History
John Quinn received a homestead patent for the SE quarter of 14-54-3W in August 1901. He sold the land in 1910 to James. Peter. and William T. Massie who, in turn, sold to Antonio Dell’Aia in August 1920 (Deed Record 3:429, 21:404. 39:55). Dell’Aia, an Italian immigrant, sent for his fiancee, Caterina Elisabetta Simioni, in 1922 and they married in Spokane. They later changed the spelling of their name to Delay. Delay increased his holdings by buying up tax-delinquent land. paying for it with the sale of cordwood.
Legacy of knowledge
Sat., Jan. 7, 2006
Kathleen Mary Andersen
Correspondent
It was a cold Dec. 24 in 1948 that Ray and Fairy Delay first remember about their life on Delay Farms in Careywood, just north of Athol. The snow that year was deep – almost topping the 5-foot fence – and Fairy was pregnant and about to give birth. They laugh when they remember how it took three tries to get out of their road and onto U.S. Highway 95 so she could get to the hospital in Coeur d’Alene in time.
They had just moved to this large parcel of land. It was called Delay Farms, and Ray was born here in the farmhouse in July 1924. In 1906, Ray’s father, Tony Delay, had arrived from Italy at Ellis Island. He was soon wooed westward by stories of the big trees, the booming timber industry and the promise of a good job. As with many Italians who came here and were known for their rail-setting ability, finding work with Northern Pacific was no problem.
Tony Delay would tell his son how he had survived the “big blowup” of the 1910 fire that burned more than 3 million acres in Montana and North Idaho. He took cover in a railroad tunnel as the firestorm roared overhead.
Tony Delay bought the 1,350 acres that became the farm in 1915*. North Idaho was recovering from a mild depression after World War I, and he began to cut and haul cordwood by Model T truck to a steamer on Lake Pend Oreille. The railroad ran past the house, and hobos would get off to find work at the farm. Horse teams were used to haul the logs back then, and Delay could always use the help. In exchange for work, he gave them parcels of land that had been logged. His neighbor had a sister in Italy and persuaded Delay to write to her. In those days, if you corresponded with someone in another country and things looked promising, your mail-order bride would join you. Elizabeth, Ray’s mother, arrived, and they started the Idaho Delay dynasty.
The winters were brutal, and in the summer of 1936, a lighting bolt sparked another fire that is now known as the Great Idaho Fire of 1936. With the onset of World War II, timber continued to be in demand for barracks, boxes and lumber for building the relocation centers in Idaho. The farm survived thanks to the hard work of Delay and his sons.
Ray Delay left home but returned after he met and married Fairy. The newlyweds started out raising cattle and chickens. Their chicken house was so large that the second floor served as a dance hall for the neighbors. They laugh when they remember moving large ice blocks from the front of the property so that the fiddlers and other musicians could come in.
In 1950 and continuing to 1967, they operated Ray’s Supply Store, providing feed, grain and farm products. In 1952, they had their second son, Ray Jr. The Delays worked hard and dedicated many hours of service to the North Idaho community. It was in 1978 that they started operating under a statewide conservation stewardship management plan for commercial timber production.
However, it was not until 1983 that the Delays took a serious look at passing down their knowledge of the land. They felt that it was important to teach children the value of forestry practices. They understood that teaching about the investment and importance of a well-maintained forest is vital not just to them but to us all.
The Delay Farm became the site of the Idaho State Forestry Contest sponsored by the Idaho Department of Lands, Panhandle Lakes Resource Conservation and Development and the Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District. That year, 40 kids ranging from junior high school to high school came out to the farm for a daylong lesson in forestry. Super 1 Foods became the first official sponsor, and as the years rolled by, the contest grew and the sponsors numbered well over 25 companies. More than 4,000 students have completed the program since that time.
The Delays say passing down a legacy of knowledge is important to keeping North Idaho forests healthy. Their camp teaches children not only the species of trees but also silviculture (the practice of caring for forests), weed identification and care of the soil and water.
“If the children understand,” said Fairy Delay, then there is hope that they will keep these practices. “This is their future.”
The Delay property maintains every species of tree native to North Idaho, including tamarack, cedar, pine, and trees that have a maturity of sometimes 80 to 100 years, says Mike Wolcott, their private forester.
He says the Delays have always been concerned about the condition of their land and the regeneration of trees. Ray Jr. and his brother Gene Delay are passing their knowledge to their children, the fourth generation Delays, who, as Ray Jr. says, “maintain a piece of property that will sustain itself for more generations to come.”
Among their many honors, the Delays in 2004 were named the Idaho Department of Lands, National Forestry Service, Idaho Tree Farmer of the Year. They are candidates for Regional Tree Farmer of the Year in 2005.
Their farm and family were the inspiration for Idaho artist Nancy Taylor’s “The Stand,” a three-dimensional piece that will be on exhibit next spring at the Maryhill Museum in Washington state as part of a collection titled “Sustaining the Future of Agriculture.”
For Ray Delay, passing his knowledge of sustainable forestry on to children makes it all worthwhile.
“We’re happy that the kids can take advantage of this,” he says. “In the past, I never had the opportunity.”
*The correct date is 1920.