Gem and Wallace, Idaho 1938 - 1942
Our idyllic life on Flathead Lake was over. The Auburn carried us south along the west lake shore on Highway 93.
I remember watching the lake, first through the side window, then the rear window. And then it was gone. So sad.
I remember watching the lake, first through the side window, then the rear window. And then it was gone. So sad.
More than likely the Auburn was towing our household goods
in the four-wheeled trailer Dad fashioned from the old Essex.
I don’t recall. I was too busy watching our lake disappear.
Essex trailer packed to move the family from Flathead Lake back to the Burke Canyon
Our House at Gem
Dad had rented a house for us in Gem, a couple of miles down the road from Burke on the way to Wallace (State Hwy 4).
Dad and Mama decided they wanted the family together even if it was in another mining town.
Like Burke, Gem was in a narrow mountain canyon with room on the canyon floor for not much more
than the street, railroad track, Canyon Creek, and a few businesses (grocery store, pool hall, post office, etc).
Dad had rented a house for us in Gem, a couple of miles down the road from Burke on the way to Wallace (State Hwy 4).
Dad and Mama decided they wanted the family together even if it was in another mining town.
Like Burke, Gem was in a narrow mountain canyon with room on the canyon floor for not much more
than the street, railroad track, Canyon Creek, and a few businesses (grocery store, pool hall, post office, etc).
Gem house in center. Auburn (with light top) parked across the road.
(Picture taken from above the Frisco Mill ruins)
(Picture taken from above the Frisco Mill ruins)
Across the street was an expanse of mill ruins
Frisco Mill explosion site - 120 years later
Donald and David spent a lot of time exploring that and the area around it
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Dad, near the newly-rented house at Gem
March 27, 1938 - his 42nd birthday |
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Eastern Montana homesteader - flashback
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The homesteaders of eastern Montana were of various origins.
Those from northern (flatland) Missouri were generally regarded as ill-bred and uneducated embarrassments – "those darned ol’ Missourians.” “Quinine” Hood was one of those. One time, in the late 1920’s, out on the homestead prairie, Dad was suffering from incapacitating abdominal pain. It was often stated how it was "35 miles by team and wagon" to town, including medical care. Hood drove Dad to the doctor at Sidney who immediately administered morphine, then opened and removed an intestinal growth constriction. The doctor stated that an hour later would’ve been ‘too late.’ (This is a 3rd hand version of this story, as heard many years later – n) When in need, a darned ol’ Missourian can be a darned good man, indeed. |
Eastern Montana homesteader "Quinine" Hood
- a "darned ol' Missourian,” who later became a miner at Burke, Idaho - 1938 |
(On a visit to Poplar a generation later, Dad told as to how, if a rider out on the prairie
was thinkin’ he might be gonna break a leg, he better head fer the doctor ahead ‘a time,
otherwise it’d be too late. – Homestead Humor)
was thinkin’ he might be gonna break a leg, he better head fer the doctor ahead ‘a time,
otherwise it’d be too late. – Homestead Humor)
Our House at Gem - continued
Our two-story white frame house was in a row of houses built on one of those shelves dug into the mountain side.
A long flight of stairs led from the street up to each house.
At the back of our house was another uphill climb to another two-holer,
but after we settled in, Dad built us an indoor bathroom.
We had electricity, but heat was from coal and wood stoves.
Once Mama backed up to sit on the kitchen stool but tipped off and we had to pull her out of the coal bucket.
No real injuries but a few black smudges, and lots of laughter afterward.
There were two rooms downstairs.
One was a big kitchen with a small table and chairs at one end and our new bathroom at the other end.
The second was the living room with dining table and chairs at one end.
Stairs led from the kitchen to two upstairs bedrooms.
One room was mine, the other Mama’s and Dad’s, but I don’t recall where we bedded down two little brothers.
Our two-story white frame house was in a row of houses built on one of those shelves dug into the mountain side.
A long flight of stairs led from the street up to each house.
At the back of our house was another uphill climb to another two-holer,
but after we settled in, Dad built us an indoor bathroom.
We had electricity, but heat was from coal and wood stoves.
Once Mama backed up to sit on the kitchen stool but tipped off and we had to pull her out of the coal bucket.
No real injuries but a few black smudges, and lots of laughter afterward.
