30 Years Ago

Thursday, November 29, 1990

Hazel Burnsides honored on 90th birthday

Otter Creek—Hazel Burnsides was honored with a ninetieth birthday open house last Sunday at the home of neighbors Jim and Jeannette Lei on Taylor Creek. Over 50 friends and neighbors were present.

Hazel was born November 13, 1900. She was the daughter of Henry and Lou Vertie Stevens who lived on Tongue River in the Birney area. She was always interested in horses and cherished her first horse which she received when she was 13. She owned many memorable horses since and worked many years with horses and cattle.

She was first married to Glen Urich of Birney. They lived in North Dakota, where he worked with the Forest Service. They had one son, Harold, who joined the U.S. Armed Forces and died in a Japanese prison camp during World War II.

After her husband’s death, Hazel lived and worked in California for a time, but returned to the Montana country she loved. She married Harry Burnsides at Hardin in 1932. He passed away in 1966. They made their home on Taylor Creek, a tributary of Otter Creek.

Hazel continued in the ranching business on her own until she sold her holdings to Jim and Jeannette Lei in 1981. She still lives in the house on the ranch where she spent so many years. Jim and Jeannette Lei live nearby and check with her daily.

“I don’t really feel like I am that old,” said Hazel. “I don’t know how you are supposed to feel when you are 90. I don’t feel any different on the inside, just when I get up and start to walk, it’s different. And I just never imagined so many people would come out for my birthday.”

Phone birthday greetings were received by Hazel from several Oregon relatives and from old neighbors Mary and August Decker and Myrt and Duane Reukauf of Sheridan. Niece Hallie Toman of Oregon prepared a booklet detailing events of Hazel’s life that was distributed to guests at the open house afternoon.

The guests included Chick and Virginia Lundberg and Mrs. Bud Harris of Hardin; Lillian Yonkee; Larry Yonkee; Wade and Ellen Hepp, Tony and Dawn; Glen Heaton; and George Kraft, all of Sheridan; Florabel Wash, Oral Lei and Helen Irion of Broadus; Kay Martini of Denver; John and Fonda Lei and there children of Billings; Debbie Cady and Chelsea of Glendive.

Carl and Pat Phillips; Dick and Betty McKenzie; Ray and Kaaren Rizor; Dan and Evelyn Kraft; Fern Franklin, George Patterson; Sam and Joyce Lei; Mary Ann McCullough; Marc and Nan Stevens; Gertrude Storm; Carol Wash; Anne Bull; Carolyn and Gary Bull; Frank and Reni Hagen; Ross Denson; Lex Denson; Debbie and Blankenship; and others.

Nancy’s suds-cessful fare has a country complexion

Editor’s note: The following article was taken from the September/October issue of Country Woman Magazine. It was submitted by Examiner reader Dorrie Stevens of Ashland.

NO SOAP can hold a candle to her grandmother’s from-scratch kind, Nancy Klapmeier is convinced--and her good clean family-style business in Broadus, Montana is evidence of that.

“My mother taught me to stir up Gramma’s lye soap when I was just a girl,” Nancy notes. “I’ve used it to wash everything—from my husband’s jeans to the supper dishes--and even scrubbed up a youngster or two!”

So have many others, from the time she tested the local waters with her homemade soap—5 years ago--to the present, her snowy cakes have slid clean across Montana’s “Big Sky Country.” Today, through her Gramma’s era mail-order business, she’s sending soap coast to coast besides.

And there’s more than a pleasant memory involved in the success of her bygone bars. While “lye soap” might sound harsh, Nancy assures the exact opposite’s the case.

“One of my customers told me that her grandmother had a peaches and cream complexion, something she’s determined to duplicate. Guess what her grandma’s secret was? Lye soap!”

Nancy’s quick to credit her own “secret” for an untroubled complexion--her helpful family.

“The wooden containers I use to mold my liquid soap mixture are all hammered up by my carpenter husband,” Nancy informs as she pours out a creamy crockful. “Daughters Heather and Janine play a role, too. They’re pros at cutting soap into bars with the best ‘tool’ of all for that task—piano wire.”

To ensure authenticity, Nancy insists on using a number of the soap-making methods frontier “foremothers” followed.

“But,” she stresses with a smile, “I’m not ready to swap my modern stovetop for their open-air cook fires and kettles! That 20th century convenience allows us to turn out a new batch in only about 6 hours.”

With all the time she saves, what does this out-of-another-era Westerner do to keep busy? Why…she works on another “brilliant” idea borrowed from her grandmother!

“I’ve always admired the way that hand-dipped tallow candles glow—so when we installed an old-fashioned chandelier in our home, I decided to try making them,” she explains.

Naturally, the candles—which Nancy now also offers—start with the Klapmeiers’ own home-raised beef tallow. And, as with everything else at Gramma’s era, there’s nothing “new” or “improved” about them. With any luck, there never will be!