Tag: Memorial Day

The Rooster Crows – June 2, 2023

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By Bill Anderson

The weather started out hot and windy on Monday, May 22, and stayed that way throughout the Memorial Day weekend. The conditions allowed field work to proceed at a rapid pace, and some local producers are getting close to the Spring Planting Finish Line. Hot weather conditions usually drum up a thunderstorm, and Memorial Day on Monday, May 29, was no exception to that old and honorable tradition. There were several episodes of thunder, followed by what Norbert Kulzer described as, “a 5 inch rain,” that is, a rainfall in which the raindrops were at least 5 inches apart. Roger Pearson reported .1 of an inch in his rain gauge on the morning of Tuesday, May 30, and Norbert Kulzer reported that his gauge, only a few feet east of Roger’s, registered less than a tenth on Tuesday morning. There is hope, though. At least there is hope, the drug that gives every farmer, and every banker, a high with every drop of rain.

Nine of the 12 surviving second generation descendants of Rutland area pioneers, the late Ole C. & Julia C. (Peterson) Anderson, enjoyed a reunion of first cousins on Thursday, May 25. The group included: Bill Anderson of Rutland; Paul Anderson of Rutland; Joanne (Anderson) Harris of Rutland; Andrew Harris of Rutland; Sonja (Anderson) Christensen of Wahpeton; Judie (Anderson-Seavert) Grohs of Rosholt SD; Jodie (Anderson) Bogenreif of Gilbert AZ; Beverly (Bartunek) Schons of Fargo; and Vicki (Bartunek) Renner of DesMoines IA. Also attending were Judie Grohs’ spouse, Steve Grohs of Rosholt SD; and Marilyn (Mrs. Arden) Anderson of Wahpeton. Unable to attend the reunion this year were: Marilyn (Bartunek) Sabe of DeFuniak Springs FL; Patricia (Anderson) Kulzer of Condon MT; and Jeffrey Anderson of Plymouth MN. First cousins who are deceased are: Richard M. Anderson; Harvey O. Anderson; Arden C. Anderson; and Nancy (Bartunek) Lee. Those attending gathered at the Rutland Cemetery in the morning to decorate the graves of parents, spouses, and grandparents for Memorial Day, and to discuss family history before having lunch at The Lariat Bar in Rutland. Main courses and beverages were ordered off the menu, and the group was treated with a rhubarb dessert made by Sonja Christensen from a recipe provided for one of the Rutland cookbooks by the late Helen (Hermanson) Anderson of this community. Terry Lee, surviving spouse of the Late Nancy Lee, also sent a generous supply of rosettes for all to enjoy. The cousins are descendants of the late Melvin & Ila Anderson; the late Rudolph & Edna Anderson; the late William & Norma (Anderson) Bartunek; and the late Earl & Irene Anderson. They were all impressed by the excellent cuisine furnished by The Lariat Bar, as well as with the prompt & efficient service provided by a member of the Lariat’s staff, Tyler Weatherby.

Larry Christensen, Commander of Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of the American Legion; and, Roger Pearson, a member of the Post; installed new crosses on the graves of veterans in the Rutland and Nordland Cemeteries on the morning of Friday, May 26. The new crosses are made of steel and have a durable white powder coat finish. Post members extend their thanks to the RayMac Company of Gwinner & Forman for manufacturing and donating the crosses.

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The Rooster Crows – May 19, 2023

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By Bill Anderson

Last week’s thunder, lightning and rain knocked out most of the remaining frost pockets and settled the soil for Spring planting. Here in Rutland, the combined rainfall total from the Friday afternoon downpour and Saturday’s day long drizzle amounted to .7 of an inch but other areas of Sargent County were drenched with considerably more precipitation. Mark Bopp, who farms northeast of Cogswell, reports 2.5” of total precipitation from the Friday-Saturday double whammy. Sunshine, temperatures in the 70’s & 80’s, and light winds from Sunday through Wednesday, May 14-17, helped to get fields in shape to hold machinery, but more rain is being predicted for Thursday & Friday of this week.

