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From Lois Lilleby Fielding (51):
Hi to all: We are home from visiting children and grandchildren during December and from Costa Rica during January–where we studied and lived with a family.
We had felt some small rumbles in the earth a few times before the big earthquake occurred (6.2) and we ran out of the house to the back yard, where we swayed back and forth with the earth for a short time, I even felt nauseous. North of San Jose at Volcan Poas occurred massive damage and some people have never been found and several communities were wiped out. The T.V. news, of course carried it constantly and the people of C.R. came to the rescue as best they could. I even saw a large monkey run into the arms of an animal rescuer. It was very touching. Volcan Poas is again open for visitors, but the devastation of the roads and beautiful mountains and streams is great–just in that area. The rest of C. R. is okay. About 30 volcanologists were studying Poas in the crator when it cccurred, but they all came out unharmed. Happy New Year to all! Lois Lilleby Fielding Reply from Lloyd Awalt (44):
Hi Gary, Here is my answer to Dick.
Hello Dick Johnson,
1960 is when Bill Teal retired from the depot, Bill Teal almost never drove, he always got someone else to drive for him.. Bill and Irene moved down next to Jack and Minnie Flynn. Ray Hagel took his place as depot agent. Yes I remember putting pennies on the train tracks and having the train flatten them, so you weren’t the first to do that and you sure weren’t the last. Doing that sure made a penny look like it could be worth more than one cent didn’t it!
My Dad John Awalt bought the Dray Line in 1931 from Ike Berg. We used horses to haul the freight, we hauled everything, coal, ashes, and ice besides what came in on the train. During the Christmas Season is was not unusual to haul as many as three truck loads of mail up to the San Haven. Coal was a big part of the business because almost all homes, stores and the school was heated by coal. The coal had to be pushed from the train cars into the coal sheds and later loaded onto the wagon or truck and hauled to it’s destination. The bucket you pushed it with by hand was no easy chore, and sometimes if you hit a nail in the floor as you were pushing it was a bugger of a quick stop. Dad sold the Dray Line in 1943.
Lloyd Awalt
Reply from Janice Leonard Workman (56):
Hi everybody, hope you all are getting ready for spring. Surely it must be on the way!!!
Elaine Watkins died just 1 month after my sister Corinne. Both were mentally challenged. It was interesting to hear of Elaine’s ability to remember things,
because Corinne could also. She remembered all the relatives’ birthdays, anniversaries, and she could also tell you how old people were. My mother used
to say, if it weren’t for Corinne, nobody would have gotten birthday cards from her. Corinne did not attend public school, although that was tried and failed, but she did have a
tutor come to the house for a time. That was Elinor Fuchs and she made a big improvement in Corinne’s life. Elinor taught her to read enough so she could find things in
the newspaper. Especially she would look to see who was in the hospital from Dunseith. As Mom was writing the news for the TMS, that was a big help. One of the things
about Elaine, when we were younger, was that we would sit together at the movies, way down in front. She wasn’t always as friendly as she was as she got older, but
mostly we managed to get along. She and Corinne were much more compatible. I don’t remember Bud so well, but I knew his folks better as they were often in the Crystal
Café when I worked there. Bud was pretty quiet, but friendly.
I really think Gary Metcalf gives Bonnie and I a lot of credit as I see our names in his messages pretty often. Thanks, Gary, you are alright!!!
Adrian Egbert was a character around town. He was the father of my aunt, Margaret Lilleby who was just the best aunt to have in this world. She and Louis drove a
taxi in Dunseith for a number of years before moving to Washington. They lived in the house the Dick Johnson’s folks had before moving to their farm. Eventually my
brother Lowell owned that house. The house was right across from Adrian’s Northern Hotel. Adrian’s woodpile was always a temptation on Halloween, and my
friends were involved in several “tricks” there. Dorothy (Adrian’s second wife) and my mother were friends and visited often. When Mom wanted to sell the house we
had lived in (get this, which was built by Adrian) Dorothy bought it for $2000. What a deal!! Donald and his wife lived in the last I knew.
Enough for now. Take care. Janice Leonard Workman, class of 1956 rules!!!!
Reply from Gary Metcalfe (57):
Re: Modeste Lagimodiere
Modeste’s homestead was about 1 1/2 miles south of Rapid City Lake and one mile off #3 highway. Louis Riel Jr. was son of Julie Lagimodiere and Louis Riel Sr. If Alice Bergan doesn’t have a picture of Alcide, what with Alcide babysitting her kids all those years, then I guess we are out of luck. People reading this would get a lot more out of it if there was a picture. Melvin Cook, someone out there may know what family brought him to the area. I am guessing maybe the Anderson’s. On those swimming adventures on Rabbit City Lake, they would look way over on the other side of the lake, and say “there he is”. Melvin swam like a duck, staying under water so long, they wondered where he was at. I think he had some other talents too. About 1947 Dad introduced me to a man named Fred Morin. He had a big star, a big hat and he was a rather striking figure of a man, this was up on the Jack Rabbitt Trail north of Dunseith. As I read his story in Prairie Past and Mountain Memories, one could easily write a book on his life of 104 years. I thought Fred did a lot of his duty on foot? For sure Wilbur Hall did his work on horseback on the Canadian Border when we first came back to the farm. Things really were changing fast in the 40’s. Reply from Colette Hosmer (64):
Cousin Bob,
I liked your memory/letter which included Elaine Watkins very much. I have added this image of you to my file of “cousin Bob Hosmer memories” in my head. That’s one of the great things about this communal “blog”. It enables us all to build a more complete picture of those who contributed to our lives.
Thanks to you, the “Fassett Boys” and others, my memory of Elaine has filled-out considerably.
Colette
Susan, I forgot to attack the pictures when I posted the following message with #355. Sorry about that. Gary
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 Irene Fassett & Elaine Watkins Dancing – Paula Fassett on couch
Elaine Watkins – 1940
Elaine Watkins – 1940
Elaine Watkins – 1940
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Dunseith Alumni
Official Blog of the Dunseith, ND Alumni