There were two rooms downstairs.
One was a big kitchen with a small table and chairs at one end and our new bathroom at the other end.
The second was the living room with dining table and chairs at one end.
Stairs led from the kitchen to two upstairs bedrooms.
One room was mine, the other Mama’s and Dad’s, but I don’t recall where we bedded down two little brothers.
Donald at Gem house - 2012
Sometimes when it was hot, Dad would sleep downstairs in the living room where it was cooler.
That was directly under my room. Dad snored! Those snores vibrated right up through a floor register in my room.
I remember shutting the register and piling everything I could on top of it. The snoring penetrated it all.
On December 7, 1941 the family was seated at that dining table for dinner, with the radio playing in the background.
The program was interrupted with that terrible announcement that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor.
After a short stay in Kalispell, Montana, the following year, we moved to Portland, Oregon,
and Dad and I both went to work as swing shift welders at two different shipyards.
(See Appendix “Wanda the Welder”)
One of our neighbors had a St. Bernard. One day that huge animal came in our house and into the bathroom, probably
planning to drink from the toilet which just fit at the end of the narrow space between the side of the tub and the wall.
Space was narrower than dog. Dog stuck! We got the dog out eventually, but what a struggle!
The houses in that row were so close together you could stand between any two of them, reach your arms out to the side and almost touch both houses. A few were close enough that you could touch both houses at once.
That was directly under my room. Dad snored! Those snores vibrated right up through a floor register in my room.
I remember shutting the register and piling everything I could on top of it. The snoring penetrated it all.
On December 7, 1941 the family was seated at that dining table for dinner, with the radio playing in the background.
The program was interrupted with that terrible announcement that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor.
After a short stay in Kalispell, Montana, the following year, we moved to Portland, Oregon,
and Dad and I both went to work as swing shift welders at two different shipyards.
(See Appendix “Wanda the Welder”)
One of our neighbors had a St. Bernard. One day that huge animal came in our house and into the bathroom, probably
planning to drink from the toilet which just fit at the end of the narrow space between the side of the tub and the wall.
Space was narrower than dog. Dog stuck! We got the dog out eventually, but what a struggle!
The houses in that row were so close together you could stand between any two of them, reach your arms out to the side and almost touch both houses. A few were close enough that you could touch both houses at once.
View across canyon - looking slightly upstream from house
Donald, David, & Referee
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Homestead Visit
In the summer of 1940, some of the family returned to the Eastern Montana territory for a visit.
The following 7 pictures are undocumented except for the year "1940"
In the summer of 1940, some of the family returned to the Eastern Montana territory for a visit.
The following 7 pictures are undocumented except for the year "1940"
Glacier Park Lodge, from near the Great Northern station
A 'tourist teepee' probably near the Glacier Park Lodge - the mountains look similar.
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? ?
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Uncle Don's house on the Huling's homestead - built 1936
Group shot at the door of the house
Crossing the prairie by team and wagon
David rides on John Deere - 1940
Liam rides on John Deere - 2005
Back home at Gem, Idaho
One of their activities there brought them a little cash.
They took the wheelbarrow and searched the mill debris across the street for discarded rubber.
Donald climbed out-of-service telephone poles for copper wire.
He did the climbing because David was leery of heights.
Turner Recycle Team
They sold the rubber and copper to a local collector and made about $100.
Later, on a trip to Spokane* with Mama and Dad, they got to spend some of their earnings.
Donald got a small camera and a catcher’s mitt, and David a (???).
I suspect that was a rather satisfying adventure for two little guys.
*(Appendix: “Wheat Futures at Spokane” and ”Donald & David Earnings”)
Later, on a trip to Spokane* with Mama and Dad, they got to spend some of their earnings.
Donald got a small camera and a catcher’s mitt, and David a (???).
I suspect that was a rather satisfying adventure for two little guys.
*(Appendix: “Wheat Futures at Spokane” and ”Donald & David Earnings”)
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Ernie Goss visits from Ft. Lewis – 1941 or 1942
At the Captain John Mullan Trail marker at Mullan Pass |
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We were back in heavy snow country, so one Christmas Mama and Dad ordered skis from the catalog for the boys.
Unfortunately they picked the wrong day to send them to the post office in “downtown” Gem.
The skis were there in plain sight.
