mytrip.html

This story was submitted for use here by Mrs. Violet Thompson.

A copy of stories written by Wm. and Mary Jebe of Glenwood, Wash. in 1916 to the 4 "Little Rumbaugh Girls"

MY FIRST TRIP TO GLENWOOD IN JULY 1895

When we first came to Goldendale, Washington they told us of the beautiful valley of Camas Prairie. Glenwood being the little village among the Pines. Uncle Frank and I concluded to visit the country. It was about 38 or 40 miles. We didn't have much money and no horses or wagons or buggy, so we borrowed a wagon of one man and a horse of another and another horse of another neighbor and harness of another and we took our roll of bedding and our lunch box and started out on our first camping expedition. We stopped in town and bought about 20 lbs. of fresh apricots. We had never ate any before and they tasted good. And then we were fish hungry. We got fresh salmon and canned salmon. After we had traveled about 12 miles we saw a young grouse in a tree and we didn't have a gun, so Frank threw a rock and killed it, so we concluded to have dinner as we were right close to a creek. We built a campfire and cooked our dinner. It was the first time we had ever cooked on a campfire and we made a lot of mistakes I can tell you! Although our dinner tasted good to us, especially the grouse and salmon and apricots, I can taste them yet.
We kept traveling all afternoon toward Mt. Adams, but only went about 15 miles, and they told us there that it would be 10 o'clock if we tried to go any further before we got to where there was any water.
Well, we camped over night there, it was known as the Kenyon, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones and their daughter Ida lived there. There was a school house and a church there. A man by the name of a Goodfriend was prospecting for gold in the locality and was preaching for them. Frank wanted to go to church but I was afraid to leave the wagon. I guess I was afraid of everything I saw. We slept in the wagon. It was the first time we ever slept out of doors. I couldn't sleep. I was afraid. I don't know what of. But it was rattlesnakes and Indians and cowboys, but I have lived here 21 years and have never been harmed by them yet. But nevertheless I didn't know then so I was frightened at most anybody.
In the morning we got breakfast on the campfire. When I woke up Uncle Frank had made the coffee and was frying eggs. I didn't even know he was up. That forenoon we rode over the first mountain road. Another experience. I was afraid we would fall over the bluff. But we didn't and I was glad when we got down the grade. We crossed the Klickitat River, a beautiful rushing stream with high rock cliffs that looked beautiful. There was one family that lived there. Mr. Bishop and his auntie and she was nearly blind and very deaf. They had a big raspberry patch and ripe. We bought ½ gallon for 25¢. They told us it was 15 miles from Glenwood.
We traveled all afternoon and through the tall pines. About six o'clock we arrived at Glenwood. We didn't find any prairie but a level country all covered with tall pines and plenty of green grass. We thought it was a beautiful country. Mr. Trenner showed us some homestead land and we went right back to Goldendale and filed on it and started to make our house right under the south East evee of Mt. Adams.
Well, dear ones, this is not much of a story but I have learned since then to not get afraid until I saw there was danger and I hope you can gain the same lesson.

Your Auntie
Mary Andrews Jebe

Note (Aunt Mary married Frank Andrews in Moville, Iowa just the year before they came to Goldendale. I wish I knew why they came all this way to Washington has there were none of their relatives out west. I recently drove across this road, 1980, and it is still a very beautiful trip. It took us 1 hour. Uncle Frank died of typhoid fever on Nov. 19, 1909 and she went back to Iowa again to stay with her brother Wallace as his wife had died. They had one little girl named Hildreth and Aunt Mary had one girl named Dorothea. She and Dorothea moved back to Glenwood in 1914 or 15 and Aunt Mary married William Jebe in 1915.