Herbert Ellis Gates - Arizona Dairy Farmer

Birth:	14 Nov. 1903	Crown, Atascosa, Tx
Death:	12 Oct. 1983	Sun City, Maricopa, Az
Marriage: 1)	14 Jul. 1898	Maude Gertrude Powell at
		Phoenix, Maricopa, Az
2)	13 Jan. 1971	Grace Eleanor Purnell Solm at
		Bisbee, Cochise, Az

My paternal grandfather, Herbert Ellis Gates was born on November 14th, 1903, in Crown, a small farming community in Atascosa County, Texas. His mother Elizabeth "Lizzie" Annette Collins Gates was 23 years old when Herb was born; his father Eli "Fount" Gates was 29. Herb was the youngest of three children. His siblings, Floy and Mary Lou, were 4 and 2 years old when he was born. He was named after his paternal uncle, Ellis Franklin Gates.

Atascosa County, located about 30 miles south of San Antonio is known for its agriculture and cattle ranching. Herb came from a long line of ranchers. His great grandfather, William Norwood Gates was one of the early settlers of Atascosa County, and started running cattle on the open range. Herb's grandfather Alexander Franklin "A.F." Gates was a prominent cattleman in Atascosa County. He was known for his fine cattle and quarter horses that he raised on his Rincon ranch located near Benton City in Atascosa County.

When the 1910 census was taken on April 20, 1910, the family was enumerated in Precinct 2 of Atascosa County. The census indicated they were living near Lytle and Benton roads. Fount was working as a stockman at a stable. Fount and Lizzie had been married for 11 years. It was the first marriage for both of them. Lizzie had given birth to 3 children, all 3 were living. The entire household was literate; all 3 children were attending school. Living in the previous residence was Herb's Uncle, Thomas "Ira" Collins and his family.

Herb was born before the law required formal birth registration. This census record would be later used to substantiate his age for Social Security.

United States Census, 1910 for Atascosa County, Texas

Household.	Sex	Age	Relation	Birthplace	Occupation/ Industry
E F Gates	M	35	Head	Texas	Stock        / Stable
Lizzie Gates	F	30	Wife	Texas
Floy Gates	F	11	Daughter	Texas
Mary L Gates	F	8	Daughter	Texas
Herbert Gates	M	6	Son	Texas
Ira Collins	M	39	Head	Texas	Farmer
Laura Collins	F	36	Wife	Texas
Ellis Collins	M	18	Son	Texas	Farm help
Otto Collins	M	15	Son	Texas	Farm help
Carroll Collins	M	12	Son	Texas	Farm help
Walter Collins	M	6	Son	Oklahoma
Lee G Collins	M	2	Son	Texas

Most farm children were expected to help their parents with farm chores. Herb's father worked in the livestock trade, but no record exists of him owning his own farm in Texas. Whether he learned the trade from his father, or from his grandfather and uncles, Herb learned the livestock trade.

Herb's parents were both educated and could read and write. During his childhood, Herb and his sisters received a public school education. Texas funded public schools as early as 1850. Following the Texas Revolution, racial attitudes towards Mexican Americans resulted in a cultural segregation. Texas schools were segregated, black, Mexican and white children learned in "separate but equal" schools. Texas towns had a "Negro quarter" and a "Mexican quarter."

World War I broke out in July 1914. In April 1917, when the Americans joined the fight, Herb was 13 years old. It is unknown how much impact the war had on Herb and his family. His father, as required by law, completed his draft registration form on September 12, 1918. The family was living in Miguel, Frio County, Texas where his father worked as a farmer.

Herb was a teenager when his grandparents died. The first to go was his paternal grandfather, L.G. Collins a civil war veteran who died on November 27, 1917. Correspondence from his mother to the state of Texas suggests that in January 1918 the family was living in Pearsall, Texas. Less than 6 months later, his paternal grandfather A.F. Gates died on May 24, 1918. Next to go was his paternal grandmother, Mary Ann Hethcock Gates who had been hospitalized for some time due to dementia. Last to go was his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth "Betty" Boyles Collins who died 28 Jun 1919.

It was about this time that Herb's parents packed up and moved to Arizona. Herb's oldest sister Floy who married Byron Roberts in January 1918 stayed behind in Texas.