Here came two little guys back up the road, each carrying a pair of skis,
trying to act like they didn’t know they were carrying their own Christmas presents.
Later they got into a big argument over who saw them first. “I saw them first.” “No you didn’t! I did!”
Back and forth, until Mama told them to cut it out or she’d send the skis back.
Thanks to Dad, the flight of stairs from the street up to our house was in good shape.
Can’t say the same for our next door neighbors’ stairs. Half of their steps were gone or broken.
The husband was a drunk. He would walk down the street from their house to the pool hall in “downtown” Gem.
Several hours later, he’d come back up the street on his hands and knees.
When he got to the stairs, he’d manage to pull himself part way up, lose his grip and roll back down.
After several such attempts, he’d finally make it to the top.
He and his wife didn’t always get along. One night we heard her calling over and over, “Alfred, let me in!”
Finally she said, “Well, at least give me my clothes.”
We didn’t look to see if she was referring to the rest of her clothes from their closet
or just what was needed right then for cover.
In Gem we had a washing machine, electric or gas I’m not sure.
But it was still the old fashioned style with wringer attached.
The wringer had control levers for “Forward,” “Reverse,” and “Release.”
Mama was on one side feeding clothes through the wringer.
David was on the other side helping guide the clothes from the wringer into the tub of rinse water.
Somehow David hit the “Reverse” lever and Mama saw David’s hand and most of his forearm
coming through the wringer accompanied by a loud howl.
David grabbed for the lever again, but got “Forward” instead of “Release”
which sent his appendage through for another wringing and continued howl.
No serious damage, just major discomfort!
Unfortunately they picked the wrong day to send them to the post office in “downtown” Gem.
The skis were there in plain sight.
Here came two little guys back up the road, each carrying a pair of skis,
trying to act like they didn’t know they were carrying their own Christmas presents.
Later they got into a big argument over who saw them first. “I saw them first.” “No you didn’t! I did!”
Back and forth, until Mama told them to cut it out or she’d send the skis back.
Thanks to Dad, the flight of stairs from the street up to our house was in good shape.
Can’t say the same for our next door neighbors’ stairs. Half of their steps were gone or broken.
The husband was a drunk. He would walk down the street from their house to the pool hall in “downtown” Gem.
Several hours later, he’d come back up the street on his hands and knees.
When he got to the stairs, he’d manage to pull himself part way up, lose his grip and roll back down.
After several such attempts, he’d finally make it to the top.
He and his wife didn’t always get along. One night we heard her calling over and over, “Alfred, let me in!”
Finally she said, “Well, at least give me my clothes.”
We didn’t look to see if she was referring to the rest of her clothes from their closet
or just what was needed right then for cover.
In Gem we had a washing machine, electric or gas I’m not sure.
But it was still the old fashioned style with wringer attached.
The wringer had control levers for “Forward,” “Reverse,” and “Release.”
Mama was on one side feeding clothes through the wringer.
David was on the other side helping guide the clothes from the wringer into the tub of rinse water.
Somehow David hit the “Reverse” lever and Mama saw David’s hand and most of his forearm
coming through the wringer accompanied by a loud howl.
David grabbed for the lever again, but got “Forward” instead of “Release”
which sent his appendage through for another wringing and continued howl.
No serious damage, just major discomfort!
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Helen Mae with bicycle at Gem
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Donald and David went to school in Burke at that same school
that perched on the mountain side shelf above our former house
that perched on the mountain side shelf above our former house
Burke School
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Donald, age 8, 2nd grade David visited school 1939 |
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Donald started right away in second grade. David started the next year in first grade.
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David & Donald in door
Sissy Smith |
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Wallace, Idaho
Wallace, where I went to high school, is a mining town with a rich and interesting history.
Wallace, where I went to high school, is a mining town with a rich and interesting history.
Wallace, Idaho post card
A web search revealed that
“Wallace is known for the fact that every downtown building is in the National Register of Historic Places…
“Wallace is known for the fact that every downtown building is in the National Register of Historic Places…
…which is why the government finally had to go over us instead of through us
in order to complete the Interstate Highway system in 1991.”
in order to complete the Interstate Highway system in 1991.”
