Tom Carpenter Oral History Interview, March 28, 2017

Partial Transcript: I guess I'm Thomas Carpenter Jr. I was born in 1937 in, actually I was born in a place called Wolf Point, Montana.

Segment Synopsis: Thomas talks about his family's history in growing hops, moving from Yakima to Montana and back again, about his wife's family involvement in hops farming, supplying material to miners during the California Gold rush and following those miners up into Canada and Alaska, and about how the family would get together ever Sunday.

Keywords: California Gold Rush; Charles Carpenter; Family history; Montana; Yakima Valley; Yakima Valley Hops

Subjects: Sunday get togethers; Supplying miners; family hops farm

Partial Transcript: And then of course picking hops in those days, the Native Yakima Indian Natives picked the hops, they worked in the hops, they helped train hops, during hop harvests they would usually stop in to pick hops on their way either to or back from the huckleberry fields...

Segment Synopsis: Talks about the Yakima nation and how they were involved in picking and training hops on the Carpenter farm.

Keywords: Indians; Indians picking hops; Native American; Native Americans; Native Americans picking hops; Wapato Long House; Yakima Nation; hops; hops poles; hops training; huckleberry fields; picking hops; training hops

Subjects: Indians; Indians picking hops; Native American; Native Americans; Native Americans picking hops; Wapato Long House; Yakima Nation; hops; hops poles; hops training; huckleberry fields; picking hops; training hops

Partial Transcript: Then the transportation in the valley, when it begin to develop--course we had another way to get our crops out of the valley. I wasn't here then.

Segment Synopsis: The change in transportation from the time Thomas's grandparents farmed hops in the Valley to the present day. This includes the installation of railroad tracks, irrigation districts and how that changed the landscape of the valley, and canals.

Keywords: Railroad; Reservation irrigation district; Rosa irrigation district; Snipes mountain; Sunnyside irrigation district; Walter Grainger; Wapato irrigation district; Yakima county; Yakima irrigation; Yakima irrigation districts; Yakima railroad; canal; canals; irrigation districts; sage brush

Subjects: Railroad; Reservation irrigation district; Rosa irrigation district; Snipes mountain; Sunnyside irrigation district; Walter Grainger; Wapato irrigation district; Yakima county; Yakima irrigation; Yakima irrigation districts; Yakima railroad; canal; canals; irrigation districts; sage brush

Partial Transcript: The other thing my granddad did, for a little while, not very many years, but he became a hop dealer. And he bought and sold hops for a while.

Segment Synopsis: How the relationship between hops growers, hops dealers, and brewers worked prior to the foundation of the Yakima Chief Hop Union and the changes that occurred in that business during Thomas's time. Also covers the work Thomas was involved in to change how much hops farmers were paid.

Keywords: Peralt family; Smith family; Yakima Chief Hop Union; breweries; family funds; hop growers; hops dealers; hops growers; marketing; marketing hops; relationship between growers and brewers; the marketing order

Subjects: Peralt family; Smith family; Yakima Chief Hop Union; breweries; family funds; hop growers; hops dealers; hops growers; marketing; marketing hops; relationship between growers and brewers; the marketing order

Partial Transcript: How did you go about building early relationships with brewers?

Segment Synopsis: How relationships between growers, brewers, and dealers changed, more detail on how that process happened and how the hops growers met with and formed working relations with brewers.

Keywords: Boise; Yakima Chief Hop Union; breweries; brewers; changing regulations; comity; growing regulation; hops dealers; marketing; meetings; processing; wage gaps

Subjects: Boise; Yakima Chief Hop Union; breweries; brewers; changing regulations; comity; growing regulation; hops dealers; marketing; meetings; processing; wage gaps

Partial Transcript: What about the impact on the larger Yakima Valley community of the hop industry? Not just the people who are directly employed, but the larger--how is that relationship changed...

Segment Synopsis: How the hops growing industry in the Yakima valley has been involved in the community, how the Carpenter family especially has been involved in that. How craft brewers for relations with hops farms and growers.

