In Washington, DC, after work on Tuesday, April 28, 1936, Helen and Dale went to the top of the Washington Monument.
To The Top Of The Monument
The River Tops Out
In Muscatine on Sunday, April 27, 1952, the Mississippi River flood stage was at 21.0 feet and holding steady. (Dale’s diary.)
Going To “The Nation’s Attic”
On Sunday, April 26, 1936, Bill and Louise, new friends in Washington, DC, took Dale and Helen to the Smithsonian Institution.
Going To The Zoo
On Saturday, April 25, 1936, Bill and Louise, new friends in Washington, DC, took Dale and Helen to the National Zoo.
Another Year, Another Flood
After work in Muscatine on Tuesday, April 24, 1951, Dale took the family to see the river. The Mississippi was still rising, near 20.5 feet. Below: the waterfront.
The River Is Rising
In Muscatine on Wednesday, April 23, 1952, the Mississippi River had risen to 20.2 feet, and rose to 20.5 feet the next day. (Dale’s diary.)
Dale’s First Day In The Civil Service
In Washington, DC, on Wednesday, April 22, 1936, Dale reported to the Veterans Bureau, Arlington Building, for his first day of work in the Civil Service.
Helen Gets Pots And Pans
In Minneapolis on Friday, April 21, 1961, Dalene gave her mother a set of Wear-Ever aluminum cook ware. Dale marked 25 years of service with the government.
Easter Eggs
It was Easter Sunday, April 20, 1919. On the Gardner farm in southern Iowa, eleven-year-old Lloyd and nine-year-old Dale took some eggs to the pasture, made a fire and boiled them. Their mother Jettie joined them later and ate with them. Gardners have always liked eggs.
Helen And Dale Get A Phone
In Washington, DC, on Monday, April 19, 1937, Dale wrote, “Got a telephone today. Our number is GReenwood-1968.” This would have been at their house in Hyattsville, Maryland. Below: a typical rotary dial phone in 1937.
A Visit To The Farm
On Saturday, April 18, 1942, Dale, Helen, and Stanley drove from St. Paul to Osceola and stayed all night with Dale’s parents, Williams and Jettie, on their farm. Osceola, Iowa, is about 45 miles south of Des Moines, and the farm was four miles east of town on U.S. Highway 34.
Old Man River Rises
In Muscatine on Thursday, April 17, 1952, Dale said that the Mississippi River was at 16.5 feet and getting higher. The next day, it had risen to 17.2 feet. Below: Muscatine’s riverfront in the early 1950s.
Dale And A Walking Plow
On his farm south of Osceola on Tuesday, April 16, 1935, Dale plowed with a walking plow all day – that meant he walked behind the horse-drawn plow, so he was on his feet the whole day. He did that a lot this month. Below: a man and a walking plow.
A Short Visit
In Muscatine on Saturday, April 15, 1950, Dale’s sister Marie called him out of bed to tell him that she and their mother Jettie were coming from Osceola that day. He wrote, “Arrived about 2 p.m. and left around 5 p.m. Nice visit but short.”
Springtime Cherry Blossoms
In Washington, DC, on Wednesday, April 14, 1937, Dale wrote, “Rode down and took pictures of the cherry blossoms in the evening.” Below: cherry blossoms in Washington.
A Flat Tire In Oskaloosa
Visiting in Osceola with his family on Sunday, April 13, 1952, Dale wrote, “Dalene went to Sunday School with Susan. We drove home to Muscatine, had dinner in Oskaloosa, also a flat tire. Home at 5 p.m. and glad of it. Snow and rain all day.” Susan Kimmel was Dalene’s cousin. Oskaloosa is roughly halfway between Osceola and Muscatine.
Caseys Visit Gardners
In St. Paul on Saturday, April 12, 1941, Dale wrote, “Met George, Wilma, and Larry at Dan Casey’s. Georges came on out here for a visit. We took a long ride in the afternoon.” The next day, George Casey got a telegram that his hired hand was ill and they left for their Iowa farm north of Osceola. I don’t know who Dan Casey was.
Truman Fires MacArthur
In Muscatine on Wednesday, April 11, 1951, Dale wrote, “President Truman fired General MacArthur.” U.S. President Harry S. Truman relieved General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of his commands for making public statements that contradicted the administration’s policies. MacArthur was a popular hero of World War II who was then the commander of United Nations forces fighting in the Korean War. Below: Truman and MacArthur six months earlier.
Our Car Gets A New Motor
In Muscatine on April 10, 1950, Dale labored all day at the alcohol plant installing a new motor he had ordered from Montgomery Ward in his 1939 Mercury, below. He spent a lot of time keeping each of his cars in good working order, even to tracking down and eliminating squeaks and rattles.
Jettie Takes The Train
In Muscatine on Wednesday, April 9, 1952, Dale took the afternoon off of work to drive his mother Jettie to the Burlington train station. She had been visiting since the previous weekend. The train departing at 2:25 would take her home to Osceola, where that train station was just one block from her daughter Marie Kimmel’s house. Below: the Osceola train station.