The historic old Northern Pacific depot was moved 200 feet south across the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River
to make room for the new I-90 freeway
to make room for the new I-90 freeway
The depot is now a museum well worth visiting, as are other museums,
the Wallace District Mining Museum and the Oasis Bordello Museum.
Early Wallace experienced shootouts and bandits, and a labor war between miners and management.
Federal troops put the district under martial law for four months.
the Wallace District Mining Museum and the Oasis Bordello Museum.
Early Wallace experienced shootouts and bandits, and a labor war between miners and management.
Federal troops put the district under martial law for four months.
Wallace Mining Museum
Sierra Silver Mine - Nine Mile Canyon
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Walk-ins welcome
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Click to view Hecla Mining Company
Methodist Church
We went to the Methodist Church housed in a picturesque old white building with tall steeple.
Wallace too is a canyon town but with a much wider canyon floor than either Burke or Gem,
which makes room for more homes, businesses, churches, and schools than in either Burke or Gem.
With a population of 960 tho’, there are still plenty of homes perched on those shelves cut out of the mountainside.
We went to the Methodist Church housed in a picturesque old white building with tall steeple.
Wallace too is a canyon town but with a much wider canyon floor than either Burke or Gem,
which makes room for more homes, businesses, churches, and schools than in either Burke or Gem.
With a population of 960 tho’, there are still plenty of homes perched on those shelves cut out of the mountainside.
Wallace Methodist Church
Church musicians? Helen on right.
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Rev. Kinch & family
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Donald arrives for worship service - 2012
Wallace High School
We had never had a telephone, and I had never used one. The first time was a little traumatic.
One day this green freshman was walking down the hall toward study hall and,
as I passed the Superintendent’s office, the phone rang.
No one was in the office so I went in, picked up the receiver (from the old fashioned black, stand-up phone) and said, “Hello.”
A man, who never identified himself, rattled off a bunch of gibberish and hung up. I didn’t understand a word he said.
In study hall, the Superintendent was there and I relayed the incident to him.
He was nice and told me not worry about it, which was comforting because my introduction to the telephone
had been more than a little intimidating.
Also, when I was a freshman, I asked a group of boys for directions to a classroom.
They pointed down the hall and said, “Last door to your left.”
I thanked them, and opened the last door to the left to their laughter and the howls of the guys in the boys’ restroom whose privacy I had invaded. The classroom was last door to the right!
If there’s anything worse than being a green freshman in a strange school,
it’s if the green freshman walks into the boy’s restroom by mistake. Those bums!
I think, after my freshman year, I was in every play the school did. I always seemed to be cast in the mother role.
Once I told the drama coach I’d like to play something besides the mother.
She said, “But you make such a good mother. Kind of ironic, huh? She did give me a different role that time.
It was about the longest (most to memorize) yet least important role in that work. Should have let well enough alone.
In recent years, I had occasion to tell that story to a friend at church.
She later was in charge of casting and directing a play for the Christmas program.
Guess which roll she asked me to take? I played mother again, two years in a row.
We had never had a telephone, and I had never used one. The first time was a little traumatic.
One day this green freshman was walking down the hall toward study hall and,
as I passed the Superintendent’s office, the phone rang.
No one was in the office so I went in, picked up the receiver (from the old fashioned black, stand-up phone) and said, “Hello.”
A man, who never identified himself, rattled off a bunch of gibberish and hung up. I didn’t understand a word he said.
In study hall, the Superintendent was there and I relayed the incident to him.
He was nice and told me not worry about it, which was comforting because my introduction to the telephone
had been more than a little intimidating.
Also, when I was a freshman, I asked a group of boys for directions to a classroom.
They pointed down the hall and said, “Last door to your left.”
I thanked them, and opened the last door to the left to their laughter and the howls of the guys in the boys’ restroom whose privacy I had invaded. The classroom was last door to the right!
If there’s anything worse than being a green freshman in a strange school,
it’s if the green freshman walks into the boy’s restroom by mistake. Those bums!
I think, after my freshman year, I was in every play the school did. I always seemed to be cast in the mother role.
Once I told the drama coach I’d like to play something besides the mother.
She said, “But you make such a good mother. Kind of ironic, huh? She did give me a different role that time.
It was about the longest (most to memorize) yet least important role in that work. Should have let well enough alone.
In recent years, I had occasion to tell that story to a friend at church.
