Mable Leonard Interview
WithHolly Bentley
11/00
Eureka,MT
Mable: I was born in Canada. Right across the line. Welived in the states but I dont knowwhy I was born in Canada. Evidently,there wasnt a doctor then.
Holly: Oh really?
Mable: And then I had on long timegetting my citizenship papers from Canada. Get them to sign to release me. Iwas a Canadian.
H: So it was right across the border inGrasmere?
M: Uh huh, in Grasmere. And I dont know how come but evidently there was a doctorthere and my mother evidently needed the doctor. So I was born up there. ButI didnt think it was going to be any problem. Then they spelled my name wrong. Theyspelled it MABEL instead of MABLE. ThenI had to fight about that to get my name changed.
H: So your parents are both U.S. citizensand youre a Canadian?
M: Yes, they were both U.S. citizens butI dont know how come there must not have been a doctor available. My mother went right across the line cause wed lived up there and Iwas born right across the line! Courseevery time I tried to do something about it theyd screw it up somewaymisspelling my name, but I got that straight.
H: Oh thats good. When did you move to the United States?
M: Weve always lived
H: Okay. Yeah.
M: So we went up to Canada. So if you ever have any children dont take them up to Canada.
H: Ill remember that. What about school? Whendid you start school?
M: Mother died before I was six yearsold. So when I started school mydad put me in a Catholic boarding school in Kalispell, MT.
H: Oh wow.
M: And I went there all the time. I never got to go to public schools. He wouldnt let me.
H: Oh, did you like that?
M: I got tired of it.
H: Oh really?
M: The rest of the kids weregettingbut their parents were letting them go to public schools. When I got through the eighth grade, they were all going too,course it was right here in Eureka, they were all going to high school here. Going to high schoolOh boy thatd be great so I told dad I want togo on to school. He said fine packyour suitcase. You go back toKalispell, the boarding school. Isaid no way. I had a choice. Either go down there or stay home and cook for my dad andbrothers. I took the cooking job.
H: Oh yeah! You didnt want to go backto school down there?
M: No! I wanted to be with the kids.
H: Were you the oldest?
M: Oh no, I was the youngest.
H: Oh you cooked for everyone else?
M: Oh no, my brothers were gone. I think one was in the service I dont remember. There was some reason why I was the one to do the cooking for dad. I had a good life. Ididnt mind it.
H: So how many brothers and sisters didyou have?
M: I had two brothers and two sisters. My two sisters are both gone. NoLiz isnt gone. One sister is gone. Theold sister is gone.
H: Besides cooking, what were your otherresponsibilities at home?
M: that was it.
H: just cooking?
M: Well, washing too. I just kept house.
H: so you were married? Correct?
M: Oh yeah.
H: When was that, when did you getmarried?
M: Well, I was still cooking for dad whenI started going with Hank. ThatsFrank Leonard who lived here. Istarted going with him. And we gotmarried. We went to Libby to getmarried. I was 20. Dad was going to get the cops after us.
H: Oh really? Oh my gosh.
M: They said well nothing they could do. I was of age.
H: He didnt want you to get married,huh?
M: He didnt want me to get married.
H: Probably wanted you to stay home andcook for him.
M: Stay home and cook. I enjoyed it. Ididnt mind it. I could have goneto public schools but dad said no way. Eithergo back to Kalispell to the boarding schools or stay home and cook. And that sounded good so I stayed home and cooked. I can understand he was worried you know. I was a good kid.
H: Did you have any kids of your own?
M: Oh yes. There was Don. You see I hadthat stroke and part of my brain is paralyzed. No, I had Dave and Don. Daveand Don and Jim. Oh cripes. I dont even remember my kids. Anyway
H: Dave, Don, and Jim?
M: Yeah, Dave, Don, and Jim. Jim was the youngest boy. Ohlets see are these even my kids? Youre interviewing somebody that lost partof her brain. Oh I think
H: Dont remember?
M: I cant, I lost my memory.
H: Yeah, thats all right.
M: But anyway I had some brothers andsisters.
H: Did you and Hank live in Eureka?
