DEATH: DEGRAFFENREID, Gaile Bernice
Author: Don Stowell Date: 8 Oct 2005 11:36 PM GMT
Classification: Death
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INFANT IS VICTIM OF SNAKE BITE
Rushed to the hospital after a rattlesnake bit her as she played near her home. 20-months-old Bernice Graffenreid died of a rattlesnake bite on Monday evening at the Mojave Hospital. The Infant was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Graffenreid, and lived with her parents at the Wegman mine, 8 miles southwest of Mojave.
The snake bite was on the instep of the left foot and occurred shortly before noon on Monday.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published: 26 Sep 1940
Transcriber's Note:
This little girls real name is
DEGRAFFENREID, Gaile Bernice (CADI)
b. 20 Feb 1939 (CADI)
d. 23 Sep1940 (CADI)
Gaile - A miner's daughter killed by a snake
Story emphasizes dangers of snakes
BY DAVID DESMOND
MOJAVE - It happened years ago on the hillside of Soledad Mountain. A little one-year-old baby girl, Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid, died after multiple bites from a rattlesnake.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell of Tehachapi, still feels the pain as if it were today. The year was 1940. The DeGraffenreid family were miners and of Dutch ancestry. Monroe was the father and he worked at the Cactus Queen Mine. His family and friends referred to him by his nickname, "Mon." His wife was named Irene. They had two children at the time, Charles and one year old Gaile. After Gaile's death they would have two more children.
Lived at mine
The family lived at the former Karma Mine Boarding House. This building was moved by Glen Settle to the Tropico Gold Mine property in Rosamond where it still stands.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma, lived with her family next door at the former Wegman family house. (The late Bert Wegman, 1902-1981, was one of the last of East Kern Desert's original mining experts. His family arrived at Soledad Mountain in 1904. This area was known as Upper Camp in 1940.)
On the morning of September 23, 1940, Irene DeGraffenreid carefully and lovingly looked after her beautiful one-year-old baby girl. She sat Gaile on the bottom step of the boarding house with her favorite puppy. While taking a moment to tend to a chore, she heard Gaile start to cry. These are the recollections of Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell. With great inner strength and courage, she felt a determination to tell this story.
"She got sick and started to vomit," Wilma Shuell recalled. "They immediately took her to the hospital in Mojave. At the hospital the doctor and staff noticed an uneven number of marks on Gaile's left foot. Gaile's brother, Charles, returned to the boarding house and searched around the steps. Under a board he found a Sidewinder. He killed the Sidewinder and raced back to the Mojave Hospital. Upon inspection of the dead rattlesnake, it was found to have only one fang. The other fang had broken off.
The Mojave Record of September 27, 1940, tells the rest of the tragedy, "September 23rd, little Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid succumbed in the Mojave Hospital at 6:30 p.m. the same day after anti-venom treatment failed to counteract the effects of the poison."
Wilma Shuell remembers the sad days that followed, "The family was devastated. All the miners and their families at Upper Camp and Reefer City mourned. Her death was also mourned in Mojave and throughout the Desert. The miners of those days were a very tight knit community."
Another person who remembered the tragedy was Norma Jean Bokis of Mojave. Norma related, "I was one of Gaile's pallbearers. Her funeral service was held at the Assembly of God church in Mojave. I was living at the nearby camp of Golden Queen at that time."
Snake expert
According to Reptile Expert Henry Lunsford of Lake Isabella, rattlesnakes usually start to appear around April 15th each year. Lunsford runs "Reptile Rescue," which operates on donations. Their services range from removing rattlesnakes from homes and businesses (the snakes are released in less populated habitats) to giving lectures to a vast array of groups such as schools, fire departments, businesses and youth organizations.
Any person or organization in need of a "rattlesnake intervention" or an expert speaker on this very important safety issue for the youth and adults of the East Kem Desert - can call Henry Lunsford, "Reptile Rescue" at 760.379.1453.
