not much to say and more wars

I don't have a lot to say either. Dad starts his letter this way and I thought I would follow in the same pattern. It's February here and a big offensive was begun in Afghanistan this week. I'm taking Spanish and for class we are learning the past tense and had to write about the past and the present so I wrote about going to college in 1969 and the protests against the war and the noise on the campuses then and the quiet in the mountains when we went camping. Now the mountains and parks are full of ATV's and noise and the campuses are quiet.

January 14, 1943

C. P. S. #59
Elkton, Oregon
Jan. 14, 1943

Dear Folks,

This won’t be much of a letter, I don’t have anything to say. I guess I’m just writing to get one back. I sent 18 carbon copy letters and now have only five left to answer so in a few days I’ll have the letter writing sewed up.

They are sending new men in here thick and fast, there were ten came in last week and today and tomorrow there are supposed to be 8 new ones. One new man came from Iowa today. His mane is Shoemaker and he’s from New Providence and knew Dillons and one of the other fellows here in camp.

I wouldn’t be supprised if Warren would land out here and maybe some of the other fellows that I knew in the past. They seem to be trying to fill this place up. It has a capacity of 200. Now the score is around 80 or 90.

Elkton is on the same road that Drain is I think. It is a good black-top road. I don’t know which direction it is tho, we came in the dark and it rained ror 2 weeks and the sun don’t shine much so I’m completely mixed up in my directions. For about 10 days now it hasn’t rained and the sun has shon some but as far as I can tell it has been coming up in the west and setting in the east. I can’t get straightened out. Wait till summer I guess the sunn shines all the time and we will wish it would rain. But don’t get me wrong I think this is a very pretty country. Nothing like tall pine trees. They say that it is really beautiful here in the spring.

Thanks for sending the sugar book. They just went to buy sugar the day it came but I guess the stamp was gone anyway so I’m glad you got it. I got the cookies from Grandma A. I havn’t eaten the jelly yet but the cookies went.

The eats here aren’t quite as good as they were at Coshocton. We had an extra good dietician there. They have one of the campers for a dietician here that has had some training in that sort of thing. He isn’t so bad but the main thing it that till the camp gets up over 100 they cant run it as economically.

All those corn figures were interesting. You sure put out a slug on dough for picking this year, lots of corn tho.

I hope you can get a IV-F for Charles. They have two guys here now that have IV-Fs and havn’t got their releaces yet.

I am very happy with my new job but it is a big one. I’m busy as the dickens. We have a lot of good tools here and I am in charge of them and up to now they have been taken out by any one and never brought back and I have to get them all back and make a place for them then keep track of them and keep them sharp. Besides that there is plenty of repair work to do and new little items of improvement to make. It is the best suited job to me that I have found in CPS so far I think.

Well write soon and keeping praying.

Yours,
Bernard

P.S. I’ll write to that guy in Eugene as soon as I get to it. It should be interesting.

Ps again---We heard from Coshocton that on the 10th they knew that the SCS had said 35 men plus overhead and AFSC had said 50 plus overhead men. The only way the Service Committee would let 35 stay was to have the Gov’t pay part of the expense. Paul Furnas was to come out the next day and tell them what had been decided. So Ab may have writ on something. My guess is that Coshocton is doomed.

Thanks for the Buck and for the check.

Lathes and egg cases

In this entry the first one for 1943 Dad gets the job of running the wood shop. I guess he had started doing carpentry work earlier than this job but he does continue with it the rest of his life. Both family and friends have received bowls he made on the lathe he had in his workshop. I remember the Christmas that he first started making things on the lathe, Carol helped him wrap the presents. We had always had presents from Mom, she would put both of their names on the presents or else she would put 'from Santa', but we knew it was her. So this year there were presents that said 'from Dad'. At first we thought it was Mom who had done it but she had one also. I think Carol was in college and Bonnie and I still in high school. Both Carol and Mom got bowls or platters and Bonnie and I each a jewelry box, all made on the lathe. After that there were always bowls, platters, and other lathe items around the house in various stages of completion, waiting for oil or waiting to become gifts. They were usual items at the AFSC fund raising craft sell that Mt. View Friends Meeting would have each year. At one point he tried being part of a craft co-op, I offered to put in the time at the shop and he put in the bowls. I think that was the only time he sold them for his own profit, or that of the co-ops, I don't think it lasted long.
Another item mentioned in this letter is 'egg case fillers'. When our grandparents would come out to visit from Iowa, they would bring a case of eggs from the farm. Tim thinks a case was a dozen dozen eggs. I have the old egg case that they brought out, it is made of wood and we use it to hold magazines. The bottom is solid and sides have wood slats connected by metal rods. The fillers were cardboard and would stack in side holding 24 eggs on each layer. Between our two families in Colorado and with Grandma and Grandpa there for 2 weeks or more we would eat up those eggs. I imagine for packing the cookies that grandma cushioned them with the carboard egg case fillers and just made a box to fit.

