Cooper Chapters - My dad "Ike"

This is one rare time when my dad visited North Dakota with us. Part of the picture didn't scan in because it was so white at the top, with the man standing closest to my dad, and it showed him pitching a soft ball. But with the poor quality, my scanner just didn't pick that part of the picture up. The fellow out in the back field with his hands on his knees, is my cousin "Bunty". Uncle Herb is pitching, and I can't identify the other person. I don't know the year this was taken, but must have been in the late 40's or early 50's, as my dad looks so young. But then again, it could be earlier, before I was born. I was born in 1947, and he and my mother were married after he got back from WWII. I don't know why he wasn't playing - he had been a really good athlete in high school.

What do you think of his hair cut? A white shirt and dress pants and shoes. Pretty dapper! I think he wore a white shirt a lot. And the little "box camera" sitting there on the ground. I think this was the case for the camera, and I remember using the camera as a child learning to take pictures. This case was brown, kind of a card board with a cloth covering. The camera itself was like a box too, but right now I can't remember exactly how it worked. I know I've seen some like it in antique stores; maybe I should buy the next one I see. Boy, hasn't photography come a long way????

In checking the picture out closer, I don't see where they had any bases made up, or maybe they were just pitching the ball and practice hitting. I remember in later years when us little kids were big enough to play, that we all played and ran bases. I think that would be the only place I've ever played ball. I am just no good at softball. My eyes can't follow the ball; let alone my hitting it with a bat!


Thanks Connie (Far Side of Fifty) for suggestion of putting a darker paper behind picture before scanning. It worked great. Now when I scan and print to give pictures to the kids, I'll know what to do.

Cooper Chapters - Lady & Beauty

I remember telling everyone, "I have a horse--her name is Lady, and Georgia has a horse too--her name is Beauty! Yes, every year at Auntie Beanie's, we got to ride Lady and Beauty. We'd get up early with everyone, eat fast, and out the door we'd run. No one had to guess where we were going or what we were doing. We'd be with the horses all day long.... I remember Auntie Beanie telling us "Give the horses a REST!" So even if we only had horses for 2 weeks of each summer -- they were really ours. We were the only ones to ride them. Their job used to be working on the farm. By the time we came along to ride them, they had been retired from their work job of pulling the plow, hay wagon, etc.

This picture says May 1958, so I'm not sure if it was of us girls in summer of 1957 or early 1958. Depends on how long the film had been in the camera before getting developed. So I was about 10-11 years old and Georgia 8-9 years old.

Just have to tell you about the worst thing I ever did! I could never tell a lie, as I'm bad at telling on myself even! Well, Spose I wasn't much older than in this picture, and Georgia and I were in the barn. We'd already caught the horses, and they were so big, and we couldn't reach high enough to get the bridle headstall slipped over their ears, so guess what I did????????? Rather than wait longer for cousin Bunty to get there, I put the head of one horse into the cow stanchion - OMG! Poor thing! Of course the stanchion closed by itself and the horse went NUTS!!!!!!!!!! I remember bawling, and of course we must have been screaming and then of course, cousin Bunty showed up - thank God; then the horse got loose, and then Bunty had to catch her. She was cut up on her head by her eyes pretty good. More like really scraped up! I think I got a licking. Don't really remember that part; but do remember our horseback riding was done with for that year!!!! I still have a hard time believing I did that! That's what you get for being a dumb town kid.

Isn't that just about the worst thing a kid could do? I still feel bad thinking about it; can't imagine why we just didn't wait. I loved those horses too much to intentionally hurt them. I bet Lady and Beauty are in horse heaven, and have forgiven me-I just know it.

Cooper Chapters - A Generation Gone

My mother Helga Bertina Larson, was born Dec. 1, 1909 in Blaisdell, North Dakota to John Christian and Ida Louise (Anderson) Larson, and grew up near Cooperstown. She was #7 in the lineup of 14 children. The first sibling had died at 9 days, the last sibling died at birth, and Helga's mother Ida died a month later of pneumonia. There also was a 1/2 brother (#15) that has shown up in the family, years later.

The family had moved from Lake Lillian, Minnesota in 1908, and then took up a homestead in Blaisdell, North Dakota, where they lived in a sod house and farmed with oxen and horses. Blaisdell was in western North Dakota, and is no longer there. I would like to go see if there is a ghost town or if it is completely gone. The family moved to Cooperstown, ND in 1910 and farmed. Ida died in 1917, and the father John left with the housekeeper in the early 1920's and went to Washington state . The younger children then lived with the older ones (Bernice and Emma) until they were old enough to get jobs away from home.

Helga's sister Emma had a visitor one day years later, saying he was a half brother. I don't know if there is any truth to story or not. No one talks about a 1/2 brother now. The father, John, came back to Cooperstown alone many years later. He died November 1, 1951 in a nursing home in Aneta, North Dakota of diabetes and a stroke.

