Tag: Rutland Community Club

The Rooster Crows – Sept. 30, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

The big day is almost here. In keeping with the old tradition that “The sun always shines on Rutland, even when it’s raining,” the weatherman is predicting near perfect weather for Sunday, October 2, the 37th Uff-Da Day Fall Festival in the little city that can. Rutland Community Club President and Uff-Da Day Chairperson Katie McLaen has furnished the following schedule of events for the day: Uff-Da Day 5k Run/Walk – 7:45 registration & 8 am race. Registration will be in Rodney Erickson’s green building on the SW corner of First & Arthur Streets, across the street from the Stock Growers Bank, the original Prindiville Saloon, Schweiden’s Pool Hall, Skoglund’s Café & Ice Cream Store, Ink’s Bar, Bohn’s Bar, The Lariat Bar, and, hopefully, the future Rutland Post Office. At 10:00 AM Vendors and Craft Sales begin; demonstrations at various indoor and outdoor locations commence; car show on Gay St begins; Lefse & Goodies available at Senior Center on Main St; freshly made Lefse for sale at the senior Center; and, the one-room country School House, Rutland Depot Museum & Pioneer House will be open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. At 11:00 AM Dinner at the Community’s Town Hall, $13 Adults, $6 children age 6-12, Under 6 free. Rommegrot will be served at the Senior Center. Uff-Da Tacos, hot dogs & brats will be on sale at the Fire Hall on Bagley Street, and Abelskievers will be made outside by the Legion Hall/Fitness Center. The new Lariat Bar will be open at 10:00 AM with drink specials. At 1:00 PM it’s time for the Uff-Da Day Parade! 1:30 is the time set for the Nickel Scramble on Main Street, in front of Stock Growers Bank following the Parade. Bounce houses for the kids will be Open from 10:30 to 12:30, and from 1:30 to 3:00 PM. School starts at 2:00 PM with lessons for children of all ages at the one-room Country Schoolhouse. Everyone is welcome, and everyone is invited to Rutland to meet old friends and make new ones at Uff-Da Day on Sunday, October 2. See you there!

Rodney Erickson reports that traffic has been brisk at Wheaton-Dumont Co-op’s Rutland Elevator station. Soybean harvest has been in full swing since last Friday, September 23. Reports of yield and quality are sketchy, but, as has been said many times before, “It sure looks good from the road. “Rodney said that he had been occupied with aerial spraying most of the summer, with most of his work this year being in northern North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota and southwestern North Dakota. Most of the aerial applications up north were insecticide and fungicide treatments for wheat, barley and canola, he said. Rodney states that he covered more acres in 2022 than in any other year since he started in the business. Next year, though, he is planning to take his business to a new level, not in altitude but in area. He is purchasing a newer, larger spray plane with an 800 gallon tank and a 1,400 horsepower turbine engine. The plane he has been flying has a 500 gallon tank and a 900 horsepower turbine engine. His current plane, and the new one he is acquiring, are single wing monoplanes. The Ag-Cat plane that he had when his business began was a bi-plane and had a 660 horsepower piston powered radial engine. In his spare time, Rodney, his wife, Andrea, and their 3 girls: Abby; Maddie; and, Sophie; are building a substantial addition to their home in Rutland.

