Real People/True Stories
settlers/children

< Lucky Ackley. Costs spike, fields go fallow in Klamath, CFBF AgAlert, 6/22/22. " 'That (Upper Klamath) Lake did not exist other than wet years before they built the Link River Dam," he said. "It was built to store water for dry years to irrigate and farm with, and now it's totally being misused, mismanaged, and all the water is getting flushed down the river for salmon or being held in the lake at unhistoric levels for suckerfish.' He said many beef producers have had to sell their cattle at a loss because they can't feed them. If Ackley were eventually forced to sell off his herd, he said, he would lose about 80 years of genetic selection for the best cattle for this rangeland. 'You can't just go buy that back,' he said."

Hay industry leader David King succumbs to cancer at age 62, Capital Press 2/7/22.

Basin farmers struggle to navigate unreliable water, H&N 7/31/21.
< Rodney Cheyne -  "...

< Bev Mallams from Beatty: Teamwork builds family ranch, Capital Press 7/1/21.

< Klamath's Vowell brothers to join Buckaroo Hall of Fame, H&N 8/27/19.

Eulogy of a WWII veteran, 2nd Lt John William "Bill" Quinn, who felt "lucky" to live in Tulelake after the war, spoken by his son Kevin Quinn: "...Dad had said of Tulelake...it was the best place for him after the war because it was a city filled with Veterans.."  9/8/17

KBC News founder Ron DeShon dies. "Ron DeShon was the founder of KBC News. In 2001, when he heard about the Tulelake WWII veterans' homesteads being denied water by the U.S. government, he created this website almost overnight for the Tulelake and Klamath farmers and ranchers. His father, from 'The Greatest Generation,' ..."

< Robert L. King obituary, H&N 3/17/19.  "...he was on the board of directors of the Bucket Brigade, doing all he could to help farmers keep their water rights..." KBC NOTE: He lived a full life of giving his all to his God, his family, community and country...an All American Christian and Patriot. Thank you Bob! It was an honor to know you. We will miss you.

 

 

Nelle Takacs 1907-2015, Tulelake. Nelle came to the Klamath Basin by covered wagon in 2010 when she was 3. She speaks in 'Homesteading in a Promised Land' DVD. 5/1/15

Robert “Bob” Charles Kirby was born July 4, 1955, and passed away Jan. 25, 2015, at his home in Tulelake, Calif., H&N 1/30/15

 

 

< Batkid documentary to show Jan. 24. Story of Miles Scott’s wish reaches far beyond his Tulelake home, H&N 1/13/15

< (Tulelake) Pelican Pointe resident turns 108:  ‘I just take things as they come,’ says Nelle Takacs, H&N, posted to KBC 1/15/15

< Modoc Rancher of the Year Ray Ackley owns, manages Dry Lake Ranch near Tulelake, H&N, posted to KBC 11/16/14.

The Spirit of Klamath
A RODEO GIFT: Custom chaps for soldier  Auction: Buyer gives prize to mom’s son in Afghanistan, H&N 8/17/14

Longtime Elko GOP activist Gerber dead at 72, Washington Times 10/27/14, followed by Grant's recent letter regarding the Grass March - Cowboy Express, article, and letter to KBC News in 2002 when Grant was helping organize the Klamath Relief Fund and Convoys coming to help Klamath Farmers and ranchers whose water was shut off by the federal government in 2001.
Bucket Brigade activist dies. Grant Gerber helped establish the tax-free relief fund during the 2001 Klamath Basin Water Crisis, posted to KBC 11/16/14
 

<  Niilo Hyytinen 2/23/1926 - 6/4/2014 former Tulelake businessman and WWII veteran
 

Farming tradition ends, Boyd family says goodbye after 74 years, H&N 4/24/14



 

Young farmer making his mark - Jason Flowers, H&N, posted to KBC 4/15/14.

< Robert L. “Bob” Boring, 74, passed away March 21, 2014, at his home in Klamath Falls after a short but fierce battle with cancer.

Adolph Drazil, Malin, Oregon, obituary

A life on the farm and for the farm; Bob Flowers dies at age 60, H&N 1/23/14.

Long-time sheepman Jack O’Connor dies, H&N 11/8/13.

Erika DuVal's lost calf, by Erika DuVal, young mother and cattle rancher 4/7/13. "...This morning I had seen a coyote near the herd so the searching for him took on an extra level of urgency...That parable took on new meaning tonight as I was out in the cold wind looking for a lost calf..."

Veteran and Tulelake 1949 homesteader James DeShon, 7/30/27 - 12/18/12 
HERE for Homesteader Page.

