BASQUE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

INTERVIEW TAPE INDEX

*Note:  Mr. Alegria published 75 Years of Memoirs (The Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho), his autobiography, in 1981.  Contact the Basque Museum and Cultural Center's gift shop for copies. 

NAME: Henry “Hank” Alegria
DATE OF INTERVIEW: August 1, 1975
LOCATION: Boise, Idaho
INTERVIEWER: Joseba Chertudi
LANGUAGE: English
TAPE NO: (no number)
INDEXED BY:  Nere Lete
 

TAPE MINUTE        SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

0-2:00              Born in Ondarroa, Bizkaia. Father worked in the transportation business. Often transported fish to Markina by horse. Henry’s father was a captain during the Spanish American War. Mother was a housewife and also tended their grocery store.  Family of nine: six boys and three girls. Henry went to school from 1906 until 1911. 

2:00-17:00       Trip to the United States: Henry’s father, two of his brothers and a sister came to the United States before him.  Henry came on October 29^th, 1911.  His brothers and sister had come with a good friend of their mother, Isidora Madarieta. They were 10 and 11 ½ years old, so they did not have to pay the full fare required for children over 12 years of age.  The whole family came in 1911.  Father paid for their passages.  Two cousins also came with them.  They took a stagecoach to Elgoibar then took the train to Irun and then to Paris.  They stayed overnight and then took a four-hour train ride and went to L'Havre.  The name of the ship to New York was “La France”.  The sea was rough, and the trip took 11 days. Valentin Agirre met them in New York, and they stayed at his boarding house for three days. Agustin Bengoa (Henry’s cousin) was taken to the island and one day later sent to Boise by himself.  The family took the train to Saint Louis, Missouri. They missed their connection and had to stay for 24 hours at the train depot, sleeping on the benches.  They finally boarded the train and arrived in Ogden, Utah.  Toni Asumendi, a friend of Henry’s father, met them with Mateo Arregui at the depot. Father stayed home cooking for them. 

17:00-29:00     Life in the US: Henry was 11 ½ when he came to Boise.  He attended Lincoln school with his brother Inazio.  Mother died in 1913 and father died in 1914. As an orphan, Henry went to live with a friend of his father from Berriatua, Hilario and wife Petra Urresti, from 1914 to 1916. Henry played ball (pelota) as a “delantero” to make some extra money (a few quarters) for clothes etc. He teamed up with Jose Uberuaga who was 48.  Henry was 14.  In 1919 moved to Los Angeles to live with his sister, Angeles.  Henry played ball there as well.  He was a mechanic for 16 years and 7 months.  Henry also trained boxers.   

29:00-33:00     History of Anduiza’s frontón in Boise: he gives a lengthy and a very detailed account of the history of Anduiza’s fronton in Boise and games played.  The frontón was built in 1913-14 by Jose Uberuaga, “Arotza”.  Henry played the game on the first Sunday it was open.  In the summer of 1920 he came back to Boise from Los Angeles.  He played 8 games, where the bet was $50 per game.   The frontón in Mountain Home was built by Mr. Bengoechea, who owned a hotel there as well.   

Tape 2                       

33:00-41:00     1914-1939 Anduizas lived there until interest declined.  Manuel Sota came from Spain to raise money for Mario Goicochea who was in the hospital for 7 years. They organized 7 benefit games. Henry played 3 games with Manuel Sota and won.  In 1939, Anduiza sold the place for $8,500.  Fox bought it and used it for storage.  Then it was sold to the American Legion in 1945-46.  Next, it was sold to Raymond Briggs Engineering for $33,000.  In 1949, before building the Basque Center, the company asked $55,000 for the building, but the cost fell to $30,000 in 1967-68. 

41:00-48:00     Gives information about frontóns in Boise.  The first was built in 1908 on River Street by Jose Bergara. It didn’t last long. Marcelino Arana made a bakery out of it.  The second did not last long, either.  The third, on 9^th street behind the Iberia Hotel, was built by Ascuenaga and Pete Arritola.  Anduiza’s was the fourth. 

48:00-68:00     Henry learned English in school with children his age. He had good friends here. Never thought of going back because his brothers and sisters were here.  In 1932-33, he had a chance to go back to work for his uncle, Patricio Echevarria, but never went. Spain is good for a visit but he always wanted to come back to the US. “Our family life is here. Basque people are well considered today, but earlier Basque people were not so well considered. They were not formally educated. They couldn’t sign their names. Today is a different story.” 

68:00-72:00     He met his wife in Boise, and was introduced to her by Mateo Arregui.  In 1935, Mr. Arregui came for a short vacation to Boise and saw Espe’s mother waiting for Espe at the depot.  A few days later both of them happen to be at the Delamar.  They got together later in Los Angeles. He had a good life and considered himself a happy man.

NAMES AND PLACES

NAMES:

Hilario and Petra Urresti: took care of Henry during 1914, 1915, 1916, after he lost his parents.
Jose Uberuaga: his "pelota" partner. (Also known as “Arotza”)
Bengoechea: owned the Mountain Home Hotel and built the fronton.
Mario Goicoechea: sick in Spain. Hank played charity games for him.
Manuel Sota: came from Spain to arrange and play the charity games for Mario Goicoechea.
Patricio Echevarria: Hank’s uncle.
Raymond Briggs: bought the frontón.
 

PLACES:

L’Havre, France: port of departure.
Los Angeles, California: worked there as a mechanic.