Mary Kauer: March 9, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis.

Dear Friends,
It's hard to believe it's the end of another week. For me this week just flew by. When I think about it, this whole month went by faster. It's almost the end of January. The first month of the year is almost gone. I wonder if the rest of the year will feel like it's going by so fast. Time will tell.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Mary.

I know the writing does not look like Mary's, but it is. She explains:

                Rib Lake, Wis.
               March 9, 1927
Dear Howard,
  I'm going to answer
your very welcome
letter before I forget.
seeing thats such
an easy thing to do-
(Bug house fable).
  Well I was home
all day Monday, or
rather out at camp.
Lunny place for
kids to go isn't it? Just
the same I enjoyed

the trip even though
I get tired from
walking. Of course we
didn't walk all the way.
cause we were
lucky enough to get a
free ride on the
passenger train
which you know goes
out there in the
woods, and is
rather courteous to
young ladies of our
type. We had a good
time on the train, the
main reason was

the nice brakeman;
who is rather appealing
to young girls, even
if he is a married
man. But then
forbidden fruit
always is best. Ha Ha
There's a party at
Moores Saturday night
and I can't decide
whether to go or not.
I ought to have a
Mamma somewhere
near to give me
advice when
my thoughts get

in such a jungle.
Don't you think my
writing has improved
seen last time. Well
I just noticed it
myself. Maybe its because
I'm taking my time
tonight even though
I am in great haste.
My pencils getting dull
and my paper short
so I'll have to close
  Yours till I'm
sick.    Mary

What did you think of her writing style change? Not sure if she is able to keep it up. Time will tell. I know I got some of the words wrong. As usual some of the words were hard to get right. Either that or I need my eyes checked. But then again after a day at work my eyes are tired. So you will just have to forgive me.
I wonder how many times they got free rides on the passenger train? That kind of train does not exist today around here.I wish it did, but it don't.

Speaking of trains here is a picture from the scrap book about a train.

Shovelers brought from Milwaukee on the relief train cleared away enough snow so that the lo-
comotive of the stalled train could be pulled back to Jackson, giving the rotary snowplow a
chance. This picture, taken from the top of the stalled engine, shows the relief locomotive-- Journal
Staff Photo.

I scanned the picture the best I could. It was on the large side. I don't think it scanned right, but at the top of the picture is the relief engine waiting for the path to be cleared by the shoveler's. Can you imagine people doing that today? Shoveling a path for a train.
I think I need a bigger scanner or maybe I'll have to take a picture of some of the clippings so you can see them maybe better.

Here a few random pictures for you to look at.

No clue who these men are. Looking at their dress, the picture was more then likely taken in the 50's. They almost look like gangsters to me.But I know they are not.

Not sure who is in this picture or when it was taken.

This is Dick Lehman. Someones classmate from 1957

Well that's about all I have to share with you today. I hope you have a good weekend and will come back soon for some more Faded History.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: Mar 2, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis

Dear Friends,
How are you? I'm fine. My weekend was very dull quiet compared to what they had to deal with out east. All I can say to them is, it sounds  a lot like a Wisconsin winter that we have sometimes.

Anyway here is the next letter from Mary:

 As always for those of you that find it hard to read here is what it says:

Dear Howard:-
    I don't think I'll mail
this letter till tomorrow after-
noon as I have no stamps here
and I feel too darn bunk to go
out tonite. Gee, I feel tough,
as tho I had been out till
3 o'clock every nite. I've got such
chills and I feel so tired and
achy all over. I guess I ought
to take about a pint of whiskey
then I would be O.K.
   I was home Sunday and
we came home about 1 o'clock
Bob Henget walked to town too
as he and Agnes S. were out home
too.
  Those two fellows from camp
John & Felix were there too.
Gee, John wanted to know if

I'd invite him to the wedding
this summer. Felix said he
t'hot he saw me at show
Sat. nite but he wasn't sure.
I bet if they go to show here again
they will keep a close watch.
Thanks a lot for the candy
Howard. You certainly keep me
well supplied with candy. I guess
you must want me to get fat
so I look like that girl in the
Sarah something. I don't remember
her last name.
I haven't seen Hannah yet since
Sat. I don't know if she was up
town at all.
Say, what do you think Anton
wants to go to somewhere near
Madison to work for the summer
and if he does I think I'll go home
about the middle of May or so.
     So long, love from Me.

Nothing really exciting here. Grandpa sure like to give girls candy. It must have been his way to sweeten them up. I wonder what kind of candy he gave the most.
I wonder what wedding she talked about that was going to happen that summer.
I wonder if Anton went to Madison to look for a job that summer.
Just more history that has faded away never to to known again.

