A Clearing in the Wild

by Jane Kirkpatrick

  Did Wilhelm Keil actually bring a hearse with his son in it across the continent?

  Yes. No reporters or descendants dispute the relative ease of Keil’s journey west in 1855, even with the presence of Willie Keil’s hearse, and yes, they did use Golden Rule Whiskey to fill the casket. That something happened to change Keil’s buoyant mood once he reached The Dalles is also agreed upon, including the report of the arrest and circumstances of the trial. Historians and family members also agree on the strain placed on the entire group while at Willapa, though they chose to bury Willie there. There are two accounts of the dates of that burial: one in November, the other December. They did carry candles at dusk to place him in the ground. A highway marker notes the site.

  What was the position of women in that German community?

  At Bethel, women and men were separated during worship. They worked with men, however, in the fields, in the tanneries, or wherever they were needed. Men were the leaders, and Wilhelm Keil was the unchallenged leader of the colony from the beginning until its dissolution in Oregon in the 1870s after his death. As was traditional in most societies of the era—and especially so of German American communities—women supported men and did not assume positions of leadership within a community. But this should not suggest that they had no desires to be known, nor should it be assumed that women within a Christian community, such as Bethel, would not have been aware of efforts within the United States to raise the awareness of women’s rights, just as there were discussions related to slave and free men prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. Missourians were well aware of the tension related to free states or slave states. Men who were unhappy with Keil’s leadership could leave; women had fewer choices and may have found more subtle ways to challenge that leadership, such as finding a way to participate in a scouting trip west. Women and men did mix at dances and at the many festival days for which the German community was well known.

  Was Emma as independent as she seemed?

  I think so. Certainly, she was as strong. None of the accounts dispute the hardships endured during those first winters in the Willapa Valley, which must have been extraordinary with an infant to care for and the knowledge that the small group prepared for the arrival of 250 people in just a few months. Winters in that region are legendary for the rainfall. The old growth timber that the scouts encountered soared hundreds of feet into the air. The scouts found isolation and timber, but harnessing both for their purposes proved a daunting challenge, and yet their decisions as portrayed at the end of this first book are accurate. Emma had to be a strong woman to find a new way to see the possibilities there and support her husband in the process.

  Would Emma have challenged Keil’s biblical interpretation of the role of women?

  Here, too, I believe she would have. She may have known of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, where American women openly spoke and wrote of their beliefs and rights. There is evidence that her grandmother or perhaps a great aunt was the “Inspirationalist” leader whom men came to for religious advice over a number of years. Her parents had left their religious tradition to follow Keil. She therefore had a family model of a strong woman who felt called by God directly, not only through a male pastor’s direction, but also of a family who questioned traditional religious authority. Once Emma was in a new territory, given her intelligence, family history—her uncle was an ambassador to France, Germany, and England—and Keil’s absence, if she did not change how she made decisions and question traditional views, she may well have been unable to allow an Indian woman to nurse her child, for example, or support her husband’s spiritual trials in the way she did. I saw her as a kind woman, spirited, who only became challenging of Keil when he proposed barriers to what she wanted: to have her voice heard within the community as a unique child of God and to support her family without losing herself.

  Were the secondary characters—such as the Woodards, Mary and Sebastian Giesy, Louisa Keil, Karl Ruge, and Joe Knight—actual people?

  Yes. Genealogy records and census records, Pacific County Historical Society material, and material from the Aurora Colony Museum in Aurora, Oregon, offered information about who lived close to whom; who remained in Bethel, who left the Willapa Valley, and who ultimately went to Aurora, the site chosen by Keil once he left Willapa via Portland. Emma did have several siblings who will appear in the next book. Joe Knight did take his little side trip. Keil’s niece and brother did die in Oregon Territory. Karl Ruge, as the teacher, was especially important, I think, as Keil objected to education unless it was practical information. To my knowledge, there was no library—which is a common characteristic of many settlements—in Bethel or at Aurora, so Karl’s presence carried additional importance within the community. That Karl stayed with the Willapa group intrigues me, and he’ll add much to the continuing story.

