Dave
Castro (1906-1973)
Dave Castro was born September 19, 1906 in Jordan Valley, Oregon
and he was raised there. He married Marie Anderson in 1940 in Winnemucca,
Nevada and they ranched on Juniper Mountain for many years. Dave
sold his ranch and worked on others ranches in the area.
Dave Castro (as remembered by Evelyn Loveland)
Dave was a character of Jordan Valley. He was born September 19,
1906 in Jordan Valley, Oregon. I guess he had a rough time, not
much of a home life, he grew up pretty much on the Jordan Valley
street, at sixteen, he was a handsome boy, a good hard worker, could
handle horses and cattle as good as any rancher, but he soon took
to drinking.
When he was sober, a better man you’d never want to know. He worked
for every rancher around, including the Loveland’s. He always helped
Bill and Charley, a lot.
He married Marie Anderson, they had two children, Freddie and Helen.
Marie couldn’t stand the drinking and divorced him. Dates I don’t
remember but Freddie and Helen weren’t in school.
Marie went to school to be a teacher to support the children. She
put them both through college. Helen became a nurse.
Helen was working in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When going to work one
morning she was in a car wreck and killed. About two months later
Marie died of cancer. Dave had already preceeded them in death.
Fred was left to settle things. Fred gave his Dad’s saddle and silver
mounted bridle to Chuck Dougal. They are all buried in Jordan Valley.
Dave Castro (as remembered by Frankie Dougal)
Dave Castro worked for Chuck and I. He was a famous Buckaroo. He
covered more country than any man I knew in the United States. From
Juniper Mountain to the Black Rock Desert, he let no grass grow
under his horse’s feet. He never left a drop of whiskey in any jug.
Very good customer of Wes Halfords moonshine cabin. The old trail
into the canyon was never too steep to ride in or out of for Castro.
Dave Castro (Tales of I.O.N. Country by Mike Hanley)
Dave liked to drink and when he did his pleasing personality got
side tracked. He was on a drinking spree in Jordan Valley and making
himself unwelcome. He cornered Pearl Duncan in the hotel bar and
started getting rough. Pearl pulled out his pocket knife and slowly
opened the blade, but Dave kept tormenting. Duncan stabbed him and
the blade glanced down his jar and about severed the wind pipe.
Bleeding profusely, Dave continued to raise hell and when someone
brought Dr. Jones, Dave just laughed at him. Doc said, “Go ahead
and laugh because you are going to bleed to death soon and I don’t
care if you do.” As Doc started to walk out the door Dave wised
up and let him fix him up. On another occasion Dave went on a drunk
in Caldwell and got into a fight with a stranger. When he sobered
up, he found that the bottom half of his right ear had been bitten
off.
Dave spent the last years of his life in Jordan Valley visiting
with local people and entertaining tourists. For a while he would
ride into town wearing a gray overcoat and sporting a gray beard
topped off with a Mexican sombrero, which made him look like one
of Pancho Villa’s men.
Dave had three sisters, Mrs. Juanita Morrison and Mrs. Mario Garro,
both of Reno, Nevada, and Mrs. Lela Oanady of Gresham, Oregon. He
had one brother, Joe Castro. Dave died in a nursing home in Caldwell,
Idaho at the age of 67.
Inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame in September 2001. |