Here is a picture from the scrap book.

This Waupun-Green Bay bus is shown on Highway 151 near Waupun. Its 28 passengers
were sheltered for 36 hours in the farm home of George Taylor- Staff photo by H.W. Nowell.

Back then people opened up their homes to help stranded travelers. I don't think that happened with people who were stranded in this last storm. You just have to ask yourself, Would you welcome strangers into your home at a time like that?


Here are a few random pictures for you to look at.

From Sept. 1958. Grandpa is on the left. No idea who is with him.

A winter scene. Maybe it was taken around by the beaver pond. But I could be wrong.

Just another winter scene. Taken by the home place. I'm thinking it's from the late 50's maybe early 60's.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back for some more faded history.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy

Luella: March 1, 1927 Marquette Mich

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good week. Mine was drama free. I am looking forward to the weekend. Nothing really planned, just two days off. It is slowing down at work. It always slow down this time of year for me.

This next letter I'll be showing you is a little different. I'm not sure who wrote it for sure and where is was suppose to go. I do wonder if there is a possibility that maybe Grandpa wrote it. If he did it gives a sample of how he wrote to the different girls.
So here it is, you decide:

As always here is what it says:

            Marquette Mich
             March 1st 1927
Dearest Luella:-
               Yours came
like like a spring breeze
on a morning when I
was in the "dumps" so
to speak. You know one
of those days when every-
thing goes wrong and you
feel there simply is
no use.
  And Ellie Low you
are a girl after me own
heart. Well do I remember
when I used to get the
"riot act" read to me

Drop in- I haven't
time to write Ha!
           L.A.

It's a short letter. But I think it might incomplete. I think there should have been more but that was all the was in the envelope. There was no stamp on the envelope. So I have no idea where this letter really came from. It would be great if it was a sample of Grandpa's writing. Then I could understand why a few of the girls said his letters were "mushy".
I guess it will just have to be one of those great mysteries that will never be solved.


Here are a few random pictures for you to look at.

Not sure what is going on here but it looks like it could be from the 1920's.

This might be from May 1958. It's could be a family get together. It looks like some of the Johnson boys are on the left back side.

This is my uncle Leo.

I guess I can show you a picture from the scrap book.

 The rugged country that surrounds the Camp Bird mine near Ouray, Col., is shown in this
picture. A snowslide Monday killed two men and a woman when the bunkhouse and mill
of the mine were demolished.
I just thought with the East Coast having a big snow storm I would share a snow issue from the past.

 Well that's all I have to share with you today.
Stay warm and safe. And if you get snowed in somewhere, just find a good book.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: Feb. 25, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis.

Dear Friends,
I hope this post finds everyone well. I'm good. The weekend for me was uneventful for me. It was colder then I like it to be but, it's suppose to get warmer as the week goes by.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Mary:

As always fro those who find it hard to read here is what it says:

                  Rib Lake Wis
Dear Howard:-
   This won't be a very
long letter as I want
Florence to mail it for
me when she goes to
school. But it will be
long enough so I can
say I wrote a little to
you.
  Say, Hannah Roseen

is working here in town. She
was up here last nite. I saw
her in the store in the afternoon
with McLeods kids and I was so
surprised I guess I just stood
there with my mouth open.
She said they wanted Anna
to come but she didn't think
she could do it so Hannah came
in her place.
  Mary Schneider was she
Wed. morning and then when
Clara got up she happened to
sit on that broken chair and
she told Mary we broke it.
I don't know whether she
just said that to tease or
whether she knew we did it.
  Well, I don't know any-

thing else so goodbye
      Love from Mary.

I wonder why she was so surprised to see Hannah Roseen with the Mcleods kids.
I wonder, the chair she mentioned that was broken, if she and Grandpa broke it or if she and someone else broke it.And if they did break it, what were they doing to break it?
I enjoy reading these letters but from time to time I wish I knew more about some of things she writes about. The stories are so incomplete sometimes. But that's what you have to deal with, history that has faded from everyone's memories. I guess this is where a good imagination can come in. Or if you are good at reading between the lines, you might figure it out or get yourself in a whole lot of trouble for saying or seeing things that were never there.


Here is a picture from the scrap book.
Giant Zeppelin in Difficulty on Its Maiden Flight From South America

Germany's newest and largest zeppelin, the Hindenburg, reported serious motor trouble over Morocco late Thursday on its way back from its maiden voyage to Rio de Janelro and was limping toward its home base at Friedrichshafen, Germany. This picture was made as the Hindenburg flew over the English channel on its westward trip.

