MEMORY LANE PASSPORTS BY R. AUBREY LA FOY A favorite pastime of mine when I was a kid was to visit my uncle and aunt home only ½ block from my house. My aunt was my Mother’s elder sister and my uncle was a printer. Uncle Ray always subscribed to the National Geographic Magazine and I spent hours poring through those magazines looking at weird people, their dress, customs, buildings, maps and styles. The magazine opened up a world far removed from our small tight nit community in Iowa. We could dream and wondered if we would ever get to travel and see some of those exotic places and people. Little did I know at that time (age10 or 11) that by the time I was 21 years old my journeys would take me clear around the world. In July 1943 I left Milford, Iowa and traveled west and west and west until I returned to Milford from the east in January 1946. When I was a kid the highest hill I had ever seen was Hi Point on the west side of Lake West Okoboji but before I returned home in 1946 I had seen and driven mountains in Burma and China flew over the Himalayans of Tibet. The largest boat that I had ridden on prior to 1944 was the Queen on Okoboji but before I returned home in January 1946 had voyaged on an ocean going vessel that held over 8,000 people and another that held 3,500 military personal. Wow! The largest body of water I had observed prior to 1943 was Big Spirit Lake and then I sailed across the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Little Sioux River was huge when I was a kid but it didn’t compare with the Missouri River, Hooghly or Irrawadity in India, the Yangzee in China, Hudson River or the Mississippi River in the USA. I thought people from Minnesota talked different until I associated with fellows from Brooklyn and Texas but that was nothing compared with the languages in India and China. Years ago we would beg my Father to drive up past the Inn so we might see some of the employees but we found out in World War II the color of our skin was in the minority in India and China. I won’t even get into religions but when we found out that cows were sacred in India that was the ultimate. My Grandfather, two uncles and my father were butchers and that wouldn’t go very well in India. I also never had a good steak in India or China. We ate chicken and pork but no beef unless you call water buffalo beef, but chewing it was another venture. All of those adventures fulfilled the pages of the old National Geographic. In 1998 Connie and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We were married in 1948 while still in college at Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls. To help us celebrate that occasion our three sons, Randy, Ray and Carl presented us with a trip to Mexico. The original plan was to go to Cancun, Mexico but because they had just had a hurricane there switched our destination to Mazatlan, Mexico. Prior to leaving on that trip we applied for a passport. Although I had traveled clear around the Earth, entered and exited six countries not counting the USA it was my first passport. Since that time I have had to secure another as the first one expired because of time. I will state also, that getting the second passport was a bit more complicated that getting the second especially since 9/11. My first encounter leaving the USA occurred in February 1944. The military outfit I was assigned were slated to go overseas. I was with the XX Bomber Command-B-29s Air Corps in Great Bend, Kansas. We trained there and in February told to gather our gear, assemble in front of the barracks and marched five blocks to a waiting railroad train. Each man was assigned a certain coach and in we went not knowing our destination. There were four of us in seats facing each other along with our gear. Our barracks bags were stored elsewhere. The only way we could tell where we were was to see the station names but finally we stopped in a military camp near Riverside, California. We embarked and assigned barracks. The following days we received physicals, shots and trained on how to scramble up and down some netting much like ones we saw in movies and newsreels. We never did know where we were going and rumors were ramped as we kept our winter clothing so guessing was Alaska or maybe Australia. After a week at that base we were again assembled with our gear and barracks bags and boarded a train. Upon entering the train all the shades were pulled and we were instructed not to peek or let them up on our journey wherever that was. The train trip lasted about five or six hours. When it finally stopped we got off the train we were on a wharf and berthed next to a huge ship. It was sure larger than the Queen on Lake West Okoboji. We were formed in single file carrying our gear and barracks bags and as we approached the gangplank our names were read and we answered with our Army Serial Number. My ASN was 37675696 and told to proceed where a sailor escorted us into the ship. The officer in charge never asked for my passport-Ha! Ha! I won’t go into great detail of life aboard a troopship for 33 days but it wasn’t pleasant but endurable. I recall that when Connie and I took a cruise to Alaska I felt like a King with my Queen after my first ocean cruise; a stateroom, real bed, shower, toilet and sink with fresh water and a view with a balcony. Our troopship’s stateroom had 400 men, four tier bunks, and salt water showers. The portholes covered over and welded shut and we were issued two canteens of water each day. The food on the cruise ship was great with all you wanted to eat and more, shows, entertainment, bars and lounges. What a contrast! The Alaskan Cruise was great but we still had to present identification upon leaving and entering the ship. Since that first venture to Mexico we have traveled to the Panama Canal, Hawaiian Islands, Belgium and Holland, Ireland and Mexico. The American passport is a valued piece of paper and one is always warned to keep it secure at all times. Several incidents come to mind relating to our passports having to be presented upon entering and exiting countries. I recall going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico several years ago. We flew Alaskan Airline and upon disembarking the plane with our carryon bags proceeded into the terminal. Lines were formed and as one approached the Mexican officials there was a Stop and Go sign that flashed for each person entering. If the light was green you just proceeded ahead but if you got a red light you were stopped, presented your passport and the officials opened and went through your carryons. In all our travels to foreign countries that operation was unique. Passport pictures are much like your state driver’s license photos in that they are never glorious. Today it takes a longer period of time to get an American passport. Times change and I’m sure our president doesn’t have to show his passport upon entering foreign countries but I wonder if American troops have to have a passport to enter and exit Iran or Afghanistan?MEMORY