Despite the gray, hazy appearance of the sky, and the reddish-orange appearance of the Sun at daybreak, local weather experts have been telling us that there are no clouds and that the sky is perfectly clear. So, what’s going on. Is this the new, “artificial intelligence,” technology at work, telling us to believe what they say, not what we see? Well, not exactly. The gray, hazy appearance of the sky is actually the result of an old-fashioned natural process, wildfires burning in the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, producing smoke that is carried across North America by upper-level air currents. The smoke is so high, the experts say, that we can’t smell it right now, but an approaching cold front is expected to bring the smoke down to Earth to torment creatures, including us, here below. So, that’s the weather story for North Dakota. Always something to look forward to.

Mark Wyum, who is helping his son, Rob, get the 2023 crop planted, reports that the hilltops are in good shape, but the slough edges and low spots are marginal, at best. Rob is planting some spring wheat this year, the first wheat in the Wyum Farm’s crop rotation in 30 years, just to see how it goes. He expects to have his planned total of 600 acres planted to wheat before day’s end on “Syttende Mai,” May 17. Other crews were just getting started on corn and beans, and hope to be hitting it hard by next week.

It is finally Spring, and that means that it’s also time for the Rutland Cemetery Association’s annual meeting. Association President Roger Pearson had scheduled the meeting to be held at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, in the Community Room of Stock Growers Bank’s Rutland Station. The meeting was called to order by Vice-President Paul Anderson. The big items of business were: approval of a budget for normal 2023 operating expenses; approval of the appropriation of approximately $7,000 from the Perpetual Care Fund for straightening and repairing a number of larger tombstones in the cemetery; and, election of a new Director to replace Norbert Kulzer on the Cemetery Association’s Board. Norbert said that, by his estimate, he had been a member of the board for at least the past 152 years, but Secretary Casee Carlson said that she could only find records to indicate that Norbert had been serving as a board member since the early 1980’s. Jerry Woytassek was elected to the board for a 4-year term. Members of the Rutland Cemetery Association Board are now: Roger Pearson; Paul Anderson; Casee Carlson; Chuck Sundlie; and Jerry Woytassek. Greg Donaldson serves as the Cemetery’s Sexton. The next meeting of the Rutland Cemetery Association’s membership is tentatively scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday in May 2024. The members of the Association expressed their congratulations and thanks to Norbert Kulzer for his 4, or 15 decades of faithful service on the Cemetery Board.

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The Rooster Crows – May 27, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Last Spring, it was too dry. This Spring, it’s too wet. On the average, though, it’s just right. This Spring, the weather has not been cooperating with the Spring planting plans of farmers in this area. Just when it seems that fields will get dry enough to allow the spring’s work to proceed, along comes another bolt of lightning, rumble of thunder and a quarter inch of rain to keep things at a standstill. With the market prices of wheat, corn and soybeans all in the high to higher range, this is the year to have a crop to sell. The fact that the weather is preventing that crop from getting planted is the cause of anxious impatience among local producers. About the only individuals more nervous about the situation than local farmers are local bankers. On the bright side, at least our farmers know that their bankers are concerned about their health, both physical and financial. The old timers used to say that whatever the weather was like on Memorial Day was a good indicator of what it would be like throughout the rest of the growing season, and every now and then the old timers were right.

Speaking of Memorial Day, Carolyn Christensen, an officer of the Rutland American Legion Auxiliary, says that the holiday will be back to normal in 2022, after 2 years of Covid-19 disruption. In Rutland, Memorial Day observances on the morning of Monday, May 30, will begin with military rites conducted by Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of the American Legion at the Nordland Cemetery, 1½ mile east and ½ mile south of town, followed by military rites at the Rutland Cemetery on the east edge of town at 10:30 a.m. A program produced by the American Legion Auxiliary will be presented at 11:00 a.m. in the Rutland Town Hall, followed by the traditional community pot-luck dinner, also in the Town Hall. Everyone is invited to participate in Memorial Day observances in Rutland on Monday, May 30.

