Thursday, March 31, 2022

The Ruptured Appendix

One summer morning I was outside with my grandfather, Bill Knutz, tying the dog out, when he told me that he had gotten very sick when he was 11.  His appendix had ruptured and he was rushed to the hospital for surgery.  He never said if he'd been sick prior to that or had any warning whatsoever, and he never said exactly how long he'd had to stay in the hospital, only that it was a "long time."  Keeping in mind that this was before the era of antibiotics, it's probably nothing short of a miracle that he survived.


Above: Will, Willie and Howard Knutz on their farm SW of Huron, S.D.



What I know of the story starts with Sprague Hospital, one of Huron's early hospitals, located as many of us will remember at the corner of 5th and Dakota avenue.  Although this was not the first location for the hospital, it was the most prominent and the last location.  It was run by Dr. Buell H. Sprague.

"Willie's" appendix ruptured about Oct. 23, 1923.  He was taken to Sprague Hospital by his father, Will, while his mother, Elvirta, stayed home with the other children: Howard (9), Richard (5), and Mabel (4 months).  The family lived on a farm on the Virgil Road near McIlvaine's place, about 10 miles from the hospital.  No doubt it was the longest trip Will had ever made to town.

No one can tell the story like someone who was there - and for that, we turn to his mother Elvirta's diary, graciously shared by Aunt Mabel and cousin Bonnie.

Oct. 23: Willie was operated on for appendicitis at 10:30 o'clock this evening at Sprague Hospital. Will went with him and stayed with him.  Was in the operating room while they operated on him.

Oct. 24: I and the other 3 children went in to see Willie this forenoon and Will had me and the baby to stay with Willie and he and the 2 boys came home.

Oct. 25:  Will and the boys came in to see Willie.  Willie is getting along alright but at nights he raves and tries to get out of bed and so I have to watch him close.  The Drs. says there is some ether in his system yet and after it is out he won't do that way.

Oct. 26: He surely has some terrible dreams and times.  He imagines that we are trying to hurt or kill him, that Richard runs over him with the baby's cab and has it full of rocks.  He calls me a darn fool.  Will and the boys came in again today.  I am staying at this hospital night and day.  I sleep in a chair, Will brought baby's cab for her to sleep in.  Mrs. George Peterson washes for the baby.

Oct. 27:  Will and the boys came in again today.  Willie doesn't rave so of nights now.  He is doing fine.

Oct. 28: Will and the boys were in today.  Willie is the same.

Oct. 29:  Will and the boys were in today.  Willie is the same.  Lulu comes up every evening, we go out to supper together.

Oct. 30:  Willie is the same.  Will and the boys were in again.

        Oct. 31:  Willie is the same.  Will and the boys were in today.  The nurses had a Halloween party last night.

Nov. 1:  Willie is improving right along.  Will and the boys were in again.  He can eat jello, soups, custards, toast and ice cream.

Nov. 2:  Will didn't come in today.  Willie just feels fine.

Nov. 3:  Willie is the same.  I came home last night. 

At this point, Elvirta had spent 11 days and nights at the hospital with Willie, with a four-month-old baby to care for as well.  There is one last entry in her diary for this time period:

Nov. 4:  We all went in to see Willie this afternoon.  Mama, Papa, and Maudie [Elvirta's parents and sister of Carthage, S.D.] were there.  Willie sure gets lots of gifts.  He has apples, grapes, candies, gum, oranges, grape juice, pop-gun, box of trinkets, books of all kinds, Halloween horn, colors, pencils, pencil sharpener, knife, rings, tablets.



Willie put the colors, pencils, and tablets to good use during his long stay.  He drew pictures and wrote letters to pass the time.





Of the letters he wrote to his classmates, the one above is my favorite.  Apparently when it came time to write to Lillian, his future wife, he was speechless.

Exactly how long he had spent in the hospital is probably lost to the past at this point.  But if there's a moral to the story, it's this:  Write down your stories.  Tell your grandkids, even if they don't seem interested at the time - more is being absorbed than you know.  Nearly 100 years later, I'm glad Elvirta took the time to document this part of Bill's life, and that family members all shared what they had or knew of it.  Thank you to you all.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

The house on the Virgil Road

 Pictured below is Elvirta Knutz and her two young sons, Willie and Howard.  They are pictured at their home on the Virgil Road SW of Huron, S. D.  Attached to the photo is a sketch she made of the home, with a note on it that reads, "Our home by McIlvaine's - we moved here in Mar. 1917 and bought it that June.  Lost it and moved away in March 1925 to Wolsey."  

