Email address change for Armand Mongeon (40):
Gary my email address has changed from I really enjoy the email I do hope this goes through. Armand
Armand, this came through just fine. I have updated all of my files with your address change.Armand, most all of us remember you, your family and you working at the hardware store. Several years ago you told me you have been working at the same hardware store in Dunseith for over 60 years. That is remarkable.Folks, with your visits to Dunseith, feel free to stop in the hardware store and say hi to Armand.
From Dave Wurgler (64):
Gary: Good Day to whoever reads this. First of all Happy Birthday to Allen Richard, maybe one of these years you will catch up with me in age as you couldn’t do it with the cars we had back in the good ole days. lol. You were talking about retirement and Soc. Sec., so I will update my life,as of June 30th 2008 I retired from my service station business after 42 years of service. I liquidated my inventory and sold out the equiptment and as of Jan. 5th I sold the building and property. I am now working partime at the Tesaro Convenience Store and collecting that big Soc.Sec. check, plus I am shuffling cars around to different cities for the Ford dealership her in Rugby on my days off. (enjoying every bit of it) Char and I will be celebrating our 42nd anniversary in Nov. and raised three children, Lisa,(41) Teri,(39) and Chris.(34) and they made us proud Grand Parents of 8 Grand Children and we love and spoil them all. In Sept. we took our long awaited vacation and traveled to Calif. for three weeks to be with Char’s family and had a great time. What I really enjoyed the most was all the golfing we got in and all the beautiful courses we got to play the game on. We even golfed on the course Tiger Woods grew up on and learned the game of golf in his home city and also toured the three million dollar rec center he built next to the golf course for the city and he completely rebuilt the golf course by making the fairways longer and more difficult with sand traps, water traps, more trees and huge rolling greens. We had a blast golfing that course but as I am not a par golfer I shot a lot more boogeys than I did pars. lol. Well, I better quit boring your clients and sign off for now, but keep up the good work you are doing on this blog which I enjoy very much and I don’t miss a day, Thanks.—————–Enjoying my life and retirement, God Bless all of the Alumni of DHS and bless all with health and happiness. Dave Wurgler (64).
Reply from Bill Hosmer (48):
Lloyd Awalt’s reports alway seem to stir up a memory I had about our town. With the mention of elevator fires, I was reminded of a building on main steet between Billy Wright’s, later, Joe Morinville’s store and Floyd Nelson’s barber shop there was a building in the thirties which included the Dunseith Journal, a jewelry store, and maybe Judge Ray Wilson’s office where he and Ovila Laumoureux played chess for hours. When I was in the 3rd grade, and Miss Drege was our teacher that building burned. On the south side of the aforementioned store was the house where the Deeters lived. Mrs. Deeter was our telephone operator. She had two girls, Ruth and Carol. I was having a crush on Carol who was in the 4th grade, so she and the other girls never paid attention to “lower graded guys” So we came back from lunch on a school day, and Carol was crying because she was worried about her home burning. It was a very big fire. The teacher hadn’t come into the room
yet, so I stood in front of the 4th grade rows and waived my arms around and said that everything was going to be ok. I knocked over a can of full length chalk, and the sawdust they were packed in and made a hell of a mess, just before Miss Drege walked into the room. The good part was that Carol laughed, the bad part that I had to clean up the mess, and we never had a whole length of chalk for the rest of the year. Bill Hosmer
yet, so I stood in front of the 4th grade rows and waived my arms around and said that everything was going to be ok. I knocked over a can of full length chalk, and the sawdust they were packed in and made a hell of a mess, just before Miss Drege walked into the room. The good part was that Carol laughed, the bad part that I had to clean up the mess, and we never had a whole length of chalk for the rest of the year. Bill Hosmer
Reply to the 1949 snow storm from Don Aird (Carroll Carlson’s nephew):
I started grade school in Wahpeton the fall of 1949. My Mother, Clarissa Carlson Aird, took my 2 year old sister Christine to the Carlson homestead for Christmas. Dad and I stayed in Wahpeton. That Christmas the Turtle Mountains had a huge snow storm. My Mother and sister were snowed in. For two weeks I ate canned tomato soup and toast, all Dad knew how to fix. Finally Grandpa Pete got tired of the company. Pete hooked up his team of horses to his hay wagon, bundled my Mother and Sister up in quilts and took them to Dunseith to catch the train. Pete would have been in his mid 70’s.
