Hanna Asp was the daughter of Anders and Maria Asp (Aspnäs in Finland). Hanna immigrated to the United States in 1888 with her family from Pedersöre, Finland. The following are entries from the diary of Hanna Asp during the summer of 1902. She worked for the John Olin family in a logging camp near Chinook, Washington. A copy of the diary was generously donated to SFHS by Bernice Olin. Photos of the family are from the SFHS archives unless otherwise noted. We kept the original grammar and spelling from the diary. This is the third installment in this series. If you haven’t read the first installment it can be found here and the second installment here.
August 6, 1902
Yesterday forenoon I washed and just got through in time to set the table for dinner. Just as I was taking off my washing wrapper Nelsons came here. They stayed here for dinner and after dinner they went blackberrying. I was going after I got through with my work and I had agreed with Mary on a whistle so that I could find them. When I came to the place where they were going to be I whistle but got no answers so I crossed the creek on some logs and I got my pan half full of berries. I started to come back but thought I would like to see the new road they are making so I went till I came to a creek that stopped my further progress and so I crossed on a log. I stumbled on a limb and spilled nearly all my berries and so I what was left. I saw some huckleberries and began to pick them and Fritison & Jack came there and I gave all my huckles to Jack and then I climbed upon a log and got all pitchy. I crossed over to the creek and found a few more blackberries and just then I saw Mrs. Nelson & Mary coming out of the house so I got to the creek just as they did. Then I couldn’t get across so I went along the bank till I came to the barn there is a tree on which I crossed. Then Mary & I went down to the donkey and Mr. & Mrs. Nelson were just ready to go home so I went with them a way and then went home. It was four o’clock.
In the evening Jack & August came up here and we were playing and doing all kinds of mischief to each other and Ina put a whole lot of salt in Jack’s mouth and August put something down my neck so I watched my chance and when he was laughing I put some soap in his mouth. We made so much noise that they must have heard us way down to the camp. After they went Mr. Christians came over to get some coal oil for his lantern. He said he had to get up four o’clock in the morning.
This morning we did not have enough coffee ground so Ina ground with her new patent coffee mill again. This forenoon I ironed but did not get through with all. Today it has been 114° in the sun and 95° in the shade. We dug up Mrs. Olins potato patch to day and all the potatoes were eaten in one meal. Everything is done for today except to shut the chicken door. August is in the frontroom talking to Mrs. Olin and Ina is writing now.
August 7, 1902
Mrs. Olin got up at one last night to cook coffee for those who are driving logs and they came home at 8 this morning so we had to keep breakfast for them. I ironed what I had left from yesterday and washed 1 kitchen window and 2 dining-room windows. In the afternoon Ina scrubbed the frontroom, Mrs. Olin pained the kitchen stove pipe & I washed one dining-room window, one in our room and one in the kitchen.
After that I practiced my lesson a little and made some butter then it was half past four and time to peel potatoes for supper. They are done with the place where they were working and have moved the donkey to the burn some place. They are going to pull out the logs across the creek next and then I thin kit will be done.
August 8, 1902
Yesterday evening August came up here and wiped the dishes for me. Ina had a toothache. When we were through with our work August wanted me to play for him and Mr. Christians was on the front porch talking to Mrs. Olin so he came in too and after a while Alfred & Jack came in. When John came home I wanted him to play a piece out of my book and he said if I would get his glasses he would so I got them and then I had to take off his shoes and hunt his slippers & put them on and at last he played for us. It must have been pretty late when I got to bed. This morning Christians went away very early because he was going home for a few days. Dawson, Armstrong, & Charlie went also so I suppose Charlie is home now. This afternoon August & I went blackberrying to the other side of the woods. A little way past the place where Esther & Mrs. Olin & I went one Sun. We got very few blackberries and about a small pudding pan full of huckleberries. It was half past four when we came home. Only four men ate at the regular time tonight. August ate when we cooks ate and 2 other men have just eaten and 3 more have to eat and Mrs. Olin. She went to Stringtown this afternoon. 20 min. to 10. They are home now. I mean Mrs. Olin and those that have been to the raft they came at half past 9.
Jakob Jakobsson Olin
Jack was born February 12, 1880 in Nykarleby, Finland to Jakob Jakobsson Olin and Maria Mattsdotter Aspnäs. He marries Hanna Wik (born February 12, 1877 in Finland) on December 17, 1910 and they have three daughters; Toini Mari, Judit Hanna Irene, and Mirjam Elia Sofia. Jack passes away October 29, 1940 in Mr. Vernon, Washington. His wife, Hanna, passes away June 3, 1951.
August 9, 1902
This morning I got up when Ina did because I had so many dishes to wash before breakfast. I got through with the breakfast dishes at 8 and then I cleaned all the shelves and the woodshed then some of the men who had been on the raft came home and had to have something to eat then I peeled potatoes for dinner and set the table. When I was washing dishes a man came here to get some bread because the bread he and his party had, had got spoiled. This afternoon we scrubbed and got through at half past 3. We have had six suppers to-night. At 6 o’clock 3 men ate, then Mrs. Olin, Ina & I ate, then the timber fallers ate, then Alfred, then August & Berg and Mr. Olin is going to eat yet when he gets home. It has been very hot to day. It was 94° in the shade at four o’clock. It has been so smoky that the sunlight was all brown.
August 10, 1902
To-day is Sun. and Olin’s expected company so we had a little more to do but they did not come after all so in the afternoon Ina & I, and August and Jack were going to take a boat ride and go up to Prest’s and get some butter. Fred Fritison and the fireman went out shooting so they came with us out on the tideland. We wanted them to come with us but they would not. When we came to where the boat was to be it was gone so we thought it might be on the slough but when we came there we met Alfred and he said he had not seen it although he had looked all over for it so we had to walk. When we came to Prest’s we had to wait for the butter and so we went in the kitchen and sat down a while. While we were there we saw Fred coming and so we started to go home. When we came to the dike there was Alfred, Fred & Carlson with the boat. They had found it a little further down than we looked for it so we went home in the boat and got home at 10 minutes to 6. When we were all through with our work Ina predicted that it would rain so we had to put all the wood in the woodshed and it only took a little while because we were so many to do it. After that I played a little on the organ and this went went to bed.
August 11, 1902
We intended to walk this morning but Ina had too much cooking that we could not get water warm. Charlie & the engineer & Davison came home to-day and Charlie brought me a letter from Maria. It was just the dearest, sweetest letter. It made me almost homesick when Charlie told me about everything that has happened and is going to happen at home.
Just when I was through with the dishes August came up and he ground coffee for us. He stayed nearly till dinner times. He came up in the afternoon, too and he was trying to read some Finn and I can tell you we did laugh. We got through at 8 o’clock this evening. Ina & Alfred have been trying to throw water on each other and as he was going down to the bunkhouse Ina threw a dipper of water on him and got him all wet, Jack is talking to me now, he says I write wrong that I turn my letters wrong. He just went to bed now so I will go too.
The native huckleberries, Vaccinium ovatum, that Hanna writes about in her diary.