Folks,
I got a message from Al & Kathy (Barbara) Kalk (65) Lopez letting me know that they plan on attending our reunion on May 22nd. Kathy was unable to attend our 2007 reunion, so it will be nice to see her and Al. It’s been 45 years since most of us have seen Barbara.
Kathy (Barbara as we all remember you), It will be so nice to see you again. Gary
Kathy (Barbara) Kalk & Al lopez
Kathy & Al’s children – 2008
History Memories:
From Gary Metcalfe (57): Forsyth, MO
Hello all, I guess one opinion is as good as another, so here goes some opinions. I believe the one trait that most people on the blog can thank the early settlers for was sheer nerve and spirit of adventure. Without the PP&MM book we would have lost contact with the past in so many ways. I read somewhere that Louis Bergan was the oldest child and came from Norway at one year old and that there were about six or seven other children. Then I could not remember where I had read this so I looked through the PP&MM again and saw were three or four of the Bergan’s went to Willow Lake School. Then I found an early settlers, Hans Bergan who settled in Holmes Twsp. where we lived.
Then I found a George Hack, who was an earlier settler on land that Boardman’s and Sal Schneider occupied in our later years. This might explain your mystery man, Emil Hack.
I read about people like Jim Penny, Joe Renauld, and others just like them in that area south of Dunseith. My mother lived neighbors to them in the old days. She was fascinated with Joe’s ability to roll a cigarett with one hand, he blew the other off with a shot gun. Read his story in the PP&MM.
You can find a story in there about my old friend, Maggie Cassidy’s hubby when he was 9 years old, written by a supreme court judge. Tom was a hero. So to the Wenstad girl who bought the book, PP&MM, it may take you 10 years or more as it did me to really get into it, but that is alright.
To Allen Richard, Pete Richard’s store was known as the Variety Store to us. He was always on the job with his bolo tie and big rings on his fingers. Norman Richard spent the winter of 1945 or 46 up on our farm. Tough duty, no electricity, snowed in while we went back to Seattle for the winter.
Read about Frank and Julian Peltier’s grandfather. He had money and did not need to move to ND. Dakota was not much different than when I lived there, frozen solid in the winter and mosquitoes in the summer. We had to build a smudge to even have a 4H meeting in those days. One person had to weild a dish towel so the crew could eat dinner, flies you know.
Bonnie Awalt Houle if you read about your grandparents and also Clint Anderson, you will see why you are a survivor. I will talk about Clint Anderson later.
We haven’t even mentioned the guy who always said, “Holy Baldheaded” when he got excited. He also would say, “Holy Cat”. I have a feeling Floyd Dion will know who I am talking about.
This is getting too long. Thank you Gary, sure do appreciate you and all you do for us. Gary Metcalfe
The old lumber Yard & Story:
From Dick Johnson (68): Dunseith, ND.
Gary,
One old story about a deal at the old Great Plains lumber yard, is
worth telling, I think. This is the lumber yard that was mentioned in
recent messages and was located where the Dunseith post office is now.
The back side of the lumberyard building was right up against the alley
behind the bank. I remember how cars would splash mud against the
building when they went down the alley. There was a time when Isadore
(Zike) Boguslawski bought scrap iron and batteries at the old lumber
yard building. There was a little kid ( won’t mention his name) in
Dunseith who found a few old batteries and brought them to Zike to make
a few dollars. One day someone had turned into the alley and slid their
car into the back wall and knocked a hole in the wall right behind the
batteries. This kid was coming up the alley with a battery in the box of
his wagon and found the hole, with the batteries just sitting there for
the taking. He crawled in and set a few batteries out in the alley and
loaded them in his wagon and then went around front and sold them to
Zike. He did this several days until Zike figured this kid sure was
finding a lot of junk batteries for a young kid, so Zike marked a few
batteries and sure enough, they showed up! The part of the story that is
interesting is that the kid had a given name but since that day in the
’60s, he has only been known as ‘Potlicker’. This is what Zike was
calling him as he chased him around town trying to get close enough to
give him a whooping! To this day, he is called ‘Potlicker’! Thanks Gary!
Dick
Turtle Mountain Country School Reunion:
Posted by Linda Gardner: Washington, DC
Hi Gary – I had a call today from Tom Hagan. He asked if you could rerun the announcement about the Turtle Mountain Country School Reunion as he had lost the original e-mail. The announcement is attached.
I’m also attaching a picture of the snow we had over the weekend. I live about 20 miles west of Washington, DC and for the second time in the last couple of months we got hit with a bad snow storm – a little over 3 feet. The mound of snow you see in the attached picture between the lamp post and mail box is my car!! Looks a lot like ND don’t you think. Federal Government is closed tomorrow as public transportation is still not up and running!!!
Thanks, Gary for all your help!
Linda, That is quite a snow storm you guys had. The snow is piled up pretty high on the mail box and the cars.
I have pasted the Reunion annoucement and registration form below. Gary
Turtle Mountain Country School Reunion
July 10, 2010
Plans are underway to hold a Turtle Mountain Country School Reunion on July 10, 2010, at the Twin Oaks Resort & Convention Center atLakeMetigoshe.Anyone who attended a country school in theTurtleMountains or is interested in celebrating an educational life style of the past is welcome to attend.The cost is $42.00 per person.Reservations and advance payment are required.Please fill out the form below and mail to:
Linda Gardner
3059 Sugar Lane
Vienna, VA22181
|
TurtleMountainCountrySchoolReunion Registration Form
|
|
Name
|
|
|
Address
|
|
|
Country School
|
|
|
Number of Participants
|
|
Checks should be made payable to Linda Gardner and mailed with the registration form to the address above by June 1, 2010.
