Anna Rainila: Aug. 6, 1925 Eagle River, Wis.

Dear Friends,
I hope this letter fines everyone in good spirits. Me, not to bad but, I do have to work again on Saturday. I just want to know who is eating all that cheese?
Enough whining here is the next letter from Anna.

This one is a little harder to read so I'll do my best to copy what is written, wish me luck.


                        Aug. 6, 1925
Dear Friend Howard:
    I have received your
affectionate letter some
time ago but as usual
must look for an excuse
for not being prompt.
I have not been in very
good health lately. One day
we were rather busy &
we're sweating like thunder
altho otherwise it was
rather cold I mean the
weather we all work
evening & we stayed in
quite a while & i caught
a cold & got terrible cramps
in my arches& ever sense
my feet cramp just
terrible. I had fever 102 &
101 for a long time & was
laid up a few days.

but now I feel better again
I am bustling around. As
they call me happy Anna
(haha) Where ever I go
they all give me so many
nick names I just have
to laugh. haha. I work
on 6 tables & 24 people
at present so it keeps
a girl on a hop when
all come in at once
but thats what we're
here for. We we're talking
tonite that in a month
or so we will all be
leaving again. I hate
to think of it. So do the
rest. We haven't had hardly
any rain this summer but
we sure have had enough
today it poured like from
a sieve this evening & still
you can hear rat tat tat tat.
on the roof. has the show
"Silent Watcher been

there yet. We went to
see it last Sunday
nite & sure was good
I have changed a lot too I
don't care anything about
dances or running around
I'll be a genuine old maid
when I come home unless
they think I'm a flapper
(haha) They can suit
themselves so what they
call me. Hey wat
(haha) guess I'll hustle
& sew collars & cuff on
my uniforms & clean
my room up & it
9.30 as it is. So that
shows no time for
fooling. (haha)
   Mr. Ulrich is Mr. Krotan
uncle & Mr. Krohn is manager

now. but Mr. Ulrich used
to be so this is old stationary
Bobs sister is married
to Mr. Krohn. Understand?
             So long
                      from Anna
P.S. I have made about
$67.00 in tips (haha)
But it seems to go too.

I did the best I could to copy it down but some words were a little hard to figure out, sorry.

She mentioned a movie she saw Silent Watcher, I found a picture and a little info on it.

The story is about a lawyer who is running for congress and decides to end his relationship with a show girl who then commits suicide. His secretary then claims he was in a relationship with the girl thus ruining his new marriage. He is later cleared of guilt over the show girl but because he lost his true love he then decides to kill himself. He cleans the house then his wife comes back just in time to save him for going through with the deed. Plus he learns that the lawyer is elected to congress.
Sounds like a tale that could be told today.

The Hemlock Lodge was like the one portrayed in Dirty Dancing. A summer get away for some people.

I wonder what ever happened to Anna. Did she get married or was she an old maid till the end?

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

    

No clue where this picture was taken. It could have been on a camping trip taken by maybe Uncle Kenny.

I think this one might be from Copper Falls. The one closest might be Grandpa. It's hard to tell.

No idea who this is sitting in the snow. Is it one of us grand kids or one of Grandpa and Grandma's?

Well that's all I have for you today.
So have a good weekend and enjoy the warming temps.
Till Tuesday.
Your friend,
Sandy

Anna Rainila: July 17, 1925 Eagle River, Wis.

Dear Friends,
I hope you stayed warm this week. I sure hope this will be the last week of those kinds of temperatures. I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to spring.
Here is the next letter from Anna. The letter is dated April 14, 1925 But the envelope is dated July 17, 1925. I'm thinking she for some reason put the wrong date on the letter. Why? Who knows. But when you read the letter you will understand why I say this.