In telling her story, Wilma Shuell emphasizes, "Only God knows why a little baby like Gaile should suffer and die that way. I only hope by telling this story that something good will come out of it." Public awareness and education of rattlesnakes by people such as Henry Lunsford at Reptile Rescue may be one of those good things.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published:29 Sep 2005
Author: Don Stowell Date: 8 Oct 2005 11:36 PM GMT
Classification: Death
Post Reply | Mark Unread Report Abuse Print Message
INFANT IS VICTIM OF SNAKE BITE
Rushed to the hospital after a rattlesnake bit her as she played near her home. 20-months-old Bernice Graffenreid died of a rattlesnake bite on Monday evening at the Mojave Hospital. The Infant was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Graffenreid, and lived with her parents at the Wegman mine, 8 miles southwest of Mojave.
The snake bite was on the instep of the left foot and occurred shortly before noon on Monday.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published: 26 Sep 1940
Transcriber's Note:
This little girls real name is
DEGRAFFENREID, Gaile Bernice (CADI)
b. 20 Feb 1939 (CADI)
d. 23 Sep1940 (CADI)
Gaile - A miner's daughter killed by a snake
Story emphasizes dangers of snakes
BY DAVID DESMOND
MOJAVE - It happened years ago on the hillside of Soledad Mountain. A little one-year-old baby girl, Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid, died after multiple bites from a rattlesnake.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell of Tehachapi, still feels the pain as if it were today. The year was 1940. The DeGraffenreid family were miners and of Dutch ancestry. Monroe was the father and he worked at the Cactus Queen Mine. His family and friends referred to him by his nickname, "Mon." His wife was named Irene. They had two children at the time, Charles and one year old Gaile. After Gaile's death they would have two more children.
Lived at mine
The family lived at the former Karma Mine Boarding House. This building was moved by Glen Settle to the Tropico Gold Mine property in Rosamond where it still stands.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma, lived with her family next door at the former Wegman family house. (The late Bert Wegman, 1902-1981, was one of the last of East Kern Desert's original mining experts. His family arrived at Soledad Mountain in 1904. This area was known as Upper Camp in 1940.)
On the morning of September 23, 1940, Irene DeGraffenreid carefully and lovingly looked after her beautiful one-year-old baby girl. She sat Gaile on the bottom step of the boarding house with her favorite puppy. While taking a moment to tend to a chore, she heard Gaile start to cry. These are the recollections of Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell. With great inner strength and courage, she felt a determination to tell this story.
"She got sick and started to vomit," Wilma Shuell recalled. "They immediately took her to the hospital in Mojave. At the hospital the doctor and staff noticed an uneven number of marks on Gaile's left foot. Gaile's brother, Charles, returned to the boarding house and searched around the steps. Under a board he found a Sidewinder. He killed the Sidewinder and raced back to the Mojave Hospital. Upon inspection of the dead rattlesnake, it was found to have only one fang. The other fang had broken off.
The Mojave Record of September 27, 1940, tells the rest of the tragedy, "September 23rd, little Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid succumbed in the Mojave Hospital at 6:30 p.m. the same day after anti-venom treatment failed to counteract the effects of the poison."
Wilma Shuell remembers the sad days that followed, "The family was devastated. All the miners and their families at Upper Camp and Reefer City mourned. Her death was also mourned in Mojave and throughout the Desert. The miners of those days were a very tight knit community."
Another person who remembered the tragedy was Norma Jean Bokis of Mojave. Norma related, "I was one of Gaile's pallbearers. Her funeral service was held at the Assembly of God church in Mojave. I was living at the nearby camp of Golden Queen at that time."
Snake expert
According to Reptile Expert Henry Lunsford of Lake Isabella, rattlesnakes usually start to appear around April 15th each year. Lunsford runs "Reptile Rescue," which operates on donations. Their services range from removing rattlesnakes from homes and businesses (the snakes are released in less populated habitats) to giving lectures to a vast array of groups such as schools, fire departments, businesses and youth organizations.
Any person or organization in need of a "rattlesnake intervention" or an expert speaker on this very important safety issue for the youth and adults of the East Kem Desert - can call Henry Lunsford, "Reptile Rescue" at 760.379.1453.