Registration will begin at 3 PM; Social Hour 4-6:30 PM and dinner will be served from 6:30 – 8 PM.
If you are interested in helping organize this event, have memorabilia to share at this event, or have questions, please contact Linda at:
Telephone:703/636-6392
E-mail:lgardner9@cox.net.
Posted by Sharron Gottbreht Shen (59): Everett, WA.
The pixie girl attached is DeAnn Gottbreht at age 5, Clear Lake Canada! It seems right to send a second posting today in view of the generosity of Verena and Pete Gillis who know full well the rough road of cancer. I spoke with Ernie and Cheryl yeaterday; DeAnn and Patrick and the kindness of Verena and all volunteers were the first and foremost subject. Praise God, all continues well. Thank you friends. Sharron
Daughter of Ernie Gottbreht (65) and Brenda Hill Mueller (70):
DeAnn Gottbreht – 1987
Dick Johnson & Sharron Gottbreht – Conversation about the Schneiderman’s Haagenson’s & others.
Posted by Sharron Gottbreht Shen (59): Everett, WA.
Kind of Dick to think I could incorporate this data on the Haagensons and Schneidermans. I reviewed what I sent and see several typos and grammar problems. I doubt I can be trusted, Dick! Besides, you have first hand knowledge of the terrible events that affected their lives. I should have mentioned that the Schneidermans had moved to Rolette County sometime after the 1930 census. Their centennial entries appear in the Bottineau County book. Obviously, Art Schneiderman and family belong with us! I cannot pinpoint the “Beaver Dam” area, but it must be as Dick ably describes. Many thanks, Sharron
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 2010 10:35:22 -0600
From: djcars@hughes.net
To: sharron_shen@msn.com
Subject: Re:
Thanks Sharron! One local input item, Schneidermans lived on a farmstead in the Turtle Mts. just south of Rendahl Church. There is still a house standing there. It is located one mile west of the Willow Lake Road and just a short distance north of Elvin Haagenson’s farmstead. I got to know Earl Schneiderman while I was over in my wife’s home town of Sherwood. He was Art’s son, I believe. He rented a trailer house site from my father-in-law and later built a new home right next door to them. Earl said they/he lived in the Turtle Mts. on this farm until he entered the army in 1961. He gave me a ’56 Chevy car that he had left on the place and so that’s how I knew where it was located. Earl died a few years ago. He was divorced and lived with his son, Tim. Tim was one of the young fireman who were burned terribly in an oil field fire several years ago. His face is disfigured but he was one of the lucky ones. Two died from burns and one other is very disfigured. It was on the same land that my wife’s uncle farmed and he was there when the final explosion happened. Terrible tragedy for such a small town.The lightening caused the fire and Brenda’s uncle saw the primary fire and called the fire dept. He was really traumatized by the accident, as I’m sure most people would have been. Just thought that you could maybe use this information while doing the research. Thanks.
Dick
Sharron Shen wrote:
Thank you Dick Johnson for expanding on what we now know of the Schwabe family. In addition to Hans Schwabe who was 19 in 1930, his brother Christ, absent from home, was age 30. This rings a bell and I will check for a Christ Schwab in the TMS. I too made the association of Schwab/Schwabe. Although the father Wm Schwabe, of Louis, Christ and Hans was born in Denmark, his parents were born in Germany. Wm P Schwab, salesman at the lMarchand/Watkins lumber yard for many years, was born in Iowa, parents born in Germany. Many families altered the spelling of there names on arrival USA – Gottbreht/Gottbrecht. The Schwabe/Haagenson names were often associated. I only checked the family of Hans and Ida Haagenson who lived in Gilbert Twp. Hans was 54, Ida 56; children still at home in Gilbert Twp were Willard age 24, his wife, Erma 20, their baby Raymond 11/12; and Alvin youngest son of Hans, age 17. The Haagensons were neighbors of Lillie Kotchevar on one side and Anton Gunville followed by Gilbert Rude on the other; Art Rude was age 6. I sure want to take a second look for teachers, neighbors, ministers who lived near Art Rude; a man among men and anchor of his community.
According to the centennial bio of Wm P Schwab and Hattie Hurst, they had 2 children. Ethyl, 23 in 1930, was married to Wm Gottbreht Jr, also age 23. They lived next door to Ethyl’s parents with their baby daughter Marilyn. I did not note Bill’s employment listed in the census but he did work at the hardware store Higgins and Gottbreht and he also served as USPS carrier from time to time. I must check other files to see of all 3 of their children were born in ND. Their 3rd generation Bill was about EJ’s age. Dale Gottbreht owned the home south of Wm P Schwab and may have purchased it from Wm Jr. This house may have been known as the Thomas home prior to 1930? Mom talked about making sauerkraut with Grandpa Geo G in the small structure at the back of this house! The sloping garden area behind the homes of Gottbreht/Schwab/Tennancour were huge per my childish assessment – Wm P Schwab’s cabbages were amazing.
I found Arthur H Schniederman renting in Bottineau Co, Wheaton Twp in 1930. He and his parents were born in MN. His wife Marie E. age 29 was also b in MN as were her parents. You may remember that Charlotte, age 37, wife of Louis Schwabe was born in MN. I went after the name in MN and have misplace the notes! What surprised me about the census taker in MN of that lost work, his record of towns in Norway where folks haled from! What a boon to historians who try for data after a century or more.
Thanks Dick and Gary. Sharron
