Sagebrush Homesteads

Sagebrush Homesteads tells of a childhood spent on some of the last semi-arid acres claimed by homesteaders in the Columbia Basin. Laura T. Lage (1896-1985) opens her tale in 1906 when, as a child of ten, she arrives with her parents to begin a new life near the fledgling town of Othello, Washington. Like their neighbors, who live less than a mile away in any direction, the Tice family invests far more in the shallow, thirsty, "blowdust" soil of Eastern Washington's Adams County than its precarious promise warrants.Although their life is hard and resources are scarce, Laura finds much to be thankful for and her attitude is decidedly cheerful--even optimistic. Soon, the 1909 completion of the Milwaukee Railroad's western division gives some of the failing farmers new reason to stay, and the region's young people find employment and hope in the Milwaukee's restaurant, roundhouse, and work gangs. But in 1914, Laura realizes she must leave her father's farm to get a decent education and make her own living.Lage penned her regional pioneer classic a half-century later, after she returned to the once-parched farm and observed sprouting crops irrigated by the new Columbia Basin Project. The visit inspired her to record her memories--a wealth of homestead lore, humor, and despair. This WSU Press edition is an unabridged reprint of the original 1967 text, and includes the 1999 introduction by the Othello Community Museum's Gladys C. Para.