|
Email address change for Dick Johnson (68):
Gary and Friends,
Today we got hooked up to DSL, so things are good! My new email address is :
With the many folks reading this blog, I thought it would be a good
place to post this change. Please change my address folks so I don’t miss your individual messages. Thanks! Dick
From Bernice Belgarde (72):
Hi Gary,
I cannot find the newsletter that told the story of Alcide Lajimodere. It might have been #347 but I cannot retrieve it because my delete file cleared out my deletions too soon. Can you resend me the article on Alcide? Denise Lajimodere would like to know who wrote the article. I sent her the story but did not put in the email the narrator of this story. I just want to say chi mii-gwitch (a big thank you) for providing us the history of Dunseith, ND. I lived a different life in Dunseith coming from a native american home and I know a lot of the people there. My life as a youth and teenager does different from what the white students and people did there. Yet it is very interesting to see how they seen life in Dunseith. Bernice Belgarde – Class of 1972
Reply from Susan Fassett Martin (65):
Gary Metcalfe mentioned Elaine Watkins. She was born Jan 1st 1938 to
Helen Amundson and Roy Watkins. She was a sister to Murl Hill, Jeannine Robert, and Carol Carbonneau. She died in 1993 peacefully in her bed at home on the farm north of Dunseith. She never fully developed mentally beyond about a 10- 12 year old mentality, but I believer God sent her into our family to teach us love and understanding and tolerance. She loved all of us kids (cousins Tim Hill, Charles Carbonneau, Susan Fassett, and all our siblings. We used to tease her unmercifully when we were kids, but she loved us anyway. Charlie, Mark Andersen, and I used to take her out on Lake Metigoshe in the boat (Charlie driving) and we would make her sit on one side and then Charlie would turn sharply so the edge of the boat was nearly touching the water, just to make Elaine squeal. She loved to tease the roosters and they would chase her when she came out of the house. I’m sure Carol can tell many stories about her and also Murl and Jeannine. These pictures are in my collection, of Elaine in 1940 when she was 2. The one of her dancing is with my mother, Irene Fassett, her cousin. Mom was teaching her to dance and that was at our house on the corner in Dunseith(Paula sitting on the couch.) We had lots of good times with her. I like to think that she and mom and dancing in heaven along with lots of other relatives who have gone home ahead of us. God Bless, Hugs and prayers, Susan Reply from Paula Fassett (71):
Hi All… Gary Metcalfe mentioned Elaine Watkins, so I decided to add my two cents. Elaine was my cousin – actually my Mom’s first cousin. My mother was Irene (Watkins) Fassett. Her mother – Gudrun Amundson – and Helen (Amundson) (Watkins) Nelson were sisters. Helen is Elaine’s mother – and mother of Murl Hill, Carol Carbonneau and Jeannine Robert. ( I hope my sister Susan replies, too – she is the historian of the family.) Helen worked at Hosmer’s for many, many years so I’m sure a lot of you remember her. Elaine, in this day and age, would most likely be diagnosed “developmentally disabled”. Although that is the way the medical profession most likely saw her, to our family she was most certainly a treasure. And Elaine was smart in many, many ways. She rarely forgot a birthday or anniversary. She could probably have told you the family lineage of most of the people in the Turtle Mountains. And clever – man, could she tell the jokes – some that would make you blush!!! AND she could play the harmonica!! In her later years, Elaine resided in Minot and I’m sure that many Dunseith residents who were at one time or another hospitalized in Minot can tell of Elaine coming to pay them a visit!! She kept an eye on the patient list in the Minot Daily News! She missed very few weddings, anniversary celebrations and/or funerals. Elaine loved to chat on the phone, and although Aunt Helen would tell her not to make so many calls every day, sure enough the phone would ring and after you said hello, there would be a pause, then Elaine’s throaty voice, saying “Mother just went to the barn, so I can’t talk long”. One of my favorite Elaine “tales” is of Tim Hill (who is her nephew) at a time he was going to school in Grand Forks, I believe it was. Elaine was probably in Grafton? Tim wouldn’t give her his phone number for fear he would be inundated with calls, but he would pick her up on weekends that he was going home and take her along. Well, Elaine wasn’t satisfied with that plan – and she knew the street address of where Tim was renting. So she went through the Grand Forks phone book – line by line – until she found the address and Voila! Tim got a phone call! THAT is perseverance! Elaine passed away a few years ago – I think she was about 65 years old. She was quite a character. I think you could ask anyone who was related to her – or a friend or a neighbor who knew her – and they’ll have a humorous tale of Elaine! Paula Fassett
Reply to Gary Metcalfe from Jerry Williams (54):
Yes Gary I do remember Elaine Watkins. She was what in today world be would termed as mentally challenged. Back than we unfortunately had much more derogatory terms for her. She was teased by many of the students back than. I believe that in today’s world with the classes that we have for the mentally challenged she could have fit into our society.
There has been allot of talk about the past teachers from Dunseith School System. The one that I remember the most was my 6th grade teacher Mrs. Conroy. I had the greatest respect for her and she will always remain “Mrs.” Conroy to me. Of all the teachers that I have had in the past, both in Dunseith and in college Mrs. Conroy was, to me, the most outstanding and she had a profound impact on my life. Even though she has passed on thank you Mrs. Conroy from the bottom of my heart.
And yes Gary I am about 3 or 4 years older than you and I still remember you. If I remember right you were on the football team the fall of 1953. Am I right? You may have been on the basketball team as well, however my role on the BB team was bench warmer (at best).
Reply from Don Aird (Carroll Carlson’s nephew):
I’m sure you’ve covered the Peace Gardens in some of the earlier posts. My Dad, Don Aird Sr., helped build the Peace Gardens with the CCCs. Every Memorial Day we would come to Dunseith to put flowers on the Carlson graves at the Little Prairie Cemetery. Then we would go to the Peace Gardens. Dad would spend most of a day just going back to the places he remembered. One story Dad told me that you may not have heard had to do with Kelvin and the switchboard. Everyone was on the same “party line”. Ease dropping was common. The commandant for the CCCs had to make a report once a month to Washington using the phone. When he called Washington lots of folks picked up their phones to listen in. When they did that they drained the electricity powering the system so the report couldn’t be made. The commandant finally rang up everyone on the line and told them if they would wait he would call them all back and give them the same report he was making to Washington. So every month there were two reports one, to Washington and one to the ease droppers on the line.
Sybil Johnson’s reply to Gary:
My birthday is July 2 and I also have 2 family members in July. My cousin is 6 days younger than me and we were
raised almost like sisters. Sybil
Reply/picture from Randy Hiatt:
Gary, I have attached a picture of my step father Leroy Birkland and his wife Alice, and one of Wades sons so some of the folks can see. This was taken when I was back last December to visit him in Bottineau. I hadn’t seen my step dad in many years so it was really nice getting back and visiting with him. I took dad for a drive up in the hills and stopped to see Freddy Hiatts old farm by Willow Lake. A lot had change with that farm from the way I remember it when I was a kid visiting. The big red barn was gone and a lot of the out buildings as well.
I am still trying to figure out how this blog works in regards to what I type and what is posted. If I post a few things I will get the hang of it. I have lots of other pictures that people would probably be interested in seeing so let me know which way would be the best way to post them.
Thanks for everything Randy Hiatt
|
Dunseith Alumni
Official Blog of the Dunseith, ND Alumni
