I drove the gravel road into the valley where the ranch sits. I hadn’t been there in quite a while, so I wasn’t sure which house was his. As I came around the corner and the homestead became visible, it was like I went to another place. It was quiet and peaceful and removed from everything else around it. It was easy to find where George lived. There he was sitting under a beautiful shade tree in his yard. When I approached, he asked whether I wanted to go in the house or sit outside. Definitely, I wanted to sit outside and take in the beauty of the Ingram Ranch as I talked to George Ingram.
As a student in Big Valley during high school, I always knew who George Ingram was. He was the Fair Manager and had been for a very long time. After I got married and became the Business Assistant at the fairgrounds, I became very aware of what George Ingram had done for the Inter-Mountain Fair of Shasta County in his 40 plus years of service. I was not lucky enough to get to work with him, but I was lucky enough to become a part of the traditions he left.
Interviewing George was a pleasure and the interview could have provided enough information for a book. Unfortunately, I will have to keep it down to article size. George’s wealth of information about the valley, his personal history and his family’s continual involvement in our community is amazing.
George Ingram was born in 1926 in Fall River Mills next to the Bank of America. “All of the landmarks have changed, but the Bank of America was where La Cocinita is now.” He laughed. He has lived his life on the 1883 Homestead of Charlie Straub, which is now part of the Ingram Ranch.
George attended his first four years of school at the Beaver Creek School. “Then it closed. So I went the next four years to the old wooden school which now houses the art department at the high school.” Coincidentally, George’s daughter Alexis teaches in that building. Graduation came on May 24, 1944 from Fall River High School. While in high school George had a wonderful mentor in Ag teacher and Fair Manager J.W. Beckett. “For some reason he took a liking to me. George went on to tell me he has had everything handed to him. “I’ve had a pretty rough life,” he laughed. He was very humble in expressing that he was given a lot of things he didn’t feel he deserved. George was class valedictorian and said he was “given more awards than necessary or needed.”
Prior to graduating, on May 16th, George had already enlisted in the Army, so after graduation he was off to Washington where he took college classes. “I took classes from July through December. All 250 of us there were 17 years old, once we turned 18 we went to basic training at Camp Roberts.” Basic training was completed in May of 1945.
“FDR had died and about that time ‘Give ‘em hell Harry’ came in. We were supposed to go to Germany, but they changed their minds.” George recalled. Instead George went to Hawaii. “Within a month the war was over, I had taken classes for clerks and stenos, so I began to work in the Chief of Staff office.”
“In Hawaii, it was like I had a year’s vacation.” He gave me a letter he sent to his granddaughter relating to his time on the island. It told of the time he spent two hours in jail in Honolulu for walking with a young lady on Waikiki Beach without a pass. He also spoke of the visitor’s he had while stationed there and how it truly was like a vacation.
George was discharged July 19, 1946 and came home because his father was ill. At that time he began helping on the Ingram Ranch and living with his folks. His best friend, David Schneider had gotten hurt and was in the hospital in San Francisco. “I went to see him. While I was there I received a telegram that said to come home because there was a job waiting. It didn’t say what the job was, so I stayed a few more days then went home.”
Little did George know, when he arrived home it would be the beginning of an eventful career. “I came home to interview for the Inter-Mountain Fair Manager job.” It was his mentor again who recommended him for the position. “J.W. was leaving the area and his position at the fair. He told the board ‘George can do it’, so I was given an interview.” The rest is history. What began November 18, 1946 and ended May 30, 1988 gave the Intermountain community one of the best fair managers ever.
George is very humble when talking about these things. In fact, as he was telling me his stories of his career, he randomly said, “And the next day it rained.” In my confusion, he explained that was what his mother used to say when people’s stories were carrying on for too long.
I managed to get him to tell a little more about his career that spanned 41 ½ years. “Sometimes I think, did I do that? I can’t fathom that I did that,” when referring to his long tenure as fair manager. When asked about changes in the fair over the years, he simply said “If you could just see a picture of how it was when I started.” He credits Beckett for having a great master plan for the fairgrounds. With the implementation of horse racing dollars funding the fairs in 1945, development of a plan to build the fairgrounds was established. “Two blocks were donated by the McArthur family and land was purchased from P.G. & E,” he said. The fairgrounds bought 97.776 acres at $7.50/acre. “It cost us more to fence the land than to buy it.”
George said he had no administrative experience when taking the position. He learned a lot through the years. “What is really crazy is that the kids that are showing at the fair now, weren’t even born when I left there.”
Highlights while serving as fair manager included being selected as the President of the Western Fairs Association in 1983.
George’s deep roots with the fair were instilled in his children. Many of his family members are still very involved in the fair today. “It was put in their blood. Daughter Alexis and husband Bill have had the iced tea booth forever. Daughter Anita organizes the Golden Wedding Dinner. They do flower borers, the kids and grandkids have entries and have always helped out at the fair.”
George met his late wife Phyllis at a grange meeting. “I always saw her at the meetings, I was five years older than her.” They were married Easter Sunday 1950. “We had our honeymoon in Monterey and the hotel only cost $17.50 a night!”
There are 19 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. He says he keeps all of there birthdays on the calendar and enjoys seeing them at various functions. He was planning a trip to Spokane for a graduation when we had the interview.
I asked him if he is related to a lot of people in the valley. He simply said, “EVERYBODY!”
After retirement, George helped out with the ranch. “I remember Albert Albaugh asking me what I was going to do. I told him I was going to watch the grass grow. Little did I know I would be cutting, raking, and baling the grass!” So for the next 10 years he helped son, Robert with the ranch. “I still feed cows.”
George has always been very active. He is in the American Legion and the Masonic Lodge. “I used to hunt. Now I just really enjoy taking my morning and afternoon naps,” he laughed.
What things has George seen over the years in the valley? “Well, there are a lot of new people. When I go to the store I don’t know anyone.” He said changes have been slow, but recently he has seen a lot of property being divided.
We finally made it into the house so he could show me some pictures. There I saw his famous typewriter, which he still uses today. There is not a computer in the house. The typewriter purchased in 1947 at the Inter-Mountain Fair serves him just fine. In his prime he could type 70 words per minute on the manual machine and could take short hand at 110 word per minute.
He couldn’t end the interview without again telling me he owes so many people thanks, like Gail Ashe who worked as the Business Assistant at the fairgrounds for 22 years. He told me to not go overboard in writing about him, but how can I not. I have so much respect for him and what he has done for our community.
We continued on with chitchat on my way to the car, then he just said, “And the next day it rained.”
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