Why the Cook House Bell is such an Integral Part of Robison Ranch History – Jim Robison

The Bell hung in the old colonial house that was built by one of the Baker family that came west. The Baker’s are also Walla Walla history as they began a small hardware store selling the necessary tools, pick, and shovels etc. for survival in the new west.

Gold was discovered in Florence, Idaho and the miners would bring back their gold dust and nuggets and would store their prizes in the Baker safe. The Baker’s started a bank which was the first bank and is the oldest bank in the state of Washington. The Baker’s also purchased thousands of acres of farmland from where is now our airport, west for several miles of which some two thousand acres has become Robison Ranch. South Road Main Entrance to Ranch

The first owners were the Bakers, then the Ennises with a large family. They went broke on the ranch and it was sold to Mr. Pat Hughes. The U.S. had just joined in World War I and my father, Lester, was in the Baker Boyer Bank which was the gathering place for early farmers. He saw Pat Hughes, who had one month earlier purchased the ranch from the Ennises/Baker Boyer Bank and said, “Pat, do you want to sell that ranch?” Apparently Pat was concerned over the war and sold the ranch to my father Lester for $10,000 less than he had purchased the ranch one month earlier. This was the year 1918. The stories of my father and his determination for success can fill a small book of stories.

So, now back to the Cook House Bell which hung in the old ranch house until this year when my daughter, Susan took it over to Robison Ranch’s Winery and shop.

The Cookhouse Bell in front of the Winery

Fred Mortimer came out of grade school and worked for my father. He became lead man at the ranch and after 10 years married Mamie Mortimer a first generation American of Finnish parents. Her parents emigrated from Finland and met in the Alaska Gold Rush. Mamie’s father hit it somewhat rich and came back to down and bought a nice size farm on Lincoln Creek about 14 miles west of Centralia, Washington.

Lester asked Mamie if she would cook for the men, an intimidating task. It is important to note that until the end of the Second World War, the mid 40’s that we did not have electric power at each of our ranches. The bunk house and ranch house were kept warm by wood stoves or big wood and coal heaters. Mamie would get up in the A.M. and with light from an oil lamp, build a fire in the cook stove and a fire in the fireplace in the dining room. Cooking by lamp and two or three oil lamps were placed on the breakfast table. The farm workers carried kerosene lanterns to the barns or shop after a quick cold water face wash from a wash pan. Life on the ranch was not glorious or easy. Fred Mortimer circa 1930's

Fred worked for 27 years at the ranch and Mamie, 17 years.

This meant cooking on a wood stove, washing dishes and kitchen by hand. Mamie rang this bell at 5:30 AM for breakfast – 12 for lunch and 6 PM for dinner. During harvest, it was 7:30 PM for dinner. I grew up at the end of the horse era, when the

workers would get up at 4 or 4:30 AM feed and harness the horses or mules and be ready for a 5:30 breakfast and in the field or hooking up the work animals by 6 o’clock.

In those days, Lester supervised all the field work on the back of a horse. No pickups or four wheelers to get around the fields. Haying was a sizeable operation. Lester needed to open the fields with a binder pulled by four horses. It cut the wheat in bundles when in Mamie Mortimer circa 1930's bloom and not fully mature to make suitable food for the hundred plus horses and mules that he needed at the two ranches. Four to six wagons used at the Prescott ranch plus two to three wagons at the Lester Robison circa 1930's

home ranch (Robison Ranch). There were two or three extra hands in the field to load the hay after it dried and then up into the barn. At the age of eight or nine I often led two or three mules to the Prescott ranch or drove 10 - 15 animals up through the fields for about 12 miles. Lots of tears, but it was okay. My father really loved me for it. Farm boys learned men’s jobs early and not to make more than one dolly of the lead rope around the horn of your saddle.

After getting financing by selling his sheep and range areas, he received additional financing from Mr. John Ankey at the First National Bank and Mr. Oscar Drumheller. In those days you settled your bills once a year at the bank and hardware store. Your word was your bond and Lester would have gone broke over a deal made with a handshake.

To regress a little, Lester had purchased several thousand acres of desert land near the Eureka Flat area for winter pasture for his band of sheep and mountain ground for summer pasture. He paid $1 an acre for the desert ground and sold it for $3 an acre. He said he thought he was a millionaire. The desert ground is now irrigated from the Snake River but was instrumental to his securing financing for Robison Ranch.

The cooking job that involved ringing the bell can’t be taken lightly. All bread, cakes, pies were done on a wood stove, not to mention the hundreds of jars of fruit and vegetables to be canned. Twenty gallon crocks of sour kraut and cased eggs were the norm.

For those of you that don’t know what cased eggs are, it was the extra eggs that were not daily used that were placed in a crock with a solution of water glass and water. The water glass is a glue like substance that seals the pores of the eggs and the eggs can be saved fresh for several months. This was a necessary procedure as the hens would stop laying in cold weather. We would even patch a tear or worn places in our combine drapers with this glue like material.

Lester got our home ranch paid for and was accumulating acreage from homesteaders and small farms near the Prescott area. He had 5200 acres at this ranch. Each ranch had two combines and tractors that were moved to use. When we Mobile Cookhouse at Prescott Ranch circa 1940's finished harvest, about 2 weeks at the home ranch, we then moved the combines, cats, trucks, gas tanks etc. to the Prescott ranch for another two weeks of harvest. When we got there Mamie cooked in a moveable cook house on wheels (this cookhouse is now at the Ft. Walla Walla museum) in the harvest fields. Water was hauled; a block of ice from town was used for keeping in the ice box.

The crews were determined by the seasons at the ranches. Ordinarily two or three men at the home ranch, haying – six, seven or eight, harvest – eleven or twelve.

No one today in our present life style can imagine how hard people worked in those days. However, no one really complained because most were in the same boat of circumstances.

The Cook House Bell is still ringing at Robison Ranch and Bill Mortimer who was born to Fred and Mamie and lived at the ranch – had a career as a high school math teacher now visits regularly. We Americans are so lucky. Jim Robison 1949

You gotta start somewhere..... ""

Walla Walla is a serious farming community with a history of early Indian settlements, protective Fort Walla Walla, pioneers breaking out grasslands to become the Mecca of Washington wheat production, orchards and four seasons of comfortable life styles.

Lester Robison, the founder of the present contemporary Robison family, plowed out native grasslands, lived in tents, hauled with four horses, bucketed the water in from the Touchet river, walked home because he was so cold, and the water was so muddy you couldn't see the potatoes in the pot. He was only able to attend school through the third grade and yet managed to accumulate 7,000 acres of prime wheat land in our valley. This is our Western family and our word is our bond. A handshake seals all Robison deals.

Andrew Robison, Lester's father came west with the building of the railroad. He supplied meat for the Chinese work crews with his hogs that foraged as the railroad was built. The Chinese liked him and called him "Hog Robison". When areas near Walla Walla were plowed out of native grasses, the custom was that the man doing the plowing was given the right for the first two crops. There was no weed control and crops were lost. Andrew would contract and glean the fields with his hogs. He eventually, through hard work and trading, accumulated 2000 acres of wheat land. This is our American heritage and the spirit in our present family.

Our ranch and home is wonderful here in the Walla Walla Valley because these early pioneers gave us our start.