Jack Bowe
Random Ramblings
The thing I can't remember is being born on January 24, 1923. It may be the only accurate thing you'll read. The rest is from a 69 year old memory.
One of the first things I do remember was going by sleigh, through the woods, down to Mike Joa's. Here, the grown ups danced both square and round dancing. Mike and Dad took turns calling the square dances. I still remember riding home in the wee hours bundled up in blankets and quilts and watching the moon through the trees. The temperature was well below zero and the only sound was the snorting of the horses and the sleigh bells jingling. We used to have these dances quite often at Joa's, our farm and Grandma Beck's.
Later, after our new barn was built, we had barn dances quite often, but only in the summer. I recall being allowed to stay up all night one time on the 4th of July. It rained and the barn roof leaked in several places. Mom and Dad put tubs out to catch the water and some dancers fell over them. We had people from Kelliher and the surrounding area come for the dance. The small kids and babies slept behind the seats. The yard was all churned up with car tracks Sunday morning and we tried to fill them in with a rake and a hoe.
In the summer our job was to weed the garden. Brothers Les, Ken and I would start weeding, but after a while we would get tired of that and sneak off with our slingshots. We would go over to Uncle Nel's and walk the river bed which was almost dry in those dry summers. We would fish the little pools with grocery string and a bent common pin. We would catch some trout but mostly chubs and sucker minnows. We would wrap them in leaves and clay and cook them in an open fire. We thought they were great even if they were burned to a crisp. We would bring potatoes from home and roast them the same way.
All five of us were uncanny shots with our slingshots. We made them out of a willow crotch, shoe tongue leather and rubber from a car inner tube. Mom used to patch our pants pockets with leather. We always had a pocket full of rocks. After a few years it was hard to find rocks in the river bottom, but thank goodness, the county decided to put gravel on the road past our house. Up until then the road was just two tracks, especially down past Urseths and the school house. After a few years it was hard to find good rocks there too, at least to the school. We were hell on rocks!
One Saturday in October, Les, Ken, Phil and I got 25 partridges. When we got home Dad was shocked. He said "lets see one of those slingshots." He and I went north of the barn and he saw a partridge just in front of him. He tried to shoot and missed. I was off to the side and saw the head of the partridge. I lofted a stone over a log and killed the partridge right in front of him. That made 26 for the day. Dad said, "I'll be darned." We went back to the house with him still shaking his head.
We always had a group of guys and gals around in the evening, especially in the summer, playing ball. In the winter it was cards and skating on the river or at the beaver dam northwest of Espe's. This along with church and school events and 4-H projects kept us busy.
One thing, believe it or not, we didn't go to the lake fishing. We couldn't afford hooks, much less the rod and reel. We did go spearing each spring and kept the family supplied with fresh walleyes and northerns for about three weeks each spring. I recall one time Les and I got 37 walleyes in about a half hour. We got a big school cornered in a deep hole. We each stayed at the shallower ends and picked them off when they came out. We cleaned fish for two hours after we lugged them home.
When I was in the early grades at school, Beulah Marrs, our teacher, came over to celebrate Mom's birthday. I recall Beulah asked Mom "how does it feel to be over 30?" Mom jumped up and chased Beulah around the table with a butcher knife. We kids howled and really thought that was great!
One time Denly and Russell Olson found a pint of whiskey and got a bright idea. They soaked some grain in the whiskey and gave it to the rooster. The rooster flew up on a fence, crowed, and promptly fell off the fence. He tried to fly back up but couldn't make it so he finally just stood on the ground and crowed. He then spotted a young pullet and took off after her. She turned, but he couldn't make the turn and went head over heels. He tried this a number of times and finally just gave up. He didn't die but was a pretty sick bird for the rest of the day.
In about 1936 I remember we were pulling stumps and clearing off rocks northeast of the barn when Dad brought home our first "Coranado" radio. It had two dry cell "B" batteries and one wet "A" battery which had to be recharged every three weeks or so in town. It cost 25 cents to recharge it and sometimes we had to go without because we didn't have the money. It was a thrill to listen to the Lone Ranger, Jack Armstrong - the All American boy, Ma Perkins, Fibber McGee and Molly, Amos & Andy, Your Hit Parade and the Jimmy Braddock-Joe Lewis fight.
I started high school in 1937. The school bus was driven by Harry Davidson. The school bus also delivered groceries. Harry would pick them up at the store and drop them off with us kids. Grown-ups were also allowed to ride on the bus but not too often. The mailmen, Hans Torgerson and later N. J. Neilson used to bring out groceries too. It did help those people without cars.
I went into the Army in April of 1943. All 5 of us boys ended up with a few years in the army. Four of us, at one time, all overseas. Those were rough days for Mom, but we all came home again.
I have talked with all the Bowe kids and we all agree that, as rough as things were at times, we had a wonderful childhood. We agreed, each of us, that if we died tomorrow we all would have had a good life.
