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Basque Oral History Project Index Interview Tape Index
NAME: Henry Gandiaga
TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Tape 1
Side 1
0-4:00 Henry’s father was Frank Gandiaga, who was born in 1886 in Bizkaia. He came to the US very early in the 1900s. His mother Rosa was born in 1907 in Shoshone. Her parents were Santa and John Bilbao. Frank and his brother Pete went into a partnership to run a sheep business in Castleford. Frank met Rosa in the Bilbao boarding house, and the couple moved to Castleford. Frank ran the farm and the sheep operation, and Rosa cooked for the lambing crew. Henry’s mother insisted that her children go to a parochial school in Twin Falls called St. Edward’s, and the family got a house out there so they could be with the children. Shortly before the onset of World War II, Rosa and Frank separated, and she stayed in Twin Falls with the children, where Henry went to high school.
4-7:00 Henry spent a lot of time at his grandmother’s boarding house. The first one Santa operated was a leased 2-story house off Main Street. Henry still remembers the men who stayed there. The house eventually got sold, but since Santa wanted to continue the boarding business, she built a new place around 1937 on 2nd Avenue with Frank’s assistance. She had gotten into the boarding house business while her husband worked for Idaho Power in Shoshone and Jerome, so she was well-experienced when she moved to Twin Falls after her separation from John. She had help from Rosa, as well as her other children: Isabel, Ruth and Henry. She also hired a few girls to come in and help with the laundry, housekeeping and meals.
7-13:30 Henry recalls that many girls came to the US to work in boarding houses, and that they frequently met their future spouses there. They almost always came through the Landa boarding house in Salt Lake City, then spread out from there as they found jobs. Santa almost always had a few such girls working at her place. In many cases, there was not much paperwork, because a lot of people jumped ship to come to America. Henry remembers that people got along really well at his grandmother’s boarding house. During Prohibition, she sold whiskey, and even thought the police knew about it, they never stopped her. Santa also kept a nickelodeon in the house, so guests could dance if they wanted to. She also had a slot machine and allowed men to gamble, but the police chief, Howard Gillette, made her hide it in the basement. Serving alcohol turned out to be a good way to meet people, since many strangers came to the back door of the boarding house to buy a shot of whiskey. Henry describes how the herders who stayed at his grandmother’s boarding house were allowed to store their stuff in the basement. He describes the herders’ schedule, and the corresponding effect on the boarding house. There were many dances at the various Twin Falls boarding houses (Sabala and Zelaya were the other two), especially around Christmas.
13:30-20:00 In addition to the slot machine, Santa invited accordion player Leon Echevarria to play at the house. Another accordion player, Vale Aramburu, came in with the herders seasonally, and once gave Henry his instrument. The different boarding houses took turns hosting functions so they didn’t have to compete with one another. Even though Henry never lived at the house, he would often stay there when his parents were out of time. Santa passed away when Henry was in high school, and her daughter Ruth (and her husband Glen, the bartender) ran the boarding house for a few years. They brought in technically illegal punchboards for the guys to play. During this time, most Basque people in the area worked with the sheep. One family had a home in Castleford—Ernest Larragan, with whom Frank Gandiaga stayed when he separated from Rosa. Most of the Basque events in town were impromptu, except for the predictable winter celebrations.
20-25:00 Henry was born 11 February 1930, in the house in Castleford in which he still lives today. He and his sister Marguerite were sent to parochial school together, even though he was a year older than she was. The family spoke mostly English at home, and so the children only learned how to say a few words in Basque. Henry used to help Maurice Guerry with his sheep during the winters after he had finished high school. When they split up in 1940, Henry’s father rented the farm out while his mother stayed in Twin Falls. Henry never did get to spend much time with his hardworking father (who died in his 60s), and he very rarely discussed the Basque Country with either of his parents.
25-30:00 In 1947, Henry visited the Basque Country (Gernika was still torn up from the bombing) and got to meet some of his parents’ relatives and the places his parents had lived. He loved seeing his ancestral homeland firsthand, and even met his maternal great-grandmother. Henry’s cousin Anastacio Arriaga, from Gooding, is the only close relative he still has from his dad’s side. He always remembers that Basques got along very well with each other, and with other ethnic groups as well. Henry recalls some Czechs, Poles, and a few other ethnic groups in Castleford. Henry never felt different or prejudiced against as he was going through school. He lists a few of his Basque schoolmates.
Side 2
0-6:30 Henry continues discussing some of the Basques his age in Twin Falls. He went through the 8th grade at St. Edward’s, graduated from Twin Falls High School (in 1948), and went to college at the University of Idaho. Rosa was very determined that her children get a good education. Henry studied agricultural economics for three years, but didn’t graduate. He was drafted into Marines for the Korean War in 1951. He never did leave the US, but trained in California until 1953. His intention was always to be a farmer, so when he finished with the service, he moved out to Castleford with his aunt Ruth and uncle Gene. When he decided to marry, his relatives went back to Twin Falls.
6:30-11:00 Henry married Beverly, a non-Basque, in 1955. Her mother ran a dude ranch (now owned by Carole King’s estate), where some members of Henry’s family had worked at the Robinson Bar. Beverly was born in Mackey, and Henry describes her family’s history. Henry farmed during the spring and summer, and helped Maurice Guerry during the winters. He also worked as a ski instructor during the winter.
11-15:30 Henry hurt his arm in a combine around 1960, and traded farm work for a job selling farm machinery in Twin Falls. He rented out the farm. The store was called Twin Falls Tractor and Implement (which his uncle Gene Glenn owns now). Henry then worked for another tractor company for a while before going into he potato processing business. He retired from this job in 1996. Henry has three surviving children (Gina, the oldest, passed away as a toddler): Greg, Philip and Laurie. As they were growing up, they showed quite a bit of interest in the Basque culture. Laurie even took a Basque class at BSU from Pat Bieter.
15:30-22:30 Henry and his wife are members of the Gooding Basque Association, and enjoy going to the cultural functions in Gooding. They eagerly anticipate the coming of the Gooding Basque Center. He has noticed that without the influence of current immigrants (most herders now are from South America), the Basque community has changed. There is less of a tight-knit feeling with the younger generation. He has only made one trip back to the Basque Country, between his junior and senior years of high school. He really enjoyed the trip. Henry recalls that his mother also made a trip back to the Basque Country. He doesn’t believe his father ever wrote much to his family in his homeland, but Henry got to visit these relatives when he went.
22:30-27:30 Looking back on his life, Henry doesn’t think much about trying to define his identity, but he is very proud of his Basque heritage. The sheepherders were a great influence on his life. He misses the closeness of the Basque community of yesterday. [Mikel and Henry begin looking at pictures of—among other things—Santa’s boarding house].
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES: Aramburu, Vale: Twin Falls accordion
players
PLACES: Basque Center (Gooding)
THEMES: Boarding houses
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