Helen Balusik: Nov. 26, 1928 Phillips, Wis.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good week. Well most of it was good, until Friday. I think Mother Nature wanted to show us all four seasons in one week. Oh well we'll live.
Here is the next letter from Helen:

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

                     Phillips, Wis.
                 Saturday eve.
Dear Howard:-
   Yours came this A.M.
and sure enjoyed every
bit of it.
Tonite is such a cold
nite, seems good to stay
home only if I had a
radio now, wouldn't it
be grand?
I will have to write later
for I guess someone is
knocking at the door
see you later!
Here I come again
few minutes later it
was only a friend to
see pa about some
lodge meeting so that's

that.
So don't know whether
you are going hunting or not?
The boys around here can't wait
till the season opens- I hope there
isn't any accidents happen like
I heard of one today.
Two fellas went out hunting
together and after they separated
one of them saw a fox so shot into
it and at the same time this
other fellow was somewhere
near it and also was shot
with the same bullet. So the fella
was taken to the doctor quickly &
from there to the hospital. He
was shot in the hip and today
he died. I knew one of the fellas,
not the one that died. Isn't it
sad when something accidentally
happens like that?
We had our heater put in
yesterday it sure feels good to be
near it just now. wish you
were here instead so I could
talk instead of write.
I sure had to laugh when
you wrote haw bashful you are
to come up here like my brother
was to go to dinner up to his girls

place. Really are you so bashful
as all that? Well, I suppose it
takes alot of nerve, seeing we
never saw each other, but it
doesn't seem we are such
distant strangers does it , all the
letters we have written eh?
I'm sorry Howard, but I really
don't know the name of the people
Gladys Martin is staying at but
i could find out for you next
time I get to see her- I'll do that, eh?
Didn't I tell you I had two
sisters, and one was married?
She lives in Chicago. I surely
am anxious to see her again

                2
she was home only a
couple days last summer
so I'll make her stay
awhile after she comes
maybe two weeks.
Did you read in "The Bee"
Frank Novy came back
from Evanston? He sure
came back quick this
time. I wonder why.
well tomorrow is Sunday
School again. If the
weather isn't too cold I'll
go.
We have church every other
Thursday evening while the
roads are open then I
suppose we have to go
without having any

services. I'm use to going
to church alot so I sure will
miss it during the winter.
Pa wants me to keep house
for him during winter so
I guess I'll have too, altho I
enjoy being my own boss for a
change instead of being under
a boss all the time.
Well, Howard, its now almost
eleven I wonder if you are
atill up or in dreamland.
I haven't had any pictures
taken for a long time, other
wise I would send you a
couple- Wish you had some
more to spare??
Yes, I wish I was in California
now that winter is approaching
don't you? Wait till we get
snow bound
They say green is good for
the eyes (Ha Ha) No wonder
I'm using it eh?
Well Howard, Be a good
boy now and live close
to Jesus daily- Bye Bye
                   Lovingly
               "The Helen"


I wonder who the two fellas were that were involved with the shooting. I wish she would have mentioned their names. I wonder if something like that happened today what the odds are that he would have survived.
I guess we will never know.
As for Grandpa being bashful, not sure I believe it. But then again there is a lot I don't know about him in his younger years.
The Bee, is the local paper from that area.

Here is a picture from the scrap book:

Washington county- where human shovelers have to precede the snowplow so it won't get
stuck. Highway 41 was practically cleared when this picture was taken a mile south of Rich-
field Wednesday afternoon but Thursday it was snowing again- Journal Staff Photo.

Can you imagine if people today had to shovel before the snowplow could do it's job?

Here are a couple of random pictures for you to look at:

 It kind of looks like what it looks like right now.

I wonder what kind of big job had to be done.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Thank you note: Nov. 25, 1927 Ogema, Wis

Dear Friends,
The weekend is here! It's starting out really good. I just hope it stays this way for awhile. It should, spring is here, finally! The leaves on the trees are finally starting to pop out more and more.
I do have a busy weekend planned. I'll tell you more about next week.
Anyway here is the next letter. It is just a thank you note.

As always here is what I think it say:

  We wish to thank
you, for the kindness
and sympathy shown
during out late
bereavement.
Chase Harless family
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Talbot
   and family.

I'm not sure I spelled the one last name right.
I wonder who pasted away. Was it Ed who past away earlier in the year? I don't think so. If it was, boy was that a late thank you.

Here are two more cards of the Earthquake of 1906:

 18. Refugees' camp former dwelling in the ruins in background. This is earthquake work.

19. Looking south, corner Sutter and Stockton.

If you notice in the first picture above the doorway of the make shift shelter is a horse shoe, upside down.  Now in my book that tells me that there is no luck to be held. Maybe back then it meant differently.
In the second picture, I wonder what that tall frame of a building is? Is it something that was under construction or a new building that was just gutted by the fire?
Just something to think about.