M: Oh yes. He wasnt born here. Hismother lived in North Dakota. Justas bad as me being born in Canada. But,ah, no he worked in the woods. Thenhe got his back hurt. So he took abarber class and he barbered for oh, 32 years.
H: And you stayed home and took care ofthe kids.
M: No, I started a business of my own.
H: Really?
M: I had a flower shop and greenhouse. You know you dont have any education but you can still run a business.
H: Yeah
M: He stood on one toe, like this, whenhe barbered cause he hurt his back. Hehad a big brace on from down here clear up to here.
H: He broke his back in the woods?
M: Yeah, a tree hit him. He said that was the best thing that happened to him.
H: He enjoyed being a barber?
M: Oh yeah, you could hear a lot ofstories about him barbering. Theyalways told us youd go down to get a haircut and Hank would be busy. But you could bet there was just only one man in there for a haircut. The rest were in there I wont say. Ihad a good life.
H: So your kids went to school in Eureka?
M: Yeah, went to school and graduatedfrom Eureka.
H: So you didnt send them to boardingschool?
M: No way. I cant complain about that but of course, most of them that were inthe boarding school from here, when they got through the eighth grade, theirparents let them go to high school. AndI told dad, course, mother was dead. Itold I want to go on to high school. Hesaid, Ok, pack your suitcase. Isaid no thank you. So I stayed home and cooked. But I ran a business on my own without any education.
H: Ya, thats great.
M: Course, I could add two and two is sixyou know.
H: Do you remember the day you werebornyour birth date?
M: March 10, 1910. That must be right.
H: Did any of your children go into themilitary?
M: Yes, Jim did. The other two didnt. Ithink Jim went to some other service because he was going to be gotten in andhed rather go to, what the heck was it? You know I had a stroke?
H: Uh huh.
M: And part of my brain is dead. But Jims the only one who went into the service.
H: Do your children still live aroundhere?
M: No
H: Theyve all moved?
M: Jim, or Don and Dave are retired. I tell them theyre retired. Andtheyve traveled a lot. Daveworked at the school. He was ateacher and then they offered him the principal job but he wouldnt take it. And Don worked, oh he was some big shot in something he worked for somebig company and traveled. I wish Ihadnt lost my brain. ButanywayI had a good life and then after, well the kids were pretty well grown. I got Dick. He was 5 monthsold when I got him. I raised himnow hes a teacher. So all of mykids, I cant say theyre no good because theyve done everything. Theyre really wonderful. Dickis good to me. Im the onlymother he knew.
H: Did you adopt him?
M: No, I wouldnt adopt him, becausehis dad was still alive. And Ithought Im not going to do that because if anything happened to me, his dadwould be responsible.
H: How did you come across to taking himin then?
M: Well, he was my sisters son. His dad was my sisters boy. Sowhen his mother, is that on tape?
H: yeah.
M: His mother went, uh, he was 5 monthsold when I got him. But now hesgone too. Gone to school andteaching over in Browning. Improud of the whole bunch of em and what theyve done.
H: What would you say was the best day ofyour life? Or do you not have one?
M: I always, I had a good like.
H: A lot of good days?
M: A lot of good days. Well, when one boy said one time mom dont you and dadever quarrel? I said, no, I cant think of any quarrels we ever had.
H: Really?
M: He said, What do you do? I said if something comes up needs to be settled, we talk! We dont get mad at each other. Maybehe wanted to go downtown and play with the boys, but we never had any arguments. And thats what the one boy said, mom I dont ever remember youand dad quarreling.
H: thats pretty unusual.
M: We had nothing to quarrel about. Weve done everything together. We fished and stuff like that.
H: Do you remember your most embarrassingmoment?
M: Well, if I did, I probably wouldnttell you.
H: You dont want it on tape, huh?
H: If there was anything you wish you haddone in your youth, what would it have been?
M: I cant thinkI enjoyed myself.
H: Thats so neat.
M: Even in the boarding school when I wasput in the boarding school through the eighth grade.
H: You made the most of your life?
M: Yes, and when I got out of that, whyno I cant think of anything Id change in my life.