Here are a few random pictures for you to look at:

This was taken July 4, 1938 On the back it says; Alfred, Selma, ?, Lois, Ma & Pete.

No idea who is in this picture or when it was taken.

Someones class mate.

Well that's all I have for you today.
I hope you will come back again soon for some more faded history.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: Feb. 16, 1927 Rib Lake,Wis.

Dear Friends,
How was your week? Mine was good. Colder then I like but it was good. I am looking forward to the weekend. It has finally slowed down at work where we are working normal hours and no over time. So it will be a nice two day weekend for me.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Mary.

For those that find it hard to read here is what it says:

                    Rib Lake
                    Tuesday eve.
Dear Howard:-
  I won't write a
long letter tonight
as I want to finish
a dress yet that I have
started.
  Thanks for the
Valentines and the letter.
And I'm pretty tired tonite
as I walked town yesterday Monday
morning and then in the

afternoon the depot agent called
up and said there was a telegram
for us that Mrs. Denis in Canada, that's Franks
mother, had died. So I walked
home again in the afternoon be-
cause I thot if ma wanted to
go to her funeral she would
have had to go last nite. But
ma didn't go, she says she would
not get there till Friday evening
and that would be too late.
it's too bad that ma didn't
go to Canada last summer, it's
ten years ago that she saw
her sister last. it isn't good
to for relatives to live so
far apart, is it?
  Well I think I'll close
now with love from M.K.
                              over

Clara is sick today
too so I've got to be
the kids stepmother.
I guess she has just
got a bad cold and
headache I hope she
doesn't get scarlet fever
or something like that.
Just imagine being
quarantined for almost
two months.

Not a real long letter. He sent her a Valentine. Maybe it was something like this one:

 Just one of many old cards I have that could be from that time.

I wonder what the dress looked like when she was done. It looks like she enjoyed sewing. It's something you don't hear a lot people doing very often. I'm not a sewer either. I wish I could be more motivated to do it.
It was sad to hear that someone died. Frank's mother. I wonder how old she was. I wonder if Mary's mother was originally from Canada.
I hope that all Clara had was a bad cold. Back then scarlet fever was something that could happen easily. It must have been hard to be quarantined for two months. That would be very hard for me to do. To be confined inside so long.

Well, here are a few random pictures for you to look at.

There is a possibility that this is Grandpa. But I'm not 100% certain.

Not sure who they are. The picture is, as you can see, not in the best of shape. I did the best I could to make it so the people could be seen a little better. There are four people.

This is Judy Anderson. Could be someones classmate.

As a bonus here is a picture from the scrap book.

This cat and linnet, pets of two murders serving life terms at California's Folsom prison, have
formed a friendship and are shown as they were photographed by the owner of the cat, a Japa-
nese who was convicted of a brutal murder. The whisker pulling is the bird's way of awakening its
pal.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back again for some more faded history.
Stay warm this weekend.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: Fed 12, 1927 Rib lake, Wis

Dear Friends,
How was your weekend? Mine was good. On Sunday the husband and I went to the Twin Cities and was a play. "A Gentleman's Guild to Love & Murder". It was very good. The trip there had a small hiccup. The bus we were on had a problem. So at one point we had to turn around and another bus was sent out so we could change. We still made the play with about 15 minutes to spare. I'm not sure how much longer it will be there but I would recommend seeing it.
Well, here is the next letter from Mary.

  Six pages. Here is what it say for those of you who find it hard to read:

Don't get sore at         Rib Lake Wis
what I said about the  Friday 6.30 P.M.
Swedes
Dear Howard:-
   I got your letter
this noon and I
wanted to answer it
right after supper so
you would get it tomorrow
but Mrs. Bushaw was
up here so I played
cards awhile with her.
Did you send me
that candy today so

I should answer right away?
Thanks very much for it. I
couldn't imagine what I got
when Pete told me that there
was a package for me. Or
are you trying to make me
real sweet tempered?
Well, I don't feel as blue
now as I did Monday when I
came. But I don't think Mrs.
Hipke is coming back. She int-
ended to come back with Mr.
Hipke this week but Pete
told Mr. Hipke that he didn't
want her here. Now Mr. H.
must be mad too, because he
didn't write for about two
weeks.
Mrs. Lapham was up here and

she asked me, "When are
you and Howard going
to get married?" I should
have told her I'd get
married just as soon as
you ask me.
You said there was a
German that gets lone-
some for his wife. Well,
that's all right. He should
get lonesome for his wife
and children. That's the
way a real family