To stick with the theme of morning here are a few things that go with that subject.

I do not know who this pertains to. I do like the image on the front.

Not sure when this was taken. In the second picture I think the couple on the left might be Grandpa parents. So that would make them my great grandparents.

Well that's all I have to share with you to day. I hope you are able to enjoy this weekend and also I would like to wish all mothers (including my own) HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!
I hope you will stop by again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: Aug. 2, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis.

Dear Friends:-
   Well how was your weekend? I think Mother Nature is either by-polar or going through the change. On Saturday it was such a mixed up day. Snow one minute sunny the next. Then sunny with flurries. Between Friday and Saturday the snow was once again covered with that white stuff but, now it's gone again. Robins don't know what to do from one day to the next.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Mary:

As always, for those who fine it hard to read, here is what it says:

                 Rib Lake Wis
                 Tues 10 a.m.
Dear Howard:-
   Well, you see I
am home again. I would
have answered from
Sturgeon Bay but I did
not know how long
I would be there. Jos.
came to get us Sunday
Mary Schneider came
with him and they went
to Fish Creek where Mary's
relatives live and then
they got us.
Gee, we sure had a
good time there, but
I am so brown now
that I look like a
real Indian. There

was a fellow there who
asked Kitty if I wasn't
part Indian. That's some
compliment, isn't it?
I guess no one would
ever take me for a
Swede, would they?
How are you getting
along, are you all thru
haying? Pa & John & Kauer's
boys are out about 10
miles making hay
in some meadow. It's
near the camp where
the boys worked last
winter.
We have our phone
now so I may call you
up tonite. It seems
good to be able to

talk to people when
you want.
I am canning some
cherries so I think I
had better quit now
or they will burn.
So long and good
luck from me. Mary

Well at least she had a good time in Sturgeon Bay picking cherries.It sounds like she got a good tan. I wonder if it was a complement to her to hear that or not.
I wonder if Grandpa was done with making hay at that time. I wonder where if her pa and the others had to bring that hay home. Ten miles is a long ways to bring hay home. Especially if it was loose. I'm not sure if they baled hay back then or not. I have shown you a number of pictures of hay piled on a wagon.
At least at this time she finally got a phone. I wonder how much time she spent on it. I wonder if she called
Grandpa up that night or not.
So many answers that have faded away.

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

A haying picture from around that time, I think.

Someone had a pup tent set up in the yard.

Not sure who Grandma Miller is. At least I don't think she is a relative.

I am thinking of adding another thing to this blog.
I have a number of viewer cards and a viewer. I'm think of sharing the cards with you.
Here is one of the cards:

 1. Refugee camp made of scraps corrugated sheet iron gathered from the ruins.

 This card is the first of 25 in this group. I believe that it is picture from the Great Quake of 1906.
I know the effect is better looking through the viewer but I'm not sure how to get that affect. But the pictures themselves are very interesting.
If or when I decide to start this I will be including one with every letter. You will know what I decide by next letter.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: Jul 29, 1927 Sturgeon Bay Wis.

Dear Friends,
Hello all. The weekend is finally here. The only problem is it's suppose to be cool and on the damp side. Oh well, it is April 1st. Did you make it through the day with no tricks pulled on you? Or did you trick someone?
Enough about that, here is the next letter from Mary. I'm now back on track. As you can see she was in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

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

                      Sturgeon Bay
                      Thursday eve.
Dear Howard:-
   I s'pose you got tired of
waiting already, but we just
got here at 5 o'clock this P.M.
Kitty & I and Agnes Demerath &
her sister. Pete went back to
Green Bay tonite and tomorrow
he is going home.
  How did you get home Sun?
Was 102 alright to Chelsea or
didn't you take that road? You
know I told you we were going
out east of Wood Lake about a
mile and gee, I was tired
when we got home again.
  Well, you'll get your cherries
pretty soon but I don't know

know how they taste, as I
did not eat any yet.
I don't know if I will be
able to write very much, I'm
in the recreation hall and
there is a heck of a lot of racket
here. Maybe I can write some
more after wards. They are
having a movie here in a
few minutes so I guess
I'll have to quit.
We had a pretty good
supper anyhow but I don't
know whether we'll be
Millionaires afterwards.
So long and good luck
from me.
      Reynolds Orchards camp
               Sturgeon Bay

 It sounds like she had a good time getting the cherries and hanging out at the Orchard camp. I wonder if it still exists today. I might have to look it up.

 
I found this picture that is from the camp at about that time. Would spend time here to get cherries?
I'm not sure what her comment about being millionaires was about. Some times she throws the strangest things into a letter.


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

No clue who this is or when it was taken.

No clue who this is or when it was taken.

No clue when this was taken. Can you imagine haying like this today?

