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Basque
Immigration
The Echanis BoardingHouse
The
Making of a Basque Community in Ontario: From the Boarding House to
a Global Village
Basque Immigration
A wave of Basque immigration to the western
United States began with the discovery of gold in California in the
middle of the nineteenth century. The traditional Basque custom of
primogeniture which allows only one sibling to inherit the family
farmstead maintained agricultural units intact, but left many
individuals with the challenge of finding new ways to make a living.
The attraction of California gold was irresistible for many young
Basques. Once they arrived, however, they were often disappointed
with what they found. Although few
had experience with sheep in their native land, and sheep raising is
radically different in the American west, these men found there was
a demand for labor in the sheep industry. Slowly these sheep
outfits made their way north into Nevada, and from there into
eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the 1890's. Chain
immigration was most common among Basques in which an immigrant
found employment here for relatives and friends from his home area
in the Basque Country. It is because of this chain immigration that
we find most Basques from this area are of Bizkaian ancestry. While
relatively few Basques are employed in the sheep industry today,
that is what brought them to this area in most
cases. |
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The Echanis Boarding
House was the location of the first meeting of the Ontario Basque
Ladies Club and the club's first dance |
The Echanis
Boarding House
Basque immigrants Maria and Jack
Echanis, both from Mutriku, Gipuzkoa, started out in the sheep business with Jack's brothers Ben
and Joe on the Basque Ranch in Crane, Oregon. Maria
cooked for the crew who thought so highly of her cooking skills that
they suggested she open a boarding house. Maria and Jack moved to
Ontario and started a boarding house in 1922. This first
small establishment, however, burned down and the family built a larger house
at the same location on North Oregon Street in 1930.
Over the years the Echanis boarding house
provided delicious Old World-style meals and a home away from home
for Basque herders working in Malheur County, Jordan Valley and as
far away as McDermitt. In those days it was not unusual to
serve thirty-four people at a time. Herders stayed at the boarding
house during lambing or when they visited town to do business.
The Epiphany or Three Kings Day celebrated on January 6 was an
especially festive occasion for the Echanis family and their
boarders.
In addition to providing a a comfortable
home to herders when they visited town, the boarding house served an
important social function on an everyday basis for local
Basques. Many couples met there, and the Ontario Basque Club's
first meeting and dance were held there.
Online Article from Euskonews:
The
Making of a Basque Community in Ontario: From the Boarding House to
a Global Village
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