Yarinacocha and into the 1950's
The following comes from the 40th Anniversary Photo Directory,
S.I.L. in Peru, 1986, pages 17-19.
Because of the impracticality of the Aeronca's landing at the bridge [at Aguaytia], a new center was sought. Those
traveling to the locations south of Pucallpa often stopped overnight in Pucallpa to get boat transportation upriver.
They soon came to know the Joe Hockings, missionaries in Pucallpa, and often stayed with them overnight. Joe
told our men about Lake Yarina, accompanied them on a reconnaissance trip over the trail, and helped in
locating the proprietor, etc. Some of the land had been cleared for a cattle shed. The first three or four
SIL men who began the construction of Yarina Center were housed in this shed, next to the Single
Women's Dorm building site.
Yarina Progress
First the women's dorm was built, then the dining room, which also served as meeting place and radio center.
Then the clinic (later commissary), the fruit shed, with outside steps which led to an upstairs room where the first
linguistic library was housed. A duplex next to the dining room was housing, post office and the finance office.
These first buildings were made of bricks to resist termites. As there was no road from Km4, the bricks had to be
brought to Yarina by canoe. Later some termite-resistant woods were found and used in building.
In June 1949, the SIL Center was moved completely from Aguaytia to Yarinacocha.
First Children Born at Yarina
Daniel Goodall was the first boy boarn at Yarinacocha, September 28, 1949, and just a day later the first girl ,
Juanita Watters, September 29, 1949.
Telephones
Telephone rings were made after a polite "Anyone on?" Using the U.S. surplus field phone equipment, any of
the 125 code numbers would ring everywhere at once. You could easily be walking down a path at Yarina,
hear your ring and stop in anyone's house and answer it. Jack Kendall changed over the telephone system in
1962 and 63. For a few months there was a switch board with operators replaced by the automatic system still in use.
Generator
Ran from 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. It was a problem to remember to turn all lights off before 10 p.m. Often when
the generator came on the following morning, there would be an overload as forgotten lights spring on.
Changeover to 24 hour electrical power was made late in 1959.
E-Mail Paul Gibson pgibson @ yarina.org
Paul Gibson's Web Pages http://www.yarina.org/~pgibson/
Updated January 14, 2002 A.D.