She later was in charge of casting and directing a play for the Christmas program.
Guess which roll she asked me to take? I played mother again, two years in a row.
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I took violin lessons from Josephine Boyd. She lived in one of those houses built on a shelf dug into the hillside high above Wallace. I played in the school orchestra, sang in the chorus, girl’s sextet, did solos, took part in music competitions in Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston, and drama. One solo was for a men’s local service group. When we (Glen Whitney, the music director, my accompanist, and I) arrived, it was obvious our audience was already three sheets to the wind. I was so disgusted I just pretended they weren’t there and sang my heart out. Mr. Whitney said, “Boy, if you sing like that all the time, you’ll win all the competitions.” Guess the moral is, first pretend your audience is drunk and then pretend they’re not there. On second thought, there might be a more appropriate scenario for singing in church. |
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One thing really troubles me about all those activities.
There was a school bus from Burke and Gem to Wallace and back for regular classes, but no bus service for after school activities. Dad would drive me to the school, and then sit patiently waiting in the Auburn ‘til I was ready to go, no matter what the weather. When I think about that now, I can’t help but wonder, why in the world didn’t I tell him to come inside and watch the play rehearsal or whatever was going on?! Dumb kid! Dad, if you could hear me now, I’d tell you how very much I appreciate what you did! School bus stop, our house - 1942
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March of Dimes Chairman - Helen Mae
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Marching Band
During a recent visit, I spotted a group of girls practicing for cheerleading.
I watched them instead of my step, tripped on the curb and crashed on the sidewalk.
Of course, they all came to help.
I asked them, “Would you believe this clumsy old lady used to be a majorette here?”
During a recent visit, I spotted a group of girls practicing for cheerleading.
I watched them instead of my step, tripped on the curb and crashed on the sidewalk.
Of course, they all came to help.
I asked them, “Would you believe this clumsy old lady used to be a majorette here?”
Wallace High School Band – (Helen 2nd from left)
Wallace High School “Miner-ettes” Helen (left) - 1941
Helen (with baton, on right) helps lead the band through Wallace - fall 1941. (Note "W" on hillside)
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Oh yes, Lana Turner was born in Wallace. Her father had a dry cleaning shop before he went to work in the mines. Lana spoke from a platform to a crowd gathered at a downtown intersection. The band and we majorettes performed, but I didn’t get to meet her, just saw her at a distance with my myopic vision. David, Helen Mae, Donald
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Helen (center with baton) and the Wallace band marching in the parade through Coeur d'Alene - 1939
Of course, in high school, there were boyfriends, and boys who were just friends, or both.
Lyle Smith, Irving (Ike) Lantor, and Glen Wimer, I knew from Burke. Ike and Glen both played violin too.
I did go out with Glen.
One date was to one of the formal proms at school. Another boyfriend was Jim Jones. (No, not that Jim Jones.)
He was the Principal’s son and, for some reason, his friends called him Wimpy or Stinky. He was neither.
When someone learned my middle name, as Jim’s girlfriend, I became Wimpy Mae or Stinky Mae.
Well gee, thanks. Jim had a younger brother whose first name was Gay.
I’ve often wondered if he changed that later.
Jim made me a beautiful bow and taught me how to shoot it.
And he tried to make me into a cliff climber on some of Gem’s cliffs.
I still shudder to think about it, especially the time I slipped and hung in midair from a rope tied around my waist.
One time when Jim brought me home, afoot, from a climbing date,
I immediately got cleaned up for a date with Johnny who arrived shortly.
Donald made the comment, “Gee whiz, Helen Mae just gets home with one guy then goes out with another.
At least he made that comment before Johnny got there.
Johnny had a car. Jim didn’t. As luck would have it, we overtook Jim walking back to Wallace.
Johnny stopped and asked if he wanted a ride.
Jim declined -- and that was the end of the Jim Jones romance.
One time Johnny’s six-year-old brother was with us, in the back seat.
He pulled himself up to the back of seat and said, “Helen, when I grow up, will you marry me.”
Aw-w. How sweet. And right in front my date, his big brother.
(For more on my high school escapades,
see Appendices for "Majorette Missteps" and "Dance")
Lyle Smith, Irving (Ike) Lantor, and Glen Wimer, I knew from Burke. Ike and Glen both played violin too.
