At Ease
by Jack Webster
GUESS THE FIRST ITEM of business for this column is to get Bernadine set straight . . . there were actually a couple of mistakes in your question/quote: to start with the quote should be ”How much wood would a woodchuck CHUCK if a woodchuck could CHUCK wood” --- not SHUCK in both instances as you asked. The only ‘Shuck’ that I ever heard was when we picked corn by hand (prior to the coming of the mechanical pickers in the early ‘50s) and that was called ‘shucking corn’ as the ‘leafy covering’ of the ear of corn was called shucks.
The second mistake was imagining that as a lad in Kansas I had never heard that phrase or didn’t know the answer. In Kansas, in the first years of our one-room schooling we were told of ‘the Birds and Bees AND Beasties’! And one ‘beastie’ was the ‘woodchuck’, as you northerners call him, but he is more commonly known as the ‘Groundhog’ in their native Kansas! And EVERYONE knows the Groundhog is a prodigious digger . . . OH, for your answer before I continue your education on the groundhog, the amount is commonly thought to be 700 lbs. but is actually more accurately 361.9237001 centimeters!
The early settlers of Kansas often had at least one, and sometimes a family, of groundhogs as pets. Being the prodigious diggers that they are, these ‘pets’ were trained to dig out underground ‘rooms’ that the settlers used for protection not only from marauding Indians but also as protection from the frequent tornadoes that swept thru the Great Plains! So NOW you know ‘the rest of the story . . .’
NORTH KOREA’S IDIOT LEADER is at it again as he threatens to (and claims that he has) launch another nuclear missile ‘for test purposes’. I have said more than once in this space that North Korea has been causing troubles for the world since the signing of the ‘Cease Fire’ that brought the Korean ‘Police Action’ (i.e. WAR) to an end in 1953. The only thing he will understand is when we finally get the guts to (when he fires one of these missiles) go in and blast the entire firing area off the face of the earth! Sanctions have done no good, warnings have done no good, ‘peace treaties’ are broken immediately by the idiot leader so what is left --- ACTION is all he will understand so do it now and be done with him before he causes some real damage and gets other countries involved!
HAD AN INTERESTING Conversation with Fern Renken not long ago concerning “Where was . . . Do you remember . . . What was the name . . .”? I am sure you have all ‘played this game’ at one time or another but it got me to thinking about the many changes in the last nearly 59 years since I first arrived in Waterville. Little did I imagine I would still be here in the year 2016 much less writing a column for the weekly newspaper I first set foot into on Nov. 15, 1957. We were discussing what store was here, where was that business, etc. We were amazed at what we could remember, and what we ‘think’ we remember, etc. Well, here goes a rundown of the ‘business district’ back in 1957 (as I remember it) . . .
Starting on Third St./Main St., north side, going west: the U. S. Post Office, Sherratt’s Jewelry, Werner’s Hardware, Citizens State Bank, O.K. Café, Larson’s Café, Mager’s Gamble Store, Norman’s Grocery, Courtney’s Grocery/Café, Bandemer’s Bar/Sandwich Shop, Security State Bank with Nahlovsky Barber Shop in basement. Across 2nd St. Red Owl Grocery, a residence then Mabel’s (Walz) Beauty Shop, a residence then Roeglin’s Standard Station then across street (west) to Hancuh’s Service Station and Bulk Gas Sales.
Back to Third St./Main St. south side going west: Luther’s Ben Franklin Store, Fred M. Hrdlicka Floor and Carpet Shop (wife Ione had some other household goods), Jim Balfe Bulk Gas Office with a room as rented office space for Sneller Electric, Stucky’s Drug Store, Phil Pauley, CPA upstairs and Schulz Ins./Schulz Barber Shop in basement, Rohl’s Barber Shop, Sportsmen’s Bar, empty building, Coast to Coast Store, Comstock Meat Market/Grocery, Leuthold’s Clothing Store. Across 2nd St. Corner Bar, Jacobson’s Hardware and residence, Hall’s Bar, Backman’s Produce, Ray’s Cities Service Station then across 1st St. Volkmann’s Ford Sales & Service, a residence then Central Lumber Yard.
Back to Third St./Main St. NE corner Philip’s 66 Station then South across Main St. Worlein’s/Peterson Furniture/Mortuary, (storage building for furniture and caskets), Johnston’s Chevrolet Garage, empty building had been City Library, Waterville Advance Newspaper Office, Red Top Café, empty lot or possibly Veterans Memorial (anyone know for sure), Geo. Greer Used Car Sales and then across Paquin St. Central Telephone Office/City Library; MelVera’s Beauty Shop, Webb Service Station and then Fahning’s Lumber and Supply Co.
Back to Third St./Main St. west side going south: Ben Franklin Store on corner, then Christman’s Photography Studio, Dusbabek’s Market, Glenn’s Bakery, Mike’s Bar, Ed’s Café/Pool Hall, Solyntjes Grocery, Waterville Bar, Nelson’s Furniture Store then south across street to Gem Theatre, Burns’ residence and Burns’ Dry Cleaners, Anderson Tin Shop, then south across Hoosac St. to City Park then Northern States Power Co.
On Second St. south of Main St. was (east side) City Hall/Jail/Fire Dept., Marzahn Motors Chrysler-Plymouth dealership, Dr. Huffington’s Office, and Rainbow Hotel and the Waterville Creamery two blocks further south. West side (from Main St.): Corner Bar, Loretta’s Café, Hansen’s Blacksmith Shop and Prahl’s Auto/Machinery Repair/Garage.
East end of Main St. was Cribb’s North Star Station (where car wash is now) and north across the street was residence of Art Scheid, City Judge and Attorney. Other businesses were O’Leary’s Conoco Station where it is STILL operated by the same John O’Leary! North across the street was Hildebrant Auto and Repair Shop, both businesses on No. First St.
On Lake St. were the offices of Dr. Buesgens, M.D. and Dr. Rieke, dentist, and Jack’s Drive-In at corner of Lake and 1st St. Hinz Shoe Repair and Slechta Plumbing & Heating on Common St. Also Connors Plumbing & Heating, Kletschka Electric, Dunnwald’s Veterinarian Service, and Volkman Electric.
Other major businesses were H. & S. Logging (N. Hwy. 13), Northrup Seed Corn (S. Reed St.,) Waterville Seed & Feed and a Grain Elevator (W. Hoosac St.)., two Railroad Depots and also an old Furniture Factory. There were also several resorts within the City Limits but don’t remember the owner’s names (of all of them) so will not name any of them. There were also at least three other resorts just outside the city limits. In fact, if I remember correctly, the area claimed ‘25 Resorts within a 25-mile radius’!
Looking back over that list can you imagine: Six (6) Grocery Stores; Five (5) Bars; Five (5) Cafes (plus a couple sandwich/beer businesses); and Three (3) Car dealerships! Also TWO Railroads going thru town, each with their own Depot!
I am reasonably sure that I probably missed a business or two and for that I apologize and plead ‘poor memory’ . . . and feel free to correct me!
