Vernon Howard Reigel

Narrative:

     Vernon Howard Reigel was born on 2 Feb 1912 in La Center, Clark Co., Washington.^4,6,7
     Vernon was raised on a farm three miles from the small town of La Center, Washington.^12,13 His paternal grandparents lived on the adjacent farm, and his maternal grandparents lived half way to town.¹⁴
     His mother died on 31 Oct 1917, when Vernon was 5 years old.^15,16 His father re-married 2 years later.¹⁷ The farm apparently could not support the family, and his father worked for extended periods in the logging camps then common in the state for extra income.¹⁸
     Vernon appeared on the 1920 Federal Census of La Center, Washington in the household of his father, Frank William Reigel, and stepmother, Vera Mattie Baird.¹⁹
     Vernon graduated from "Common Schools" in Jun 1926, after passing "a creditable examination in the subjects of the first eight years of the Common School Course" according to his graduation certificated. It shows his scores as 82 in reading, 92 in spelling, 70 in writing, 86 in arithmetic, 83 in grammar, 80 in geography, 90 in physiology (biology), 66 in U.S. history and civics, and 82 in agriculture.²⁰
     He appeared on the 1930 Federal Census of La Center, Washington in the household of his father and stepmother.²¹

Leaving Home - the "Ugly Stepmother" Story --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     According to family lore, when Vernon was about 16 years old he and his brothers took some surplus cream to town and sold it to raise spending money. When they returned home, his stepmother, Vera, demanded the money to buy cigarettes. When Vernon refused, she demanded that Frank have Vernon move out of the home, otherwise she would leave. Vernon chose to leave, and did. He supposedly ended up living with his Uncle Ralph after that. Details, as always with such lore, seem elusive. Ralph was in southern Oregon by 1930, and in California by 1931. And Vernon appears in his father and Vera's home in the 1930 census. But Vernon's high school grades fell to mostly F's in his third year, 1928-29, before recovering to mostly B's in his fifth year. This suggests he may have indeed left home around age 17, despite the census record showing him there in 1930.^{22,23,24,25,26}
     Vernon graduated from La Center High School, La Center, Washington, on 15 May 1931 part of a class of eleven students.²⁷
     Vernon worked for a while as a logger in Oregon, during the time that trees were felled using two-man crosscut saws.²⁸ He moved to California about 1934, initially to Maxwell, Colusa Co. He probably worked in a number of places after that, including the fruit orchards where his Uncle Ralph and his sons worked.^29,30,31
     He eventually he worked for Ernest Michael on a large dry land grain farm on the west side of the Sacramento Valley. The farm was near Germantown, which changed its name to Artios after an unpleasant experience with a troop train during World War I.²⁸ On the farm he lived in a bunk house with the other young hands. It was there that he met Granville Wilson, establishing a close relationship with the Wilson family. He became known as "Swede" to his friends during this period. He was generally called by that name by them for the rest of his life, though both his family and those he met later knew him as "Vernon."^32,33
     Vernon appeared on the 1940 Federal Census of Glenn Co., California, enumerated 26 Apr 1940, living with five other farm laborers, with his friend Granville Wilson listed as head of household. A cook and his son were also listed. Vernon reported that he has worked 60 hours the last week of March, and had worked 52 weeks the prior year, earning $700.³⁴
     Shortly after that he left the Michael ranch to work at North Valley Tractor and Equipment, the International tractor dealer in Chico, as a mechanic. While there he met his future wife, the daughter of one of the three owners. By December they were married.^35,36
     Vernon registered for the draft for World War II on 16 Oct 1940, while living at Artois, Glenn Co., California, reporting he was employed by Ernest Marion Michael, in Artois.³⁷
     Vernon married Carmen Edith Glabe, daughter of William Frederick Glabe and Estella Pearl Watson, on 29 Dec 1940 at the Reno Methodist Parsonage, Reno, Nevada, pastor William Case officiating. Her father and stepmother in were there, and they were attended by her sister Jessie and his friend Norval Martin.^8,9
     After their marriage they lived briefly in Willows, Glenn Co., where Vernon managed a branch of the Tractor Company.^35,38,39
     Vernon applied for a Social Security Number 2 Jun 1941, while living at 114 Alpine St., Willows, California, where he was employed by North Valley Tractor & Equipment Company.³

