Well, I'm getting confused

Sat., August 22, 1936 - Over to the folks all day.  The men dug silo.  I cleaned up the house.  We went to town tonite.
Sun., August 23, 1936 - We were alone all day.  Quite warm this afternoon.
Mon., August 24, 1936 - We went over to the folks this a.m.  Howard and Raymond took the tractor and paraphernalia to our place to dig a silo.  Elmer and Myrtle came.  They got some apples.  They all came here for dinner.  Myrtle helped me dress two chickens for dinner.  Howard killed a chicken hawk this a.m.  I went up home tonite while Howard and Raymond went to lodge.  Raymond took the car tonite.

Grandma surely didn't foresee some snoopy granddaughter reading and sharing her diaries, or she surely would have distinguished between Ola and Dorothea, and Peter and Maggie when she says, "the folks."  In this case, she might be referring to both for all I know.

Getting back to normal

Thurs., August 13, 1936 - Annie, Annabelle, Haroldean & Mom came out this afternoon.  They helped me hem my living room curtains.  Howard bailed today.
Fri., August 14, 1936 - Took Howard to Rews to bail.  Stopped to see the folks. Helen & I went back to Rews.  I asked the girls to come over for dinner Sunday.  Went to Rebekah Lodge tonite.
Sat., August 15, 1936 - Howard away bailing.  Cleaned 4 chickens, fixed curtains and shades in kitchen, baked cakes.  Had a bad dust storm late this afternoon.  Rained a little.  Went to town before supper.

I've been a bit absent lately with these posts and do not want to hold this one up, so I'm going with just Grandma's words.  And shouldn't that be "bale"?

Valentine's Day

Thurs., February 13, 1936 - Everybody except Ruby here.  Kids are worried about what we'll do with valentines tomorrow if the weather is bad.
Fri., February 14, 1936 - Stormy again.  The usual five and Temmes were here.  We passed out our valentines and played games
Sat., February 15, 1936 - Went into town at noon in a lumber wagon with Mr. Goodling and Mr. Nieman.  Folks surprised to see me.  The cuts along the highway are full of snow!

I would love to see the valentines that were passed out in a country school in 1936.  I can understand the kids being worried -- Valentine's Day was always an exciting time when I was in school.  And of course, making the box for your cards was an even bigger deal.  At least for me it was.  I remember making a swan or some kind of bird for a card box and the base for the body and head of the thing were of styrofoam.  The only red paint around (and I probably was down to the 11th hour) was Rust-o-leum.  I do not remember how I regrouped, or if I had to come up with something else in a hurry, but I distinctly remember the paint melting my styrofoam.

Too cold for me

Mon., January 20, 1936 - The kids made a snow house in the bank of snow near the snow fence in John Mann's pasture.  They're having quite a time with it.
Tues., January 21, 1936 - The kids have 2 rooms in their snow house.  We had baked beans and mashed potatoes for hot lunch.  Grandmother 83 years old today.
Wed., January 22, 1936 - Jean and Marjorie came home with Verdelle Mae tonite.  They had a grand time playing.  Some thermometers registered 24 degrees below most of the day.

I don't know how cold it was this particular Monday and Tuesday, but bully for the kids for building a snow house.  When it get awfully cold, I don't even take my dog outside to do her business anymore.  I took two lengths of baling twine to extend her leash and now I stand inside while she has enough length to find the right spot.  Brrr!  That's the real her in the photograph, not just some random dog photo.

Radium treatment

Thurs., October 24, 1935 - Nice warm day.  Margaret and Allen Christensen visited school this afternoon.  Grandmother had another radium treatment today.  Aunt Emma is going to stay here until Saturday nite.
Fri., October 25, 1935 - Cloudy and sprinkled a little this morning.  Went to lodge tonite.  Howard brought me up the hill.
Sat., October 26, 1935 - Drove out to Florenz Niemann's to have Irene's and my order signed, took the orders to Irene, stopped at Wagners to tell Edna I couldn't have card club this Friday.  Went to Norfolk about 11:00 with Helen and Irene.  They had been to Wayne and cashed my order.  Went to the Masquerade party at Uncle Hans' tonite.  I got first prize for the girls.  It was a picture.

