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DN: Now, Eagledale is located on that ridge to the south of Winslow, south of that bay, pretty steep ridge, right?

EH: Well, we were, where we lived was just off of New Sweden Avenue, kind of up on the hill, and that was Pine Street. It was just a, not even a block long, the street, but we still called it New Sweden Avenue. And there were more Norwegians on there than there were Swedes. How it got the name "New Sweden Avenue," I don't know.

DN: Maybe it sounded better than "New Norway." Who knows? Did, did, can you describe your place?

EH: Dad built, well, we lived in, in four different places. Two of 'em on this Pine Street, the first place, when I came home from the, the hospital after being born, I was too young to remember that place. And then we moved, oh, about a block and a half away, and lived there until I think 1929. 'Cause my sister was born in that house, and then I mentioned Pete Oness, Dad built his home at the very end of New Sweden Avenue, and we lived there until 1931, I think. And then from there I went to McDonald grade school, and then to Bainbridge High School. And then Dad built the house, which was a real big home, and it's still there. Then let's see... I think there's been about three or four people that have owned it since, since we sold it.

DN: Was it a, the... this house was built when? What year?

EH: Pardon?

DN: What, what year was that house built?

EH: I'm gonna say 1931, 1932. Somewheres in there.

DN: So that's the house you mostly remember growing up in.

EH: Yes, yes.

DN: You say it's a, it was a pretty big house?

EH: Yes.

DN: How big was your lot?

EH: Well, we had two, two acres there.

DN: And did you keep a garden?

EH: Oh, Dad always had a garden. And, and he dug everything, he loved to raise potatoes, because back in Norway, that was one of the things that they were, raised a lot of, on their, on their farm there. And the farm in Norway, I'm gonna guess, probably is about fifty acres, and my cousin built a new home there, and that's where they live. And the first time I came to Norway, they were a little bit afraid, because Norwegian custom, the eldest son of the eldest son is the property owner. And my father was the eldest son, and I'm the eldest son. So when I got there they were very nervous. I said, "Just calm down." I says, "All I want to do is come here and visit with you people, and that's all." Says, "What you do with the property, that's yours." But a beautiful piece of property. And I always wondered, Dad always liked to have birch trees, and he also liked to have hazelnut trees. And the hill going down to the lake was just covered with hazelnut trees, in Norway, and birch.

DN: So...

EH: And then we, in our hill where, there in Eagledale, it had oh, I think about five or six hazelnut trees. And Dad just treasured 'em. He never got to pick any of the nuts or anything, and then one time he and I were out lookin' for a Christmas tree, and I told him, I said, "That looks like a birch tree right there." And it was a little tiny thing. Boy, we went home, got the shovel and dug that up. It's still there, and I have two descendants of that tree right across the crick.

DN: Here in your, on your property.

EH: Uh-huh.

DN: Did, how many siblings, brothers and sisters do you have?

EH: I have two sisters and one brother.

DN: Do you remember what years they were born?

EH: Let's see. My sister (Jeanette) was born in 1929, Lucille was born in 1931, she's the same age as my wife, and my kid brother (Reynold) was born in 1933. They're not, none of 'em are around here.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.