Springfield, Oregon
When they arrived in Springfield in the fall of 1930, Pluma and Percy and the kids first went to the home of Pluma’s aunt Viola, her dad’s sister. Edna Fern wrote, “She was good to us, but she was very strict. She had only one daughter (Ella), who had died young, so Aunt Viola didn’t know much about kids. One evening I happily broke into the Charleston and she said, ‘My goodness, Pluma, you didn’t tell me Edna Fern has St. Vitus dance.’ She had never seen such contortions before, nor did she again, from me. We didn’t stay long with Aunt Viola as we soon found an affordable upstairs apartment with a kind elderly couple living below us. As soon as we were settled, Dad started working at Uncle Byron’s garage in Springfield.
“It was a baffling but satisfying experience to start back to school in Springfield. Because we arrived six weeks after school started, I was allowed to take only two of the required subjects. After taking so many in Canada, this seemed like a snap, so when the new semester started in February I was allowed to take five subjects. I found that I liked the American school system better: some subjects were required—English, History and Civics—but for the most part we could choose what we wanted to study. I took typing and was the third fastest and most accurate typist in the class of over forty students. I was proud of myself but disappointed that only the two top typists got to go to the competition in Salem. I took part in many school activities that I enjoyed, whether or not I excelled at them. We all took Physical Education—a nice change from mental effort. I wasn’t much good at making accurate shots in basketball, but I was a fairly dependable guard.”
Percy and Pluma were still hopeful about their farming prospects for the following year, so they planned to return for the spring seeding. As well, they were eager to get back to Lyman, who had written that he’d been caught in a late fall blizzard while riding horseback the five miles from home to the Lidgett post office to pick up the boots he’d ordered from Eaton’s catalogue. The boots he wore on the ride were too tight, so his circulation was poor and he’d gotten serious frostbite. The Lidgetts had put his feet in cold water to help relieve the pain of his feet warming up, but in his condition Lyman was struggling to care for the animals and wanted the folks home as soon as they could get there.
In late March, 1931, Percy and Pluma left Springfield with Bob and Lela and headed back home. Bob had left before the end of the school year but was given grade-8 standing nonetheless. Lela told of how they got caught in a blizzard going across the mountains but were fortunate to come across a cabin where they could weather the storm: “The next day the owner came. He was hospitable and was fine with us being there.” Another bit of excitement Lela recalled on their return trip was when they were going down a mountain and Percy saw a wheel roll by: “Dad stopped fast and Bob got out and caught it. It was our back wheel!” Lela also remembered that she was hanging on to the backseat door handle and the door flew open; she started falling out of the car but “Bob grabbed me and kept me in.” This was the family’s first car, and the children weren’t yet aware of its potential dangers.
“It was a baffling but satisfying experience to start back to school in Springfield. Because we arrived six weeks after school started, I was allowed to take only two of the required subjects. After taking so many in Canada, this seemed like a snap, so when the new semester started in February I was allowed to take five subjects. I found that I liked the American school system better: some subjects were required—English, History and Civics—but for the most part we could choose what we wanted to study. I took typing and was the third fastest and most accurate typist in the class of over forty students. I was proud of myself but disappointed that only the two top typists got to go to the competition in Salem. I took part in many school activities that I enjoyed, whether or not I excelled at them. We all took Physical Education—a nice change from mental effort. I wasn’t much good at making accurate shots in basketball, but I was a fairly dependable guard.”
Percy and Pluma were still hopeful about their farming prospects for the following year, so they planned to return for the spring seeding. As well, they were eager to get back to Lyman, who had written that he’d been caught in a late fall blizzard while riding horseback the five miles from home to the Lidgett post office to pick up the boots he’d ordered from Eaton’s catalogue. The boots he wore on the ride were too tight, so his circulation was poor and he’d gotten serious frostbite. The Lidgetts had put his feet in cold water to help relieve the pain of his feet warming up, but in his condition Lyman was struggling to care for the animals and wanted the folks home as soon as they could get there.
In late March, 1931, Percy and Pluma left Springfield with Bob and Lela and headed back home. Bob had left before the end of the school year but was given grade-8 standing nonetheless. Lela told of how they got caught in a blizzard going across the mountains but were fortunate to come across a cabin where they could weather the storm: “The next day the owner came. He was hospitable and was fine with us being there.” Another bit of excitement Lela recalled on their return trip was when they were going down a mountain and Percy saw a wheel roll by: “Dad stopped fast and Bob got out and caught it. It was our back wheel!” Lela also remembered that she was hanging on to the backseat door handle and the door flew open; she started falling out of the car but “Bob grabbed me and kept me in.” This was the family’s first car, and the children weren’t yet aware of its potential dangers.
Aunt Viola in her cornfield—a striking contrast to the drought-stricken prairies.
Edna Fern’s Fledgeling Independence
Earning Her Room and Board
Edna Fern wrote, “I didn’t want to drop out of school to go back home even if they would give me my grade standing. I enjoyed both the studies and the stimulation of being with so many classmates and teachers, so I stayed with Aunt Viola for the remainder of the school year. Although she was stern, I was pleasantly surprised when I left the shelter of her home to open my Bible and find a dollar bill she had placed there.
