20070801

Drove 292 miles to Twin Springs RV Park, in Menomonie WI. 

It was cool with rain threatening (fancy that) when we left Walker MN and headed east. We went east on MN-200 to US-2 to Duluth, MN/Superior, WI. Then US-53 then US-63 to Turtle Lake, WI. Then on local roads from there to Menomonie, passing the Carlson family farm where I spent so much time and so many summers and where I learned so much. 

Just south of Turtle Lake, I saw a family in the field "shocking" oats, which I hadn't seen done in 50 years. Later, I find there are some Amish families there, who still farm using horses and old technology.

We stopped to see local genealogist, historian & author Jayme Kistner Beyrer at her business in Connorsville enroute. We'll go back to see her again.

At the campground, we set up the trailer twice. The first site was untenable; we couldn't get the trailer level. When I put four 1" boards under the wheels on the low side, we got the bubble back into sight on the level and still needed three more boards. I requested another site & we moved there. It's nice, under some pines, and shady. Still, it was at least 90* when we set up - another hot, humid, day.

Then we went into Menomonie and drove around looking at familiar sites, such as the houses in which my grandparents lived. Several of the key streets are torn up for construction (Wisconsin's other season). There are some new buildings and new businesses in old buildings, but overall the place is still Memonomie.

We went to the Super 8 to talk with Lynn, my cousin who came in from downstate Wisconsin, just as my brother John and his wife Nancy arrived from Michigan. We got into family talk and wound up in the Stout Ale House in the mall across from the old Bolo Motor Lodge (since torn down). Food was good and the talk went on, sometimes interrupted by the TV news about the collapse of the I-35W bridges in Minneapolis just after 6pm tonight (horrible tragedy).

Afterward, we went back to John & Nancy's room at the Super 8 and talked some more. Then we returned to the trailer; we are to meet again in the morning to tour the area.

Back at the trailer, we found the count at the Minneapolis disaster is six dead and more than 60 injured so far. We turned it off, figuring they'll know more tomorrow.

 

20070802

At Twin Springs RV Park, in Menomonie WI. 

It never got too warm today, just a little warmish in the sun. A pleasant day compared with all the hot ones recently.

We went to the Super8 this morning to meet Lynn, plus John & Nancy. We went in two vehicles first to Tainter Lake and our common grandparents' cottage called "White Pine Lodge". It's been improved over the years but occupies the same footprint. The steps down to the dock are new and there's a boat lift at the bottom. We recalled times at the cottage and then went on.

The Town of New Haven cemetery off CTH "V" contains the remains of our grandparents, Wm J Owen & Liza, as well as many friends, neighbors, and acquaintainces. We walked the place and told stories of those we knew or recalled the relationships to our family.

Then back past Wm J's self-built stone house (also on "V") and over the hill behind it to his son's farm. Weowna Farm (William E Owen, our granddad & wife Freda) is on 1330th off CTH "K", a couple of miles from Wm J's. We remember stories of our mom's about walking back and forth between the two farms. Weowna now has a different name and has been owned for a long time by the Danovsky family.

We went into the village of Downing for lunch at Amy's in the basement of the old town hall. The food was great, and the price was $27 for the five of us. Again, a lot of talk and fun.

Then John and Lynn headed for the county offices to do research, dropping Nancy at the motel. Dolores & I did a little shopping, then returned to the trailer to do a couple of computer chores.

It turned out that Lynn found a confirming document about an ancestor she was seeking, and they both ran into an interesting coincidence. Wm J Owen was thought by some to have been the person who murdered a certain Mr Biss in the late 1800's. Mr Biss was an argumentative soul who had sued many of his neighbors and certain authorities over real or imagined slights. He'd been punished for a non-fatal stabbing. He was found dead one evening, the result of a shotgun hit to his back and another to his chest. The crime was unsolved.

When John & Lynn went looking for more data on Mr Biss in the county archives, they met a person who had studied the case from county documents. He was the person who put together the database for the archives and as part of that effort used the Biss case to test it. He stated his favorite candidate for the murder was a certain Gilbert Allen, with whom Mr Biss had recently quarreled. 

