REX STROMMES:  This recording is being done on the 28th of November in 1972 in Twain Harte California. The course is oral history. I have chosen as a subject for my interview Mr. Austin Abbott (2) who resides in Cedar Ridge California. I met Mister Abbott about a month ago through some friends of mine who are renting a house from me. They visit Mr. Abbott fairly often and usually spend all night listening to him tell about things he has seen or been through in the course of his life. When I told my friends about my oral history class they told me about Mr. Abbott they invited me to meet him. After spending an evening talking to him I decided that he would make an interesting subject for an interview. Mr. Abbott’s family has been the area for several generations and has been involved in many different things …….. to growing apples. He now lives alone with his dad in a house about one mile below Cedar Ridge. Mr. Abbott seems very healthy and happy for his age and is very aware of present day happenings. The rest of this recording will be done at the home of Mr. Abbott. Okay it is December 5^th and I am in Mr. Abbott’s house standing outside.

AUSTIN ABBOTT:  There’s about 8 inches out there now and they say it might snow tonight.

STROMMES:  Interviewer- Does it snow much around here?

ABBOTT:  Oh I’ve seen it get as high as 5 feet of packed snow yeah.

STROMMES:  Does it usually last for a while or does it usually

ABBOTT:  No it generally warms up and the rain will set in and wash it all and it goes down pretty fast.

STROMMES:  How long have you lived in this house?

ABBOTT:  This house right here?

STROMMES:   Yeah.

ABBOTT:  Well I built this in 1937

STROMMES:   1937 huh so you’ve been here since then huh?

ABBOTT:  Yeah I’ve been here most of the time my wife lived in Silvervale we had a house down there she had poor health and she had to live downtown where she was near people.

STROMMES:  What exactly do you do there what is you occupation? Or are you just kind of retired?

ABBOTT:  I’m supposed to be retired but when you get to uh when you work hard all your life you can’t sit down and look at the walls so I take care of Cedar Ridge Water Works.

STROMMES:  What do you mean you take care of the water?

ABBOTT:  Well ……..takes care of the whole system takes care of the pumping plants and chlorinating plants and

STROMMES:  You make sure every things clean.

ABBOTT:  Everybody’s getting water and if any breaks and get em fixed or fix em yourself. Yeah

STROMMES:  Is that pretty steady and how often do you work?

ABBOTT:  Ohhh it depends on who kept track of the hours maybe you’ll work an hour today and maybe tomorrow you’ll work 8 hours and maybe the next day you won’t have anything except checking and riding around just keep everything moving ya know see if everything’s in order.

STROMMES:  Yeah I’d say you have your apple orchards too.

ABBOTT:  Yeah I’ve got about 10 acres of apples and haven’t had a crop for 3 years now and uh I never I never saw ………… in all my life on this ranch

STROMMES:  Geez do you work yourself out in the apples or do you just kinda let your friends do it?

ABBOTT:  No no I got my share of my end of it up here. My son has the old home place down there where I was born and a whole lot of it done now on because of my eye sight I can’t  see to uh prune when I look up at the sun with these thick glasses it’s hard for me to prune.

STROMMES:  Yeah I bet.

General Information:

Interviewer:  Strommes, Rex

Interviewee: Abbott, Austin

Name of Tape: Mining, Lumbering and Indians (abbott_a_0)

When: 11/28/1972-12/5/09

Where: Twain Harte, CA

Transcriber: Naomi

Transcribed: 1/9/08