BASQUE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

INTERVIEW TAPE INDEX

NAME: Tomás "Tom" Erquiaga
DATE OF INTERVIEW: 08/19/1975
LOCATION: Boise, ID
INTERVIEWER: Joseba Chertudi
LANGUAGE: Basque
TAPE NO: 2
INDEXED BY: Conchi Urriolabeitia

TAPE MINUTE         SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

0-13:00            Tom was born in Ispaster, Vizcaya, and had 13 brothers and sisters.  He was the 11^th child and only knew his mother until the age of 3.  At that time, his mother died and he and his father and siblings worked and lived in one of the baserris (farmhouses) called Erquisa (or Erquiaga).  Life was hard and Tom infrequently attended school, since work came first.  (Tom speaks of his years as a houseboy in Bilbao, where he learned to speak Spanish, and of a peculiar electrical fire in Calle Sancha that left over 30 schoolchildren buried under a pile of rubble underneath a gallery).  He always had a dream to come to the United States, though.  His brother Francisco had come here before him in 1906 or 1907.  Jose and an older brother had arrived here in 1902, and two of his sisters, Ursula and Dottie, were already residing in Boise.

13-22:00          Unlike his brother Andres, Tom was one of the not-so-lucky ones to have to take a cargo boat to America.  Andres was lucky and was able to come here on the famous La France.  Tom describes being stuffed in the ship Niagara like “txarrikunak” (piglets), and vomiting the entire voyage.  The ship took a “tour” from Bilbao, to Portugal, to Spain, and then to Bordeaux, France.  The sea voyage took 16 days to get to New York, where, upon arrival, a person sent by Artxabal was waiting for them to direct them to the train that would take them to Idaho.  Tom and about 130 other Basque passengers boarded the train that day and for four days had a relatively good time as they made their way to Boise.  Tom says he will never forget that passage.

22-27:00          Tom mentions the first job he had, which was pitchforking hay.  It was during the Depression, and many workers then did not get paid because the banks had completely run out of money.  Some workers went back to Euskadi without having been paid.  After three years of work here in America, Tom finally got paid.  He mentions his first boss as being Emmett Stuart, a sheep and cattle rancher in Kuna.  The boarding house in which he lived was run by a family named Uberuaga, and was located on 607 Grove Street.

27-End of 1      Tom first herded sheep in Horseshoe Bend.  His biggest fear at the time was losing the sheep.  During those times, feuds for pastureland between ranchers and sheepherders were common.  Being called a “Black Basco” was also a common occurrence, and the poor sheepherders had no defense against these or violent threats.  Tom says that it was those who were very poor and had no work or did not want to work who stooped to say such things.

Side 2              The very first thing that Tom bought here in the States was a saddle, then a horse.  It was a good horse, and a good saddle.  In 1924, he married the daughter of a man called “Aldape Sarra”, or Mallabi.  Her name was Anita Echevarria, and together they had two children, Albert, and Alice.  After spending some time here in the States, Tom returned to Euskadi for a short time.  He realized that, although one had to work hard in either country, it was almost impossible to save any money and get ahead in Euskadi.  The sociological conditions were not to Tom’s liking either, as there was war in Spain, and everybody who spoke against the Spanish government was jailed.  His brother Francisco ended up in jail after having torn down a street sign with the name of the Spanish ruler of the time, “Primo de Rivera”.  The Basques were delighted at this show of opinion, but the Spanish officials were not so thrilled.  The climate did not agree with his asthmatic condition, either, and Tom returned to the States, this time forever.  A very important historical event that Tom mentions is the founding of the Basque Center by Juanita Hormaechea and Bastida.  There were no diversions for the Basques in Boise, and they began the Center as a place for dancing.  Tom’s greatest struggle in the United States had always been difficulty with the English language.  Although he had a few opportunities to learn it, he never caught on because of a lack of formal instruction.  He got by however, and he and his wife ran their little ranch together.  Tom’s greatest appreciation of America was the freedom of speech that everyone has here.

NAMES AND PLACES

13^th street – Location of dance hall in Hyde Park in Boise.
607 Grove street – Location of boarding house where Tom resided.
Abadino Tobillo – Tom’s first co-worker in America.  He pitchforked with Tom.
Al and Alice – Tom’s children.
Aldape Sarra – Tom’s father-in-law.
Aulesti – Birthplace of another helper on the train.  He was the translator.
Andrés – A brother of Tom’s.  He was lucky enough to ride La France to America.
Artia – Tiny town on the way to Lekeitio.
Aixabal – Related to Tom’s mother.  Responsible for Tom’s passage to the United States.
Australia – Tom’s brother Juan lived there for some time.
Bastida – Co-founder of the Basque Center.
Bilbao – City in Euskadi where Tom worked as a houseboy and where he departed from for the States.
Bordeaux – seaside port in France from which Tom disembarked.
Calle Primo de Rivera – street named after famous Spanish ruler.
Centerville – small Idaho town where he recuperated after his stay in the hospital.
Circo Sancha – street in Bilbao where electrical fire occurred when Tom was a young boy.
Dottie – Tom’s sister.
Elisa – church in Ispaster.  Reference to it is made because of the road of Goierri.
Emmett – town in Idaho where “Aulesti” lived.
Emmett Stuart – Tom’s first boss in America.
Erquiaga – a farmhouse in Ispaster.  One of four farmhouses with the same name.
Francisco – Tom’s brother who came to America but was sent back to Euskadi because of an illness.
Goierrise – where road from Ispaster divides to go to Lekeitio.  It means “up town”.
Guernica – town in Euskadi mentioned for its riots against the Spanish government.Uberuaga – owner of boarding house on 607 Grove Street.
Hermiteno – person from which Tom bought his first horse.
Horseshoe Bend – small Idaho town on the way to Idaho City.
Hyde Park – a dance hall was located in this section of Boise.
Ibarangelu – very tiny town on the way to Lekeitio.
Iru Cruz or Tres Cruces – a road that divides into three at Ispaster.
Ispaster – birthplace of Tom Erquiaga.
Jordan Valley – Simon, a friend of Tom’s, lives there.
José – one of Tom’s brothers who also came to America.
Juan Echevarria – a cousin of Tom’s on his mom’s side.  Juan met Tom in New York.
Juanita Hormaechea – founder of the Basque Center.
Kuna – town in Idaho and home of Emmett Stuart.
La France – a famous passenger boat that brought immigrants over to New York from France.
Lekeitio – seaside town in Euskadi.
Letamendi – boarding house owners at 9^th and Front.
Mallabi Atxamar Motxa – nickname of the middle son of Aldape Sarra.  This man had a short thumb.
Mallabi Gaste – Tom’s youngest brother-in-law.
Mallabi – nickname of Tom’s oldest brother-in-law.
Mari – the person from which Tom bought his first saddle.
Nampa – town in Idaho where Tom had his horse shoed.
New York – the Big Apple.  Destination of the Niagara and where Tom first set foot in America.
Niagara – cargo ship that took Tom to America.
Payette – small town in Idaho.
Ursula – Tom’s sister.
Valentín Aguirre – helped passenger on train and was in charge of lunches.
Vizcaya – province in Euskadi where Tom was from.