“During the summer I worked for a family by the name of Chase. Several members of the clan owned and ran greenhouses. It was said that our Baptist Church was the most beautifully decorated house of worship in the state, as each Saturday these people took flowers in and tastefully arranged them. The people in this family were true Christians. The Mrs. Chase I lived with made me several sets of underwear from practical cotton material when I left with her when I moved to another home in the fall; I felt a bit undeserving because I wasn’t really much help to her as I was not naturally inclined towards housework.
“I stayed on in the fall to complete my last year of high school in Springfield, and after I left the Chases’ I got a job working for my board with a sickly lady whose husband was a policeman. She was a very pretty lady and very patient with me. Her husband thought it was a great joke one day when showing me the prison to shove me in a cell and lock the door. It didn’t bother me, though, because he was always joking around and I liked him.
“The next place I worked for my board was with a Jewish family who owned a store. I had trouble with the children. The little girl would tease me by pulling all the blankets off the bed as soon as I had made it. The children’s grandma lived with them and tried to keep the home organized but it was hectic. Based on my own upbringing, I expected immediate obedience from the children but I soon learned that not all children were raised that way.”
Taking on New Challenges at School
“One of my dark times away from my family was when I acted in a school play, which I loved to do, but when I got to the school to perform, I realized that there would be no one in the audience who would care whether I did well. I felt so sorry for myself that I started to cry and had difficulty stopping in time to go on stage. I was playing the role of a middle-aged woman and my role wasn’t all that important, nor my performance outstanding, but if my family had been there to see me perform I would have felt good anyway.
“Although my acting debut lacked rewards, I did enjoy being on the debating team, coached by John Knox, the talented great-great-great grandson of the Scottish theologian. Mr. Knox had a car with a rumble seat, and how we enjoyed zipping around the country in that car. He always put me on as second speaker, the first speaker handling rebuttal. But one day he was out of town with the school’s other debating team, and I wanted the chance to see what I could do so I persuaded my partner to allow me, this once, to take the lead speech and rebuttal.
“I threw myself into our team’s position on the subject: We should have Unemployment Insurance. I gave it all I had, not feeling self-conscious as I believed our school’s other team and coach were far away. Imagine my surprise when we were announced as winners and a girl from our other team rushed onto the stage and hugged me! Mr. Knox and the other team had arrived back in time to hear my rebuttal. From then on, I was the lead speaker and it was all very exciting. We got to travel a bit and were tied for first place for the state of Oregon, but I had to sit out the final debate on account of having the flu. The other team, I believe it was Salem, was declared the State Debating Champions. I’ve always wondered what the result might have been if I’d been able to participate.”
Edna Fern’s Graduation and Homecoming
Edna Fern with the many bouquets she received at her high-school graduation in 1932.
“The school year passed quickly, and I was successful in passing all my courses so would be graduating from high school. I used my debating ability to persuade the graduating class not to rent gowns for the occasion, as it would have cost $5.00 and I felt we would have nothing to show for it later. Ruth was by this time established in nursing so she loaned me a dress for the banquet, but for graduation I bought a deep red (cerise) formal for the $5.00 that would have just gone towards the rental of a gown.
“Perhaps because flowers are plentiful in the state of Oregon, it was the custom to give the graduates flowers, and I ended up with more flowers than anyone else. Because so many knew that I had no relatives at my graduation, many of my Baptist friends brought flowers for me, thinking they would be the only ones I would receive. I deeply appreciated this. And when the principal handed out the diplomas he called me to the stage saying, ‘Edna Fern Haverfield, our special student from Canada.’ It was a day of victory for me, a milestone in my life.
“The very next day I had to leave those gorgeous bouquets and all my friends behind. A classmate’s relatives had come for her graduation, and they offered me a ride to Portland. From there I got on the Great Northern Railway to travel back to Montana where I would be picked up and taken back home. Dad had cut trees and hauled logs to town to earn the money to send my fare home, and I appreciated that very much.
“I traveled as far as Theony, Montana, and was napping in the depot when the station agent invited me to go to his nearby home and get a good sleep. My Dad and Uncle Ralph soon came after me from Glasgow, and I felt such happiness when we crossed the line back into Canada.”
“Perhaps because flowers are plentiful in the state of Oregon, it was the custom to give the graduates flowers, and I ended up with more flowers than anyone else. Because so many knew that I had no relatives at my graduation, many of my Baptist friends brought flowers for me, thinking they would be the only ones I would receive. I deeply appreciated this. And when the principal handed out the diplomas he called me to the stage saying, ‘Edna Fern Haverfield, our special student from Canada.’ It was a day of victory for me, a milestone in my life.
“The very next day I had to leave those gorgeous bouquets and all my friends behind. A classmate’s relatives had come for her graduation, and they offered me a ride to Portland. From there I got on the Great Northern Railway to travel back to Montana where I would be picked up and taken back home. Dad had cut trees and hauled logs to town to earn the money to send my fare home, and I appreciated that very much.
“I traveled as far as Theony, Montana, and was napping in the depot when the station agent invited me to go to his nearby home and get a good sleep. My Dad and Uncle Ralph soon came after me from Glasgow, and I felt such happiness when we crossed the line back into Canada.”