Travel the Wild West - and Remember

On our way out west we spent a day in Cody, WY, a throwback if ever there was one, if you spend time in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, five museums in one.  And I highly recommend doing so.

Hoss - Pa - Adam - Li'l Joe

We first walked into the Firearms Museum and saw numerous firearms, including what was left of Lucretia Borgia, the rifle Buffalo Bill used to shoot buffalo.  There are thousands of firearms here, more than I imagined you can have in one spot, with a history of the development of firearms.

Li'l Joe's Gun and Holster

Pa's Gun and Holster

The museum has the six-shooters worn by Pa and Li’l Joe of Bonanza fame, shown here, the latter being left-handed and the holster matching perfectly.  Try to think of that TV show without hearing the theme music in your head – then look at the blog post from July, 2010 because we have the opening music and video there.  Scroll to the bottom of that page to get to the video.

All during the time I was walking through the museum I couldn’t help but think: our kids NEVER had western heroes.  They wouldn’t know Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger if you showed them pictures, I’m sure.  The era is gone, and now the kids worship singers who wear their pants halfway down their thighs. 

OK, so maybe we wore ‘em low from time to time, but some of the yahoos I’ve seen have to walk bowlegged to keep them from falling completely off, elastic waist or not!  And plaid underwear to match?  Uffda.  I bowl  in a league featuring just such a fellow – the elasticized waist allows him to drop what looks like flannel pajamas below his gluteus maximus, revealing the aforementioned shorts at the conclusion of his delivery.  A real sight.

I digress.  To return to my story, the firearms museum was only the start of the local mission, and simply a delay until we could take the trolley tour of Cody, after which we returned to complete the museum tour.

Buffalo Bill, who was born in LeClaire, IA, just north of the Quad Cities, may have been the original promotions man in addition to the skill set that allowed him to kill a lot of buffaloes.  In his defense, when he saw how others were pretty much slaughtering the animal with disregard to the mutual future of man and animal, he did set out to do some correction.  And they still became nearly extinct.

In his Wild West show he used quite a large collection of cowboys and Indians traveling across the East, complete with horses and war whoops.  Jerky, black and white movies at the museum documented the performances.  And nearly all of his promo photos include a hat set on jauntily and a debonair tilt of his head.  He was a confident man.

When I got to that part of the museum devoted to his story, I couldn’t help but spend some time viewing Annie Oakley, the original liberated woman.  She had quite the life story, including time spent training some 15,000 women to shoot a gun, and according to the museum was training American soldiers the same way about the time of the Spanish-American war.

Another Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, who died in Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, SD, had his own business connection to Calamity Jane, another Wild West heroine who was featured in the 1953 film of the same name.  Doris Day, once America’s Sweetheart and later the World’s Oldest Virgin, played the role in the movie and sang favorite songs like “The Deadwood Stage” and “Secret Love”, the latter topping the Billboard charts at one point.  (C’mon, croon with me . . .  “Now I shout it from the highest hills, I even told the golden daff – o – d – I – I – l ls . . . “)

Doesn't look that comfortable, does she?

The movie is memorable to me because I saw it in Austin, MN, probably on a Sunday afternoon at the Sterling Theater, with Larry Holstad, eating our way through more popcorn and candy than we should have.  I just can’t get the sight of Doris Day riding shotgun on a stagecoach (in the opening scene) out of my head.  It helped that she was a lovely lady.

So it was appropriate during this trip West that as we drove we listened to “Seriously Sinatra” – a channel on XM Radio featuring old favorites like Doris Day, including her top hit “Que Sera, Sera” and other crooners in addition to Sinatra himself.  Perry Como, the old smoothie (“I’ll be looking at the moon, and I’ll be seeing yoooooo!”), Peggy Lee – “Fever!”, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Bobby Darin . . .  It was a flashback, I tell you.  Remember when you had a stack of LP’s at home with music like that?  Perhaps even Chet Akins or the Percy Faith Orchestra?

It was all Memory Lane.  Head West, young man (or woman), and be as young as you want to be.

Cheerleader Stories

Richard Holstad passes along these photos and information about the Cheerleader Life.  Not being a cheerleader, I'm not real good at describing the pain of the workout, the agony of defeat, the joy of victory . . . you get the idea.


