| Show r DAVID E E. E DOKE DAVID E. E D DOKE OKE TO BE FETED DECEMBER An open house honoring Da David David David Da- Da vid E E. E Doke for his birthday birthday birthday birth birth- day anniversary will be held at the Doke home 28 North Main Ephraim on Thursday Dec 26 from 2 to 5 5 pm p.m. No gifts gUts Mr Doke was born Dec 11 1878 on a farm near Bloomfield Bloom- Bloom Bloomfield Bloomfield field Iowa to Thompson hompson Dixon and Elizabeth Kuffel Doke The family later moved to Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloomfield Bloom- Bloom field where Mr Doke attended attend attend- ed schools and graduated from Southern Iowa Normal But now let Mr Doke relate part of his Ms own story as told to an Enterprise reporter My liMy first trip to California California California Califor Califor- nia was in 1885 to visit my Grandparents Kuffel in Santa Ana We took the ocean liner The City of Mexico from Los Angeles to San Francisco At this time I also saw a flood of the Los Angeles River in which many people were drowned drown drown- ed My father Major T T. T D. D Doke a Civil War veteran was In the horse business and contracted contracted contracted con con- horses for the streetcars streetcars streetcars street street- cars and fire engines in Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Phil Phil- adelphia Pa andI accompanied him on several of these trips and saw the Atlantic Ocean while thereAt there thereAt thereAt At age 17 I started workIng working working work- work Ing for a trading stamp racket much like it is today traveling in all the states west of the Mississippi River for four years Some sixty years later laterI I have traveled over much of the same territory from Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla Okla- homa to California In 1900 on my way to California California California Cali Cali- fornia I attended the Worlds World's Fair at Omaha Nebraska and saw Pres McKinley there In- In Pres Ulysses S. S Grant was still living more than six years after my birth In fact 18 United States Presidents lived during my lifetime and I campaigned for 14 of them Be side Pres Grant those presidents presidents presidents dents who lived since I was born were or are Rutherford B. B Hayes James A. A A Garfield Chester A A. A Arthur Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft Woodrow Wilson Warren Harding Calvin Coolidge Her Her- I bert Hoover Franklin D D. D Roosevelt Harry A A. A Truman I Dwight D D. D Eisenhower John F F. F Kennedy and Lyndon B. B B John John- son From Omaha I went to San San- Santa Santa ta to Monica Calif and worked for 25 25 cents a day in a bi bicycle bicycle bl- bl cycle shop Los Angeles was not much better on wages but living was cheap Dinners were at a big restaurant on Spring Street and hotel dinners dinners dinners din din- ners were In Los Angeles I drove a horse-drawn horse delivery delivery deli deli- very wagon delivering bread At that time the city had about population and was just starting a small boom They had had a small boom before and then a bust and the banks had foreclosed on much property property property prop prop- erty and then had begun to put some property back on the market which accounted for the little boom I had a state brokers broker's license and sold property property prop prop- erty in different parts of the city Including Watts which was all colored In In 1906 San Francisco had the big earthquake and Los Angeles gained people In 1910 I became Interested Interest interest- ed in Imperial Valley and improved im- im improved improved im im- proved some land there but shortly after went back to Los Angeles to again engage In real estate business I 4 came to Ephraim in 1928 and have made my home here since then I married Nellie Neme Jensen on March 16 1931 and we are the parents of four daughters Mrs William M M. M June Crane Riverside Calif Mrs Fred E E. E Joy Pashley Ogden Utah Mrs Glendon Lois Jones Panaca Nevada and Miss Gloria Doke Balboa Island Calif We also have nine grandchildren We look forward to our golden wedding anniversary in Just 12 more years I Z go on trips to visit the girls but I am always glad to get back home in Ephraim and get a drink of good fresh wa Wa- ter |
