Lewis Turner and Karen De Shazer

00:01 Now he's going to say this stuff right here.

00:05 My name is Karen De Shazer. I'm 53 years old. It's Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 weird conducting this interview at the Hargrove library on Mohave Community College Bullhead City Campus and Bullhead City Arizona. And I first met Lewis Turner when I was working at the bottom power plant in nipton, California, and he was working there also.

00:30 My name is Lewis Turner. I'm 70 years old today is

00:38 4th of 5th of September

00:43 And I meant to Hargrove.

00:47 Librarian Community College Mohave Valley and relationship when my partner is been a friend for a number of years or her husband.

01:02 Okay blue. I know from being your friend for a while that you didn't know you were born in Arizona and in Mohave County the what first brought you to Arizona how the happened did you stay? Did you come back? Tell me the story about how you got here and where you came from?

01:22 Well, I'm not losing a child I grew up in Nebraska and it was cold and we had some neighbors a b and they moved to Tucson and their two little girls and I played together and I sent pictures back in the Christmas time. They were up shorts and a scissor. This ain't for me to say you're in a rush, I'm going there cuz I started doing is about 10 years old then nothing ever really happen from it, and I went in the Air Force and I spent four years in Amarillo, Texas and I met some people that we had a custom harvesting outfit.

02:10 And they

02:12 Did Laura harvesting at Gila Bend Arizona and I went with him and I had to

02:22 Good feeling about Arizona. We traveled and number of States including Mexico and Canada.

02:29 Hand over the Purdy yours

02:36 Come back to Blythe, California.

02:39 And I was pretty cool. Arizona and after eyes and Glides while I was developing and agriculture for down there.

02:51 And a gentleman from Bullhead City came down and about 1977.

03:02 And want me to come to work for him and Mohave Valley developing uniform cuz Mohave Valley Reserve is not developed at that time. And then what was the Delmas name? Do you remember Frank Jerome?

03:24 Businessman in Los Angeles and had 17 coconut plantations in the Philippines and

03:32 And he came down to Blythe and had Thanksgiving dinner with me and trying to convince me. I need to come up here and I didn't think I needed this time went on he enticed me come up here and I have been here ever since and agriculture this Valley back in the sixties and seventies had just a few forms in it. There were actually four big cattle ranches here and

04:12 Then the Indian tribes had a lot of land here and Landreth divided in a checkerboard. It would check aborted by the railroad does government at the railroad have so much lamb. They had to give the Indians for the reservation so much and is the Lord Mohave Valley is a checkerboard area. That's why we have a the Oghma call engine forms, and then another gentleman named chip Cheryl.

04:48 They developed the Mojave forms, which is meeting form. There was also some other people to hear. There's a gentleman named as Lord and McKellips that developed.

05:05 How's your new Rihanna Valley a large amount? I would never have a little Golf Course area. Today is Sunday as a family name.

05:14 And the

05:16 Johnny Vanderslice was another gentleman was here when I came here to develop farmland and his family still here in his family has a form of valet. It was here when I came here as a trailer house when I came here.

05:35 Oh now developed into a nice tour and have a library and a post office and several things that are and then there's another gentleman by the name of Joe Hancock and he was a native of the valley.

05:52 They have dairy his family's dirty and it was down at the West End next to the river of the

06:04 Hancock Street known today as Hancock Street, and he was here and he helped me get acquainted and do a lot of things here.

06:16 Family Johnny Vanderslice, Jordan McKellips, they roll Pioneers hear a new the country.

06:25 As we develop some land and started growing some products. We had planted alfalfa. Hay for you early.

06:33 And I met a gentleman whenever I work both harcus.

06:39 And he was a cowboy for these Old Gentleman.

06:44 Her these wrenches I should say and

06:49 He told me that all the stories of this country is very interesting.

06:57 Tell your friends I tore my home is in Fort Mohave. He and another gentleman develop that land and they did a new culture there. There's some of the old irrigation ditches and irrigation pump. There were they

07:14 Did farming

07:17 An interesting person I came here.

07:25 Hey, on the farm that I was developing was Indian Land.

07:33 And I met the service engine gentleman. They were very intriguing and interesting to visit with and it turned out to be a lot of help to me.

