Melissa Culbert made a beautiful cake for a farewell to Frank and Clara Prindle Sunday at the Happy Camp Christen Fellowship. Frank and Clara have been friends of many since they moved here –nearly fifty years ago! I remember when Frank and Terry Everett and Dan used to be deacons at the Happy Camp Bible Church back in early 70’s. We took them to a drop off point to backpack for a vacation trip once.
Their daughter,Faye, shared some of the family plans as they anticipate leaving Happy Camp in a few weeks.
“We moved to Happy Camp in August of 1962 because Frank was hired to teach High School shop,, which he did for ten years. After not teaching for two years he taught fifteen years in the elementary school. Clara first volunteered as a teacher’s aide in the elementary school. She was a paid aide for nine years before going to college and getting her teaching credential. She completed a five year program in four years and graduated with honors. She was able to do her practice teaching here at the elementary school, was then hired and taught elementary school for eight years. Clara suffered a stroke during spring break of her eighth year and was forced into disability retirement well before she was emotionally ready for retirement.
Frank and Clara are moving to Pendleton, Oregon close to May first in order to live near Lynn, there only daughter living in the United States. Pendleton is much drier and therefore without Happy Camp’s beautiful conifer forest. The home that we are in the process of purchasing does have a view of distant tree-covered mountains.
“When they moved here there were four sawmills, some of which were operating two shifts daily. There were more people here then and many more students in both schools.
Three times they were forced to move out of our home for high water. On Dec 22, 1964 the river was 35 inches deep in their home. January 15,1974 they moved out, the water got into the garage, but not the house. On Jan 1, 1997, the water was twenty inches deep in the home. “They had moved into one of our rentals, and when the home was cleaned and ready to move back in, Clara said, “When the next flood comes we will be too old to be able to move out.”
Prindles demolished rental units four and five and hired Tom Day to haul rock slide material from a highway slide below Hokanson’s. Butch Crocker used his big cat to spread and pack the slide material into a raised pad for our new triple wide. Because the state highway dept believed that the center section of the triple wide was too tall to clear the Horse Creek bridge, it was necessary to bring that center section over Greyback. They moved into the new home Dec 6, 1997 and then dismantled their old home.
Frank and Clara will be leaving many friends and memories here in Happy Camp. As they say, “Goodbye” it is with the awareness that we will likely see some of you again here on earth and some of you we will spend eternity with in heaven. God Bless You and, “may the wind be always at your back.”
“We have sold all of our Happy Camp property to Jacob Landmesser, PO Box 404, Happy Camp. Jacob plans to continue to operate the remaining rentals and the orchard. Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce is happy to have Landmesser Apartments and Jacob as new members! If you desire to purchase peaches or other fruit, flowers, or vegetables this coming season, Jacob’s phone number is 774-276-5386.
