The Old Prospectors Wall Tent

[Julia A Knaake]

The Old Prospectors Wall Tent

At the Spokane airport, piling all four extra large suitcases in the old 65 navy blue Ford Country Sedan, we headed back to the Colville reservation. Ma and Sis had flown in from Ohio to spend a week roughing it up on our hill.

Arriving in the small town of Wilbur we drove right in to Billy's Burger joint so Ma could have her blackberry milkshake. Every time we went near Billy's Burger she had to have her blackberry fix. Everyone full and happy we continued on to our eighty acres up on the hill.

We had set up the old prospectors wall tent for the ladies about ten feet from our little backpackers tent in case they were frightened during the night and called out to us.
The tent was a rugged four sided shelter much like a cabin with a peaked roof made of marine canvas which was water and mildew repellent. Inside were two Army surplus cots set up with abundant bedding and pillows. I placed a flashlight with new batteries on each bed. They both thought I had supplied too much bedding but I explained it got really cold up at 3,000 feet at night.

I had acquired a small seated, tightly covered potty for the women and a small table with a bowl, pitcher of water and soap and towels. They knew they were here up in the wilderness to rough it for that week.
We explored the property for a while going from the pond where the muskrats lived down to the lake where open range cattle and deer drank and back. They were tired from the long walk and went into their tent to rest. I told them to keep the zippered mosquito door closed even tho we had no mosquitoes but there were nasty deer flies and no-see-ums around.
I had them rub oil of citronella on the back of their necks and their wrists and ankles so they would not be bothered by the bugs. I went over and rubbed some oil of citronella on the netting near the zipper on their door also. I wanted them to be comfy because they were not used to roughing it up in the hills.

When they awoke I had made them a simple dinner of bacon, eggs and fried potatoes and coffee. We did not have refrigeration up there but I was happy to have canned bacon. I did have an old cooler buried in the ground down three feet with the eggs and potatoes. Dishes were done and the grease from the bacon put away in a jar down in the cooler. I always made sure anything that resembled garbage was burned in the fire pit or any cans were washed, de-lided, crushed and placed in a large bag hanging on a post about half a mile to the end of our property. When we went to town that bag was tossed in a dumpster. I never clued the ladies in that there were bears roaming near the camp.

Everyone slept well, they were so glad I gave them lots of bedding and the "toilet area" in their tent. The next morning was pretty much roaming around the property, showing them where we were going to build the log cabin and people coming up to visit the city gals. They enjoyed the attention from the youngsters who also enjoyed my chocolate chip pancakes.
We and another family decided to go camping for a day up at the old Ruby mine area. Next morning we piled in the station wagon with their bedding, our tent and some cooking utensils and headed down the hill stopping at the local store for a few fresh supplies. Ruby was not far from us so when we got there the men and boys took off to explore. While
Stephen's wife, Tam, sat and talked with Ma and Sis while I prepared a nice large breakfast for everyone.
After breakfast I pulled out my old large cast iron Dutch oven and set it up with a nice beef stew and placed it deep in the fire pit, covered with coals while the three ladies cleaned up the camp area. We all hiked to the mine but the ladies and I did not care to venture in that dark hole so we went back to camp. Tam and Sis picked Thimble berries and talked while Ma and I climbed down the steep hill to the creek to pan for gold. I thought that was pretty cool for a lady in her eighties to go down that steep bank.
We panned and panned and found very little gold so I gave her mine. She got chilled so I built her a small fire to warm by and she was happy about that. Going back up the hill was a worry for me lest she nor make it all the way up.
I figured our a switchback way up and with a large staff of wood used as a cane she got up to the top just fine. Ma took a nap in the back of the Ford laying on the bedding. Tam and Sis came back with the berries and I grabbed about a cup to use for the biscuits I would make later on the top of the Dutch oven lid covering them with foil to bake properly.
The men and boys came in later, Ma woke up and showed them her gold flakes and we all had a lovely beef stew and biscuits with no leftovers.
We all had a very nice day, singing around the campfire, telling each other stories and the boys had their marshmallows to roast. Ma and Sis slept well in the back of the station wagon. The rest of their holiday was fun for them on the hill. When it was time for them to return to the airport
to go back home we took our little tent with us to camp along the way back and left the empty old prospectors wall tent up. I had a small shed on the property where I stored bedding and other things to keep out of the weather. The trip to the airport went well and there was a stop at Billy's Burger for a blackberry fix. We returned home two days later and that poor old prospectors wall tent was torn to shreds! I did NOT know that Ma had left her stash of Oreo cookies in that tent for the bears to devour.

© 2012 Julia A Knaake

[Julia A Knaake]

MrMusik,

This one happened to be a true one right down to those Oreo cookies

I'd still have that tent if it were not for Ma loving her sweets!

Of course I'd rather have Ma but she did live to be 98 and still

riding horses and climbing on tractors oh yes and her three beers a day!

[Julia A Knaake]

Thank you Luvy, I know the feeling as my first husband thought camping meant setting up a tent in the back yard on Hester Ave in San Jose Ca for the girls and their friends to sleep over.

I did talk him into going to Big Sur , Ca once and it was pitch black up there but all night I could hear the lovely ocean waves beating against the rocks on the side of the cliff.