Jenny May Gathers Sweet Peas

"My Mother always had a sweet pea bed next to
the fence. She'd go out and gather sweet peas
in her apron. It was a half apron. She'd come
in the house and put them in a vase. They
smelled so good."

"She liked to do patchwork, she'd crochet rugs
and every time there was a new baby she'd make
a quilt special for them."

"Jenny May Ort, that was her name. She was a
sweet woman. Her picture hangs in my bedroom."
Gladys remembers.

Merle Hunts Pheasants

Gladys recalls:

"One time Merle and Calvin Thex went hunting
pheasants off in South Dakota. I think we
were living up at the Clark place.

Merle had shot a pheasant and saw the grass moving a
ways off. He thought that it was the one
he'd shot so he crept up and fell on it.

He was wearing a new pair of those California
pants. They were wool, tan plaid. All the men were
wearing them in the winter. They were all the rage.

Turns out he fell on a skunk. Well the skunk sprayed
and he got it bad. He took off the pants and was going to
throw them away. Calvin told him to bury them. So Merle
put the pants in a paper bag and tossed it in the trunk.

Merle changed his pants but whenever they'd go into
a resturant the smell would follow him. He said
that folks would just turn around and look.

When he got home he buried the pants on top of the cellar.
Eventually the smell went away and he wore the pants again.

Covered Wagon Memories

Gladys was reminiscing about her youth this morning:

"When we came this way in the covered wagon sometimes
my dad would get out a great big fry pan to make
big old pancakes. He called them "Bannocks".

He'd help Mom out by cooking. She had so much to do,
driving a wagon and keeping track of us all.

He'd yell, "You kids come get one of these and you won't be
hungry for quite awhile."

We'd put butter and syrup on the bannocks. One was all I could hold.
I don't remember how much my brother and sisters could eat.

We almost always had smoked herring. My Dad really liked it.
I'd eat it if I was hungry enough.

He'd buy it by the pound. He'd keep it in a bag. I
don't know where he bought it. He'd just peel it off.

My Dad chewed, it came in a plug. I didn't like the
smell of it" says Gladys.

Celebrating Begins & Gems from Gladys' Memories

The Birthday Cards, Calls and Callers are showing up in earnest now.

This afternoon, Mike Caspers, the Schwans Man, showed up on the doorstep
wishing Gladys a big Happy Birthday. He had a box of her favorite, Strawberry
Sundae, ice cream cups. Gladys was just delighted. Mike had been out the last time
he's been out.

GEMS from GLADYS' MEMORIES

When living at Lambert near Sydney, Montana, as small children, often Emily, Elma, Hi, Alice and Gladys were sent out to gather dried cow chips. Their father, Edward, ran a sand pit, was a carpenter, did cattle work, machinery repair and sharpened tools for neighbors. The cow chips were used for fuel in the cooking stove since there was no other fuel in the area. Gladys
remembers the hills being covered with agates.

Edward and his friend, Bill Burling had read about there being free land for homesteading and made a trip out to Indian Creek to look at the land. They filed on Homestead land with Mr Britton, Land Commissioner

The family moved to Indian Creek with three wagons in 1917. They were headed out to their homestead. Emily drove the wagon with the furniture and household goods. Jenny Mae drove the covered wagon with the bedding, where she and the girls slept. There was a white mare with a blue roan shoulder, foal at heel, that was tied to Jenny's wagon. Gladys remembers her pulling back in the night and rocking the wagon back and forth. Ed and his son, slept under that wagon too. Ed drove an open wagon loaded with farm equipment, the forge and charcoal. During the trip from Sydney to Miles City in 1917, Gladys' brother Hi, decided that he would chop the firewood for the evening's campfire. He nearly chopped off a toe. Due to his wound, he rode on the reech at the back of the wagon. For entertainment, Alice and Gladys would gather bottles found alongside the road. When they saw a car coming in their direction they would alert Hi. He would throw a bottle underneath the wagon wheel breaking it. Shortly after that the car would come to a screeching halt; passengers would jump out to look at the flat tire, swearing, shouting and arm waving would commence.

Soon After their arrival in Miles City, the sheriff showed up and took her father and brother
down to the police station. Gladys' father was fined for the flat tires and his children's
deeds. The Undersheriff was one of the victims, it turns out.

When Hi and his father returned to camp, Alice and Gladys were ready to tease their
brother, until they recieved a stern warning from their father.


JENNIE ORT DIARY ENTRY

Arrived at the Indian Creek Homestead on November 13, 1917.

Amount of improvements 1st year there.
Put in 2 milesof fence.
Broke and put into corn and beans - 6 acres.
Broke and put into garden and potatoes - 3 acres.
Built a cave (cellar) 18 ft. x 30ft
Built a log house.
Built a barn.