The gift of life inspires Tehachapi
The gift of life inspires Tehachapi
By: Jon Hammond
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Posted by editor Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:09:14 PST
Viewed 695 times
1 response 0 comments By the time most people reach retirement age at 65, they’ve already started to slow down, to reduce their output. Not Tehachapi oldtimer Hooks Anderson — at 90 this talented craftsman is still producing some of his best work.
Proof of this master woodworker’s continuing creativity is a scaled-down replica of a freight wagon that he recently completed. This beautiful wagon made primarily from oak and Ponderosa pine has even more significance when you consider that Hooks didn’t make it from a kit or pattern of any kind, or even from store-bought lumber: Hooks started with Tehachapi trees which he milled into lumber using a sawmill he designed and built himself (in the summer of his 75th year).
Hooks also fabricated all the metal hardware on this amazingly accurate wagon, including the steel rims on the wagon wheels and the functioning brake system.
Hooks built the entire wagon from memory and the pictures he keeps in his mind of childhood rides in a freight wagon.
“We had a wagon like this on my family’s farm outside of Delano,” Hooks explained. “They were big, big wagons that would usually be pulled by six head of horses or mules. Those old-time freighters would put a helluva load on them and go for hundreds of miles. There might be four or five or ten of these wagons used in a string, each with their own driver and team.”
The wagons could be loaded with any kind of freight imaginable, from beans, flour or potatoes to lumber, brick or iron. They were used extensively in the Tehachapi area well into the 20th century.
During the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct from about 1903 to 1910, horse or mule-drawn freight wagons hauled cement from the LA Department of Water and Power plant at Monolith, and even carried much of the equipment used in building the plant itself.
The wagons sometimes carried items packed into wooden barrels, and if water was expected to be scarce a barrel of water might be brought along to supply the driver and team.
The seat on Hooks’ freight wagon has springs just like the full-sized versions. “Because of the springs, the seat was pretty comfortable, even in rough terrain,” Hooks explains. “The wagons were so big the seats were way up high, and to climb up the driver would step on the hub, then the wheel, and then into the wagon — like a ladder. It was a rough life when these wagons were being used.”
Hooks, who was born on July 2, 1916, doesn’t take the fact that he is still around and in good health lightly: he has had three close brushes with death from heart problems over the years, and he credits Bakersfield cardiologist Dr. Brij Bhambi with saving his life and that of his wife Tootie.
In appreciation for Dr. Bhambi’s care and expertise, Hooks is giving the wagon to Dr. Bhambi for display at one of the offices or hospitals where he works.
“Since I built this entirely from scratch, it’s part of my life — and Dr. Bhambi saved my life,” Hooks says. “I’m here today because of him. I think that doctors are unsung heroes. They’re saving lives every day, all over the world. That’s the way I feel.”
Hooks even filled the bed of the wagon with wooden hearts that he cut out of black walnut, oak, cedar, alder and pine, and he had a plaque made to accompany the gift of the wagon to Dr. Bhambi.
At 90 years old, Hooks continues to use his imaginative mind and skilled hands to create fine examples of beauty and craftsmanship. He is an inspiration to me and many other Tehachapi residents who know and love him.
Have a good week.
A close attention to detail is a hallmark of Hooks Anderson’s craftsmanship, as evidenced by this miniature grease pail hanging underneath the wagon, which teamsters once used to lubricate the wheels.
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