07:46 Did they show you how to develop land or methods? They used or Motrin?

07:58 Gentleman named Lou Birdman. He was a tribal chief on or off he be in it. He be out hippie and he get in trouble getting out and then he get in trouble and he's come back yet. He and his wife Betty. They were very good points on my birthday after I came here in his wife come up to our house and brought me a medallion. I have today the Mojave tribe just a lot of basket work and beadwork and they made me a real nice bolo.

08:37 And brought him in the horse woman that never here they come they brought me that that's always impressed me. Yeah on he and his wife and Bill Lawrence was administrative time and I've known him from Parker Arizona so that kind of gives me an inside to get snow on but I really didn't need one pussy that they were good people. I found the drive to very Cooperative to help us and now they are the biggest farming a operation in Mohave Valley today, or is it at least it run out? They pick them back up and they have went for Minden.

09:25 There was a time for about three months of that.

09:30 That I was working for Frank's room for Jerome Russell Ranch at was the name of the ranch that time.

09:36 They didn't have a form manager.

09:40 And I wore two hats for about 3 months. Then we're just most deprived and our operation which is very interesting and very good to work with constantly put me to know more of the tribal people.

10:00 And course

10:03 The Indian tribe is known as a nation. A lot of people don't realize I have a test Indian Nation. The Navajo Nation. You've got Cherokee Nation and

10:18 I think it's remarkable the way they govern ourselves when you first came here as a single man, or did you have a family and what did they take about coming here? And where did you move actual? Where'd you move from? When you first move to Mohave Valley? I had family my one son lives and he will be and I spent seven years and he drove into Phillips Ranch over there that when it was finished at 38,000 Acres Northwest Mutual Life Insurance company was the sponsor of that.

10:59 And then I went to Parker and we're for landfill farms and we developed about 2400 acres of land there.

11:10 And I was pretty happy that that's okay when you communion at that time from there to Gila Bend or

11:22 How's ya Albert Parker? I had my own are playing tonight flu for a little while back and forth from Gila Bend, but that is not a way of a farm operation is a full-time operation and needs it's kind of like raising a child that needs his parents and consequently, I

11:43 Moved there and spent several years are my youngest son went to school and Parker by the time.

11:53 We left port for heating was going to college and so

11:59 He is just I'm a wife and Richard room. Come down want me to come up and I sure will I'll come up and look at place and I

12:10 Come up and looked at it.

12:13 Here in Mohave Valley right now

12:19 He had a manager there to time and he took me around.

12:26 I would do that as on New Year's Day. I remember I flew back support her and she says what do you think this is I don't think so why that and will first row if he had a manager there.

12:46 And the gentleman

12:50 Siri had a lot of problems with himself and I say in a Cell freezing at dude.

12:59 He didn't like the Indian people. Everybody was stealing from him. He just he was a native person and I don't want to be around negative people. If you can't be positive don't be there and consequently.

13:19 So now I'm not going for.

13:21 I want to hear to make a girl back down to see me you made it about three more trips and he find me and that manager left.

13:30 House manager forum

13:33 Okay. Well, I'll take that's how I moved up here and there wasn't any buildings on the Range time. I moved here is brand new.

13:52 Pardon

14:00 Guess what convinces most people money? I didn't really care too much for and God was all right, but he I just didn't want to have to work under him and his wife and kids didn't care and all are aware that your two boys out of the house at that time or yes. Yes. Yes.

14:34 College Yuma that time you just called her shifts to ASU from there and he was in college in the other son got married and we had a grandson and and I was your wife think about moving here. She did you have any friends here. What was it like we'd lived on ranches and ranch life is a little different then citylife. You don't have the lady next door. Come borrow a cup of sugar.

15:10 That the range people and that was one of the things I admired and Joanne call Johnny Vanderslice Norton which helps?

15:21 I will go harkas all those people.

15:28 They were Choice here to help you, but they weren't in your hair.

15:32 And my wife and I both like that atmosphere your head privacy with their somebody's home or if you needed something and that's what and I still to this day like that life. Tell me about some of the jobs that you've had in this area cuz he didn't stay working for mr. Jerome at whole time right now.

15:57 I've been there for about a year-and-a-half and he decide.

16:05 He need to sell his lease.