Bruce Burke of Seattle WA stopped in Rutland on the afternoon of Thursday, May 19, doing some research for a personal family history project. Mr. Burke grew up in Breckenridge MN, but the Burke family traces its history back to Rutland and the Great Northern Railway. Bruce’s parents were Harvey & Alice Burke; his grandparents were Rutland natives John & Anna (Spande) Burke; his great-aunt was the late Bertha (Spande) Penfield; and his great-grandparents were Knud & Alisa Spande. Knud & Alisa Spande owned & occupied the house at 309 Gay Street that is now owned by Paul Anderson, from 1918 until Alisa Spande’s death in 1958. The house had been built by Paul’s grandparents, Ole & Julia Anderson, back in 1909. Prior to moving to town, the Spandes had farmed south of Silver Lake. Bruce has a vivid memory of an event that occurred at the Spande house in Rutland back in the early 1950’s, when he was a small boy of about 4 or 5 years of age. It seems that there was an unused water well in the backyard that had been covered over with an old door. Being a boy of some energy, Bruce decided to take a run and jump on the center of that old door. When he did so, the deteriorated boards broke and down went Bruce. Fortunately, as he went through the door he stuck his elbows out and caught himself on the edges of the hole he had made, leaving his head sticking out, above the door, and his feet dangling just above the water in the well. He said that he can still remember looking down and seeing the cold water just beneath his feet. Bruce’s Dad, Harvey Burke, rushed to his assistance and pulled him to safety. Bruce said that he can’t remember just what his Dad said to his great-grandfather about the continued existence of that well, but he’s pretty sure that it was powerful. It had been Bruce’s intention to take a picture of the old well, if any evidence of it still existed. He could not find any trace of the well but was pleased to find that the house is in excellent condition and still looks much as it did back when his great-grandparents first bought it 104 years ago. Mr. Burke had taken the long way around to get to Rutland. He had driven through Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota to get here. He had stopped in New Mexico to take a look at the Air Force Base at which he had been stationed back in the late 60’s, and in Nebraska to visit some students he had taught there back in the 70’s. He was surprised to find that the teen-age students he remembered are now in their 60’s. Time marches on. Mr. Burke was visiting at the home of his cousin, the daughter of the late Jim & Nellie (Burke) McCulloch, at Ottertail Lake MN during his stay in this area. He planned to be heading back to Seattle on Saturday, May 21, and hoped to make it home in 3 or 4 days via I-94 & I-90.

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The Rooster Crows – May 13, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Spring has finally arrived, and the blizzards of April have been replaced by the thunderstorms of May. Last weekend, from the evening of Friday, May 6, to the morning of Monday, May 9, Rutland and the surrounding area received more than 2 inches of rain, every drop accompanied by a bolt of lightning and the rumble of thunder. There is some nervous pacing going on, as most farmers in the community have not yet turned a wheel planting the 2022 crop, due to the excessive moisture. Shane Breker has managed to get some wheat planted in the hills south of town, where the fields are better drained, but even Shane has about run out of hilltops that are solid enough to carry a tractor and planter. More rain is forecast through the coming weekend, and some are predicting that the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation will be looking at a lot of “prevented Planting” acres this year. Well, experience tells us that the weather can turn on a dime around here, and we might be crying for rain by Memorial Day, but, for now, just a little bit of “normal” would be nice.

If you can’t farm, you might as well go fishing. The local lakes are now full of water, and some of them are even full of game fish. Walleyes, crappies and northern pike just waiting to grab a hook and jump into the boat. During the first week of May, good catches of walleyes were reported at Buffalo Lake, about 6 miles north of town. No reports about fishing success at other lakes in the area have been received, but, in keeping with the Fisherman’s Code of Silence, that most likely means that the catching is even better on those bodies of water. The guys who aren’t fishing say that the fish aren’t biting, but they usually don’t bite if you don’t have a line in the water.

Roger Pearson reports that there is a shortage of good fishing minnows in the area. The ones that are available are either too small or already dead, he says. One bait shop in the area has a coin operated minnow dispensing machine that is a lot like playing the one-armed bandits at the casino. You put in your money, and you take your chances. It has been reported that minnows of the appropriate size are available at the bait shop in Britton SD, but transporting minnows across State Lines is illegal, so don’t do it. The minnows might get smart and turn you in.