Fount and Lizzie bought land in the Kyrene farm district. Herb was enrolled in Kyrene Elementary School. Mary Lou was enrolled in the nearby Tempe Normal School. Fount took a job with the railroad to help finance his land purchase.

After his graduation from Kyrene Elementary school in June of 1919, Herb was enrolled in the Tempe High School. At that time the Tempe High School was located at the corner of Mill and University in down town Tempe. 

When the 1920 census was taken on June 15, 1920, the family was enumerated in Elgin, Santa Cruz County. The Gates family was living in a rental home; only Herb was living with his parents. The occupation field for Fount is illegible. The industry is listed as Office and track. I believe that Fount was working for the railroad in order to obtain the necessary cash to pay off the mortgages on his land. 

United States Census, 1920 for Elgin, Santa Cruz County, AZ

Household	Sex	Age	Relation	Birthplace	Occupation/Industry
Fount E Gates	M	45	Head	Texas	Foreman  / Office & over track
Elizabeth Gates	F	39	Wife	Texas
Herbert Gates	M	16	Son	Texas

It is unknown how long Fount worked for the railroad before returning to his farm in Kyrene. Sometime after their return, Herb's parents purchased a Harley Davidson motorcycle for him. Herb would use the motorcycle for transportation to and from school. 

In the summer of 1923, Herb graduated from Tempe High School. That summer Herb rode his Harley to Texas to visit in sister Floy and his childhood friends. The pending trip was written about in the Arizona Republican Newspaper dated July 19th, 1923.

After his return from Texas, Herb joined his father on the farm. 

In November of 1923, Fount and Lizzie bought Herb age 20 a piece of land near his parents. The deed indicates the parcel located in the NW¼ of Section 29 contained approximately 62 acres of land was located on the High Line Canal.

In September, 1924 Herb, a bachelor, purchased an additional parcel of land adjacent to his previously acquired land. The deed indicates the parcel located in the SW¼ of the NW¼ of section 29 contained about two acres of land.

In 1924 young teacher at the nearby Kyrene Elementary School caught Herb's eye. Maude Gertrude Powell was in her first year of teaching having recently graduated from the Tempe Normal School. After a short courtship, Maude age 20, and Herb, age 21, were married on December 20th, 1924 in Phoenix, Arizona. The marriage was witnessed by Maude's sisters, Dorothy Powell and Blanche (Mrs. J.J. Miller.)

Maude

Eli & Bill Gates

As a wedding present, Herb's parents Fount and Lizzie Gates had a $1000 two-bedroom cottage built along the East bank of the High Line Canal. During that time, women school teachers were not allowed to be married. Herb and Maude's marriage put her teaching career on hold.

Maude became a stay at home mom. She gave birth to two boys, Eli Fount named after his paternal grandfather born on February 18, 1926 and William Herbert born on September 1, 1927. She helped provide for the family by raising chickens. Herb was 22 when Eli was born,

In February of 1927, Herb bought an additional plot of land in Section 29. The land was mortgaged for $ 5400. Some of the land in Section 29 was dry (no water rights) and some was wet. Herb made the decision to start a commercial dairy business. He named his farm "Desert Land Farms Dairy". He built a milk barn on some of the dry land on the west side of the canal. The land on the wet side was used to grow feed for the animals. The lands of Herb and Maude along with the lands of Fount and Lizzie were worked as a family farm. Herb installed automated milking machines. There was no electrical service at that time, so the machines were powered by kerosene. Herb registered a brand for his farm animals.

In 1928, Salt River Project shareholders requested electrical service for their farms. As a result, in April 1929, the Salt River Project Water Association levied a $ 5.50 / acre special assessment to its users. Herb was assessed for 58.50 acres wet lands in section 29; Fount and Lizzie were assessed for 39 acres in Section 30, 85.25 acres in Section 16 and 71.75 acres in section 20. These monies were used to finance the installation of electrical power lines. It is unknown exactly when the farmers in Kyrene actually began receiving electricity.

Also in 1928, Scenic Airways built an airport in Phoenix. Named Sky Harbor, it was formally dedicated on Labor Day 1929. It was later sold to American Airlines who brought passenger and air mail service to Phoenix. The airport was later sold to the city of Phoenix.

