Centenarian leads Fourth of July parade
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POLSON — Oscar Baertsch has seen a few Fourth of Julys around Lake County — 100 to be exact. Many of them would have him as part of a big family group at a campground or fishing somewhere.
Oscar turned 100 years old on July 6 but celebrated his birthday on the Fourth of July, waving to friends, family and neighbors from a 1930 Model A Ford coupe as grand marshal of the Polson Fourth of July Parade. The coupe belonged to his brother Buck, who passed away, and is now owned by Buck’s grandson.
Born in Proctor, Oscar had six brothers and sisters: Ralph, John, Buck, Lillian, Mercedes and Bill. Their parents were Bertha (Rowe) Baertsch and Oscar Baertsch.
Oscar said for his first five years they lived on his dad’s homestead in Hog Heaven. To get to Hog Heaven, a person would head to Hot Springs on Highway 25, and turn right on Battle Butte Road and then follow the signs.
After they left Hog Heaven, the Baertsch family lived in Proctor. Then their grandmother bought a house in town, so the kids could stay there and attend high school.
“That was one thing I liked about living in Proctor — fishing on Dayton Creek. I could go right out the door and fish,” Oscar said.
As he grew up, Oscar starting mowing and raking hay, milking cows, pitching hay and taking care of the chickens — just general farm work, he said.
“I always took care of the chickens. I’d set the hens so they’d have little chickens,” Oscar said.
Oscar still keeps a hand in by raising his own garden. He sold his cows but still pastures a few on his land.
He graduated from Polson High School in 1935.
“I believe there’s a very good chance he’s the oldest living graduate of Polson,” said Gary Baertsch, Oscar’s son.
Oscar’s cousin and his wife introduced Oscar to a young lady named Ilene Barnes, and they must have liked each other because Ilene and Oscar married in 1938. They had four children: Gary, Clinton, Lon and Carla.
Oscar worked on a farm in Charlo for a while “but pigs weren’t worth much and eggs were ten cents a dozen, so I bunched it and moved back to Polson,” Oscar said.
He found work at service stations, the Ford garage and working in the shop when Kerr
Dam was being built, sharpening drill steel.
Oscar worked at Polson Plywood, where “they hired me on as foreman with 45 men to keep busy.”
Oscar and Ilene bought a place east of Polson in 1965.
“We lived in the basement while I built the house,” Oscar said.
He finished their home by 1968, which was quite a feat because he worked all day for other people.
Oscar ran some cows on their place and “would buy a bargain at the auction every now and then.”
Although he’s shy about the fuss everybody’s making about his 100th birthday, Oscar said his whole family came — all the kids and grandkids. His sister, Lillian, 94, lives in Helena, and she came traveling over, even a cousin from Minneapolis joined the celebration, Oscar said, with a twinkle in his eye.
Before the celebration, Oscar looked forward to his July 4 party.
“I suppose they’ll get me a great big birthday cake,” he said. “I like any kind of cake.”
