Memories of Clara Nelson Lee

Documented by: her granddaughter, Diane

Shared by the Thorp Area Museum

 

This is a transcript of a tape recorded conversation (from Nov. 14,1994) with Clara Nelson Lee.  She was the daughter of John Nelson and Christina Wick, and she married Albert Lee of Thorp. Grandma is 90 years old was born in Thorp and lived most of her life in this area. Her mother died when she was 4 years old so the Story family she speaks of were her foster family for 2 years. That was Clara's Uncle's sister.

INTERVIEW:
(One of the things asked about was Old 29 which is County X now. Was it called Route 452 or something like that?) 16. They called it 16. (They thought it was a trail between Boston & Seattle)
Well, they called that a trail of some sort ... because years ago, when I was just a kid , when cars first came along, they'd take their car and go on this old rough trail and take their car ... oh about 30 miles...and then someone else would take their car and go the next thirty miles because that is about all the cars could go in them days ... Ha ha ha ha

It seems to me that does ring a bell, the Yellowstone Trail. I think that is where the Yellowstone Garage years ago in Stanley, the road where the High School is, that road that goes straight up. That was 16 at one tune after they had this Yellowstone Trail, and there was a garage up the street and they called that the Yellowstone garage. North of the tracks. The depot sets here and ifs over on this comer. And there was a bar & restaurant on the comer. They called it a trail because the cars only went about 30 miles and it went from coast to coast And then it was 16. Of course it was a dirt road, there was no blacktop in those days.

EIDSVOLD  That property is still broken down in lots. The last time 1 was in Eidsvold I was down at the cemetery and on the South side of the cemetery, there used to be a church there, a Presbyterian Church. They moved the church somewhere. I don't know whats become of it.
But the last time I was down through there, they were clearing that out in there and the trees and brush were growing all up.

(Why did they decide on the location of Thorp to be where it is now rather than Eidsvold?)
Well, there used to be a sawmill in Eidsvold and the sawmill moved out of Eidsvold into Polley. And when the sawmill moved out of Eidsvold everything went kapput. After they moved to Thorp they were still sorry they ever moved out of Eidsvold because there was a river going through there; much nicer than no river or no nothing here. And there was so many. The saw mill made the difference.  I've got an old picture here of Eidsvold and thats way back when the old train had a train wreck and grain was all over the street or over the railroad. I've got a lot of old things from Eidsvold. I wouldn't be surprised. But the old time Boardmands of Eidsvold. They were double cousins. Boardman married a Beechwood. I think there's an old house that used to be there that was a Boardman's. After I was born here, we went to EauClaire, then Manitawoc, then Gilman.

They were all Norwegians. There there wasn't anyone that Wasn't Norwegian. The Polish people moved into Thorp. There was a place in Norway called Eidsvold. I'm not really sure what Eidsvold means, but it was a Norwegian name. Well, Stanley's the same thing. Stanley's all Norwegian, the Polaks lived in Thorp! (Doorbell... 'There comes my dinner.")

(Now is this how we're tied into the Boardman's?)

Tora Lee married Ervin Boardman on Christmas Day. The bride's parents are Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Lee, married in Thorp, well, the town of Thorp so it was Eidsvold) They were married right there at the house and the minister came to the house. Yeah, they all come in sleighs because there was no cars in them days. And when they were baptized they always had an older couple that were sponsors and if they had
older brothers or sisters in the family they were sponsors also. Mr. & Mrs. Lee were MY Godparents, and Tora & Chris were Albert's godparents. Now when Albert was born, my mother & father were his godparents and Hank & Ole were sponsors because they were older. We had 7 boys and only 2 girls; and Lee's had 8. Albert had 5 sisters and 2 brothers.

This wedding picture was 1906 so you don't remember that! This is the Beechwood place in Gilman. A log cabin. That was back during the Depression then. They cut the logs and made a house. This was right in Thorp.  The James S. and Ervin Boardman place.

