July 4th in Eureka, 1981
These pictures were taken in 1981 by documentary photographer Patrick Ward, who lives near London. The photos were part of his gallery titled Americana, 1981, taken when he spent a year traveling the United States on a bicentennial fellowship. Patrick traveled 40,000 miles and "stayed in an endless succession of dreary motels, but did get to see a great deal of a very interesting, friendly, and likable nation." Take a look and see if you recognize anyone, I'm sure you'll see some familiar faces. Please email if you can identify anyone!
Oils by Isabel Kitchen
Isabel Roberts, of the Roberts Ranch in Duckwater, married Joe Kitchen, Jr. and moved to Eureka where she lived until her death.
She spent a great deal of her time in the outdoors collecting, painting, drawing, taking pictures, and, in her later years, working in her yard on O’Neil Avenue in Eureka. Isabel, a self-taught artist, created hundreds of paintings in her lifetime, many of which reside with family members adorning the walls of their homes.
Joe Jr. and his wife Allene gifted Eureka Restoration with a collection of Isabel's oil paintings. This treasured artwork is currently on display at Eureka Restoration Enterprise on North Main Street. While most of the paintings are oils, one is a pastel of a Hopi Native American and her pottery. This piece won Grand-Champion at the Nevada State Fair in Fallon in the 1940s.
Isabel painted many of her pictures from photographs she and her son, Joe Jr took. She was known to paint a background from one photo and a foreground from another, with a juniper or bristlecone tree from yet another. Most of the paintings in this collection are from Newark Valley, Butte Valley, the Ruby Mountains and the area around Lamoille. Most depict nature – trees, mountains, and the natural surroundings that she spent so much of her time in.
Kitchen Brothers
The Kitchen Brothers, Joe Sr. and Hiram, owned and operated Kitchen’s Market on Main Street, Eureka until they sold their business to Robert F. and Lee Raine in 1973.
Joe Sr. was born in Ruby Hill in 1898. He and his brother opened the grocery store in 1908.
Joe Jr. recalls working at the store in the late 1940s. During his tenure he walked around Eureka gathering ladies’ grocery lists every morning. He would return to the store, do their shopping and deliver the goods in the afternoon.
Joe also recalls his father herding sheep and working as a buckaroo before the store opened. It was during one the many trips heading south with a herd of sheep that he met Isabel.
Josephine Roberts
Josephine Roberts was Isabel’s mother. She married Frank Roberts and they were both rock hounds. They lived on the Roberts Ranch in Duckwater.
She was an artist, professionally trained in her work at a convent in Oregon. Josephine collected rocks and used the natural materials she found for her artwork. Joe Jr remembers the kitchen table piled with rocks, her at the table with her bottle of Elmer’s Glue and a paintbrush.
“She would grind up the rock with needlenose pliers. She would use chips as petals and ground up rock and glue her paintings together,” he noted.
Josephine produced lovely work and was invited to display her sand paintings at the National Rock Shows. Frank took his arrow head displays.
Sadly, Joe Jr. said most of Josephine's sand paintings disappeared when his mother passed away. He and his wife Allene, were able to acquire three pieces that the Fallon Museum held.
She spent a great deal of her time in the outdoors collecting, painting, drawing, taking pictures, and, in her later years, working in her yard on O’Neil Avenue in Eureka. Isabel, a self-taught artist, created hundreds of paintings in her lifetime, many of which reside with family members adorning the walls of their homes.
Joe Jr. and his wife Allene gifted Eureka Restoration with a collection of Isabel's oil paintings. This treasured artwork is currently on display at Eureka Restoration Enterprise on North Main Street. While most of the paintings are oils, one is a pastel of a Hopi Native American and her pottery. This piece won Grand-Champion at the Nevada State Fair in Fallon in the 1940s.
Isabel painted many of her pictures from photographs she and her son, Joe Jr took. She was known to paint a background from one photo and a foreground from another, with a juniper or bristlecone tree from yet another. Most of the paintings in this collection are from Newark Valley, Butte Valley, the Ruby Mountains and the area around Lamoille. Most depict nature – trees, mountains, and the natural surroundings that she spent so much of her time in.
Kitchen Brothers
The Kitchen Brothers, Joe Sr. and Hiram, owned and operated Kitchen’s Market on Main Street, Eureka until they sold their business to Robert F. and Lee Raine in 1973.
Joe Sr. was born in Ruby Hill in 1898. He and his brother opened the grocery store in 1908.
Joe Jr. recalls working at the store in the late 1940s. During his tenure he walked around Eureka gathering ladies’ grocery lists every morning. He would return to the store, do their shopping and deliver the goods in the afternoon.
Joe also recalls his father herding sheep and working as a buckaroo before the store opened. It was during one the many trips heading south with a herd of sheep that he met Isabel.
Josephine Roberts
Josephine Roberts was Isabel’s mother. She married Frank Roberts and they were both rock hounds. They lived on the Roberts Ranch in Duckwater.
She was an artist, professionally trained in her work at a convent in Oregon. Josephine collected rocks and used the natural materials she found for her artwork. Joe Jr remembers the kitchen table piled with rocks, her at the table with her bottle of Elmer’s Glue and a paintbrush.
“She would grind up the rock with needlenose pliers. She would use chips as petals and ground up rock and glue her paintings together,” he noted.
Josephine produced lovely work and was invited to display her sand paintings at the National Rock Shows. Frank took his arrow head displays.
Sadly, Joe Jr. said most of Josephine's sand paintings disappeared when his mother passed away. He and his wife Allene, were able to acquire three pieces that the Fallon Museum held.
PRESERVATION THROUGH INNOVATION
