Early Childhood in Credit River in the 1940s: Part 3

Part 3
Written by Angeline Mares Stone for the Credit River Reunion, January 17th, 1999

Steam powered thresher, 1965, from the SCHS Collections

During the summer, we got to see the Kalal kids, Mary and Willy, and play with them. Our parents were friends and the families worked together at threshing time, a high point of the harvest season. Along with the Kalinas, our relatives, the crews arrived in the early morning after livestock chores were done. The air of excitement, of great work, was unmistakable. The work was hard, I dare say, especially for the women, for I remember that Mom would work in the fields, shucking wheat, and still plan and prepare the meal that would be served to the very hungry men. My sister, Mary Jo, as her assistant during those years. Our tasks as children were limited to taking lemonade out to the men as they worked in the hot afternoon sun. They were always appreciative of our efforts and made us feel useful. Another task we often had was to even out the grain as it came tumbling into the wagon from the thresher. We were barefoot and the grain would tickle our toes.

These were the assigned tasks, but on one occasion, my sister Nancy and I were given another task, snapping the fresh green beans; it seemed like mountains of them. We sat on the front stoop, snapping away. “Tsk, tsk” said one of the ladies, arriving that morning as she passed her way into the house. We hung our heads in shame- and sorrow. We would rather have been playing with the Kalal kids, like we did the day before But the day before we let ourselves get carried away in fun, and thought it would be really great throw lots of straw into the outdoor stock tank and splash around in it. We gave no thought to what affects this would have on livestock looking for water or anything else. We were just having fun. But our misdeeds became known during evening chores and we were punished in the worst way- we could not have company the next day. The chore of snapping beans was the mild punishment because we really liked the Kalal kids.

St. Wenceslaus Catholic School in New Prague, early 1930s. From the SCHS collections.

Our experiences were not limited to farm and school. During my second grade I attended St. Wenceslaus School in New Prague in order to prepare for First Holy Communion My father had made the decision to take our family to New Prague to church after going to Credit River for awhile. New Prague became a spiritual home for us and I was comfortable there. When my parents were given the option of keeping Ewald buried in the American soldiers cemetery in Margraaten, Holland or having him brought back to America, they chose to have him brought back and buried in New Prague. On October 12, 1948, a funeral Mass was held at St Wenceslaus for Ewald. It was also our parents’ thirtieth anniversary. The support of the Credit River and New Prague people gave our family a solid sense of community. And I acquired a sense of a much larger world.

We were connected to the Twin Cities too mostly through relatives living there. My sister, Edith, having just graduated from high school became part of the household staff at the Archibald Bush home on Summit Avenue, and once in a while we got to visit her. I felt lost in that huge mansion- nothing in it seemed familiar. While Edith worked in St Paul she met Dorothy Broshofke who would later become Mile’s wife. Dorothy began to visit our home and play the piano. I remember my mother loving this and she made known her favorite songs. Two that I remember are “Juanita” and “The Swiss Boy”. My own repertoire of songs increased greatly because of those songfests and there was one more reason to be joyful.
In June of 1949, Miles and Dorothy were married. They had two wedding dances, one in St Paul and one at Armie and Mac’s in “downtown Credit River”, the nerve center of the Credit River community at that time. Everyone knew everyone else and they danced their hearts out at that place. We would dance there again soon, for we were about to say “good-bye” to our life in Credit River.

Dad bought the Bill Deegan farm in Lakeville and in the all of 1949 we moved. During the week that we moved, a windstorm blew the roof off a chicken coop at our new place. And somehow, when the livestock moved, my new pet chicken Annie got lost. She didn’t make it to our new home. And so I grieved the loss of her and the end of my life in Credit River. But I would keep forever in my heart the memory of rich experiences I had when I lived there.

Early Childhood in Credit River in the 1940s: Part 2

Part 2: School
Written by Angeline Mares Stone for the Credit River Reunion, January 17th, 1999

Schoolhouse, district 37, around 1960. From the SCHS Collections

In September of 1945, I was old enough to start school. Scott County’s District 30 school building was located at the end of our long driveway and the walk to school was in itself a journey. There were three hills, of which the middle one was named “the big hill”. A kid could walk and walk and not see the school building until he or she reached the big hill. Coming home, one could to see the farmhouse until the hill was climbed. A metaphor for life- we work the little hills and hope for a chance, once in a while, to see the big picture from the highest hill. The imagery has stayed with me to this day.

I liked school, but parts of it seemed scary. Everyone, except for my first grade classmates Nancy and Pat Kane, was bigger then me. In an eight-grade schoolhouse, watching the big kids could be intimidating and occasionally amusing. I remember intense arguments at recess about the merits of John Deere tractors versus the Ford tractor. The big boys got physical with each other hem their verbal debating skills had reached their limit and would look pretty scare to the resto f us. But the big boys were entertaining. I remember the spring day when two or three of them jumped on an ice flow on the creek which ran behind the school. The melting ice sent the water rushing and the boys “rode the rapids”. They looked brave and ridiculous all at once, for they had put themselves in more danger than they had planned to. Somehow they got off the ice before it carried them away. Mr. Herzog, the school superintendent, visited us and from thereon we were forbidden to cross the fence and play near the creek. Life became just a bit duller at District 30.