(Thorp's first well) The first well was right down here where Jacques lives. It was the city water for years and years and years and years. Where X & 73, South there one block, not artesian. They used it for city water for years and I don't think an artesian well would handle it. Because I know at one time, not too many years back, they talked of Thorp running out of water and they were going to tap into that same well. By the Blue Moon cheese factory.

(School) I went to Peterson school. But the first school in Eidsvold was the Eidsvold school. And that wasn't built until my oldest brother Some kids didn't start to school until they were 10-11 years old! Peterson school... where our old place was, the Nelson's, straight down that road down to the comer, not the first farm but the next one, toward Eidsvold. They said that schoolhouse was all gone and I hadn't known anything about it and one day when Ed & I went to the cemetery and I said to Ed, " Let's drive around to the old school and see whats all there." And everything was tom down and it was a junkyard if there ever was one. It was everything sitting all over and in between. All this stuff and weeds grown up. Eight grades in that school and 84 kids went to that school. My sister-in law taught there. We had the kids set so there were 4 kids in each seat and in them days you had to write. You couldn't scribble like you do today. Tora Boardman (looking at a picture). My first teacher had to be the poorest teacher to ever live. Theresa taught at the Junction and when she got through with that 8 months there, she came down and taught us kids. We had more, (months). We never did nothing, we just went to school. The teacher never paid no attention to us. My other sister-in-law taught. We learned how to write our name and we learned our letters and arithmetic and we learned all that in this one mouth.  We didn't learn nothing all year. Just sit and be quiet. And she was a teacher. My sister-in-law used to sit up at night and just cry cause we didn't learn anything, We had to learn it all in 5 weeks what we should have learned all year. At that time we didn't go to High School cause we had to find a place to stay and you either had to go to Thorp or Stanley, one or the other, and you had to be gone all week and come home on the weekend. Couldn't afford it in the first place. Came home and washed clothes, washed 'em on a board. I knew a kid that didn't have no underwear, and gee, I thought everyone had some underwear. Just overalls and a flannel shim no underwear, nothing underneath, colder than the dickens. Ills dad cared less. I remember having long underwear, buttons in the back. We didn't always have shoes, just these rubber slippers, the kind the &Is now days wear for good! Now they wear them to church or school or wherever, but I used to have to wear them cause there was nothing else to we&. I never had shoes that was handed down. I think that's one reason I never had any corns or any bunions or nothing. I never had shoes that were handed down.

I never threw anything away. There's pictures over there,

(Cows) That's all people started out with in years gone by was the Guernsey or Jerseys. The others (Holsteins) were not until much much later. They wanted the butterfat. That's what they were paid for, not protein like now.

(St Hedwig's) I remember them building it They had a roof and they had a dance floor, and that's about where that hall is now, and they W a canvas they pulled down over the sides. Martin Tomkowiak was still alive at the time and I remember someone saying he donated some different things down there. I don't think that building is in such bad shape. The church ain't either. The people in town just wanted them to come to town and thats what they done!

(Eidsvold) Eidsvold was just a little bitty town and they had two churches. They had a boarding house and a store in Eidsvold and a lumberyard, churches and a school and a harness shop blacksmithing. There was a post office and something else. The sidewalks was just dirt. You know on these trips we've been on (the bus trips sponsored by the bank) ... I remember one in particular, the walks were boardwalk and every street we went on some celebrity carved their name on a board. There was Joe Gargiola! (possibly Mantorville, MN).
 

(Parades and doings in town)

They had more parades in Stanley.  They used the horses and carts and had circuses.  Stanley at that time was pretty rich and they made staves for barrels and stuff like that.  4th of July, Veteran's Day?  The army years ago, when we had these parades in town school let out at 3:00, 4:00 rather, and Dad would meet us at school. We'd go to these parades or dog races or whatever they had. (Did you walk clear to Stanley for Confirmation classes?) Yes I started out around 4:30 on Saturday morning.

