Basque Oral History Project

Chronicler: Interviewer: Location: Date:	Petra Asumendi Mikel Chertudi Boise, Idaho 14 September 2001

	Petra was born on 9 September 1918 in Boise, Idaho to Manuel Aberasturi and María Asunciόn Basabe. Her father had come to the United States to herd sheep, but eventually started his own sheep ranch in Highline. He moved his family to the ranch, where they lived in a tent while their house was under construction. Petra's mother cooked for her family, the herders, and the shearers who came through in the spring. When Petra's father passed away in 1926, the family moved to Boise, where her mother cared for the family until her death in 1935. After her mother passed away, Petra and her sister, Juanita, took care of their younger sister, Mary, supporting her while she finished school. Petra married John Asumendi in 1946, and found a position with Morrison Knudsen Corp. as a secretary while he fought in the Second World War. She stayed with the corporation after he returned, becoming the executive secretary for Mr. Morrison himself. She and John settled in Boise, making 11 trips to the Basque country together.
*Petra Asumendi*	Read the interview summary