ALTA DEMARIS was born November 30, 1915 at the Demaris Ranch on McKay Creek, north of Prineville, Oregon to BERT and MAGGIE BIRDSONG DEMARIS. His father and Aunt, MINNIE DEMARIS, acted as doctor and midwife. Her parents returned to their homestead on Camp Creek in southeast Crook County when Alta was a baby, where they made their home until she started to High School in 1929.
Alta was fourth in a family of eight children: BEULAH (1910), WARREN (1912), ALBERT (1914), ALTA (1915), VELDA (1919), LENORA (1922), EDNA (1924) and LEONA (1928). She recalls with pleasure her early childhood. Neighbors gathered for sleigh riding riding their milk cows, and the many chores of the ranch, being always alert for rattlesnakes (which were plentiful) and rabid coyotes (which were also numerous). The neighbors gathered for rabbit drives (rabbits were destroying their crops) and sometimes killed as many as 2,000 rabbits in a drive.
She spent part of each summer, from the age of six to twelve years, at Suplee, Oregon with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Birdsong. Her family made the two day trip by wagon, camping on the Crooked River which was about half way. Sometimes they were accompanied by the families of Alex Ammons, Charley Birdson, and James Taylor. She was about nine years of age when her father obtained his first car, a Model T Ford.
In 1929, her father sold his holding for $800.00 and moved to Prineville, Oregon to send the rest of his children to high school (the two older ones having boarded away from home to attend school).
Alta and Albert (Ab) graduated in 1933. She was the outstanding girl graduate of her class. She enjoys recalling the next summer she spent at the Allie and Floyd Jones ranches caring for Floyd's two small children, as well as cooking for the lambing crew and hay hands, usually from six to fourteen men. They had hot biscuits, steak, fried potates and gravy for breakfast every morning (orders of the boss) and either cake or pie for the noon and evening meals. She baked "light bread" at least two times a week and helped shop for groceries once a week. She did the family wash in a tub with a washboard.
She married JACK NEEL in Camas, Wahsington, in 1938. He was the son of JESSE JAMES NEEL (named after the "bad man" by the same name), and HAZEL VORCE NEEL. His grandparents, ZACH and VIRGINIA NEEL had often befriended JESSE and FRANK JAMES in Virginia. They named another son FRANK.
ALTA and JACK had two children, a son, KENNETH, born November 17, 1940, and PEGGY born december 3, 1943.
Alta worked at the Central Oregon District Hospital in Redmond, Oregon for twenty-seven years as a Licensed Practical Nurse. She retired in January 1978
KENNETH married JUDY DEER WING of Butte, Montana. They had four children: KINBERLY DEERE (1963), TYRONE JAMES (1966), JASON (1968) and THAYNA (1972). He worked as a heavy equpment operator and truck driver.
PEGGY also became a Licensed Practical Nurse, and also worked at Diamond International in Redmond.
Alta and Jack lived their later years in and near Redmond, Oregon.
History of Crook County published by the Crook County Historical Society in 1981. Permission to copy this infomation was awarded by the Crook County Historical Society.