When the 1930 census was taken on April 3, 1930, the family was living on Highline Drive in Kyrene. Herb owned his home which was located on a farm. The family did not own a radio set. Herb and Maude were married; the listed ages 21 and 20 respectively when asked their "age at first marriage." Both Herb and Maude were listed as literate, and no one in the household had attended school in the previous year.

United States Census, 1930 for Kyrene, Maricopa County, AZ

Household	Sex	Age	Relation	Birthplace	Occupation/Industry
Gates, Herbert E	M	26	Head	Texas	Rancher / Owns
Gates, Maud	F	25	Wife	Illinois
Gates, Eli Fount	M	4	Son	Arizona
Gates, William H	M	2	Son	Arizona

The Twenties were good to agriculture in the Salt River Valley. Demand for cotton recovered from its collapse following WWI. Newly completed dams and 500 miles of canals guaranteed plentiful water supply. Almost any crop could be grown and, thanks to refrigerated box cars, transported to markets back east.

Living in Arizona, Herbert was a short trip from the majestic sites of both the Grand Canyon and the Sonoran Desert. Copper mining and agriculture were the main industries in the state during the first half of the 20th century. As jobs drew more people--and air conditioning helped make desert living more bearable--the Arizona population grew from just 120,000 in 1900 to 750,000 by 1950 and to over 5 million by the year 2000.

In the early 1920s, Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe railroads opened main line service to Phoenix. Phoenix soon became a popular winter destination for Hollywood stars and the wealthy. The wealthy could be found frequenting the Phoenix Country club.

When the stock market crashed in 1929, Arizonians took little notice since most didn't own stock; but hard times soon arrived. The severe contraction from 1930 through 1933 claimed two of the city's six banks and two of its five building-and-loan associations. Valley Bank, was on the edge of failure. Depositors were wiped out. Arizona's big Three Cs of copper, cattle and cotton were decimated as demand collapsed. Copper prices plunged; mines closed and demand for agricultural products plummeted.

Maude's sister Dorothy was friends with the wife of the manager of the Phoenix Country club. In order to save the farm, the Herb and Maude moved into town and took jobs at the Country Club. Maude worked in the bakery and was soon known for her yeast rolls, cakes and pies. Herb was the manager of the pool and the life guard. Dorothy and her husband also worked at the Club; Dorothy worked in the office doing the books and Clovis her husband worked as a grounds keeper.

The couple were unable to takes their young sons with them. Eli was left in the care of Maude's parents who were living in Phoenix. Bill was left in the care of Fount and Lizzie back on the farm. Maude's uncle George Powell (who was deaf), came out from Illinois and helped out on the farm. Herb and Maude worked for the Country Club for 2 years. Eli attended kindergarten at Emerson Elementary School in Phoenix. When it was time to start first grade, he and his parents returned to the farm and Eli was sent to Kyrene Elementary School (1932).

Beginning in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed a series of acts and federal programs known as the New Deal. The New Deal help turn things around for Arizona. The state received $342 million in federal aid from 1933 to 1939 and paid only $16 million in federal taxes. These programs included the Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped develop national parks and forests, as well as the Works Progress Administration, which employed thousands of Americans in public projects such as bridges, schools, and parks. These projects put thousands of people to work.

Local works included Papago Park, improvements to South Mountain Park, North High school, Phoenix Junior College, Glendale's water system, Sky Harbor Airport improvements, and a new U.S. Post Office and Federal Building. Infrastructure building didn't stop with roads, parks, the airport and schools. During the 1930s, Bartlett Dam was built on the Verde River. CCC crews completed more than 700 separate jobs for the Salt River Project. As people returned to work, farm prices began to stabilize.

Although Herb was able to retain ownership of all of his property, his father Fount was unable to hold onto all of his. In February 1932 the Federal Land Bank filed for foreclosure on the land in Section 16. 

The financial problems put stress on Fount. In late 1933, his health began to fail. While working for the railroad during the 1910's Fount had contracted Typhoid Fever and had never fully regained his health.

