Juan was born in Mendata, Bizkaia, Spain on 20 November 1936. One of eight children, Juan grew up working on the family baserri, playing soccer and handball, and enjoying the festivals in Gernika. He remembers the difficulty he had attending classes taught under Franco's regime.
He came to the United States in 1955 to work as a sheepherder. Juan married in 1968 and has two children.
Now a US citizen, Juan still enjoys visiting friends and family in the Basque country and playing muz at the Basque Center.
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Side 1
0-11:30 Childhood and education: Juan was born in Mendata, Bizkaia on November 20th, 1936 to Ambrosio and Rafaela Irazabal Hormaechea. His father was born in Mendata and his mother in Mujica. His family lived in a small farmhouse named Berinondo. They had eight animals (cattle, one pig, rabbits, and chickens) and grew wheat, corn, beans, and everything they needed to support the family. Juan’s father farmed in the summer and logged in the hills in the winter to make ends meet, while his mother had her hands full with eight children—Juan had four brothers and three sisters. The oldest brother, Rufino, died (Juan doesn’t elaborate) and the second, Julian lives in Boise. The oldest sister is named Felicia, followed by Florencia, and the youngest is Marisol. During the three winter months, Juan’s father would log and return home every day, since the hills were so close, and a friend would take the wood to the sawmill from his home. They did not sell much food in the markets, so the family’s only income was the little amount that Ambrosio could get from the lumber. Juan went to school in Mendata until he was 14, but notes that nobody really got much education, for the rigors of farm life coupled with Juan’s short attention span prevented him from attending classes consistently. The school had separate classes for girls and boys. It was especially hard for Juan and his friends to learn because all the teachers were from the south of Spain; Franco would not allow the children to be taught in Basque. Juan emphasizes that the teachers were very mean, and would even throw chalk erasers and pelotas at misbehaving students. He spends some time discussing the structure of the schools, and how he would play soccer and handball in his time off. On the farm, Juan’s family would start working early in the mornings and did not stop until sundown. Typical work was cutting hay for the cows and horses, harvesting the crops, planting, and hiding from his father. He loved the festivals in Guernica, but was too shy to dance.
11:30-22:00 When he was 14, Juan began to work away from the farm as a logger for a company based in Arbazegui. The year before leaving for America, he tended sheep so that he could get a job in Idaho. When he was 18, he went to America because he had an uncle and two brothers waiting for him. Juan’s grandfather had come to California earlier to work on the railroads, and died away from home. When he arrived in New York in August of 1955, he passed the test to see if he was a legitimate shepherd. The authorities even checked his hands to see if they were callused. He came with 22 others, and none of them spoke a word of English. He and his companions were hungry after their long flight, so they went to an airport restaurant to order a meal. They looked around at what the other customers were eating and pointed to a man who had ordered ham and eggs. The waiter brought them cabbage, maybe as an appetizer, but Juan did not know if they would be served anything else, so he left the restaurant. Juan and several others caught a plane to Salt Lake and were greeted by a Mr. Landa, who took them to his boarding house in the city for lunch. He drove them back to the airport in time for their flight to Boise.
22:00-25:00 In Boise, Benito Ysursa met Juan at the airport and drove him to his boarding house, the Valencia hotel. The next day, Juan took the train to Shoshone, Idaho to meet his brother who was working a small band of sheep. There was not enough work for Juan, so after a week his uncle picked him up and drove him to Homedale, where he got a job with Jump Creek Sheep Company. He worked with his oldest brother at Jump Creek during the lambing periods. The workers at Jump Creek were mostly Basque; Americans were hired during the busy lambing period to help with the heavier workload.
25:00-29:00 Juan was very lonely for the first year or so at Jump Creek. For the first few months he worked as a camptender, then in August fixing corrals at the ranch, and in early spring he helped with the lambs. He stayed at Jump Creek for about 5 years, learning a little English as he went along. During the winter months, he spent time in Boise at the Uberuaga boarding house. He jokes that chasing women with other sheepherders was a popular pastime in Boise.
29:00-30:00 After Jump Creek, he worked for Armor Meat Company in Nampa as a butcher. He worked on the killing floor, butchering about 200 head of cattle a day and 350 sheep. He remembers working with many Americans and Mexicans, but he was the first Basque at Armor. Two others joined him soon after he was hired. While he worked in Nampa, he lived with his brother in Caldwell (see minute 30:00).
30:00 It took Juan about a year to adjust to living in the United States; he remembers how difficult it was to learn English.
Side 2
0-3:00 Juan’s brother in Caldwell worked for Simplot tending cattle. He lived in a house that the company bought for him, and Juan stayed with him for the 5 years he worked at Armor. In 1965, just after he left Armor, Juan went back home to Mendata to see his mother and family. His mother had written him extensively during his 10 years in the United States and wanted him to return. Juan had originally intended to go back to Mendata permanently after a few years in the US, but as the years progressed he grew to prefer life in his new home. In each of his subsequent trips to Mendata, his parents would ask if he had come to stay, but he was always drawn back to the US.