In telling her story, Wilma Shuell emphasizes, "Only God knows why a little baby like Gaile should suffer and die that way. I only hope by telling this story that something good will come out of it." Public awareness and education of rattlesnakes by people such as Henry Lunsford at Reptile Rescue may be one of those good things.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published:29 Sep 2005
DEATH: DEGRAFFENREID, Gaile Bernice
Author: Don Stowell Date: 8 Oct 2005 11:36 PM GMT
Classification: Death
Post Reply | Mark Unread Report Abuse Print Message
INFANT IS VICTIM OF SNAKE BITE
Rushed to the hospital after a rattlesnake bit her as she played near her home. 20-months-old Bernice Graffenreid died of a rattlesnake bite on Monday evening at the Mojave Hospital. The Infant was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Graffenreid, and lived with her parents at the Wegman mine, 8 miles southwest of Mojave.
The snake bite was on the instep of the left foot and occurred shortly before noon on Monday.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published: 26 Sep 1940
Transcriber's Note:
This little girls real name is
DEGRAFFENREID, Gaile Bernice (CADI)
b. 20 Feb 1939 (CADI)
d. 23 Sep1940 (CADI)
Gaile - A miner's daughter killed by a snake
Story emphasizes dangers of snakes
BY DAVID DESMOND
MOJAVE - It happened years ago on the hillside of Soledad Mountain. A little one-year-old baby girl, Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid, died after multiple bites from a rattlesnake.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell of Tehachapi, still feels the pain as if it were today. The year was 1940. The DeGraffenreid family were miners and of Dutch ancestry. Monroe was the father and he worked at the Cactus Queen Mine. His family and friends referred to him by his nickname, "Mon." His wife was named Irene. They had two children at the time, Charles and one year old Gaile. After Gaile's death they would have two more children.
Lived at mine
The family lived at the former Karma Mine Boarding House. This building was moved by Glen Settle to the Tropico Gold Mine property in Rosamond where it still stands.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma, lived with her family next door at the former Wegman family house. (The late Bert Wegman, 1902-1981, was one of the last of East Kern Desert's original mining experts. His family arrived at Soledad Mountain in 1904. This area was known as Upper Camp in 1940.)
On the morning of September 23, 1940, Irene DeGraffenreid carefully and lovingly looked after her beautiful one-year-old baby girl. She sat Gaile on the bottom step of the boarding house with her favorite puppy. While taking a moment to tend to a chore, she heard Gaile start to cry. These are the recollections of Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell. With great inner strength and courage, she felt a determination to tell this story.
"She got sick and started to vomit," Wilma Shuell recalled. "They immediately took her to the hospital in Mojave. At the hospital the doctor and staff noticed an uneven number of marks on Gaile's left foot. Gaile's brother, Charles, returned to the boarding house and searched around the steps. Under a board he found a Sidewinder. He killed the Sidewinder and raced back to the Mojave Hospital. Upon inspection of the dead rattlesnake, it was found to have only one fang. The other fang had broken off.
The Mojave Record of September 27, 1940, tells the rest of the tragedy, "September 23rd, little Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid succumbed in the Mojave Hospital at 6:30 p.m. the same day after anti-venom treatment failed to counteract the effects of the poison."
Wilma Shuell remembers the sad days that followed, "The family was devastated. All the miners and their families at Upper Camp and Reefer City mourned. Her death was also mourned in Mojave and throughout the Desert. The miners of those days were a very tight knit community."
Another person who remembered the tragedy was Norma Jean Bokis of Mojave. Norma related, "I was one of Gaile's pallbearers. Her funeral service was held at the Assembly of God church in Mojave. I was living at the nearby camp of Golden Queen at that time."
Snake expert
According to Reptile Expert Henry Lunsford of Lake Isabella, rattlesnakes usually start to appear around April 15th each year. Lunsford runs "Reptile Rescue," which operates on donations. Their services range from removing rattlesnakes from homes and businesses (the snakes are released in less populated habitats) to giving lectures to a vast array of groups such as schools, fire departments, businesses and youth organizations.
Any person or organization in need of a "rattlesnake intervention" or an expert speaker on this very important safety issue for the youth and adults of the East Kem Desert - can call Henry Lunsford, "Reptile Rescue" at 760.379.1453.
In telling her story, Wilma Shuell emphasizes, "Only God knows why a little baby like Gaile should suffer and die that way. I only hope by telling this story that something good will come out of it." Public awareness and education of rattlesnakes by people such as Henry Lunsford at Reptile Rescue may be one of those good things.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published:29 Sep 2005
Author: Don Stowell Date: 8 Oct 2005 11:36 PM GMT
Classification: Death
Post Reply | Mark Unread Report Abuse Print Message
INFANT IS VICTIM OF SNAKE BITE
Rushed to the hospital after a rattlesnake bit her as she played near her home. 20-months-old Bernice Graffenreid died of a rattlesnake bite on Monday evening at the Mojave Hospital. The Infant was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Graffenreid, and lived with her parents at the Wegman mine, 8 miles southwest of Mojave.
