I know everyone has heard from their parents especially in the Osage, "we walked 5 miles to school barefoot and up hill both ways to school". At least that is how I remember mom saying it (maybe a little different). Anyway I was thinking about this subject and what I want my kids to know about my parents and their parents and what it was like growing up and going to school.
My favorite story is about their grandfather, Clifford Woodrow Olson, who was born in Anoka, Minnesota in about 1916. He lived in the country and they walked to school most of the time but also road horses to school on occasion. But the best part was dad made his own snow skis and skied to school in the winter. Sometimes Grandad Olson would hitch up the horses and sleigh, yes sleigh, and take them to school on a sleigh. Mom still has the sleigh bells. Dad also had snow shoes for the deep snow in winter. Now that is a pretty good contrast to hear in Oklahoma where when we get an inch of snow we let school out due to the disaster. What a joke.
Anyway the other thing that was really cool is how they made the snow skis. They would pick wood with a straight grain in it and then boil the wood until it became limber at which time they would shape it like a ski then allow it to dry in the new shape. After it was dry they would sand and wax the ski and attach the apparatus that attached to your shoes. I doubt I would ever get over weight if I walked or skied to school everyday.
Now mom, Opal Wanetta Olson, was born and raised in Oklahoma. She lived in what is now the Bob Jackson house one mile west and about a quarter mile north from Grainola. She was part of a large family that lived on the hill and they walked to school everyday. She lived like everyone else through the depression and farming was not a hobby but a way of life for everyone in the family. They had a giant garden and lots of farm animals and not a lot of money. Mom use to tell us how they would get a new pair of shoes each year as in ONE pair. Kathryn, can you imagine one pair a year and not those high heals? Interestingly enough the Lane sisters and two brothers never had a weight problem. Mom is 83 years old and walks about 5 miles a day, NOW. Maybe I should do that?
Then there was Debbie-Larry-Gary (that is what mom called me when you was a little frustrated with me) who road the bus to school and we lived one mile north and three west of Grainola (population 36 not counting dogs and cats). Bob Scott was our driver until we consolidated to Shidler in the 8th grade and then Don Conner was our bus driver. Because Shidler had the largest school district in the state and we were the farthest house on the route I road the bus over one hour each way to school. I really did not mind it and I thought it was better than walking to Shidler which was about 16 miles to school. I learned to enjoy seeing everyone on the bus each day and driving the back roads to pick everyone up.
The most memorable trip was when we lost a bus tire and got stranded not to far from Leb Custer's house. Bob sent two of the guys to get help and we watched a storm rolling through while we waited. What was so interesting is that there was a tornado north of us that we watched for a long time. We thought it was a few miles north of us. My dad was a couple of miles north of us and he thought the tornado was a couple of miles south of him. Wow! We were surprised to find that out.
I guess I just loved the adventure.
What do you learn in the Osage?
My favorite story is about their grandfather, Clifford Woodrow Olson, who was born in Anoka, Minnesota in about 1916. He lived in the country and they walked to school most of the time but also road horses to school on occasion. But the best part was dad made his own snow skis and skied to school in the winter. Sometimes Grandad Olson would hitch up the horses and sleigh, yes sleigh, and take them to school on a sleigh. Mom still has the sleigh bells. Dad also had snow shoes for the deep snow in winter. Now that is a pretty good contrast to hear in Oklahoma where when we get an inch of snow we let school out due to the disaster. What a joke.
Anyway the other thing that was really cool is how they made the snow skis. They would pick wood with a straight grain in it and then boil the wood until it became limber at which time they would shape it like a ski then allow it to dry in the new shape. After it was dry they would sand and wax the ski and attach the apparatus that attached to your shoes. I doubt I would ever get over weight if I walked or skied to school everyday.
Now mom, Opal Wanetta Olson, was born and raised in Oklahoma. She lived in what is now the Bob Jackson house one mile west and about a quarter mile north from Grainola. She was part of a large family that lived on the hill and they walked to school everyday. She lived like everyone else through the depression and farming was not a hobby but a way of life for everyone in the family. They had a giant garden and lots of farm animals and not a lot of money. Mom use to tell us how they would get a new pair of shoes each year as in ONE pair. Kathryn, can you imagine one pair a year and not those high heals? Interestingly enough the Lane sisters and two brothers never had a weight problem. Mom is 83 years old and walks about 5 miles a day, NOW. Maybe I should do that?
Then there was Debbie-Larry-Gary (that is what mom called me when you was a little frustrated with me) who road the bus to school and we lived one mile north and three west of Grainola (population 36 not counting dogs and cats). Bob Scott was our driver until we consolidated to Shidler in the 8th grade and then Don Conner was our bus driver. Because Shidler had the largest school district in the state and we were the farthest house on the route I road the bus over one hour each way to school. I really did not mind it and I thought it was better than walking to Shidler which was about 16 miles to school. I learned to enjoy seeing everyone on the bus each day and driving the back roads to pick everyone up.
The most memorable trip was when we lost a bus tire and got stranded not to far from Leb Custer's house. Bob sent two of the guys to get help and we watched a storm rolling through while we waited. What was so interesting is that there was a tornado north of us that we watched for a long time. We thought it was a few miles north of us. My dad was a couple of miles north of us and he thought the tornado was a couple of miles south of him. Wow! We were surprised to find that out.
I guess I just loved the adventure.
What do you learn in the Osage?
- Enjoy every peace of the pie or in plain English, enjoy the journey
- Riding the bus is like looking at people, there is something going on all the time on the inside and the outside
- Seek and ye shall find adventure in everything you do and YOU make it what you want in life
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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