6/26/2012 (1524) | Dunseith Alumni

Folks,

I went and played a little pool with some friends this morning, so I am a little later than normal getting today’s blog out. A group of guys alternate playing pool at two of the guys home’s every Tuesday. They have been after me for quite sometime to join them. Unlike me, these guys are very good pool players. They make me feel good though with some of the accidental balls I sink.

Gary

Melford Hatling

Reply from Vickie Hiatt LaFontaine (’73): Grafton, ND

I so enjoyed the article about Melford Hatling, I cared for him @ San Haven and also after he moved to the geriatric unit @SDC in Grafton. Believe me he was loved by everyone that he came in touch with. What a flirt he loved the attention of the ladies.

Vickie Hiatt LaFontaine class 73

Memorial Day Week-end Trip to Dunseith

Don Martel (Principle) & Colleen Conroy Martel (’58): Rosemount, MN

Hi Gary,

Colleen (58) and I were in Dunseith and Rolette Memorial day weekend to decorate the graves of her parents (Ed & Florence Conroy) We were pleased to see the cemetery so nicely maintained and commend those who do the maintenance. A tour through the town seemed to indicate a decline in population, while the population of the cemetery grows every year.

We had lunch at Dale’s where we encountered several “old” friends from years past and got caught up on some of the latest happenings as well as reminiscing about things of the past. Of course I had my usual “Dale’s Burger. (I forgot what the new name for it is.) It was delicious as usual.

We stayed at the Skydancer hotel where we were told that they are in the process of building a new $30 million casino, so we contributed a little towards it. While there we met Colleen’s brother Don for dinner, who also had come to Dunseith to decorate the graves. I also encountered my cousin Jim Martel from Bottineau and some of his family. We always encounter friends and/or relatives there.

We also decorated my parents and brother’s graves at Sacred Heart cemetery north of Rolette. In 1972, my brother Rick was killed in a traffic accident and was the first one to be buried in the “new” cemetery, now it is nearly full after 40 years. Both cemeteries have the graves of many friends, relatives and neighbors. I also have my paternal Grandparents and several great aunts and uncles, buried at St. Mary’s cemetery in Maryville township, south of Belcourt.

Colleen has grandparents, aunts and uncles buried at the Crary, ND cemetery (east of Devils Lake). We also decorated those graves as there is no one else to tend to them.

All of the cemeteries were very nicely maintained

It is always a busy weekend and we try to do it every year.

Reply to Picture posted yesterday

From Joan Tremblay Johnson (’79): Dunseith, ND

Hello,

I don’t believe I’m related to this lady. It looks like her last name is spelled Trambley. My maiden name is spelled Tremblay. I have seen other versions even in relatives.

Hope all is well with you and please give Bernadette my best wishes.

Joan

Reply to Picture posted Yesterday

From Neola Kofoid Garbe: Bottineau & Minot, ND

Hi Gary,

The Frances Trambley in the Class of 1960 reunion picture is the daughter of the Trambley’s who owned, for many years, “Trambley’s Dry Cleaners” in Bottineau. Brian Trambley is my classmate; his sister, Virginia, was a year older; a younger brother, Garber, passed away several years ago. In the Centennial book, it states Mr. Trambley was born in Maxbass. He married Eva Marchand–possibly from Bottineau?

If I could type as quickly as Eileen does, I’d send Oliver (“OK”) and Eva’s entire article.

I wish there was a site where families’ information (from the Centennial Book) could be found/copied/pasted. I can locate copies of the index for the Centennial Book, but haven’t found a site where I can copy/paste the info.

Neola

Reply from Dick Johnson (’68): Dunseith, ND

Gary and Friends,

In response to the Junk Collection Ad and the mistake made on the
year, there may be a reason it happened but it should have been caught
before they printed more than one. The way the printing was done in
1942 was completely different than today. All printed material of that
time was done by manual typesetting. The typesetter had boxes of metal
letters and a rack/case that he had to place the letters in to make
sentences, etc. The kicker is that the letters/numbers were what you
might call ‘negative’ or ‘reverse’, as they came down from above on the
press to print the copy. So the poor typesetter had to read his rack
backwards as he was setting type. Try to read a paper in the mirror
sometime and see what he saw while setting type. Today there are just
as many errors and everything is done about the same way I am writing
this blog message. I am really disgusted with how many errors I run
across while reading newspapers. I guess they didn’t have Mrs. Foss for
English and Grammar. She would have never allowed that to be printed.�
Very seldom, to this day, do I here classmates from her classes say
things like, “I seen him.” or “I done that yesterday.” Mrs. Foss would
have said, “YOU WHAT?” It only took her a short time to have us
grammatically inline. This reminds me of a very old joke. The student
says something like “I ain’t seen my Grampa for a couple weeks” and the
teacher asks him, “Son, where is your grammar?” He says, “I don’t
know I ain’t seen her neither.” Thanks Gary!

