The Daughter's Walk - Jane Kirkpatrick [140]
Ida never married. She lived out her life with Clara, the sisters coming to a comfortable truce. The great-nieces and -nephews of Clara recall visiting both women and said that Ida seemed more ready for playful, energetic children than Clara was, but that both women made them feel important and welcomed as treasured members of the family. Norma Fay held a special place in Clara’s heart, as evidenced by the numerous poems Clara wrote to her and the frequent trips Clara made by streetcar carrying the pastries with maraschino cherries on top on her lap.
The details that lend authenticity to any historical novel often come from people who are passionate beyond that of an individual author. Several such passionate and generous people assisted me in creating this story.
Descendants Harold Portch, Dorothy and Daryll Bahr, and Mary Kay Irwin (Dorothy and Mary Kay are daughters of Thelma Estby Portch), and Norma Fay Lee, Lillian’s daughter, met with me in Spokane, answered questions, offered possibilities and, like me, were surprised by the discoveries of Clara’s property acquisitions, her living in Coulee City, and her affiliation with the New York women. Dorothy and Mary Kay met with me and Linda Hunt at the little café where Helga often liked to eat pastries with maraschino cherries on top. Their willingness to answer questions and speculate was invaluable. Harold Portch’s warm welcome in his home, Stephen Portch’s conversations with me by phone, and Daryll Bahr’s sharing photographs of the furniture Clara loved as well as family portraits and remembrances were all greatly appreciated. The kindness and generosity of these descendants, including the best chocolate dessert ever, reflected that same care I imagined in the lives of Helga, Ole, Clara, and the Estby family when they were not dealing with devastating losses.
I was blessed with access to a family history, “The Descendants of Kari Henriksdatter Furuberget Bing, the Mother of Helga Estby,” by an unnamed descendant. It included the copy of Helga’s article responding to a New York Times piece about unions. She wrote about her trip to the silver mines of Idaho. The article was printed in Norwegian in the newspapers in Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Paul in February 1897 (translated by Tove Dahl Johansen). This family history also verifies that Clara was born to an unknown father, not Ole Estby.
Penny Hutten, coauthor with Don Popejoy of Early Spokane and the director of the Westerners International organization in Spokane, Washington, provided numerous details of early life in Spokane, news articles related to furriers, contacts for clarifying burial information, and even details such as who supplied the eggs for the Davenport Hotel. Penny’s enthusiasm for this story and her willingness to assist with my many questions were invaluable. Her knowledge of early Spokane was priceless.
Evelyn Fricke, coordinator of the Rockford Museum near Mica Creek, is a treasure, sharing exhibit information about the Estby family and speculating with me about Clara and her relationship with her family. Linda Jones, another Rockford soul passionate about history, provided photographs and gave directions to Linda Hunt and me so we could locate the hog house the Joneses had moved from their farm, which had once been owned by Ole and Helga. This hog house, built by a careful craftsman, might well have been the place that Ida, Johnny, Arthur, Billy, and Lillian huddled in that cold spring of 1897 while Bertha lay dying in the house with her father and brother Olaf, and while Helga and Clara desperately