Here are four pages of pure history, even if you're not from St Cloud, Minnesota and don't recognize any of the names and businesses. It's a snapshot of a Minnesota population in 1938-39 who were mostly the children of immigrants. I see clear evidence of the German influence, as in the listing for Northern Pacific Ry where the freight and passenger depot is 551 and 555 do (ditto). I see the name of a woman who was old when I was a young aide at Good Shepherd Nursing Home in the 60s. I see companies that have survived, and companies that haven't, even tho they were in business when we were kids. Most of the occupations (slsmn, instr, formn, lab, atndt, tchr, plstr, mgr, hlpr, mach) are still around, but listing them pretty much meant they were permanent jobs--chances are if you were a carp this year, you'd stay a carp in the future.
I marvel at how people were listed as "moved to Alexandria" or "died April 1935, age 69"...or "wid Frank J". It really was a small town then.
See who the big employers were in 1939? The granite industry, railroads, the VA, retailers, NSP, Northwestern Bell Tel, not to mention the endless insurance companies.
'Course, Klock's Tick Tock Cafe, the Powder Puff Beauty Salon, the Lily White Laundry and the OK Cafe employed people, too.
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Isn't this just COOL?
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Oh, and look: Wheelock Whitney was the division manager at NSP and the North Star Cemetery was "at the end of Washington Memorial Drive, 2 miles SW of the court house". Things are SO different now!
ReplyDeleteHey, will you include in your intro the year the ancestors came to America? I looked and can't find it. goosh........................
ReplyDeletePaul and Matias were here first, tho we can't find them arriving on any ships lists. Matias shows up in Waumandee at 21 working as a farm hand (1870 census), and Paul first shows up as a newly wed in the 1875 census in Pierz. Their parents and little bro arrived in 1869 and settled in Waumandee, so we can't give a definitive year in the header ☺ except to say "before 1869 sometime". You're welcome ☺
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