I am not sure why Grussmother had radium treatments, but I researched a little bit and found the beginning of the end of such treatments.  From wikipedia:

     Concerns about radium were brought up before the United States Senate by California Senator John D. Works as early as 1915. In a floor speech he quoted letters from doctors asking about the efficacy of the products that were marketed. He stressed that radiation had the effect of making many cancers worse, many doctors thought the belief that radium could be used to cure cancers at that stage of the development of therapy was a "delusion" — one doctor quoted cited a failure-to-success rate of 100 to 1 — and the effects of radium water were undemonstrated.

     Around the start of the 1920s, new public health concerns were sparked by the deaths of factory workers at a radioluminescent watch factory, later referred to as the Radium Girls. In 1932, a well-known industrialist, Eben Byers died of radiation poisoning from the use of Radithor, a radium water guaranteed by the manufacturer to contain 2 μCi of radium. Cases sprung up of the development of carcinoma in patients who had used conventional radium therapy up to 40 years after the original treatments.

     The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. Painting was done by women at three different sites in the United States, and the term now applies to the women working at the facilities. The first, United States Radium factory in Orange, New Jersey, beginning around 1917, at Ottawa, Illinois, beginning in the early 1920s, and a third facility in Waterbury, Connecticut.

     The women in each facility had been told the paint was harmless, and subsequently ingested deadly amounts of radium after being instructed to "point" their brushes on their lips in order to give them a fine point; some also painted their fingernails, face and teeth with the glowing substance. The women were instructed to point their brushes because using rags, or a water rinse, caused them to waste too much time and waste too much of the material made from powdered radium, gum arabic and water.

     Five of the women in New Jersey challenged their employer in a case over the right of individual workers who contract occupational diseases to sue their employers under New Jersey's occupational injuries law, which at the time had a two-year statute of limitations, but settled out of court. Five women in Illinois who were employees of the Radiant Dial Company (which was unaffiliated with the United States Radium Corporation) sued their employer under Illinois law, winning damages in 1938.

More normal stuff

Mon., September 30, 1935 - Waved Mom's hair.  Went to Institute with Helen, Irene, Dorothea, and Alma.  Ate at the Palace.  Stayed at Iversen's tonite.  Went to Lydia Kant's party tonite.  We played High Five.  I won high prize - a yellow bath towel with black border and washcloth to match.
Tues., October 1, 1935 - Institute again.  We were all pretty sleepy today.  Ate at the Palace.  Took a nap when I got home.  Uncle Hans took Granddad and Grandmother up to his place today.  Mom had to stay home and bake.  Howard brought me to Goodlings tonite. 
Wed., October 2, 1935 - The kids were glad to have the new books which came over the weekend.  Earl absent, but Robert here again.

I don't have much to add.  I've been sick with sinus troubles and was absent, like Earl.  But from work, not from school.  I don't know what Institute is, but I am guessing it has something to do with being a teacher.  Here's a photo of Dale and I being silly.  Or cute.  I'm not sure.

Over here, over there?

Sat., September 21, 1935 - Slept late.  Washed clothes and started making the school curtains.  Mom and I went down town tonite.
Sun., September 22, 1935 - Ray cut down a cottonwood tree over home this morning and brought it over here.  He left for Wayne about 1:30.  At about 2:00 Art Kahler, his wife and their baby came here.  We were surely surprised.  Art is working in Plainview.  He has a lovely wife.  Mom and I finished the school curtains this evening.  Howard brought me to Goodlings.
Mon., September 23, 1935 - I pressed the new curtains tonite after school.  Went to bed early.

I wonder what the distinction is between "over home" and "over here".  I assume "over here" is the house in Winside.  Did Grussfather and Grussmother own two properties in 1935?

Old Settlers

Wed., August 28, 1935 - Put the apples away and cleaned up the house.  Met Mom at the train tonite.  Ray and Willie came back tonite at 12:00 from Dalton.  Ray took Willie up to his home.
Thurs., August 29, 1935 - Old Settler's Picnic.  Dora and George from Blair, Meta, Lyle, Annie, Ola and kids here for dinner.  I was down town from 4:30 to 6:30.  Had a dandy talk with Carrie Hansen.  Howard was here this evening.
Fri., August 30, 1935 - We all got up late this morning.  Mom, Ray and I went to Norfolk this p.m.  Dora was visiting Grandmother all afternoon.

I wonder what Old Settlers was like in 1935.  I am guessing Winside didn't rate a fancy schmancy ride like The Whip shown above, but isn't it neat?  Look at the painting on the side of the cars.  Wow.  Photo from https://chuckmantorontonostalgia.wordpress.com.