  Did you characterize Emma and Christian’s relationship from letters or diaries, or did you create it?

  I had no letters or diaries to rely on in creating these characters, but I did locate a drawing of Christian made from a portrait, so I had a sense of what he looked like. A great-nephew, David Wagner, provided treasured photographs of Emma in later life. There is really little written record about any of the colony women, and most of what was written down about them was written down by men. I had to track her movements by researching Emma’s parents, brothers, her husband, and later, her sons. I don’t think of it as “making things up” so much as trying to get inside the minds of people to tell a truthful story. I speculated about whether Emma would have told her husband of her pregnancy or not, as he was the leader, and politically, it might have been better for him not to have known. I speculated about why she had even been allowed to go along. A descendant’s letter suggested that she and Christian had defied the leader, Wilhelm Keil, by getting married, and that he had “sent her along” perhaps as punishment. One comment suggested that “both had been exiled to the west.” Those letters opened the door to that possibility and thus made the difficulties at the Willapa site have more tension with the nearing arrival of the main party.

  Were there any surprises discovered as you wrote?

  One thing I noted is how interconnected the earliest settlers in the Oregon Territory were—and are to my own writing experience. In Pacific County census records, I came across the name Soule, which is a family name I also found when I researched A Gathering of Finches. When I posted my interest on a Web site in Pacific County, I heard from Pat Smith, a woman in Utah who had helped me research the Marie Dorion story in A Name of Her Own, as Pat is a descendant of Marie. It turns out that relatives of Madame Dorion made their place in the southern part of Pacific County. Of course, Astoria played a big part in the Tender Ties Historical Series, and once again, I found myself researching right across the Columbia from that city. I also found the history of Washington Territory and the governor’s hostility to natives especially interesting. The effects of the Treaty of 1855 in Oregon versus the trials in Washington also added to my collection of historical facts I’d never encountered before. I was surprised to encounter Ezra Meeker once again, a man whose 1852 diary inspired my Kinship and Courage Series and especially Book One, All Together in One Place. I am also learning a little more about quilting and am grateful for the creativity and patience of my quilting friends.

  What’s going to happen in the second book?

  Ah, that would be telling. But it is a series called “Change and Cherish,” so I can assure you that Emma’s journey of discovery continues. She’ll be “weaving” and “tying” again, faithfully believing that God provides her thread—as do I.

  You may join Jane and view her schedule at her Web site, www.jkbooks.com. Jane is also available by phone for book group gatherings, presentations, or signings by e-mailing her at jane@jkbooks.com or writing to her at 99997 Starvation Lane, Moro, Oregon, 97039.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  While I alone am responsible for this story and its speculations and errors, I could
not have come close to authenticity without the help of many. I gratefully acknowledge the help of director Bruce Weilepp and other members of the Pacific County Historical Society in South Bend, Washington, for their assistance in gathering material about the early colony. Bruce’s enthusiasm for my fictionalizing this story was of great support in the early collecting of information. It was while visiting the museum in South Bend and touring the old sites—Willie’s grave, Old Willapa, and other Territory places—that I also found James G. Swan’s book written in 1857, which provided detailed information about life during Emma’s time.

  I give special thanks to Erhard Gross of Astoria, Oregon, who not only offered specific advice about the flora and fauna of the Pacific Coast country, but walked me through the German language used in this story. He conferred with me about the nature of such a German society in the middle 1800s in America, and his careful reading of an advanced copy and his conversations with me about the role of women and religion and Christianity were always thought-provoking and appreciated, as were the conversations and fine German meals prepared by his wife and my friend, Elfi, at their bed-and-breakfast.

  James J. Kopp, PhD, director of Aubrey R. Watzek Library at Lewis and Clark College and a scholar of utopian societies, made himself accessible for a variety of questions about community and specifically the Aurora settlement. He has a special interest in Aurora, is a board member of the Old Aurora Colony Museum and Aurora Historical Society, and lives in Aurora. I am especially grateful for his index of material, his willingness to spend time with me to explore the archives, and for his kind speculation with me about the lives of women at Bethel, Willapa, and Aurora.