I did go out with Glen.
One date was to one of the formal proms at school. Another boyfriend was Jim Jones. (No, not that Jim Jones.)
He was the Principal’s son and, for some reason, his friends called him Wimpy or Stinky. He was neither.
When someone learned my middle name, as Jim’s girlfriend, I became Wimpy Mae or Stinky Mae.
Well gee, thanks. Jim had a younger brother whose first name was Gay.
I’ve often wondered if he changed that later.
Jim made me a beautiful bow and taught me how to shoot it.
And he tried to make me into a cliff climber on some of Gem’s cliffs.
I still shudder to think about it, especially the time I slipped and hung in midair from a rope tied around my waist.
One time when Jim brought me home, afoot, from a climbing date,
I immediately got cleaned up for a date with Johnny who arrived shortly.
Donald made the comment, “Gee whiz, Helen Mae just gets home with one guy then goes out with another.
At least he made that comment before Johnny got there.
Johnny had a car. Jim didn’t. As luck would have it, we overtook Jim walking back to Wallace.
Johnny stopped and asked if he wanted a ride.
Jim declined -- and that was the end of the Jim Jones romance.
One time Johnny’s six-year-old brother was with us, in the back seat.
He pulled himself up to the back of seat and said, “Helen, when I grow up, will you marry me.”
Aw-w. How sweet. And right in front my date, his big brother.
(For more on my high school escapades,
see Appendices for "Majorette Missteps" and "Dance")
Star Reporter
In Gem and Wallace I had my introduction to the job world.
In addition to occasional baby-sitting for neighbors, I saw that the Wallace newspaper was looking for a reporter to gather Gem news for the paper. I got the job.
In Gem and Wallace I had my introduction to the job world.
In addition to occasional baby-sitting for neighbors, I saw that the Wallace newspaper was looking for a reporter to gather Gem news for the paper. I got the job.
The Wallace Miner - once owned by Harry Day of the Hercules Mine
Prior to that, the Gem news consisted of exciting tidbits such as, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith drove to Wallace Tuesday.”
Well, big deal! Mama agreed. She advised me to look for happenings that were a little more exciting, and I did.
But then, some items were just a little too exciting to print. After a news gathering trip, Mama would ask who I talked to.
I’d tell her, and she’d say, “Oh yeah, that’s the woman who killed her husband with a butcher knife.”
Or “Oh, that’s the man that killed his wife with an ax right in front of their two little girls.”
I might have reported the question, “Why are these characters running around loose?”
Or maybe I should have written that, “Alfred what’s-his-name crawled home drunk from the pool hall again.
This time he locked his poor wife out of the house.”
But, I opted for the middle ground between trips to Wallace (yawn) and murders.
Well, big deal! Mama agreed. She advised me to look for happenings that were a little more exciting, and I did.
But then, some items were just a little too exciting to print. After a news gathering trip, Mama would ask who I talked to.
I’d tell her, and she’d say, “Oh yeah, that’s the woman who killed her husband with a butcher knife.”
Or “Oh, that’s the man that killed his wife with an ax right in front of their two little girls.”
I might have reported the question, “Why are these characters running around loose?”
Or maybe I should have written that, “Alfred what’s-his-name crawled home drunk from the pool hall again.
This time he locked his poor wife out of the house.”
But, I opted for the middle ground between trips to Wallace (yawn) and murders.
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Typical Burke Canyon ax murderer
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The man who killed his wife with an ax was the uncle of the husband or wife of our next door neighbors.
(No, not Alfred. The ones on the other side.)
I baby sat for that couple. One night, they went out and the ax-wielding uncle was with them.
They all left, but a little later the uncle came back alone.
They’d left a bottle on the table, and all he did was come in, take the bottle, and leave.
But it did give me some cause for concern.
Later, after the children were asleep, I decided to catch a few winks.
Just dozed off when the most horrifying howling came from their back porch.
It sounded like a man in mortal agony. I froze! It finally stopped and I actually managed to go to sleep.
When the children’s parents returned I told them about it and they said it was their other neighbors’ cat.
Another time while watching their children, I decided to wash some dishes they’d left in the sink.
I grabbed what I assumed was a dish towel from a towel rack hanging by the sink,
all the while trying to figure out what that unpleasant smell was.