Fun times . . . not!

Fri., July 5, 1935 - We slept late and played lazy all day.  Ray came home in the p.m.  He and Willie Stahl are leaving for the harvest fields Monday.  Picked peas this evening.
Sat., July 6, 1935 - I got up at 5:00 this a.m.  Washed clothes.  Ray, Grandad, and Mom went to Wayne over noon.  Canned 5 pints of peas.  Edwin came up this p.m. and told us about the Kahler family reunion tomorrow at Willie Kahlers.
Sun., July 7, 1935 - Mom, Ray, Uncle Hans, Aunt Emma, Sophia, Walter K. and I went to Dakota City today.  We left here at 11:50 and didn't get there until 3:00!  We didn't start sooner because Ray went up to Uncle Hans' last nite.  It rained there this morning and they needed chains on to get here.  On the way there we had 2 flat tires and car trouble, the engine didn't get gas the way it should.  Walter went along with us because his folks left half an hour before he got here from Norfolk.  He went home with his folks.  We left there at 8:00, got to Aunt Emma's at 10:00.  We had a lunch there before we took Uncle Hans home and then came to Winside.

What a heck of a time getting to a reunion they only heard about the day before.  I did not know any of the Kahlers lived near Dakota City, but I am not really versed on that branch of the family tree.  I guess Grussmother was not feeling well?

From Dakota City's website:

     One of Nebraska's oldest communities, the site of Dakota City, was first visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which reached the mouth of Omaha Creek on August 16, 1804. A town was not advanced until the location was designated as county seat shortly after Dakota County was established in 1855. A town site was platted the following year. J. D. M.Crockwell, an agent for the Dakota City Land Company formed by Augustus Kountze, chose the name in honor of the Dacotah (Sioux) Indians.

     The original plat called for a town two-miles wide from east to west, with its eastern end abutting the Missouri River. Broadway was to be 150 feet wide with plans for the construction of a "center canal" which could bring barges directly into the town. Showing remarkable growth, Dakota City was incorporated on April 5, 1858.

     Today our town contains 21 miles of streets, of which nine miles are hard-surfaced. Dakota City is adjacent to the four-lane highways of 77 & 20, making it only minutes away from Sioux City, and Iowa's newest and largest shopping center, Southern Hills Mall.

     Recreation focuses on the river, which is readily accessible in Cotton Wood Cove Park. There are 16 acres of land per 1,000 population devoted to parks, playgrounds, athletic fields and courts.

     Schools, with a long tradition of growth, reflected the need for reorganization in the 1960s. At that time a K-4 elementary unit was retained in Dakota City, with all other grades attending classes in South Sioux City.

     Dakota City has the first Lutheran church building built in Nebraska, the Emmanuel Lutheran Church, a Greek Revival style structure built in 1860. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

     The first pastor was the Reverend Henry W. Kuhns, who was a missionary sent by the Allegheny Synod to Nebraska Territory. Rev. Kuhns first preached in the front room of Bates House, a hotel, in November of 1850. The church was formally organized July 22, 1859.

     Plans were started for the building of the church, but their idea of moving an abandoned store from the abandoned town of Pacific City came to an end when a prairie fire destroyed the building as it was being moved to Dakota City. The present church was designed and built by Augustus T. Haase, a local carpenter and a member of the Emmanuel Lutheran congregation, at a total cost of $2,000. The building also served periodically as a Territorial courthouse, and religious services were still held on Sunday as usual. The church stands today as a proud monument to the tenacity and strength of purpose of the early Dakota County settlers.

     The church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.

The photo is of the church, grabbed from wikipeda.  There was a nice train photograph on the Dakota City website, and I wanted to use it for Wayne's sake, but I was not able to copy the image.

A mystery solved

Fri., June 14, 1935 - I had my first lesson in bread baking today and I had good bread, too!  To lodge tonite.  Howard brought me home.
Sat., June 15, 1935 - Cleaned the house and the basement this morning.  I washed and waved my hair this p.m.  Went down town tonite, met Howard, and he brought me home.
Sun., June 16, 1935 - Up at 5:00 and left at 7:00 for Elkhorn.  Mom, Grussfather, Ray and I went.  Grussmother thought the trip would be too hard on her.  The folks hadn't been back to Elkhorn since they moved away 44 years ago.  Stopped at Andrew's on our way home for my knives.  Got home at 8:00.  Mom, Ray and I went out to Ola's tonite.  Florence and Edwin got up a surprise for them for their ninth wedding anniversary.  We played cards and danced.  Howard brought Mom and I home.  Lloyd Voss was buried today.  He committed suicide by gassing himself in his car about 6 miles southwest of Hoskins Wednesday or Thursday.  The body was found yesterday.  Mayme is in the hospital at Norfolk and is quite sick.  F. S. said they hadn't told her about Lloyd. 

