The History of Lamonta, Oregon

This former community was located about twelve miles southeast of Madras. A post office was established at Lamonta on September 7, 1898 with Kate Helfrich the first postmaster. Miss Helfrich named the post office with no association other than that the name appealed to her and the word was of her making. John C. Rush platted the Lamonta townsite on April 3, 1905. Mr. Rush developed a brochure advertising the great merits of the new community in 1905 and stated:

Lamonta is a new townsite which has just been platted by John C. Rush. It is located in the center of the main grain raising belt of Crook County, and upon the surveys of the Columbia Southern R.R. extension from Shaniko, and of the automobile road, and upon the main county road from Shaniko via Madras to Forest, Laidlaw, Redmond, Sisters and Bend.

Mr. Rush is showing his faith in the new town by erecting therein one of the finest buildings to be found in Crook County.

The building is 24 x 70 ft., and two stories high, the upper story of which is intended for a public hall, the appointments of the same not being excelled by any similar place in the county, and the lower story of which will be used as a store, which is already filled by a well selected and complete stock of general merchandise.

A drug store is also under construction, 18 x 50 feet, which will be ready for occupancy in the fall. A substantial school building stands on the edge of the town.

Lots in the new town have been on the market scarcely a month, yet in that time, Mr. Rush has sold thirty-five, besides giving options on a number of others. A goodly number of those who have made purchases, have announced their intention to build in the fall. The lots have a frontage of 40 feet and a depth of 112 feet, and prices of the same have been placed for a limited time at very low figures— $20 to $40— depending upon the location.

All kinds of garden truck, fruit, etc., seem to thrive well in the immediate vicinity of the town, and lands close by can be purchased for from $10 to $20 an acre, according to improvements.

Persons desiring to get in on the purchase of lots in a young city, one that by virtue of its geographical situation will some day become the largest in the county, should buy lots NOW, while they are so cheap. It stands to reason that as soon as the railroad shall have been built, and that time is not far off, these same lots will greatly increase in value.

During the homestead era at the turn of the century Lamonta became a busy community. There was a post office, hotel, a couple of general stores, livery barn, drug store, blacksmith shop, two dance halls, and a saloon. Some other businesses were located at Lamonta also. A description of the John Rush Store is given by Martha Thomas, a former clerk in the store:

John Rush's store and dance hall was a large building for that day. He sold shoes, yardage, notions, shirts, ties, underwear, dishes, kettles, and all kinds of smaller hardware, nails, wrenches, hammers, lots of pocket knives, all kinds of groceries, guns, fishing tackle and the loveliest candy of which he was very fond. Many hundreds of dozen of eggs I've counted and packed in rolled barley or sawdust after settlers brought them in to trade for needed supplies. In turn, the eggs were loaded in a light wagon to which were hitched two horses, and Mrs. Rush traded them in at Madras for more supplies. But most other supplies were brought from Shaniko by freight wagon. 

Main Street in Lamonta in 1908

Lamonta School

The first school district was approved in the area of what would later be Lamonta on January 25, 1898. The first school was held in the old Smith cabin and then in the home of Walter Lithgow about 1901. Lilly Read was one of the first teachers at the school and there were 68 students on roll ranging in age from 6 to 21. A regular schoolhouse was built in 1903 and it was located about one half mile south of the new town site of Lamonta. An early teacher at the new school was Andrew Larson, who had been hired to discipline some of the big boys who were causing trouble at the school. Some girls were held out of school until the boys were "put in line." Mr. Larson was a trained boxer and was successful in "retraining" the boys. 

The Annual Catalog of Crook County Schools in 1905 listed the board of education for the school as Joseph Weigand, Chairman; Oscar Cox; W. Thomas and J.S. McMeen, clerk. It listed Lamonta school as the largest one room district in the county in that it had more school children than any other district that employed but one teacher. The board was contemplating hiring another teacher. The school ceased operations shortly after the post office was closed in 1918 and students attended Grizzly School. 

Students at Lamonta School in 1912

Many of the homesteaders could not make a living on their land and left the area. The post office closed on April 15, 1918. Most of the remaining farmers in the area sold their land to the U.S. Government during the Great Depression. There is little evidence left of the once thriving community. 

Excerpt taken from: Central Oregon Place Names, Volume II Jefferson County, Steve Lent, Pages 141-143

Soft Pretzels with Beer Cheese Dipping Sauce

The fall season is upon us which means that soft pretzel season is also officially here. Pretzels are great at any time of the year but there is something about autumn, Oktoberfest, football, the colder weather and anything else having to do with fall just makes you want to have a soft pretzel. 

