I am so proud of my North Dakota background. I always have been of course…but this last week more than ever. Thoughts of courage, bravery, get ‘er done, love of home and family come to mind when I see the flood info on national news. Many of my family members live in Bismarck and surrounding areas and I received my undergraduate degrees from NDSU. North Dakota is my true home. My heart goes out to those who have been or will be impacted by the floods.
My heart goes out to everyone in North Dakota who is touched in any way by the flooding. This morning on a local Twin Cities radio station I heard a report by one of their reporters who is in Fargo (getting in the way) reporting on the flooding. She had been to the Fargo dome in the middle of the night and had nothing but praise for the spirit of the people who where there helping with the sandbagging. She also had very positive comments on the spirit of the people of not only Fargo, but of surrounding communities and seemed in awe of the volunteers from all around who showed up to help and are determined to stay until the last minute possible.
My sister Crystal’s oldest son, Aaron Gunderson, lives in Fargo. As the flood waters are dangerously close to Aaron’s neighborhood and gradually creeping closer, today he is loading up his wife and four children and evacuating them to Grandma Crystal’s in Walhalla. To Aaron and anyone else who is in a similar situation – we pray for the safety of you and your family. I hope to be able to get up there with my shovel and help with the cleanup!!!
PaulaFassett
Updated Flood Conditions From Barbara Clark Olson, Fargo, ND
Folks, this letter was forwarded to me by Barbara’s mother, Vivian (Dave (Deceased) Clark. Vivian lives 5 miles SW of Bottineau on the original Dave Clark ‘Short Horn’ Cattle Ranch.
We have just finished another day of hard labor. Our house is on the wrong side of the contingency dike. If everything holds and the flood crests at 42 or 43 feet we will be ok. If dikes start to break, 42 feet will put water in our basement. 43 feet may or may not hit our first floor. It will probably hit the floor joists. Anything over 43.5 or 44 we will probably have water and inch or two of water on our first floor. It all depends on how it spreads out. The folks from Grand Forks cleared out our basement. Other than metal shelves it is completely empty. Everything is in our livingroom/dining room, Ross’s Office, and the garage. Most of the stuff in the garage is in the trailer. Just some old furniture, file cabinets etc. is on the floor.
We are packing our suitcases and organizing to evacuate. There is currently a voluntary evac with a possible mandatory evacuation within the next 24 hours.
Our plan is to evac to Detroit Lakes. We will stay at a hotel for the first night or two until we can have the water turned on at the cabin.
More later
Reply from Gary Metcalfe (57): Forsyth, MO
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To Doreen Bailey
Thanks for the dated picture, and yes all the Metcalfe’s started out in Hillside Township. Little Bill that you have seen pictures of was from the first family, then there were hers and theirs. I know that if you want to understand an area and the people you need to go over and over and over. It took twenty years for my mind to realize how I was really related to the other two parts of that family. So my dad was in school with all Mahlon Bailey’s kids. Then the old stories continued on for another 25 years in the county seat at Rolla. Dad worked with Hulda Bailey in the ASC office. She was Harvey’s wife who was Vance’s uncle. I am sure those Rolla people heard plenty of stories about Hillside Township.
Clint Anderson would have a story or two similiar to this one because he did the same thing as a matter of survival, just ten years earlier. One morning in about 1929, my dad and his younger brother Archie had the usual load of wood, poles about 25 ft. in length on a bob sleigh, pulled of course by a team of horses. They had to cut and load that day and take it to town for sale. No chain saws in those days. Scotch Annie was out at the mailbox and she said, “Do you boys know how cold it is this morning?” she said, “It’s 52 degrees below zero.” I have never forgotten something that my dad said. Mr. Gottbrecht told them that if you can’t get your money for the wood uptown, just bring it to the mill and put it on my pile. He was their insurance policy and one person that made things work. Dale had an enormous lot of business in him, but I think young George surpassed them all for a full lifetime of giving to Dunseith. Yes, Mr. Dunseith.
Gary Metcalfe
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Grenier Auction sale posted by Neola KofoidGarbe: Minot & Bottineau, ND
Gary & Pennie (69) Kester Grenier
USS New York Pictures provided by Alden Allard (59): LAS VEGAS, NV
Here SHE is, the USS New
York, made from the
World
Trade
Center !