While they lived here, two of their children were born, and one died.  And their son Willie met his future wife, Lillian Christensen, a neighbor girl.


Above: the house when I was there in 2016.


Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Two Huron Heroes

The Night Fighter Squadrons of World War II were comprised of exceptional men.  Their duties were particularly dangerous. Huron, South Dakota can boast of not only one of these heroes, but two: Raymond Christensen and Malcom "Duff" Campbell.

The 417th Night Fighter Squadron was just the fourth of its kind to be formed.  Using a “new” and top-secret weapon (radar), they could effectively find and destroy Nazi operatives attempting to disrupt the allied war effort.  As U.S. convoys moved overnight, they were the object of attack by Nazis; the night fighter squadrons would frequently engage in air-to-air combat to protect these convoys.

This was such a dangerous job that only volunteers were considered for the 417th NFS, and it took a special kind of man to fulfill this mission.  From the volunteers, potential trainees were hand-picked based on aptitude tests, high physical standards, and a background security check.  Because of the secretive nature of the job, trainees were unable to tell their families or friends exactly what they’d be doing. 

The squadron was assembled in Kissimmee, Florida and the men were sent to England for additional training.  It was in England that pilots and Radar Observers (R/O) were teamed together.  Compatibility and a good working relationship were essential.  Christensen, a radar observer, later said, “I’ve got quite a bit of faith in my pilot and we get along as well as anybody could…We’ve got to have perfect teamwork to live out this blessed war, so we pay as much attention in our teaming up as we would to getting married – probably more.  In this case “until death do us part” doesn’t seem to lend any humor to the situation whatever.”    Christensen was paired with Joseph Leonard, a young and somewhat fearless pilot.  The name of pilot Campbell’s R/O is unknown.

The pilots had trained using P-70 planes, but would be using Bristol Beaufighters in combat.  These planes were hand-me-downs from the Royal Air Force as they acquired new ones.  This plane was nicknamed “The Ten-Gunned Terror” and “Whispering Death.”  The build of the plane could also easily accommodate radar equipment.  But – Beaus were described as “clunky” and hard to fly.  Brakes were frequently faulty and the needed replacement parts could be hard to find.  Gas lines could rupture on takeoff and landing due to their placement, so if things weren’t done just right, explosion could result. 

Above: A Bristol Beaufighter in flight (photo source unknown).  Below: Cockpit of a Beaufighter

The R/Os also needed additional training on the Mark IV radar system on these planes.  Early radar used 2 scopes, one displaying left/right and the other displaying elevation, both in relation to their own plane.  R/Os had to be able to quickly assimilate frequently changing data and relay the info to the pilot.  In short, the R/O had to tell the pilot how high, how fast, and in which direction to fly.


The bulk of their missions were flown over water - either the Mediterranean Sea or the Tyrrhenian Sea in the case of the early 417th.   The pilot and R/O were partially directed by the ground crew. Nazi planes flew very low over the water because the Mediterranean Sea caused clutter to show up on the radar, allowing them to fly undetected. When blips were spotted by the ground radar controller, a 417th air crew would be sent after it to investigate but would have to fly as low as possible to visually identify the aircraft before any firing could take place to avoid shooting down an allied plane.  The most accurate and deadly shots were taken from below the target, so while flying low was advantageous for several reasons, it also made the situation extremely dangerous.  Too high and the enemy might shoot them down.  Too low and a watery grave awaited.

417th Camp in Oran, North Africa

The 417th were initially deployed to Oran, Algeria in North Africa.  They flew their first mission on the day they arrived.  Five months later, the squadron began relocating to the island of Corsica.  They worked a 3-day rotation – one day on, one day on-call, one day off.  Missions could be anything from routine, to “hair-raising,” as Christensen described them.  Even just landing the plane after an uneventful night’s work could take years off one’s life.   “What’s worse than Germans is trying to come back over the mountains and land with clouds and fog clear down to the ground.  That’s when I’ve really got work to do.  Between the two of us we usually make it.”

