I haven’t been around the area lately as driving the big rigs keep me closer to the southwest, specifically on the Mexico borders in Arizona and California. While thoughts of that geographic part of the country bring on memories of heat, sun and golf, it has taken only a few days back in this neck of the woods to forget those notions.
While cranking along the Interstates and in advance of this predicted storm, my memories of winter in Wausa began to conjure up all sorts of frost biting stories from a time that was still less than a century after the Civil War. Yes, I be talk’n of those days from the famous ‘blizzard of 49’ up to the winter of President John Kennedy’s assassination.
* I invite the older generations to contribute any memories from their younger years while managing to deal with the howling-encumbrances of ‘old man winter’. Life and times as we knew them certainly created some rare forms of ‘fun and games’ despite the waist deep drifts and bitter winds. We hope that your memories of yesteryear will help paint a picture for the younger jet-set that sit in a T-shirt (green) environment playing the x-boxes, game boys, i-pods, wii’s, surfing the world on their laptops, all while ‘texting’ their friends with seemingly, invaluable social commentary.
Some of the immediate events (from the Sherman Street-archives) were always designed around having a shovel in your hand. We had a fairly long lane with sidewalks in front and back as well as entry into an alley that was even less than minimum maintenance! Simple, if you wanted it plowed, you did it yourself. This still lingers today in a direct, reverse proportion to why my love for snow removal has paralleled climbing 40’ extension ladders.
On the fun-side of activities, I have memories of digging a ton of tunnels (say that 10x as fast as you can), some in the front lawn, some in the shallow ditches, but all big enough to crawl through and play all sorts of hide n’seek games. As you guess, a few fell in on us as our predators would jump up and down from atop, but we still managed to escape.
I can also remember that in order to dig a car out of a snow bank, we had to start on top and dig 3-4’ straight down to get to the roof. After that it was a piece of cake….today, we’d be calling a rescue service.
How many of you remember the 4 major streets that had natural, steep inclines all interconnecting right at the top of Bismark and Mc Kinley, (just outside the corner of the school’s cafeteria room)? Our recess and noon time actually sanctioned open sledding in front of the school during the day with saw-horse street warnings decorating both ends of the street. You may wonder about bus traffic there; I can’t remember we had such a convenience then, even though the students that drove, parked their vehicles diagonally in front of the school.
Can you remember ice skating on the ‘tennis courts’? Each winter the local utility crew (one guy) would flood the tennis courts once the temps stayed below freezing. I’m not sure from what mega super sports store I picked up my skates, (could it have been Oscar Malms?) but they had to be basement bargain knockoffs! The strings had knots from whoever used them before, with flopsy/mopsy leather that barely reached higher than your ankles. I soon learned how important ‘rigid ankles’ are to the success in balancing on skates. How many times did my ankles literally break off at a 45 degree angle without having even started to move? This certainly has enhanced my respect for those that learn their keep from skating.
While sledding south of that school intersection on Bismark, we generally built some pretty good speeds ending up at Lyman Anderson’s and Curt Shalander’s corner.
Screaming down just past WeeGee’s house we managed to ‘fly’, insuring some real ‘hang time’ by jettisoning over a ski-jump built with a peach crate, broken boards from Andy’s garage, and a bunch of packed snow. How far were our jumps? I would guess 3-6’, but the landing was usually bone jarring, removing some of the thrill.
I can also remember when storms were predicted, or just happened to show up unexpectedly (the cops didn’t even have radar then). Most of our country-students had arrangements to border at somebody’s house for a few days when these emergencies occurred. That was always a blast because it was like a Lampoon Vacation, having so much fun, sledding around your visits and not having to be in school!
The main ‘take’ on this topic dares to compare whether I would have enjoyed life as a student now, or way back in yesteryear? Would I be smitten with all those electronic toys and only venture outside after the local snow removal company took care of the drive and sidewalks? Would I actually beg for a ride down town to get new batteries? As the ‘age of high-tech’ has replaced outside entertainment, and brought it inside, I would certainly never exchange those golden years for all the joysticks of today!! Somehow the ‘hard work ethic’ develops more in an environment that you created, rather than the one being created by your (pda) hand held keyboard. What say you?
Please add a comment about some of your old ‘wintery tales’ as I’m sure they were even more exciting and valuable. Yes, I’m talk’n the times when we shoveled the tennis courts just to get the opportunity to play basketball (and yes, the ball was often flat). Yes, around similar times that produced our first bicycle chains too, hand made by Darold Moseman. Holy Cow!!! Those ‘times and events’ should be memorialized for all readers; the access to them continues to grow less with each passing year, no pun.
“Thank You”…..Roostertales Forever…
Oh wow, does this bring back memories!!
Living next to the highway and having the
big snow drifts 9ft high.
Big rotery plows blowing snow so hard and
fast that Jay actually had snow on his bed
Windows were not nearly as tight back then.
The army wessels coming to town just so people could get supplies.