 As always here is what it says:

            April, 14, 1925
Dear friend Howard:-
   Received your welcome
letter and must answer before
I forget.
  Oh me! Oh my! Could it
be any warmer than it
is now, but heck we can
go in the lake always
when we feel too warm
we have the most fun
at the Lake. I am learning
to swim. I have my alarm
set for a quarter to six tomorrow
morning because we're all
going for a swim before
breakfast that what I
call rich(haha). Always
when we go to the Lake
there's about 10-15 &
even more there all
the time. I guess I'll go

to a summer resort every
summer & city for the
winter you might just
as well enjoy yourself
while your young. All of
us kids have a nice long
trip planned for tomorrow
tomorrow nite. With
a large Pierce Arrow.
So it don't take long.
The Chief at Everett's Resort
is going after his brother
& wants us to go along
he so we might just as
well go (haha) I guess
they have about 6 chiefs
at the "Everett's", we
only have 3 but that's
enough to listen to.
  I am Captain of Lights
here. Me oh my I must

always attend to them.
I mean electric lights
not kerosene. good grief no
like Westboro.
  We have pictures taken
almost every day. I'll
send one of one when I get
some. first good ones printed
if you don't show them
to everybody I mean nobody.
  My arm doesn't seem
to get any worse but
 not any better either of
times it is quite a bother
but I hope it will get
well soon but carrying
great big trays above
your head with one
hand is sure a peach
(haha) yet when I'm left
handed you know.

I'm glad you enjoying the
steam bath (haha)
One of the girls got $10.00
from a man for waiting
on him 3 days or so.
Talk about luck. Will
you see he was the
Mayor of Chi so no wonder.
A very nice family from
St. Louis Missouri was
talking about wanting
a girl to work for them
as maid when they go
back sounded as tho
she wanted me but don't
know yet. (haha) I'd
like to go with nice
respectable people for
the winter. it's nine
o'clock so I'll have to roll
in to bed so I can get up

early. So long
            From
              Morning Glory
P.S. That's my
new nick name
   (haha) another
is Happy Anna
     & Smiles
           Good grief
           What else


It sounds like working at this resort was a lot of fun. At that time wealthier people could spend a lot of their summers at a resort like this. I wonder how long the Mayor of Chicago stayed there that year?
Being the Captain of the Lights must have been a great honor. I wonder if at that time if some places in Westboro had Kerosene lights yet?
She sounds like she was a happy kind of girl to be a round. I hope she learned how to swim.
Me, a love the water. I spent most of my younger years around water. I'm a water girl.
She did mention some pictures she might have sent Grandpa. I may have already showed you some of those, maybe.
So in honor of water I found a few pictures involving water.

Not for sure who this is but, it kind of looks like my dad.

I can't make out who this is. I like his fish though.

When I first picked this picture I thought it was on a lake, but it's not. It's looks like it is someone working on a chimney and that is a field in the background.. Sorry. Blame my tired eyes for not looking at what I'm looking at. (haha)

Well that's about it for today.
Have a nice weekend and stay warm.
Your friend,
Sandy

Anna Rainila: July 9, 1925 Eagle River, Wis.

Hello Friends,
I hope your week was good. I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to the weekend.
It is Valentines Day on Saturday. Plus if you have not seen The Medford Area Community Theater production of "The 25th Annual Putam County Spelling bee", it would make a great date night. That is if you find yourself in the area.
Anyway here is the next letter from Anna.

As always here is what it says. ( I may get a few words wrong)

                   July 9, 1925
Hello Howard:
    I received your welcome
letter some time ago, but
sure don't seem to get time
to write to hardly anybody
which I am very sorry of.
But you can imagine a
dozen girls in one cottage
the noise they make
you hardly get a chance
to breath. "haha"
  I am sending you
some views of the place.
it sure is lovely. I
think so anyway.
The main Lodge includes
the office, parlor & dining
room.
  We have very swell
guests here, Mayor & his Body
guard from Chi. Head man
of theaters"       " Head Banker Chi.

they all are good tippers
I have made over $12.00
in tips in two wks.
  Talk about we have
had lately we go boat
riding almost every nite.
We go to the other Resort
across the lake to the
Everetts "Casino" that a
dance pavilion & joy & joy
we have fun. Nothing
but.
  kids are so busy
talking I can't hear
myself think so
Will quite & write
more next time.
         Your Friend
            Anna
P.S. I had the Punkest
        Fourth in my life.
worked all day. (haha).