(Sick, Sick, Sick) Last week I was sick every single day. It started out on Tuesday afternoon,
W ed., Thurs., Fri., Sat & Sun. Diane, did you say you were here one day? I stayed in bed. Tuesday morning Carol took me to election and in the afternoon I got this dammed old temperature. I was so cold, I was cold as a stone. I thought wills the use of setting over here so cold and I know I got a temperature so I hung the rest of them and went to bed. I got up long enough to eat a little bit and Wed., Wed. what did I do? I got up again and ate a little bit Then I went back to bed and stayed there all the rest of the day I And Thurs. I was in bed all . On Wed. night I got up about 10:30 and I was hungry. I wondered what was there to eat so I thought, "What was I gonna have?" So there was " ham and I had a ham sandwich and a glass of milk and I was full ... Ha ha ha..

(Home Alone) Joe Haas.. we used go around and drive cattle. And I was just a little kid about nine and we had just bought a brand new cook stove, like oven, what every you call it. And we had a glass door, the front door. So there was this man, he had something for sale, so he comes to the door and rapped and I jumped in the oven. I was scared. There was no fire in the stove so I hopped in. He saw me get in ft stove so it seemed about the best thing he could do is get his things out of there. So he left. And you know what not too many years ago, I saw Mrs.Haas down here and I told her about it and she remembered me crawling into the oven. She said I was lucky there wasn't any fire in the stove. (How'd you get the door shut from the inside?) I thought I was outta sight! ... I pulled the oven up and hung onto it.. I was just a working hard, I worked like a slave and I was strong, so I pulled it up. Ha ha ha....And when I seen him through the corner there and I could see him leave the door... and I waited awhile and I opened the oven door and got out. (There's not much room in there) I was so little at the time ... (.She's not very big yet.  She could still fit in the oven, with the rack in!) There was room for two of me in there at that time. We never seen people very much and being home alone I was scared of that alone.

(Planting Seed) One time Pa had to go to town. Everybody was gone somewhere or another. Oscar and I were home alone. Pa had to go to town and didn't want to take us along. I think I was about five, no I was six. I was six and he was eight So we rummaged around and we found some old seed that Ma had when she used to plant a garden. So we never knew what the seed were so we looked on the package and there was no name on it and no picture. So we got these seeds and we were goin to plant 'em. So we dug up the ground, we dug up the ground and got it. all just so. Pa come home and said "What have you been doin' while I was gone?"  Plantin seeds! He said 'What kind?"

Pa said "Where's the package?' We threw that into the stove. It was empty. We planted the seeds, and he was thinking what in the world kind of seeds did they plant? It was lettuce, lots of lettuce!

(Afraid of Horses) And I remember one time we always had to go down and decorate the graves ourself . The Cemetery Association wasn't there them I was only about 11. So Aunt Lena always did Ma's grave so she said you come along with me. And I was scared to death of horses. Oh heavens, this day I'm scared. And I was so scared of horses, and we always W such wild ones, run like they was mazy. So Aunt Lena says to me, she says to me, " If you can get your dad to hook up the horse and', she says, the buggy; well go down to the cemetery and clean up the cemetery. " 'Whose gonna drive that horse?" I said. "You are!" I said," Oh no, yo are."  Ha ha ha I didn't want nothin' to do with that horse. Oh golly, we got in the buggy and s
he give me the lines and I was supposed tq drive that horse. My hands they was shakin. Well she had to help me to get turned aromd,,&wn there, aftei- we, got ffie right string dowa
And you know, I coul&t get that horse to go past our place and we had to go another quarter of a mile to take her home. I couldn!t get that ho'rsc to go. So I said to Pa, 'From now on, you take that horse and you take her home." I was shakin!
 

