Memories

Sorry it has been a long time since I have written a “memories” article, but it has been a busy fall with lots of activities.

A short “rabbit trail” before I get back to writing about those old time special neighbors.

The Days of ‘85 have come and gone, but in my last article I mentioned our graduating class of 1948 was hoping to get together during that time. I also remember that during the days several other CCHS year classes did. Those years were 1953, 1955, 1958, 1968, 1988 and 2008, and I so enjoyed seeing and having a short visit with many of them.

Some have asked, “Did any of your class make it to your ‘get together?’” Yes, there were six and I will name them to bring back memories to some of you, although it has been 70 years since graduation. I will start with the ladies: Gloria Schweigert Preuss, Joy Peabody Newman, Phyllis Taylor Purgum and Shirley Gundlach Meyer. Leo Sterns and myself were the only men. Six of the 16 living, with an original graduating class of 34.

Now back to neighbors. I will continue with Frank and Clara Nies. I ended my last article with Clara telling of the winter of 1919 and the main meal being mush. Clara has some very detailed information on the marriage, home, ranch and activities of the family.

They bought a house from a farmer neighbor and moved it to the place where it still is today. She reports that, like everyone on a ranch, they had their ups and downs, especially during bad years and there were many. One year they moved to town as they had to sell their livestock because of lack of feed, and Frank worked on the WPA to earn money to send the youngsters to school. “I made mittens from old overalls and undershirts for the youngsters. Sometimes even had mittens made from old stockings when the feet were worn out,” Clara said.

Life was different during the ranch years then. They put in a large garden and they did canned a lot of goods, raised hogs and canned meat. In the fall they would buy food supplies such as: sugar, flour, coffee and other items to last a year.

Frank and Clara had a coal mine a short distance from the house and always put up a year's supply. They would haul four loads a day and usually took a month to fill the coal house with wood supplies from the hills on their place.

Besides raising the children she reports, “I helped outside as much as possible while the children went to school, such as haying and herding sheep. Many a mile have I walked over the ranch herding sheep. In the summer we would live in a sheep wagon and one summer in a large tent.

She describes one of her harrowing experiences, “One day while raking hay, I had a horse I wasn’t used to and was putting the hay in dumps or piles. When I was at the last pile, the horses got scared and started running away. I knew I had to get off the horse. I didn’t have enough sense to fall backwards but jumped, trying to clear the wheel, which I didn’t. I fell under the rake, and the horses kept going with me rolling. Finally, something happened and the rake teeth raised up and the horses ran toward home.” She reports that every bone in her body hurt, but none of them broke.

She says, “something happened” — let’s say the Lord took care of her.

Those of us who have raked hay with a team and dump rake remember our first instructions: Fall off backward if you have a runaway.

Clara has many interesting and unknown (to us readers) incidents that I will continue on with my next memory of the Frank and Clara Nies family.