REMEMBER WHEN -----?

REMEMBER WHEN-----

----- As we came north by car from Ames each summer in the 20’s and 30’s, we drove into Pine River from the east on the then existing highway. At the junction where we turned north, we were greeted by the presence of a very long warehouse just across the railroad tracks to the west. Upon the facing wall was painted a sign that seemed to extend for hundreds of feet, “WEFFELMEYERS PICKLE WORKS.”

----- Our neighbor on the south shore, Don Bagley, with my assistance, was cutting the trunk of a huge Norway pine which had assumed a horizontal position from the shore out over the lake. His chain saw made a peculiar sound for an instant while in the sawing process. At the completion of cutting we found that he had sawed through an embedded bullet located deep within that tree trunk. What were the odds of doing that again and how many years had that bullet been embedded?

----- When swimming under the Stange or Garbisch or Brandt diving stands, it was fun as kids to dive a few feet and then try to sing a melody while the other kids guessed the song.

----- As high school and young college kids, we drove on many a Saturday night to Kink’s Kasino, a barn just south east of Walker to listen to the schottische and the polka bands and to watch the “well-tanked” dancers trying to perform.

----- I remember the bumper crop of blueberries everywhere, even along the south shore of Ten Mile in 1954. We ate them at breakfast on cereal, at lunch in cakes, and at supper in pies!

----- What a view after climbing the State Fire Watch Towers (now gone) located about two miles north of Hackensack and at Whipholt.

----- I remember a penny slot machine in a store on Main St. in Hackensack in the 1930’s and Jean Stange hitting the jackpot with over 100 pennies spewing across the floor.

Do you “Remember when?”

If you have memories that others may enjoy reading about, we invite you to send them to the History Committee chair, Sue Eikenberry. We may add them to future columns.