Christensen told of one of the many close calls he and pilot Leonard had: “And so we are out stooging around in the clouds over this convoy when the Jerries sneak in under our noses.  I don’t know what they threw at the convoy, but somebody got mad and the convoy escort threw up everything including the galley stove and the sink.  So we head for France and bless my soul if we aren’t on some poor devil’s tail.  So I’m a’ telling my pilot to go down and he politely – like hell – tells me we are minus 200 feet already.  I remember the field is not very high so I look over the side and there’s the damned Mediterranean sea a’shining past about fifteen feet away and the night black as hell.  That shook me.  Well – after due time of messing around and etc. we are right up there looking at him and he doesn’t know it.  Beats the hell out of me how he was doing it, but he was flying lower than we were yet.  So we threw a bit of lead at him and got all kinds of stuff back – prettiest stuff you ever saw at night too.  That’s what you get for missing – so we have to do it all over again.  We hit his slip stream and almost went into the drink ourselves.  I had one hand on the hatch just ready to try getting out.”

To settle the nerves, liquor was a “standard-issue item for crews returning from patrols.” [Beaufighters in the Night] In addition, the camp doctor also doubled as a psychiatrist.

 Original members of the 417th Night Fighters Squadron

Of the original 40 members of the air crew, nine were killed or failed to return from a mission.  This is only about an 80% survival rate, and while this data may or may not hold true over the night fighters as a whole, it does illustrate just how dangerous this work was.

Christensen would have been among the 80% to go home to their families, but after completing his tour of duty he signed on for another tour almost immediately, despite having just recovered from a bad case of dysentery.

It was the night of May 12, 1944 that all hell broke loose over Corsica when the German Luftwaffe launched a major attack.  The alert sounded and everyone dove into trenches.  The Germans dropped numerous bombs, one of which hit the end of the runway, but didn’t do any major damage to it.  The carnage continued into the early morning hours of May 13.

On the following evening, May 13, Ray Christensen and Joe Leonard were scheduled for duty.  They loaded into Beaufighter KW161 and departed from Borgo Airdrome for patrol.    Shortly before midnight, a “bogey” was spotted by radar, and identified as an enemy aircraft.  Ray and Joe gave chase near the island of Montecristo.  Ground radar personnel saw two “blips” on their radar screen, and at 11:56 pm, one of those blips disappeared, and the other left the area.   Flight Officer Raymond Christensen and 1st Lieutenant Joseph Leonard failed to return from their mission.   Lt. Leonard’s body washed ashore 12 days later.   An unnamed soldier from the 417th wrote about the loss of Joe and Ray: “They had been vectored onto a “Bogey” and whether they flew into the water or were shot down was never determined at the time.  Having flown “baggage” many times with Lt. Leonard, I suspect the later.  They were both gallant airmen.”  Christensen’s body was never recovered and may still be in the Beaufighter at the bottom of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

On June 2, on a farm in Beadle County, South Dakota, a telegram from the War Department was delivered to Mr. Peter Christensen and his wife, Ella, saying, “The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your son Flight Officer Raymond Christensen has been reported Missing in Action since Thirteen May over Corsica.  If further details or other information are received you will be promptly notified.”  He would later be classified as Killed in Action.  Peter Christensen was part owner of Bell Bakery in Huron.

Pilot Malcolm “Duff” Campbell, a South Dakota native, lived with his family in Huron for some years before they relocated to Oklahoma.  At that time, Malcolm had completed one year of college, and listed his civil occupation as an actor.  He married Joy Ackers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Ackers of Tulsa on Friday, October 8, 1943 in Tulsa before being chosen to join the 417th NFS.

Campbell flew some high-profile missions, and was bestowed a number of honors, including the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, plus other Army awards.  He was also given the Croix De Guerre with Silver Gilt Star by the French.

During one mission, he and his radar operator were successful in shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf-109.  Typically, an enemy plane that was salvageable was brought back to the home base, but this type of plane was difficult even for experienced German pilots to fly, says Lt. Col. Braxton "Brick" Eisel, author of "Beaufighters in the Night."  A volunteer was needed to fly the captured plane, and "Duff" Campbell was the one to step forward.  Soon after getting the plane in the sky, the aircraft rolled and Campbell was unable to recover.   The plane crashed and burst into flames.  Malcolm Campbell died on May 17, 1945, in Lorraine, France, ten days after V-E day. He was buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery at St. Avold, France, Plot C, Row 12, Grave 83.

