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558 N. Main St.,
Prineville, OR 97754
Phone: 541.447.6205 |
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| Pioneer Queen 2002 |
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| Joan Gerke recalls a Prineville from a different time |
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 | | CHAD RICHINS/CENTRAL OREGONIAN | | Joan Gerke, Pioneer Queen, 2002. |
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By Chad Richins
The Pioneer Committee has selected Joan Gerke as the 2002 Pioneer Queen.
Since the first Pioneer Queen was elected in 1936, Crook County women have been selected to be recognized for the contributions of their pioneer families. To qualify as a Pioneer Queen, a candidate must reside in Crook County, have ancestors that settled in the county before 1916 when the current boundaries were set and have reached at least 70 years of age.
Gerke's family history in Crook County goes back at least to when her mother Jennie settled in Paulina and married Mike Brown in 1908. Brown later fell to ill health after the couple had four children while living on rural ranches, one near Twin Butte and one near Mt. Vernon. Jennie later married Joan Gerke's father, a Prineville merchant and mortician.
Gerke, who was born in Prineville on Aug. 25, 1924 is a lifelong resident who has seen a lot of things change in her time.
"I can remember the wooden boardwalks when we roller skated all over town. Prineville was my oyster," she recalls fondly.
Her father, George Meyers, was a prominent businessman who owned a furniture store and also served as the town mortician, a not unusual combination in those days. "During the fire of 1922 my father had a wooden building next to where the Horseshoe Tavern is now, and several brick buildings around it burned but my father's store didn't. They hauled the caskets out on the sidewalk in case the building went up, but it never did."
Gerke's father was known for being a talker and would sometimes follow people half way down the block in order to finish a story.
At home, George Meyers would read to the family in the evening while his wife mended clothes. On Sundays, the family would often jump in the car and go "joy-riding" as George liked to call it, touring country roads and enjoying the scenery.
Gerke attended Crook County High School, graduating in 1942. She went to work for J.C. Penny's where she worked for four years. Gerke also worked as a teacher's aide and on the election board.
Maurice Gerke was two years ahead of Joan in school and the two knew each other growing up. After graduating from CCHS in 1940, Maurice ended up joining the Marines along with his brother in 1942 and did a tour of duty in the Pacific Theater.
On returning to the States, Maurice and Joan were married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Prineville on Feb. 4, 1945. After a week's honeymoon in Portland, Maurice returned to duty, this time. A station in Klamath Falls and wasn't released until October of the same year. By December, the couple had bought a home on Lamonta Road and have lived there ever since.
After settling in Prineville, the Gerkes went on to raise five boys. Dennis is a retired school teacher and currently guides trips on the Rogue river. Rock is employed by the forest service in Bend. Kip is the purchasing agent for the Bend/La Pine school district. Fred is an agent for New York Life insurance company and George works for Les Schwab tires. Altogether, Joan and Maurice have 11 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.
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