Folks, I got a call from Bill Grimme (65), midnight Dunseith time, last night (Friday). I think I understood him to say he arrived in the Dunseith/Bottineau area Thursday. He is staying at the Super 8 in Bottineau. He has been on the go, non stop. When he called, we were headed out the door to a wedding, so we had to cut our conversation short. I am including a picture of Bill, so you folks in the Dunseith/Bottineau areas know what he looks like if you happen to see him. This picture was taken in Paris, France about 6 weeks ago. Bill will probably be surprised when he sees this message posted with his picture. With the short time he will be in the area, I know he wants to see as many folks as possible. Bill is living in Birmingham AL. Bill is a very friendly sort of guy and he does not bite, so if you see him don’t be afraid to introduce your self. Gary
As I’m writing this, I just got a message from Dick Johnson informing me that Bill just called him and they set up an appointment to tour the museum in St. John today (Sunday) at 5:00 PM. Kenny/Shari Nerpel & possibly John/Margaret Bedard will be joining him. I’m sure when Dick has the Museum open, it’s open for all to enjoy. For some of you guys, that would be a nice Sunday drive over to St. John.
Bill Grimme
Reply for missing 40′s folks, from Mona Dionne Johnson (48):
My husband, Chuck, and Leo Murray were very good friends. We stopped to see him in Spokane on a trip west.
Leo has since passed on. His sister, Mary, as I recall him saying lived in California. Their father was the janitor at the school for many years, and all of us in the 40′s classes can well remember John’s smiling face. I don’t remember hearing Mary’s married name.
Mona Dionne Johnson (48)
Reply for missing 40′s folks, from Margaret Myhre Lary
Note: Margaret Myhre is a cousin to Carl Myhre, (Bank) from Rolette. I called Carl to get her contact info.
Mary Murray was a very good friend of mine. She was a nurse and married Paul Torrell, who was “Man of the Year” in Idaho. Mary died in the late 1990′s. She was the 1943 graduate.
Lona Lund Swant (class of 44). I last heard from her in the late 1990′s. At that time she was living at 764 Crestview Place, Walla Walla, Washington 99362
Margaret, I was saddened to find Lona Lund has passed on too. I found death records for both Lona Lund & Mary Murray. Thanks for providing this info. Gary
Folks, we have only two folks remaining to be located from the 40′s classes and they are both from the class of 1941. Please help if you know anything at all about either of these folks.
Class of 1941
Thelma Medlang – she was from the Little Prairie area
Irene Nelson
Folks, with all the positive responses we got with the story that Vickie Metcalfe provide about Carroll Carlson, She has agreed to share a series of traveling stories she has written about Carroll. I did not know Carroll, but with her stories and others provided by Dick Johnson, Carroll was a very interesting sort of a guy. Many of you did know the Carlson family and Carroll. They lived south and east of Kelvin up in the Turtle Mountains. We will be posting some of Carroll’s traveling stories, each day, for the next few days. We will sequentially number each days posting. Carroll is now deceased. Gary
(1) CARROLL CARLSON’S TRAVELING YEARS, BY VICKIE METCALFE (70):
SUMMER OF 1937, CARROLL AND ARCHIE AS RANCH HANDS IN CHINOOK MONTANA
The thirties were tough years economically, and those dry years were tough for agriculture in ND and on the youth who were seeking jobs.
Carroll and Archie Metcalfe, were neighbors and about the same age. Carroll grew up on the Carlson farm about 2 miles north of the Metcalfe’s at Rabbit City Lake. Carroll’s sister, Ursella, Luella Cote and Leona Metcalfe were also friends who rode horse together.
Carroll had completed High School at Dunseith in 1934. Archie had worked for area farmers and FDR’s, CCC program. Archie’s father passed away in July of 1935. And his mother moved to Dunseith, with the younger children.
With the scarcity of work Carroll and Archie decided to relocate to the West Coast in early spring/summer of 1937. They found their way to Minot and discovered they did not have enough money to get all the way to the coast. So they decided to buy tickets with all they had, about $10.00 apiece, and caught a west bound train. The tickets would take them as far as the middle of Montana.
Kelso Graham had worked two or three years for the Carlson family, in the early 20′s for the Carlson’s. After a time in the twenties, he and Clifford Medlang, son of Ole and Christine of the Little Prairie area decided to head west into Montana. Clifford was the younger of the two, and didn’t tell his parents he was leaving fearing his mother would not allow him to go. The two young men went to work for the Miller Brothers Ranch located in North Central Montana. The Miller Brothers Ranch was one of the largest privately owned ranches in Montana at that time. There may have been some bigger, but generally run by a corporate style operation, owners living in the east and with a manager running the ranch.
Well, when they didn’t have the fare to go to the West Coast, Carroll remembered,Kelso Graham was living in Chinook, Montana. Upon arriving in Chinook the next morning, they got off the train, with just the clothes on their backs. They went to seek out Kelso. At that time Kelso was working at a gas station. Carroll and Archie told him they were looking for summer work. With Kelso’s help, by the same afternoon, they both had found employment as ranch hands.
They were going to work for Mr. MacIver who owned a sheep ranch, called the “Sprinkle Ranch”. Carroll and Archie were asked about their equipment. Their answer, “What equipment?” Carroll said, “We did not have anything except the clothes on our backs. The necessary equipment included a bedroll. So, MacIver loaned us the money to purchase what we needed, the expense was taken out of the first pay check.”