Steve & Sheila Wyum accompanied Steve’s cousin, Joe Oyer and his wife, Patty, on a sight-seeing trip out to western North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming from Wednesday, September 14, to Tuesday, September 20. The Oyers reside near Boston MA. Joe’s mother was a Cookson girl from Forman, a sister of Steve’s mother, the late Jan (Cookson) Wyum. The Oyers and another cousin couple, Tim & Tessa Boehm, had been visiting in Sargent County during the previous week, and had made their vacation headquarters at the Coteau des Prairies Lodge during their time in the community. Tim & Tessa Boehm currently make their home in the Philippines, but they had previously resided at Eugene OR. The Oyers and the Boehms enjoyed their stay at the Lodge, and the hospitality of the Breker family and their employees. On their western tour, Joe & Patty and Steve & Sheila explored some family history on their way to the Custer Battlefield along the Little Big Horn River. Steve discovered a great-great-great-grandfather of whom he had previously been unaware. Back in 1862, 14 years before Custer’s fatal clash with the Sioux, a young man named Sanford Murphy had enlisted in an Iowa Regiment to fight in the American Civil War. Instead of going south, though, the Regiment had been sent to the northwest, to chase hostile Sioux, supposedly survivors of the Minnesota Uprising of 1862, across the prairies of Dakota & Montana Territories. Sanford Murphy left behind him a young wife and infant daughter. Back in 1862, an Army Private was paid the magnificent sum of $13.00 per month, so the Murphy’s weren’t in it for the money. The expedition to which Pvt. Murphy’s unit was attached crossed the Missouri River and established Fort Rice on the west bank of the river, near the current location of the “Dakota Nights” tribal casino, and south of the present location of the City of Mandan. At that time, there were no organized communities in the northern portion of Dakota Territory other than Pembina and Fort Abercrombie on the bank of the Red River of the North, more than 200 miles to the east, and the Fort Union trading post at the confluence of the Missouri and the Yellowstone Rivers, near the present site of Williston. According to the story that Steve & Joe were told about their ancestor, he had been sent out on a scouting/hunting assignment from Fort Rice. While on this assignment, it was his misfortune to come in contact with some hostile Sioux. According to one version of the story, he was struck by an arrow and was taken back to the Fort where he died of the wound. According to the other version of the story, he was hit by several arrows, and died out on the prairie where those who had killed him smashed his head with a war club or large rock. In both versions of the story, his body had been buried at Fort Rice. In later years, the bodies of soldiers buried at Fort Rice had been disinterred and reburied at the Custer Battlefield along the Little Big Horn River, along with the bodies of those who had died there during Custer’s battle in June of 1876. Joe and Steve tried to find the grave, but had no luck in finding it, either at Fort Rice or at the Little Big Horn. Shortly after Pvt. Murphy’s untimely death, his wife also passed away. Their daughter was raised by her grandmother, a Mrs. Brown. The daughter grew up and became the ancestor of the Hurley family of Forman. Mrs. Charley Cookson, grandmother of Steve and Joe, was a Hurley. Steve reports that the Oyers and the Wyums thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the West, and their exploration of family history. Steve expects to do some more research on the subject.

Janice Christensen has informed friends here that her Granddaughter, Miss Laura Biewer, the daughter of Dennis & Stacey (Christensen) Biewer of Hickson ND, is a candidate for 2022 Homecoming Queen at NDSU in Fargo. The selection of the new Homecoming Queen will be made on Thursday, September 29, by NDSU’s students. Laura is well known to many in Rutland, and her friends here wish her the best of luck in Thursday’s election. If Janice shows up at the Uff-Da Day Rommegrot Counter wearing the tiara of a Queen’s Grandmother, we will know how the election turned out. In appearance and personality, Laura is a beautiful girl, and the students at NDSU would be fortunate to have her representing the student body as their Homecoming Royalty.

Congratulations to Josie Hamilton, daughter of Kenny & Tanya Hamilton, and Fletcher Willprecht, son of Kevin Willprecht and Wendy Willprecht, for their election as Sargent Central’s Homecoming Royalty last week. Both Josie and Fletcher have ties to this community. We are confident that they will do a great job representing the students, faculty and taxpayers of Sargent Central.

Personnel of the Sargent County Department of Health were in Rutland on Wednesday, September 28, administering flu vaccinations to all comers, and covid-19 booster shots to as many as could be accommodated. Hours were from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Shots were still being administered in the Rutland Seniors’ Center as this article was being written, so no numbers are available. A lot of people were on hand, so it is assumed that the event will be considered a success by County officials. For additional information about flu and covid vaccinations, call the Sargent County Department of Health at 724-3725, and speak with Brenda, Briana, Kelsey or Diane to make an appointment.

Meanwhile, on the international scene, Russian President Vladimir Putin is exhibiting more and more desperation as the war in Ukraine goes worse and worse for him and the Russian Army. His threats to use nuclear weapons rather than lose the war could lead to a global nuclear conflagration of epic proportions. Americans who are old enough will remember that sixty years ago, in October of 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union stood on the brink of just such a disaster over the Soviet’s placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy put down the marker on October 16 of that year with, “Any missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the western hemisphere will be considered to be an attack on the United States by the Soviet Union, requiring a full retaliatory response.” For 12 days, from October 16 to the 28th, the President of the United States and the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khruschev, stood, eyeball to eyeball, while the world held its breath, a hair’s breadth away from disaster. The President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was second only to Theodore Roosevelt as the youngest person to ever serve as President, and was a combat veteran of WWII. Nikita Khruschev had survived World War I, the Communist Revolution, the Russian Civil War and World War II. Fortunately for the world, neither man wanted to subject his country and its people to the total destruction of a nuclear war. Both men sought a way out of the crisis, and our President finally found it. As then U. S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk said, “We were eyeball to eyeball, and the other fellow just blinked.” We can hope that our current leadership in both the U. S. and Russia will have the maturity, judgment and courage that it took to end the crisis 60 years ago. Within 2 years of October 1962, President Kennedy had been assassinated and Khruschev had been exiled to Siberia. Such are this world’s rewards for Peacemakers.

Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week. For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and take a look at the Rutland Facebook page while you’re at it, too. Don’t forget to patronize your local Post Office, and remember to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! Later.

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The Rooster Crows – Sept. 23, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Three weeks ago, the high temperatures were in the 80’s & 90’s. Last week, the temperatures were in the 70’s & 80’s. Forecasters are predicting daily high temperatures in the 60’s for next week. The endless Summer is coming to an end. According to the Sun, the Autumnal Equinox, the beginning of Autumn, occurred on Thursday, September 22. Spring, the Vernal Equinox, won’t be back until Monday, March 20.  Between now and then keep your parka, snowshovel and overshoes handy. 

Mourning doves, mud hens and other early migrating birds are flocking up, getting ready for the long migration that will take some of them as far as South America, and none of them have emigration, or immigration, visas, either. Although mud hens, also known as coots, are birds that migrate, no one ever sees them migrating on the wing, so it is assumed that a bus picks them up in the dark of night and drops them off, at their winter roost near the Gulf of Mexico, a couple of days later. Well, however they do it, they manage to get it done, making the trip down and back every Fall and every Spring, as they have been doing every year for thousands of years. If they  were fleeing oppression and looking for work, the Governors of Florida and Texas might furnish a bus or an airplane to send them to Martha’s Vineyard, a vacation isle off the coast of Massachusetts. And some folks think that mud hens aren’t very smart!

Dick Meyers, one of Rutland’s favorite snowbirds, has informed friends here that he will be commencing his Fall migration to sun City AZ sometime during the next week, pending a conference with “The Committee,” composed of his daughters: Pam; Paula; and, Patty; and his son, Wayne. The Committee is an advisory group that listens up when Dick advises its members what he intends to do. As in the past several years, Dick has been making his Summer home at Lori McLaen’s “Bunkhouse” on Main Street, just south of the Stock Growers Bank’s Rutland station. He participated in the “Senior’s Golf Tour again this past year, and concluded the tour with last weekend’s two-day tournament at the Forman Golf Course.  He complimented Kim, the golf course manager and operator of The Hole-in-One bar & grill at the golf course, on her excellent cooking and service. Seventy-two years ago, back in the Summer and Fall of 1950, Dick was in training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in San Diego CA, and preparing to be sent to the fight then going on in Korea. He arrived in Korea in December of 1950, confronted the Chinese Army as a machine gunner in the 7th Marine Regiment and fought them to a standstill. No winter fighting for Dick this year, though. He intends to be playing golf in sunny Arizona. Dick’s many friends here are looking forward to welcoming him home next Spring, just before Memorial Day. Have a great Winter, Dick!  See you next Spring!

When Autumn arrives the annual influenza season can’t be far behind. The Sargent County Health Department will be administering flu shots at the Rutland Seniors’ Center from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28. The new Covid-19 booster shots are still in short supply, so they will be available only at the County Health Department’s office on Main Street in Forman until a larger supply is available. Covid vaccinations are scheduled to be administered on Friday, September 23 and on Wednesday, October 5, at the Health Department’s office on Main Street in Forman. Call 724-3975 and speak with Diane, Brenda, Briana or Kelsey to make an appointment for the covid-19 booster shot. In the meantime, get your flu shot when the Health Department’s Traveling Clinic is at a location near you, or you are near it.

Preparations for Uff-Da Day XXXVII are proceeding, full speed ahead. The following progress report was received from Rutland community Club President Katie McLaen on Tuesday, September 20: “3,038 is the total number of lefse produced by Lefse Lena and her Lefse Crew. We just finished at 8pm tonight (Tuesday, September 20) so that is the final count. Sandbakkle making is on Friday, September 23. Krumkake making will be on Monday, September 27. We are ready to rock!”  Uff-Da Day XXXVII will be on Sunday, October 2. Everyone is invited, and everyone is welcome. Don’t miss it.

