----Source: Greenwood Gleaner: 1/10/58 Smith Miller LaConner, WA

OUT OF THE PAST


Left to right: Ferd Wollenburg, Dave Shanks and Pat Cronin

Blueberries 10 JAN 1958

It was along about 1895 or 1896, maybe a little later when Dave SHANKS, Ferd WOLLENBERG and I were trying to figure out a way to get over to the Eau Claire River for some of those luscious blueberries that grew along side that dam and old camp. We had to have someone with a team for transportation, so we decided that the first one who came along with a team we would try and draft him into going along. And who so you
suppose it was who came along first It was none other than Pat CRONIN.

It was not hard to convince Pat that he should take us with his team and wagon.  Pat was always a sort of a congenial fellow and liked to be around the younger set to, so it being a Saturday we put some boards on the wagon and got our pails, rakes and some grub and set out. It was a little late in the day to start out but we went anyway. We just got to the edge of the timber when one of those storms came up. It was a honey of a storm and how it did rain. It was one of those famous "Wet Rains" peculiar to the east and I am here to tell you it surely did give us all a beautiful wetting and when we arrived at the dam it was still coming down and there we were without any dry wood for a fire.  We just had to take it. We were able to dig out some sandwiches or whatever it was we had and try to get a little sleep anyway. The horses were put under an old lean-to and on tying them up, Dave noticed there were a couple of extra stalls and the mangers were dry. So he hollered that he was going to make his bed there. There was a large door in the side of the camp building and the rest of us went in there. It was dry inside but no way to make a fire in the dark. Ferd got to messing around and found an old bunk over in
the corner and piled into it. It had a little hay in it so he thought he d'not fare so bad.  This left Pat and I with nothing but to lay on the ground in front of the door. It was not pleasant dreams by any means but some way we finally did get a little sleep and only started going good when Ferd hollered over to us saying do you fellows smell anything.  No, we didn't. But he said I ll have to get out of here so he came over and lay down beside us. It was fortunate that it was so warm. One of those real warm nights peculiar to that good old locality and we slept until about daylight when the horses set up a heck of a disturbance and we got up to see what was wrong.  Well, it was the funniest sight I ever saw. There was Dave standing near the
horses and in the early dawn he looked just like the proverbial banshee. He was completely covered with cattail down. It had stuck to his wet clothes. He was a fierce looking creature if there ever was one. So we finally got the horses quieted down and then went back to the cabin lean-to to see if we could get something to eat. In the meantime Ferd got to looking over where he went to bed and there a big pork hog had picked that place for his demise.  Finally we were able to get some breakfast. Some pieces of old boards furnished the fuel and with a little coffee to help make up a meal, we went out with our rakes and buckets and soon had them filled with those wonderful berries that only that old state can grow.
 

The foregoing is just another of incidents that make up fond memories of youthful days long gone. These incidents bring back also memories of old friends we cherished like we did Pat Cronin.