Basques of Harney County, Oregon, Oral History Collection

Basques of Harney County, Oregon, Oral History Collection, 1976-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Jackson, Royal G.
Title: Basques of Harney County, Oregon, Oral History Collection
Dates: 1976-2001 (inclusive)
19762001

1976-1978 (bulk)
19761978
Quantity: 0.5 cubic foot, including 28 audiotapes, (2 boxes)
Collection Number: OH 04
Summary: The Basques of Harney County, Oregon, Oral History Collection consists of transcripts and audiotapes of 15 oral history interviews conducted in 1976 as part of an inventory of historic sites in Harney County. Basque sheepherders immigrated to southeastern Oregon from the 1890s through the 1920s and worked as itinerant herders on the mountain ranges of Harney County until the 1930s.
Repository: Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Basque sheepherders immigrated from northern Spain and southwestern France to southeastern Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada from the 1890s until the early 1920s. They worked as itinerant herders on the mountain ranges of Harney County until the 1930s and often spent the winters in Basque boarding houses or hotels, such as the Star Hotel in Burns. The Taylor Grazing Act, drought, and the depression brought an end to the sheep industry in Harney County.

The Basques of Harney County, Oregon, Oral History Project was part of an inventory of historic sites in Harney County conducted by Royal G. Jackson and Jennifer A. Lee in 1976 and was funded by the OSU Research Council and the Harney County Oral History Program. Jackson was an Associate Professor in the Department of Resource Recreation Management at Oregon State University; Lee was a student in that department fulfilling an internship requirement.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Basques in Harney County, Oregon, Oral History Collection consists of audiotapes and transcripts of oral history interviews conducted in 1976 by Royal G. Jackson and Jennifer A. Lee. The collection includes audiotapes and transcripts for 14 interviews and a transcript only of the interview with Alsna Barainca.

The oral histories address a variety of topics pertaining to the Basques in Harney County, including their work as sheepherders; Basque food and festivals; use of the Basque language; discrimination and prejudice against Basques; the Basque community in Burns, Oregon; other towns in the region, including Nampa, Idaho, and McDermitt on the Oregon-Nevada border; and Basque hotels and boarding houses including the Star Hotel and the Commercial Hotel in Burns.

The interviewees ranged in age from 30 to late 70s at the time of the interviews in 1976. Most of the interviewees were born in Spain and came to the United States in the 1910s and 1920s; five of the interviewees came to the United States between 1954 and 1970. Several interviewees were born in the United States.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Basques of Harney County, Oregon, Oral History Collection (OH 04), Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in two series: I. Audiotapes and II. Transcripts. Some of the interviews were previously assigned individual numbers; the OH04 item numbers were assigned by the Archives and the 986- numbers by the Horner Museum.

Custodial History

The audiotapes and copies of the 1977 transcripts were deposited by the interviewers with the Horner Museum and subsequently transferred from the Horner Museum to the Archives in 1996.

Related Materials

This collection is a component of the Oregon Multicultural Archives, which documents the lives and activities of African American, Asian American, Latino and Native American communities of Oregon. Other materials pertaining to Harney County are available in the Extension Service (RG 111) and Agricultural Experiment Station (RG 25) Records and the Edwin Russel Jackman Papers.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I: Audiotapes, 1976Return to Top