Hal Nelson drove out to Beulah ND, out in the coal country on the west side of the Missouri River, on Friday, May 6 to visit his sister and brother-in-law, Lori & Larry Hruby. Hal says that the 40” of snow that was dumped on the Beulah area back in mid-April was very welcome, but not enough to break the drought that has devastated agriculture in that region for the past 2 years. Hal said that there was some green grass, but not much. 

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The Rooster Crows – June 4, 2021

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By Bill Anderson

Thursday, May 27, was a cold and somber day, with a high temperature of 49 degrees and intermittent rain showers, probably better described as a steady, misty drizzle accompanied by occasional bouts of real rain,  throughout the day. Rainfall varied from .5 of an inch in Roger Pearson’s rain gauge to .6 of an inch in everybody elses’s gauges, from Rick Bosse at Brampton to Roger McLaen at Forman to Jesse Brakke at rural Rutland and Kurt Breker at Cayuga. It was a good rain, that came slow enough to soak in and do some good where it fell.  Since then, the temperature has been on the rise, and the forecast for the coming weekend is for temperatures at or near 100 above, accompanied by wind that will put some stress on the newly emerging corn and soybean crops.  Well, if they’re going to live in North Dakota, they had better be tough. 

The Rutland-Cayuga Fire Department was called out on the morning of Monday, May 24, to assist the Forman-Havana Fire Department with a fire at the Aberle farmstead in Dunbar Township, northeast of Forman.  According to reports, a shift in the wind direction, accompanied by an increase in velocity, had blown embers from a burn pit into the dry grass in the farm’s tree belt. The firefighters were successful in extinguishing the flames before any structures on the farm were damaged. Way to go firemen!

Congregate dining at the Rutland Seniors’ Center resumed on Tuesday, May 25, after a 14 month hiatus due to the covid-19 pandemic. Special guest for the first dinner of Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and home-grown asparagus was Ransom-Sargent Seniors’ Services Director Morgan Biss from the Lisbon office.  Ten seniors were present for dinner, and several Meals On Wheels were also delivered. Head chef Janny Kiefer said that it was good to be getting back to normal.

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The Rooster Crows – May 28, 2021

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By Bill Anderson

Mother Nature has been sparing of rain so far this year, but more than generous in the supply of wind provided to her loyal patrons in Sargent County. The rain that fell on Rutland and vicinity last Wednesday & Thursday, May 19 & 20, measured between .18 and .38 of an inch, depending on whose rain gauge you checked, but the 40 to 50 mph winds of Monday & Tuesday, May 24 & 25, whisked most of it away to parts unknown before it could be utilized by thirsty crops. Well, Memorial Day weekend is coming up, and, as the old-timers often observed, if we don’t get rain over Memorial Day, “Katy bar the door!” as the Summer is likely to be long, dry and hot. Of course, once in a while the old-timers were wrong. Let’s hope so!

Some Rutland folks have already rung up 2021 as a success. Larry Christensen of this community reports that his brother, Leo, now a resident of Papillion NE, a suburb of Omaha, called on Thursday, May 20, to inform his younger brother that he had just hit a hole-in-one on a par 3 hole on a golf course near Papillion. In keeping with the ancient tradition regarding such things, Leo bought a round at the clubhouse for everyone who was at the course at the time of his accomplishment. Skill finally triumphed over luck. Leo is one of the sons of the late Fred & Laura Christensen of Rutland. He is a 1961 graduate of RHS, a combat veteran of the USMC and a longtime employee of North Central/Republic/ Northwest/Delta Airlines, first in Fargo and later in Omaha. His wife, Gayle, is a daughter of the late Floyd & Salina Arneson of this community. Leo’s old friends in Rutland extend their congratulations to him, and expect to hear the complete story the next time he visits in his old home town.

Things are looking up on the covid-19 pandemic front, too. No dramatic holes-in-one, but steady progress provides the encouragement. The following report was received from Sargent County Public Health District Administrator Brenda Peterson on Monday, May 24: “the state is recommending we follow CDC guidelines. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/participate-in-activities.html If you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did before the pandemic, without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. This is different in health care settings also. The link to the website may be your best option for scientific data. I understand the studies have found vaccinated people are not carriers, but that is just my unscientific generalization. 

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