Fount and Lizzie went to Texas for treatments under the care of Herb's Uncle Ellis Gates, Mayo representative at Eagle Pass, Texas. After returning to Arizona Fount's health continued to decline. On July 2, 1934, Fount reached a breaking point, he went out into the field and hung himself. He was buried in Double Butte Cemetery. Herb was 30 years old. His mother Lizzie remained on the farm in the house she and Fount had shared for years. 

On 25 February 1936, Maude gave birth to another son, Kenneth Ellis; Herb was 32 years old. His older brother Eli described Kenneth as, "a cute baby, round and fat." 

In 1936 while Kenneth was still an infant, Maude was elected president of the Kyrene PTA. It was a post she held for a year. Her mother-in-law Lizzie clipped the newspaper articles mentioning her and put them in her scrapbook.

In 1938 Herb's eldest son Eli was operated on. Eli was born with hip displacement problem. According to his wife Melaine, the ball of the hip joint was not properly in the socket. Eli would have a slight limp all of his life.

In 1939 Herb was elected President of the Kyrene Farm Bureau. He held the office for at least two years.

When the 1940 census was taken on May 6, 1940, the family was living on Hunter/Pima Drive in Kyrene. Herb owned his home worth $1000 which was located on a farm. The family was living in the same house in 1935. When asked about education, Herb was listed as a High School graduate, Maude as having completed two years of college. Eli was in the 7th grade and William in the 6th. Both were attending school. Herb had worked 70 hours in the previous week, and 52 weeks during the previous year.

United States Census, 1940 for Maricopa County, AZ

Household	Sex	Age	Relation	Birthplace	Occupation/Industry
Gates, Herbert E	M	36	Head	Texas	Operator / Farm
Gates, Maude	F	36	Wife	Illinois
Gates, Eli	M	14	Son	Arizona
Gates, William	M	12	Son	Arizona
Gates, Kenneth	M	4	Son	Arizona

1942 Arizona Driver's License

Over the course of Herb's lifetime, the means of transportation changed immensely. When Herb was a young child, the main means of transportation was the horse and buggie. When he reached high school age, the horseless carriage had taken over. By 1930, 75% of all households owned a car. Herb began driving motorized vehicles as a teenager; when he rode his motocycle to school. In 1927 Arizona began requiring drivers to be licensed. By 1935, thirty nine states required drivers to be licensed. In 1951, the state began requiring drivers to pass a written test.

On December 7, 1941, the lives of most Americans changed; radio and newspapers spread the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Herbert was 38, when hundreds of Japanese bombers swarmed the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, destroying eight battleships and nearly 200 airplanes, and killing over 2,400 Americans. 

But in the Gates household, a more personal problem loomed. It had become apparent that Kenneth was not developing in a normal manner. In 1942, Kenneth turned 6 years old; he had never learned to speak and his parents believed he was deaf. In September 1942, Herb and Maude sent Kenneth to the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind on a trial basis. According to his medical records "Kenneth was deemed apparently to be deaf, but was not a proper subject for that school..." due to behavior issues. Herb and Maude were overwhelmed by Kenneth's problems. Unable to care for the child, they made the heartbreaking decision to institutionalize him.

1941 Membership in the American Berkshire Association

During the 1940s, American men marched off to war. Americans back home rationed goods such as gas, food, and clothing to supply soldiers with what they needed. As a farmer Herb was exempt from military service. The family traded fresh eggs and milk for other rationed items.

As the men left to fight, women took over their jobs working in factories and steel mills. A family friend asked Maude to come to work at Alma School. Since she was not certified to teach, she worked in the office.


Even though it was war time, Herb and his family benefited from evolving medical advances. In 1928, Alexander Fleming's petri dish started to grow mold leading to the discovery of Penicillin. The resulting antibiotics were introduced into clinical practice in 1942. New vaccines that eliminated diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, smallpox, and measles became available. In 1944 Dr. Ernest von Pohle opened a 10-bed hospital in Tempe.

In 1945, Herb and his family had no idea that the US government was on the verge of developing an atomic bomb. After the bombs were dropped, 41 year-old Herb along with millions of Americans huddled around their radios to hear the details of the devastating bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Though some questioned whether the ends justified the means, people were relieved that the bombs brought an end to the war. WW II was the most destructive war in recorded history; 50 million people were killed - around 2.5% of the world's population.

After the war ended, Herb and Maude sent their eldest son Eli to College. Eli went to Colorado A&M in Fort Collins, Colorado during the 1945-1946 year where he majored in veterinary science. After one year, he returned to the family farm in Kyrene.

In the Spring of 1946, Herb's sister Mary Lou who was living in Newport Beach, California became ill. Herb's mother Lizzie traveled to California to visit. When she realized just how ill Mary Lou was, she summoned Herb and Floy to come out as well.

Maude & Linda

While his parents were away, Herb's 18-year-old son Bill and his 16-year-old girl friend Phyllis Runyan eloped. On May 27, 1946 they were married in Florence, Arizona. Herb and Maude must have been beside themselves when they learned the news. But they took it in stride and helped the young couple become established. In September 1947 Herb and Maude celebrated the birth of their first grandchild Linda.

In June 1946, Herbert's sister Mary Lou Gates passed away in Newport Beach, California, at the age of 44. Herbert was 42. Their mother Lizzie mourned the death of her beloved daughter. In her journal she wrote "Mary Lou died, so hard to give her up".

In 1946 Maude returned to school. Since she was still working at Alma School, she attended summer school classes at Arizona State College in Tempe. In May 1951, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education, Maude returned to the classroom. She subsequently attended classes and workshops to keep her teaching certificate current.

Bob & Bertha Reppel, Melaine, Eli, Maude & Herb Gates

On May 28, 1948, Eli married Melaine Reppel in a ceremony held at the Creighton Methodist Church. The Gates family were members of the First Methodist Church of Tempe. Eli met Melaine at the Wesley Foundation for college students that met a the First Methodist Church of Tempe. After their marriage they stayed in the bunk house at the farm until their own house was ready.

Two days before Eli and Melaine's wedding, the farm suffered a setback. The barn burn down. In an entry dated May 26, 1948 Herb's mother Lizzie's wrote about the fire in her journal,"Herbert's barn burned. Lost lots of grain."

Soon the farm sported a brand new barn. Half of the building was 2 story. The ground floor had 16 automated milking stations. The upper floor held a feed mixing area with a feed conveyor system.  The collected milk passed first into a pasteurization station and then into a cooling room before it reached a storage tank on the milk tanker truck.

The barn had an underground parking for the milk trunk that was accessed by a truck ramp on the east side of the barn. On the west side of the barn was a grain storage building.

By 1950, the Gates Desertland farms had grown into the second largest dairy in the state (second only to Laveen's Cheatham Dairy).

Several times a week, Bill would drive the truck into Phoenix to deliver the milk to the Carnation milk plant. As a child, it was treat to be able to ride with Uncle Bill to the Carnation milk plant. Often we were given an ice cream bar to enjoy.

         

1958 Arial of the Gates Ranch

Herb was a member of the Arizona Dairymen's League before it became the United Dairyment of Arizona, a milk marketing cooperative that was incorporated in 1960. When the UDA opened a milk processing plant in Tempe, the trip to take the milk to market was considerably shorter.

During the early 20th century, people purchased the bulk of the goods they needed at small, locally owned shops. Herb and Maude would do the majority of their shopping in Tempe and Chandler. 

Herb joined the United Producers and Consumers Cooperative. The Coop had 12,000 members who were mostly small farmers. The coop was located on East Jackson Street in Phoenix.  The coop had everything from appliances, kitchen goods, lumber, and an automotive repair shop. At some point he was named to the board of directors. In 1975 when I was stationed in Fort Meade, Maryland. Papa came to visit. He was on his way to a Coop conference held at Virginia Tech (Blackburg, Virginia).                 

I don't know when the Gates farm got telephone service. Being out in the country, we couldn't take telephone service for granted. According to Mom, we got service at our house when Grandma Gates (Herb's mother) became ill and needed telephone service. Our house was only a 1/4 mile down the road so Dad only had to pay for the line for the additional distance.

We were on a party line. It was a real step up when in the middle 60's when we graduated from a 10-party line to a 4-party line. Anything that was said on the line was subject to being overheard by any of the neighbors who were on the same party line.

Papa was an active Democrat. He was the precinct committee chairman for the Kyrene district for many years. Later his son Eli would also hold that post. I remember Papa talking about Harry Truman coming to his daughter Margaret's defense in response to a less-than-favorable review after a 1950 music recital that was published in the Washington Post.

top: Pam, Linda, Gatesy,
middle: Shirley, Herbie, Karen, Elaine
front: Robbie, Margie

Herb and Maude were soon blessed with 9 grandchildren, 6 girls and 3 boys. The children spent many hours at the ranch. They were taught at an early age how to watch the gate and to herd the cattle that in many cases were much larger than the childrn. Soon they were raising animals of their own for 4-H projects. The grandchildren called Herb "Papa" and Maude "Old Mama".

Bill's children are Linda Sharon b. 1947, Karen Lynn b. 1949, Pamela Gertrude "Pam" b. 1950, William Herbert Jr. "Herbie" b. 1952, and James Robert "Robbie" b. 1957.

Eli's children are Elaine Anne b. 1949, Eli Fount Jr. "Gatesy" b. 1950, Shirley Jean b. 1952 and Margaret June "Margie" b. 1954.

Linda, Elain, Karen, Shirley, Margie and Pam

Herb & Maude's house on 56th Street, north of Warner Rd

In July 1954, Herb and Maude bought a piece of property in Section 16 for $15,000. The property was located on the High line Canal on the East side of 56th Street about 1/4 mile north or Warner Road. On the property was a modern brick house with a red tile roof.

Even though the property was on the canal, the property was dry. The house was surrounded by desert landscape. No Gates land was left vacant very long; soon a cattle corral was installed behind the house and filled with non-milking cattle.

Herb and Maude 

The 1700 square foot home had three bedrooms and two baths. One bathroom sported pink tile and the second green tile that were so popular during the 1950's. The front guest room held two twin beds that allowed grandchildren to come and spend the night with Papa and Old Mama. In the dining room a crystal chandelier was centered over the dining room table.

The kitchen contained a built in booth that was large enough to seat Papa, Uncle Bill, Daddy, and a mess of grandkids for one of Papa's breakfasts. He would cook up a mess of bacon and sausage, then cook over easy eggs with runny yolks. They would be served with canned biscuits that had been dipped in the bacon fat before baking in the over.

On January 4, 1958 Herb's mother Elizabeth Annette Collins Gates who we all called Grandma Gates, passed away in Tempe, at the age of 77. Herbert was 54. "Lizzie" was buried in Double Butte cemetery next to Fount. Herb purchased their share of "Grandma's place" from the other heirs, his sister Floy, and his neices Mary Louise Wilde and Olivia Knox.

On November 22, 1963, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy stunned the entire nation. The assassination was such a pivital moment for my generation like the world trade center bombing; everyone knew where there were when they learned the news.

On that day, I was at school when I became ill. The school nurse called my Dad to pick me up. Dad and Papa came and got me from school. They were on their way to the cattle auction on Baseline Road. I stayed in the truck while they went to view the cattle. When they came out they were talking about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I remember telling them I thought they were lying about it.

The Black Canyon Freeway construction 1961.
photo courtesy of the Rogue Columnist Blog

Between 1956-1958, the Arizona Highway Department began laying out I-10 plan. Construction began in the early 60's. In 1962 I-10 in Phoenix ended at 40th Street. I-10 traffic used Baseline Road through the Japanese flower gardens until the last link between Tucson and Phoenix opened in 1972.

In 1964, the eastern side of Herb's property in section 29 "The Homeplace" was condemmed for the construction of I-10.

Soon construction began. In 1967 an orphan section of I-10 between Baseline Road and Williams Field Road (now Chandler Blvd.) opened.  It was not marked as any highway, nor was it connected to the rest of the Interstate Highway system.

During the mid 1960s, Herb's wife Maude who had been diagnosed with diabetes during the mid 1950's had a diabetic stroke. Although she made some recovery and was able to return to her home, she was never able to return to work.  Along with the effects of the stroke, she suffered from neuropathy in her feet. I remember Papa rubbing her feet trying to improve the blood flow. After a second stroke left her incapacitated, she was placed in a nursing home where she remained until her death on December 27, 1969 at the age of 65; Herb was 66. She was buried in Double Butte cemetery.

