May 27 - June 2, 1948

Schurter cousins in the 50s??

My sister is holding me on the left side so my guess would be 1957 or 58? Any family members have the exact year. I won't name the non-Schurter Witzig in the photo but that might help date this picture. Also, not sure where it was taken. Help?

May 27: "Went to farm early. Got disk home from timber, changed steel wheels on tractor to rubber. Finished planting corn before dinner. Made fence all afternoon. Came home after supper. We need rain bad. Took Mom Schurter to Pekin for glasses in their car."

pants, shirt, socks for Charles  3.94

rubber pants  .72

candy  .46

film and pictures  .82

shaving cream  .34

socks  .89

gro.  2.25

rolls  .54

May 28: "Went to farm early. Made fence before dinner. Took Mom to Peoria, she went to Chicago to Louis for a couple of days. Worked around home after dinner. Hoed potatoes for about 1 hr. Looked like rain."

gro. .83

gro. 2.45

May 29: "Went to farm late this morning. Used the rotary hoe on 10 acres of corn by school house. Went to timber to put cows in other pasture. Went to Dan's to get bull. Hoed potatoes for about 1 hr. Stayed home all evening, painted screens."

May 30: "Got up late this morning. Charles and Carol went to Sunday school. I stayed with Jimmy. Hung screens after dinner. Went to Rockholds but they were not home. Came home early. Still need rain."

gro. 1.19

gro. 1.47

May 31: "Went to farm late this morning. Hoed potatoes for awhile then got harrow home from timber, moved brooder house, and cleaned it out. Sprayed house, barn, and basement. Came home early. Rockholds were in after supper."

June 1: "Went to farm this morning late. Went to Peoria to buy a sprayer. Then came home through Morton to get mower parts. Put mower on tractor after dinner. Cut hay couple of hours. Mom got home from Chicago. Helen was down to get dinner for us."

June 2: "Went to farm early this morning. Finished cutting hay this morning. Took mower off of tractor after dinner, then got hay rake and started raking this evening. Came home early this evening."

gro. 2.97

May 20 - 26, 1948

Henry and sister, Christine (Tick in the journal)

May 20: "Went to farm early this morning. Harrowed and disked all day. Used Dan's tractor 2 1/2 hours to harrow. Have clover ground ready to plant. Helen and kids were down most of day."

May 21: "Went to farm early this morning. Harrowed 4 acre patch twice. Then started planting about 7 o'clock, planted 14 acres today. Disked patch up in timber this evening. Showers of rain went around all day."

gro. 1.49

Pekin Times  .20

May 22: "Went to farm early. Harrowed ground in timber. Then planted it before dinner. Went over 10 acres of corn after dinner, with rotary hoe. Came home early. Went to Morton and Pekin after supper. Got home early. Have a very bad cold."

eats  .82

gas  1.00

May 23: "Stayed in bed late this morning. Fitted two screens this morning and painted them. Went up to Adcox's after dinner. Came home early. Went to bed about 8:30. Rockhold's were here after I went to bed."

paper  .15

gum  .05

ice cream  .75

May 24: "Got up early this morning. Started disking in timber. Got all ground disked. One patch harrowed. Was very cool this morning. Came home early."

gro. .80

May 25: "Went to farm early. Worked ground in timber all day. Was very cool this morning all our first planted corn is up. Sure need a rain bad."

May 26: "Went to farm early. Was very cool this morning. Had two hours of harrowing. Then started planting. Had about one acre left for tomorrow."

Traveling

 

 

 The curse of being retired history teachers is that my wife and I can't always just take the interstate highway. On a recent trip to see our grandson in Portland we followed a bit of the Oregon Trail in Wyoming and Idaho. It is interesting to compare how we travel (old Roadtrek) with those who journeyed west in the 19th century. The pictures, except for the steam train, are primarily from Wyoming. Human impact on the earth is pretty amazing and even after more than a century the California and Oregon trails are clearly marked in the terrain. Stream crossings were particularly dangerous and some enterprising individual decided a ferry would speed the process so you can see a replica of the original with my wife standing for size comparison (she is just over 5' tall). We happened to be in Soda Springs on the day the steam train was scheduled to arrive. We couldn't pass up the chance to see something from our childhood so we spent some time in town while waiting on the arrival. It was especially fun as we left town to see people at each intersection west of town waiting for a glimpse of history.

