OROVADA - Last spring was the beginning of the 150th anniversary of the most devastating war in the history of our country. The first battle of the Civil War began when the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter in April of 1861, and by the time the South surrendered at Appomattox in April of 1865 some 618,222 Americans had lost their lives. Most of us are familiar with names from that war such as Abraham Lincoln who, as president carried the burden of a nation divided during his watch, and was himself assassinated just days after the war ended; and General Grant, who was voted in as president of a reunited country a few years later. There was General Robert E. Lee who broke the vow that he took as a West Point graduate to defend the Union, when he found that he couldn't fight against his fellow Virginians. But, what are the stories of some of the other soldiers who participated in this terribly sad event in American history.
Living in Iowa, Dan Hill fought for the Union while, it is believed, his younger brother Frank Hill served as a Bugle Boy. Coming home at the end of the war to a state that was suffering from a bad economy, Frank chose to seek a new start further west. He worked as a wagon scout on the Applegate Trail, making three trips across what was known as the southern route of the Oregon Trail. The Applegate's had lost family members on the northern route down the Columbia River and sought a safer route to lead folks to the Willamette Valley. The wagons left the Humboldt River near today's Winnemucca, headed across the Black Rock Desert, and through Surprise Valley before going north into Oregon. By the mid 1850s many were traveling on the trail that is still the basis for Oregon's major transportation routes.
It was possibly no surprise that after his third trip, McDermitt Combined School Alumni, John Hill's great Grandfather Frank decided to settle in Surprise Valley and begin ranching. Located near Cedarville, Calif., he raised horses for the military and, he and his wife Ida Mae (Best) raised their family there. (One of Ida's sisters married a man named Rienhart, who owned Alder Creek Ranch near Denio, and Rienhart Lane going into Winnemucca is named for them.) John's grandfather Charlie was the oldest of his generation and he and his wife Hattie Elizabeth (Lusk) stayed on the home place where John's dad George was born. Later the family relocated to Lakeview, Ore., but at age 14, George left home traveling to Montana on horseback with his friend, Frank Pool. Finding it too cold there, they came back to Boise, Idaho, to work on some ranches, before ending up on the 25 Ranch in Battle Mountain, working for the Sewell Brothers, who owned it and a market in Winnemucca. George was at their Duck Valley ranch until he joined the army during World War II. Serving his duty on the South Pacific front, George was wounded in New Guinea and while in the hospital, the story is that his bed pan boy was actor Red Buttons. (A conscientious objector, Buttons served with the medics.)
George returned to Cedarville after the war but because of his love for Nevada he took a position as Forest Service Ranger at Ruby Valley for six months out of the year, and worked on a ranch owned by Johnny Murphy the rest of the year. Married in 1946, he and his wife, Madaline Deloris (Pool), settled in Lakeview. John's older brother Gene (MHS 1972 and retired Humboldt County Sheriff) was born in '53 followed by John in '55 and younger brother Monte in '56. John had not yet started school when his dad decided to return to Nevada, taking out desert entry in Orovada. As they were closing the water rights, George settled for a smaller place, and to make ends meet worked on the Flat Creek Ranch, owned by Frank Cosik, (later owned by Ted and Karen Cosik Ugalde) managed by Frank Duarte.
John started first grade that fall in the cinder block school at Orovada that housed all eight grades plus an apartment for the teacher. By the sixth grade he was the only kid in his class but was joined by four more that year. Mr. Moore, a retired Winnemucca teacher taught that year and John remembers thinking he was in a lot of trouble when Mr. Moore came at him with a big paddle, only to find out that he was going to give him "birthday swats." He says he was fast enough to run from all of them. The next year was with his favorite teacher of all - Mrs. Herbrand. He said it was some years later before he really appreciated her, but felt he learned more that year than any other year. He liked it when Rev. Inzer was the sub, remembering that he always had a big smile on his face. The eighth grade was in the school's newly built addition. He says those years were the start of his football career and that they all got in trouble for going to a nice smooth airstrip close by the school to play and didn't hear the bell ring ending recess!!
Football practice at McDermitt in the fall of 1969 left him so sore he could hardly walk. There were 28 guys on the team and they won the state championship that year. John says he mostly got splinters sitting on the bench, but both his junior and senior years he was All-State defensive end and they were state co-champs his junior year. He played basketball and was on the track team all four years of school as well.
Although a "big" school like McDermitt was "scary" and he never did really like school, he had fun. He liked shop class with Ed Parington and looked forward to his senior year as the seniors got to take auto mechanics, only to be disappointed when school started and Mr. Parington was not coming back! Lasting friendships can be made at a young age and John still appreciates his friends from high school such as John Alcorta (deceased) and Poncho McErquiaga.
When his dad passed away, John was only a sophomore and he said that the whole football team came to the funeral to support him and his brothers. After that it was up to the boys to get home after school in the fall and spring to do the farming. Eventually, John and Monte were left at home and he began to build his life around the farm. He drove tractor for Cliff Donaldson, fed cows at Flat Creek and he says that Bill Crow, nicknamed the Hay Shaker, helped him get his first truck, learn to load it and start hauling hay when he was 20 years old. After a summer in the hay field he looked forward to seeing new country in California, Oregon and Idaho as well as in Nevada. Delivering hay to locals helped him get acquainted with people that he always enjoyed visiting with. He remembers delivering hay to a place in Idaho that looked like it was at the end of the rope and thinking "I may not get paid!!" Later he learned that the folks who owned it were very well off and owned a large equipment store in the Boise Valley. One tense time was going down Donner into California. The road had closed right behind him and his trailer started to slide and come around him even though it was chained up. The only way to avoid catastrophe was to speed up and outrun it. He had to stop for a long breather at the bottom of the hill!!
For recreation he enjoyed racing Circle Track Cars with Randy and Terry McClintick until the event was cancelled in the early '80's. Drag racing started in the '90's and John has a Camaro that he enjoys racing occasionally. (The last one he went to he raced against his youngest son Frankie, and even though he didn't win the race he was satisfied to beat Frankie!!)
In 1983 John married Debbie (Stinton) (MHS 1969), and inherited a readymade family of two daughters, Tina and Heidi. They were soon joined by Sam, Katie and Frankie. John and Debbie are proud that by next spring all of their kids' pictures will have joined theirs as McDermitt Combined School graduates on the long wall above the lockers. Tina now has a degree in Nutrition; Heidi is a captain in the Air Force with a Masters in Diplomacy (She is now studying Arabic); Sam is employed at Cabela's in Reno; Katie graduated from UNLV and is working on her masters at UNR with plans to go into a Doctorate program in Administration; and Frankie will graduate from MHS next spring and intends to go into welding.
With no real retirement plans, except to see local country, John did add a new "hobby" in 2006 when he became a Humboldt County school board member. He just shakes his head when he remembers being a kid who didn't like school, because through the years he has come to realize how important education is. He believes that the district is lucky to have Mike Bumgartner as superintendent and Dave Jensen as his assistant.
John would share with the kids at McDermitt, "I didn't think I liked school and had no plan whatsoever to continue on but I realize now that you need the best education you can get to get ahead. Pay attention and take every advantage of all the education that is offered to you!!"
Sharon Falen's column on McDermitt alumni appears the first Tuesday of each month in the Humboldt Sun.[[In-content Ad]]