I have no trouble believing Grandma had success on her first day of baking bread.

Now that the knives have come up again, I know who Trena is, mentioned earlier when Grandma sent her a letter about her missing silverware.  Trena was married to Andrew Andersen (the keeper of the knives in this post), whose father was a brother to Ole Andreasen, William Andersen's father.  Shorter version -- Andrew was William Andersen's first cousin.  I am glad to have this information since I had not yet ventured out on this particular branch of the family tree and therefore, Trena was unknown to me until just today.  Further digging reveals her full name was quite lovely -- Rasmine Petrine Rasmussen Andersen.  And since we were talking about him, I'm using a photo of Mr. Ole Andreasen today.

I know the last name Voss, but will need help from someone to know who Lloyd and Mayme were.  Very sad story.  There was nothing in the Winside history book about Lloyd's death.

Well, no wonder

Thurs., May 30, 1935 - Decoration Day.  Went to the cemetery with Irene and Mrs. Iversen.  Ola and family here for dinner.  This p.m. Mayme, Uncle Hans, Meta, and Lilly were here.
Fri., May 31, 1935 - Rained hard this morning.  Cloudy all p.m.  Grussmother in bed all day.  During the past week she remodeled the hen house and cut weeds in front of the house.  Now she has a backache!
Sat., June 1, 1935 - Cleaned up the house today.  Howard came up tonite while I was cutting quilt blocks.  Looked as if it might rain but it didn't.

I looked and found out it wasn't until 1971 that Decoration Day (Memorial Day) was changed from May 30 to the last Monday in May.

By my calculations, Grussmother was 82 at the time she was remodeling the hen house -- I wonder what that entailed -- and pulling weeds.  I'd have a backache at my age, let alone if I was over 80.

I was looking for photos of Grussmother that I maybe had not used yet and came upon these two.  Obviously taken the same day, with Grandma Anna and another relative likely trading places to be the photographer.  The kids change positions but I think it's the same bunch in both photos.  Help in identifying everyone welcome.

I can't let High Five go

Sun., May 12, 1935 - Mother's Day.  Ray came home about 1:30.  After dinner he took Mom, Grandma and me up to Stahl's.  Home about 8:00.  Howard took me to Goodlings.
Mon., May 13, 1935 - Windy and chilly.  Earl was sick this p.m.  Rained tonite.  Bess and Dorothea were going to have a party tonite.  I was going with Irene and Helen.  Rained too much to go.
Tues., May 14, 1935 - Cloudy all day.  Earl absent.  Howard and Herbert finished their booklet.

I looked up the rules to High Five, also known as Cinch and it sounds like fun.  It's a trick-taking game with the 5 of the trump suit and the 5 of the same color having the highest value.  Winning bidder picks the trump suit.  If trump is led, you have to play trump if you can.  But if any other suit is played, you can follow suit if you want, but do not have to and can play any suit you wish.  Also, it's possible for the winning bidder's team to make their bid, but still not get the most points from the round.  There are fairly high penalties for not making your bid.

Maybe we should try it out sometime at a family gathering.  I'll put the rules in my purse right now.

Dust storms, again

Mon., March 25, 1935 - Not as warm today as yesterday.  Started reviewing after school for spelling contest at Wayne next Saturday.
Tues., March 26, 1935 - Miss Sewell visited first period this morning.  Ella Mann came up after school for the big dictionary.  Dust storm today.
Wed., March 27, 1935 - Dust storm again.

More dust storms.  Yikes.

I dont' know how old Grandma is in these pictures, but she sure is pretty.  Note the photographs of Ola and Dorothea, aka Grussfather and Grussmother, on the wall.  And does Mom have that plant stand?  I don't want it, but it would be nice to know it's still around somewhere.

Phineas T.