May 13 - 19, 1948

Henry - 1936

May 13: "Went to farm early this morning. Hauled manure most of the day, broke spreader couple of times. Came home early this evening. Paid for new screens. Vic and Dave (Helen's brother and brother-in-law) were up also, Grandma Adcox and Norman came also. Was clearning off and getting cooler."

gro.  1.37

May 14: "Went to farm early this morning. Hauled manure till 10 o'clock, then started disking. After dinner harrowed then planted 5 acres. Had a shower of rain this evening came home early."

May 15: "Went to farm late this morning. Rained last evening. Fixed water pipes. Went to timber after dinner. Came home early. Voted at school election. Was cool day. Went out with Scharlachs, Tick and Burl, Elsie and Dan, had a nice time."

gro. .97

Mecca Club  5.00  (not sure if name is correct)

May 16: "Went to farm about 9:30, disked rest of day. Was a clear cool day. Will plant corn in morning."

gro. .97

May 17: "Went to farm at 4:30 this morning, harrowed 10 acres and planted it by noon. Harrowed 10 acres after dinner and planted some by 6:30. Then changed steel wheels and started to plow sweet clover under. Came home about 9:45, was cool all day."

gro. 1.02

haircut  .75

telephone bill  2.59

milk bill  5.88

---- refill  1.22

May 18: "Went to farm early. Plowed all day. Was very cool this morning. Plowed till 9:45 this evening."

May 19: "Went to farm early. Finished plowing today. Harrowed 10 acres of clover twice. Also went over 10 acres of corn with rotary hoe. Came home at 10 o'clock."

gro.  .35

Hot Springs, SD

We visited the wonderful South Dakota town of Hot Springs. If you are a walker, miles of paved trail and hundreds of steps. Numerous places to eat and you are still early enough in the tourist season that you don't have to wait. We spent nearly 3 hours at the Mammoth Site. What a great experience, Over 60 mammoth's have been uncovered and the site is only about 1/3 excavated. Pictures included below.

Picture directly above shows you the imprint and impact of a mammoth walking directly toward you.

Interesting that all the mammoths uncovered have been young males. I guess they weren't too different from many young males I have known.

May 6 - 12, 1948

Henry K. Schurter  1918

May 6: "Went to farm late this morning. Was raining, worked on tractor & car most of day. Was very cool this afternoon and evening. Cleared off late today."

furnace cleaning  10

watch   2.80

gro.  1.17

seeds & rolls  .65

May 7: "Went to Morton first thing morning to Ford garage to see sprayer. Then went to farm, worked on corn planter till noon. Went to timber all afternoon to haul some brush in the ditches. Came home for supper."

parts  .50

May 8: "Went to farm early this morning. Harrowed up in timber most of morning. Disked about 1 hr. before dinner. Was still too wet. Took oats drill to Eichers after dinner. Got disk and harrow home from timber, fixed tire on trailer. Came home early this evening. Want to start planting corn Monday."

gro. 2.98

gro. 1.45

May 9: "Slept late this morning. Kids went to Sunday School. Went to farm this afternoon. Was up to Adcox's for awhile. Rained some today. Millers and Jessies were at the farm."

case beer  2.75

gas  1.35

May 10: "Went to farm early. Had shower of rain this morning. Started disking about 9 o'clock. Started planting corn about 2 o'clock. Got about 5 acres planted before it started to rain. Dan disked and harrowed for us this afternoon with his tractor."

welding 1.00

gro.  .15

May 11: "Went to farm about 7:30, rained most of night. Went to San Jose to get seed corn. Went to timber after dinner to make fence. Got home about 6:30. Dad & Dan bought a young bull from Woerner's. Are going to sell the old bull."

May 12: "Went to farm late this morning, cleaned chicken houses before dinner. Made fence all afternoon. Was a rainy day. Mom and Tick went to Pekin this afternoon."

fish  1.42

gro  2.35