John and Ida are buried in the Cooperstown Cemetery. John Christian Larson: Born Oct. 16, 1870, Vardo, Norway; Died Nov. 1, 1951, Andeta, ND; Married Oct. 10, 1899, Willmar, MN to Ida Louise Anderson: Born Nov. 9, 1876, Lake Lillian, MN, Died April 1, 1917 Cooperstown, ND.

I don't remember meeting Grandpa John, as I may have seen him only once. I was born in 1947, and he died in 1951. We lived over 170 miles away from the farm in Cooperstown. As I recall hearing talk as a small child, the children of John did not care to see him often.



All of Helga's brothers and sisters have now passed away. Some had settled out west during WWII and have families still there. Ness Church is East of Cooperstown, and was the family church for many years. Most of my relatives are buried there. This picture was taken in 1982, when I had Leah, Stephani and Jessica there visiting with Uncle Herb and Aunt Della from Oregon. We stayed at the Loge farm in the valley. The picture below is where the Larson homestead had been. The house had burned down, and we visited the site and listened to stories that Uncle Herb told us. He remembered the old burned tree that had been very close to the house. They used to climb it and get into the second story windows.



Life was not easy for many folks those depression years--and to think we sometimes complain how things are now!!!!!!

Cooper Chapters-Cheyenne River Valley

I traveled to Cooperstown ND a week ago, and had to drive past the old farmstead of an aunt and uncle. I drove down the hill; over the new bridge that is over the Cheyenne River; up the winding hill; past the driveway that goes back down into the valley to the Loge farm; around the corner and another 3/4 mile to the old homestead that had been Uncle Martin's and Auntie Beanie's. The house, barn and anything that was there for the homestead is gone, but there are grain bins, a newer steel building that probably houses farm equipment. So it doesn't look the same as my memory had it. Memory was driving in along the east side of the yard following the fence to the area by the windmill and big, big water tank where we would park the car. We'd walk to the side door of the house where the kitchen was. After entering, on your left side would be the wood bin. There was a small table by the east window, a wood stove on the west wall, and a pantry off to the north side of the stove, and a sink on the north wall. Just a double sink to bring water to do dishes, etc. There was no indoor bathroom - Once a week, we took turns bathing out in the back porch. First us kids, (because we were guests?) then the girl cousins, if any were there, and then Auntie Beanie, and then Uncle Martin, and then Bunty (He was the dirtiest!). the outhouse was outside at least 75' away from the house. I remember not liking to go out there; so I made sure I'd done my business before it got dark!!!!!!!

From the kitchen you went into the dining room which was open to the living room. There was a huge big table, a buffet table on the south wall, and on west wall, there was a stairway to upstairs, and on the east wall there was a big hutch that housed lots of nice serving dishes (as I remember them) and where Auntie Beanie kept her famous picture albums that we'd like to look at. (I need to find out who has them now, as I'd like to see them again.) This was in the 1950's, so there was no tv! There was a radio. I remember that it was on all the time.

In the living room there was a very old davenport (now called a couch), rocker, end table, old record player, and another stuffed chair. On the end table was the huge old family Bible. I remember Auntie Beanie having everyones birth dates, etc. written inside the cover.

I don't remember where Auntie Beanies bedroom was. Probably never could go in there. But upstairs was great. There were two stairways. The girls used the stairway from the dining room, and the boys used the back stairway from the back porch. I think the boys area was blocked off from the girls. Maybe it was built that way to have hired help in a separate area. I remember listening to old records upstairs and playing dress up with cousin Mavis's clothes. She was a very petite young woman, and we got to play dress up with her high heels and her dresses and sweaters. We thought she was the pretties girl ever. It was so fun!


We stayed with Auntie Beanie and Uncle Martin for two weeks each summer, until we were old enough to start summer jobs. I'm sure we were pests to our older cousins. I think their youngest was 14 years older than we were. Our oldest cousin "Bunty" got the brunt of having to do things with us. He was the oldest child that had stayed home to help on the farm. We loved him!!!!! He'd take us to town with him on Thursday nights, and we'd run around with other town kids while he went to the bar for a few beers! We'd end up at the local cafe at the ice cream counter and he'd find us when it was time to go home. I remember it as a lot of people coming to town to visit with each other, do their grocery shopping, etc. It seems like that little town came to life on those Thursday nights!

On the weekends, more relatives would come and there would be a lot of food, and we'd play either kick ball or softball in their front yard. Kids and adults - everyone got to play! There would be a lot of laughter. Our cousins would be there from Oregon, so there were kids our age there too.

Those were the times when I wished that we lived there instead of in Minnesota. At home, it was just Georgia and I. No other relatives! A trip that only takes 3.5 hours now probably took five or more hours back then. I'm sure my sister will have more memories to add to these Cooper Chapters.