Thank you so much Keith for this wonderful compliment. I’ve got to get some anti swelling medication to bring the swelling down in my head. I don’t get a swelled head easily or that often. At least that is what I try to think. You’ve got a wonderful way with words. I hope I’m at least part of what you said. Yes, you and I came from the same neighborhood. In our high school days your family moved to the old Stokes place then known as the Thompson place, the family of your mother Ella. Her mother was a Stokes, sister to my Grandfather, Frank. Your family moved around some in your growing up days too. Speaking of the Helgeson’s, I remember well when you guys lived on the Zieman farm west of Salem church. Helgeson’s lived several miles south and a little bit east of where you guys lived. My first memory of your family thou was when you were living on Lester Halstead’s place south of the Willow Lake school. Elwood Fauske farmed that land in later years. How was it that Lester Halstead owned land up there. He was a big time prairie farmer in Bottineau County. He lived near Maxbass as I recall. That’s half way to Minot from Bottineau. My folks were very active in the Metigoshe Lutheran churches. 90% of the Bottineau county hills folks were members of those churches. My folks were very active in Rolette county community affairs as well. My dad had lots of relatives (biological) living in and around the Bottineau area too. My folks were also involved with many of the Bottineau activities. With all these connection and going to school in Dunseith, I learned to know many folks in my growing up days. Being the socialite that my dad was I was able to maintain, thru him, many of these relationships. He died in 2000. I was a lucky guy. Speaking of my dad. Two weeks before his death, he and I were visiting folks in the hills. He was driving. When we stopped by to see Glen and Gladys Rude, getting out of his Pickup he told me, “we can’t stay long because Gladys will think she has to make us lunch.” He said “you know she’s over 85 years old”. She was only 2 years older than he. Dad was a week shy of his 85th birthday when he died. Gladys did fix us a nice lunch and our stay wasn’t short. With that visit, Glen could have been out bailing hay, but he chose to visit with us instead and insisted we stay. When I mentioned this to LaVerne, his brother, his words were, “Glen is a gentleman farmer”. How true those words were. That was probably the last visit Glen had with my dad, so he probably made a good choice in that respect.

Wm. Fassett’s quote from Susan Fassett Martin (65):

(1936) Dad said in his history book….” When we lvied on the farm in the twenties, one of my early memories was of watching Fred Gottbrehts threshing rig coming across country to our place. The old steam engine took most of the day getting there and the big column of smoke announced their coming long before they arrived. I remember making several trips back and forth on my pony to check their progress. Both grandma Kate(Fassett) and grandma Goodie(Gudrun Amundson Rennick Watkins) worked on the cookcar at one time or another during threshing season.”

I am trying to date the tractor pictures. These were given me by Arla Gottbreht. She said that her father George worked on this tractor many times. I do not know if they were still in use in 1935 or the date of the car sitting in the roadway. I thought someone might recognize the bee skips in the background or the short approach into the farm. That certainly looks like an ash heap near the tractor.

 

Myron Evans, Harland Gottbreht, Charles Watkins

 

 

 

 

Picture taken by Dakota Memories Photography, Bottineau, ND, Clyton Parrill (72) Owner

Former Dunseith Teacher’s – Class of 65 reunion – 7/12/07

L to R: Dennis Espe, Vinian Hewson-Dinius, Art Rude & Bob Lykins