LANE PASSPORTS BY R. AUBREY LA FOY A favorite pastime of mine when I was a kid was to visit my uncle and aunt home only ½ block from my house. My aunt was my Mother’s elder sister and my uncle was a printer. Uncle Ray always subscribed to the National Geographic Magazine and I spent hours poring through those magazines looking at weird people, their dress, customs, buildings, maps and styles. The magazine opened up a world far removed from our small tight nit community in Iowa. We could dream and wondered if we would ever get to travel and see some of those exotic places and people. Little did I know at that time (age10 or 11) that by the time I was 21 years old my journeys would take me clear around the world. In July 1943 I left Milford, Iowa and traveled west and west and west until I returned to Milford from the east in January 1946. When I was a kid the highest hill I had ever seen was Hi Point on the west side of Lake West Okoboji but before I returned home in 1946 I had seen and driven mountains in Burma and China flew over the Himalayans of Tibet. The largest boat that I had ridden on prior to 1944 was the Queen on Okoboji but before I returned home in January 1946 had voyaged on an ocean going vessel that held over 8,000 people and another that held 3,500 military personal. Wow! The largest body of water I had observed prior to 1943 was Big Spirit Lake and then I sailed across the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Little Sioux River was huge when I was a kid but it didn’t compare with the Missouri River, Hooghly or Irrawadity in India, the Yangzee in China, Hudson River or the Mississippi River in the USA. I thought people from Minnesota talked different until I associated with fellows from Brooklyn and Texas but that was nothing compared with the languages in India and China. Years ago we would beg my Father to drive up past the Inn so we might see some of the employees but we found out in World War II the color of our skin was in the minority in India and China. I won’t even get into religions but when we found out that cows were sacred in India that was the ultimate. My Grandfather, two uncles and my father were butchers and that wouldn’t go very well in India. I also never had a good steak in India or China. We ate chicken and pork but no beef unless you call water buffalo beef, but chewing it was another venture. All of those adventures fulfilled the pages of the old National Geographic. In 1998 Connie and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We were married in 1948 while still in college at Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls. To help us celebrate that occasion our three sons, Randy, Ray and Carl presented us with a trip to Mexico. The original plan was to go to Cancun, Mexico but because they had just had a hurricane there switched our destination to Mazatlan, Mexico. Prior to leaving on that trip we applied for a passport. Although I had traveled clear around the Earth, entered and exited six countries not counting the USA it was my first passport. Since that time I have had to secure another as the first one expired because of time. I will state also, that getting the second passport was a bit more complicated that getting the second especially since 9/11. My first encounter leaving the USA occurred in February 1944. The military outfit I was assigned were slated to go overseas. I was with the XX Bomber Command-B-29s Air Corps in Great Bend, Kansas. We trained there and in February told to gather our gear, assemble in front of the barracks and marched five blocks to a waiting railroad train. Each man was assigned a certain coach and in we went not knowing our destination. There were four of us in seats facing each other along with our gear. Our barracks bags were stored elsewhere. The only way we could tell where we were was to see the station names but finally we stopped in a military camp near Riverside, California. We embarked and assigned barracks. The following days we received physicals, shots and trained on how to scramble up and down some netting much like ones we saw in movies and newsreels. We never did know where we were going and rumors were ramped as we kept our winter clothing so guessing was Alaska or maybe Australia. After a week at that base we were again assembled with our gear and barracks bags and boarded a train. Upon entering the train all the shades were pulled and we were instructed not to peek or let them up on our journey wherever that was. The train trip lasted about five or six hours. When it finally stopped we got off the train we were on a wharf and berthed next to a huge ship. It was sure larger than the Queen on Lake West Okoboji. We were formed in single file carrying our gear and barracks bags and as we approached the gangplank our names were read and we answered with our Army Serial Number. My ASN was 37675696 and told to proceed where a sailor escorted us into the ship. The officer in charge never asked for my passport-Ha! Ha! I won’t go into great detail of life aboard a troopship for 33 days but it wasn’t pleasant but endurable. I recall that when Connie and I took a cruise to Alaska I felt like a King with my Queen after my first ocean cruise; a stateroom, real bed, shower, toilet and sink with fresh water and a view with a balcony. Our troopship’s stateroom had 400 men, four tier bunks, and salt water showers. The portholes covered over and welded shut and we were issued two canteens of water each day. The food on the cruise ship was great with all you wanted to eat and more, shows, entertainment, bars and lounges. What a contrast! The Alaskan Cruise was great but we still had to present identification upon leaving and entering the ship. Since that first venture to Mexico we have traveled to the Panama Canal, Hawaiian Islands, Belgium and Holland, Ireland and Mexico. The American passport is a valued piece of paper and one is always warned to keep it secure at all times. Several incidents come to mind relating to our passports having to be presented upon entering and exiting countries. I recall going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico several years ago. We flew Alaskan Airline and upon disembarking the plane with our carryon bags proceeded into the terminal. Lines were formed and as one approached the Mexican officials there was a Stop and Go sign that flashed for each person entering. If the light was green you just proceeded ahead but if you got a red light you were stopped, presented your passport and the officials opened and went through your carryons. In all our travels to foreign countries that operation was unique. Passport pictures are much like your state driver’s license photos in that they are never glorious. Today it takes a longer period of time to get an American passport. Times change and I’m sure our president doesn’t have to show his passport upon entering foreign countries but I wonder if American troops have to have a passport to enter and exit Iran or Afghanistan?