16:09 So he come up when I unpacked. Kind of world it cuz I thought I've been here. I know this place and I kind of wanted it and I made arrangements to get the money, but he has some other point and said he

16:25 Like pretty well, he known to Phoenix in different places. They bought the farm in that was wakamoto of us and Victor walk him over when his dad and his brother.

16:38 Play both lease in Victor came over right away and his dad and come over short time after Invicta Reserve. Very fine gentleman. I stayed for about eight nine months with him every bought the least.

16:54 And then his other brother Dale.

16:57 Was coming over on there wasn't room for people with amount of money. He is paying me.

17:04 And

17:06 Victor told me he's coming over nice as well and I I'll find some music with you got a job for you find some he was a very fine get with him and his father both and

17:20 How do you admit a lot of people in developing the land of other gentlemen been here number? You're built Kelly?

17:29 New human. I met a lot of people here at Friendly Valley and so I'm out looking for a job. Look I went back over in the Phoenix area and it's about time is it?

17:47 Mid 80s fashion

17:50 We had our depression going and agriculture is going bad and it was difficult find a job. And so I decided I'd go power plant see if they hire somebody up there.

18:08 And I ignored over is it I felt that I had work for me developing that landed in the process of developing at Farmland. We developed our subdivision Prairie acres mrs. In Mohave Valley patented. It belonged to Frank the room and artwork for the pressure. We wind up. He knew somebody power plant. We put in an application on the tower plant Laughlin.

18:45 And

18:47 The two weeks later

18:50 My wife come out the shop says you have a phone call from Mohave Generating Station.

19:01 Geez, I was quitting until I went in answer right away and they answered the phone the lady answered phone number. They gave me in.

19:10 Fly a horse. Well that had nothing to do with Mohave Generating Station. I didn't think and I told her I said I think I've got a wrong number. I was calling for Marvin Jackson is Mohave Generating Station while he's here. He works part-time me.

19:29 So I talked to him and I went in for an interview and

19:35 And he asked me if I knew somebody to do bidding and estimating.

19:42 Cuz that was my my kind of work. I didn't care for that and I should be yes I did and that's hard Alvarez at work for me. He did that kind of work.

19:55 And he was interviewed and we went to work same day at 4. Now you worked out for $5. And what what did you do? And what did they do?

20:08 We were just a labor force base, Italy.

20:13 They had some heavy equipment. They moved from primary water pumps pumping water from one location to another big 680 water pumps and lightsabers nearly a labor forces that time in order Alvarez is ambitious and he bit more jobs and we built some rolls and we built fences and then they do a maintenance overhaul or the plant and I got to do a nose

20:47 And I never did work really in the planet self. They're not in the maintenance or holes.

20:53 And

20:55 I was just doing that kind of an almond and heart he moved on guys own company and I stayed there and then flash decided to build a power plant of their own as you're acquainted with from.

21:14 Biogenic hold it at the state line south of Whiskey Pete's on the Interstate 215 and I need probably I was involved in developing all that and worked over there and that's where I met you.

21:31 So you are commuting them from Arizona everyday all the way over to Nevada that will California in California and Nevada. It's a Monday whatever day it will not ever day. Sometimes we stay up there when we first started. There was only one one Motel up there and it was what the cold Whiskey Pete's.

21:57 But then they developed out new developed two more big motels in weed. Stay sometimes through four days a timer there to commute but we started out commuting. It was about an hour and 20 minutes commute everyday beachway, which made you got a long day.

22:16 You carpooled with other workers that your neighbors we took quite a few workers back and forth and then my son in that time he don't work for fly. Ash and he was a safety department who did a lot of work out. There is you met my son Bob Turner and he worked up her butt.

22:52 Why did you stop working there?

22:55 They had a

22:58 Another money crunch exactly what they did.

23:08 I would name profit in power plants at that time and they shut the plant down and sold it and they've got a golf course there in that area now, but and I went back down to Mojave.

23:22 Generating Station work for them till they close is a station out of work for him for about a year afterwards. I could still be working at a table if I want to be a janitor somehow push broom didn't fit my hand like that controls of a big loader when he retired. More time to tend to your house and property if you're still living in the same house that you and your wife initially moved into in the mail.

