Happy Birthday Shelley Sime Fossen: Jamestown, ND

 

     Happy Birthday Brenda Hiatt Parker (’73): Wilton, ND

 

    Happy Birthday Eleanor Awalt Stickland (’47): Mandan, ND

 

Lillian Thompson Bergstrom (’36): Superior, WI.
Reply from Ron Cain (Lillian’s son): Superior, WI

Greetings Gary:

Thank you for honoring my cousin Mr. Keith Pladsons request to enter me into your website.

His mother and mine are/were sisters.  Lillian and Ella Thompson.  I am one of her sons and reside in Superior, WI.

Lillian is doing well as of this note.  She constantly amazes us with her re-call and, of course, any topic related to ND is ALWAYS at the top of her list.

Personally, I always look for an excuse to visit the Turtle mtn., Dunseith and Bottineau areas. Many, many of my relatives have established their final resting place in those areas.

As a novice to your site, familiar names (related) have already caught my attention.  Most notably the Pritchard and Stokes connections. I’m sure there will be many more to follow.

Hope all is well in your world.

Respectfully,

Ron Cain

Ron,

Thank you so much for this rely. Your Grandmother’s maiden name was Stokes, sister to my grandfather, Frank Stokes. That makes us 2^nd cousins. The Pritchard’s Grandmother was a Thompson, sister to your grandfather, so that makes you a 2^nd cousin to the now senior Pritchard Generation too.

Off the top of my head I think your mother is 98. I can say with most certainty that she is the oldest living to have graduated from Dunseith High School. She graduated with the class of 1936.

Please keep us posted with your mother’s life and wellbeing. Other than for a little hearing loss, I understand she is very alert with both the present and the past. Very remarkable.

Gary

More picture from Duane (Dewy) Morinville (’72):

Herman Martinson (Bakery) Humor
Posted by Rita Parisien Anderson (’73):   New Rockford, ND

I walked into the bakery one afternoon and asked Herman how much his big buns were, his reply “They are not for sale”. He had a sense of humor.

 

Freddie and Norman Hiatt stories
From Marlys Hiatt (’72): Dunseith, ND

Hearing the story about Freddie Hiatt makes me think of a story my grandma Margie use to tell about Freddie and my dad, Norman Hiatt.  She told it often and I think it is so cute I continue to tell it as well.

Freddie Hiatt was born on my grandmother’s birthday, which is in November and my dad was born in January.  That spring and summer, the ladies, my grandmother Margie and Aunt Julia, Freddie’s mother, helped out by working in the fields.  They would just switch off taking care of the babies.

Whoever was in the house just nursed both babies.

Grandma said dad was a little younger and when it came time to eat he just enjoyed the meal no matter which lady was providing it.  Freddie was a little older.  He was hungry so he ate but he would look up at grandma with those big brown eyes, with a look that said, I know this isn’t the right table.

Freddie and Margaret were always so special to grandma Margie.  As I sit here at the computer I can just see their beautiful smiles.  What a wonderful couple.

There’s another story my dad often told about him going skunk hunting when he was a kid and I think it was with Freddie.  Do any of the Hiatt kids remember if that was dad and Freddie or was it one of the other cousins.

As I try to recall the story I’m a little sketchy on the details so if anyone can add to or correct the story it would be great.  Dad and one of his cousin knew they could make a  few cents selling the hide of a skunk.

They didn’t have the price of a bullet to shot the skunk but had been told if you grab the skunk by the tail and jerk the back legs off the ground the skunk can not spray you.

Off hunting the boys went, one prepared to grab the tail of the skunk and the other with a big stick to hit the skunk in the head and kill it.  I don’t think dad remembered which one of the two was going to do what.

The first skunk they came across was a large male and the boys proceeded with the plan.  What the boys found out that day was a skunk can most definitely spray with his back feet off the ground.  I don’t think they killed a skunk that day and I think that was the last time they went hunting skunk too.

I sure miss listening to stories my grandma and dad told.

Marlys Hiatt

 

Sharon Landsverk Beckman(’63) Retires
Postings from Neola Kofoid Garbe: Bottineau & Minot, ND

Congratulations Sharon,

You will be missed, that is for sure. You have been a checker/cashier in the hometown Market for decades. Home town Market has had different names throughout the years, but it is still the same store. With each of my trips back to the area, over the years, I have enjoyed our many conversations at your checkout register. I will most certainly miss that and seeing you there.

We wish the best in retirement.

Gary

 

Mary Christianson
(December 7, 1923 – January 18, 2015)

Mary Christianson, age 91 of Dunseith, died Sunday at a Dunseith nursing home. Funeral services will be held on  Thursday at 10:00 A.M. at Peace Lutheran Church in Dunseith. Burial will be in Rendahl Cemetery of rural Dunseith. Visitation will be held on Wednesday beginning at 1:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. in the Nero Funeral Home in Bottineau.

