FACES AND PLACES: Montana's pysanka-making veteran (08/29/04)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Montana's pysanka-making veteran

The next time you're anywhere near Circle, Montana, look up Andrew Rychkun, age 87. He's a World War II U.S. Marine veteran who was featured in an article in the May 31 issue of U.S. News & World Report.

According to the article, "Andy Rychkun's parents came from Ukraine as homesteaders - they got 620 acres for free in exchange for building a sod house. Some years were so dry that nothing grew. After his father died, the family might have starved if not for relief programs."

I was fascinated by Andrew's story so I tracked him down and convinced him to send me more information about his life in Montana. He sent an article about his family, authored by Beryl Zahn.

Matthew and Sophia Rychkun, Andrew's mom and dad, I discovered, left Ukraine in 1898 and headed for Canada on a steamship. The sale of their meager property provided enough money for Sophia's passage. Matthew, however, paid his way across the Atlantic by tending to some of the farm animals that were on board to provide food for the passengers.

Arriving in Manitoba, they purchased two oxen and rented farmland. Oxen cannot be driven like horses, so Sophia had to lead the animals while Matthew managed the plow. Life in western Canada was incredibly difficult so when the Rychkuns heard of homestead land in Montana, they jumped at the opportunity, moving in 1910 along with the oxen. Other Ukrainian families followed suit. Within a three-year period 10 Ukrainian families left Canada and came to homestead west of Vida, Montana.

Matthew and Sophia raised 10 children. Andy's two older sisters eventually married and moved to North Dakota. In 1922, Matthew and Sophia, children in tow, traveled to Glendive, Montana, where they were sworn in as citizens of the United States. They traveled by horse and buggy, a round trip that took three days to complete.

Homesteading was never easy, always tenuous. Although they had 160 acres, the Rychkuns were able to till only a few acres. Sophia had a garden and raised chickens and turkeys. The garden was always prey to black beetles, army worms and swarms of grasshoppers. Two wells 12 feet deep, some three-quarters of a mile from the house, were used by the family. One well was for drinking, the other for washing and watering the stock.

At one point, Sears Roebuck had contracts with local farmers to purchase turkeys during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. According to Beryl Zahn, the turkeys were prepared at home, "put in barrels, and taken to Wolf Point for shipping. Paper was wrapped around the feet and head of the turkeys for shipping. Grasshoppers were a gourmet meal for turkeys. However, the turkeys retained a horrible odor after eating grasshoppers. It took some time before the local turkeys raisers could eat the meat."

Things were looking good for the Rychkuns in 1928 when money for an unusually good harvest allowed them to purchase a truck. Unfortunately, swarms of grasshoppers soon attacked their farm. Writes Beryl Zahn: "Most homesteaders can tell of the grasshopper swarms and how the sky was darkened as the hoppers moved in. They destroyed everything in sight from crops, gardens and pasture to fence posts."

Two of Andrew's brothers left to study for the priesthood at the Basilian seminary in Mundare, Alberta. One brother became seriously ill and had to drop out of the program while the other, John, was ordained as Father Innocent Rychkun. According to the publication "Ukrainians in Chicago and Illinois," compiled and edited by Daria Markus, Father Rychkun was pastor of St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church on Chicago's southside from 1951 to 1962. In 1956, during Father Rychkun's tenure, the parish constructed a full-time day elementary school next to the church.

Tragedy struck the Rychkun family in 1932 when an older son, who was helping with the farm work, drowned in a freak accident. In 1933, Matthew went to work as part of a county crew hired to gravel a road. Working for 40 hours a week at 40 cents an hour, Matthew helped support his family. "During the winter months," writes Beryl Zahn, "the road crew was housed in an old building without sunlight. This contributed to dampness which later afflicted Matthew with rheumatism." It became so bad that Matthew was taken to a hospital in Circle where he spent three months. Nothing seemed to help, and he was sent home with pain so intense he remained in bed, his body in a fetal position. Sophia cared for him, fed him, and toileted him as he remained rolled up in ball, eating less and less.

Matthew Rychkun died in 1936 weighing only 97 pounds. Shortly thereafter the Federal Land Bank confiscated two horses and one cow from the Rychkun family, forcing them to go on welfare.

While Andy was serving with the U.S. Marines in the Pacific, his mother went to live with her daughters in North Dakota. She lived until 1965, reaching age 91.

According to demographer Dr. Oleh Wolowyna, the 2000 census informs us that there are 1,739 Ukrainians living in Montana, seventy eight of whom speak Ukrainian. Andy, apparently, is one of the latter group.

So what does Andy do during the long winter nights in Montana? He creates Ukrainian Easter eggs and demonstrates his skills to nursing home and Circle residents. He told me he starts making Easter eggs in December, at about the time of the winter equinox.

Andy lives with Helene, his wife of 55 years. Here's a suggestion. How about dropping Andy a note and thanking him for his military service, and for remaining true to his Ukrainian roots. He'd love to hear from you. His address is Box 95, Circle, MT 59215.

Myron Kuropas's e-mail address is: kuropas@comcast.net.

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