BASQUE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

INTERVIEW TAPE INDEX

NAME: Juan Argoitia
DATE OF INTERVIEW: September 3^rd, 1975
LOCATION: Boise, Idaho
INTERVIEWER: Joseba Chertudi
LANGUAGE:  Basque
TAPE NO: 20
INDEXED BY: Nere Lete

TAPE MINUTE                                             SUMMARY OF CONTENTS                          

 0-2:00             Born in Markina. Father worked in the (cantera). Mother stayed at home. There were 7 children, they were 10 children total. He went to school for two years. His older brother was in the US; he had a sheep ranch in Mountain Home. Parents thought it was ok to come to US. Father asked him not to forget them. Mother was dead by then.

2:00-9:00         Father paid for the trip and then Juan paid him back. He went to Mountain Home to work with his brother. They went from Bilbao to Liverpool and then NY. He stayed in a hotel in Liverpool for a week. (They didn’t have to pay for it because it wasn’t their fault to have to wait for a week)There were 6 of them together in the trip. All of them from Markina. The trip was OK. No one waited for them in NY. Took the train and got to Mountain Home. Agapito, the hotel owner was waiting for him at the depot.

9:00-14:00       Worked as a herder for 10 years until he got married. He also worked in the silver fox business.  They had 25 but someone stole them. $600 a piece. Then he worked at the gas station. Then moved to Boise and worked at the brewery. He didn’t like to work as a herder but had to do it. Didn’t like the cowboys. He lived in the hotel so didn’t have to speak English. Agapito would help him when he needed to go to the store.

14:00-18:00     He got married in 1927. He and his wife met at Anunci Jayo’s boarding house. He became a citizen in 1942.  He didn’t have any trouble during the process. He used his first salary to buy a horse and everyday. The horse cost $40. He liked working at the bar. The hardest thing for him was to work as a herder.  

                                                            NAMES AND PLACES                                                        

NAMES:

Julian Pagoaga: from Markina. He came with Julian A.
Cipriano Barrutabeina: from Markina. He came with J.A.
Benito Aspiri: from Markina. He came with J.A.
Jose Mari Sarua: from Markina. He came with J.A.
Agapito: Owner of the Mountain Home boarding house. Waited for Julian at the Mountain Home depot.
Anunci Jayo: Owner of boarding house in Boise. 

PLACES:

Bilbao, Spain
Liverpool, England
New York, US
Mountain Home, Idaho