Rutland has three new residents. Ms. Tyler Weatherby and her two children, ages 2 & 4, are now making their home at 215 Cooper Street with Tyler’s sister and brother-in-law. They recently moved to Rutland from Frankfort MO. Ms. Weatherby was introduced to lefse making on the evening of Tuesday, September 20.  The Rutland community extends a hearty “Welcome” to the Weatherbys.

Rutland’s Maintenance Specialist, Scott Haan, is reminding Rutland residents that the Fall Community clean up is scheduled for Saturday, September 24.  A big roll off dumpster will be available, as well as trailers for appliances, electronics, tires and scrap iron.  There will be a flat fee charged for the disposal of all items.  According to Scott, the gate at the City’s Inert Landfill will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 24.  The City looks pretty good right now, but this is a great opportunity to get rid of that junk, stuff and debris that has been accumulating in the backyard, basement, garage and street gutter all Summer.  Let’s clean out, clean up and keep Rutland looking good!

The 2022 soybean harvest has begun.  Jerry & Andrew Woytassek were harvesting beans just north of Havana at the beginning of this week.  No reports of yield or quality have been received, but local farmers and local bankers are both relieved that their annual payday is near at hand.

Rutland’s official sidewalk superintendent crew has observed that Rodney Erickson has created a prodigious  mound of earth next to his house remodeling project on North 2nd Street, and that he has parked a large track-hoe on top of the mound.  Rodney has not yet disclosed his intentions, but, we have learned from past observation that, whatever his intentions may be, when he is done, his project will be a success, and worth the effort.  You have to watch quick when Rodney is working on a project, or you will miss the end.

Jim Lunneborg and Kim Rasmussen stopped in at the Rutland Seniors’ Center for coffee & conversation on the morning of Wednesday, September 21, the last day of Summer.  Jim has missed most of the sessions with The Assembled Wise Men at The Round Table since the beginning of 2020, first, because of the covid-19 pandemic, and second, due to a medical condition that temporarily impaired his immune system.  He’s doing well now, though, and decided to stop in to get caught up on what he had missed.  According to Jim, “It’s a lot like the soap opera, ‘Days Of Our Lives,’ You can miss every episode for more than 2 years, and when you come back to it again you haven’t missed a thing.”  Consistency can be a comfort.  During Wednesday’s session with the Assembled Wise Men, someone mentioned an individual who had once been a Round Table regular, the late Jack Brummond of Havana.  Jack had a reputation as a frugal, some might say “miserly” individual who could squeeze a penny until it said “Ouch!”  He enjoyed this reputation, and played it to the hilt, even though he had made a lot of money and inherited a lot of money, and was one of the wealthiest men in the community.  Kim recalled that he had been at the Farmers’ Inn Café in Havana having breakfast one morning after an all night poker game.  Paul Bergh and a couple of other regulars were also at the table with Kim.  Jack Brummond stopped by their table and asked Kim if he had enjoyed any luck at the poker table the night before.  Kim replied that Lady Luck had been good to him at the poker table.  Jack, playing the role, held out his cap and shook it, like a panhandler looking for a handout.  Kim decided to call Jack’s bluff, took out his wallet, found a $50 bill and tossed it into Jack’s cap.  Jack took the $50 out of his cap, stuck it in his pants pocket, put on his cap and walked out the door.  Everyone was silent.  Jack did not come back in.  After a while Kim asked, “What just happened here?”  Paul Bergh responded with, “Two fools just met.”  “No,” said Kim, “it was only one, me!  And right now that fool is $50 short.”  Kim said that he had to hotfoot it home to explain the situation to his wife, before the local grapevine got the story to her first.  As the years have gone by, Kim has decided that giving that $50 bill to Jack was a good deal.  “I get more than $50 worth of enjoyment out of it every time I tell that story,” he says.  So, Jack was not really a tightwad.  He was just spreading laughter, one of his duties as “The Sage Of Weber Township.”

If you’re looking for a good job, and are willing to be remembered as one of those unique characters in Rutland’s history, get in contact with Paul Anderson; Rob Wyum; Katie McLaen; Mike Wyum; or, Patty Woytassek; and submit an application for the position of Manager of The Lariat Bar.  Opportunity is knocking, but, to obtain the benefits, you have to answer the door.

Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week.  For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and take a look at the Rutland Facebook page while you’re at it, too.  Remember to patronize your local Post Office, and don’t forget to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE!  Later.