Cynthia Vold (Rev C Forde) has forwarded to me a box of memorabilia from the mid-fifties.  All three Vold sisters were Cheerleaders in their time.  Cynthia was an enthusiastic . . . "avid" may be a better term . . . cheerleader while in HS.


They have some pretty neat stories that I am just getting Cynthia to detail.  Embarrassing moments, the physical demands, the prestige of being selected, the expectations of the cheerleaders.  Who knows what else will be revealed as time goes on here.

Turns out there were several high-energy cheer leaders that Cynthia has been relating stories to me about.  

Click the Image for a Larger View

For instance – here is Cynthia’s team probably 1955 or 56 …. And if you have an appreciation of how high that stage is above the floor …. These gals were GOING FOR IT!  

(I asked Cynthia if they didn’t really jump off the stage for this photo ….. similar to how Mike Lien launching off Dave Skellenger’s back to dunk the BB?)  Cynthia assures me . . . these gals were for real jumping that high.

Click the Image for a Larger View

Editor's Note: what if you somehow broke an ankle or leg?  Does the cheerleading end?  Do you now cheer from the stands?  Like any athlete, do you now "sit"?

At another point in our communication Cynthia referenced having a cheerleader's handbook, which she has since sent me.  The photo here is the cover of that book.  I asked Cynthia (AKA Skipper) to be sure to autograph the book because I may be "enhancing" the cheerleader's story in greater detail.  The date inside the cover of the manual here is 1954.

Our thanks to Cynthia for sending this along.  National Sports Equipment doesn't show up through a Google search so presumably the company is out of business.  After all, it was a long time ago . . .

A Soldier's Story

On our recent trip out west we stopped in Coeur d'Alene, ID, and on the advice of a friend from Idaho took a trip around Lake Coeur d'Alene by way of Highway 3 heading south of Interstate 90 to Highway 97.  We stopped for lunch in Harrison, and then toured the East side of the Lake.

Seeing the lake while driving is restricted by all the trees between the water and the road but when you're in no rush, what's the difference.  As we approached Highway 90 (shown in the distance on this photo) we rounded a curve and noticed a photographer on the side of the road, at the approximate location from which the above picture is taken.

And a photographer he indeed was.  He had a very old, World War II issue camera that was given to him when he enlisted in the Army near the end of the War and was made a paratrooper.  He never engaged in combat but took lots of pictures during that time, then brought the camera home with him at the end of the war.

No doubt every photo he took was top drawer quality, just assessing the camera he was using.  For each photo, a plate was inserted in the camera, and he could take one picture on each side, for a total of two negatives per plate.  The image he viewed, under the shroud he pulled over his head, was upside down - symptomatic of many older cameras due to their construction.  When he got "under the shroud" his head, shoulders, and much of his arms were covered.  And at his age - 85 - his vision was impaired so he also had to strap a magnifying device on his head to get full clarity in the image he would view.

He has become a purist.  No photos of people.  Or animals.  Landscapes only.  In black and white.  I wish I could see them.

Hearing his story, I thought he could qualify as an American hero.  When he returned from the war he wound up working for the Hagedone's, the family that owns the the Coeur d'Alene Resort and its beautiful golf course, as well as the Coeur d'Alene Press.  It was the latter where he went to work with no journalism training but for the photography he had done during the War.

He began as an "ink-stained ragamuffin" doing all the odd jobs at the entry level: copy, sales, typesetting.  And eventually he retired from his final position - Publisher.  Of the Coeur d'Alene Press.

That's the "round-about", "via Highway 3" way to tell you a story about the kind of successes that come from hard work and sometimes being in the right place at the right time.  It was a joy to visit with the man and hear his story.  He volunteered some things, and other things had to be dragged out of him.  Finally, he pulled the shroud back up over his head and the talking was done.  Regretfully, I had failed to take a picture of him as we spoke, though I'm not sure he would have allowed it.

I'm always in a little bit of awe of the soldiers who served in World War II.  Certainly this guy didn't face what so many others have, but no doubt he has lived a good life, as our uncles and fathers have done, and made positive contributions to our society.  God bless 'em all.

