Mildred Carriere's Oral History Transcription

Description

Here is the oral history transcription for the interview, which took place between Davine Pera and Mildred Carriere on 11/11/1989: Mildred Carriere-OH24 CD1 20 tracks 44:31 1. Introduction and identification. 2. Parent's birth and history. Grandfather was doctor. Grandmother was a schoolteacher. Lived in the Delta area, then in Sawpit when her father was seven. Rodger’s Mesa. 3. Mildred was born in Dolores, and moved to Telluride at age 12. Discusses parents’ marriage and early memories. Vanadium. New Meyer. 4. Early years in Pandora. Father worked summers on the farm and winters at the mine in order to keep a steady income. Mildred began school in Telluride in the 6th grade. She never graduated, mostly because of the changes in 1928-29 when the mines closed. 5. Describes Pandora as a busy town around the turn of the century and in the early 20's. There were many saloons, grocery stores, dance halls, and a church. Mildred rode the bus (horse and buggy or sleigh) into Telluride to attend school. A total of 53 kids rode the bus from Pandora and San Miguel. 6. Talks of the population of Telluride around 1924. Discussion of the different mines around the area such as: Pennsylvania Tunnel, Tomboy, Smuggler Union mines. Elaborates on the various communities that strived at the mines; especially at the Tomboy in the 20’s. Speaks of the stage that ran from Telluride to the Tomboy every day. 7. Mildred speaks of the first night in Pandora and all the people she met; including her future husband, Bud. Grandpa Carriere (husband's father), French Alec, was a muleskinner. His nickname came from his two-year trek from Quebec to Telluride. Tells of some of his experiences, how all supplies to the mines were delivered by the mule trains. Mentions that he brought beer into town after the Trout Lake Flood, and gives the history of the Trout Lake Flood. David Lavender. 8. Mildred was married in the early part of the depression at the age of 17. Speaks of the houses that were stripped by out of towners during that time. They were most interested in iron and copper, since it was in high demand and could be sold quickly. 9. Her early married years, how they lived in Rico for six months until the mine there closed. Bud worked up on Wilson Mesa for 12/hours each day and was paid $1. 10. Describes the parties and social activities during her growing up years in Pandora. Her mother played the piano. Speaks of special friends at Brown Homestead in San Miguel San Miguel had a schoolhouse that was used for dances and parties. Tells of the birth of their children. 11. Differences in activities for different counties: Pandora and San Miguel children didn’t play sports or get involved with after school activities because of lack of transportation. 12. Mildred talks about how she and Bud lived in their house by the cemetery for 41 years. Their fifth child, Charlotte, was born there in 1945. They raised 4 boys and a girl there. 13. Mildred speaks of her husband's accident in the mine; he broke his hip and pelvis and spent from February through May in the hospital. He never went back to work in the mine but worked in the mill afterwards. All five of their children graduated from Telluride high school. 14. Discussion about government commodities during the depression. It was next to impossible for residents of Pandora and San Miguel to actually acquire anything when supplies arrived. By the time word got to these areas, the people in Telluride had everything accounted for. 15. Speaks of all the bootlegging in town. Describes social lodges in town, and the churches. Mildred was a member of the Commonweal as well as Rebecca Lodge. 16. Midge worked for 20 years for city government and never received any retirement pay. She began in 1951 and was treasurer for two years. She then ran for the clerk position and won. Shortly thereafter, she handled both the treasury and clerk positions simultaneously. Her largest paycheck during those years was $219.00. Talks about life in Telluride now and the changes in population. 17. Names the many mayors she worked for, including Homer Reed. 18. Midge walked to work, worked from 1-5pm and then attended town council meetings at 7pm. Sometimes the meetings would run until 2am, without any compensation for the extra time. 19. Midge quit working and talks about how much she missed the people and their dogs (she issued dog licenses in town). She comments on tourism and the ski resort; how it is a good thing not only for Telluride but for it’s neighboring communities. 20. Midge and Bud paid $400 for original house and lots in early 30's. The property just resold for $850,000. Speaks of her feelings about selling their home. Mildred Carriere-OH24 CD2 12 Tracks, 48:26 1. Mildred tells of different snow slides. In 1927, a slide took out two homes, the Hicks and the Giffords, killing the women. The Gifford’s two-year old son survived after being lodged underneath the floorboards. In 1924, Black Bear slid and killed five people. In 1958, Ajax slid while Midge’s son Robert was working in the mill. He survived by clinging to a pole as the snow overtook everything in its path. Midge also mentions the Marshall Creek Basin slide. Bud's father was caught in 9 different slides during his years working as a muleskinner. 2. Midge comments on the dangers of living in a mining town. Speaks of the war years and the rationing stamps that were issued for certain items. 3. Midge baked for different people in town to make extra money. She baked on a wood stove and sold her pies for $1 each. 4. Speaks of World War II and the Korean War. All four of her boys completed time in the service. However, none had to face direct combat during the Korean War. 5. Describes different holidays during the years. Recalls the wonderful 4th of July celebrations that sometimes ran into the 5th. Midge ran in all the races and won $13 one year. The BBQ was free and the fireworks were spectacular. She counted fifty people one year on her lawn to watch the event. 6. Christmas was also a memorable event in Telluride. Santa would arrive on Main Street complete with horses and bells and sacks of treats for every single child in town. 7. Memorial Day was another festive event in Telluride. There was always a live band and Midge recalls seeing all of the American Legion men dressed in full attire for the day. There was a 21-gun salute and the town was fully decorated. Midge has noticed a decline in the tradition of decorating the graves at the cemetery in recent years. 8. Speaks of the divisions of nationalities in town, the Swedes, Finns and etc. Tells of the hoboes and old men living in Muscatel Flats. 9. Describes the girls from the Red Light District, the way they were dressed and seeing them on horseback in town. They were called the “Painted Ladies” and Sara Carcher was their seamstress. Walt Snodgrass did chores for the girls while Swede Marie worked as a maid for the Red Light District. 10. Tells story of Tom McMahn's tragic life. Mentions a car accident on Keystone Hill, where a close relative was killed, as being a changing point in his personality. He hauled coal and was always very dirty. His wife, Julia, filed for divorce and it was an ugly affair. They had two children; Rosemary and Tommy. Tommy was killed in the war. 11. Discussion about local town characters. Swede Marie was the town’s bag lady. She used to sled down Catholic Hill into town. Walt Snodgrass always wore a money belt. Lon Remine lived in San Miguel He fought against his own brother in the Civil War. 12. Midge was a close friend of Aino Pekkarine. His son, David, was always sick and cold and died at the age of eight. They were the best shoemakers in town, and also made saddles. The family ran the dry goods store. Aino was a year older than Midge in school and always helped her with her homework. He was one of the smartest students in Telluride.