Harold Hansen 1937. Picture taken at the Hartsook Studios, most likely in Oakland, California.
2026 Update: Parts of this blog post are now a part of the Nevada County Historical Society's Online Walking Tours, found under Cornish Choir A Living Culture! Check it out next time you are in Grass Valley! Download it on your phone or find it here:
Margaret Boothby's experience with the Cornish Choir is on stop 10!
Thank you to Rose Murphy and Lisa Redfern for letting our history be a part of your project.
Check out the link to the right under Nevada County Historical Society Online Walking Tours for other posts mentioned in this project.
This week's theme of Multiples was a tough one. My family on either side does not have any history of twins, triplets, or anyone that married multiple times (aside from the occasional divorce and remarriage). So, I thought about my Grandfather, Harold Hansen, and the history of multiple and varied jobs he held throughout his life. If you ask my mother, this was a source of constant consternation, worry and fret by my Grandmother Betty Hansen. Understandably so, as my Grandfather didn't always provide a steady stream of income and the family had to depend on my Great Grandmother, Emma VanDuzer, for support quite a few times. But, I would like to take the emotional component out of the story for this post, and instead focus on the jobs themselves. As I did not directly experience the ramifications of my Grandfather's job history, I feel I am able to look at things with a little different perspective.
"For a preface to my story, let me say that as the years have rolled on, I am convinced that the Lord deemed that I was to be a special person with a special job to do, and He has been watching that I do it, and as my story unfolds you will understand my reasoning and that He has guided me through thick and thin, and has brought me safely so far, and will be with me until the end. So much for the preface, now let the accounting of my life begin." ........Harold Hansen 1991
So began the Life Story of Harold Hansen, which was compiled from his own writings and audio cassettes that he recorded in 1991 shortly after the death of his wife Betty. He had a tape player, and would try to record his thoughts and daily routines on a regular basis. My Auntie Claire (his youngest daughter) took this information and began typing out a rough manuscript piecing together the snippets of information. I used the beginnings of this manuscript for my earlier blog posts on his life as a boy growing up in Grass Valley, California in the early 1900's. She managed to get through his trip in 1930 to Norway. The rest of his story on tape that she began transcribing is still in a notebook with her comments and questions about timelines and facts in the margins.
These tapes were made at a time when Grandpa was beginning to forget things and loose his train of thought. Auntie Claire transcribed them as they were, adding comments about spots where there was lots of blank time (a nap perhaps?) and spots where he would begin to sing. He could usually remember all the verses of hymns or songs. But, his stories got jumbled up here and there. He seemed to always go back to his beloved hymns and songs when he lost interest or his train of thought. At some point, I will finish transcribing and typing out his tape recordings and add to Auntie Claire's manuscript. But for now I will focus on the many jobs he had throughout his lifetime.
Harold Lloyd Hansen was not a stranger to hard work. He grew up on his parent's 5 acre ranch near the Idaho Maryland Mine in Grass Valley, California with his two older brothers Jack and Robley. They had chickens and cows to take care of and grew hay and oats. The boys delivered fresh milk on their "dairy route" before school, and picked up empty bottles on their way home. They sometimes delivered eggs, produce and fresh cut flowers to their customers. All three boys developed a a good strong work ethic from both of their parents living on the ranch.
His first job right out of high school was working for the Forest Service at Lewis Mill, south of Loyalton, California. He was part of a summer crew that constructed a phone line on Babbitt Peak to Sardine Peak at 8,900 feet. Grandpa talked about how the men had to brush out cottonwood trees and haul the poles up the hill that was so steep they had to crawl. They were above the timber line where the wind blew pretty fiercely, and the men needed special tools to get the lines up the poles. He described himself as "the flunky on the job". He fetched cement, water and lumber, as well as cooked for the men. Once a month he had to go get supplies from Loyalton or Truckee. He also kept camp for the fire fighters who were working on fire in the area. One of his other jobs was to go to Hobart Lumber Company to get "1/2 a blacksmith shop" loaded onto a 1912 Liberty Truck to haul to camp, going back up the mountain at a 14% grade. At this point, he thought he found his calling in life and decided he wanted to be a forester. He enrolled in classes at Sacramento City College for the Fall.
While studying botany in Sacramento he joined the Glee Club, started performing around the area and met a girl named Louise. He developed his love of singing and performing at this time. Between singing and Louise, his grades began to slip. Being a forester just wasn't going to happen.
He decided that he wanted to go to sea and become a sailor like his father John Hansen was as a young man. In 1930, at the age of 20, he worked his way to Norway on the ship Balboa cooking for the crew and serving as a general deck hand. His uncle owned a shipping business and got him on the crew for the trip over and back. He enjoyed his time with family in Norway, but decided on the return trip that being a sailor was not for him, as it was hard work and "not as exciting as I expected". And, Louise had lost interest in him and married someone else. So, being a sailor and following in his father's footsteps didn't happen.
