dayu. Debbie Wilkinson and Hazel Davis Gendron wrote articles about Happy Camp. Wouldn’t it be fun to read all their articles now!! Hazel has been sharing some items that she found in old newspaper research on the Facebook page, Growing up In Happy Camp, and we enjoy them so much!

We went back to the reunion later, as there were more old time friends and family still to visit with, but Huddleston left us wishing we knew more about the families, Southards, Oakes, Effman, Hastings Brothers and Taylors as well as the Coverts, Cy Jenson (Up’n Up) Fred Crooks (DearSir) and others no longer here. Those characters who lived down where Tinkum Creek met Titus Creek before joining the Klamath where Robert E. Southard and his family had their cabin.
!

Karuk Reunion, Uncategorized ,

Touring back in time – Karuk Reunion musings

Leave a comment

IMG_0842
By Judy Bushy

It was at the Karuk Reunion that I had the pleasure of meeting Huddleston Oakes! Huddleston grew up Down River with his sister. His sister, Arlene, was the young girl who visited Stella in Dear Mad’m. What fun to talk with him about her! He said he didn’t hang around them much because of the Ladies there, well, he would have to behave!! He is listed, with Arlene in the 1939 Methodist Church rolls too. Their neighbors were the Southards mentioned by Re. Dr. Leon L. Loofbourow who was a circuit riding Methodist preacher who came and encouraged the building of the Log Church in Happy Camp which is the Bible Church now!! His mother, Virginia Effman Oakes, (and later added Anderson) wrote newspaper articles. Before my day, Debbie Wilkinson and Hazel Davis Gendron also wrote articles. It was also happy news to hear that he can read Klamath Views in Weed!

Huddleston had come for the Reunion, of course, with his son and others of his family, but he agreed to take time to give us a tour after lunch. Pauline (Sis) Atteberry and Jeanne Burrer were also at lunch, and Buster Atteberry stopped by as well. Buster mentioned that his Dad often spoke of childhood fun they shared and “Hud” recalled a fishing trip with him. Buster also mentioned that his dad’s first job was to sweep out the schoolhouse at Ferry Point and for that chore he received $8 a month.

Later, Huddleston and his son showed us where he had lived as a child, west of his grandmother’s place, and where another cabin was that they raised chickens to sell. We stopped by the Southard graves and recognized some names from Happy Camp history. We saw where Buster’s Dad had lived as a child before the family moved to Happy Camp for high school. We saw the site of the old one room schoolhouse. The most fun, of course, is to hear the stories of the people who used to live there.

Someone once came by and asked Mr. Southard how far his property went, and he replied, “See that Winchester there, about as far as it can shoot!”

Pete, the mailman, that brought Stella Patterson to the Dear Mad’m cabin in 1946, also used to give Huddleston a ride down to Ti-Bar. It was a great afternoon hearing about those days when every creek had a miner’s cabin or even some cabins where there was only a spring or they had to pack water.

We went back to the Reunion as there were more old time friends and family still to visit with. But he left us wishing we knew more about the Hastings brothers, Taylor’s Ranch, and those characters who lived down where Tinkum Creek met Titus Creek to flow into the Klamath and Robert E. Lee Southard and his family had their cabin.

When I got home and opened the computer, a quote popped up in bold black letters on a bright yellow background.” When you are young your grandparents try to tell you their history, and you don’t care because it doesn’t interest you at the time Later on, you wish you had written what they said down.” (Quote by Lillian Trujillo.) It isn’t likely that we really don’t care, but we are too busy. Too bushy to listen. Too busy to sit and hear all the stories, and we think that we will someday, later. But sometimes, we keep so busy and don’t have time, until there is no one left to tell us the stories and we have lost a priceless treasure! Take time today.

Dear Mad'm, Dear Mad'm by StellaW. Patterson, Karuk Reunion ,

College & Career Fair at HCHS

2 comments

16Col&CareerHealth_0229Local physicians assistant, Chelsea Chambers and Laura were available to share about health careers with students.

16Coll&CareerSpeakrs_0228

Speakers for Happy Camp High School College and Career Day were Jon Lopey regarding law enforcement careers and Scott Ford, Associate Director High School Programs at the Art Institute speaker . Others shared hints for job interviews and high school staff and students “illustrated’ examples of how to dress for an interview, as well as a wide number and variety of booths for educational or career pursuits. .

The Karuk Department of Education with Cassidy Little and Alan helped put on the College and Career Fair at Happy camp High School Thursday.

16Col&Career_0233TANFTaniff office had a booth at the College and Career Day May 5th at the Happy Camp High School.

15Col&areer_0244DSimpsonSimpson College was also represented.

Happy Camp High School, Karuk Tribe, Uncategorized
1 2 3