Well that's about all I have for you today.
I hope you did not fall for to many foolish pranks, I didn't.
I hope you will come back again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: July 6, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good Easter. Mine was uneventful. We went to my parents house on Saturday. Sunday my husband and I stayed home. The weather was on the dreary side.
Oh well, here is the next letter from Mary:

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

              Rib Lake Wis
               July 6, 1927
Dear Howard:-
  I s'pose you will
be good and sore at me
but honest I din't have
time to write yesterday
morning. It was so dark
and rainy that none of
us got up till almost 7 and
then I had to mend pair
overalls and by that time
the mail carrier was here
already. I almost wish you

would get sore. How would it be
if I'd pray for you to get mad at
me? Do you think the Lord would
answer my prayers? Still I think
I would rather have you for a
friend, because I don't think any-
one else would ever be as good
a friend as you are. Honest Howard
I do wish I could marry you but
gee, I can't make up my mind to
do it. When it comes right down
to it I'm not very satisfied with
the way I'm just bumming around
now. I guess I'll end up by being
an old maid or maybe I could get
a job as being some rich old
mans housekeeper if I'd marry
him and then he wouldn't live
long anymore when I'd start to
cook for him and then I'd be a,
"charming young Widow"
Well, this is enough nonsense

I have a big washing
waiting for me so it's
good bye for now
                 Mary
I'll try and write more
sense next time.

 I'm thinking that Grandpa was really trying to get her to agree to marry him and Mary could not see herself married to him or maybe anyone at that time.
She is always saying how bad her cooking was. I wonder if it was that bad or if she just didn't like cooking.

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

No idea who this is. it looks like it might have been taken in the early 60's or late 50's.

On the back of this picture it says: Howard Johnson's place, 1926,  S.E.S.E. Sec 35. I think Grandpa or someone else, like to write the section directions on the back of some of the pictures.

No idea which school this was or when it was taken. I wonder if it exists anymore.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: June 28, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good week. Mine was kind of uneventful with the exception for the snow we got Wed. night, Thursday morning. I think we got about 8 inches or more here. Just when the ground was bare it gets covered with that white stuff. Oh well, it will gone before this time next week.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Mary:

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

                 Rib Lake Wis
                 June 28, 1927
Dear Howard:-
   I got your letter
last week some time
so I better answer it
or you'll think I'm sore.
I've got to try this pen
or you won't be able to
read my letter at all.
How are you? I s'pose as
busy as any farmer

Do you notice the nice weather
we are having now? My praying
helps some, anyhow. I guess I'll
have to pray a little more so
the weather stays nice till
after the 4th since they are
having three days celebrall celebration
here. Gee, I think they are over
doing it. People will all be broke
by the 4th.
  Did I tell you that Joseph is
working at the mill? He said he
worked with some fellow by the
name of Vic, that heard knew you but
he didn't know what his last
name was. it's a fellow from
Ogema.
What are Roseen's girls doing? Are
they still at home or did

Anna go to work again.
  Gee, we haven't got our
phone yet, that fellow's
so darned slow, I'd like to
set dynamite under him.
I'll forget how to use a
phone by the time we get
it.
Mrs. Kauer, Joe & Anton went
to Iowa last week, I guess
they will be back for the 4th
tho.
     So long and good luck
                         from Me.

I wonder how long it took before they got their phone. I guess somethings never change when it comes to some service people.
It sounds like the weather was nice at that time.
I wonder who this Vic person was from Ogema?
I hope Mrs. Kauer, Joe & Anton had a good time in Iowa and made it back in time for the 4th.
Nothing exciting in this letter. Just you average everyday kind of letter.

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

Just a couple of farmers out working in their field. No idea who they are.

This is some of the flowers I remember at my grandparents place when I was growing up.

Even tho this was taken many years ago, this is what it looked like around here yesterday morning. Mother nature repeating herself.

Here is a picture from the scrap book.

Clayton Brown, 25, is shown in a hospital at Charlevoix,
Mich., where he is recovering from 50 hours on ice floes in
Lake Michigan. Doctors first feared that he would lose his legs,
frozen when he crawled eight miles to shore, but now believe they
can save them. His father-in-law and a coast guardsman perished
in the cold when they and Brown were swept into the open lake
in a small boat.             (Associated Press Wirephoto)

This was one lucky guy.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you have a Happy Easter .
Come back again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: June 22, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was interesting. Not bad interesting, just not totally boring.
My husband worked a 16 hour shift Friday. Which means he did not get home till after 6 am Saturday. He tried to sleep for about an hour and a half . Then he wanted to be woke up to go to an auction. I woke him up and we went. We took the car. He did buy a couple of things, which means we had to go back on Sunday with the truck to bring the things he bought home. There was a Home and Business expo in town which we then went to after we were done at the auction. After that we came home and he slept most of the afternoon. That was my weekend. Not exciting. Just different.
Anyway, here is the next letter from Mary:

