George and Virginia Martin ran the Whitethorn Bar in the40's. Al Sharpe and the Martins shared ownership in this rough and tumble place. George was a big man with black hair. Virginia was a feisty, overweight woman who was from Oklahoma or Arkansas. She had an accent pronouncing "farr" for "fire and other interesting words that was incomprehensible to most Californians. Virginia was a pretty good cook. She served the loggers lots of greasy meat and potatoes which they claimed to enjoy. George usually tended bar and was liked by his burly customers.
Although it was against the law, children were allowed in the bar. Since there was no law enforcement in Whitethorn, there was no reason for the kids to sit outside in the family car while the parents guzzled beer. Most of the time the bar was peaceful. But on occasion, a fight would break out traumatizing any innocent kid who was hanging around.
One infamous Saturday night a group of Indians came into the bar. The result was a huge brawl between the Indians and the loggers. The Indians lost and the loggers bragged for years about their victory. There was no concept of civil rights for minorities at that time and it was actually illegal to serve alcohol to Indians.
As a child, I was outraged by this event. Since I believed I might be part Indian, I was against the loggers and their violence.
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