MEMORY LANE

PASSPORTS

BY R. AUBREY LA FOY

A favorite pastime of mine when I was a kid was to visit my uncle and aunt home only ½ block from my house. My aunt was my Mother’s elder sister and my uncle was a printer. Uncle Ray always subscribed to the National Geographic Magazine and I spent hours poring through those magazines looking at weird people, their dress, customs, buildings, maps and styles. The magazine opened up a world far removed from our small tight nit community in Iowa. We could dream and wondered if we would ever get to travel and see some of those exotic places and people. Little did I know at that time (age10 or 11) that by the time I was 21 years old my journeys would take me clear around the world.

In July 1943 I left Milford, Iowa and traveled west and west and west until I returned to Milford from the east in January 1946. When I was a kid the highest hill I had ever seen was Hi Point on the west side of Lake West Okoboji but before I returned home in 1946 I had seen and driven mountains in Burma and China flew over the Himalayans of Tibet. The largest boat that I had ridden on prior to 1944 was the Queen on Okoboji but before I returned home in January 1946 had voyaged on an ocean going vessel that held over 8,000 people and another that held 3,500 military personal. Wow! The largest body of water I had observed prior to 1943 was Big Spirit Lake and then I sailed across the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The Little Sioux River was huge when I was a kid but it didn’t compare with the Missouri River, Hooghly or Irrawadity in India, the Yangzee in China, Hudson River or the Mississippi River in the USA. I thought people from Minnesota talked different until I associated with fellows from Brooklyn and Texas but that was nothing compared with the languages in India and China.

Years ago we would beg my Father to drive up past the Inn so we might see some of the employees but we found out in World War II the color of our skin was in the minority in India and China.  I won’t even get into religions but when we found out that cows were sacred in India that was the ultimate. My Grandfather, two uncles and my father were butchers and that wouldn’t go very well in India. I also never had a good steak in India or China. We ate chicken and pork but no beef unless you call water buffalo beef, but chewing it was another venture. All of those adventures fulfilled the pages of the old National Geographic.

In 1998 Connie and I celebrated our 50^th wedding anniversary. We were married in 1948 while still in college at Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls. To help us celebrate that occasion our three sons, Randy, Ray and Carl presented us with a trip to Mexico. The original plan was to go to Cancun, Mexico but because they had just had a hurricane there switched our destination to Mazatlan, Mexico. Prior to leaving on that trip we applied for a passport. Although I had traveled clear around the Earth, entered and exited six countries not counting the USA it was my first passport. Since that time I have had to secure another as the first one expired because of time. I will state also, that getting the second passport was a bit more complicated that getting the second especially since 9/11.

