I have the picture of them outside the log building but can’t find it
right now. Those were the good old days? I don’t think so! I think
the picture was probably taken in 1912, buy more likely 1913 because my
dad was born April 22, 1911. I have heard two versions about the
building, one was a cabin (whose?) and one was a smoke house. Take your
pick. I had never seen the “Rough Riders” picture. Interesting. Sorry
I missed you when I was home last month. It was going to be then or not
at all.

Dale

I remember Minda Haagenson, Dick Rybacek, and there are so many other colorful characters from the Turtle Mt area. Love to hear the memories. Merry Christmas to all and may God bless you in the new year.

Hugs, Susan

In reply to Colette Hosmer’s question. Your Dad’s Jeep could very
well be a ’54. They didn’t change the looks much from ’47-’60. I
remember him driving his Jeep and also Lucien Bedard driving a brown one
that was nearly identical except for the color. They both hunted ducks
up by our farm and were frequently seen going or coming in the Jeeps. I
think your dad had a big black lab that retrieved ducks for him, if I
remember right. They and the Lamoureux brothers and Dale Gottbreht had a
favorite spot between Horseshoe Lake and Sucker Lake on a little hill
where the bluebills would fly over. There is still shotgun shell brass
on the ground there. The shells were paper with a brass base so the
paper is long gone, but I constantly find brass whenever I walk in that
area. There was a common courtesy of stopping in at the farm to tell
Grandpa that they would like to hunt ducks. Many times they would come
back with a couple cleaned ducks or some other small token of gratitude
for letting them hunt on the land. I remember them giving Grandpa some
Prince Albert tobacco once and he was very grateful for their gesture.
He never expected anything in return, but this really showed their
honest gratitude.

I do remember the old sleeping bags. I still have one that is goose
down and is stamped U.S. on the front. Mom ordered it from the ‘Sioux
Falls Army- Navy Store’ and I first used it in 1960 to go to camp in
Minnesota. I have used it many times and once slept in it in Wyoming up
on Black Mountain around 9000 ft. I wore all my clothes but was actually
not cold, although we were told later that the temperature was way below
zero that night. We were hunting elk in the Bighorn Mountains in
November.We hung a tarp over a pole between two trees and made a
makeshift tent, but no heat. It gets cold up that high on a clear night.
That old sleeping bag did its job! Thanks, Colette, for the interesting
insight on your camping adventures! Good memory! Thanks Gary!

Dick