Mary Larson, Pioneer, dies

Mrs. Larson born in Nordstrand, Germany, on September 21, 1874, 2nd of 12 children. The family came to the United States in May 1889, aboard the tramp steamer, Amalfi, which sank on its return trip to Germany. The voyage to New York took them 18 days. On route west, they were obliged to stop in Chicago while Mr. Reinkens recovered from an attack of smallpox They then went on to Chehalis, then the end of the railroad, and came to Montesano by team, reaching here July 1, 1889. They hired a livery team to take them up the Wynooche River to the homestead of Mrs. Reinkens' brother, Matt Matzen, the place now owned by LaVern Valentine.

About 5 miles up the river Uncle Matt met them with an ox team. It was an exciting trip, for the road followed the river in the lowlands, on gravel bars and crossed the Wynooche about 20 times before its end at the present site of the Parker Askew home. The last 5 miles beyond were over a trail. The mother arrived the next day, with the younger children, by canoe.

Then began the hard task of carving a new home in the wilderness, slashing, burning and clearing the land. Neighbors cleared a half acres across the river from the Carter home and built a schoolhouse there. The children attended this school where W. H. France, later a Monte banker and now retired, was the teacher.

In Sept 1892, the family moved to Minnesota to farm land all ready cleared. There they raised wheat and cattle. Hail destroyed their crops several times and declining prices added to their hardships. In 1898, the family returned to Washington and the Wynooche Valley where they lived until 1919. Then Mary Reinkens made her home with her brother Tony in Fairview.

Her childhood training in Germany had given her exceptional skill in handiwork, sewing and other arts. She enjoyed crocheting and embroidering gifts for her many friends who knew her as one always ready to help when sickness or other emergencies came.

Mary belonged to a sewing club in the neighborhood in Montesano, sewed clothes for the grandchildren and embroidered. She made a number of crocheted table clothes, Anna has one that she has kept put up and has never used it for fear of damaging it. Jean and Shirley each have one, too. In the bottom of Mary's cedar chest was a package that had written on it "For my first great grand daughter", inside the package was a beautiful crocheted table cloth. Mary could also tat beautifully. She tatted edges for dresser scarfs and linens. She sewed on an old Rotary White treadle sewing machine.

Jean Lukin Moore can remember her glass churn, and churning the cream into butter. After the butter was churned it had to be washed in cold water till the water ran clear. Then they formed the butter into squares. The grandkids got to make butter balls. Mary had butter paddles that they rolled the butter between until round balls were formed. She also had butter molds to shape the butter into squares and bricks, one had an acorn pattern on it. Toward the last, Mary's heart wasn't strong so Tony helped with the churning...