Category: Diary

Diary

Armistice Day Blizzard

by Editorial Team
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November 11, 1940 – The Armistice Day Blizzard.  The weather in Minnesota was relatively benign that morning.  Many people were outdoors, taking advantage of the mild holiday weather. The weather forecast that morning was for colder temperatures and a few flurries.  Few people were prepared for what was to come.  The storm started with rain, however the rain quickly turned to snow.  By the time the blizzard tapered off on the 12th, the Twin Cities had received 16.7 inches of snow, Collegeville 26.6 inches, and 20-foot drifts were reported near Willmar.
Diary

Lamoni Beats Osceola

by Editorial Team
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Taking a day off work in Muscatine on Friday, November 9, 1951, Dad and I drove to Osceola.  He wrote, “Drove by Lloyd’s at 1 p.m.  Took Marie to high school football game at Lamoni.  They beat Osceola 33-12.”  Lloyd and Marie were Dale’s siblings.  We spent the night at Grandma Jettie’s house.
Diary

Neighbor Picks Corn

by Editorial Team
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Still in Osceola for his father’s heart condition on Wednesday, November 8, 1950, Dale wrote, “Eddie Liggitt picked a load of corn this morning.  Dr. Dean said Dad is lots better.  Helen and I ran Marie’s store from 4 to 5 p.m.”  Unfortunately, Williams died five weeks later.  Eddie Liggitt was a son of Clarence Liggitt, the farmer across highway 34 from Williams and Jettie.  After Clarence was widowed, he and Jettie married in 1955.
Diary

Kids In A Plane

by Editorial Team
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In Osceola for his father’s heart condition on Tuesday, November 7, 1950, Dale wrote, “At folks, Dad may be a little better.  Helen and I went to Louie’s in afternoon to visit.  Wilma took kids a ride in an airplane.”  Louie and Wilma were two of Helen’s siblings (she was the youngest of nine children).
Diary

How To Go Broke

by Editorial Team
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In Osceola on Wednesday, November 6, 1935, Dale sent a letter to the Civil Service about a File Clerk job.  Farming was not working out well during the Depression for Dale (above, in Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes) and Helen.
Diary

Dale’s Father Declining

by Editorial Team
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On Sunday, November 5, 1950, Dale drove his family from Muscatine to Osceola.  His father Williams (above, with Jettie, earlier that year) was very sick.  Stan and Dalene were left with George and Wilma Casey (Helen’s sister) on their farm two miles north of Osceola.
Diary

Temporary Home

by Editorial Team
On Thursday, November 3, 1955, reassigned to the St. Paul office, Dale wrote that he, Helen, and Dalene drove from Latimer, Iowa, to the St. Paul Tourist Court and rented a cabin for $18 per week (about $160 per week in today’s dollars).
Diary

Dale Transferred

by Editorial Team
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On Wednesday, November 2, 1955, Dale, Helen, and Dalene drove to Helen’s brother Gerald and Ressia Schaffer’s Latimer, Iowa, home (above) to spend the night on their way to Minneapolis for Dad’s transfer.  I stayed in Muscatine to finish the semester at Junior College.
Diary

Lunch At Kresge’s

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Friday, November 1, 1957, Dale had a turkey lunch at Kresge’s and wrote, “Helen and I went to the Candlelight Café for supper then to the downtown library.”
Diary

Scary Stuff

by Editorial Team
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In Muscatine on Saturday, October 31, 1953, Dale wrote, “Bright, warm day.  Watched football on TV in the afternoon.  Dalene went to a Halloween party in the afternoon.  Stan went to a midnight show.”
Diary

Moving My Clothes

by Editorial Team
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In Muscatine on Sunday, October 30, 1955, Dale wrote, “Packed and packed and washed, and moved Stan’s clothes to East Fourth Street.  To bed tired.”  See October 19.
Diary

Dale In Charge

by Editorial Team
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In Minneapolis on Wednesday, October 29, 1958, Dale wrote, “Schultz, Palmer, and Gray at Phillips to tell me I’m Gauger In Charge.  Took Helen and Dinny to the library after supper.  Watched a movie on TV.  High 59°.”  Those were big shots from the St. Paul office.
Diary

Another Four Lads

by Editorial Team
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On Thursday, October 28, 1954, the Boy’s Quartet (left to right: second tenor Stan Gardner, first tenor Larry Misel, baritone John Evans, bass Jerry Hufford) sang for a luncheon group at the Hotel Muscatine.  Larry and I were seniors, as was our accompanist Judy Smith, and John and Jerry were juniors.
Diary

From Osceola To Minneapolis

by Editorial Team
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On Sunday, October 27, 1957, after visiting in Osceola from Minneapolis, Dale wrote, “Dalene and I drove Stan’s Chevy from Osceola to Minneapolis 5 a.m. to 12 noon.  Beautiful day.  Watched football on TV in the afternoon.”
Diary

Going Home

by Editorial Team
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On Friday, October 26, 1951, completing his temporary assignment in Omaha, Dale drove back to Muscatine, stopping in Osceola for supper.  He wrote, “Home by 10:45 p.m.  Glad to be home.”  On the map, Osceola is at the intersection due east of Creston.
Diary

Shucking Corn

by Editorial Team
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On Saturday, October 25, 1919, Jettie Gardner’s diary recorded that Dale’s older brother Lloyd shucked corn by himself for the first time, and got 10 bushels.  He was 12 years old.  For the young’uns out there, shucking is the process of removing (by hand) the husk and silk from the ear of corn.
Diary

Harvesting Corn

by Editorial Team
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On Wednesday, October 24, 1956, vacationing from Minneapolis and staying at Jettie’s house in Osceola, Dale and Dalene rode around with Dale’s brother Lloyd picking corn.  Dale, Helen, and Dalene went to Eva Kelly’s (Helen’s niece) in the afternoon and to Marie Kimmel’s (Dale’s sister).  They went to Helen’s nephew Don and Opal Schaffer’s at night for a visit.
Diary

Just Looking

by Editorial Team
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In Muscatine on Thursday, October 23, 1952, Dale wrote, “Looked at a new Dodge in the evening with Dalene.”  He often got the new/used car bug and liked to go looking.  Above: a 1952 Dodge.
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