Born in 1923 in a one-room log cabin northwest of Faith on a homestead near North Flintrock Creek Irean Clasen Jordan knows the history of this area well because for nearly a century she has lived it.
Throughout her life she took the time to document the stories of the neighbors who settled in this remote ranch country: Native Americans, cowboys, wolfers, homesteaders, mothers, fathers, children.
“They were all our neighbors along Flintrock Creek. Flintrock Creek never completely dried up during drought and those were neighbors. Who’s going to remember them? I don’t think anyone is alive who remembers them,” said Irean Jordan.
The author of many short, factual articles and books, including Matt the Wolfer which gives an account of her father’s life as an early cowboy and wolfer – Irean Jordan took it upon herself to document a group of homesteaders whose stories are often left untold - women.
“Well, you see, in every old book it’s always, Mr. and Mrs. John, or Mr. and Mrs. Tom – never even give their names,” Jordan said.
Her friend, Kathy Timmons has read most of Irean’s work and appreciates the time and care Irean took to document the lives of ranch women.
“I think of the people she has known and met and the work they have done and the things they have built and her stories of women. This country who have had their own contributions which probably for the most part aren’t terribly recognized. She’s right. Men’s names are the first ones on a lot of things, but they wouldn’t have stayed. They came through the country, but they don’t plant the flowers and they don’t plant the trees and they don’t do the gardens and they don’t raise the babies and stay and make it a town or a state or country,” Kathy Timmons said.
An avid scrapbooker – throughout her life she has filled volumes.
Irean’s first scrapbooks were sewn by her older sister out of old grocery sacks. It was the Depression. Even today, Irean has vivid memories of the Depression.
“Lack of money. Lack of grass. It was a real drought. The rhubarb, asparagus our crab apple trees, everything died off. And you were afraid to use too much water because maybe your well would go dry. It was scary,” Jordan said.
She shared about Black Sunday and the fact that her family nearly starved to death. Tough times on the ranch meant she could not attend high school.
Perhaps her saddest memory is the day when her dad asked her to take his horses to town to sell because he could no longer afford to feed them.
“Dad said, “would you drive these horses to town for me.” I was about 14/15,I thought, “well my goodness, you know them and drove them and everything, why are you asking me to take them?” But it was because he could not stand seeing them go,’” Jordan said.
Along with documenting history Irean preserved it. She organized the Faith and Area Historical Society and was instrumental in saving historical buildings like Flanery’s 1911 Beer and Ice House and the Stensland House which she helped turn into the Stensland Museum.