When the dishes were all wiped, I realized I’d wiped them with a soiled diaper.
So, the dishes got washed again.
That seemed like a dumb place to hang a diaper!
(No, not Alfred. The ones on the other side.)
I baby sat for that couple. One night, they went out and the ax-wielding uncle was with them.
They all left, but a little later the uncle came back alone.
They’d left a bottle on the table, and all he did was come in, take the bottle, and leave.
But it did give me some cause for concern.
Later, after the children were asleep, I decided to catch a few winks.
Just dozed off when the most horrifying howling came from their back porch.
It sounded like a man in mortal agony. I froze! It finally stopped and I actually managed to go to sleep.
When the children’s parents returned I told them about it and they said it was their other neighbors’ cat.
Another time while watching their children, I decided to wash some dishes they’d left in the sink.
I grabbed what I assumed was a dish towel from a towel rack hanging by the sink,
all the while trying to figure out what that unpleasant smell was.
When the dishes were all wiped, I realized I’d wiped them with a soiled diaper.
So, the dishes got washed again.
That seemed like a dumb place to hang a diaper!
The summer between my junior and senior years, I took a job clerking at the Gem grocery store.
Is this the Gem grocery store? – Sep 2012
This was before self-serve markets. You walked with the customer helping him or her locate what they wanted.
Then you rang it up on the cash register. The register did not make change for you. You figured it out yourself.
For a purchase of $3.60, and paid for with a $5.00 bill, the clerk would count out a nickel, a dime, a quarter, and a dollar bill.
I enjoyed the job but, for some reason, my feet began hurting like the dickens after just a little while into each shift.
I’d try to catch a little respite now and then, but think the store manager thought I was being lazy.
One day after I’d gone home from the store, the manager sent word with someone that he wanted to see me. So I trekked back to the store and got fired.
He didn’t accuse me of anything, but hinted that some money was missing.
I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong and, being a little naive, didn’t even realize that he thought I was responsible for any missing money.
After all, if I so much as enjoyed a candy bar, I rang up my nickel in the cash register. (Yes, candy bars were a nickel!)
I told him I appreciated the chance to work there and thanked him. But when I got home, Mama was fit to be tied.
She saw it that he was accusing me of being a thief.
She was so upset I thought she was going to the store and tell the manager off. But she didn’t.
There was an interesting coincidence from this later in Kalispell.
Then you rang it up on the cash register. The register did not make change for you. You figured it out yourself.
For a purchase of $3.60, and paid for with a $5.00 bill, the clerk would count out a nickel, a dime, a quarter, and a dollar bill.
I enjoyed the job but, for some reason, my feet began hurting like the dickens after just a little while into each shift.
I’d try to catch a little respite now and then, but think the store manager thought I was being lazy.
One day after I’d gone home from the store, the manager sent word with someone that he wanted to see me. So I trekked back to the store and got fired.
He didn’t accuse me of anything, but hinted that some money was missing.
I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong and, being a little naive, didn’t even realize that he thought I was responsible for any missing money.
After all, if I so much as enjoyed a candy bar, I rang up my nickel in the cash register. (Yes, candy bars were a nickel!)
I told him I appreciated the chance to work there and thanked him. But when I got home, Mama was fit to be tied.
She saw it that he was accusing me of being a thief.
She was so upset I thought she was going to the store and tell the manager off. But she didn’t.
There was an interesting coincidence from this later in Kalispell.
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Outstanding
My most cherished and totally unexpected award was the VFW award. Each year the outstanding girl student and boy student were selected and their names engraved on a plaque. I thought I knew which girl would be selected, so my jaw dropped a foot when they called my name instead. I knew the awards would be listed in the newspaper, so I decided not to say anything to the folks. Dad was sitting in the living room reading the paper when I heard him tell Mama, “Helen Mae was selected Outstanding Girl student!” Well, that was fun. Helen Mae: Outstanding Girl - 1942 |
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Robert Anno was selected Outstanding Boy and no one was more deserving.
He was just a really nice person.
I learned later that he went to work in that old Hecla Mine, probably to earn money for college.
The cable broke on the elevator he and other miners were riding down the mine shaft and they were all killed.
What a tragic end to a fine young life!
He was just a really nice person.
I learned later that he went to work in that old Hecla Mine, probably to earn money for college.