My first encounter leaving the USA occurred in February 1944. The military outfit I was assigned were slated to go overseas. I was with the XX Bomber Command-B-29s Air Corps in Great Bend, Kansas. We trained there and in February told to gather our gear, assemble in front of the barracks and marched five blocks to a waiting railroad train. Each man was assigned a certain coach and in we went not knowing our destination. There were four of us in seats facing each other along with our gear. Our barracks bags were stored elsewhere. The only way we could tell where we were was to see the station names but finally we stopped in a military camp near Riverside, California.

We embarked and assigned barracks. The following days we received physicals, shots and trained on how to scramble up and down some netting much like ones we saw in movies and newsreels. We never did know where we were going and rumors were ramped as we kept our winter clothing so guessing was Alaska or maybe Australia. After a week at that base we were again assembled with our gear and barracks bags and boarded a train. Upon entering the train all the shades were pulled and we were instructed not to peek or let them up on our journey wherever that was. The train trip lasted about five or six hours. When it finally stopped we got off the train we were on a wharf and berthed next to a huge ship. It was sure larger than the Queen on Lake West Okoboji. We were formed in single file carrying our gear and barracks bags and as we approached the gangplank our names were read and we answered with our Army Serial Number. My ASN was 37675696 and told to proceed where a sailor escorted us into the ship. The officer in charge never asked for my passport-Ha! Ha! I won’t go into great detail of life aboard a troopship for 33 days but it wasn’t pleasant but endurable.

I recall that when Connie and I took a cruise to Alaska I felt like a King with my Queen after my first ocean cruise; a stateroom, real bed, shower, toilet and sink with fresh water and a view with a balcony. Our troopship’s stateroom had 400 men, four tier bunks, and salt water showers. The portholes covered over and welded shut and we were issued two canteens of water each day. The food on the cruise ship was great with all you wanted to eat and more, shows, entertainment, bars and lounges. What a contrast!  The Alaskan Cruise was great but we still had to present identification upon leaving and entering the ship.

Since that first venture to Mexico we have traveled to the Panama Canal, Hawaiian Islands, Belgium and Holland, Ireland and Mexico. The American passport is a valued piece of paper and one is always warned to keep it secure at all times. Several incidents come to mind relating to our passports having to be presented upon entering and exiting countries.

I recall going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico several years ago. We flew Alaskan Airline and upon disembarking the plane with our carryon bags proceeded into the terminal. Lines were formed and as one approached the Mexican officials there was a Stop and Go sign that flashed for each person entering. If the light was green you just proceeded ahead but if you got a red light you were stopped, presented your passport and the officials opened and went through your carryons. In all our travels to foreign countries that operation was unique.

Passport pictures are much like your state driver’s license photos in that they are never glorious. Today it takes a longer period of time to get an American passport. Times change and I’m sure our president doesn’t have to show his passport upon entering foreign countries but I wonder if American troops have to have a passport to enter and exit Iran or Afghanistan?

SWIMMING

MEMORY LANE

SWIMMING

BY R. AUBREY LA FOY

The other day I chanced upon the baby books for my sister’s and myself.  My Mother, Jean Holcomb LaFoy, was very diligent in keeping records of our first words, first walks and even locks of our hair. Wow! How mine has changed over the years from blond to brown to white. My baby book did not include when I first began to swim.

Do you remember when you first walk or talk? Probably not, but for many of you your first attempt to swim may not have occurred until you were grown or a teenager. In my case I cannot remember NOT swimming. My wife, Connie, didn’t learn to swim until we started to date and were married.

In my case my parents built and owned a cottage on Jones Beach in 1925 the year I was born. At that time is was named Milford Beach and was populated primarily by Milford citizens. My Uncle Ollie Holcomb was one of the founders and developers of Milford Beach. He worked out of a bank in Milford. He built a cottage on Milford Beach which was east or my parent’s cottage. Walter & Elizabeth Jones also built a cottage. Walter was a brother-in-law of Ollie Holcomb. Ollie’s’ wife was Blanch Jones Holcomb.

Milford or Jones Beach has a wonderful sand beach and it was no trouble for kids to play on the sand and venture out into the lake. I don’t recall learning to swim but remember diving from the dock and swimming under water to gather clams from the bottom of the lake. After bringing the clams to sore put them in a minnow bucket probably to die. I recall swimming under water long before I ever learned to swim on the surface of the water. I was not very old to remember swimming at Jones Beach as my parents sold their cottage in 1930 and built a cobblestone cottage in Maywood. The cobble stone cottage is still there just inside the middle stone pillars to the right.

My parents rented out their cottage in Maywood and many times when they went up to clean and mow the yard I would take the trail down to the lake and go swimming. It wasn’t as much fun as Jones Beach but it was fun to dive off the docks and swim around.