23:57 283 84

24:07 Really the neighbors there right around your house was there but Hammer Street was the street. We went up to jackrabbit and I had a four-wheel drive vehicle and Paisley it was the best way to get through that sand because they were we had no streets we had

24:27 Cradles cut with sand holes in them and you couldn't get through them sand holes about X or without a four-wheel drive vehicle whenever you had to detour around other streets.

24:40 That since we moved there they've developed a great deal around us right where our house sits there was a gentleman live to the north of us and want to the south of us which both of them has passed away now and then there's a gentleman across the street who is moved away. So it's only neighbors to me.

25:05 The community we was at the end of the street and everleigh and hammered the time when we moved here. It's just like a regular bird say

25:20 Fort Mohave public has

25:24 Fifteen twenty thousand people right now when I move there there might have been 2,000 waiting all these people come from and why they come you think the casinos here when I came here, there was two casinos. There was no webs and casino which is the Golden Nugget today and Don Laughlin head his

25:52 And I his whole casino with the motel and everything wasn't as big as a building were in here right now.

26:00 Hipsa

26:02 Cuz then they build all the other casinos afterwards and how did you get to the casino when you came to visit Don Laughlin put a ferry boat that cold it is pontoon boats to take you back and forth across the river where he was at a place right on 95 right across from the old airport used to be here. It's not here anymore. In fact Home Depot is in that area Chili's in IHOP. That was one of the Old Airport Road in that area.

26:46 And then they build new one, but I think they had a little airport and they had to

26:54 The boat went back and forth across and and one in his kind of fun at for a come up here in 1976 reading. I remember those bicentennial.

27:06 And we've been working pretty hard on the farm and I've got all my work kind of caught up or I get away for a day or so in the 4th of July. I come in with the wife as we've been hearing about wall from this Google off. Ok, I have six rooms. I think they're Knoll motel that they had room.

27:36 And

27:39 His

27:40 She'd Coleman says will we don't have to have a way to get over there's our taxi service or something here? Oh, no, we have a limousine. I'll pick you up my frumer point that time so we flew up there and we found a payphone fly4free of the airplanes tied down there.

28:07 And week old and here comes his old Chevy Suburban. Oh, that was our limousine. If it's up to us to know where to get across the river you had to go up to the damn, which is just around like he's going to Kingman and then going towards Parrish been known for a long time cats are lying to me as part of the Damned we crossed on top of the dam and take you back down to casinos.

28:43 Well, we got down there.

28:46 Ho ho ho it's around and I had probably 30-40 slot machines in there if they had that many anyway, in the head of the motel we go room and we had her dinner actually played a few quarters and didn't win anything but have fun and I'll never forget that. There was a Central Energy Chevy Suburban. That was my first experience.

29:32 So then now we can ride the ferry boat that time later on we moved here. That's what we go across and then they built.

29:42 They built a Car Colorado Bell, which is not the Colorado Bell turn that today. It was a little one story building and they had the best prime rib, there you ever seen Lynn behind it,

29:59 Another one across the street. I can't think of the name of that right at this moment Crystal Palace Crystal Palace.

30:13 RV places

30:17 And then come behind it, Pioneer and things are really changed a lot when the casinos came and that's what got most of people to move into.

30:32 Arizona in Bullhead City Mohave Valley now the area or is there anything else you saw that really Drew people into the area agriculture drew some they have got a few other business but business has a tendency is gross business to grow Wizard and it's like anything else if you get so much demand, then there's more demand and that's the way it builds up when I come here ready to drive 75 miles an hour from where I live on a high not Highway 95 to

31:20 There wasn't a stoplight there was nothing and now they've got close to thirty-five stop lights up and down the highway and in Bullhead City. So it's changed a lot that agriculture is there was no cement companies. We had a portable cement company out there there. They set up a company's just left country to Root's Things is really you

31:49 Development since I came here from nothing. In fact, there was no life you'd come from Needles California outdoor farmer. It was dark. I mean like North now, there's lights over and you fly over that looks like a great Metropolis cuz the lights in Bullhead City Fort Mohave and Willow Valley and needles all blend in together and it looks like a hundred thousand people and I'm guessing this community is

32:25 I would say between 50 and 60000 people when you conglomerate a mole together.

32:31 And when I come here needs probably had 4000.

32:38 Mohave Valley might had three 4,000 Fort Mohave very few more Bullhead City. It didn't have any and you never had anything to do did you with the railroads or no? Damn? Did you know anybody that could have been very interesting talk to who helped build the dam up for and then the scrap Lumber they floated down the river. He build a business business see it's on 95. The buildings are still there. There's a car wash right next to it.

33:21 But everything is pretty well closed up now if that he had went to my type of business was he already had Antiques and a car shop and carport. He was a very powerful person for this area.

33:42 I should have thought of him. And then there's a another guy Dan Hargrove is this colleges named after he grew up here and in Kingman, but he was busy today. I talked to him to see if he come for an interview because he was tied up and couldn't tell.

34:05 Maybe some things come about but Dan Hargrove and

34:11 Bob Proctor and Helga hartquist

34:16 Or some of the more colorful people had Joe Hancock, but he's in Colorado. I tried to get him to come out here for this but he wasn't all right, and he couldn't make it but those people had a lot to do with what you see. If you ever come to visit Bullhead City funny story before about mr. Hancock's wife's Sarah and about some of her experiences on their Farm. There's one in particular come to mind when you think about Sarah and Mary Jane bohorquez went to school together and Oatman, which is East about 13 Mile. That was the school only school that had to hear.

35:01 And

35:04 A few years later, they develop some land down there and

35:08 Kids out there hunting and

35:15 Decided they shouldn't because they was shooting up their irrigation equipment and she Sarah's feisty little lady and she could play golf and whatever she could destroy the heads of golf clubs. She hit the ball.

35:33 And her father he was another I didn't know him but he was another one of the founders you might say of Mohave Valley. I don't know what his dad say, I never really met him I heard about him and I know what happened those hunters and leave and I had a little problem but they decided to leave and she wasn't afraid of being alone or Ranch girls who can take care of their self story. I've heard about Mary Jane. She probably shoot me for telling it up. No hurry here.

36:26 Mergent rode horseback and her stepdad. So they get in the truck and it all go down. She have ride a horse down dealers near me.

36:40 Haha 1 closings for Hurricane Irma yet.

36:52 I'll drive down there. We had a situation where I need to place to live for a while my partner trailer down there and they got twenty-six Acres land and a stable horses down there and she had about 15-20 cows and Mary Jane gets out, and I'll tell you what I know, but she does get today she gets out make sure there's worse than everything got water every day, and I've had one day at Mary Jane.

37:19 I should quite a rude of you killing yourself working with these cows and horses that I might kill myself. She says I enjoy it. And besides as long as I have these this life stop here. This is a working Ranch and a city can't do a thing about her.

37:38 After I the long as she's taking care of them.

37:45 No American was very

37:50 Pregnant lady in her time here and still is you new around the old horse-thief on things and they'll tell you and her dad or stepdad. Actually. I was Albert your stepdad and he had Lou I got a problem you better hear their account and get it straightened out. So he did the one day we talked about in the literature Albert. How did you come by all this real estate? But I know you're not real estate Tycoon Cowboy. He's a little Lulu and other people of a kid he says,

38:39 These people couldn't pay pay me money to give me all this whole land down here on River for million-dollar land today. Very very

38:56 I want to say it's been a colorful experience. I've enjoyed my time in Mohave Valley has been good to both of your sons, or do they live in this area now our school? He's a paramedic over there and he's been was mayor of the city for 12 years now. He's as council member. He just got presented at Palatka other day when I was over there for 16 years from the government for cities service.

39:38 And

39:41 Rudy

39:44 I don't want to be here for a while. Now that you're retired. You can take all day to do whatever you want. And even if you're retired, there's always a lot of things for you to do around your property and but it's important to some of the things that you told us today. Get out. The other people who may see these road signs Vanderslice Road Hancock Road and know nothing about the people who lived here and who those roads are named after.

40:21 Play sure. I wish I could have got some of the other people been here cuz they should give you a lot more good information about this nice ballet. And the reason I stayed here and raise their families and it's been a pleasure to be here with you folks today, and I hope

40:43 Somebody she's just appreciated. Thank you very much for coming today.