©Karen Seeman, 2022

Sources:
Letters of Raymond Christensen
Dan Whitney,  Richard Ziebart, https://www.417th-nightfighters.com/
The Evening Huronite, Huron, S.D., numerous issues
National Archives and Records Administration. U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938 - 1946. (Ancestry.com)
National Archives and Records Administration.  World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas. (Ancestry.com)
Beaufighters in the Night: 417th Night Fighter Squadron USAAF.  Lt. Col Braxton "Brick" Eisel - USAF.  2007.
Various Huron, S.D. City Directories
Various U.S. Censuses
American Battle Monuments Commission (abmc.gov)

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Early Huron, South Dakota Sewer System



 The above rare photo shows sewer being installed in Huron, and is actually a postcard.  It was sent by C. K.[?] Deeser to his Aunt Nettie Gleghorn in Akron, Ohio; the back of it reads, "Dear Aunt Nettie, Well its a long time since you heard from me but I'm still alive and working every day.  I'm down in the ditch 22 ft laying tile at $3.25 a day that's not bad mony [sic]  Well please write to me at once and oblidge [sic] yours truly C. K. Deeser, Windsor Hotel, Huron South Dakota  Write Soon."   

I was unable to find any way to date this, as the postmark is illegible.  His Aunt Nettie was at this address in 1910; she moved there sometime after her marriage in 1902 and left sometime before 1920.  And in researching the timeline of Huron's sewer system, I found that various portions were under construction at different times over quite a long time span.

The photo below was from a calendar published by the Daily Plainsman with photos courtesy of Dakotaland Museum.  While the machinery being used is not the same piece as pictured above, it is very similar, and the estimated date of the photo was 1900-1910.




As it turns out, the building in the background of the postcard is the Windsor House hotel.  The Sanborn Fire Map above shows the hotel on the NE corner of 3rd st. and Illinois.  In the postcard, there's a man at left wearing dark clothes; just above him on the building is what appears to be a sign.  This was a vital clue I completely overlooked, but thanks to the keen observational skills of my friend Stan Phillippi, I was able to enlarge it, turn it into a "negative," and enhance it.  Then it was clear to read as "Windsor House."  This looks to be the same sign as in the photo of the Windsor House below.  The red "x" on the Sanborn map above appears to mark the location of the photographer, as I see it.

I believe the postcard photo was taken from 3rd street, based on a comparison of the building in the photo with the Sanborn Fire map.  If that is the case, the sewer was probably installed early on, as most of the sewer information from local newspapers seems to be an "add-on" to this portion of the sewer and the other main portion on 9th St. SW.




Above photos: The results of enhancing this tiny portion of the postcard.  
Below: The Windsor House hotel showing the sign above the door clearly.

 

In trying to track down C. K. Deeser and Aunt Nettie Gleghorn, I found one Deeser male of the appropriate age that was her nephew - Charles Deeser.  He was born in 1878 and died in 1946 at the age of 67 in his home state of Ohio.  He lived much of his life in Tuscarawas County.  And oddly enough, his World War II Draft Registration form indicated that he was in the sewer pipe business.  His obituary states that he retired from a sewer pipe company.  That said, I was unable to find any proof that it was indeed him who spent those early days in Huron laying tile for $3.25 a day.

It's probably a good assumption that his job brought him to Huron, and that he didn't stay here long.  But his postcard to his Aunt Nettie provides us with an interesting glimpse of Huron as its most basic infrastructure was being implemented.


