WORKERS NEEDED!

As the Northern Pacific Railway would rumble through the mountainous treed areas, the desolate beginnings encompassed survival. The whistle would blow and the next steep curve would slow the engines down. The passengers would gaze out the windows to view the scenery that was moving in slow motion. A single car accompanied passengers traveling to newly settled destinations. Others had climbed aboard the cars holding well stacked logs on their way to the Potlatch Lumber Company.
As the train would slow up though the pass at Spud Hill, one could read a handwritten sign that was posted on an outlying tree, "WORKERS NEEDED! HOME COOKED MEAL AND LODGING." Of coarse, there were those that were just drifters who only wanted to scavenge there way through existence, but there were others who were willing to put in a hard days work for the rewards of a hot meal and a place to rest their tired body. On occasion a man would jump off and find his way through the thick pine, fur, and cedar trees to the Swanson's little cabin. Swan would meet them at the front step with the details of the work that needed to be accomplished for the day.
Each day Emma would rise early and begin her task of making homemade biscuits, ham, eggs, and the daily provisions of food and deserts prepared from the basic ingredients purchased or bartered for at the local mercantile. Her Swedish heritage and offered her some delectable recipes with spices of cinnamon and cardamom.
As the sun would begin to set the men would return home, tend to the draft horses and set out to reap the much desired reward of a delicious hot meal that Emma had lovingly prepared. The smell of onions and spices would fill the air. The table was set with Scandinavian decor and the oil lamp would dimly light the room. Swan would bow his head and speak in a gentle voice, giving thanks to Our Lord for the provision of strength, helping hands, and bounty which they were about to receive and close with, "I Jesu Namn." Emma could cook a meal that would long be held in every visitors memory. After dinner the visitor would be given a soft bed of straw and plenty of blankets and would be housed in the hand hewed log barn.
C.A. Bresin

Traditional Swedish Blessing
I Jesu namn till bords vi gå
Välsigna Gud den Mat vi få
Gud till ära, oss till gagn
Så få vi mat I Jesu namn.

In Jesus’ name to the table we go
God bless the food we receive
To God the honor, Us the gain,
So we have food in Jesus name.

Deary Idaho was settled in the 1880's and 1890's predominately by Scandinavians. In 1905 Potlatch Lumber Company engineers decided to locate a station of the Washington, Idaho & Montana Railway on this site. The town was named for William Deary, the company's general manager, who secured the claims and set up the Deary Townsite Company to sell land after it had been cleared of timber. When sale of lots began in 1907, Deary grew quickly, with lumbering and farming the chief occupations. After the 1920's, with dwindling activity of the lumber industry in this vicinity and the paving of roads to Moscow, Deary settled into its present role as an outlying agricultural community. http://users.moscow.com/lchs/history.html