These pretzels are easy to make, especially if you have made homemade bread before. Do not let the baking soda bath scare you away, that is just one easy and small step! Enjoy these buttery, soft pretzels as is, with mustard OR really treat yourself and make a creamy beer cheese dipping sauce to go with! Pour your favorite pint of beer and enjoy one, two or maybe more of these delicious soft pretzels!

Click HERE (CARD 1 & CARD 2) for your free recipe cards and keep reading to get the full recipe!

Soft Pretzels with Beer Cheese Dipping Sauce

Makes 9 Pretzels, 2 Cups of Sauce

Ingredients:

4 1/2-5 C. Flour

1 1/2 C. Lukewarm Water

2 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Active Dry Yeast

1 tsp. Sugar

6 tbsp. Butter

Kosher Salt

5 tbsp. Baking Soda

Cheese Sauce:

3 tbsp. Butter

3 tbsp. Flour

1 1/2 C. Milk

1/2 C. Beer

1 1/2 C. Freshly Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 1/2 C. Freshly Shredded Pepperjack Cheese

Dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the warm water with the yeast and stir slightly. In another large bowl, mix the salt, sugar and flour together. When the yeast dissolves, add the flour mixture and the warm milk. Using the dough attachment, mix everything until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel, approximately one hour.

Punch down the dough and divide into nine pieces. Take each piece and roll into a long rope, about three feet and 3/4” in diameter. Shape each rope into a pretzel shape and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Let pretzels rise for another 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a large pot, make a bath with baking soda and boiling water. Using a large spoon, lower each pretzel into the water and leave in for about thirty seconds to a minute. You do not have to wait until they float. Return the pretzels to the cookie sheet and brush them with half the melted butter. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Bake until golden brown, about ten minutes, depending upon your oven. Brush with remained melted butter once you remove them from the oven. Recipe from: Joanna Cismaru

CHEESE SAUCE

In a mediuam sauce pan, melt butter. Whisk in flour over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble. Slowly whisk in warmed milk and then gradually add in beer. Stir until mixture becomes thick and bubble. Stir in grated cheeses until melted. Add a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce and salt to your liking.

What Happens on the Farm During the Fall Season?

After we have finished harvest, planting new crops, spraying, and irrigation, there is one last set of field work that has to be completed before we can officially say we are done with tractor work for the year. Every 4-5 years we tear out grass seed fields and prep them to be planted the following winter/spring into grain. There are three different processes we use to tear out grass fields on our farm, which are: rototilling, plowing and subsoiling. Keep reading below to learn a little more about each process and why we do it. 

Rototilling

Before rototilling can happen, the fields are first irrigated well to make the dead grass come back green and new from the previous harvest. Once they come back in, they are sprayed to kill off the grass. Once the fields have died, a tractor pulls an implement behind it that is called a rototiller. The rototiller goes into the ground and chops the grass up into chunks. The tractor reaches a maximum speed of around 1.5 mph and the rototiller is less than 10 feet across…with the tractor and driver putting in long, full days, a 40 acre field can take several days to complete. Once the field is finished, sometimes we opt to rototill it a second time, overlapping the passes, to really break up the ground. When rototilling is complete, the fields rest for a couple weeks before they are plowed to let the grass die off more and to let any remaining grass sprout. 

Plowing

After the field has rested, plowing begins. The plow essentially takes everything that is on top of the soil and flips and turns it back into the ground. Another way to think of this is like you are folding/incorporating something into a batter when you are baking. The plow digs into the ground, leaving a ditch as it makes each pass. the driver carefully drives in the trench from the last pass to make sure the paths overlap and nothing has been missed. The trench is only about 15 inches deep, which is about the depth the plow is going into the ground. The plow our farm uses is a fairly narrow farming implement so with each pass, not a lot is gained. Fortunately, the driver can go around 6 mph, as compared to the 1.5 mph you drive while rototilling. Once plowing is finished, subsoiling can immediately begin. 

Subsoiling

Lastly, the fields are subsoiled. The tractor pulls an implement behind it with long shanks that dig into the soil and break up the clumps from rototilling and plowing. This creates a looser soil that is easier to work and also absorbs water more easily. Although the shanks look large and long, they only go into the ground about 18 inches, which is still deep for our soil. Our farm does not implement no till practices mainly for the reason that our soils are so shallow as compared to elsewhere. In the majority of our fields, you can only go approximately two feet deep before hitting a hard, rocky layer. If we did not rototill, plow and subsoil our fields every 4-5 years, the ground and soil would become very compact and not absorb water as easily. You could compare it to a board of wood trying to absorb water as compared to a sponge absorbing water. 

Today we are making our final passes with the subsoiler and then will be ready to slow it down for the rest of the year, taking some needed rest and relaxation time before grain planting begins!

