lucy.html

The Klickitat County News, Goldendale, WA., July 18, 1935, page 4

INTERESTING PIONEER INTERVIEWS

To one interested in pioneer anecdotes, stories of pioneer daring, pioneer doing, pioneer hardships and pioneer spirit, a visit with Mrs. Lucy A. Alexander of Maryhill will suffice and at the same time make one ponder long after the visit has ended.
A News correspondent had the good fortune some time back to call at the Alexander home at Maryhill where he found the Klickitat county pioneer working in the flower and vegetable garden at her home. Her husband having gone on to his reward some years ago, Mrs. Alexander has carried on in grand style.
The Maryhill lady crossed the continent many years ago to San Francisco, and then migrated with her parents to various parts of the northwest. Finally, after spending some time in Oregon the family moved to eastern Klickitat county near Bickleton. Here the family filed on land and established a homestead.
It was during these trying times that Mrs. Alexander was "growing up." Though having enjoyed her allotted span of three score and ten, Mrs. Alexander is nonetheless keen, mentally, and when she is carried back to those early day experiences, her visitor hears story after story, each of which would warrant a column if desired fully and as interesting as depicted by the pioneer lady.
Mrs. Alexander has ridden horseback, as a sprightly girl hardly in her teens, three times between Goldendale and Bickleton. And by herself. She has ridden those ponies which so marked an age many of us know nothing of over the eastern part of the county 'til there is no part of it one could speak of without the keen Mrs. Alexander remembering a story connecting that portion with her life there as a girl.
Mrs. Alexander still owns land near Bickleton, having had it rented for some years, she says as the writer spoke with her recently.
Mrs. Alexander chose Maryhill for a home because she wanted to raise a garden and lots of flowers. Before she moved there, she made a thorough investigation of the little community, then she made up her mind to reside in Maryhill the rest of her days.
As the writer stepped across the Alexander threshold, the mistress-of-ceremonies immediately began apologizing for the condition of her home. She said: "I don't want you to believe that I am not a housekeeper but I have been so busy out in the yard, but you know how much time that takes when I am the only helper, that I haven't had a chance to get caught up."
Assuring her that we thought little of a dirty house - if the house was dirty, we had noticed - we were royally entertained for an hour or more as Mrs. Alexander, with still deft hands, showed us many unique keepsakes, picture frames, a collection of human hair with the name of each person neatly printed and fastened to a neat bow.
To mention all of the interesting keepsakes and articles molded out wood, putty clay that the elderly lady had made would be to take far too much space. The writer learned that Mrs. Alexander had taken first premiums time and time again at the Washington State fair to say nothing of the county fair which was formerly held.
Not content with what had already been done for the visitors, Mrs. Alexander insisted that she hie herself upstairs and bring down several samples of her needle work and tatting. A man is not capable of describing the intricacy of the bed spreads, the pillow cases, the scarfs, the multiple other samples of her work. In money, who knows, if time is figured, how much they're worth. Proud of them. Of course this woman is proud of this work. Any woman could be justly proud.
After producing several other samples of her work, time was running short, and the writer was forced to leave. It was a month ago that we first met Mrs. Alexander. We have been wondering since how a woman could possess so much stamina and what we like to call "pep" at her age. Yet it was there and we were greatly impressed. Call on Mrs. Alexander sometime, and perhaps if you call her "Aunt Lucy," she might be pleased.