My Ghost Town Home in the West

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Charlie: "Grandpa, how did this town become a ghost town?"

Me: "When it died."

Charlie: "How did it die?"

Me: "Charlie, everything was just fine here until about 80 years ago. That's when they built a railroad to Heppner rather than to Hardman. The last business closed in 1968 and almost everyone moved away."

This was my third visit over the years to the ghost town of Hardman, Oregon, where my ancestors once lived. It was daughter Diana's first, as well as 4-year-old grandson Charlie's.

But first, however, we'd visited nearby Heppner and the wonderful Morrow County Museum, where I'd met old-timer Bob Lovgren. Not only had he shown me some artifacts from my family's history, he'd known them all: the Simpsons, the Bechdolts, even the Merrills!

Some of them are buried in Heppner, so before we left for Hardman, we drove high atop South Hill to Heppner Cemetery, where we got a bird's eye view of Heppner and Willow Creek Lake.

We soon found the gravestones of my great-granduncle Justus Simpson, his wife Susan, their daughter Cora and her husband, Edward Jay Merrill. But something new, a large monument erected in 2003, had been added since my last visit. It was dedicated to the estimated 238 people swept away by the deadliest natural disaster in Oregon's history: the tragic flash flood of 1903. The survivors swore "Never again," but it took them 80 years to finally build a dam "to end all dams," thus turning Willow Creek into a huge retention lake. (Note: the dam proved its mettle against two potentially deadly flash floods – BOTH in the spring of 2011!)

At last we drove to Hardman, about a half-hour drive over very barren land. It was a desolate, isolated land full of high rolling hills with no trees. There we photographed each other in front of the deserted houses.

Charlie: "Are these ghost houses Grandpa?"

Me: "No Charlie. If you look around, there are 3 or 4 squatters in some of them. They've moved in, much like Hermit crabs move into deserted shells."

The rest of our folks were buried about four miles out Hardman Ridge Road in the IOOF Hardman Cemetery. My wife Anne and I found it only six years ago, after a book-signing event in Milton-Freewater, after nearly giving up the search. After all, ghosts aren't good on giving directions. It was then that we met a nice couple backing out of their driveway, the only humans for miles. We pulled up and hailed them.

"Excuse me folks," I asked, "could you direct us to the cemetery?"

"I'll take you there," said the man. "I'm the caretaker. Follow us."

We couldn't believe our good fortune. Follow them we did!

Turns out the cemetery was barely visible on a hill behind the now-vacant TREO hunting lodge. The couple, Bob and Judy Stevens, were so kind, so accommodating. Anne stayed with Judy while Bob took me on a walking tour of the cemetery to meet my long-dead relatives. Like Mr. Lovgren back in Heppner, Bob had also grown up with them and had known them all.

We found Cora Simpson's father-in-law, Thomas J. Merrill and his wife Eudora. Cora's sister Jennie and her husband, William W. Bechdolt were here, along with Archie and Adrian, their two sons.

We had followed Justus all the way across America. Justus had followed his sister Mary Jane. Mary Jane had followed her husband Theo. And Theo had followed his dream – to settle in the West. Still others followed by the thousands. Nothing, not even the deaths of over two hundred people in a horrible flood, deterred any of them them from their dream.

Bob said they'd read about us in the newspaper but never expected us to show up in their driveway! (By the way, Bob is in the Blue Mountain Old-Time Fiddlers Association and plays a mean fiddle!). They were an unforgettable couple.

And today was an unforgettable day. Diana and I were trying to get over the recent death of her brother, my son David. And Anne had died only six months ago.

"Grandpa, I'm hungry!" said Charlie.

"We are too, sweetie."

If we wanted anything to eat, it would have to be somewhere else. It was a long and winding road back to Walla Walla.

2 Samuel 12:23 – "But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” (King David speaking of his infant son who died)