During the height of the Great Depression he went to work at the Idaho Maryland Mine in his home town of Grass Valley. His father had also worked as a miner and had even helped to reactivate this mine. The economy in Grass Valley was still going strong because of the mining industry. Most men in the community that were not attending college worked in the gold mines at some time or another. Grandpa started out at an entry level job, earning $2.88 an hour as a rock crusher. In a few months he was working at the 850 foot level as a mucker, loading and dumping ore cars full of rubble. Both of those jobs required a great deal of strength and were considered to be menial jobs. But, he was working. He even survived several close calls with rock falls and dynamite! He would fall back on this job several more times in his future.
During this time he also took singing lessons with the Choral Class at St. Mary's Academy, and also from an organist/music teacher named Marshall Giselman out of the Bay Area. Mr. Giselman broadcast organ recitals every Sunday afternoon from KPO Radio out of San Francisco (from the remote broadcasting location of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor) and taught music to pupils in Northern California. Grandpa began singing with groups around town for commencement programs and recitals; he also began to sing solos for programs and services at different churches in Grass Valley. He began his "radio" career in 1933, with the help of Mr. Giselman.
1933 newspaper clipping source unknown
This newspaper clipping talks about the musical program given in Grass Valley at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur B. Foote, who owned the North Star house (designed by architect Julia Morgan). Arthur Foote was the manager of North Star Mine, and his wife, Mary Hallock Foote, was a famous illustrator and writer. They often hosted community and civic events in their home. The program was put on by Marshall Giselman and his students. I can just imagine an afternoon of beautiful music inside the cool stone interior of the home. I hope that Grandpa's parents were able to attend. It would have been a real privilege to be a part of any function given by the Footes! What an honor.
I'm sure a career as a singer didn't pay well at the time (or at all) and Grandpa couldn't find any other work that interested him , so he went (or was probably sent by his father) to Reno, Nevada where his Uncle Roy Burrows had an iron works and construction business. He worked for awhile making columns for a building as an apprentice. His older brother Robley had also worked for Uncle Roy for a time, and had eventually started his own construction company in Reno. While in Reno, Grandpa attended the Baptist Church with his brother Bob (Robley) and his wife Alma, and enjoyed singing solos during Sunday services. Not enjoying the life of a construction worker apprentice, he picked up and moved once more looking for his calling in life. Perhaps he could make a living out of his singing.
He decided he was going to go to Oakland to continue his studies in music. He found a vocal coach who was a Christian Scientist and who helped him get paid for singing solos every Sunday at the Christian Science Church in Fruitvale, California. He ended up with a three year contract at that church. While there, he also had his own radio program at KROW studios in Oakland around 1934/35. He performed in shows in the area; in one show he played the Ensign in a production of the "Sho-Gun" at the Heath Club Auditorium in October of 1937. At last, perhaps, my grandfather was doing something he really enjoyed. But, the effects of the Depression made things difficult for Grandpa.
Grandpa found himself lacking sponsors for his radio show, as the depression was still in full force, so he took himself back to Grass Valley in 1937. I have to wonder what his career would have looked like if he had continued with his music and singing studies in the big city. He seemed to be happy doing what he was doing there. But, he came back to town, worked in the mines again and sang at the Episcopal Church (his family's church) on Sundays. Then, he met my Great Grandmother Emma Van Duzer who attended the Methodist Church right across the street. She said the church needed help with the Easter music, and her daughter Betty who was a soprano in the choir needed singing lessons. Well, Harold and Betty were married July 2, 1939, and he continued singing with the Methodist Church Choir for the rest of his life.
Harold Hansen second from left singing with the Cornish Choir at the 2,000 foot level of the Idaho Maryland mine on a nation wide broadcast Christmas Day, 1940. Photo courtesy of Grass Valley Union.
My mother's birth certificate lists Grandpa's occupation as "gold miner" in 1941. He was still singing, as mom relates that she was born on a Sunday and Grandpa came to see her in the birthing hospital (now the parking lot of the Del Oro Theater). He commented that she was "not a boy" and then went to the Christian Science Church on Main Street to do his weekly singing there, as he was paid for that job. He continued to sing for funerals and at other functions in the community, most of which he did not get paid for. He worked down in the mine during the winter, and during the summer he worked at the Idaho Maryland sawmill where he "pulled green chain".....a heavy job where men would catch the green boards as they came off the saw and stack them up.
Grandpa's helmet lantern used in the Idaho Maryland Mine, Grass Valley, California
With the advent of WWII the mines closed down as they were deemed nonessential. Grandpa was once again out of a job, and with a wife and young daughters to support he needed to find work. He traveled to the Bay Area once again and worked on defense projects building Liberty ships at the Richmond ship yard. He also took another job working for the Hall Scott Motor Car Company which at the time was building engines for a variety of military projects. I am not sure what a test washer was, but it was nice to put a story to this little pass that I found floating around with other Hansen family pictures.