The snake bite was on the instep of the left foot and occurred shortly before noon on Monday.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published: 26 Sep 1940
Transcriber's Note:
This little girls real name is
DEGRAFFENREID, Gaile Bernice (CADI)
b. 20 Feb 1939 (CADI)
d. 23 Sep1940 (CADI)
Gaile - A miner's daughter killed by a snake
Story emphasizes dangers of snakes
BY DAVID DESMOND
MOJAVE - It happened years ago on the hillside of Soledad Mountain. A little one-year-old baby girl, Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid, died after multiple bites from a rattlesnake.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell of Tehachapi, still feels the pain as if it were today. The year was 1940. The DeGraffenreid family were miners and of Dutch ancestry. Monroe was the father and he worked at the Cactus Queen Mine. His family and friends referred to him by his nickname, "Mon." His wife was named Irene. They had two children at the time, Charles and one year old Gaile. After Gaile's death they would have two more children.
Lived at mine
The family lived at the former Karma Mine Boarding House. This building was moved by Glen Settle to the Tropico Gold Mine property in Rosamond where it still stands.
Gaile's cousin, Wilma, lived with her family next door at the former Wegman family house. (The late Bert Wegman, 1902-1981, was one of the last of East Kern Desert's original mining experts. His family arrived at Soledad Mountain in 1904. This area was known as Upper Camp in 1940.)
On the morning of September 23, 1940, Irene DeGraffenreid carefully and lovingly looked after her beautiful one-year-old baby girl. She sat Gaile on the bottom step of the boarding house with her favorite puppy. While taking a moment to tend to a chore, she heard Gaile start to cry. These are the recollections of Gaile's cousin, Wilma Shuell. With great inner strength and courage, she felt a determination to tell this story.
"She got sick and started to vomit," Wilma Shuell recalled. "They immediately took her to the hospital in Mojave. At the hospital the doctor and staff noticed an uneven number of marks on Gaile's left foot. Gaile's brother, Charles, returned to the boarding house and searched around the steps. Under a board he found a Sidewinder. He killed the Sidewinder and raced back to the Mojave Hospital. Upon inspection of the dead rattlesnake, it was found to have only one fang. The other fang had broken off.
The Mojave Record of September 27, 1940, tells the rest of the tragedy, "September 23rd, little Gaile Bernice DeGraffenreid succumbed in the Mojave Hospital at 6:30 p.m. the same day after anti-venom treatment failed to counteract the effects of the poison."
Wilma Shuell remembers the sad days that followed, "The family was devastated. All the miners and their families at Upper Camp and Reefer City mourned. Her death was also mourned in Mojave and throughout the Desert. The miners of those days were a very tight knit community."
Another person who remembered the tragedy was Norma Jean Bokis of Mojave. Norma related, "I was one of Gaile's pallbearers. Her funeral service was held at the Assembly of God church in Mojave. I was living at the nearby camp of Golden Queen at that time."
Snake expert
According to Reptile Expert Henry Lunsford of Lake Isabella, rattlesnakes usually start to appear around April 15th each year. Lunsford runs "Reptile Rescue," which operates on donations. Their services range from removing rattlesnakes from homes and businesses (the snakes are released in less populated habitats) to giving lectures to a vast array of groups such as schools, fire departments, businesses and youth organizations.
Any person or organization in need of a "rattlesnake intervention" or an expert speaker on this very important safety issue for the youth and adults of the East Kem Desert - can call Henry Lunsford, "Reptile Rescue" at 760.379.1453.
In telling her story, Wilma Shuell emphasizes, "Only God knows why a little baby like Gaile should suffer and die that way. I only hope by telling this story that something good will come out of it." Public awareness and education of rattlesnakes by people such as Henry Lunsford at Reptile Rescue may be one of those good things.
Posted by East Kern Genealogical Society
Courtesy of Mojave Desert News, California City, Kern, CA
Published:29 Sep 2005
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