(Afraid of the Dark) There's one other time, Ruby, my cousin come over to our place one night after supper and it was gettin' dark and she was afraid of the dark and so was 1, so she said to me. .'You walk we half way home." I said, "Okay." She was older than I was; I was seared to death. Pa used to take a walk at night around to see how the fences were ... so I walked her down half way ... what I thought was half way ... and turned around to go back home. There was no yard lights or no nothing. It was dark as pitch. And Pa come along and he knew it was me. I was running, he says I hardly stopped on the ground! Ha ha ha ha " I didn't dare to say anything to you, it would have seared you all the more." He come home and he was laughin' up a storm. I said, 'What are you laughin' at?" He said, 'Didn't you see me down by the fence? Didn't you even see anything else either?" Ha ha ha ha ha He didn't dare to say anything. He would have scared me all the more.
 

(Story's) I was one day older than their son so I was the boss! You listen to me now, I'm the oldest, I would say. He was the youngest and he had three sisters. I went over there right after, in fact the day of the funeral (when her Mom died). I can still remember coming to supper. Stubborn. "I'm not gonna eat it. Ma didn't make it, I'm not gonna eat it." That's the only thing I do remember about that day (she was four years old). Of the three girls ... the oldest one ... she didn't pay no attention to me. The second one was a real nice person. She says to me, "You don't have to eat it.  I'll bring you something later when you're hungry. I went up to her room. She put me to be& So I was stubborn Ha ha ha ha ha. Well the next morning, I got up and no matter what I said ... Gospel. Ha ha ha ha ha. I even got a picture of them. that's their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Her mother was an Indian squaw. Mrs. Story was my uncle's sister. From our place they lived down to Eidsvold school, another mile and then to the comer South, another half mile South and a quarter mile West. (????don't think there's a road there).
We didn't have too many cupboards back in them days and whenever she cleaned the cupboards she'd always stand me on a chair and she'd hand me the dishes to put'em in the cupboard.  She couldn't fit in hardly anything. But she'd always tell everybody, "You want your cupboards cleaned, you get Clara over there, she can put more dishes in a small space than anybody else!"

(Moving back home) I was supposed to go to school and would be starting pretty soon and I always wanted to go to school with Cm], Oscar and Joe. So they talked to the boys and told them that Clara wants to 90 to school with Carl, Oscar and Joe. And I went back home. Biggest mistake I ever made. Then I WORKED!

(Looking at the picture of Story's again) Their fiftieth anniversary picture. They said that this coat that he wore was the same one she wore on his wedding! ( She has on a veil too. Do you suppose that the black dress would have been her wedding dress too? Sometimes they had black so it would be more practical) Yeah, it could have been her wedding dress. I've heard say that that was the coat. They never gained nothing, neither one of them. Leo's in Minneapolis. somewhere. He must have had 10 kids. The, one that I was a day older than. His wife is still alive up there. You in Gilman, when they won the trophy (went to WI State for football) Her grandson was the best player they had up there. He was a Story. I don't remember his first name though. Harold, I think.

(Job for Linda) Here's some pants to short. I measured 'em by these and they are the right length. I don't think I'll grow much more. Ha ha ha ha ha. 4'11, the most I've ever been. I was a little thing. That confirmation picture at the Stanley Museum, with me standing on the end, the boy behind me was holding me up. I was out like a light.  He got a hold of me under the arms, fixed my dress so they couldn't see 'em and he held me up. He's the one that told me I fainted I was sick then when I was 11 & 12 and maybe up to 16. 1 was too proud to ask the minister to give me a ride home. He gave me a ride part way and he asked to take me the rest of the way home and I said no. I didn't come home and I didn't come home. It was 6 miles and I should have been home by 5:00 my. I never walked, I'd run.   I went down X (old 29/"Yellowstone Trail") but in the morning I went the other way to Stanley.

(Trains) When I was a little kid we had 2 trains, one going East and the other one West. They took the workers to Minneapolis at 4:00 in the morning, to work all day long and then come home at night.

(Conclusion) Clara Nelson Lee died December 7,1994, just three weeks after this interview, from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We miss her ... but love the wonderful memories she left. There's a part of her in all of us.