July 15: Sunday Eve
Arrived at the "Point" at 2 PM today. Robert John Provost,
Teddy and myself (HMF). Left home at 6:15 AM on Saturday. Arrived 6 PM
and stayed overnight at Farmington, Minn. which was 420 miles from home.
Left Farmington at 7AM...total miles for the trip was 683, the least we've
ever had from Lincoln.
Found cabin OK. Center of house is lower than rest of floor. Fred same as ever. The old poplar is down on the dike. Looks a bit more open than before. Ruth and Dorothy Huffman will arrive Wednesday or Thursday and Daddy will arrive in two weeks.-
Passed a bad accident on Highway 53 between Canyon and
Cotton. A man lying on the road and women and children crying, sitting
and standing in one group and the other, a man 2 women (one with a tiny
baby) all hurt, bloody and all covered with dirt and grease. (ROF NOTE:
Memory does not serve me but I cannot recall this...if we had stopped,
which I certainly think we might have, I would think I'd remember...possibly
the "help" may have already have been there!)
Bill Gruben came over in the evening with Ethel Carlon
who will help me this summer.
July 16- 7:30 AM 56 degrees Monday. Up at 7:30, breakfast 8:10 - Nice day. Not very peppy, but got some odd jobs done - then to put the hammock together - works fine. Got dinner and called early at the Pitts. Girls came over to help, but nothing special to do. Went to bed early - not feeling very well. HMF
July 17 Did not get up-had very severe headache and sick stomach . Cold and dull morning. Boys got breakfast and made fires, beds, etc. Got up at 11 AM cold and shivery. Beginning to rain. Rained hard at 2 PM. Kept fires going all day. Lumber came for the tent floor. and the new table-latter is fine! Ethel came also...no word from Ruth. Hope they are not expecting us tomorrow. Going to bed early. Temp 65 at 8:30 AM......cold all day. HMF
July 21, 1939: On wednesday the girls came on the boat unexpectedly. They caught the boat by accident because of daylight savings time. Boys had worked hard all morning getting the lumber cut to fit for the tent platform. Got it all done by noon and canvass up by 3PM, ready to move in. Had to rush to get stuff in by dark.
Glad to see the girls. They look well. Fred brought ice.
Paid him up for the house, boats, gravel, kerosene, ice and hay cutting.
Looked like rain and was windy.
Thursday, Mr Spencer (Gar Wood Salesman from Duluth) came early with the 16 ft Gar Wood demonstrator. I bought it. In the evening we went for our first driving lesson. It was a bad windy day and the lake was awfully choppy. Had no trouble learning but no expert yet, if ever. Mr Spencer got a big 200# weight (block of concrete with the "U"bolt in its top) and a long heavy rope to put in the boat. Boys let it over the edge for a buoy..which later after taking Mr Spencer back we tried to tie the boat rope to it. Robert and John got the rope snagged around the propeller some way. Finally after Robert trying to undo it with John sitting on his legs, John disrobed go under the boat and untangled the rope. It took a long time. After taking the boys back on board. John went ashore and dressed in a bathing cape. He'd left his clothes in the boat. Lots of excitement, lots of splash, lots of fun! My hat got soaked!
Friday July 21: Cleaned my room and small things. tool case etc. in the afternoon we went in the big slop and auto to town. Sent to the bank my bank book for the cash for the new Gar Wood. Hope to enjoy it for I guess I can drive it. Cold day and some wind. Ethel had nice dinner with meat loaf and blueberry pie- two letters from Olin today. He'll be traveling soon to Washington- Bridgeport and then UP HERE...HOORAY!! HMF
Wed July 26: Yesterday George Gruben and his crew of men, their boat, scow, lumber, cedar poles, etc., arrived. They moved the older dock to a new position and will build a 2nd dock leaving a 10 foot slip for the Gar Wood.
Today is hot. It started out at 67 degrees at 8 AM. Went over to Fay's last night. The Pitts family was there also and a young man. Had a pleasant evening. Home at 11PM. Ethel went to sleep in her chair. Had a hard time waking her to go home. HMF.
July 31st: Another very hot day. On saturday John, Robert and I went to Tower to meet Daddy. He was coming at the end of his trip to Washington, New York City, Bridgeport, and Pittsburgh. He seemed well but awfully tired as it was only 4 weeks since his operation. We are glad to have him with us again as it has been two years since he was here.
We had a beautiful, clear, hot day yesterday (sunday).
About 3PM we five (Dad and Ted stayed home) went for a ride. Went through
Muskrat channel, Had fun finding our way. At 7PM back at Tepee a big boat
(One of Aronsons launches on a Virginia business mans excursion) went by.
Two men were wrestling on the top of the boat.
A cry for help went up and Jerry (Over at Maple Grove)
heard the yelling. Jerry took his boat and arrived at the scene and saw
one man come to the surface. Jerry asked if he needed help and the man
said "no I can make it", but the other man didn't come up. Robert and John
were over at the Pitts and heard the yelling and went to investigate. Later
they came home to refuel and went back to drag for the lost man. There
were many others doing the same thing.