The Rooster Crows – Sept. 16, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

The long, hot days of Summer ended, and Autumn’s more moderate temperament, took over on the morning of Friday, September 9, with the mercury in the 40’s as day dawned and the high temperature for the day only hitting the 70 mark, replacing the high 80’s and low 90’s of the preceding week. The soybean and corn crops are beginning to show the effects of fewer hours of sunlight, cooler weather and dry conditions, as many fields are turning color, from green to gold, at a rapid pace. No combines are rolling, yet, but, with soybean and corn prices at astronomical levels, local farmers are not going to want to leave those golden crops in the field any longer than they absolutely have to. The cloud currently hanging over harvest plans is not a rain cloud but an impending rail strike. Most of North Dakota’s grain crops, including wheat; soybeans; and corn; are exported to other parts of the country, and other parts of the world, and dependable rail service is essential to that process. If the crops can’t move, they will just be big piles of grain on the ground. Sometimes, even with railroads moving the crops, local grain elevators end up with piles of grain on the ground. That’s likely to be a lot worse if the trains are not moving at all. Back in the 1940’s, when a rail strike endangered national security, President Harry Truman nationalized the railroads and called out the Army to operate them. Truman’s action was later declared to be illegal by the Supreme Court, but it did shock the rail unions and management into action to settle their problems and get back to work. North Dakotans can hope that the current President will follow the example of “Give ‘Em Hell” Harry, by taking firm, quick, no-nonsense action to keep the railroads moving.

Rick Bosse stopped in at the Rutland Seniors’ Center for coffee & conversation on the morning of Monday, September 12. He reported that he was one of a party of hunters from the Britton SD & Brampton ND area who were on a guided black bear hunt near Big Falls, in northern Minnesota, during the week of September 5 through the 8th. Rick has been hunting in this area before, and his guide this time out was Jeff Larson of Big Falls. Rick said that he had a couple of opportunities early in the week but turned down the first one because it was too small and turned down the second because it was a sow black bear with 2 cubs at her side. On Friday, the last day of his hunt, Rick was in a tree stand when a big boar showed up and went for the bait. The bait, a combination of stale bread, candy and other edible items that bears like because it tastes good to them, even though it smells bad to us, was covered up by a pile of logs so raccoons and skunks wouldn’t get into it. The big black bear flipped the logs out of the way with one of its huge front paws. It was about 50 yards away, said Rick, and quartering away from him. He was armed with a rifle that fired the .300 Remington Ultra-Mag, a new type of ammunition that is quite powerful. Rick fired one well aimed shot, and the bear went down. After it was field dressed, the bear tipped the scales at 405 pounds, a real trophy by northern Minnesota standards. Rick received a lot of advice about what to do with his black bear from the Wise Men at the Round Table: have a full body mount; make a bear rug; or serve it up for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Harvey Bergstrom was in Andover SD last Saturday, September 10, to take in the steam power exhibition there. Harvey reports that the centerpiece of the show was a 150 horsepower J. I. Case steam tractor that was old and new at the same time. Back in 1909 the Case company manufactured fewer than ten of the mammoth tractors before scaling back to build a steam tractor that had less power and more demand. Over the years that followed, the 150 horsepower tractors all made their way to the scrap iron pile, and there have been none in existence for many decades. A few years ago, though, a young man from Andover, Corey Anderson, went to the head office of the J. I. Case company in Racine WI, found the original engineer’s specifications and drawings for the big steam tractor, copied them, then transcribed them into a computer assisted design (CAD) program, bought a foundry and used the information he had retrieved from Racine to make all of the parts needed to build a brand new 113 year old 150 horsepower steam powered tractor. Harvey said that a plowing demonstration was presented last weekend in which the big tractor pulled a plow with fifty 14” bottoms. The plow had 25 gangs of two bottoms each. A crew of men rode on the plow to manipulate the levers to put the bottoms into the soil at one end of the field and to withdraw them at the other end. There was no hydraulic or steam assist to operate the plow, only muscle power. Actually, Harvey said that one of the plow operators was a woman who did a good job of handling the plow’s levers.

