Cattle drive keeps family tradition alive
Don McManman
For The Sentinel
A tradition going back to the early 1880s was revived again last weekend with a cattle drive from Centerville to high in the Simcoes.
The Garner family out of Centerville moved 118 cows and calves the old-fashioned way-cattle on the hoof, and people on horseback.
"It's kind of fun for the family," said Phil Garner, one of the leaders of the drive. "It's a tradition."
Garner's great-great-grandfather, George Garner, settled in 1876 near what was to become Centerville and began driving cattle to summer range in the mountains north of Goldendale.
The Garners survived the killer winter of 1880-1881 and prevailed during hard times and good, each summer driving cows to land they own in the high country.
Last weekend, it was a two-day trip, generally on back roads but crossing State Route 142 at one point during the journey. After bedding down at Dooley's Corral on Cedar Valley Road, the cows reached Garner land on Monument Road Sunday.
There were at least 15 family members and friends on the drive, more as an outing than serious cow work. Most were mounted, but there was an all-terrain vehicle and a pickup-horse trailer along. (The latter was driven by Bonnie Garner, whose job it was to take care of the youngest kids.)
Although the cattle drive is a family tradition, it also is kind of necessary.
"It would be pretty tough getting a semi up there. I guess we could trailer them, but it would take a lot of trips," said Phil Garner, who owns Goldendale Tire Center.
The Garners aren't alone in driving cattle to the timber. The Camerons, Kaysers, and Davenports, among other families, also trail herds.
For the Garners, the tradition is likely to continue. Will, the son of Mark and Carole Garner, was along for the ride. He's 11 months old.
Class of 1959's memorable classmates join in 50th reunion
John Mitchell
For The Sentinel
(John Mitchell, currently professor of child psychology at the University of British Columbia, is a member of the Goldendale High School class of 1959.)
Part One.
On July 10 and 11 Goldendale's class of 1959 celebrates its 50th reunion.
And a deserving celebration it is, because in 1959 Goldendale sent out into the world some of its finest ever sons and daughters. You might not know much about them, but they were a remarkable bunch.
Yes, some of us will limp into town with sore knees or creaky backs, but know this: we stand straight and proud when we remember our honorable life achievements, our shared memories, and our deep loyalties to one another.
Read on and I believe you will understand why, after 50 years, these classmates remain my most treasured friends.
But before we get to friends and friendships, we need to take a look at the times. 1959 wasn't yesterday, you know. It was 50 years ago.
Goldendale 1959-the Goldendale we lived in was different from today's Goldendale in so many ways.
We didn't have 24/7 news networks, so we were much more isolated from the outside world. We had TV, of course, but only three channels.
Our lives were narrow when it came to travel. Driving to The Dalles was common, but we rarely travelled to Portland or Seattle. In our minds these urban miracles were for "after graduation." While living in a state that borders Canada, few of us had ever been there. Hawaii and Mexico were completely out of the question. I do not recall a single classmate, or teacher, who had been to Hawaii.
Goldendale was small and we walked a lot. Those of us who played sports measured distance by baseball throws. When we earned some extra money (no one was given extra money in 1959) we splurged on hamburgers and milkshakes at the Simcoe Café.
I lived four baseball throws from the Simcoe Café.
1959 wasn't the best of times, and it wasn't the worst of times, but for sure it was changin' times. We graduated as the Nifty Fifties were ending and the Age of Aquarius was beginning. We grew up in a wide, wide world that our narrow life in Goldendale had not much prepared us for.
By age 30 we saw the assassination of JFK and Martin Luther King. We saw a Russian satellite launched into space and an American astronaut walk on the moon. We saw pornography in public theaters and race riots in the streets. We all saw the Vietnam War on television, but some of us fought in its jungles.
Let me tell you just a little bit about a few of my friends from the remarkable class of 1959.
We had some smart ones. Our small class of 45 graduates had several "brainiacs," but the brainiest were Harvey Thompson, the class Valedictorian, and Glen Hamilton, the class Salutitorian. For those parents out there who hassle their kids to get good grades so they can get ahead in life, Harvey and Glen are shining lights.
Harvey and Glen both became medical doctors. Harvey had a very successful practice in Sacramento, and was once honored as the "Sacramento Citizen of the Year" for his volunteer work with the chronically ill who could not afford to pay for their treatment. He was a brilliant and humble man. And a tough one.
He served in Vietnam as a medic for the Elite Special Forces known as the Green Beret. He operated in the deadliest combat zones of that deadly war. At our 15th reunion, he told me that when stationed on the front he amputated soldier limbs by day and civilian limbs by night. He served his country in war and when he returned home, he served it in peace.
Harvey lived one baseball throw from my house, and he was my friend.
Glen Hamilton was a remarkable young man who grew into an even more remarkable older man. Within days of our graduation ceremony, he was attending university. At 21 he became one of the youngest students ever admitted to University of Washington Medical School. He completed his Internship at Yale, and his mentors saw greatness in him. Within a few years he started the Nuclear Cardiology Program at UW and garnered an international reputation for his vision and his precision. Medical experts from around the world sought his counsel. He was openly acknowledged by his peers as a world leader in medicine. The footprint he left on medical science is greater than any other graduate in the long history of Goldendale High.
Glen lived five baseball throws from my house, and he was my friend.
So, yes, the Class of 1959 had a few smart ones. But, Glen and Harvey both claimed that the real brain in our class was Penny Rowley (Neimi). "She knew more, and read more, than either of us," Glen told me just last year. Penny had the third highest GPA in our class. She served as a teacher at Mountain View High School in Vancouver along with her 1959 classmate (another bright one), Linda Copenhefer (Goetz). They each taught for 30 years. Linda, who once received a Teacher of the Year Award, told me: "When we started teaching, our school was in the middle of a cow pasture, and when we retired, it was in the middle of suburbia."
Penny and Linda lived too many baseball throws from my house. They were smart, beautiful, and I really (I mean really) wanted to be their friend!
Some stayed and tilled the soil. Obviously not everyone went to Yale or to Vietnam; most of us remained in state and a few stayed right here in Goldendale to manage their family farms. It takes dedication and grit to run a farm, but classmates Ray Willis, Clyde Story, and Dick Case to this day cultivate the same ground their parents did 50 years ago. In today's world, this is a remarkable accomplishment.
The second, and final, part of this story will run in next week's newspaper.
Japanese theme to Golden Gallery's auction and dinner
The Golden Art Gallery kicked off it's 2009 theme with a large exhibit of kimono and Japanese art, last Saturday. The gallery, which is operated by artist members, selects a theme each year to showcase art exhibits and locally made art items.
The exhibit will be open to the public through July 19. A dinner and auction will be held July 11, to help raise funds for the gallery operation. Artists put items up for auction with proceeds going to the gallery. This year's dinner will also follow the Japanese theme with sake and Asian cuisine.
The kimono exhibit is a combination of collections belonging to Betty Long-Schleif, of Goldendale, and Maggie Backman, of Woodinville.
The Golden Art Gallery is open year-round. Regular hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
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