Leland Alton Robe (1903 - 1986)

Born 21 Dec 1903 in Brownsville, Linn, Oregon, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Lucille Elizabeth (Fry) Robe — married 21 Jun 1936 in Oregon

Died 11 May 1986 at age 82 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Margaret Summitt [send private message]

This profile is part of the Brownsville, Oregon One Place Study.

Biography

Leland Alton Robe was born 21 Dec 1903 at Brownsville, Linn Co., OR. He was employed for many years with the Eugene Water and Electric Board. He was married 21 June 1936 to Lucille Elizabeth Fry, a native of South Dakota. They resided at Pleasant Hill, Lane Co., OR; Lucille was a secretary at South Eugene High School. After their son's death in 1959 they moved to north Eugene and resided at 1342 Roundup Dr. Leland was full of memories of life in Brownsville ca. 1910-1930 and would often swap memories with Cecil; these stories were the original inspiration I had to study family history. He wrote an article on the medicinal springs at Sodaville for the Lane County Historian. A heavy smoker (cigars) all his life, he died of lung cancer, 11 May 1986, in Eugene, Lane Co., OR. Lucille Robe also died of lung cancer (from cigarettes) 29 March 1992 in Eugene. Have baby picture and also photos of him 1960s-1980s.

An excerpt from "Springs of the Cascade Foothills": "In 1912 I spent a summer on my grandfather's ranch at Brownsville, and after the summer's work was finished the folks decided to have a vacation at Cascadia. Grandfather took his hayrack and loaded on an unused kitchen stove with several joints of pipe and a couple of elbows, two sets of bed springs, five or six chairs, a small table, a bench and a box of kitchen pots and pans, two old round-topped trunks with bedding, and changes of clothes and then a big box of food--smoked ham, sausage, potatoes, beans and such.

It took him all day to get from the ranch to Cascadia, about twenty-five miles and he had to milk 15 cows by hand before he could start. The women folks went up later in the day in their 1910 model T Ford and helped set up camp, which was really nice and comfortable. The big tent was decorated with boughs and fern and made to be very attractive. I stayed behind with my aunt to milk cows, do chores, and then we went up the following week.

Thinking to have a fine treat of lemonade made of cold spring soda water, we squeezed a dozen lemons and added sugar, to be in readiness for the addition of the soda water when we arrived.

Such a disappointment--when we stirred the juice and poured it in the big bucket of soda water it was as if we had discharged a foam fire extinguisher. It foamed all over the table and food and there was no stopping it until the citric acid and soda had neutralized. When we could finally see bottom [page 13/14] there was about two cups of the flattest slop you could imagine. Ah well!"

Sources

• "Springs of the Cascade Foothills," by Leland A. Robe, Lane County Historian, vol. 15 (Spring 1970) pp. 12-14.

• Obituary from Eugene Register-Guard. Died of lung cancer (smoked heavily most of his adult life--cigars). Oregon Death Index from Ancestry.com has Leland A Robe County: Lincoln (should be Lane!) Death Date 11 May 1986 Certificate 86-08438 Spouse: Lucill Birth Date 21 Dec 1903. His article on the Calapooia Springs is in Lane County Historian vol. 15: 12-14.