QUINCY VALLEY POST-REGISTER |
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Building a better life in Quincy
The construction company of Westover & Hope moved to Quincy after World War II. Arnold Westover, with one of his sons and sons-in-law, visited Quincy and Ephrata in 1946. They came looking for a place where they could have a construction company and provide jobs for their family.
“They decided that Quincy had the best prospects for Westover & Hope,” said Delma Westover, daughter-in-law of Arnold Westover.
The Arnold Westovers and their family were living in Bremerton at the time of their visit to Quincy. The men in the family had served in the war and the women worked at the Navy shipyard.
“Dad knew that jobs would be scarce,” Westover said, “so we came over here. The water was coming into the canals. They thought it would be a good prospect for building here, and it was.”
The company was started by Arnold Westover, his son, Quinn, and daughter and son-in-law Zola and Eldon Hope. When they came to Quincy, there were very few buildings. The home they built to live in was surrounded by alfalfa and wheat fields.
Westover and her husband, Artell, moved to Quincy in March 1947 to help with the business. Their first residence was a small trailer house parked near his parents’ house. Later they moved into the basement of one of the family members until their own house was built in 1949. Their house was located in the same area as their parents. Other family members also built houses in the area.
“It was quite a family deal,” Westover said. “My husband enjoyed working with them. We had a good time together. There were family picnics and get-togethers. We played games together. It was a good close family.”
Westover & Hope had headquarters just south of what is now Pioneer Metal, located near Quincy Senior Center. The company built homes and buildings all around the area, including some surrounding towns. One of its most notable structures was the Quincy hospital. They also built the Quincy swimming pool.
“While they were building the pool, my husband was working on scaffolding and fell off backward,” Westover said. “There wasn’t any water in the pool. It just stunned him. We laughed about it for quite a while. We joked that he was the first one to use the pool.”
Work began to slow down for the company in the 1960s. It was also during this period that the Westover parents died. After that, the sons and sons-in-law lost interest in building, Westover said.
Westover remembers what Quincy was like when the family first moved here.
“You could see for miles around,” she said. “There were only a few homes around. You couldn’t see lights out in the country. It was black. As the years went by, lights came on and people moved in. Irrigation really made it grow into luscious farmland.
“When we first came, we didn’t have bad winters. The farmers were out plowing in their fields. We thought, ‘Oh, how neat.’ In 1950, we had a terrific snowstorm. We had snow all over. They had to close schools. We would have some of the high school kids stay with us because of the snowstorm.
“The wind always blew. We didn’t have dryers. We hung our clothes outside. The wind would come up and we’d have to take our clothes inside and wash them again. You’d dust the house and two minutes later you would have to dust again. It was dusty, dusty, windy and hot in the summer.
“One time we were going to Yellowstone and drove through Quincy. The wind was blowing and it was hot. I wondered who’d want to live in a place like this. I didn’t know I would live here one day.”
Westover remembers attending high school football games and square dances at the women’s clubhouse near present-day Idle Hour Cafe. There were also church and community bazaars, dances and a minstrel show, of which her husband was one of the members.
“We were what you call pioneers when we first came here,” Westover said. “Quincy is a really friendly town. The people were nice to us. It’s a special place to live. I’m pretty lucky to live here.”