I don’t think people who live in or near the lakes really appreciate the advantage of ready access to swimming. Talking with many people who grew up on farms or small towns where they had no lakes it was a thrill to come to the Iowa Great Lakes and go swimming.

Owning a bathing suit was another obstacle for many but that was solved by being able to rent suits. The rental bathing suits were wool and not very attractive and as I recall one color-dark blue. People could rent bathing suits at Terrace Park in conjunction with the Casino. (One of the buildings that one could rent a bathing suit is still in existence on the beach at Boy’s Town.) Other places that rented bathing suits were Benit’s’ Park and there was also one rental facility on the north-west corner of the lake at Triboji Beach. Whether there was one on Big Spirit Lake I don’t know.

One could rent the bathing suit, get a wire basket, place your shoes and clothing, check it in and retrieve it when you returned from swimming. You were issued a metal tag with a number that matched your wire basket. Scuba divers and collectors have discovered many over the years on beaches and from the lake bottoms. Many of the rental facilities provided docks, diving boards, rafts and water wheels. I know there were water wheels, rafts and diving board at Terrace Park, Benit’s Park and also a Crescent Beach. Arnolds Park was the place to go as Benit’s constructed a diving tower and many times we went there to dive and “show off”. In the 1930’s young men were employed to be life guards at the beaches through the WPA. The “life guards” not only watched the swimmers but gave “life saving” lessons.

It was my privilege to take “life saving” lessons one summer at Benit’s’ Beach at Arnolds Park. Recalling how we were instructed to give and help a drowning victim is a far cry from today’s methods. I don’t think what we learned in the 1930s was far from rolling drowning victim  back and forth over a barrel but we laid the victim on their stomach, make sure there  tongue was okay and push just below the rib cage to extract the water at a steady count. In 1947 while going to Iowa State Teachers College in a course of First Aid they still continued the method I learned in the 1930s.

The skills (?) I learned in that “life saving” course I took in the 1930s came very useful over the years while living at Terrace Park. Somebody was always over extending themselves swimming. Shortly after taking the course (1930s) it was helpful in assisting a friend of mine who was going down the third time. I don’t know if what I did was correct but he is still alive after 70 years.

During World War II it was privilege to go swimming in the states and overseas. Swimming in a pool was s treat but give me open water anytime. I recall my first military camp was at Camp Dodge at Des Moines. The camp had a wonderful swimming pool and many of us from Dickinson County availed ourselves of that facility. My first permanent camp at March Field, California had a great swimming pool facility. We spent many a happy hours swimming in that pool especially as our part of the camp was in the desert and very dusty. Another facility that I availed myself was at Bombay, India. We had spent 33 days on a troopship from California via Australia and finally to Bombay. We were quartered at a camp in Bombay near the harbor. About three blocks from our camp was huge swimming facility that incorporated the ocean into swimming pool. Fortunately I always kept my bathing trunks so going to that pool in Bombay was real treat. The next time I could avail myself to a swimming pool was in early 1945. I was assigned to the 2459^th Quartermaster Truck Company that hauled military supplies over the Ledo-Burma Road from India to China. The Army Engineers tried to make our rest stops nice and provided showers or swimming holes. I recall the engineers had constructed a swimming hole near our rest stop. We had been driving all day and were tired and dusty and when we spotted that beautiful wonderful swimming hole nothing doing but jump in. I put on my swimming trunks, ran over to the side of the water and dived in. That was a mistake as the engineers had only dammed up a mountain stream that was just above freezing. It was a shock to the system but refreshing. Didn’t stay in long but it was great to get rid of all the dust and dirt.

We drove up to Kunming, China and from there took roads (?) to several western Chinese cities. I recall one evening we stopped along a shallow river and floated down about ½ mile, walked back up and did it over and over again. Another time we parked along a swift flowing stream and swam in that for a long time. We also washed our clothes.

When you grow up at the Iowa Great Lakes wherever you are you seek out swimming facilities. When we were attending college at Cedar Falls we availed ourselves to swimming facilities at Cedar Fall and also at Waverly, Iowa. We have also swum in Clear Lake, White Bear Lake, Gull Lake, Spirit Lake, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf Of Mexico, Texas, Mexico and Hawaii.

We have two Olympic style swimming pools where we live in the winter. The “heated” pools are really used. Believe it or not I get into West Okoboji at least once each summer, when it is hot. When I was a kid living in Milford we tried to be the “first” to go swimming in Lake West Okoboji in the spring but no more. Our two granddaughters, Becca and Sonja LaFoy have carried on the tradition and try to be the first to go swimming at White Bear Lake, Minnesota after the ice goes out. I like “heated’ pools.

BIRTHDAYS-GADGETS

 TIME MARCHES ON

BY R. AUBREY LA FOY

The older I get the more behind I get.  The fact is that when I arise each morning I don’t have much to do but when I go to bed at night I am only half done.  I had a birthday last week and I need to take out my driver’s license to see how old I am. Birthdays have a way of bringing one back to reality about what has happened in your lifetime.

Several days ago I watched a program on the History Channel. The program was on the most important gadgets ever invented that have affected our lives and the world. A group of experts (?) had the gadgets listed as the most important and finally got to the top ten. What was so interesting was that four of the top ten were in place when I was born in 1925.  The top six arrived after that date.

Here is a little quiz for you. How old is Grandma? (E-mail) “One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events. The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the space programs, the computer age, music and just things in general...The Grandmother replied, “Well let me think a minute, I was born before: television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen food, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. There were no credit cards, laser beams, ball point pens, pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man hadn’t walked on the moon.

Your grandfather and I got married first and then lived together, every family had a father and mother, we called everyman over 25, “Sir” and there were no gay-right, politically correct stuff, daycare center, disposable diapers and group therapy. We abided by the Ten Commandments, just judgment and common sense. Serving our country was a privilege and living in this country was a bigger privilege. We thought fast food was a quick lunch. Time-sharing meant the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums. We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, DC’s, yogurt or guys wearing earrings or tattoos. We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny and the President’s speeches on our radios. I don’t remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Harry James or Tommy Dorsey and everything wasn’t made in China.

Wal-Mart, Costco and Sam's were not around nor were Pizza Hut, McDonald’s but we had a 5 & 10 cent store and you could buy something for 5 cents. We still bent over to pick up a penny from the ground and ice-cream cones, Eskimo Pies, phone calls, riding a streetcar and buying a Coca-Cola cost a nickel or dime. A new Ford Coupe could be bought for $600 and a house for $10,000 but who could afford them.  “Grass” was mowed, “coke” was a cold drink, “pot” was something your mother cooked in and “rock music” was your grandmother’s lullaby, “chip” meant a piece of wood and “hardware” was found in a hardware store and “software” wasn’t even a word.

Grandma asked her grandson, “How old do you think I am?” You are probably thinking it must be someone near Aubrey’s age (86) but be prepared to be shocked. Are you ready??

The woman would be only 59 years old”.

I recall some of the “new” inventions and gadgets previously stated personally that, at the time, they appeared were really thrilling. The following are a few listed about gadgets that changed us. How about the TV remote control gadget? Many of us can recall getting most of our exercise getting up and down to change the channels and how about the TV station picture that stayed the same but we looked at it anyway. The camera I used in World War II was 116 Brownie Box Camera and it was a pain to get film and get it developed. The digital camera we have today is great and we still have many slides we took with our Argus C-3 back in the 1950s. When our three sons graduated from high school we gave them electric typewriters but today we give our grandchildren computers. It’s really funny though that the keyboard on the new and modern computers and laptops use the same keyboard from the very first typewriter keyboards.

One of the gadgets around when I was born that was in the top ten was the alarm clock. Prior to people working in factories and offices time didn’t mean much especially on farms. You got up with the chickens and went to bed after the cows were milked but with the advent of factories one had to be on time, hence the alarm clock. In my own case our family didn’t have an alarm clock and really only one clock in our kitchen.  I started delivering a morning newspapers while in the fifth grade and relied upon my Grandfather, Ed LaFoy, to call me on the telephone at 6:30 a. m. each morning because he had an alarm clock. Oh! How I hated to hear the telephone ring on those cold and blistering winter days. The phone would ring until I answered it. I don’t recall what I said to my Grandfather but I am sure it wasn’t a very pleasant response. Out secondary clock was on the St. Joseph Church tower. We could see it out of your bathroom window and viewed it quite often. I didn’t have a wrist watch until I got one for my graduation in 1943.

In August 1943 I passed through Phoenix, Arizona on a Union Pacific Railroad. The temperature was over 100 degrees and we had no air conditioning on the train. My one thought was as we passed through was, “Why would anybody want to live here?” Little did I know at that time that I would be spending my winters there when I retired but we now have air conditioning which makes the region tolerable in the summer months? Air conditioner was number six on the gadgets to change the world.

Number five was the personal computer and Connie and I can testify to that. We spend many hours using the computer and sometimes I wonder what we did before it showed up. Our first one was an Apple in 1988 and since that time, like cars, we have had many. Ten years ago I spent many hours in libraries doing research for my articles but today I use Google.

Number four was a surprise, but according to the experts they listed the hypodermic needle. The thing that always grabs me is that after somebody giving us a shot or extracting blood they throw the needle away. I worked as a lab technician for a time in World War II and we used needles and then placed them in a cooker to sterilize them. Naturally after much use they got kind of dull and any GI can testify to “dull” needles.

Number three gadget is TV. Any one my age can tell you that TV is both gratifying and also disappointing. Why is it that you have 100 stations and still can’t find anything that interests you? It has really changed our lived and many of us can recall that Vietnam was the first TV War. It brought the war into our living room and shook many people up to the realities. But there are many, many programs that are great but I still bemoan the loss of shows like Jack Benny, Red Skelton, and Jackie Gleason who were really comedians. What happened?

Number two was the radio. My father was into radio early and we had a wonderful Atwater-Kent upright radio. Our radio stations were few but what wonderful programs we listened to and as one as you listened you had to put the picture in your head. My personal opinion is that like reading a book you have to use your brain where as TV supplies it all. One of the few things that TV doesn’t do is smell which is probably great because pictures of some the areas of the world are better for leaving out the odors.

Now are you ready for Number One? According to the expert the gadget that has changed the world is the “smart or cell phone”. We can testify to that as it has really changed our communication with each other, friend and family. It still blows my mind to press a number, it rings two or three times and my son answers in Montana or wherever.  I recall several years ago calling to our son from Ireland and he called last year from Greece on their cell phone. Instant communication and it is funny because we can’t think of leaving the house without our cell phone. If you add the photo taking, it makes it difficult for anyone to hide occurrences regardless where they are. The only drawback to that is you must have a tower to relay your message or photo. That is the key to control of the cell phone, your ability to transmit a signal. We hiked in the mountains in Arizona several years ago and there were many places where we couldn’t get a signal. The same is true traveling between Iowa and Arizona-dead spots.

Wow! What a ride we have had in our lifetime but I recall that when Connie’s Mother was asked about what invention or gadget she thought was the most important she didn’t even hesitate, “Indoor plumbing.” She died at the age of 102 so she was an expert in new gadgets. Which one do you think has made the most impression on your life? Birthdays have a way of helping mark time and think about changes over a period of time.

BARNS

109 YEAR OLD BARN

BY R. AUBREY LA FOY

The history of our past should be preserved. Towns and farms of today are quite different from 50 or 60 years ago. Many small communities have almost ceased to exist and many struggle. The post office is probably one of the last establishments to disappear and we observed the many closings this past week. Farms have now become primarily grain producers. 100 years ago a barn was a must to store hay and house the milk cows. It is indeed sad to see a once fine barn slowly deteriorate, lean and collapse. Kids today don’t know the thrill of playing in the haymow or seeing the excitement of bringing in the hay and elevating it into the barn. Remember the horses pulling the long rope to put the hay up and in. Any kid that grew up on farm can relate to pitching hay down for the horses and cows. Do kids today even know what a pitchfork is?? We need to try to save and preserve at least a few of our past for future generations-Save the barn.

The big white barn directly back (south) of the Dickinson County Nature Center building was built in 1902 by Sam A. Holcomb. A news article in the July 18, 1902 Spirit Lakes Beacon reads, “S.A. Holcomb is building a barn on his farm 40 X 80, 16 foot posts. It will hold 75 tons of hay and furnish Sam’s stock excellent quarters.” It is a well constructed building with huge timbers. Some of the lumber was secured from the oak trees located on the property and the land across the road to the north. Another article in the Spirit Lake Beacon, February 18, 1901, “S.A. Holcomb will move to his Center Grove farm about the first of March. He will have one of the nicest farm homes in the county and have it stocked and equipped without a burden of debt. Sam’s many friends contemplate his property with real satisfaction.”

Samuel Anselum Holcomb is my grandfather. Sam was born at Castilia, Iowa, November 9, 1861, and my grandmother, Georgia Sperbeck Holcomb was born April 4, 1861 at La Crosse, Wisconsin. Both families came by covered wagon to the Iowa Great Lakes. The Lewis Holcomb family (Sam’s father, mother three brothers and one sister) settled on a homestead several miles east of Big Spirit Lake and the Sperbecks (Eight children and wife) homestead was on the east shores of Big Spirit Lake. The Sperbeck family came to Dickinson County in 1867 and the Lewis Holcomb family came in 1870.