One of the first things I do remember was going by sleigh, through the woods, down to Mike Joa's. Here, the grown ups danced both square and round dancing. Mike and Dad took turns calling the square dances. I still remember riding home in the wee hours bundled up in blankets and quilts and watching the moon through the trees. The temperature was well below zero and the only sound was the snorting of the horses and the sleigh bells jingling. We used to have these dances quite often at Joa's, our farm and Grandma Beck's.
Later, after our new barn was built, we had barn dances quite often, but only in the summer. I recall being allowed to stay up all night one time on the 4th of July. It rained and the barn roof leaked in several places. Mom and Dad put tubs out to catch the water and some dancers fell over them. We had people from Kelliher and the surrounding area come for the dance. The small kids and babies slept behind the seats. The yard was all churned up with car tracks Sunday morning and we tried to fill them in with a rake and a hoe.
In the summer our job was to weed the garden. Brothers Les, Ken and I would start weeding, but after a while we would get tired of that and sneak off with our slingshots. We would go over to Uncle Nel's and walk the river bed which was almost dry in those dry summers. We would fish the little pools with grocery string and a bent common pin. We would catch some trout but mostly chubs and sucker minnows. We would wrap them in leaves and clay and cook them in an open fire. We thought they were great even if they were burned to a crisp. We would bring potatoes from home and roast them the same way.
All five of us were uncanny shots with our slingshots. We made them out of a willow crotch, shoe tongue leather and rubber from a car inner tube. Mom used to patch our pants pockets with leather. We always had a pocket full of rocks. After a few years it was hard to find rocks in the river bottom, but thank goodness, the county decided to put gravel on the road past our house. Up until then the road was just two tracks, especially down past Urseths and the school house. After a few years it was hard to find good rocks there too, at least to the school. We were hell on rocks!
One Saturday in October, Les, Ken, Phil and I got 25 partridges. When we got home Dad was shocked. He said "lets see one of those slingshots." He and I went north of the barn and he saw a partridge just in front of him. He tried to shoot and missed. I was off to the side and saw the head of the partridge. I lofted a stone over a log and killed the partridge right in front of him. That made 26 for the day. Dad said, "I'll be darned." We went back to the house with him still shaking his head.
We always had a group of guys and gals around in the evening, especially in the summer, playing ball. In the winter it was cards and skating on the river or at the beaver dam northwest of Espe's. This along with church and school events and 4-H projects kept us busy.
One thing, believe it or not, we didn't go to the lake fishing. We couldn't afford hooks, much less the rod and reel. We did go spearing each spring and kept the family supplied with fresh walleyes and northerns for about three weeks each spring. I recall one time Les and I got 37 walleyes in about a half hour. We got a big school cornered in a deep hole. We each stayed at the shallower ends and picked them off when they came out. We cleaned fish for two hours after we lugged them home.
When I was in the early grades at school, Beulah Marrs, our teacher, came over to celebrate Mom's birthday. I recall Beulah asked Mom "how does it feel to be over 30?" Mom jumped up and chased Beulah around the table with a butcher knife. We kids howled and really thought that was great!
One time Denly and Russell Olson found a pint of whiskey and got a bright idea. They soaked some grain in the whiskey and gave it to the rooster. The rooster flew up on a fence, crowed, and promptly fell off the fence. He tried to fly back up but couldn't make it so he finally just stood on the ground and crowed. He then spotted a young pullet and took off after her. She turned, but he couldn't make the turn and went head over heels. He tried this a number of times and finally just gave up. He didn't die but was a pretty sick bird for the rest of the day.
In about 1936 I remember we were pulling stumps and clearing off rocks northeast of the barn when Dad brought home our first "Coranado" radio. It had two dry cell "B" batteries and one wet "A" battery which had to be recharged every three weeks or so in town. It cost 25 cents to recharge it and sometimes we had to go without because we didn't have the money. It was a thrill to listen to the Lone Ranger, Jack Armstrong - the All American boy, Ma Perkins, Fibber McGee and Molly, Amos & Andy, Your Hit Parade and the Jimmy Braddock-Joe Lewis fight.
I started high school in 1937. The school bus was driven by Harry Davidson. The school bus also delivered groceries. Harry would pick them up at the store and drop them off with us kids. Grown-ups were also allowed to ride on the bus but not too often. The mailmen, Hans Torgerson and later N. J. Neilson used to bring out groceries too. It did help those people without cars.
I went into the Army in April of 1943. All 5 of us boys ended up with a few years in the army. Four of us, at one time, all overseas. Those were rough days for Mom, but we all came home again.
I have talked with all the Bowe kids and we all agree that, as rough as things were at times, we had a wonderful childhood. We agreed, each of us, that if we died tomorrow we all would have had a good life.
