<Begin Segment 13>

KN: Let's talk about leaving Minidoka. What did you, how did you leave Minidoka?

EK: Well, there was this Simplot family farm wanted workers, so my husband applied. And he got a job, and we moved to Jamieson, a small town near Twin Falls, and we stayed there a year (...). I told you Joyce went to this school, and I figured, well, I think one teacher had more recesses than necessary. [Laughs] And I figured, well, this is not going to work. So then this neighbor of ours, Cereghinos, Italian family, wanted help, so there was a Japanese family that already lived there, (were good friends) of ours (who) asked us if we'd come back to Fairview and work for Cereghinos, so that's how we came back to Fairview.

KN: How did you come back to Fairview? Was it on a train or by car?

EK: No. Kenny's, Ruth's family had a truck, and this friend of ours that worked there went and borrowed this truck, and he helped us move over, and we stayed one night at Inukais, I remember, and then we moved to this house (the Cereghinos) farmer had and stayed there until we got settled.

KN: [Coughs] Excuse me. What was it like coming back to the community that you left? What were your feelings?

EK: Well, my neighbors were good, so I felt kind of safe, and I was glad to, my husband was glad to get work to do.

KN: Did things look the same as when you had left? Can you tell me what was different?

EK: Well, I don't know. I just can't explain, the house was different.

KN: But when you came back, were your things safe that you had stored?

EK: Nothing was there. Only thing that I remember was odd, I had a sewing machine, and the government had stored it someplace, and I got it in Minidoka. And I don't know if there was many other things that... I don't know what it is, but I got my sewing machine back.

KN: And you got that back when you were in Fairview?

EK: Uh-huh.

KN: Were your belongings, were they even there? Were they just, everything was stolen?

EK: Everything was stolen.

KN: How was that, how was that like for your parents to come back?

EK: Well, only thing they said, "Well, I guess we'll have to start over." [Laughs]

KN: Where did they come back to when they came back to the area? Did they live with you?

EK: Yeah, they lived with us in this house that the Cereghinos had provided for us, and we were there for seven or eight years, and we got enough money so we bought this acre and a half on Sandy (Blvd).

KN: And is that all in the same area where you grew up?

EK: Uh-huh. But then, of course, that year that we had that (Vanport) flood, well, we just moved. We were living in this house, Cereghinos property, then we just moved up to this house (on) acreage that we rented, Marcia was born in February. But we lost a whole year of crop that we had raised there.

KN: Coming back, your husband, you had mentioned your husband had worked as an electrician in Minidoka. Did he come back to Portland and pursue any career as an electrician?

EK: No.

KN: Did he do anything like that when he came back? When you came back, you had two daughters with you now.

EK: Uh-huh, I had two daughters with me.

KN: How was that like, traveling back with them?

EK: I don't know, we just thought we had something that we had to do.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2014 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.