Sources:

Photo Postcard courtesy of Sonny Decker
1907 Huron City Directory
1909-1910 Huron City Directory
1911-1912 Huron City Directory
Huron Daily Plainsman/Dakotaland Museum Calendar, unknown  year
Sanborn Fire Maps, Huron, South Dakota, 1910
Daily Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, Sept. 23, 1910
Daily Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, Aug 1, 1908
Daily Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, Aug 3, 1908
Daily Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, July 26, 1907
Daily Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, March 14, 1911
Weekly State Spirit, Huron, South Dakota, Aug. 26, 1909
Weekly State Spirit, Huron, South Dakota, Aug. 10, 1911
Huron Journal World, Huron, South Dakota, Jan. 21, 1904
1900 Federal Census, Ohio, Tuscarawas county
1910 Federal Census, Ohio, Summit county
1920 Federal Census, Ohio, Summit county
Ancestry.com - various family Deeser family trees
FamilySearch.org - family tree
Findagrave.com - headstone and information for Charles Deeser
World War I Draft Registration Card - Charles Deeser
World War II Draft Registration Card - Charles Deeser
Obituary of Charles Deeser, The Daily Times (New Philadelphia, Ohio), Jan. 5, 1946


Tuesday, June 29, 2021

The Fair Store, Huron, South Dakota


The Fair Store, in business for over 20 years in the store front many of us know as The Little Zee, was opened by Arthur F. Miller about 1909.  Initially opened on 3rd street between Dakota and Wisconsin avenues, the store outgrew the space within the first two years and moved to the ground floor of the Masonic Temple building at 4th and Dakota about 1911.





Miller and his wife, Albeane, came to Huron in 1906 from Tipton, Iowa where Mr. Miller ran a similar general merchandise store.  It appears that Miller worked for someone else before opening his own store in Huron.  The Fair Store was a huge success, eventually adding more departments including a grocery department when an addition was put on the building.   According to his obituary, the store was "one of the largest independent retail establishments in the city."


Miller was active in various civic events in Huron, and was a member of the Masonic order, Rotary club, as well as the Odd Fellows and Elk lodges.


Arthur Frank Miller was born at Baraboo, Wisconsin in 1866.   He married Albeane VanLeshout.   In 1932 he was diagnosed with carcinoma, and his health began to decline.  He was able to give less and less of his attention to his business, and his last 6 months were spent bedridden.  He decided to liquidate the business in October of 1933.  He passed away the following month.  His widow, Albeane, lived until 1951.  The couple had no children.  They were buried in Riverside cemetery.




Sources:

Evening Huroite, April 19, 1933, pg. 5
Evening Huronite, Oct. 03, 1933, pg. 6
Evening Huronite, Nov. 29, 1933, pg.1
FamilySearch.org family tree
Huron City Directories, 1909 - 1934
Huron Revisited  





Monday, June 28, 2021

Midstate Motor Cars


Midstate Motor Cars started in business sometime between 1919 and 1921, and ended its run 1924-1925.

It was located at 256 Wisconsin, on what was known as the Whalen Block.  The first businesses I could locate at that address was the Huron Auto & Supply Co., a real estate business run by Sylvester Whalen, and rooms for rent by Patrick Whalen in 1909.  Patrick Whalen would go on to rent these rooms for years, and Timothy Whalen ran a second hand store at that location as well.

A few of the subsequent businesses that operated at that address:

1926 - C. A. Campbell, auto dealer and Whalen Block
1928 - Huron Implement Co.
1930-1931 - Vacant
1932-33 - Farmer's Union Oil Co and Bindy's Market
1934 - Farmer's Union Oil Co and Farmer's Union Cream station
1936 - Farmer's Union Oil Co and Farmer's Union Cream station
1940 - Huron Ice Cream Store
1942 - Huron Ice Cream Store
1945 - Farmer's Union Cream Station and Royal Liquor Store
1948 - Royal Liquor Store and Gross Produce
1950 - Royal Liquor Store, rear Long & Gross Produce
1953 - Royal Liquor Store, rear Long's Produce
1955 - Royal Liquor Store, rear Long's Produce
1957 - Royal Liquor Store, rear Long's Produce
1960 - Mahowald Our Own Hdw EL2-2132, Royal Liquor Store, EL2-4056 


Thursday, June 17, 2021

Huron Dairy Products Company

Huron Dairy Products Co.


A milk bottle from Huron Dairy Products Co.

Huron Dairy Products Co. was located at 133-137 3rd St. SE by 1928 after being at 850 3rd St for a handful of years, managed by K. W. Greenquist at both locations.  Like many other local buildings, this one was designed by well-known architect F. C. W. Kuehn, a Huron-based architect.   Today, this building is the home of Dramstad Refrigeration and Electric.  Huron Dairy Products Co. appears to have gone out of business by 1940.





133 3rd St. SE today, photo courtesy of Google Earth.