January 6, 1943

C. P. S. #59
Elkton, Oregon
Jan. 6, 1943

Dear Folks,

You should have had two letters from me by now. It takes so long to get one out there that I suspect that it seems like I have forgotten you.

I got your letter yesterday that was written on the 31st. I wrote on the same day which you should have gotten by now. The cookies came the day before yesterday. They were in very good condition. I guess that that system of making eggcase fillers for them is pretty good. That must be quite a bit of work to fix up a box like that. How will my having to have my sugar book effect the cookie situation? I hope that after a few months this camp will be able to get the same deal that Coshocton was. But they may not. Some of the fellows that were in on the beginning of the Coshocton camp said that at first they had trouble getting enough sugar too. Another thing is that this camp is growing pretty fast too and the new fellows that come in don’t have any sugar here so they have to eat off the rest. There were 30 men here when we arrived and there were 39 of us and now the score is 83.

The weather has improved a lot this week. It seems dry cause we havn’t had any rain since yesterday afternoon. I guess that is normal Oregon winter a good day every once in a while. The sun shone quite a bit today and I almost got my directions straightened out. The sun came up in the northwest today and I got around to seem more like it went down in the south instead of the west. In a couple of days I may get straightened out right.

I got into a really good job here. I am in charge of the camp wood shop which means that I am a sort of official carpenter and handy man to fix most anything. I really love that kind of work and It will be mostly dry too. There is a lot of swell wood-working equipment here. It was left by the CCC and the Land Office (which we work under) requested that they leave it here for us. The director signed for it which means that the Service Committee will have to replace anything damaged. Well, this carpenter shop has a 36” turning lathe, planer that will take a 7” board, a jig saw, an 8” bench-saw, a 12” bench-saw, a band-saw, and electric press-drill and an electric hand drill. Also a lot of hand tools such as saws and planes. I’m really having a picnic getting that stuff arranged. It had been set up in a hurry by some of the 30 men that were here before we from Coshocton came, but it was done so sloppy that it wasn’t safe or efficient. Besides all that shop machinery there is a lot of smaller machinery of the same type that is stored here. 5 other laithes and 2 or 3 saws. WE have three 16 mm. movie projectors and about 20 typewriters. Only one of the movie projectors works right now but I think they can be fixed. The typewriters don’t all work either but I imagine that most of them be repaired.

I have been doing carpenter work on the project up till today which was the first day that I worked in the shop. I think I am very fortunate to get this job, I had some competition and I’LL have to do good work to keep people satisfied.

I think I shall be pretty happy here, in some ways this camp is going to be better than Coshocton but the weather is lousy.

Don’t get to thinking that I’m not interested in what happens back home. I’m looking forward to getting back to help youns next spring if it can be arranged. Plenty of time to talk about that. Its time to go to bed now.

Thanks a lot for that last fiver, I know of something that I think I shall spend some of it for, tell you about it later.

Yours,
Bernard

Monkey Wards

These are the last two letters of 1942. There's a lot about rain and rain coats. Dad gets a coat from Monkey Wards, which was Montgomery Wards. I've heard that the coming of the catalogs Sears and Montgomery Wards to rural america impacted local stores and communities the way that Walmart has or Amazon.com. Taking away business from the small local stores. I don't know if others refered to the store as Monkey Wards but Dad and grandpa did and always bought their overalls and jeans there.

