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TheLandoftheNever Sweats, and more memo- ries of the Honey Lake Val- ley from my cousin, writ- ten in 1998. "You cannot appreciate the life my grandmother lived without looking at the environment. When the Midwestern farm- ers came into Honey Lake Valley in the 1860's they thought they were in par- adise. A large lake, grass as high as your head, they surely would never have to sweat again. There was plenty of water. Eagle Lake would only need a tunnel to bring its water to the valley. Timber was every- where. If you could have stood at grandmother Molly and grandfather Al's wed- ding in Susanville on De- cember 23, 1900, full of the Christmas spirit, you would know that life was just going to be one big bed of roses for the bride and groom. Little did anyone know that they were in a well es- tablished 200 year weather cycle that was about to go dry. That Honey Lake's water level was dropping. That fortunes were soon to be lost tunneling Ea- gle Lake. And the world's greatest Depression was ahead. We now know that the warm humid Pacific air drops its moisture on the Western slopes of Sierras leaving the Eastern slopes arid. Tree ring evidence shows us that there is a 200 year cycle that brings wet conditions to the East- ern slopes in long cycles. The recognized date for the start of the drought is 1917. When we look at the strong personalities of this family. The many disap- points they experienced. The hard lives many of them lead. We must not forget that they raised their families and survived in conditions none of us would like to experience. Ranchers were always very secretive about their financial matters. Uncle Philip would never answer the question, "how many head do you run". He al- ways claimed that was the same as asking, "How much money do you have in the bank?" But, let's try to figure out the econom- ics of a depression days cattle ranch. First off if you didn't own the place, free and clear of debt, there is no way this operation could pay off. Uncle Philip in- herited a big debt that had come from my grandfa- ther's search for water. Un- cle Lyman, grandmoth- er's brother, was a "renter." There's just no way they could make money under those conditions. Uncle Philip ran about 200 head. My guess is Un- cle Lyman ran half that many. That means that when it came time to sell the calves to a buyer, Un- cle Philip may have had 170 calves to sell. Cat- tle prices in 1936 were about 4 cents a pound. That means a calf brought about $ 10.00. Total gross income for Uncle Philip's cattle would then be some- where around $ 2,000. For perspective that year a new Chevrolet cost $660. Many ranchers would speculate and hold calves over the winter. This meant they not only had to be fed hay, but also a supplement of cotton seed cake or molasses. That way they could produce a 600 pound yearling and hope cattle prices were better the next year. (Now with improved ge- netics, we wean calves at 600 to 700 lbs). In any event it was not a great money- maker. I know that the $65 a month rent that Grandma got from the gas station that now oc- cupied the site of her "wedding present" from her father, was key to the ranch's survival. Was life worth living? So far this paper is all about hardship and work. Yet ranch life was some- thing special. Ranch- ers like sailors are a spe- cial breed. Independent, strong, and for the most part very happy in their hard profession. To be one with the earth and your animals is something spe- cial. I never met a rancher who wanted to be any- thing else. Many took jobs, worked in town, but it was always so they could hold onto the ranch. What did we do for rec- reation? Many things. One was visiting. Society has long ago lost this art. Ranchers loved to visit one another. Late in the eve- ning or on Sunday, guests would arrive to talk and visit. Some sort of refresh- ment would be brought out, but talk was what it was all about. Children had all kinds of games to play, pet an- imals to raise. Reading was a main form of rec- reation. I was blessed by the fact that my Grand- mother had a branch of the Lassen County Library in her front room. This was a wall of books sup- plied by the county and checked out by local resi- dents. This meant we had more visitors than most and I had unlimited books to read. In the afternoon when I was too young to be out haying and my Grandmother was resting, I would bury myself in a book. Going to town was al- ways a big event. Doyle was two miles away, but my Grandmother would put on her hat and white gloves, and about once a week we would go to Dixon or Smart or Pattons store. There we would buy the few things we didn't produce ourselves like salt or sugar. Once each summer we would take the 42 mile trip to Susanville or Reno. This of course was a major event. It was never done for recreation; there was always some business to attend to. Then there were the traveling vendors. Farm- ers from the valley would come through with trucks of fresh fruit. The Wat- kins Man would come by with his car full of spices, vanilla extract, etc. These were the occasion for bar- gaining, joking and visit- ing. And of course, each week a hobo would stop by looking for a meal. He al- ways got one but only after he split a wheelbarrow full of wood. Of course we had treats that can't be duplicated to- day. Homemade vanilla ice cream, made of fresh cow's cream, vanilla ex- tract, sugar, hand-cranked in ice and rock salt. Home- made root beer. If you haven't tasted a home- made root beer float you haven't lived. Raiding the sauerkraut jug. Fresh veg- etables and fruit that have no relation to the hybrids we eat today. The environment had its pleasures. Climbing into the barn looking for a "setting hen" and her eggs. Going to Last Chance to salt the cattle or fix fence. Riding to Last Chance on a horse that was glad to have a young boy sitting him. Fishing for trout in Last Chance. As a young boy spend- ing a summer on the ranch I had no playmates, no bicycle, no TV. But who would trade that for go- ing out to the horse corral. Walking up to old Fred, putting a bit in his mouth, moving him over beside the fence so I could climb up and get on him bare- back, then ride a mile to go get the milk cows. It sure beats Nintendo." JeanBartonhasbeen writing her column in the Daily News since the early 1990s. She can be reached by e-mail at jbarton2013@ gmail.com. JEANBARTON More memories of Honey Lake Valley NEVERGIVEUP UNTIL THEY BUCKLE UP. VISIT SAFERCAR.GOV/ KIDSBUCKLEUP CHICO A team of animal science students from Cal- ifornia State University, Chico made history by win- ning the American Society of Animal Science's Aca- demic Quadrathlon at the ASAS annual meeting July 18-19 in Logan, Utah. The team of Julie Allen, Heather Foxworthy, Ken- zie Wattenburger and Joel Wisniewski qualified for the competition by winning the Western Section Academic Quadrathlon in April. It was the first time a non-land- grant university won the re- gionalcompetitionandcom- peted at the national level. The team was coached by animal science profes- sors Kasey DeAtley and Pat- rick Doyle. "This is an incredible ac- complishment for our stu- dents, and it's a testament to the excellent hands-on education they received at Chico State, including expe- rience working with several different livestock species at the University Farm," DeAt- ley said. The Academic Quadrath- lon is a grueling two-day event in which the team works together to compete in four separate competi- tions consisting of a hands- on practicum, a written exam, a quiz bowl and an oral presentation. The CSU, Chico team was followed by Texas A&M University in second place, Purdue University in third, and the University of Rhode Island in fourth. It was the third national win for a CSU, Chico Col- lege of Agriculture team in the 2015-2016 academic year. In October, the Food Marketing Team won the Food Distribution Research Society's Student Case Com- petition in Philadelphia, fol- lowed by a first place finish in February for the Range- land Cup team at the Soci- ety of Rangeland Manage- ment meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas. CHICO STATE Students win national animal science competition CONTRIBUTED Julie Allen, Heather Foxworthy, Kenzie Wattenburger and Joel Wisniewski. 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