Chronicler: Sil and Rosie Uriguen
Interviewer: Gretchen Holbert
Subject Martin Hotel, Winnemucca, NV
Date: 6/9/86
2:56 Tape starts
3:06 bar and kitchen remodel
3:20 Sil’s mother used to worked there (Martin Hotel), when it came up for sale, he wanted to buy it
4:09 took it over in 1951
4:28 had a good local crowd; it was small, made the money on the bar; typical of family-style establishment
5:12 had a Basque cook
5:54 had another guy for 7 years that jumped ship, was afraid of immigration
6:44 speaker had to cook when she couldn’t find dependable cook
7:33 speaker was glad to get out of restaurant
7:58 second generation (speaker’s generation) didn’t fit into that lifestyle
8:38 Viviana, Pete Irueta Justo, Pepper had hotel at different times
9:11 1973 left Martin hotel; had it for 22 years
9:30 had boarders; had 13 or 14 rooms, mostly Basque guys, some construction workers
10:08 $70.00 a month for three meals a day
10:51 they were mother, father, doctor, babysitter, etc. to boarders
11:05 speaker had negative attitude about hotel, but made the best of it
11:25 speaker was from Basque heritage; grew up in Ely, Mom died when she was 6 or 7, raised in convent, understood Basque, but didn’t speak it much. Spent summers in Ogden at hotel owned by Basque friends. Marrubis had Royal Hotel – they took them in in high school, they spoke Basque with them
12:31 speaker speaks Spanish, too
12:59 speaker proud to be Basque; has one daughter, can understand some Basque
14:08 Boise was the big Basque thing
14:22 In Ogden there were maybe 7 families, then she was embarrassed to be Basque
14:54 Marrubis were like parents to her. Speaker was an Achabal. Her dad was a sheepman
15:17 Pio Achabal
15:44 enjoyed the Royal Hotel
15:58 tried to get Basque organization going; Jim Juasoro and Domingo Ansotegui used to come down to Winnemucca to play for dances; started out on a small scale
16:15 problems in club
16:34 mus
17:00 briska; learned in Spain
17:27 her dad came when he was 17; he went back to Spain, sold pine trees; speaker went to visit when her daughter graduated from 8th grade, learned briska then
19:00 playing mus
20:03 solo; played as kids
20:37 herders used to play cards at the Martin
21:26 learned about Basques through the hotel in Ogden, although she grew up among Basques
22:03 people didn’t know much about Basques
22:28 when young they were ashamed of being Basque
22:49 maiden name was Achabal; some people put an “r” in it – Archabal, they finally did, too – that way in class they weren’t too ashamed
24:02 sister lives in Salt Lake
24:11 likes her Basque background now
24:44 herders
24:54 didn’t have women in the hotel
25:20 construction workers stayed there; liked the atmosphere
25:53 met a lot of lovely people; Paul Laxalt and his brother and Pete Echeverria used to go to hotel
26:36 END SIDE 1
SIDE 2
0:17 Sil put in extra bathroom
0:32 Sil built a little place in back of hotel
0:57 Judge Brown
1:22 work day; served breakfast, lunch – ranchers would come, evening steak, french fries
2:14 general public supported them, Basque people didn’t go out
2:45 had homemade soup and beans, salad, second big course, stew, meatballs, Fridays always had cod fish
3:38 between knee and ankle makes best roast
4:03 wine came with the meal
4:10 $1.25 for a meal when they first started; before they left they had it up to 4 dollars
4:46 next guys had it up to 9 dollars
5:08 got meat out of Idaho
5:17 used to make chorizos
5:30 Pio Achabal; butchered pig
5:53 made morcillas once
6:12 made chorizos every year, cured hams
6:42 new years eve dances
6:50 during rodeo had dances
6:58 there was a time when the teenagers stated coming, caused problems with police, so they put a stop to it
7:30 Jimmy Jausoro, Domingo Ansotegui
7:53 in November they had a big dance; that’s where she learned to do the Jota and Porrusalda; a gal came down and stayed at the Martin hotel and showed them the steps and that’s how they learned
9:04 speaker and sister came one summer to Winnemucca to visit Purificacion Arrate.
10:09 Martin Gastanaga had a drugstore
10:39 Gastanaga offered her a job when she was not quite 19. In Nevada you made twice the wages as in Utah. She worked at the drugstore. Martin treated her very well.
11:41 Martin Gastanaga went to Reno later. Took her under his wing
12:34 met Sil in the drugstore; that was the hangout for the kids
13:20 development in downtown
13:42 Safeway store in Elko
14:04 grocery stores, prices, etc.
15:01 change in Winnemucca
15:26 French’s had potato factory in Winnemucca, sold to someone else
15:55 Basque immigration to Winnemucca, conditions changed in Spain, 3 year contracts for herding here, they aren’t living on the baserris
16:46 Sil enters (other speaker is Gretchen’s mom)
17:12 Sil’s parents were from Bizkaia, he was born in Paradise
17:30 parents separated when he was young; mom remarried and they moved to Winnemucca, she worked at the Martin Hotel
18:07 1920 and 30’s Viviana at Star Hotel she married Fred Bengoa
18:53 Sil had 2 sisters
19:03 mom died young of brain tumor in 1928 or 29 when she was 50
19:33 when she got sick she was working in Battle Mountain
20:08 father’s family was from Paradise Valley
20:26 over 100 at recent family reunion; most families had 7 or 8 kids
20:51 Bob Echeverria from Elko
21:20 hotel in Paradise; 1938 it burned down, it had 2 balconies, theater, dance floor, rooms. One old lady and her son lived there when he remembers it; it was called the Auditorium Hotel
22:56 Paradise Hotel
23:22 Sil’s uncle Gus (Agustin) Echeverria and Santi Arriola had the Paradise Hotel. Gastanaga had a hotel. Cochero had butcher shop
25:12 tore the Paradise hotel down. Bruno Gastanaga had a very small hotel.
26:00 Case’s (?) store had everything
26:46 Mountain City
26:56 END SIDE 2