The cable broke on the elevator he and other miners were riding down the mine shaft and they were all killed.
What a tragic end to a fine young life!
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I struggled with algebra, but shone in geometry and chemistry.
Loved reading history but had trouble remembering facts for tests. Learned stenographic skills (shorthand and typing) from a wonderful teacher, Madeline Wall. I managed to graduate in the top ten of the senior class, which achievement is diminished somewhat when you realize there were just over sixty in the class. One recent summer on my way through Wallace,
I stopped at the new high school. The door was open so I went in. There was a whole wall covered with awards from previous years. Fortunately, there was a very tall step ladder handy. By climbing that I was able to find Robert Anno’s and my names on the VFW plaque wa-a-y at the very top of the wall. |
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Post-Grad
After graduation I was hired to work in the office of the Morrow Retail department store in Wallace.
I took dictation from the store manager and transcribed it into letters;
and posted charge sales on a funny, big clunky posting machine.
Each charge customer’s purchases for the day were posted on that machine to a page for each customer.
All the pages then went into a huge ledger.
After that, I added the figures in the ledger to see if they balanced with the total on the posting machine.
My first day on the job, the office manager stood by nervously as I added the ledger.
It balanced, to the penny. She cried.
I don’t know if it was relief because she fully expected to stay after hours to find out why the greenhorn
didn’t balance, or if she was disappointed because I did it right and she was looking forward to giving me a bad time,
which she was pretty good at.
I had no transportation to get to work in Wallace. So, I resorted to a form of hitch hiking.
No thumb involved. I just walked on the right side of the road and when I heard a car approaching,
I’d turn and look hoping it would be someone I knew. Most of the time it was.
A couple of times I got into a car driven I thought by someone I knew, only to see a complete stranger.
That was a little unnerving. But they delivered me to my destination.
Once I actually had to walk the whole distance. Got to work a little late that day.
One day at work near the office counter, I heard “Hi, Helen”
and looked up to see Don Clothier and some of his friends standing at the other side of the counter.
On my lunch break, we had another good old home week.
After graduation I was hired to work in the office of the Morrow Retail department store in Wallace.
I took dictation from the store manager and transcribed it into letters;
and posted charge sales on a funny, big clunky posting machine.
Each charge customer’s purchases for the day were posted on that machine to a page for each customer.
All the pages then went into a huge ledger.
After that, I added the figures in the ledger to see if they balanced with the total on the posting machine.
My first day on the job, the office manager stood by nervously as I added the ledger.
It balanced, to the penny. She cried.
I don’t know if it was relief because she fully expected to stay after hours to find out why the greenhorn
didn’t balance, or if she was disappointed because I did it right and she was looking forward to giving me a bad time,
which she was pretty good at.
I had no transportation to get to work in Wallace. So, I resorted to a form of hitch hiking.
No thumb involved. I just walked on the right side of the road and when I heard a car approaching,
I’d turn and look hoping it would be someone I knew. Most of the time it was.
A couple of times I got into a car driven I thought by someone I knew, only to see a complete stranger.
That was a little unnerving. But they delivered me to my destination.
Once I actually had to walk the whole distance. Got to work a little late that day.
One day at work near the office counter, I heard “Hi, Helen”
and looked up to see Don Clothier and some of his friends standing at the other side of the counter.
On my lunch break, we had another good old home week.
Back to Montana
Not long after I started that job, Mama said Dad was getting out of the mines
and they were going to move back to Montana.
They arranged for me to stay with Rev. and Mrs. Kinch in Wallace.
He was the minister of the Methodist church we attended.
Not only did that allow me to keep my new job but I only had to walk a few blocks to get there.
Not long after I started that job, Mama said Dad was getting out of the mines
and they were going to move back to Montana.
They arranged for me to stay with Rev. and Mrs. Kinch in Wallace.
He was the minister of the Methodist church we attended.
Not only did that allow me to keep my new job but I only had to walk a few blocks to get there.
More heartfelt thanks to Dad here.
Mama told me later that Dad only stayed in that old mine so I could graduate from Wallace
without having to transfer in the middle of high school.
Mama told me later that Dad only stayed in that old mine so I could graduate from Wallace
without having to transfer in the middle of high school.
The 'complete' Turner family - Wallace, Idaho 1942