In order to settle Maude's estate, Herb hired James H. Trees in 1970 to compile an appraisal (part 2) of Maude's assets. The farm which was valued at $785,200 included 3 parcels of land; 13.32 acres dry land in section 16 (Papa & Old Mama's house); 69.32 acres of irrigated land located in section 20 (Grandma's place); and 162.16 acres of dry land and irrigated land in section 29 (The Home Place). There were 700 cattle valued at $149,320.

After living alone for several years, Herb began dating. One of his lady friends, Grace lived in Bisbee in southern Arizona. Suddenly he was driving south on a regular basis. He asked Grace to travel somewhere with him and Grace refused on the grounds it wouldn't be proper as they weren't married. Papa soon rectified the situation. On January 13, 1971, Herb married Grace Eleanor Purnell Solm in Bisbee, Arizona. Grace was the mother-in-law of Old Mama's nephew, Phil Schneider.

Herb and Grace settled in Kyrene in the brick house Herb and Maude had bought in 1954. They traveled together and during their travels they would visit their loved ones who were closeby. Papa and Gracie were happy together and life was good.

On May 30, 1971 Herb's sister Floy Mae Gates Roberts passed away in Pearsall, Texas, at the age of 71. Herbert was 67.

In early 1973 Herb had a prostate operation. At that time he was diagnosed with cancer of the bone marrow. He returned to farming following the operation.

In 1973 his son Eli and his wife Melaine split up after 27 years of marriage. In the spring of 1974 Eli married for a second time to Alma Cowen Morgan a widow with a young daughter. In April of 1977, Alma gave birth of Herb's youngest grandson, Patrick Thomas.

On March 17, 1978 Herb's youngest son, Kenneth Ellis Gates passed away in Phoenix at the age of 42. Herbert was 74. Kenneth was buried in Double Butte near his mother Maude.

In 1978 Herb's health began to fail. Medical records from January 1980 showed that Herb had suffered multiple strokes and at that time was confused and had aphasia.

Gracie took care of Herb. At her age she realized it was impossible for her to care for him by herself. She moved Herb into an assisted living center and went about making his life as nice as possible. Papa relied an Gracie. I can still hear him calling for her. His medical records state that Papa performed "optimally when his wife attended therapy otherwise he was quite anxious and agitated."

On October 12, 1983, Herb passed away in Sun City, Arizona at the age of 80. He was buried in Double Butte Cemetery next to Maude.

Papa was short in stature but big on love. Like his Gates ancestors before him he was known for his generosity and hospitality. I never remember Papa losing his temper. I only have happy memories of him.

When I was young, Papa would have to drive by our house in order to go home or go to town. When he would see us in the yard, he would stop and give us coins or candy. He kept a case of candy in the front seat of his pick-up, one of the long time favorites was Big Hunks candy bars which withstood the Arizona heat quite well. Sometimes he would give us a "Big Nickle" (a quarter).

Papa loved all of us grandkids. Mom told a story about when Gatesy was young, Papa drove by one day and saw Gatesy in the yard. He picked up Gatesy and took him to whereever he was going. Unfortunately he hadn't told mom. As you can imagine my mom was not happy.

At the ranch he would have an ice cold water melon in the refrigerator. He would take it out and carve it up with a big pocket knife. Papa would eat the heart of the melon and leave the rest for the grandkids to finish.

Papa worked Gatesy and Herbie hard in the typical way farm families do. The boys were expected to help out after school and weekends. They weren't very big when they were driving tractors and farm equipment in the fields. But he also spoiled them rotten for their efforts.

I didn't speak about travels. I've seen pictures from cemeteries in Illinois and Texas that show the Gates family traveled to visit family when their children were young. In 1933 Papa and Old Mama traveled to California. I've seen pictures of their trip. The one trip I member them taking was to the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

Papa and Old Mama spent alot of time with Maude sister Mabel and her husband Phil Schneider. They visited each other homes frequently, they gathered for holiday dinners at each other's homes and also in South Mountain park. I believe they traveled together as well. And according to this picture, they went square dancing together.

Around 1995, a book called Kyrene Pioneer History was published. The soft back book didn't have any credits as to who compiled the data. It contained stories of the Kyrene faming community families. Herb and Maude daughter-in-law Phyllis Runyan Gates submitted the following bio of the Gates family.