The Holcomb family came by covered wagon drawn by oxen. Sam and his brother John walked the distance herding the family cows. The family lived in a sod dugout when they first came to the area. The Lewis Holcomb family lived in the area until 1885. Lewis was sheriff of Dickinson County in 1882. He was also engaged in a stagecoach line traveling from Jackson, Minnesota to Spencer, Iowa. He left with his family, all but Sam, first to Kansas, then to Oklahoma for the Land Rush. The families of Sam’s brothers still reside in Oklahoma.

Sam Holcomb, my grandfather, left home at the age of 13 to work at a farm in Diamond Lake Township where he also attended school in a one room schoolhouse. Later he worked in the Minnewaukon Hotel at Spirit Lake and two years in the Schley Hotel at Jackson, Minnesota.

Sam and Georgia were married on December 10, 1884 at the home of her parents James Sperbeck in Minnie (Orleans), Iowa. After three years they moved to a Diamond Lake Township farm and stayed there for five years. Leaving the farm they moved to Spirit Lake and Sam was involved in a livery concern with a Mr. J. Mott. Spirit Lake Beacon article, January 12, 1900, stated that, “Mott & Holcomb are now entirely out of the livery business. The firm will not dissolve, as they have extensive farming interests which will engage their attention. The relations of these parties with the community have been such as to make their movements of interest. The junior partner (Sam) came here as a small boy and has made a record for honesty and general good conduct. S. Mott came here in 1869 and is a good man.” January article reads, “Big Sale-Mott & Holcomb on Lake Street, 40 horses and vehicles.”

In 1901 they purchased the farm now known as Kenue Park. (North one-half of the Northeast one-fourth of Section Eighteen, Center Grove Township of Dickinson County) They also owned some land across the road to the north. The family lived on the farm from 1901 to 1905. While there as stated before he built the farm and other outbuilding for the use in the farm operation.

The Sam Holcomb family consisted of Sam, Georgia his wife, Freda, Ollie, Ferol, Charlotte and Jean. Freda, the oldest, graduated from Spirit lake High School in 1902. She rode a pony from that farm into Spirit Lake each school day and the rest of the children attended a one-room school that was on the corner where the Barns are today. My Mother Jean remembers sliding down the big hill (kane) directly to the west and south of the barn. She was born in 1898.

Sam earlier had a meat market in Milford so he knew the butcher trade. While living on the farm in Center Grove he continued that trade an during the summer months would get up early, butcher a beef, cut it into cuts, throw them into a horse drawn wagon and peddle the meat up  and down the east shores of West Okoboji. Ice was harvested from the lake in the winter and kept in an ice cellar. The ice was covered with sawdust and taken out as needed.

On March 31, 1905 the Dickinson County Supervisors met in a Special Session. “Members present were: J.T Webb, C.C. Gregory and W.C. Edmunds and County Auditor-C.C. Hamilton. Supervisor Gregory introduced a resolution authorizing the purchase from S.A. Holcomb farm for a poor farm for use and benefit of Dickinson County for the consideration to be $7,080.00. That we also purchase from S. A. Holcomb nine head of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, consideration $700.00”

The Board of Supervisors, April, 1905 session, “appointed Geo. Machesney as Superintendent of the poor farm for the period of eight months beginning April1’ 1905 at $40.00 per month. Also a garden was allowed by the board as well as cows and chickens. There would be milk, butter, eggs for table use. Each person placed on the farm to be boarded and cared for by him and his wife as conditions may require, the county shall pay him $2.00 per month per resident, bills payable for each month. Mr. Machesney was to have the management of the farm. J. T. Webb was appointed to purchase horses, machinery, feed and seed necessary to operate the poor farm.” The above information secured from the 1905 Minutes of the Dickinson County board of Supervisors.

Sam Holcomb family moved to Spirit Lake and later to Milford. Sam owned and operated several meat markets over the years. Sam kept the farm area north of Kenue Park and harvested many of the oak trees there. The Holcomb’s burned oak in their furnace in Milford and I recall going with my Dad to cut and saw up the trees. The area was also covered with gooseberry bushes and many times we would accompany grandmother Holcomb to pick gooseberries. Grandma Holcomb was noted for her gooseberry pies. Sam died in 1940 and Georgia in 1958.

Dickinson County worked the “farm” for many years producing garden produces: milk, butter chickens and eggs for consumption at the “poor” farm.

The barn my grandfather, Sam Holcomb, had constructed in 1902 is still in fair condition. Several years ago a metal roof was installed which helps preserve it. The 40 X60 white barn in Kenue Park is over 100 years old. The location in Kenue Park makes it an ideal place to preserve some of Dickinson County’s history. Save the barn.