Buying and Selling Homes --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Vernon and Carmen bought their first house, at 1024 Palm Ave., Chico, on 25 Jun 1941, with a $100 down payment. They purchased it at the urging of her father, William Glabe. They moved in shortly before their first son was born. Vernon started working at the Chico Army airbase as an airplane mechanic when they moved from Willows to Chico.^40,41
     They sold that home after buying another home on Burnap Ave. on 12 Apr 1943. That property included five acres of land. Their second was born while they lived there. About this time, Vernon's good friend Granville Wilson and his girlfriend from Orland stayed overnight at Richardson Springs, and she stopped by to borrow Carmen's fur wrap for the occasion. He left for the Army shortly after that, where he was killed in action.^42,43,41
     Vernon brought home lugs of peaches to can, and he helped can them while the baby was in his buggy. They grew hay on the land, and Carmen's father suffered his first heart attack after helping cut the hay. Their third son was born shortly before they sold that home.⁴¹
     They sold that property on 6 Apr 1945, and bought a house in town on 2 May 1945, a few blocks from her parents' home. The family lived there for several months before moving to the farm. Their toddler slept in a crib and the new baby in a basket. They had a garden in the backyard.^44,45,41
     They sold the house in town less than two months later, on 21 May 1945, but apparently continued to live there briefly. They bought the 80-acre farm on Guynn Ave. (now called Tokay Ranch Rd.) in two transactions, on 7 Aug 1945 and 25 Sep 1945. Carmen recalled the deal was some sort of trade for the house in town, and involved one family moving out the back door while the other moved in the front of each house. Vernon borrowed money from his former employer, Ernest Michael, to finance the purchase of the farm.^46,47,48,41 He moved by 1948 to Chico, California, with Kenneth Ivan Reigel and Ruth Ledora Riggs.^49,50

The "Sugar Beet King" --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Vernon was one of the first farmers in the area to level the land so it could be irrigated by running water down furrows, and raised sugar beets. The development during the war by the University of California at Davis of methods to separate the multiple seeds of the beet's natural seed cluster greatly reduced the manual effort of thinning newly planted crops. That effort, together with the development at the same time of the mechanical beet harvester, attempted at the University, but perfected by Blackwelder of Rio Vista, California, made that crop very successful following the war. Vernon adopted these technologies, and he was soon known locally as the "Sugar Beet King" because he had the largest acreage under contract to the local Holly Sugar plant. Leased land added to the home farm brought total row crop production to over 1000 acres for many years. The leased parcels at various times included major tracts near Hamilton City, to the west in Glenn County, and near Vina, to the north in Tehama County, as well as more nearby locations.^51,52,53 (See map.)
     When plant diseases reduced the yields of sugar beets, he experimented with other crops. He was among the first in the area to raise dry beans, then feed corn, and finally tomatoes. Other ventures include raising alfalfa hay and cattle.⁵¹
     Vernon and Carmen appeared on the 1950 Federal Census of Chico, Butte Co., California, at Tokay Ave., enumerated 29 Apr 1950, reporting they lived on a farm. Their four childrenwere listed as living with them.⁵⁴

Public Service --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Vernon was elected a member board of Shasta Union School, the local rural school, about 1951. He was initially elected as a write-in candidate, and continued to serve there until he was elected to the board in Chico. He was President of the County School Boards Association by 1957, and a member of the agricultural advisory committees of both Chico State College and Chico High School. He was elected board of the Chico Unified School District 8 Apr 1957, where he served until his death.^55,56,57
     Vernon and Carmen purchased the 30 acres on which they would build their new home on 1 May 1951. In 1953 they built there a large home, with a family room, office, and bedrooms for each of their four children.⁵⁸
     Vernon was active in developing the local labor association, which arranged importation of labors from Mexico to hand-thin the young beet plants. He was active in the Farm Bureau, becoming first vice president.^51,59 He was a founder of a cooperative formed to build a plant to clean and store beans until they were ready for market. Construction started in 1957, estimated to cost $250,000. The association responded to evolving needs of it's members, adding in the next ten years facilities for distribution of aqueous ammonia fertilizer, and a station for federal inspectors to sample and grade fresh tomatoes being shipped to market. It is now known as North Valley Ag Services, reflecting the sharp decline in bean production in the area and the resulting shift to other services.^60,61,62
     Vernon died on 23 Feb 1963 in Hamilton City, Glenn Co., California, at age 51.^10,11 He was buried on 27 Feb 1963 in IOOF Cemetery, Orland, Glenn Co., California.⁵