No luck and the boys came back to the cabin at 1:10 AM. At 9AM the next morning they joined the group again and kept dragging. An airplane did the area to see if they could see down into the water. It was of no use so they left. At about noon, the body was hooked and retrieved. They were tired and sickened. Later we were to learn that the drowned man had hit his head on the boat rail on the way down and his neck broken. They had been drinking. Seven cases of beer were on the boat.
The flies are bad..hot today..hot in Lincoln too. Hope it rains! HMF
Thursday 11 August Scribe OJF: Cool and windy, cloudy and threatening, but a clearing wind from the south. Fair and warmer tomorrow, no doubt. Had a 24 hour rain Tuesday and Wednesday which amounted to over 2 inches. Some showers later during the clear-up!
Hannah has exchanged the 16 foot Gar Wood for a 20'6" Gar Wood with a cabin over the first and second seats. Pretty nifty affair. Runs beautifully. Is still being broken in, at 2000, 2500 RPM. Needs ten hours of over half is done. The family except me (OJF) went to the Boys camp in Wakemup Bay last sunday to see Leland Huffman (Dorothy's younger brother). That was before the boats were exchanged, so used the small Gar Wood. Incidentally, Cushman has bought the small Gar Wood. Also incidentally, the new Gar Wood is named the "Aksarben".
Kids have had two or three picnics across the island, over to Bear Creek, out to Peanut, etc. The gang consists of Fergusons (4), Pitts (3), Kurtz (2-3), Fay, Branner, Joneses (2)., etc. Yesterday the family went to Jasper Peek. Most of the "gang" went along, though not all climbed the peeks Lookout!
First Porky appeared last night. Momsie, alone, routed him off. Lowest temp so far notes is 52oF. Later August 24, temp was 46oF.
August 28 Scribe back the HMF: Daddy left today for Lincoln. Bob and I took him to Virginia and he took the D.M.& I.R for Duluth. House seems hollow without Dad. Warm today. John is better today. Temperature is normal until 4PM and then 99.4. Both boys will move out of the tent tomorrow. Ethel leaves at 6PM. The Pitts "called" tonight. Beautiful moon!
The new Gar Wood struck it's first accident- a submerged log was hit of the prop..breaking one blade and bending the shaft. Latter was sent to Virginia, a new prop procured and all is well again after a two day wait!
August 30: Scribe HMF cont...A big rain last night
and half the day. 2" or more. Moved the boys over yesterday - a nice hot
day, but left the tent until today. Will have to wait some more - all wet!
Ethel left yesterday. I took her boxes and things over to Helen's at 7PM.
She is a very dear little girl and pleasant company and a good cook.
Hope to have her again next year.
Bob said he'd write to her. Ethel said she's write after a while but not to expect an answer right away. I said, "Ethel, let him cool off a while for his letters are "hot" ones." Bob blushed, ears, neck forehead...then threw a towel over his head. We all roared at him! Ethel too!
This noon the gang left me all alone. I had clam soup all alone. The gang went with Louis Kurtz to Virginia. Louis is back again for two weeks with his grandfather. Of course he is here most of the time. Ruth received his picture 2 days ago. Hope Daddy got home safely! "H".
Sept 5th: Well many things have happened. Pitts left last Friday. Dad arrive safely in Lincoln, we are all packed and ready to go tomorrow at 7AM. 2 Trunks, 2 bags and 1 box by express collect.
Yesterday Mr Spencer came to ask to borrow my boat to show Mr Kurtz Sr. Nine folks piled in so it was too heavy to perform well. The gas used was more than I'd counted on, so later, when we went for our ride we ran out of gas out in front of the hotel. We called and Fred heard us, but Dr. Bradley heard us too and came to our aid. He towed us to the gas dock. It was a chance of a life time for pictures, but there were no cameras on board. I'd been giving the kids a chance to drive it a bit. Well, it's in the boat house by now.
The BIG news of the days is WAR WAR WAR !!! At 11:42 AM August 31, 1939..war was declared by Germany on Poland.
Sept 3, 1939: Great Britain and France declared a state of war against Germany!
John Provost age 17 (Jan 15)
Dorothy Huffman age 16 (Oct 3, 1938)
Ruth H Ferguson age 17 (April 11 1939)
Robert O Ferguson age 19 (Aug 2 1939)
Mr and Mrs OJF's 63 (Nov 21 1938) & 56 (June 26 1939)
MEMBERS OF TEPEE NOPAH "FAMILY" from July 16 to Sept
6th!
Three months calendars glued in with AM temps. Highs "not
recorded..just says HOT..lows at getup time ran 55 to 69 !!!
(ROF NOTE: In 1993 the lows ran 39 to 65 !! and our weather
bureaucrats talk of a global warming?...HaHahaah!)