But this snow on Christmas Eve reminded us
of 1983 when our youngest daughter, Sara
was in the hopital in Osmond. Paul had been
out in the wrecker most of the day and we
also made a trip to Yankton to get something off of Layaway. We got home and called her to tell her we weren’t coming down to see her.
About 8:30 that evening there was a knock
on our back door and Paster Tollefson had
brought our daughter home to us.
It seems Doc Tolly had said she could come
home. He had to stay at the hospital but
sent her home with Pastor Tollefson. It is a Christmas we will never forget.
Thanks for the memories but right about now
I’m ready for Spring!!!
Happy New Year to All!!
Mert, you really do bring back a lot of old memories,sleding down by Lymans and Curts, for those of you who have no idea who I am, I lived in the house where Doc Tolly lived. My mother,Viola(Carl)Hult, sold it to him after my father died. I have been living in Marinette, Wi for the past 53 years. All the big snow storms Mert talks about and other things bring back vidid memories. Thanks Mert!!
Mert..
You Old Dog.You continually keep triggering those fantastic memories we all have from :yester-year”!
How many of us ,when there was a storm, , as youngsters, got up very early and dialed in, on the old Philco( with 15 knobs and dials- most of which didn’t work!) to the old stand-by WNAX in Yankton S.D. and listen for the day’s “school cancellations”.
We would patiently listen to the various announcements, interrupted by stock market news(livestock..not wall street!) or an advertisement from the Yankton White Owl, Hinky Dinky or Safeway Stores, to hear that wonderful news: “No School today in Wausa!
It was amazing.. weather too bad to make your way to school..but not bad enough to bundle up with those zipper hood parkas , buckle overshoes and a scarf over your face.. grab your sled and head out in near white-out conditions to brave the elements with your pals.
We begged our mothers for any hint that she needed a bottle of milk or “anything” from Anderson’s Market ( Fine Food For Fine Folks) or Stewarts Market.We would gladly walk to town for her!
My Dad usually came through..Go to Cruetz’s Drug Store and get me a pack of Camels or Lucky Strikes!” ” Here’s a quarter.. Bring back the change!”
We never considered that he might be out of smokes and the nicotine craving would soon make him a little cranky..Five hours later, we returned.. chilled to the bone, but having enjoyed meeting out pals for a little “drift busting” with our sleds.. Where else? In front of the school that had been closed for the day!
The pack of Camels, now a little “samooched” in my pocket” but still salvagable.. “Here’s your change..Dad!”
We would sit on the cast-iron radiator in the kitchen hoping to eventually thaw out our frozen butt-cheeks..and wait while a bowl of hot chicken soup was made ready for us along with a slice of fresh homemade bread. Boy.. did that taste good after a hard day of surviving the elements!
Mert.. you talked about today’s young people and all the electronic gadgets available.. To me, novelty stuff that prevents them from truly realizing what they are missing at winter times like this..
My only “electronic device” I ever had was my prized Coronado transistor radio bought from Wilbur Ekdahl at the Wausa Gambles Store.. I saved up for months to get it..
But I was “cool”.I could walk and listen to music and if I stood in certain places, could pick up KOMA radio from Oklahoma City.. Now that was something in those days.. Getting a signal from two states away!KOMA in Oklahoma..!
Sometimes we would walk all the way to the library.. Not to get a book.. just wanted to see what other kids were out and about..
Mrs. Halberg always made us take of our overshoes so we wouldn’t track in snow!
Didn’t have to worry much about traffic..There wasn’t any!Too many drifts..
Anyway.. I could go on and on.. different stories from different winters, changing as we got older.
Our sleds are history now.. even those great metal discs called “flying saucers”
but the memories last forever and I thank you again for sharing a little bit of yours.
Best Wishes from the Desert in the middle East..
Pete
Thanks for the sled ride down memory lane Mert. Sorry you didn’t make it to AZ last month.
We lived at the corner of Vivian and McKinley, just west of the school house. I believe our house stood where the swing set is located at this time.
The city never plowed the snow on McKinley, so many a winter it was blocked for a month or more. Drifts would run from in front of Charley Eldorado’s house to the middle of our back yard. Charley’s house is owned by David & Deanna (Olson) True; so I have been told. It made an excellent place to dig snow tunnels and we spent long hours making snowballs, preparing for a big snowball fight that never seemed to materialize.
I recall at least one winter when the rotary plow was brought in for a large drift just west of our house on Vivian; the plow blew snow so high that we could stand on the top of the pile and throw snowballs down on Semi trucks that traveled on old 81.
Dennis Johnson and I have talked about that time for many years as we visit and reminisce about the “good old days”.
I had forgotten about the sled rides in front of the school. We were determined to make it all the way down the hill and slide under the barricades, turn left and see how far we could go. Someone had to watch out for cars as Norris wasn’t blocked off and if they came from the east past the Lutheran Church we could get run over.
I recall days when Helen and I would walk to school only to find out it was closed and we had to be walked home by a teacher or a high school student our neighbor Ardell Larson. The wind blew so hard from the north that we would walk backward just so we could breath.
You all know the story; walked to school up hill, both ways with snow up to our knees. Of course our knees were only a foot high.