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The Rooster Crows – Sept. 9, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

The days are warm, the nights are cool, the lawns are getting brown, but the leaves have not yet begun to fall. It’s September, the most pleasant month of the year. Other States are flooding out or burning up, but up on the northern plains, out here on the prairie, residents are enjoying their reward for surviving December, January, February, and March. This little bit of Heaven called September doesn’t last very long, although it can occasionally stretch out and wrap itself around a substantial chunk of October, too, but it sure is nice while it’s here. Every silver lining has its cloud, though. Our old friend, the late Clayton McLaen, used to remind us that, “North Dakota has only two seasons: Winter; and getting ready for Winter.” It’s a sobering thought. Brace yourself, it’s coming. But, could we enjoy September half as much had we not experienced January?

Harvey Bergstrom, Mike Banish, Rick Banish, and Chuck Anderson took advantage of the pleasant weather for a trip up to the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion at Rollag MN, on Friday, September 2, the first day of the 4-day event. Rumley Oil-Pull tractors were featured at the event this year. “Kerosene Annie,” the oldest Rumley tractor in existence, built during the first decade of the 20th Century, was the star of the show.  She is normally on exhibit in a glass case out in Idaho, but this year she broke loose and came out to Rollag to display her power and do some of the work she was built to handle more than a century ago. The four local men report a very good time observing steam power, horsepower and oil power in action.

The whitetail deer archery hunting season opened on Saturday, September 3, and two expert hunters in the hills of Tewaukon Township, Jim Huckell and his son, Bill, wasted no time in filling their tags. By sundown on opening day, they had each bagged a big buck, with its antlers still in velvet, and were getting ready to enjoy some venison.

Chuck Sundlie took advantage of the nice weather during the Labor Day weekend to apply a coat of paint to the south side of his house in the 400 Block of Cooper Street. Chuck’s house was originally built and occupied by the Osterberg family back in the early days of the 20th Century. Dick Meyers recalled that Grandma Osterberg was a very kind and generous person who was always willing to contribute her time or donate her resources to community and school causes back in the 1930’s & 40’s.

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The Rooster Crows – June 17, 2022

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By Bill Anderon

Despite the wet Spring that had delayed field work until the end of May, this community was pleased to get the rain that fell on Friday night, June 10. As soon as it doesn’t rain for a few days, a true North Dakotan starts to worry that it will never rain again, or, that when it does rain it will be too much, too little or in the wrong place. It can’t be helped. It’s in the blood. Roger Pearson reported .3 of an inch in his rain gauge on Saturday morning, while his next-door neighbor, Norbert Kulzer, had .4 of an inch in his gauge a few feet away. Norbert’s reading was matched by the .4 in Lary Arneson’s gauge, 2 blocks to the west. Chuck Anderson reported .37 of an inch at his Weber Township farm6 miles southwest of town; Harvey Bergstrom reported .31 of an inch in the gauge at his farm 3 miles south of Cayuga; and, Kurt Breker had .3 of an inch in his gauge 1 mile south of Cayuga. Another .1 or .2 of an inch was scattered across the countryside on Sunday & Monday, helping to keep lawn mowers and mosquito swatters busy. Well, the old timers used to say that it always dries up after a wet spell. We’ll just have to find out if they knew what they were talking about.

The Annual Rutland Community Block Party opened up at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, with more than 100 community residents and over 3,000 water balloons on hand for the festivities. The Rutland Volunteer Fireman manned the grills, turning out burgers, bratwursts, and hot dogs for participants, and also provided water game facilities for the community’s youth. During the Block Party, Miss Abbie Erickson, daughter of Rodney & Andrea Erickson, and a Senior at Sargent Central High School, was crowned “Miss Rutland 2022; and, Corbin Carlson, son of Bryce & Casee (Hawkinson) Carlson, and Lilith Pavek, daughter of Corey & Sarah (McLaen) Pavek, were awarded the titles of Mr. & Miss Lefse for the coming year. All 3 of Rutland’s reigning royals will be in the 2022 Uff-Da Day Parade on Sunday, October 2, 2022. The Rutland Community Block Party is held each year to give the community’s present, former and future residents an opportunity to get acquainted and re-acquainted, to talk over old times and to make plans for future good times. Thanks to Rutland Community Club President Katie McLaen for the information in this report.

Katie McLaen also reports that the Rutland Community Club met at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 13, at the Rutland Town Hall. The meeting was short. It was reported that the stage curtains in the Town Hall had been repaired and cleaned; and, that lefse production for Uff-Da Day 2022 will commence with a morning and an evening session on Thursday, June 16. Check the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com and the Rutland Facebook page for more information about the dates and times for future sessions. Fourteen sessions have been scheduled between mid-June and mid-August, so far.

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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.

Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – May 27, 2022” →