Fri., January 25, 1935 - Lovely warm day -- even thawed.  Everybody out at noon.  Mr. Goodling took me to town after school.  To Lodge tonite.  I was to have Card Club next Fri. but Grandma is going to have the cancer under her arm treated Tues. so will have it later.
Sat., January 26, 1935 - Snowed a little.  Mom and I washed clothes.  Went down town tonite, bought a dish pan to use at school.  Ray came home about 10:00 and we talked until 12:30.
Sun., January 27, 1935 - Didn't go to S.S. - slept too late.  Ray and I teased each other all day.  Saw Wallace Beery in "The Mighty Barnum" at Wayne tonite.  We (Howard & I) saw Alma and John after the show and we had lunch together at the Palace.

As one would guess, "The Mighty Barnum" is about P. T. Barnum.  Wallace Beery must have looked a lot like the man, or else he just did a good job, but he played ol' P. T. four years earlier in "A Lady's Morals", a highly fictionalized biography of singer Jenny Lind.  I had to look up Ms. Lind and found the following, courtesy of wikipedia:

     Johanna Maria Lind (6 October 1820 – 2 November 1887), better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and undertook an extraordinarily popular concert tour of America beginning in 1850. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music from 1840.

     Lind became famous after her performance in Der Freischütz in Sweden in 1838. Within a few years, she had suffered vocal damage, but the singing teacher Manuel García saved her voice. She was in great demand in opera roles throughout Sweden and northern Europe during the 1840s, and was closely associated with Felix Mendelssohn. After two acclaimed seasons in London, she announced her retirement from opera at the age of 29.

     In 1850, Lind went to America at the invitation of the showman P. T. Barnum. She gave 93 large-scale concerts for him and then continued to tour under her own management. She earned more than $350,000 from these concerts, donating the proceeds to charities, principally the endowment of free schools in Sweden. With her new husband, Otto Goldschmidt, she returned to Europe in 1852 where she had three children and gave occasional concerts over the next two decades, settling in England in 1855. From 1882, for some years, she was a professor of singing at the Royal College of Music in London.

Oh, and P. T. stands for Phineas Taylor.

Happy birthday to Grandmother?

Sat., January 19, 1935 - Went up to the schoolhouse about 9:30.  Took about 2 hours to get the room warmed.  Howard didn't come, it's 8 degrees below zero tonite.  We played 500 Rummy until 11:30.
Sun., January 20, 1935 - Didn't get up until 10:30.  Embroidered all p.m.  About 14 degrees below zero this afternoon.  Had ice cream this evening -- just set the pan with mixture outside and let it freeze.  Tasted very good.
Mon., January 21, 1935 - Everybody except Ruby and Robert in school.  Still very cold.  About 16 degrees below zero tonite.  Grandmother is 82 years old today.

Usually Dorothea is Grussmother, right?  Oh, well.  It's all good.  I hope she had a good birthday.

The lady on the right in the photo is Dorothea's sister, Martha.  While I remember hearing about family in Holyrood, Kansas on occasion, I do not recall learning much about her or her clan.  A quick trip over to ancestry.com provides good information.

I have found her husband's name was Peter Hermann (Henry) Siemsen, born on Fehmarn Island, like all of Dorothea's and Martha's ancestors.  I need to read up some more, but one thing that jumps out about Peter/Henry is that his brother Johann Heinrich Siemsen, died at sea.  Both Holland and Indonesia are mentioned, which could mean someone is mistaken or perhaps he was living in Holland and was traveling and died in the waters off Indonesia.  I may have to research some more.

In sorting through the oodles of information available, I am not sure of the right name for Dorothea's sister.  Her tombstone should be the best guide, I would think and it reads "Dorathea Magdalena Siemsen -- nee Kahler".  But other family trees and records include the following names in various orders, one had three of the four:  Martha, Magdalena, Dorathea, Dora.  I also found the name of the ship she and her family traversed the ocean on in order to arrive at New York in 1899.

Here are some details:

     The GRAF WALDERSEE was built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg in 1898 for the Hamburg America Line and was one of four sister ships. This was a 12,830 gross ton ship, length 561.2ft x beam 62.2ft, one funnel, four masts, twin screw and a speed of 14 knots.

     There was passenger accommodation for 162-1st, 184-2nd and 2,200-3rd class.

     Laid down as the PAVIA she was actually launched on Dec. 10, 1898 as the GRAF WALDERSEE and commenced her maiden voyage from Hamburg to Boulogne and New York on April 2, 1899.

     In Autumn 1910 she was rebuilt to 13,193 gross tons and with accommodation for 408-2nd and 2,310-3rd class passengers.

     She started her first Hamburg - Philadelphia crossing on Oct. 28, 1910 and her last Hamburg - New York - Hamburg voyage started on June 27, 1914.

     On March 23, 1919 she was surrendered to the US government under the war reparations scheme and was used to repatriate American troops from Europe and later as a naval transport.

     In 1920 she was ceded to Britain and managed by P&O Line until 1922 when she was sold to Kohlbrand Werft, Hamburg and broken up. -- [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.1,p.405] [Merchant Fleets by Duncan Haws, vol.4, Hamburg America Line]

The family arrived in September 1899, so the ship was still fairly new then.

Grussfather in the news

Thurs., October 19, 1933 - Windy this morning.  Bruce said today, "I can't know that word."  I laughed to myself, I did.  This evening I changed from sheets to a blanket on my bed.  It is going to feel pretty good.  Mrs. Behmer and I talked about recipes tonite.
Fri., October 20, 1933 - Windy again today.  Ola and Annie came after me this evening.  We stopped at Wittlers and I told Lydia I couldn't spend this next weekend with her because of lodge.  We were at Meta and Lyle's until about 10:30.  After 11:00 before Mom and I finally went to sleep.
Sat., October 21, 1933 - On my way from getting the milk this a.m. I stopped in to see Alma.  They were busy getting moved in.  Washed my clothes and cleaned up today.  This evening Mom, Alma, and I went down town.  We were home at about 10:30.

With nothing particular to say about Grandma's goings on, but wanting to get a post, well posted, I will share an article about Grussfather.  I should do it in December closer to his birthday, but I know myself well enough to fear losing it before then.  So, here it is from The Winside Tribune via the December 26, 1943 edition of The Nebraska State Journal out of Lincoln, Nebraska.  I think it was part of a section with articles from around the state:

     Observed 91st Birthday

     Ola Brogren was 91 years old Dec. 11.  Is "old" the correct word? -- Not with Mr. Brogren.  He lives in the north part of town on four lots of farm and garden plots.  He raises small garden truck but his main crops are corn and potatoes, which he tends entirely with a hoe.  At harvest time, he digs his potatoes and always sells some as he raises more than he and his daughter, Mrs. Anna Andersen, can use.  He picks the corn and shells it on a hand corn sheller.  A week ago he began cutting down a fairly large tree.  In three and a half days the tree was cut down, sawed into stove lengths, split and in the wood house.  That night he complained of a stiffness in his arms and shoulders, "On account of change in the weather" so he explained to Mrs. Andersen.

     For relaxation from his heavy work, he does jig saw puzzles.  The reporter found him, seated at a small table with the pieces all sorted as to colors.  "There will be a couple of bears in this picture when I get it done" he said, and from the looks of things, he is as interested in jig saws, as he is in corn and potatoes.  We would like to say "Hats off" to this grand old neighbor, who has been in and around Winside for 52 years, and who recently celebrated his ninety-first birthday.

Even though Grussfather was Grandpa's grandfather-in-law, I would say from this article that they had much in common.  I still somewhat marvel over his hands in this picture -- it is clear he did more hard work than jig saw puzzles.  But it is nice that he took time for both.

Snake oil salesman

Wed., May 24, 1933 - Mom got the car from Koplin's this morning.  I left about 8:00 for my school.  Ran out of gas at Bojens.  Had Neiman's come out with some.  I worked at school finishing my reports, etc. until 3:30.  Went to Walkers for things I had forgotten and then to Behmers.  I was going up to Mayme's but it was too late.  Mom and I went quilting to [the] church basement this evening.
Thurs., May 25, 1933 - Mom helped Lilly Von Seggern paper this morning.  This noon a "snake" man was here selling snake oil.  And I was getting so hungry!  Mom and Grussmother went to Uncle Hans' and Aunt Emma's this p.m.  This evening Mom and I went out to Ola's for a little chat.
Fri., May 26, 1933 - Mom worked on my striped dress today.  I mended runners and holes in my silk hose. I went to Rebekah lodge tonite.  We had election of officers.  Minnie Andersen was elected Noble Grand and I Vice Grand.  Howard brought me home.  There was a dance in the "cracker box" but neither of us cared about going so we didn't.

I never considered that snake oil salesman showed up in Winside, but why wouldn't they?

Here is a bit of information from my favorite go-to, wikipedia:

     Snake oil is an expression that originally referred to fraudulent health products or unproven medicine but has come to refer to any product with questionable or unverifiable quality or benefit. By extension, a snake oil salesman is someone who knowingly sells fraudulent goods or who is themselves a fraud, quack, or charlatan.

     The use of snake oil long predates the 19th century, and it was never confined to the Americas. In Europe, viper oil had been commonly recommended for many afflictions, including the ones for which rattlesnake oil was subsequently favored (e.g., rheumatism and skin diseases).

     Chinese laborers on railroad gangs involved in building the First Transcontinental Railroad first gave snake oil, a traditional folk remedy in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat joint pain such as arthritis and bursitis to their fellow workers.  When rubbed on the skin at the painful site, snake oil was claimed to bring relief. This claim was ridiculed by rival medicine salesmen, and in time, snake oil became a generic name for many compounds marketed as panaceas or miraculous remedies whose ingredients were usually secret, unidentified, or mischaracterized and mostly inert or ineffective.

     Patent medicines originated in England, where a patent was granted to Richard Stoughton's Elixir in 1712. Since there was no federal regulation in the United States concerning safety and effectiveness of drugs until the 1906 Food and Drugs Act and various medicine salesmen or manufacturers seldom had enough skills in analytical chemistry to analyze the contents of snake oil, it became the archetype of hoax.

     The snake oil peddler became a stock character in Western movies: a traveling "doctor" with dubious credentials, selling fake medicines with boisterous marketing hype, often supported by pseudo-scientific evidence. To increase sales, an accomplice in the crowd (a shill) would often attest to the value of the product in an effort to provoke buying enthusiasm. The "doctor" would leave town before his customers realized they had been cheated.  This practice is also called grifting and its practitioners are called grifters.

     Stanley's snake oil — produced by Clark Stanley, the "Rattlesnake King" — was tested by the United States government in 1917. It was found to contain:

     mineral oil
     1% fatty oil (presumed to be beef fat)
     red pepper
     turpentine
     camphor

     This is similar in composition to modern-day capsaicin-based liniments or chest rubs. None of the oil content was found to have been extracted from any actual snakes.

     The government sued the manufacturer for misbranding and misrepresenting its product, winning the judgment of $20 against Clark Stanley. Soon after the decision, "snake oil" became synonymous with false cures and "snake-oil salesmen" became a tag for charlatans.

And there you have it.

Out late/early again??

Fri., April 21, 1933 - The grades came today.  Laurence's grades ranged from 80 to 92.  I went to Hall's after school.  Lloyd, Kennard, Mayme, Bernice M. and I went to Norfolk.  The boys went to a prize fight.  We girls saw Sally Eillers in "Sailor's Luck."  After the show we stopped in at Hoskins at Doris Zeimer's charivari dance.
Sat., April 22, 1933 - I got home about 10:45 this morning.  This afternoon Mom, Grandad and I went down town and had the note fixed for the money I loaned Grandad.  I got a book at the library and read it this evening.  We were out to Ola's a few minutes this evening.  Finished a letter to Ray today.
Sun., April 23, 1933 - To S.S. and church this morning.  We worked jig-saw puzzles this afternoon.  The car wouldn't start this evening.  We had Alfred Koplin come up.  The battery was dead.  I guess the switch wasn't turned off last nite.  It was dark when he got it fixed, so we're going to wait until morning to go to Hoskins.

Got home at 10:45 in the morning from the night before?!  If Grandma was out running errands or what-have-you, she doesn't mention it.  Just put that 10:45 right out there like it was nothing.  Hmmpf!

Now that I've recovered from that possible shock, here's a little bit about Sailor's Luck from imdb:

U.S. sailor Jimmy Harrigan, on shore leave in San Pedro, meets and falls for Sally Brent. She promises to wait for him when he ships out to San Francisco, but Jimmy becomes jealous and tells her off when he learns Sally has entered a marathon dance contest sponsored by a lecherous snake named Baron Portola. Along with several of his Navy pals, Jimmy goes to the ballroom the night of the dance marathon, to try to change Sally's mind and win her back.

That's it.  We don't know if Jimmy succeeded or not.

The things you learn

Sat., April 15, 1933 - Mom and I washed the car this a.m.  Took Grussmother to Norfolk with us this p.m.  We went to Jochens and Strate first.  I withdrew $150 from my Postal Savings for Grussmother and Grussfather.  We went to bed early tonite.
Sun., April 16, 1933 - Easter.  To S.S. and church.  A large crowd was there for the Easter services.  We worked jig-saws this p.m.  Uncle Hans and Aunt Lena came about 4:30.  I took the car with me again today.  I went to church with the folks.  The league gave a program this evening.  It was very good.
Mon., April 17, 1933 - A real spring day.  Alfred was sick this p.m.  Mrs. Schermer came after him.  I got a ride to school with Earl Miller.

I had never heard of Postal Savings until reading this diary entry.  I almost glossed right over it, thinking there was "nothing to see here".  But, I gave it a go and found the following on wikipedia:

     The United States Postal Savings System was a postal savings system signed into law by President William Howard Taft and was operated by the United States Post Office Department, predecessor of the United States Postal Service, from January 1, 1911 until July 1, 1967. The system paid depositors 2 percent annual interest. Depositors in the system were initially limited to hold a balance of $500, but this was raised to $1,000 in 1916 and to $2,500 in 1918. At its peak in 1947, the system held almost $3.4 billion in deposits. The system originally had a natural advantage over deposit-taking private banks because the deposits were always backed by "the full faith and credit of the United States Government." However, because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation gave the same guarantee to depositors in private banks, the Postal Savings System lost its natural advantage in trust.

     From 1921, depositors were fingerprinted. This was initially 'not to be associated with criminology' but in some instances the Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar radio show in the early 1950s suggests Postal Savings account fingerprints were used for positive identification in criminal cases.

Note the date on the photo above -- fairly close to April 1933.  How lucky is that?

Winside history; moving buildings and the first car

February 17, 1933 - This morning Raymond told me about the fun they have in H.H.S.  Ray came for me at 3:30.  Mrs. Behmer stopped at the school house a few minutes.  I went over to Behmers and got my order.
February 18, 1933 - I washed my clothes this morning.  Ray and I were out to Ola's a few minutes.  Meta came to stay there, today.  Al Martin died early this morning.  Grussmother has a bad cold, in bed most of the time.  Grandad is not so good either.  Went to bed about 10:00.
February 19, 1933 - To S.S. and church.  Martha was in church.  She came home with us for dinner.  Chris came after her about 2:00.  Ray, Grussfather, Mom and I played 500 Rummy this p.m.  I went to League tonite.  After that Ray took me to Walkers.

I must admit Al Martin is a name I have not heard before in Grandma's diary, nor in listening to endless hours of adults talking when I was a kid.

I haven't done much Winside history lately, so here we are where I left off, in 1904:

     January 6, Wm. Schrumpf resigned his position as agent for the railroad and will take up the new Board of Trade, set up in Carter's store.
     March 24, August Redmer expects to move his opera house next to his saloon as he figures he can get most of the trade when something is held.
     April 21, Mr. Schrumpf is back in the depot again, the Board of Trade closed its doors.
     April 28, the question of building a new school house is being agitated.
     June 2, Frank Perrin was awarded R.F.D. No. 2.  Mrs. Spicer had a run away on route No. 1 today.  I. O. Brown is going to move his frame building out in the street and will erect a fine new brick building.  J. J. Tracy died, resident here since 1885.
     July 28, Tom Lound has moved his frame building back on his lot for a store room and will erect a new brick Drug store.
     August 11, Frank Weible has installed a gas engine in his elevator.
     August 25, Gust Bleigh bought the pool tables and bowling alley from John Dimmel and will move them into his building across from Weible's.
     September 8, Dr. A. B. Cherry purchased the first automobile through Fish and Brugger.   Rollie Fish accompanied Dr. and Mrs. Cherry to Sioux City and rode home in the new automobile.  An expert had charge of the machine and remained a day or so to teach the Doctor how to handle it.  The automobile is a two seated Rambler.
     September 28, I. O. Brown is moving his frame building on the same site as the Opera House and the latter is being moved next to the Redmer saloon.
     October 11, the Opera house is now in its new location.
     December 25, I. O. Brown distributed quite a few gifts to the children of Winside in the true Santa Claus style last night.

Boy, buildings got moved around quite a bit back then.  As near as I can tell from the location of the photo in the history book (right near 1904) and the notation on it, this is the car in question.