Gary and Friends,Most of the folks reading these messages will probably remember Axel
Johnson. He was my Grandpa Hans Johnson’s older brother and worked at
Dales cleaning and watching things at night. There are some things folks
may not have ever heard about Axel. He was married to a young lady by
the name of Mary Olson, who died in the flu epidemic in 1918. I think
she was only about 20 when she died. She is buried in the old cemetery
southeast of our place on the corner of Peterson’s land. Axel was
single for many years before he remarried to Bernice Kelly in the late
1930s. During that time he was a local game warden and one time chased
an illegal trapper until the guy climbed a tree. Axel told him to come
down because he was going to ‘yail’, as Axel would have said in his
Norwegian brogue! The guy said he wasn’t coming down so Axel tied his
dog to the tree [mean dog] and then went to Bob Lambs and borrowed an ax
and chopped the tree down and took the guy to jail! He used to tell the
story about when he was in the hardware store in Dunseith and saw a guy
jump into the back of his old pickup to steal a case of beer that Axel
had bought for the ‘fort of yuly’, as he would say. He grabbed a steel
scoop shovel and whacked the guy over the head with it. He used to tell
us, ” It roong like da bell on da catlic church”. One other story he
liked to tell, was when the snow got so deep in the creek coulee east of
the farm, that the rabbits ate the top branches off the trees and left
them bare. He said the next fall some hunters from Minnesota asked him
what happened to the trees along the creek? He said,”I told them it was
the hungry rabbits last vinter, and they said, what the hell kind of
rabbits you got up here!” He had the loudest laugh and ended most of his
stories with a laugh! I couldn’t get to the end of most of his stories
without busting out laughing! He was born in Norway, as was my Grandpa
and their sister Louise. Axel and Grandpa never really lost the brogue,
it was fun to hear them talk! Grandpa said, “By the time I learned to
say ‘telewision’ they changed it to ‘t-we’! I have a hundred more
stories of Axel and Grandpa Hans, but maybe later!! Again, thank you Gary!
Johnson. He was my Grandpa Hans Johnson’s older brother and worked at
Dales cleaning and watching things at night. There are some things folks
may not have ever heard about Axel. He was married to a young lady by
the name of Mary Olson, who died in the flu epidemic in 1918. I think
she was only about 20 when she died. She is buried in the old cemetery
southeast of our place on the corner of Peterson’s land. Axel was
single for many years before he remarried to Bernice Kelly in the late
1930s. During that time he was a local game warden and one time chased
an illegal trapper until the guy climbed a tree. Axel told him to come
down because he was going to ‘yail’, as Axel would have said in his
Norwegian brogue! The guy said he wasn’t coming down so Axel tied his
dog to the tree [mean dog] and then went to Bob Lambs and borrowed an ax
and chopped the tree down and took the guy to jail! He used to tell the
story about when he was in the hardware store in Dunseith and saw a guy
jump into the back of his old pickup to steal a case of beer that Axel
had bought for the ‘fort of yuly’, as he would say. He grabbed a steel
scoop shovel and whacked the guy over the head with it. He used to tell
us, ” It roong like da bell on da catlic church”. One other story he
liked to tell, was when the snow got so deep in the creek coulee east of
the farm, that the rabbits ate the top branches off the trees and left
them bare. He said the next fall some hunters from Minnesota asked him
what happened to the trees along the creek? He said,”I told them it was
the hungry rabbits last vinter, and they said, what the hell kind of
rabbits you got up here!” He had the loudest laugh and ended most of his
stories with a laugh! I couldn’t get to the end of most of his stories
without busting out laughing! He was born in Norway, as was my Grandpa
and their sister Louise. Axel and Grandpa never really lost the brogue,
it was fun to hear them talk! Grandpa said, “By the time I learned to
say ‘telewision’ they changed it to ‘t-we’! I have a hundred more
stories of Axel and Grandpa Hans, but maybe later!! Again, thank you Gary!
Dick
.
.
Thank you Ellen. Hopefully we can get those other 3 identified. Gary
.
.
Gary,
A few comments/corrections in the band names. I was in the band in 1956 and have been identified.
The front row people are all identified correctly. I don’t know why there is a question mark by Marjorie Landsverk but that is Marjorie.
In row two Colleen Conroy is named correctly but her first name is misspelled. Also Shirley LaRocque is next to Jackie Spaeth and Connie Bedard is between Susan Brew and Joanne Kester.
In the back row I can’t identify the flute player, the small person, or girl, but the one between small person and Ronnie Link is Barbara Bott (NOT LOUELLA KALK). Curt Halvorson and Neva Haagenson are correctly identified. Dwayne Lang’s name is misspelled (NOT DUANE)
I’m thinking small person must be from David Shelver’s class. The flute playermay be someone who lived at San Haven. The girl looks familiar – I wonder if Dwayne Lang or David Shelver remember who the female trombone player was?
Ellen (Graff – 58) Myrick
.
Picture L to R: 1956 DHS Band
Front row: Gayle Bedard, Caroleen Lider, Janice Lacroix, Marjorie Landsverk, Lowell Williams, Lois Hiatt.
Row two: Karen Woodford, Colleen Conroy?, Gerald Lamoureux, Marlene Schneider, Duane Woodford, Jackie Spaeth,
Shirley LaRocque, Susan Brew, Connie Bedard, Joanne Kester.
Back row: Charlie Ericson, Wally Longie, Small person?, Barbara Bott, Ronnie Link, Lowell Leonard, Dwight Lang,
Curt Halvorson?, Don Conroy, Neva Haagenson?, John Morgan, Ellen Graff, BIG DAVE SHELVER, Patsy Smith, DuWayne Lang?