But learning was fun and it was enriched for us younger students because we were right there as the eighth graders read aloud the poem “Evangeline”, Longfellow’s story of young lovers torn apart as the French settlers were driven from their homes in Nova Scotia.

I was in fourth grade when my sister, Nancy, Started school. By then the old coal furnace had been replaced by an oil heater. Mrs. Hedlund had it replaced the year before. And then Mrs. Hedlund was replaced by Miss Cates. My family thought it would be cute if my sister, while reading Dick and Jane aloud, would substitute Czech for English when reading “One Two Three”. I watched as they tutored her to get the words right; “Jeden, Dva, Tri”. The next day, O watched from the next row of seats, stifling myself, knowing Nancy would be translating the written words. She carried it out, I giggled. Miss Cates, surprised at first and then annoyed, made it clear there was to be no more of that. There wasn’t.

At school, we got to know the neighborhood kids, the Schneiders, the Kalals, the Troms and the Kanes, Ralph Borka, LeRoy Farrell, and Barb McMahon. We would play London Bridge, Baseball and a real favorite, Prisoners Base. When the boys weren’t arguing about tractors, I really loved recess!

A Schoolhouse in Blakley

The following are the memories of Clara Simcox, who attended Salsbury School in Blakley in 1904. Her story was transcribed for the book “Blakley Township’s Walk Through History, published in 1976

One room schoolhouse outside Shakopee, early 1900s. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

The schoolhouse I remember was much like the others in the township. Some of the “seats” were double- a row of these along the east wall, and single seats otherwise. The teacher’s desk was at the south end of the room. On either side in the front there were book cases for the library books, of which there were quite a few. Also, a large dictionary had a special stand. The black boards were behind the teacher’s desk and one on each side wall. the room was lined with tin. A large stove with a tin jacket stood on the northwest corner. We carried the drinking water form the August Kahle well. There was no pump on the well, but the water was drawn with buckets. We had a pail and one dipper, which we all drank from. Later a crock fountain was installed where the water was emptied into. After recess or at noon when we all came in from playing, usually everyone had to have a drink, so one pail of water did not hold out for a day. I started school in October 1904. We only had 8 months of school in those days

My first teacher was Ms. Helen Theissen. At the time I thought she came as near to an ange as any human being could. She made my early recollections of school never to be forgotten. Ms Theissen taught all subjects in all eight grades. We always had a very large and good library and many books were read to us for our opening exercises. She also taught us songs which we sang during opening exercises when she did not read to us.

So many nice things happened in country school. Our holiday program was always a mountain-top experience. Several weeks before Christmas we were allowed to go along when the older pupils cut juniper branches in the coulee. We helped carry them to the schoolhouse and the teacher and older students decorated the schoolhouse with them. We also gathered “bittersweet” and “wahoo” to give the effect of the red and green Christmas colors.

Practicing for programs was always so much fun. Who dressing rooms were made with sheets for the boys and girls (Later we had curtains and did not have to bring the sheets from home). Members of the school board put up a stage at the front of the room. The teacher always trimmed the tree after we were excused for the day when the program was to be held in the evening. The first Christmas I was at school, Santa was late getting there after the program. He brought his wife along. He explained that he was late because one of the deer had fallen and broken its leg and they had to put splints on it. Of course, there was no doubt in our mind that this was the case.

In later years we drew names and Santa would distribute the gifts as well as the bags of nuts and candy. At that time we appreciated all we got and no one criticized the kind or amount. Out programs consisted of songs, recitations and dialogues.

In the spring of that year we always observed Arbor Day. Some of he older boys were dispatched to the nearby coulee to get a tree and we planted it with proper ceremony. Then, too, our annual trip to Salisbury’s hill to pick up Mayflowers or hepaticas which was another exciting experience. We gladly sacrificed our opening exercise and recess so we could have a longer noon hour for the trip.

We always played games during recess and the noon hour after we had our lunch. “Ball” was the most popular, but we also played “ante ante over”, “run sheep run”, “grey duck”, “stealing sticks”, and others. In winter we always had a “fox and goose” ring. We had an enrollment of at east 30 pupils.

Junior High Yearbooks from 1996, 2004, and 2013

We have an extensive collection of yearbooks, both high school and junior high. Not only are these extremely useful by providing photographs and identifications for an entire generation, but they are excellent glimpses into the past and a fun walk down memory lane. These junior high yearbooks are great examples.

In 1996, the yearbook gave out awards for the best groomed, best personality, most unique, biggest flirt, and easiest to talk to. There are photos of students studying, eating in home economics, and goofing around. (Is it just me, or is the yearbook the only place where goofing off is approved of?)

In 2004, teachers got to have their own say with quotes about what it was like when they were in junior high. The awards are extra fun with categories like flashy hair, formidably outgoing, favored politician, and florescent eyes. There are even a few “edited” pictures when a student didn’t like their photo!

In 2013, there are fantastic photos of the school play Pirates of Penzance, along with a faculty versus freshmen basketball game, and lots of school dances. Students also participated in an anti-bullying day and a spelling bee.