Dick

A trip through the hills and the Area

Report from Doreen Larson Moran (BHS 61): Usk, WA & Hazelton, ND

Hi Gary – and All –

Vickie Metcalf definitely has the gift of story telling. Thank you for sharing with all of us on Gary’s Blog. I finally have started to read Lauraine Snelling and the Red River of the North Series. (Norwegian immigrants coming to America – NoDak/MN beginning in the 1880’s). Many of you have probably read these books but I kept putting off the series. This could be any of our ancestors – only the names and some of the places are changed.

Guess I should give a brief trip report of my five days in Bottineau and at the Larson Farm. I met Betty Wall Gilje at the Dairy Dipper II on Thursday afternoon when I arrived. We decided we would make a cemetery tour on Friday. Had a beautiful sunny day to walk the Nordland’s, Vinge and Salem final resting places of old friends, neighbors and relatives. We drove by the Ackworth and Little Prairie and saw they were neat and noted the quiet beauty for the final rest. All the cemeteries are very neat and well cared for – and it shows. I think we must have covered about 80 miles on our trek through the hills. We went a bit north of the farm on the Lake Road, then turned east and toured the south end of Loon Lake which now has several beautiful lake homes. Drove to the Vinge Cemetery then went north and east after leaving the old church yard and past my Lars Larson family homestead; the Norabergs; Lindbergs; then east to Pelican Lake and the Metigoshe Bible Camp. We just skirted the Long Lake homes. We can no longer refer to the lake places as cabins – they have advanced to a much higher plain than that. On that segment of the trip we did go past Pete and Ruth Petersons home place too.

Glen Rude met us at the Salem Church and cemetery. We were able to tour the refurbished Salem Church. Oh, yes, I checked – the old pump organ sounds lovely. Then we drove to Dunseith to Dale’s Cafe for a late lunch. On our return trip back through the hills, we drove the roads to the north of the Peace Garden Road – Highway 43 – Scenic By Way as it is now called. At south end of Boundary Lake we could see the very high water. One of the residents was out on a 4 wheeler and said that the Lake is ten feet higher than it would have been in the sixties when Bob and I went hunting. Or, Gary, how high you probably remember the water level when you lived back there. Betty and I came out to the Lake Loop Road on the south side of the State Park, turned right and stopped at the Lake Metigoshe Drive Inn for ice cream cones. This is just past the Narrows Bridge and park area for boat launch etc – the park is named in honor Ed Hoffas who left money for such a park. He loved to go fishing and wanted to make sure there would be an accessible place for the public.

On Saturday I had agreed to work the main Fair gate as a Forestry Alumnus – Dakota College now. I was on duty for almost four hours. It is fun to meet and greet the fair goers. The Espe’s came in and headed to the Lutheran Church food court. When I got there after a cold – very cold windy couple hours my hamburger and fried onions had been cooked by him; she was the order taker. Thought this should be a bit of news for the Blog. I had hoped to see Vickie Metcalf but our paths didn’t cross this time.

The rest of my days included a drive through the western hills to see the oil well activity – which is slow in Bottineau County at this time; visited with Loren and Evelyn Larson Olson just a couple more miles going west off the Peace Garden Road; worship services at Grace Lutheran Brethren in Bottineau – Pastor Luther Larson, Associate Pastor; pizza with Judy Marsden Nelson after church; breakfast at the Norway House on Monday with Betty and Judy. Just a relaxing time looking at the beautiful green grass of home; the green beauty of the trees in the hills and all around; the lakes filled with ducks and geese; seeing and visiting with some old friends and relatives.

Doreen,

Thank you so much for this very interesting run down of your trip through the hills and the area. You brought back so many memories for so many of us. I am glad that you were able to connect with Glen Rude at Salem. Salem is most certainly a model church and Cemetery too. Ralph Bjornseth refurbished that old organ at Salem. There was a detailed article and picture in the Bottineau Courant a few years back explaining the process and details he went through dismantling and refurbishing this Organ.

I have heard so many good reports about how nice all of the Cemeteries in the area look. How wonderful.

You mentioned the Espe’s working at the Lutheran lunch booth at the fair. I am assuming this was Terry and LeaRae. I’ll bet Terry did prepare a good Hamburger for you too. I’ll bet LeaRae did an excellent job serving it too. They are both such friendly folks too. We certainly enjoyed Terry and LeaRae on the Dunseith Caribbean Cruise this past February.

Thanks again Doreen for sharing this wonderful experiance with us.

Gary

San Haven postings

From Susan Fassett Martin (’65): Spearfish SD

I told Brenda Hoffman that I would try to find somethings to post on San Haven. I have a lot of articles about the fight to keep it open. This is from “The San Piper” newspaper that was put out by the san and this is dated December 14, 1987.

Thanks to Vickie Metcalfe for her email on her family and Rabbit City. Anyone else–Marshall or Lloyd Awalt? I think you had shard some with Crystal at one time.

Hugs and prayers, Susan

I see Dr. Kester was the Superintendent from January 1970 to July 1973. I believe he is Jim (Connie Halvorson ’64) Kester’s father.

Karen Loeb Mhyre’s father was Dr. Loeb, Superintendent from January 1951 to July 1958.

Gary

This is the San Haven grounds — this was also in the San Piper.

Billie Fasset, Susan’s dad and his brother, Norman.

They had been playing tennis on the courts at the San.

Billie worked up there in the kitchen for awhile