3:00-8:15 Juan talks about the changes he noticed during his first trip back to Mendata. He saw ladies smoking in the bars, which had been very rare in the 1950s. The Basque country’s economy had improved as a whole. Even with these changes and others, Juan still felt comfortable and at home in Mendata. Nevertheless, he decided to return to Idaho after 4 or 5 months in his hometown. He needed more room than Mendata could afford; the open space in Idaho attracted him. Juan returned to the Basque country in 1971 with his wife and children (he was married in 1968) on a charter plane with 200 people from the Basque Center. He visited again in 1985 with the Oinkari dancers, and once more in 1997 with his son. He notices changes in the Basque country every time he goes. For example, he says there are now too many people in the Basque country and feels less comfortable there every time he goes.
8:15-12:30 After his first trip in 1965, Juan went back to Armor and found that he had lost his seniority status in the company. He was laid off several months later because he did not have seniority, and went to work building Hells Canyon Dam 2 years. He describes his work at the dam and explains a bit of the process of building a dam. His next job was in Boise at King Construction building bridges. He worked for King Construction for 7 years until they shut down in 1975. Next, he found work with Concrete Placing, and describes his job there. He worked for Concrete Placing for 24 years until he retired in 1998.
12:30-17:00 Juan explains how he met his wife, Maribel. They dated for about a year before they married. They were married at Saint Mary’s church in Boise in 1968, and their daughter Elizabeth was born the following year. Their son John was born in 1974. He describes how his children were raised speaking Basque, even though the family shifted to speaking mostly English at home. Elizabeth danced with the Oinkaris for several years. Both of his children have shown an active interest in Basque culture and language.
17:00-20:30 Juan is a member of the Basque Center and has been since he arrived in Boise in 1955. He has never been a member of the board. He plays cards at the Center nearly every day, and rarely misses a Basque picnic in Boise. Juan has also traveled to Elko, Nevada and Gooding, Idaho for other picnics and events. At the time of the interview, he had recently watched parts of the international muz tournament held at the Boise Basque Center.
20:30-21:15 A regular churchgoer before coming to the United States, Juan stopped going to church when he arrived because he spent so much time in the hills herding sheep. It was nearly impossible to go to church at that time, and he got out of the habit. He attends weddings, funerals, and other special events, but does not go to mass on a regular basis.
21:15-24:30 Juan is a US citizen and has been for several years. He tried to become a citizen in 1965, but did not speak enough English to pass the exam. Discouraged, Juan gave up on becoming a citizen for about 20 years. After that time he tried again and passed the exam. Becoming a citizen was important for Juan. He wanted to participate in the US political system, feeling that citizenship was a good way to do so. In addition, he did not want any trouble with the Spanish authorities should he return to the Basque country to visit his family. He explains how he was almost drafted to the US Army.
24:45-26:00 Juan considers himself to be strongly Basque, but does not have any plans to return to the Basque country permanently. He keeps in touch with his family in Mendata. He lists his hobbies: gardening, playing cards at the Basque Center, and taking walks in the neighborhood.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Concrete Placing Co. – Juan retired from Concrete Placing in 1998.
Franco, Francisco – Spanish dictator.
Hormaechea, Ambrosio – Juan’s father.
Hormaechea, Elizabeth – Juan’s daughter.
Hormaechea, Felicia – One of Juan’s sisters.
Hormaechea, Florencia – One of Juan’s sisters.
Hormaechea, John – Juan’s son.
Hormaechea, Julian – Juan’s brother who lives in Boise.
Hormaechea, Maribel – Juan’s wife.
Hormaechea, Marisol – One of Juan’s sisters.
Hormaechea, Rafaela Irazabal – Juan’s mother.
Hormaechea, Rufino – Juan’s oldest brother, deceased.
King Construction – Juan worked for King Construction after his years at Hell’s Canyon Dam.
Landa – owned a boarding house in Salt Lake City, Utah, and used to bring boarders from the airport to his boarding house for lunch.
Oinkari Basque Dancers
Simplot – Juan’s brother in Caldwell worked for Simplot on his cattle ranch.
Ysursa, Benito – owned the Valencia Hotel and Boarding House in Boise, greeted Juan at the airport in Boise.
PLACES:
Arbazegui, Bizkaia – base of operations for a logging company Juan worked for in the Basque country.
Armor Meat Co., Nampa, Idaho – Juan’s job after 5 years at Jump Creek.
Basque Center, Boise, Idaho
Berinondo – Juan’s family’s farmhouse.
Caldwell, Idaho – Juan lived in Caldwell while he worked at Armor Meat Co.
Elko, Nevada – Juan has attended Basque functions in Elko.
Gooding, Idaho – Juan has attended Basque functions in Gooding.
Guernica, Bizkaia – Juan used to go to festivals in Guernica.
Hell’s Canyon Dam – Juan helped build the dam.
Jump Creek Sheep Co., Homedale, Idaho – Juan went to Homedale with his uncle after a week in Shoshone.
Mendata, Bizkaia – Juan’s hometown, as well as his father’s.
Mujica, Bizkaia – Juan’s mother’s hometown.
Shoshone, Idaho – Juan had a brother working sheep in Shoshone, and went to join him there for a week.
Uberuaga House, Boise, Idaho – Juan spent some winters at this house during his time off from Jump Creek.
THEMES:
Basque Clubs and Organizations
Boarding Houses
Bridge Construction
Citizenship
Dam Construction
Family
Language Barrier
Non-Boise Basque Functions
Religion
Sheepherding
US Army