Reply to 1949 snow storm from Gary Metcalfe (57):
Reply to Lloyd Awalt
Winter of ’49…yes, Lloyd we had our hands full to say the least. We had lots of cattle, all housed in the barn. It was definitel the only winter we had to make a pass or two with the team and hayrack to make a road before we loaded the load of hay. Then we had to haul the whole six ton stack that day or lose it to the elements. There were deer in the one side of the stack that had a crevice, they were too weak to run. Always more snow up there on top of the Turtle Mts. But, I guess we were prepared, always had a top team of horses, the super hired man, as Alcide was. Elwood Fauske became very popular that winter. I have pictures, but am hard pressed to get words out let alone pictures.
Lloyd those orphan lambs always became pests. Art Seim, sheepman, always found a home for some of his. They would lay by the door you used, so you couldn’t get out until you begged for mercy. One morning Alcide came in and said, “I saved Baby.” The ’49 Chevy pickup had rolled from the house to the barn, Baby was pinned but not hurt in the least. These were the kind of happenings that gave Alcide yet another story to tell all visitors.
Lloyd, just tell me I had a dream if you don’t remember this. Had to be between ’46 and ’49, you and your dad, John were at the farm. I must have been busy with chores that winter day. You and John came from the east, we had some old machinery 1/8 mile east, but John had you piggy back. It was cold and the snow was deep. You may have twisted your ankle. Again, I could be dreaming.
Yes, there sure were a lot of real adventure stories from that winter. Yes, the prairie too if you lowered all the road and grades one foot or two like they were in those days. Winter would take on a new look again. The people involved were people from the great depression, they took it in stride. The good part and I remember it well, grain and cattle were top price that year. Almost all our neighbors bought a new Chevy pickup, green or black. Dad sold a red pole bull to Al Houle for $500.00–that was a lot of moola in those days.
Thanks, Gary Metcalfe
Reply from Dick Johnson (68):
Gary and Friends,
Lloyd (and his ‘secretary’ Bonnie, I suppose), posted another great
story from the old days! I too remember the elevator fire of ’54. It is
listed in the Dunseith history book as June 1954, so I would have been
just a month from my fourth birthday. The flames are still clear in my
mind. Speaking of the train, did anyone else put pennies on the train
tracks for the train to smash? I still have one that I did in the ’50s.
It smeared it pretty flat! Bill Teal would go home for lunch and would
drive his two tone green ’56 Chevy past our house, so I knew when we
could mess around at the depot! Can anyone remember the coal bins by the
elevator where you loaded coal in your pickup with a two wheel cart?
That was where we got coal for quite a few years until Dad converted our
old furnace to fuel oil with a burner he bought from Herman Martinson at
the bakery. It was a relief to not have to haul coal and put it in the
basement! I also remember how the freight came in to the depot on the
train for most of the businesses in town. John Awalt and later Johnnie
Myer were the dray men who delivered all over town. They hauled a lot of
loads past our house on their way uptown. The good old days! Thanks Gary! Dick
story from the old days! I too remember the elevator fire of ’54. It is
listed in the Dunseith history book as June 1954, so I would have been
just a month from my fourth birthday. The flames are still clear in my
mind. Speaking of the train, did anyone else put pennies on the train
tracks for the train to smash? I still have one that I did in the ’50s.
It smeared it pretty flat! Bill Teal would go home for lunch and would
drive his two tone green ’56 Chevy past our house, so I knew when we
could mess around at the depot! Can anyone remember the coal bins by the
elevator where you loaded coal in your pickup with a two wheel cart?
That was where we got coal for quite a few years until Dad converted our
old furnace to fuel oil with a burner he bought from Herman Martinson at
the bakery. It was a relief to not have to haul coal and put it in the
basement! I also remember how the freight came in to the depot on the
train for most of the businesses in town. John Awalt and later Johnnie
Myer were the dray men who delivered all over town. They hauled a lot of
loads past our house on their way uptown. The good old days! Thanks Gary! Dick
Birthday reply from Allen Richard (65):
Thanks for the well wishes. I planned to retire soon too but that got complicated with the economy. My stock comeback is that the announcement of my retirement will appear at the same time as my obituary.
Message/picture from Jerry Williams (54):
I graduated with Viola with the class of 1954, a graduating class of 8, I think the smallest to ever graduate from good old DHS. Anyway I have been back to Dunseith many times since 1954 myself and Viola is one of those people that I have not seen in now 55 years. I don’t know if our class is going to get together for a 55 year reunion this summer or not but it would be fun to get to see her again. How about it class of “54” are we going to have a class reunion this summer?
Jerry Williams class of “54” with wife Kathy
