Chapter 2
Once at Fishing Bridge Village I was directed to a dorm type building that housed the summer workers. The room I was put into had two bunk bed stands and I found one space in a lower bunk.
After I had my belongings stored in a closet I walked around the village that included a general store, a photography store that sold photos of the park, a hiking/fishing equipment store that sold all the equipment you would want for overnight hikes, an office for visitors to rent a cabin, and a diner. Immediately attached to the diner was a mess hall for the park employees along with a room where employees could meet to discuss any issues that might arise. All the buildings were neatly lined up along the two lane road just a few feet from the bridge over the Yellowstone River.
The bridge would be packed with fisherman standing shoulder to shoulder on July 1. That is opening day to fish.
The first night dinner was pork chops. I had never eaten them before. They were greasy with more fat than meat. I was prepared for having to eat lousy food all summer long I just never imagined that greasy pork chops and salty ham would be a frequent dinner food. My Jewish family never ate those foods. During the dinner and that evening I made an effort to be friendly to a lot of people from all around the country. Some had strong Boston accents and some had strong southern accents. One man from Arkansas had an accent that was so intense I could not understand most of what he said.
On the following morning there was a meeting of new employees in that small employee meeting room. A couple, Joe and Marla, introduced themselves as our bosses. Told us we could bring any problems to their attention and warned us not to enter their office unless we were given permission. We were told to go to our assignment locations after lunch.
With the rest of the morning free I decided to walk around the Fishing Bridge area. When I returned to the bunk house just before lunch there was a man from the park company inspecting the house. One of the other summer employees bursts out with, “I am not going to share a room with that dirty Jew” as he points at me. I had not told anyone I was Jewish. It was the first time I had ever heard anyone say those words even though I had previously lived in a neighborhood that had few Jewish people.
When I returned to the dorm from my meeting at the laundry where I learned the job of washing clothes for the tourists there was Joe who told me that I was being moved out of the dorm to one of the rental cabins. I was delighted. The dorm room was small as was the entire dorm building.
I found the cabin at the back of the grounds with four beds and a wood stove. The wooden walls were warped and the gaps between the boards would do little to protect anyone from the cold nights. The furnishings were meager but I was happy with spending the summer in that cabin. Happily I had anticipated the cold weather and brought long john underwear that I would wear every night over my flannel pajamas.
Coast Contact 