  I thank as well the Aurora Colony Historical Society for their maintaining of the facility where I’ve spent many days as a tourist hearing the stories, seeing the quilts, and wondering what life back then was really like, long before Emma’s story called my name. I give special thanks to Alan Guggenheim, director of the Old Aurora Colony Museum, and his staff, board, and volunteers, especially Irene Westwood, for allowing me access to archival material and making me feel welcome even while they prepared for their annual quilt show at the museum and for the sesquicentennial celebration of the beginning of the Aurora Colony scheduled for 2006.

  David and Pat Wagner opened their family files, and I am deeply indebted to their kindness and their passion for history. Annabell Prantl, author and historian, deserves thanks for locating several articles from the Marion County Historical Society in Salem, Oregon, and providing them to me. As an octogenarian, she is an inspiration and encouragement to my work and has connections to Pacific County.

  Karla and Peter Nelson of Time Enough Books in Ilwaco, Washington, offered assistance about Pacific County and life in that landscape, including oystering, as well as reading an advanced copy of A Clearing in the Wild. They also obviously love books, something else we hold in common, and they understand the beauty of the landscape despite its demands.

  The Fort Steilacoom Historical Society provided important information, as did the Steilacoom Historical Society. I’m especially grateful to Susan and Milt Davidson of Steilacoom for meeting me at the museum on a blustery Sunday afternoon and answering questions and “speculating” with me.

  I thank Blair Fredstrom, who used her days to search genealogy connections, and for being willing to explore with me the lives of strong women and their challenges in territorial times. I thank Sandy Maynard for helping me type when I broke my arm early in the writing of this book and her later support during the deaths and illnesses that challenged the telling of this story. Carol Tedder is a prayer partner extraordinaire, and I have “groupies” who appear to help me at the most needful times. They are angels each one, and I thank them.

  To my writing team in Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida and at WaterBrook Press, a special thanks for your support and encouragement and prayers, especially during the writing of this book. You all know who you are and why you are appreciated so much.

  A special acknowledgment goes to readers everywhere who find these stories and allow them to nurture them. Thank you for sharing with me through your letters, e-mails, and presence at events how these stories have touched your lives. I thank you for carrying me and these stories in your hearts.

  Finally, to Jerry for his patience, his love of history, his mapmaking, and his willingness to live for twenty-nine years with a girl of German descent who some might say is both stubborn and strong-willed: Thank you. You are my clearing in this world’s wild.

  jane@jkbooks.com

  SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

  Allen, Douglas. Shoalwater Willapa. South Bend, WA: Snoose Peak Publishing, 2004.

  Arndt, Karl J. R. George Rapp’s Harmony Society 1785–1847, rev. ed. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, 1972.

  Barthel, Diane L. Amana, From Pietist Sect to American Community. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1982.

  Bek, William G. “The Community at Bethel, Missouri, and Its Offspring at Aurora, Oregon” (Part 1). German-American Annals, vol. 7, 1909.

  ———. “A German Communistic Society in Missouri.” Missouri Historical Review. October, 1908.

  Blankenship, Russell. And There Were Men. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1942.

  Buell, Hulda May Giesy. “The Giesy Family.” Pacific County Rural Library District, memoir. Raymond, WA, 1953.

  ———. “The Giesy Family Cemetery.” The Sou’wester. Pacific County Historical Society, vol. 21, no. 2, 1986.

  Cross, Mary Bywater. Treasures in the Trunk: Memories, Dreams, and Accomplishments of the Pioneer Women Who Traveled the Oregon Trail. Nashville: Rutledge Hill, 1993.

  Curtis, Joan, Alice Watson, and Bette Bradley, eds. Town on the Sound, Stories of Steilacoom. Steilacoom, WA: Steilacoom Historical Museum Association, 1988.