Our family knows that Wm J had a temper and was not known for taking an insult. As mentioned above, some of the local historians will still point to Wm J as the perpetrator. We're happy someone else is under consideration.

We met back at the motel about 4:30. Dolores & I were in the lobby talking with Lynn when cousin Cynthia & new husband Larry came in from south Wisconsin (Stoughton) and John & Nancy came in from their room. A full-bore reunion in the lobby. 

All seven of us went to 1303 Main Street, Menomonie, where we four cousins re-enacted a picture taken in 1945. The four of us kids were perched on the steps of the front porch at the grandparents' house (they'd moved from the farm in 1943). I was oldest at 5+, and John & Lynn were aged two or so. So we told the young person at home in the house what we were doing (which he thought was "cool") and took pictures 62 years after the original. We told stories among ourselves as Dolores, Larry & Nancy took the pictures of us, as we tried to match the pose in the 1945 photo. Many laughs.

Then we all scurried by different routes to Jake's Supper Club up the Red Cedar River toward Tainter Lake. We had drinks and dinner and dessert with all sorts of laughs and stories and catching up with each others lives. We gave the serving young gentleman a large tip, which he greatly appreciated. Our dining neighbors probably weren't as enthusiastic, since we were rather loud at times with our laughter.

After that, we went back to the cottage so Cynthia and Larry could see it. We were standing around when the neighbor, Mr Laney, came over and joined us. It turned out he was a paratrooper back when, and Cynthia and Lynn's dad was a paratrooper during WWII. He gave Lynn a newsletter from a paratrooper organization she might use to find out more about her dad's service.

Mr Laney also mentioned that the cottage is now owned by the District Attorney in Eau Claire. I'll have to look up his name and drop a note to him.

From there, we went our different ways. Cynthia & Larry are staying with a friend of hers on Tainter Lake. John, Nancy & Lynn headed for the Super8 while we returned to the little house in the piney campground.

There, we talked with neighbors who have a motorhome with Florida tags. Turns out they have a place north of Tampa but lived here once upon a time. We were asking about potential common acquaintances when he asked if I know a Ray Blodgett. I told him, yes, I knew the worm king (Ray sold mail-order worms at one time and had quite a number of them). He says he's related to the Blodgetts, Ray, Elmer and Oscar. We're related to the Blodgetts as well through some shirt-tail arrangement. Finally, we went off to the trailer. We stayed up late watching the news (still the Minneapolis I-35W bridge disaster).

 

20070803

At Twin Springs RV Park, Menomonie WI.

Cool, then warm in the afternoon.

We got up late and worked at getting a printout for John through the printer. John, Nancy, Lynn & I met at the historian's desk in the Rossback museum (Joan Keller). We introduced ourselves and chatted with her. Her parents were neighbors of our grandparents, the Owens.

She did some research for John, but didn't turn up anything exiting. We took some information about cemeteries to look in.

Lynn headed home for Delavan, and the four of us went to lunch at "das Bierhaus" on West 6th. We jockied the menu around so that everyone got what they wanted.
The bratwurst was great and the home-made beer quite good. Hope they make a success of the business.

Then we dropped the ladies at their respective places to nap and took John's car to the two cemeteries, (Highland and Sherman) where we learned nothing.

We came back across-country to Mill's Fleet Farm to get a couple of things. In the lot, we ran into Joann Utphall, so we talked for a while. The family is doing well. She and her husband Jim have the farm next to our old farm and a good part of our old farm. We told her we'd see them Sunday and to say "hi" to everyone.

We returned to our respective staying places to rest up for dinner with the Norwegians at Grazi's (west of Menomonie) at 6:30.

Later, we went to Grazi's. We joined a line getting name tags, which sure helped. There were probably 100 people there. I re-met Tom Larson, Steven Fortney, Alan Fortney, Karn Anderson, Christine Anderson and a bunch of others. Very friendly crew.

As we talked with folks, those who were old enough to remember Aunt Elsie after she retired and moved back up here all had wonderful things to say about her.

We did the salad buffet (with pickled herring) and then the food buffet. Lots of talk and eating. After eating, some remarks were made about who-did-what, and the oldest family member was introduced.

Everyone wandered around talking after that. We left after a bunch of Fortney's had left, but before John & Nancy.

Very good day.