Featured Employee- Sally Klann

Sally Klann is the Good Malt Advocate for Mecca Grade Estate Malt and also November's Featured Employee. Take a few minutes to get to know Sally and of course, if you would like to know more or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out at: sally@meccagrade.com

Thank you for all all that you do Sally and for keeping all of the Klann boys in line!

Name/Nickname: Sally Klann 

Age: 32

Quick Background: I grew up over in Elkton Oregon, where I had 4-H and FFA projects and where I also met Seth. After high school graduation I went to beauty school and became a hairstylist and esthetician, working in different salons and spas in the Umpqua/Southern Oregon area. I moved to Madras after Seth and I were reintroduced and had been dating. Seth and I got married in February 2011 and have been married for 7 wonderful years.  We have 3 boys Jet(7) Silas (6) and Cash (4), 2 dogs (an anxious Border Collie Inga and a laid back Bernese Mountain Dog, Skye) and 3 cats (Suzy, Princess Sassy and Batman).   

Job Description:  My main goal is to change people's minds about malt and help educate them on why they need/should be using Mecca Grade Estate Malt. I make and deliver sample boxes to potential customers, deliver malt to current customers, attend brewing and malt events and do a lot of different tasks around the malt house!

Favorite Thing About Mecca Grade or the Farm:  I love that 7 years ago, the same year Seth and I were married, we were able to buy back his family's original homestead, raise our family there and then build the malthouse right in our back yard. 

Freetime Hobbies: Homebrewing and playing board games with the family. 

Favorite Beer or Spirit: This time of year I love hot apple cider with spiced rum.  

What Would be Your Last Supper Meal? Chef Seth Klann’s Steak Alfredo!

Discover Our History (Part 3)

Brad Klann \klon\, the current owner of Brad Klann Farms, started working with his parents Harold (son of Ellen and Fred) and Imogene Klann on the 360 acres his father had been farming since coming home from the service. In 1976, they replaced most of their flood-irrigated ground with two center pivots and two wheel lines. The pivots were two of the first used in Central Oregon. To supply them with water, a large pond was built to store and capture water from neighboring farms' flood fields. Water-use efficiency and conservation remain key components of the Klanns' farm.

Brad and Seth Klann, Owners of Mecca Grade Estate Malt

After marrying Debbie (the girl-next-door) in 1983, Brad started buying neighboring acreage and was farming up to 840 acres before their children Seth and Katie went off to college. 4-H and FFA are a large part of the family history: Harold, Brad, Seth, Katie and Sally (Seth's wife) were all members. Seth and Katie were both State FFA officers and both graduated from Oregon State University.

Over the years, the Klanns have raised many crops: potatoes, alfalfa hay, radish seed, peppermint for oil, Echinacea, St. John's wort, carrot seed, ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass seed. Currently, they raise Kentucky bluegrass seed and use winter peas as a rotational crop. They also raise DNS wheat, 2-row spring barley, and spring rye for malting.

In 2011, Seth and Sally purchased the original Seth Luelling homestead that had been out of the family for over 60 years, and began farming as Mecca Grade Growers. Brad, Seth, and Travis (Katie's husband) are now farming 1080 irrigated acres utilizing mostly overhead pivot irrigation. The farm uses GPS guidance technology in its tractors, pivots, and spray applications.

Seven generations have grown up farming in the state of Oregon. Seth and Sally's sons Jet, Silas, and Cash, are currently the 8th generation of Oregon farmers.

Discover Our History (Part 2)

Seth Luelling standing in a field of barley. This field is still growing crops to this day.

Henderson's grandson, named after Seth Luelling, moved from the Oregon City nursery in 1904 to establish a new farm north of Madras \mAd·riss\ as part of the Homestead Act. Seth's wife Cora and their children grubbed out sagebrush by hand, cleared fields of volcanic rock, and hauled water from a spring in wooden barrels in order to carve out their new home. Life was tough for Madras' first settlers, but the Luellings persevered, raising cattle, wheat, potatoes, and a family of six children. Ellen, one of Seth's daughters, married a local farm boy, Fred Klann.

Early homesteaders to Jefferson County ranched and practiced dry-land farming techniques, with wheat becoming the dominant agricultural commodity in the area by the early 1900s. Despite being one of the most successful dry-land farming areas in Central Oregon, local farmers began to experience a moisture shortage after 1925. Hit hard by the dry-spell, coupled with the arrival of the Great Depression, many farmers left. Those that remained realized that in order to prosper, they needed a reliable source of irrigation water.

Construction on the North Unit Project began on July 21, 1938, but was stalled due to the arrival of World War II.  The North Unit canal was completed in 1946 and water was delivered to 17,000 acres during 1946 and 1947. By the spring of 1949, all 50,000 acres were receiving water, quickly transforming the community into a mecca for specialty crops.

Read Part 3 of Our Family History