December 31, 1942

C. P. S. #59
Elkton, Oregon
Dec. 31, 1942

Dear folks,

Here it is the last day of the year. It is still raining too. We have had an awful lot of rain here, more than they usually have they say. The River that goes by camp is way up and you can see logs go by most any time. It caused the road to cave way and slide into the river between camp and where we work. Luckily we didn’t go to work today or we would have been shut out of camp I guess. We don’t know exactly how bad the road is, it is a blacktop highway so the state men will have to get it fixed. According to the rumors there was a guy driving along and couldn’t stop in time so he drove right into the hole then there was a truck that was close behind him and it came in right on top of his car, there wasn’t anyone hurt tho. Ite first man had just climbed out of his car when the truck came in. In an ordinary rain we keep right on working but the last three days it has been raining extra hard and the day before yesterday it was quite chilly too. Yesterday the wind started to blow so we came in right after dinner cause it isn’t good to stay in burned over timber when there is much wind. Today we didn’t even go out it was raining so hard. By now the rain has slacked to an ordinary drisle.

Your present came the other day and I’m very greatful for it. I havn’t decided what to use it for yet but there will be something that will turn up that I can use it for. I got grandpa and grandma Aldrich’s dollar yesterday. It came to Coshocton first.

I don’t have much to say this time. I really wrote to get you to send my sugar ration book. It seems they havn’t got this camp on an institutional basis. I think they will afterwhile but they want our books so I guess you’ll have to give it up. Maybe I’ll get it back before long.

My ‘tin’ coat and hat came but the pants didn’t come. We sent to Monkey Wards at Portland. The papers havn’t come yet so we don’t know whether we will get them or not. The CCC left some ‘tin’ clothes here but not near enough to go around. I borrowed a pair till mine come. I felt that I should buy myself some since I had a little money cause lots of the fellows don’t have any. That tin coat sure is nice it would be a dandy coat anywhere. The Monkey Wards catalogue sure is different here. A lot of western clothes, boots, big hats and that sort of stuff.

Thanks again for the three bucks.

Yours
Bernard

C. P. S. #59
Elkton, Oregon
Dec. 26, 1942


Dear Folks,

Well, I’m still in Oregon. I’m sort of behind with my letter writing. You wouldn’t get much of a letter this time. I made some carbon coppies of a sort of report of some of the main things that happened and about the camp and project here. It seemd that that was the only way I would ever get caught up and be able to tell some of the I wanted to tell about the trip out here.

This is the rainiest place I ever got into. They get over 100 inches a year and they get it in 8 months they tell me. The other 4 months are very dry and then is when the forest fires are bad.

I just got some warm winter clothes for the cold weather at Coshocton and now I come out here where it doesn’t get cold but it rains all the time. Well, it looks like I’m going to have to get some rain clothes. I wore my good raincoat one day and I couldn’t stand to wear it to work in the mud and slop. So I got one of the raincoats that the CCC left here it was a lot lighter but isn’t too water proof. A raincoat isn’t a very good thing to work in anyway, the tail is always getting in your road and they are hot if you are getting any exercise. Out here in the west they wear what they call “tin suits” they are made out of 8oz. army duck. They make them triple thick where the wear is and on the shoulders and claim they shed water beter than anything else. They are called “tin” cause they are stif and bend like they are made of tin. Well, I figured that it made about the same difference if I spent my money for clothes instead of giving it to the Service committee and then some one else can use the raincoat that I’ve been using and also I’m be more comfortable. So I’m sending for a “tin suit” with several other fellows, one of them has checking account and will send his check. I’d like for Dad to send me a check for 11 dollars. I image it would be better for him to send it by check but he can suit himself.

Another thing, if I remember right my insurance is due about this time. I suppose Dad had better send them a check too. I have about decided that if I have to stay in C.P.S. I may have to spend some more money for clothes. So I’ve got a nothion to hang on to the last $50 to spend on things for myself. What do you think of that?

It takes a long time for letters to get out here so I hope you can answer soon and I’ll try to do better to.

So far I’m just as healthy out here as ever. I wouldn’t be supprised if I’m healthier here. In Coshocton the weather would get warm then the next day it would be cold, but this is pretty steady here---it rains all the time. Oh it isn’t quite that bad, it didn’t rain at all yesterday, out here they don’t want a white Christmas they just want a dry Christmas.
Mrs. Weant sent me, or is sening me, a subscription to the Christian Herald. Pretty nice. I just got a card saying that I was to receive it.

I just got your last letter yesterday, it had to be forwarded from Coshocton. We left here on the 19th at noon.

Write soon.

Yours
Bernard

P.S. That ‘Buch’ you sent me will come in handy. I was flat broke when I got here. I never got that letter till the 24th either. I hope the corn is out by now.

B.A.