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

                Rib Lake Wis
               June, 22, 1927
Dear Howard:-
  How are you? I hope fine
the same as I. I got your letter
the day before yesterday at Kauer's
John Kauer is at home this
week too. They said that Celia Kress
is going back to Milwaukee with
him.
  You asked if ma & Joe went to
Mil. with the car. Joe went down with his
car and then John came back with
them but I guess that was kind of
crowded for such a long trip.
  Joe just came home from town.
he is working at the mill now but
I guess its raining too much today.
Pete Lamberty is at camp alone now.
My cousin Frank Denis is going
to Canada again and his wife and

4 kids were here last week. Now she is
at her sisters. Gee it seems nice and
quiet again. The kids certainly made
a lot of racket.
  Oh say, I wanted to tell you that
nearly everybody in Mud Lake read those
5 books that you gave me. Margret
said that teacher was always taking
books to Pate Lamberty when his leg was
broke so she took mine over and she
said he liked them better then any
he wanted to know if I didn't have
some more.
  Today is Rosie's Birthday, she
will be 22. We are going to make a
cake for her and take it over tonite
We;re going to ask Katie Lamberty and
Fuch's to come down.
I guess I better quit now and
make dinner or I'll get fired. Oh yes
we went swimming 4 times already.
Last Wed. twice on Sunday and last nite
We almost froze Wednesday but the rest
of the times it was nice.     Mary


Not much here. It's just an average kind of letter with a little info here and there about things going on around Mud Lake. I get a kick out of her calling it Mud Lake. I guess I can understand someone calling where their from a more boring or dull name. Like when I was younger we often referred to Medford as Dudford or Deadford. It's just something you do for different reasons from time to time.
I hope Rosie had a good 22nd birthday.

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

Not sure who this is. It could be Grandpa. Would you climb up something like that and just hang around for awhile?

No idea when this one was taken. It looks like it could have been a flooded river, maybe.

No idea who these guys are or when it was taken.

How about a picture from the scrap book.

A political cartoon of the day. On the bottom it says No egg!

Oh before I go I would like to tell you that the one picture from last post where I said it was a neighbor? Well it was cousin Tommy. Once I looked closer at it I did see it was him.

Well that's about all I have for you to day. I hope you will come back again for more Fading History.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy

Mary Kauer: June 14, 1927 Rib Lake, Wis.

Dear Friends,
I don't know about you but I'm ready for a nice weekend. I'm just hoping that the snow we got the other day will go away soon. Just when I was getting use to seeing bare ground it got covered with white again. oh well, it is March in Wisconsin, anything can happen.
Anyway here is the next letter from Mary:

As usual for those that find it hard to read here what it says:

              Rib Lake Wis
              June 14, 1927
Dear Howard:-
  I've got to make my
letter short but sweet today
as I want to wash yet.
 I got your letters and what
do you think the mail carrier
took one of them to Fuchs.
  How are you? is it so cold
in Ogema as it is here? I guess
John is coming home today.
Joe and Ma went to Milwaukee
Friday and then ma went to
see Anton but I hope they
come home today.
Say, what was that you
said about it being another

fellows fault that Ed got killed.
Did his uncle write? I suppose
that makes it much harder yet.
 And what about those outlaws?
Gee you got me all excited and
curious.
  Well, goodbye for this time
I've got to get busy or I won't
have the washing done when
Ma gets home.
                     Mary
I don't know if you will be able to
read this, it's worse than usual.


It sounds like Grandpa was writing Mary so much that she would get more then one letter a day from him.
I wonder what the temp was that day if she said it was cold.
Remember the letter from May 9, 1927 that mentioned that Ed was dead. I wondered what happened to him. I wonder more now seeing that he was killed. Someday I will have to look up what could have happened to him.
I wonder what outlaws she was excited and curious about? Were they well known outlaws or just something local?
I hope she was able to get the wash done before her ma got home.
I just realized that this letter should have been before the last one. I guess I better look at the rest of the letters for this year to see if the rest of them are in the right order.There are three more that should have actually been shown before the one I showed you on Tuesday.  I'll try to pay closer attention to the dates.

Here is a picture from the scrap book that might remind some of the flooding that is happening now. The scrap book was put together in 1936.

Flood waters were receding Wednesday afternoon in Johnstown,
Pa., after the second great flood in half a century. This view
shows citizens on a bridge in the heart of the city surveying a house
which crashed against the span.--A.P. Wirephoto

I wonder when the first one was and how many others there have been since then.

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

This was taken June 1973. It looks kind of familiar but right now I'm not sure why.

I think this was one of their neighbors. I might know who it is but I'm not 100% sure.

No idea who they are, but I'm sure one of the relations will tell me, maybe.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back again soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy