This is the way Buckman looked the year Dad was born-1913. Mueller Brothers Grocery Store and Saloon is there on the right, and then Mischke's Hardware, behind the man with the black hat. The next building with the cupola on the roof is the first town hall, jail and fire hall, I think. According to Horst Hanneken's authoritative book (see sidebar), it was built in 1910, so it was pretty new here. The first magnificent water tower looks pretty substantial, I'd say.
On the left is Frank & Anna Mischke's house, (the pretty gingerbread porch). Beyond that is the John Sitzman store/dance hall/saloon (as long as it was still there in 1913. If not, then it's the John Janson blacksmith shop). The trees on the left would have been on the corner, and beyond was Schmolke's store, I think, with the Schmolke house behind the white fence, see?
The rough looking dirt road was not yet called highway 25.
And here's a small gold mine--it's the back of the postcard above. It was sent by what looks like "J.M.", from Center Valley, Minnesota, to Mike Herold in Stirum, North Dakota (located in the SE quarter of ND, by the way). If anyone's trying to trace the Herold family, here's a clue!Our next project will be to check the 1910 census in Center Valley and see who J.M. might have been--maybe a Marshik? We owe Larry for this one, too!
Later:
Ok, Center Valley was in Hillman township, just east of Pierz township. In 1910 there were only about 75 people there, some of whom WERE Marshiks, but identifying yourself as being from CV didn't necessarily mean you actually lived there, verstehen? Narrowing it to family names beginning with M who also had a Joe, John or...Julius leaves only about 10 guys in Hillman and Pierz of the right age (figuring JM wasn't under 20 or over 50...for no real reason). Our writer mighta been a Meyer, Mischke, Medek, Mohler, Miller, Macho, Mueller OR a Marshik. Whew, say that fast 2 or 3X--its fun!
A'right, I'm going outside.
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