INTRODUCTION
Saturday
THE JACK L. GILBERT & SONS FAMILY FARM
Arlene Gilbert, age 84, wife of the late Jack Gilbert recounts the pioneering efforts of their family during the beginning stages of the family farm. She reminisces, "There weren't any houses. It was pretty desolate. We all worked together. We did what had to be done." Jack and Arlene Gilbert moved to the uncharted Royal Slope in Washington State in the 1960's on a prayer and faith. They left their home in Montana in hopes of a better life awaiting them. The part of Washington to which they were going was uninhabited except for a few other families. They took their five children: Lamar, Wendy, Rick, Dave, and Steve; and the few belongings they had.
Jack and Arlene Gilbert
That better life they hoped for in Washington wouldn't come easy. In the beginning stages of their move, the family bathed in the canal waterways and slept in the car or camper. Through the hard work of the entire family and the tenacity and vision of Jack, their leap of faith eventually paid off. Little by little, the unstirred rocky land which they settled on developed into a multi-acre family farm of around 1,000 acres. This family farm would be the springboard and educational environment not just for Jack and Arlene's children, but also for the grandchildren and great grandchildren. The pioneering efforts of Jack and his family have influenced all of their posterity which includes 5 children, 25 grandchildren, and 45 great grandchildren.
Jack and Arlene Gilbert with their five children
Adversity brings out the best or worst in people. The adversity which faced Jack and Arlene in the beginning stages of the family farm was no doubt obtrusive. To her recollection, this adversity brought them closer together, and didn't destroy the marriage or family. In speaking about her five children, Arlene recounts, "Working together through the hard times pulled them together."
The Gilbert family farm has influenced many of its members. As Jack aged, a few of his sons took the reins to the farm. The lessons which were learned and experienced by Jack's children would not die and fizzle, but would be passed onto his grandchildren and great grandchildren. The lessons of hard work, working together, and learning to do things you didn't like were taught to all.
Hard work was learned as cousins worked together doing different tasks on the farm. Some of these tasks included but are not limited to: moving siphon tubes, weeding, applying herbicides, and fixing broken down equipment in the shop. The main tasks where cousins could be found working together was during mint harvest. This involved the participation of many. The younger cousins were limited to working at the mint distiller with an adult where the spearmint and peppermint were processed into oil. The older cousins drove tractor and hauled wagons back and forth from the mint chopper to the distiller.
Jack and Arlene Gilbert with their children and grandchildren
What once was desolate land is now a luscious farm. Where sagebrush and noxious weeds once resided are spearmint and peppermint. Where millions of locust once roamed are bees pollinating the apple and cherry trees. Where dry dusty dirt and sand once blew are sprinklers and various irrigation systems watering the various types of vegetation. The barren and rocky land that once was, has painstakingly evolved into a beautiful farm through the blood and sweat of the Gilbert family.
Tuesday
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