Keywords: Yakima Chief Hop Union; Yakima community; Yakima valley; cooperation; craft breweries; craft brewers; employment; farm visits; financial participation; hops; school involvement

Subjects: Yakima Chief Hop Union; Yakima community; Yakima valley; cooperation; craft breweries; craft brewers; employment; farm visits; financial participation; hops; school involvement

Partial Transcript: What about working with family? So now that this is--we have four generations of Carpenters in this building--if Steve comes back we'll have four--what is that like to work with your family and find roles for people?

Segment Synopsis: What it's like to work with several generations of hops farmers on one farm, what roles they play, and how it's changed since Thomas was young.

Keywords: Betty Carpenter; Carpenter family; Sarah Carpenter; Steve Carpenter; Yakima Chief Hops Union; family relations; hops families; hops family; work

Subjects: Betty Carpenter; Carpenter family; Sarah Carpenter; Steve Carpenter; Yakima Chief Hops Union; family relations; hops families; hops family; work

Partial Transcript: But I do want to ask you about the art, the artwork that's out as you drive up. The pole of hats?

Segment Synopsis: The various works of art that are around the Carpenter farm, including a totem pole, a pole of hats, vehicles leading up to a church with an owl house on the back of it, painted hop spools, and Mr Hop.

Keywords: Mr Hop; art; art work; artwork; church; decorations; farm artwork; highway to heaven; hop spools; hops spools; mister hop; owl house; painted spools; pole of hats; totem pole

Subjects: Mr Hop; art; art work; artwork; church; decorations; farm artwork; highway to heaven; hop spools; hops spools; mister hop; owl house; painted spools; pole of hats; totem pole

Partial Transcript: So we were just talking about Charles Carpenter and the impact that he had on the Yakima city, the city culture.

Segment Synopsis: How the Carpenter family has influenced the Yakima community, what farm life was like for Thomas, and how he took over management of the hops farm.

Keywords: Ahtanum valley; Carpenter family history; Carpenter ranch; Charles Carpenter; Frying Company; George Carpenter; Powwow rodeo; Prohibition; Tom Carpenter; Tyler Carpenter; Yakima; Yakima symphony orchestra; Yakima valley; buying land; cattle ranch; expanding farm; farm life; grain; hops; investment; logging; movie theater; northeast Montana; packing; potatoes; roller rink; stock market; symphony orchestra; vacations

Subjects: Ahtanum valley; Carpenter family history; Carpenter ranch; Charles Carpenter; Frying Company; George Carpenter; Powwow rodeo; Prohibition; Tom Carpenter; Tyler Carpenter; Yakima; Yakima symphony orchestra; Yakima valley; buying land; cattle ranch; expanding farm; farm life; grain; hops; investment; logging; movie theater; northeast Montana; packing; potatoes; roller rink; stock market; symphony orchestra; vacations

Partial Transcript: One thing we haven't talked about on film is the people who were picking. I see the woman there and the woman there. Can you tell the story of the older woman who's training?

Segment Synopsis: Who the hops pickers have bee over time, how they worked, how they fit in with the rest of the family and what the family's relationship to the pickers and trainers have been, and how picking hops has changed over time.

Keywords: Budio; Grainger community; Hispanic families; Jeanie Wachumwa; Lena Waters; changing rules and regulations; extract plant; hops trainer; migrant workers; native americans

Subjects: Budio; Grainger community; Hispanic families; Jeanie Wachumwa; Lena Waters; changing rules and regulations; extract plant; hops trainer; migrant workers; native americans

Partial Transcript: Was there anything that you thought that I would ask you about that I didn't ask you about?

Segment Synopsis: Wraps up interview by talking about how important change is in the management of the farm and how relying on each other is necessary.

Keywords: Sunnyside; extract plant; farm management; hops; marketing; risks; teamwork

Subjects: Sunnyside; extract plant; farm management; hops; marketing; risks; teamwork