An eye on Farming; Dan Crawford’s photography led to the launch of the agricultural magazine Spudman,   H&N, posted to KBC 11/18/10





 

Larry Mitchell Toelle obituary, Siskiyou Daily News, posted to KBC 1/3/10

A century of farming, H&N, posted to KBC 12/4/09, Carleton family

 

A life of leisure; Retirement suits LeQuieu just fine, H&N, posted to KBC 6/6/09

TULELAKE - John Bowen: So many decades on the land, Herald and News, posted to KBC 5/2/09
 

Tulelake Homesteaders - from Our Greatest Generation, have passed. Fred fought in WWII defending his country; they farmed the rest of their lives to feed a hungry nation.
Fred Allen Robison "After only 19 days of separation, Fred Allen Robison rejoined his sweetheart of 64 years. He died in his home" Herald&News 1/9/09			Velma Robison died last week. She and her husband Fred homesteaded in Tulelake in 1956. Velma was part of the documentary Homesteading in a Promised Land, a 100-year story told by Tulelake settlers. In the film, Velma Robison < (audio) tells how they felt the day their irrigation water was shut off in 2001: Velma was the heart and soul of our community; we will miss them both.
Velma: "The day of April 6, 2001, was as infamous to the people in the valley of Tulelake as Dec. 7th (Pearl Harbor Day) was to the citizens of the United States."

 

CFBF honors C. Paul Johnson and Dan Byrne, California Farm Bureau Federation by Brandon Souza, 12/17/08
< Dan Byrne, a leading Northern California cattle rancher and conservationist, received the Distinguished Service Award posthumously. Byrne was recognized for service to Farm Bureau and his commitment to land stewardship.
 

Memorial services for Dan Byrne, Tulelake: We're sorry to hear that Dan Byrne passed away yesterday, October 5. Dan, from Tulelake, was the California Farm Bureau Federation district director for District 19, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas-Sierra Counties. He raised cattle and was board liaison to the public lands advisory committee.

< After the invasion, H&N posted 12/11/08. A story about Tulelake's Bill and Kathy Quinn

Memorial service for Durrell Walden, Tulelake. We will miss you!

Ranchers to be honored at Tulelake fair; Harold and Roger Porterfield focus of Appreciation Day dinner Friday night, H&N, posted 9/6/08

A farming legacy; Throughout the region, farming is a family affair, H&N 9/2/08

Five Minutes With The Rickert Family, Prather Ranch, The Cattle Network, posted to KBC 9/2/08

< Dr. Calvin Hunt, we'll miss you!

Our condolences to the family of Betty Lou Dalton Byrne Shirley.

 

 

Sheep ranchers work hard just to break even; High expenses, low returns … but it’s in their blood, Capital Press, posted 4/11/08 John O'Keeffe and his wife, Gail, raise Columbia sheep on the Oregon-California state line near Malin, Ore. They have 500 lambs from 300 ewes, with several yet to be born...I am a hobby farmer, he said, explaining that he doesn't make a profit from raising sheep, so it must be a hobby."

The heart of the homestead, John Terry, H&N 3/17/08. HERE for more on Tulelake homesteaders and settlers.

Martha Anne Dow Oregon Center for Health Professions, by Senator Doug Whitsett, posted to KBC 2/20/08

Retired vet teaches science in state Capitol. Years of experience help legislator bring rural perspective to issues, Capital Press 2/8/07.

Doug and Gail Whitsett return to their rural home
in Southern Oregon between sessions.

Breeder loves border collies, politics Capital Press, posted 8/4/07.      "So began the lives together of Geri and Dan Byrne on a cattle and sheep ranch near Tulelake, on the Oregon-California border."      "...The American public is so far removed from farming and ranching these days, they want to legislate it, but they don't understand it..." PHOTO: Geri Byrne bred this litter of border collies for specific desirable traits to work cattle.

 

Honored by a president December 28, 2006     Jim Ottoman cried when he heard former President Gerald Ford died.     The 82-year-old, a long-time Malin farmer and now a Klamath Falls resident, met Ford in 1975 after being selected as National Farm Family of the year.

Bryan Kelly Killed in action

A meeting with the president, by Pat Kelly, guest columnist, H&N.  The author, Pat Kelly, a retired sheriff's detective and former police trainer, is the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Bryan Kelly, who was killed in action in Iraq in July. "The only really important thing I said to President Bush was, 'Finish it.' He answered, 'We will, I promise.' "

A bucket of love  Community sees what Ben DuVal couldn't  by Kehn Gibson Klamath Courier posted to KBC 11/16/04

NEWELL - Standing in the fading light outside his family's homestead, Ben DuVal pauses for a moment, leaning against the crutches that have become a part of his life.    "You know, I have a silver bucket in there," he says, nodding towards the house. "It's from the town of Malin, and it's filled with cards, letters, checks, what ever the townsfolk thought I would need. 'Bucket of love' is painted on the outside."

Ben DuVal loads hay with his new squeeze, photo by Pat Ratliff

Mary Palmer Nowland-born and raised on a farm in Tulelake, California. 4-H Foundation Hanging by a Thread Sealing History Homesteading in a Promised Land film script AUDIO: Mary's  grandparents were WW1 homesteaders, and her parents, WWII homesteaders.  She shares how life on the farm molded her sense of community in the classroom AUDIO: Mary relates her appreciation of The Migration in the Tulelake basin

photo by Anders Tomlinson