"This was mugged when I worked here during the war. What a mug!" written on the back by Grandpa.
Grandpa eventually joined the Navy (he volunteered and joined his older brothers in the fight) spending time in the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and was in Tokyo Harbor during the signing of the peace treaty. He served as a fireman in the belly of the ship Lenawee, which was another back breaking job. I posted an entry detailing his service in the war last May (5-26-20). He came back with what we would now recognize as post traumatic stress syndrome.
Harold Hansen 1946 after his return from WWII
When he came back to civilian life he continued to have difficulty finding work that was stable and that he enjoyed. He was again employed by the Idaho Maryland Mine which had opened back up, and also at the New Brunswick Mine salvaging material because that mine was closing. But, these jobs were not steady, and he looked elsewhere for odd jobs. When the family home burned in 1950 Grandpa was in Oroville looking for work. He would often go to Sacramento looking for work, sometimes long enough to stay in a boarding house. This was probably a difficult time for him, trying to adjust back into civilian life; it did not make things easy on his family at home. But, he continued with his singing.
The Idaho Maryland Mine stopped operation in 1957.
Grandpa ended up joining a laborer' s union which gave him the opportunity to work even if it was hit and miss. The work was mainly low level, heavy labor. He worked on summer fire crews in the area, and in the winter when the water froze in the NID (Nevada Irrigation District) flumes, workers were desperately needed to break the ice to get the water flowing again. He and other men from the union were paid to break the ice in the flumes standing in freezing water up to their waders. Which was nasty work, to be sure. Grandma began working at McClellan Airforce Base during this time (the Korean War) to help the family financially.
I was very surprised to learn that Grandpa was involved in several construction jobs in Grass Valley during the 50's. One was the Country Club Terrace housing development which was headed by Howard Lidster, contractor. Eventually my Grandpa and Grandma would move into a house on Lidster Avenue in that development. He also worked as a laborer on the construction crew that was building Interstate 80 over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, right before the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley. He worked with the blasting and drilling crews preparing for blasts to remove solid granite and dirt. The crews had to work between the Southern Pacific trains coming through. He told of what happened one day when a blast went off too early. His crew thought he had been hurt, but he happened to be in the spot where the only blast that didn't go off correctly had been. He worked several seasons on the I-80 project. He also worked on the Highway 49 building project, widening the twisty, narrow old road. These were all projects that helped modernize the area after the war.
In 1960 Grandpa once again was in the entertaining spotlight. He made a little record for the Squaw Valley Olympics, recording it at an Auburn radio station. I don't know if he got paid for this but he ended up with his own copy of the record!
"Feb. 18, 1960. Song "Let's Meet at Squaw Valley". Words and music composed and written by Effie Lois Humphrey. Soloist--Harold Hansen. Organist- -Dorothy Simmons. All of Grass Valley, California".
Finally, he began working at Beale Airforce Base in the plumbing shop in the early 1960's. Grandma also worked there as a civilian supply clerk for the SR-71 project (aka the Skunks Works Project) so they carpooled together for several years until they both retired in 1978. He was not especially excited about plumbing, but it was a job with benefits and a steady income. And, Grandma made sure this time he stuck it out. They were able to buy their home on Lidster Avenue. After his retirement, Grandpa continued to work in his beautiful garden in the backyard at Lidster Avenue, and he continued to sing at church and with the local Cornish Choir. He and Grandma traveled a bit to Alaska, Tahiti and the Holy Land. I am glad that he finally got a chance to take a well-deserved break.
Yes, my Grandpa had multiple jobs throughout his life. Most of them involved heavy labor and were considered of the low level, unskilled variety. He never finished college or kept a steady job with the exception of his last job with the Airforce base. And, yes, this caused conflict with his family. There were many factors that lead to his life choices. He never found an occupation that he enjoyed or that paid steadily, with the exception of his singing. His musical talent he used all throughout his life. All I know is that I remember a grandfather who was a physically strong man, but very gentle in spirit. He never strayed from his belief that God was always watching out for him and was with him through thick and thin no matter what he put his hand to or what he was doing. I know that he put his own unique stamp on the community he grew up in, both with his manual labor and with his singing. I also grew up in that community, and the town that I know looks the way it does because of my Grandpa's labors.
23, October 1993 The Union Grass Valley-Nevada City, Ca.
This is how my Grandfather was remembered in his obituary. I am glad he was remembered as a Well-known singer. That seems to be how he saw himself as well. His singing career actually began when he was just a little boy of around 4 or 5 years of age. He had an appendicitis attack and while recovering from surgery in the Jones Hospital he began to sing to other patients. He cheered them with his rendition of "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" and managed to earn $3.29 which his mother made him deposit in an account at the Nevada County Bank. Music was the brightest common thread that ran throughout his entire life.
Relationship Reference: Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold L. Hansen->John H. Hansen
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