Month: October 2012

Sad Days

On Tuesday, October 31, 1950, Dale wrote, “Went to Osceola to see Dad.  He is having heart trouble.”  Dale took several more trips between Muscatine and Osceola that fall; his father died December 16.  Below: The last picture I have from 1950 of Williams and Jettie Gardner, my grandparents, taken at their farm.
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Some Good Movies

In Minneapolis on Tuesday, October 30, 1956, Dale wrote, “I went to see ‘Trail of the Lonesome Pine’ and ‘Shepherd of the Hills.’  Good shows.”
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Goodbye To Muscatine

In Muscatine on Saturday, October 29, 1955, Dale wrote, “My last day of duty at Grain Processing Corporation, Muscatine, Iowa.”  He had been transferred to the St. Paul office of the Alcohol Tax Unit, Internal Revenue Service.  Below: the plant and barges on the Mississippi seen from  Muscatine’s riverside walk.
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Eat At Maid-Rite

In Muscatine on Wednesday, October 28, 1953, Dale wrote, “Dalene and I went to Maid-Rite and then home.  She rode her bicycle.”  Those were goooood sandwiches.
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A College Play

In Muscatine on Thursday, October 27, 1955, Dale, Helen, and Dalene went to a Junior College play I was in, “The Bishop Misbehaves.”  Mother clipped the following picture out of the newspaper and underlined my name so I wouldn’t miss it:
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Going To Wildcat Den

In Muscatine on Sunday, October 26, 1952, Dale wrote, “Helen, Dalene, Ringer, and I drove to Wild Cat Den State Park.  Roast beef dinner and football in the afternoon on TV.”  Ringer was our dog.  Below: an old postcard of Wildcat Den, about 13 miles east of our house.
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Watching TV Football

In Muscatine on Sunday, October 25, 1953, Dale wrote, “I finished painting the bathroom.  Dalene and Stan went to Sunday school and church.  I watched football on TV in the afternoon.”  Watching sports events was a favorite pastime of his.
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Need A Job

On Thursday, October 24, 1935, Dale signed an application for a job as a postal clerk.  He and Helen were going broke during the Depression as farmers 11 miles south of Osceola, Iowa:
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Driving Ms. Helen

On vacation from Minneapolis on Tuesday, October 23, 1956, Dale, Helen, and Dalene left the Gene and Lela Yates home (Helen’s sister) in Estherville at 9 a.m. and drove to Osceola by 2:30.  He wrote, “Nice day, nice drive.  Stayed all night at Mother’s.  Went over to Lloyd’s awhile.”  Lloyd was Dale’s brother.  It’s about 214 miles from Estherville to Osceola:
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Going To Estherville

On Monday, October 22, 1956, Dale wrote, “Nice day again.  Helen, Dalene and I left Minneapolis after work for Estherville, Iowa, to see Lela and Gene Yates.  We stayed all night there.”  Lela was Helen’s sister.  Estherville is in northern Iowa:
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Pie And Coffee

Away from Muscatine on temporary duty at the Omaha alcohol plant, Dale drove to Osceola after work on Friday, October 19, 1951, for the weekend.  He wrote, “Lloyd, Marie, Susan, Mother and I had pie and coffee after a football game.”  Lloyd was Dale’s brother, Marie was Dale’s sister, and Susan was Marie’s daughter.
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High School Football Homecoming

In Minneapolis on Friday, October 18, 1957, Dale wrote, “High 55°.  Took Helen and Dalene to the library after work.  Helen, Stan and I ate supper at the Candlelight Café.  Dalene went to her high school football homecoming.”  Dalene attended Columbia Heights High School; their logo is below.
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A Walk In The Timber

Visiting in Osceola from Muscatine on Monday, October 17, 1955, Dale wrote, “We made ourselves at home at Mother’s.  Dalene and I took a walk in Grand-Dad’s timber on the old Short place.  First time I had been in that timber for 36 years.  Enjoyed it very much.”  That timber had belonged to John Clark Short, Jettie’s father, and must have resembled this:
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From Osceola To Omaha

On Tuesday, October 16, 1951, Dale drove from Osceola to Omaha for temporary duty at the alcohol plant there.  He found a room to rent on Poppleton Avenue for $1 per day.  Below: the 136-mile drive from Osceola, Iowa, to Omaha, Nebraska, mostly on U.S. Highway 34.
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Moving Day In Washington

In Washington, DC, on Friday, October 15, 1937, Dale took part of the day off and he and Helen moved to a farm house near Potomac (location below), where they could live rent-free as caretakers.
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My Room Gets A Heater

In Minneapolis on Monday, October 14, 1957, Dale wrote, “Bought a room heater for Stan’s basement room.  Helen and I cleaned out the cold air duct from Stan’s room and greased the furnace fan.”
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Grade School Open House

In Muscatine on Tuesday, October 13, 1953, Dale took the day off and wrote, “Took the radiator off of the car and had it fixed.  Helen and Dalene went to the school open house at night.”  Dad was always working on his cars.  Dalene attended Jefferson school, below:
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Stan Cramps, Helen Faints

In Muscatine on Sunday, October 12, 1952, Dale wrote, “Stanley’s legs cramped last night and Helen fainted at the same time.”  My legs cramped from long hours on a step ladder at backroom bookshelves at Cohn’s news agency, but they got better over the next week or so.  I don’t know why Mom fainted.
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