It sounds like it was a very busy time at The Hemlock.
I found the mayor of Chicago for 1925 and here is a summery of what I found.

William Emmett Dever

He was mayor from 1923-1927.
He was a democrat.
While in office he did many improvements to the city's infrastructure.
  Completion of Wicker Drive
  Extension of Ogden Ave.
  Straightening of the Chicago River
  Building the city's first airport, Municipal Airport
He fought against corrupting influence of bootlegging & gangsters.
Despite considering himself "Wet" he enforced prohibition because it was the law of the land.
Media labeled his war on bootleggers as the "Great Beer War" and it resulted in a decline of crime.
He noted that although prohibition was a "tremendous mistake" he had no choice but to enforce it.
He was nicknamed "Decent Dever" by the press.
After his time as mayor he was a vice president of the Bank of America until his death on Sept. 13, 1929 at the age of 67 of cancer.

I tried to find the other two people she mentioned but I could not.

Now that I gave you a little history lesson here are a few random pictures for you to look at.

This Julia, Freda, Lille Weberg and Grandpa.

 This is Lily Johnson.

This is Ester Waleen.

At least that is what it says on the backs of each of the pictures.

Since tomorrow is Valentines Day here is a little Valentine form me to you.

Well that's all I have for you today.
I hope you have a great weekend. And if you happen to find yourself in the area it's not to late to catch a play. Which last night was a great hit.
So till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy

Anna Rainila: June, 24, 1925 Eagle River, Wis

Hello Friends,
I hope you had a good weekend. Do you watch the Super Bowl? I did but, I really didn't care who won.I watched it for the commercials. I didn't like either team.
Anyway here is the next letter from Anna Rainila. I don't think I have spelled the last name right. Maybe someone will correct me some time.

Here is what is says:

                       June 24 1925
Hello Howard-
         Just a few lines
to keep my promise. it is
raining now and nothing
else to do but, write letters
(haha)
  I got here Sunday Nite.
I prosponed the coming from
Friday till Sunday. Also
must tell you I was or
am not at all disappointed
about coming here. I like
my job first rate. The
girls told you will like
it otherwise but you
won't like Mrs. Ulrich, they
told me she is so crass.

but I have nothing to
kick, they're all nice to
me and Mrs. Krohn told
me this morning that
Mrs. Ulrich told her she
really likes me. She said
I was so tidy (haha)
quite a compliment for
a freshman. Isn't it?
haa Our Guests sure
are swell people, ine ol
my!
 We start work in
the morning 6.45 are through
at 11.00 bells in the forenoon
start at quarter to 12 and
after lunch we're through
and 2 bells then we are
off until quarter to six
talk a bout a snap. I
sure am glad always when
its time to go to work

because it really is
fun. We went boat
riding the night before
and tonite we're planning
on going fishing, my
they sure catch nice
fish here.
  The scenery is quiet
wonderful I can't
help but admire it.
Bob sure was good to
get me this job.
  Will close now
        affectionately
          Ann
address
          Anna Rainila
          % Hemlock
                Eagle River,
                  Wis

I know there are a number of words I have spelled wrong, sorry.
If anyone can tell me if I spelled her last name right it would be very helpful.
Last April I showed you a postcard of the Hemlock Lodge. I decided to show it to you again.

This is what it looked like back in the 1920's. I wonder if it is still there in some form or an other.
I think that some where before Anna Rainila was mentioned by someone or maybe I have already shown you a picture of her. I'll have to check later.
I wonder how long she worked at The Hemlock? Just another question that will never be answered. It sounds like she was a good worker.
There are more letters from her coming up so we will be able to learn more about her and where she was living and working.

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

This looks like it could have been taken at Big Falls, maybe.

No idea who any of these people are. It looks like it was taken on a school bus. I would like to know why the guy has what looks like a vale.

Just another picture of people I do not know who they are. I'm thinking it could have been taken in the 1920's. What do you think?

Well that's all I have for you today.
So I will close for now.
Till Friday,
your friend,
Sandy