should be, but you
see the Swedes get
lonesome for a girl
before they are married
and then afterwards
they get lonesome
for a different girl.
Isn't that what you
told me?
Say, do you remember
what you told me that
Anna Roseen had said about

me? That she liked me and
that I was sweet. That just
made me think that when
they were out home last fall
pa told ma that he liked
Anna lots better than that
other girl of Joe's and that
Joe should try and get Anna
because he thot she was an
awfully nice girl.
Well, that is about all I
know now. Oh say, I forgot to
tell you that the baby cut
her wrist on a broken bottle.
I guess it was the day before
yesterday. The doctor took six
stitches in it. I was up here

alone with the kids and
I was so excited I shook
as tho I was doing the
shimmy. Clara was lots
worse tho than I. The
nurse held the baby's hands
and gave her ether and they
made me hold her feet
while the doctor sewed her
hand. She is wearing a
sling now but she's
real good. So long
and love from M.K.
P.S. You haven't got scarlet fever
have you? You said you didn't feel
                                              good.

Boy that bay she keeps mentioning sure is accident prone. I hope she was able to grow up with not to many scars.Back then the doctor made house calls. And who ever could help helped in anyway that was needed. Talking about stitches my dad just got 11 stitches on his thumb. He was working with his wood splitter.
I wonder if at this point Grandpa was thinking about asking her to marry him or she no matter what he did, kept him guessing will she or won't she.
I wonder what ever happens to Mr. and Mrs. Hipke.
She likes to make it sound like a German would be more faithful then a Swede. I wonder if Grandpa really said that to her or she just put her own spin on it.

Here are a few random pictures for you to look at.

This is Gerda Gustafson. No idea when it was taken.

This is Lois. She must have been someones classmate.

No idea where or when this one was taken. Or who could be on the far right.

Well, this was a long letter. So I guess I'll end it now.
I hope you will drop by again for more Faded History.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: Feb. 8, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis.

Dear Friends,
The first week of a new year is gone. How is 2016 for you so far? Mine, so far is calm. Just the way I like it. But I get a feeling it's going to be a very bumpy year for a number of different reasons.
Oh well, here is the next letter from Mary.

For those that find it hard to read here is what it says:

Dear Howard:-
   Well, I got three letters
from you today. I came
back this morning and
two of them were here already
and Clara brought the other
one at noon. I got the box of
candy you sent, too. Gee, it's
a peach. Clara made me
open the package right away
so she could see what it
was. She certainly t'hot it
was pretty. And believe me
I do too. I guess Elmer was
right when he says you are
so darn good.
  Gee, I hated to come back
this morning. I always feel

so darn blue when I've been
home awhile and then have
to go back to work. My right
foot was swollen just enough
so I couldn't wear my shoes
but now they're all right. I
was certainly lucky not to
have broken it.
I s'pose you are mad that
I didn't write any more last week
but at first I t'hot I'd go back
to town and afterwards I
was waiting for a letter
from you but they didn't
 send them out.
  Say, I guess Albert Ziemke
thot we were on the outs.
At our party he asked me
where you were and yester-
day at Fuchs he asked me
again. But he thot you

were working in the mill
at Rib Lake and I s'pose he
thot it was funny that
you never came out. last
time he asked then I asked
him where Mary Daubert was
and first he said she had
quit him but afterwards he
said no, if she quite me then
I'm thru with girls. he said
one girl quit him about two
years ago and he said that's
about all that girls are good
for is to break a fellows
heart, but he said you
can't break theirs because
they have none. So now

I think you are not the only
one that talks mushy. I guess
when boys are in love they are
all alike.
  You said you see Thompson
pretty often and that they
seem so happy. Does he still
give you good advice about
getting married? if he does
you tell me what it is, will you?
I would like to see them once.
Well, I told Central to call
you about 15 minutes ago and
as you didn't answer yet, I'll go
and go and see if they forgot
it. Or are you gone to bed
already and sound asleep, it's
8 o'clock.
    So long and lots of love
                      from Me.


Boy for her to get three letters in one day from Grandpa is a lot. I know I will never get a hold of anything he wrote to any of these girls. I guess I'll just have to use my imagination when  it comes to what he could have wrote. She does say he is "mushy".
I wonder if poor Albert Ziemke ever found the right girl or if he did quit girls all together.
When she mentions Central, I think she is talking about trying to call on the phone. Just another reason for so many letters to be sent to each other.

Here are a few random pictures for you to look at.

No idea who these guys are. I wonder if they all found girls that did not break their hearts.

Written on the back, " Enroute to the Landing at railroad."

Changing of the guard by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Taken during someone class trip.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will drop by for more faded history.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy