August 3, 1931
Dony Schenck came from Gt. Falls, Shirley Dalin & Fontella Rasmussen went down to meet him. Had two large suitcases and he [rubbered?] out the train and lost his hat on the prairie.
The Journals
On this day in 1931 – more adventures for Shirley and Fontella
July 30, 1931
They [Shirley and Fontella] had a toad and put it in an empty water bucket to keep & it jumped out and when we found it, it was in 12 gal. crock in 4 ins. of water.
July 14-23, 1931 journal entries: a meteor, tearing down a shed, visits with family and friends – and a bad back
July 14, 1931
A meteor brightened up the sky about 8-30 p.m.
July 15,1931
I tore down a shed belonging to Christie and Oh! My whole body pained fierce from the hard work that nite.
July 16, 1931
Mr. Jack Judd and 2nd wife, his stepdaughter and his own daughter (Leone) were visitors.
July 18, 1931
Frances Dalin and family, Maud Rasmussen and family were up. Maud & I went to the dance.
July 19, 1931
Frank Miller came from Anaconda (an old school mate) and visited Alb[ert] & I.
July 20, 1931
Mrs. B. Haley and Mrs. C. Lehman were up.
July 23, 1931
Christie went to Towsley with daddie [Albert]. My back has been feeling so painful since Tues morning. Monday I did 7 lines of wash – Alb[ert] helped what he could. I feel like it’s broken at the base of my spine, my abdomen was inflamed & swollen from pain. It bothers my bladder terrible. I go in two pieces & fall down; can’t walk or lift anything. I used crutches to hold my top body up, sure would of loved some one to make me some supper & be with me after Christie & Alb[ert] went to Towsley. It’s awful to be here alone, more so at nite and when in pain.
On this day in 1931: Mrs. Oscar Fred, visit to Gt. Falls and Neihart, and boat rides
July 9, 1931
Mrs. Oscar Fred is ill at the hospital. I was Dist. Guardian neighbor at Choteau 23-24 of June.[1. Mary was a member of the Neighbors of Woodcraft.] Received congratulations for my good work. The drills and kitchen band and other entertainments were fine. Then I visited all the relations on Mr. Geo. Schenk‘s side at Gt. Falls and Neihart coming home July -6, 1931. A fierce rain storm which was on while I was at Jack Tripp’s forming a lake which Anna Tripp[1. Mary’s first husband George and Anna Tripp’s mother Katherine were half-cousins.] and I now boated on. My first boat ride was 40 yrs. ago. I was on a pleasure boat from Cincinnati, Ohio to Cooney [sic] Island down the Missouri River[3.In 1891, Mary made a trip back east with her family. It was on that trip that she received her First Holy Communion in her mother’s home town of North Vernon, Indiana. Apparently the family also traveled to Cincinnati where they most likely visited with relatives from her father’s side of the family, the Rumpings. I believe Mary meant to write that she was on a pleasure boat – probably the steamer known as the Guiding Star – from Cincinnati to Coney Island on the Ohio River, rather than the Missouri River. Coney Island, located about 10 miles east of downtown Cincinnati, was originally known as “Ohio Grove, The Coney Island of the West”, and opened in June of 1886. By the time Mary visited there in 1891, it was simply known as “Coney Island”. The Guiding Star made four runs a day, at 9 am, 1 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm. The cost was fifty cents round trip – 60 minutes one way – and also included park admission.], & then I was on the Missouri when 1 1/2 yrs. old coming from St. Louis to Fort Benton in 1879.
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