The audiotapes include an original field recording of the interview and a duplicate use copy. Use copies of the unnumbered interviews were made in 2001.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
2	OH04:01; 986-1-45: Santos Arguinchona Arguinchona was born in 1900 in Spain and came to Winnemucca, Nevada in 1918. The Arguinchona interview provides information about sheepherding and camptending, Basque festivals, the Star Hotel in Burns, Basques in Burns, Argentina, and McDermitt.
2	OH04:02; 986-1-46: Carlos Ereno Ereno was born in Mampa, Idaho, in 1922; his parents came to Idaho directly from Spain in the 1905 (father) and 1909 (mother). The Ereno interview provides information about Nampa, Idaho; Spain; and Spanish politics.
2	OH04:03; 986-1-47: Jean Harrit Harrit was born in France in 1914 and came to Oregon in 1939 to join his brother who was a sheepherder. The Harrit interview provides information about Basques in Burns, sheepherding, the Hines Lumber Mill, and the Crane Land Sheep Company.
2	OH04:04; 986-1-48: Martina Larraneta Martina Larraneta was born in 1901 in Spain and came to San Francisco in 1916. In 1920 she married a sheepherder and moved to Oregon. Martina Larraneta's interview provides information about Basques in Burns, Basque social activities, the Commercial Hotel in Burns, and San Francisco.
2	OH04:05; 986-1-49: Mike Larraneta Mike Larraneta came to Winnemucca, Nevada, from Spain in 1920, at the age of 22 years. Mike Larraneta's interview provides information about working as a carpenter; Winnemucca, Nevada; and Spain.
2	OH04:06; 986-1-50: David Mallea David Mallea was born in Jordan Valley, Oregon, in 1922. His parents came to Idaho from Spain in 1902 (father) and 1905 (mother). His father worked in the mines for several years and then as a sheepherder. The Mallea interview provides information about Jordan Valley, Spain, and Basques in Burns.
2	OH04:07; 986-1-51: Marguerite Stevens Marguerite Stevens' parents came to Nevada from Spain in the early 1900s; her father was a sheepherder. The Stevens interview provides information about Basque food and social events.
2	OH04:08; 986-1-52: Cecilia Urizer Urizer was born in Spain in 1898 and immigrated to McDermitt, on the Oregon-Nevada border, in 1916. The Urizer interview provides information about McDermitt, Andrews, the Star Hotel, Basques in Burns, and Spain.
2	Maria Baraibar Maria Baraibar came to the United States from Spain in 1970. Maria Baraibar's interview describes her arrival in the United States from Spain; learning English; Basque families and friends and Burns; and children learning culture and language.
2	Nicholas Baraibar Nicholas Baraibar came to the United States from Spain in 1955, at the age of 16, to be a sheepherder. Nicholas Baraibar's interview includes information about sheepherding, Basque hotels in Burns, Basque friends and family, and Basque festivals and social events.
2	Josephine Ebar Ebar came to the United States in 1921 from Spain. The Ebar interview provides information on sheepherding; the Central Hotel in Burns and other Basque hotels; traditional Basque dances; and Basque food and cooking.
2	Marcelino Osa Marcelina Osa was born in Spain in 1921 and came to Oregon with his family when he was five years old. Osa's interview describes growing up in Burns as a Basque; speaking Basque, Spanish, and English as a child; sheepherding; traditional Basque dances and festivals; Basque prejudice in Burns; Basque hotels and boarding houses; Native Americans; and the importance of the preservation of Basque culture and language.
2	Nicholas Vidando Vidando came to the United States in 1954 at the age of 21. The Vidando interview provides information about sheepherding; Basque traditions, dances, and games; and misunderstandings among Basques in Burns.
2	Joe Zabala Zabala came to the United States in 1957 when he was 10 years old. The Zabala interview provides information about his family's arrival in Burns and acquisition of the Star Hotel; the Star Hotel's transformation into a private residence; the decline of sheepherding; discrimination in Burns toward Basques; Basque festivals and traditional dances; and the Basque community in Burns.

Series II: Transcripts, 1977-2001Return to Top

Nine of the interviews were transcribed soon after they were recorded, probably in 1977, and published in a 1978 volume. Logs and transcripts of six interviews were made in 2001 by Amanda Purkey.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box
1	OH04:01; 986-1-45: Santos Arguinchona	1977
1	OH04:02; 986-1-46: Carlos Ereno	1977
1	OH04:03; 986-1-47: Jean Harrit	1977
1	OH04:04; 986-1-48: Martina Larraneta	1977
1	OH04:05; 986-1-49: Mike Larraneta	1977
1	OH04:06; 986-1-50: David Mallea	1977
1	OH04:07; 986-1-51: Marguerite Stevens	1977
1	OH04:08; 986-1-52: Cecilia Urizer	1977
1	OH04:09; 986-1-53: Alsna Barainca Alsna Barainca came to Oregon from Spain in 1961. The Barainca interview provides information about Basque food and festivals and Spanish politics.	1977
1	Maria Baraibar	2001
1	Nicholas Baraibar	2001
1	Josephine Ebar	2001
1	Marcelino Osa	2001
1	Nicholas Vidando	2001
1	Joe Zabala	2001
1	Transcripts of confidential information deleted by interviewer from selected interviews	2001
1	The Basques of Harney County, Oregon: an oral history, by Royal G. Jackson and Jennifer A. Lee	1978

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Basque Americans--Oregon--Harney County--Interviews.
Basque language--Oregon--Harney County.
Cookery, Basque.
Folk dancing, Basque--Oregon--Harney County.
Sheepherding--Oregon--Harney County.

Geographical Names

Burns (Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

Audiocassettes.
Oral histories (document genres)

Other Creators

Personal Names
- Lee, Jennifer A. (creator)
- Purkey, Amanda B. (creator)
Corporate Names
- Harney County Oral History Program (Or.) (creator)
- Oregon State University. Research Council. (creator)

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