Congrats to the Class of '61

Click on the Picture for a Larger View

Having been away on vacation for a couple weeks (a road trip west) I've fallen behind, and will try to catch up in the next few days.

The Anchor reports the Class of '61 held their 50th Reunion last month.  There are many faces and names to recall here, and they had a pretty good turnout after all these years.

Our congratulations to all of them.  To help commemorate the event, click on this link to enjoy some music - and thanks to Merrilee Reid for forwarding the link.

Memories - Many Lost Forever

The Lake Mills Bulldog

I keep thinking our cheerleaders will chime in with some exciting stories of the campaigns back in 61-62, but lacking their input, I turned to my better half, who was an LMHS Bulldog cheerleader at the other end of the ring.

"What great memories do you have?"  I asked.

"None," she said.

"You mean you don't even recall the upset in St. Ansgar?"

"Why?  Who did we play?  All I remember is that I always wanted to win - but I don't recall the details."  And she laughed at me.

Oh, Lordy.  Here I thought all that stuff was important.  Maybe she's just putting it in perspective for me.

Northwood's "Music Man"

The September, 1940, NHS News made a couple of references to LT Dillon, the band director, leading cheers for one group or another.  I have very vague personal memories of discussions about him, and believe I recall seeing plaques and/or trophies associated with his name, either in the band room or in the trophy cases in the hallway outside the old gym.

But I don't actually know too much about the man and his place in the history of our school - but I should.  Because he apparently was, in today's terminology, "the man."

So once again I relied on Richard Holstad for some input, and here is what he sent along:

L. T. Dillon

L T Dillon was one of the very early businessmen in Northwood.

He loved music, and he loved the school kids. This combination was so strong that LT Dillon had a major - major impact on the town of Northwood ……. when in 1936 he had the audacity to take the NHS band to the national competition held in Cleveland Ohio …… AND THEY WON FIRST PLACE ….. IN NATIONAL COMPETITION!  This man IS Northwood’s own Music Man. 


There are several band members still living in Northwood from that time.  My mother was in that band.  I have spoken with and gotten to know some of these individuals and am able to "click into" some of the bonding these events created in Northwood in 1936 thru 1940 and beyond.    

Just looking at the photo you get the feeling that he's a natural-born leader with high expectations, the kind of guy you would expect to make believers of his troops - without resorting to 76 trombones.  If you know someone who can tell us more, please pass along their stories.  Sounds like this guy is some kind of legend.

Did Your Dentist Sing to You?

Recently I lost an inlay (precious metal valued at $14.10).  While reclining in the dentist chair and thinking of the Class of '62 blog, I couldn't help but think of Dr. H. F. Johnson, so I asked my dentist if he would sing to me like my dentist did 50 years ago.  But he demurred.

While in high school, a trip to see Doc Johnson was normally painful even if beneficial.  Seemed he was always coming up with gadgets to help avoid the pain, but never used Novocaine as a solution.  The very last gadget that I recall being used was a water hose affixed to the drill, and I was directed to squeeze a trigger of some type whenever I felt any pain.

"We're not hitting a nerve," he insisted.  "It's the high heat that the drill generates that causes the pain."  And thus the water was a cooling agent.  Theoretically at least.  It still hurt.

When the drilling ended he would direct me to lean over the spit bowl that had water spiraling downward, carrying away all the blood, tooth chips, and other crap that had been in my mouth during the event.

Then he shoved amalgam into the hole he had just created, and screwed down with a thumbscrew the forms used to hold it there.  And then I would heave a sigh of relief.  For the moment there was peace.  He often would leave the room to do paperwork or whatever, or perhaps he stayed right there, right foot up on the radiator while he pulled the blinds down to peak through them and into the street.

And then he would ask how good our football team would be that fall.  Or he would break into song.  It's a song I can repeat after all these years, because it didn't have many words, and was extraordinarily memorable.  It was a simple tune with simple words:  "Because LeRoy is the best guy in town!!"

They don't make dentists like that anymore.  Even though I taught him the words last week, my new dentist wouldn't sing it.