  Dole, Phillip. “Aurora Colony Architecture: Building in a Nineteenth-Century Cooperative Society.” Oregon Historical Quarterly, vol. 92, no. 4, 1992.

  Dietrich, William. Natural Grace: The Charm, Wonder and Lessons of Pacific Northwest Animals and Plants. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2003.

  Duke, David Nelson. “A Profile of Religion in the Bethel-Aurora Colonies.” Oregon Historical Quarterly, vol. 92, no. 4, 1992.

  Ficken, Robert E. Washington Territory. Pullman, WA: Washington State University Press, 2002.

  Gordon, David G., Nancy Blanton, and Terry Nosho. Heaven on the Half Shell: The Story of the Northwest’s Love Affair with the Oyster. Portland, OR: Washington Sea Grant Program and WestWinds Press, 2001.

  Hendricks, Robert J. Bethel and Aurora: An Experiment in Communism as Practical Christianity. New York: Press of the Pioneers, 1933.

  Keil, William. “The Letters of Dr. William Keil.” The Sou’wester. Pacific County Historical Society, vol. 28, no. 4, 1993.

  Nash, Tom, and Twilo Scofield. The Well-Traveled Casket. Eugene, OR: Meadowlark, 1999.

  Nordhoff, Charles. The Communistic Societies of the United States. New York: Hillary House, 1960.

  Olsen, Deborah M. “The Schellenbaum: A Communal Society’s Symbol of Allegiance.” Oregon Historical Quarterly, vol. 92, no. 4, 1992.

  Simon, John E. “William Keil and Communist Colonies.” Oregon Historical Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 2, 1935.

  Strong, Charles Nelson. Cathlamet on the Columbia. Portland, OR: Holly Press, 1906.

  Swan, James G. The Northwest Coast or Three Years’ Residence in Washington Territory. Harper and Brothers, 1857.

  Swanson, Kimberly. “ ‘The Young People Became Restless:’ Marriage Patterns Before and After Dissolution of the Aurora Colony.” Oregon Historical Quarterly, vol. 92, no. 4, 1992.

  Synder, Eugene Edmund. Aurora, Their Last Utopia, Oregon’s Christian Commune, 1856–1883. Portland, OR: Binford and Mort, 1993.

  Weathers, Larry, ed. The Sou’wester. South Bend, WA: Pacific County Historical Society, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1979, 1986, 1989, 1993.

  Will, Clark
Moor. “An Omnivorous Collector Discovers Aurora!” Marion County History, School Days I, 1971–1982, vol. 13, Marion County Historical Society, 1979.

  ———. The Sou’wester. Several letters between descendant Will and Ruth Dixon, plus notations, essays, correspondence, and drawings of the Old Aurora Colony Museum, Aurora, Oregon. Raymond, WA: Pacific County Historical Society collection, May 29, 1967.

  GLOSSARY OF GERMAN AND CHINOOK WORDS

  German

  ach oh no!

  auf Wiedersehen, or informally, tschuess good-bye

  Belsnickel a traditional Christmas persona bringing gifts

  Peltz Nickel a punishing companion of Belsnickel

  Christkind Christ child

  Dummkopf dummy or stupid

  Frau Mrs.

  Fräulein Miss

  gross Haus grand house

  gut good

  Herr Mr.

  ja yes, pronounced “ya”

  Junge boy

  Kind child

  Kinder children

  Liebchen darling or sweetheart

  nein no

  nicht jetzt not now

  Schellenbaum A bell-like instrument known in English as the “Turkish Crescent.” Popular in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the large instrument combined music with a symbol of authority or standard of allegiance.

  Tannenbaum a tree, especially at Christmastime

  Ve we

  verdammt damn

  Volk folks

  Chinook/Chehalis

  cum’tux understand, as in, “Do you understand?”

  ho-ey-ho-ey exchange or trade

  klose good

  muck-a-muck eat

  Nch’I-Wana Columbia River

  omtz give