H: IF there were any advice you couldtell the wide world, what would it be?
M: Just to be themselves. And watch it!
H: Do you have any stories to tell? Any great ones that stick out?
M: Well, this includes Addy Scott, no hername isnt Scott nowAddyany way Addy (Brock, Scott, Irwin) and I werereally good friends. We hunted, nothunted, fished together. And justhad a swell time.
H: Really?
M: And shes here in the home. So we get together once in a while. Theyd have put me in jail if they could!
H: What was, while you were growing up,the cost of things? How much did,say gas? How much did gas cost?
M: I dont know cause I never drove.
H: You didnt have a car?
M: No, we had a car but I never drove it. If we had somewhere to go Id wait till he was off work and wed go. I never drove the car. Well,I drove it once before I was married. We had a model T. We lived on the 69 Ranch. Ohthat Ranch out at the line where Linda lives now. Thats where we lived. Anddad had gotten a model T I suppose. Andhe told me I could drive it and I said no and he said, well you know youdidnt take drivers license you just went out and drove the car. We went to town, and then when we came back he opened the gate and said;now you drive through it. Ihit the gatepost.
H: Oh did you?
M: I never drove again. So that finished that.
H: Did your dad laugh or was he mad?
M: Oh no, we never had a quarrel. Our family was one that never quarreled. If there was something come up, we talked about it. We didnt yell and scream.
H: Thats really neat.
M: I had a good life I cant complain.
H: Did you go back to your class reunionsor did you not have them?
M: No, we didnt have them. Oh, Im sorry yes we did. Itwasnt the grade school course I went to grade school there. But when they had there other class reunion their high school, theyinvited me to come. So I went tothose.
H: What was that like people had changeda lot?
M: Oh yes well of course from 8thgrade through high school there was just a few that I knew.
H: What did you think of the changes inthe world? Like WWII and the GreatDepression?
M: I say the Great Depression wasterrible. At that time peopledidnt need much but a lot of them abused it. But I lived through it.
H: What about WWII?
M: Well you see I had this problem I hadthat stroke. I was paralyzed andsome of that is blocked. So I knowthat. I cant think.
H: Okay. Is there anything youd like to do in the future? Anything special?
M: I dont know you know Im 89? So Idont think theres much I can do. Getmy eyesight back and get out of here and live my life.
H: Is there any changes concerning Eurekaor your family that you wish had never happened?
M: Well, Eureka has changed. But every place changes. Growthswhat turns it. Course theres alot of us older people who would like to see things different. Its progress! We cantchange what they want to do. I likeEureka. I dont care what theydo. They cant ever take mymemories away.
H: Have you ever traveled?
M: Oh heavens yes. Not out of the states. Mykids, after my husband died, they were always taking me places.
H: Oh really?
M: My husband and I went a couple timesoh where did we go? Sorry mymemorys shot. But we went on acouple trips. And after he got sickhe couldnt go. You know hebarbered for 30 some years.
H: hmm, arthritis?
M: And his hands cramped like this hecouldnt ever hold a pen. Hetried to travel but it was impossible. Sohe went to the nursing home. But wehad a great life together. Theresquite a history about Hank.
H: He sounds like a real man full ofcharacter.
M: Yeah, he was theyd say thebarbershop would be full thered only be one in there to get his haircut.
H: Did you have any unusual experiencesin your life? Nothing that comes tomind?
M: No
H: Is there anything else youd like toinclude?
M: Well, I think Eurekas a wonderfulplace. When I had my stroke I wasout in Washington with one of my sons and he said mom youre not going in anyhospital. We got in the car, hestepped on the gas and we came clear over here. He said I dont want you any place but home. And Im so glad he done that. Hewas still working. Course none ofmy kids ever settled here.
H: But Eurekas home to you?
M: You bet it is. Course Dick is in Browning. Thatsthe boy I raised. So hes inschool there hes a teacher. Sothats the only one whos here the rest are as I say not retired butrestarted, no it was a good family. Wehad a lot of fun together.
H: Thank you for letting me interviewyou.
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