Sometimes it’s about the little ripple you make in a big pond. When we begin research on an exhibit or project here at the Willamette Heritage Center we cast a wide net looking for pictures, artifacts, newspaper articles and other information. Gathering in the net of what can sometimes feel like an overwhelming amount of information, certain stories and images tend to rise to the surface. We closely examine and investigate those stories and images to uncover the people and history behind them.
I received a phone call this week regarding a newspaper article I wrote for the Statesman Journal back in June about the Girod brothers, Salem Senators’ triple threat. The caller, Jerry Girod, wanted to know what had inspired me to write about his dad Ted Girod, the eldest of the baseball trio. The inspiration came from an old newspaper picture of the three baseball brothers in uniform. Something about the easy-going camaraderie, arms slung over each others shoulders, and wide smiles caught by the photographer compelled me to find out more about them.
The online genealogy websites FamilySearch and Ancestry.com provided the bare bones of the family structure and led to the story of Swiss immigrants Gustave and Sophie Girod and their 16 children. Gustave taught school for 30 years before immigrating to the United States (following seven of his sons) and homesteading a large acreage located about six miles north of Salem in the Lake Labish area. He left a lasting impression on the neighborhood with his survival of an explosion, as referenced in this Capital Journal (Salem, OR) article from 1890.
GIANT POWDER EXPLOSION – Mr. Girod, a Farmer Residing Near Chemawa, Escapes Serious Injury
Mr. Girod, a farmer who resides about 1 ½ miles north of Chemawa, in the woods across from Lake Labish, had an experience with giant powder on Monday last, fortunately was not attended by any serious results, will never be forgotten by him.
Mr. Girod has been engaged in removing stumps from his land and had occasion to use giant powder. The latter part of last week the farmer received a box containing about 50 pounds of the explosive. Monday morning the box was placed beneath the stove that the powder might “thaw” preparatory to using it in removing some large stumps.
The heat from the fire was greater than Mr. Girod thought and about 11 o’clock in the morning while placing some wood in the stove, a quantity of the powder exploded. Mr. Girod has a distinct recollection of the stove rising before him but when he regained consciousness he found himself about 100 feet from the house which had blown to pieces. The explosion must have been a terrific one as it was heard for several miles around; one farmer in relating the facts claims as a result of the explosion that he was knocked off of a fence upon which he was seated, two miles from Mr. Girod’s home. Mr. Girod sustained no serious injury from the explosion, with the exception of a few bruises, a fact that seems remarkable to say the least.
Needless to say after this event, several of his sons including Paul Girod decided to relocate to Oregon, help develop the family homestead and care for Gustave and Sophie. This pivotal event and subsequent move brought Ted, Lou, and Zeke the triple threat Girod grandsons to Oregon. Here the boys learn to play ball and as Paul Harvey would say, “now you know…the rest of the story.”
But I digress. Back to the phone call from Jerry Girod, son of Ted Girod, the eldest of the triple threat baseball brothers. He wanted us to know that if a newspaper article could go viral, it did throughout the Girod family. Coast to coast across the United States. Jerry grew up unaware of his dad’s baseball talent and fame, believing the family stories to be embellished and exaggerated. One of the only clues he had about his dad’s famous baseball talent surfaced during a Salem Senators game at Waters Field. Halfway through the game, the dad and son duo went downstairs to concessions, or so Jerry thought. Instead of turning left at the bottom of the stairs towards the food, his dad turned right. He walked straight to the player’s door that led to the dugout and began pounding on it, much to Jerry’s embarrassment. Senator player Bill Beard left the dugout and answered the door, greeting Ted with affection. Famous Bill Beard, Jerry’s baseball hero, knew his dad! Bill gave Jerry a glove inscribed with his name (and that of Black Jack Wilson) as a memento of the occasion and friendship.
Just as a ripple grows wider and reaches more of the surface area of a pond, the Girod family began to connect and share stories. They re-established family ties and located distant cousins from extended branches of the Gustave and Sophie Girod family tree. Here at the Willamette Heritage Center we pride ourselves on connecting families, all while preserving and sharing the heritage of the Willamette Valley. Connecting families with history, it’s what we do. Kaylyn can be reached at research@willametteheritage.org
This article was written by Kaylyn F. Mabey for the Statesman Journal where it was printed on 24 August 2014. It is reproduced here for reference purposes:
References:
Salem Senator’s triple threat: the Girod brothers, Statesman Journal, June 15, 2014
- http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/heritage/2014/06/15/salem-senators-triple-threat-girod-brothers/10444003/
- Gustave Girod [9VPP-KT8] – FamilySearch
- Gustave Girod – Obituary – The Sunday Oregonian, June 11, 1916
- Gustave Girod – Explosion story – Capital Journal 1890
- Phone call with Jerry Girod – 8/19/2014