Mary Christianson, a daughter of Lawrence and Annie (Francis) Feist, was born on February 8, 1923 at Strandburg, SD. She was reared and educated in the area. In 1945 Mary moved to Dunseith and began working in the kitchen at San Haven. On June 26, 1953 she was married to Raymond Christianson at Minot. After their marriage Mary helped Raymond on the farm. It was said that Mary could make the best looking haystacks in the Turtle Mountains. In 2010 they moved to Bottineau. They moved to Rolla in 2012. Raymond passed away on July 25, 2012. Mary moved to Dunseith in 2014 and has resided there since.

She was a member of Peace Lutheran Church in Dunseith and the Turtle Mountain Wildlife Club.

She is survived by brothers, Benny Feist, Pete Feist, Tony Fiest and Shorty Feist. A sister, Amelia Pommerening; and many nieces and nephews.

====================================
Blog (237) posted on September 30, 2008

 

From Ivy Eller Robert (74): 

Dick Johnson & Gary,

My sister Julie Eller Dahl had one of those Forest Service Towers on their farm for many years. It was located about 2 miles east of Lake Metegoshe on the south side of the road (Hwy 43). It was on the Dahl family farm. It stood there, what seemed  like forever.  Julie’s husband Marly passed away about 3 years ago & his bother took over the farm and had someone disassemble it recently. They moved it to the museum in Bottineau on the north end of town. I was there a few weeks back & seen it. Of course it is not as tall as it was when it was first built. I remember climbing that thing many times through the years when Marly & Julie lived on the farm. My kids, when they were little, even climbed it a few times. It was exciting to climb it, but through the years it got dangerious from the deterating lumber on the stairs. But it was fun and Dick’s story & picture reminded me of “Marly’s Tower”!

Ivy Eller Robert

Ivy, Many of us remember that forest fire lookout tower located several miles east of Lake Metigoshe on the Dahl farm.  It was an icon to the hills and could be seen for miles around. I drove by that tower hundreds if not thousands of times in my growing up years.  That tower was built by the ND Forest Service back in the 50’s.  I forgot the year, but it was in the mid to later 50’s as I recall.  I remember it being built when they were seemingly having a lot of forest fires up in the hills.  During that time, my dad was designated a forest fire warden with a sign out in front of our approach.  They also erected a little forest fire building in our yard with tools to fight the fires.  I don’t ever remember the building being unlocked and the tools used, but it was in our yard for many years.  Back to the tower, I too climbed it several times.  Several years ago there was a big article in the Bottineau Courant with the history of that tower. In that article they said, for safety/liability concerns, the forest service was having it dismantled. Gary

 

From Sybil Johnson: 

The picture of “Pa” Johnson, his mother and sister were amazing. Thank you Dick and I know Beckie and the family will enjoy it, as I did.

Sybil Johnson

 

Martha Lamb’s (68) Wedding provided by Neola Kofoid Garbe:

Martha, this should bring back a few memories, not only for you, but for a lot of others that were part of your wedding and also for those that attended. Congratulation to you and Lynn on your 25th Anniverary last month. Gary

                                     Dunseith High School class of 1933

	Last	First	Address	City / State / ZIP	Phone	Email
1	Amundson Haagenson	Dagny	Born February 26, 1914    –    Died January 19,1984			Deceased
2	Anderson Smith	Audrey	Born August 28, 1915    –    Died March 29, 2001			Deceased
3	Bowers Chapin	Grace	Born September 25, 1913    –    Died June 29, 2001			Deceased
4	Brooks	Stanley	Born January 27, 1917    –    Died October 14, 1987			Deceased
5	Byre	Conrad	Born September 13, 1914    –    Died November 29, 2002			Deceased
6	Cassidy	Loan	Born August 20, 1913    –    Died February 1983			Deceased
7	Evans	Bill	Born August 20, 1916    –    Died March 3, 2005			Deceased
8	Fassett Halvorson	Laura	530 SE 42nd Ave	Portland, OR 97215	(503) 236-4462	No Email address Born March 1916
9	Gottbreht Solomon	Mildred	Born January 23 1916    –    Died March 2, 2008			Deceased
10	Halvorson	Arthur	Born August 26, 1913    –    Died August 21, 1993			Deceased
11	Kester	Ormal (Red)	Born June 11,1914    –    Died November 18, 1987			Deceased
12	Kotschevar	Donald	Born August 6, 1912    –    Died October 10, 2005			Deceased
13	Kotschevar Tilton	Lucille	Born November 5, 1914    –    Died January 31, 1999			Deceased
14	Myer Weaver	Clara	Born February 10, 1915    –    Died May 1, 1996			Deceased
15	Peterson Pine	Minnie	Unable to locate death record – Bill/Duane/Jack Peterson’s aunt			Deceased
16	Sanders	David	Died in the spring of 1943			Deceased
17	Tennancour Harris	Dorothy	Died in 2008 – Sister to Alice Evans Berube			Deceased
18	Tooke	Doris			Unable to locate	Parents Bert & Ada Tooke – Moved to Tacoma Wa in 1944
19	Tooke	Arthur (Pete)	Born August 20, 1915    –    Died September 9, 1985			Deceased
20	Wicks	Marjory				Unable to locate