Post Office

   In Northern Minnesota, mail service was slow in arriving. Sometimes it took several weeks for mail to travel across the country. Mail traveled by any means available. Trains, planes, automobiles and even boats were used. The price was quite high at 2 cents for a three page letter or 1 cent for a postcard. Post offices were few and far between but general stores would do postal work for a small yearly fee.

   Mail delivery to rural homes was slow in arriving in Northern Minnesota. At first it was a once a week service usually done on horseback or by mule. On some of the bigger lakes mail was delivered weekly by boat. That service is still available today on Lake Vermillion. The mailboxes are attached to the boat dock. 

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Snow

   In my book "A River of Seasons" I write about the weather that defined the northern part of Minnesota. The hardest time was winter. The cold, the wolves, the boredom of long nights all played a part in the harshness of winter.

   It wasn't all cold and gloom though. You could watch a young child dress and go out to play when it was twenty below. He'd look around and within just a few minutes he was having fun, throwing snowballs or sliding down a big hill on a sled. 

   So you see, winter was just as much fun as summer, you just had to dress warmer.

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

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Montana Timber

   In the book 'A River of Seasons" I talk about the timber industry in Montana a long time ago. Compared to Minnesota logging, those trees were mere matchsticks. The high altitude kept most things pretty small, even the chipmunks. Men still worked hard, and put up great piles of timber. Instead of floating the timber to the sawmills, they sawed the timber right near the camps.

   The lumberjacks were still a wide variety of Scandinavians, Finlander and Swedes. A lot of the men were new to the English language but in reality, all they needed was to be able to handle an ax or saw.     

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated often. 

   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

Farm Families

 This past weekend I had the rare pleasure of attending a family reunion in southern Minnesota. By the time I returned home, I had been hugged, squeezed, kissed by a sweet older lady and even adopted into a family of truly fine folks.

   Most of this grand group originated in Minnesota’s farming areas and spent many hours playing in the hay mow. What can be more fun than that!

   Some of that bunch migrated out west where the sky seems a lot bigger. One gentleman said that his new combine doesn’t even need a driver. You just sit in the cab and read the newspaper. 

   In case I made it all sound a bit too easy, consider these things. A hail storm can take you from riches to rags in an hour. A good rain can make you a half a million dollars.  The stock market can be pretty tough on farmers.

   So thank you to those fine folks the Habbens and Williams. I had more fun than a man my age is entitled to.

     My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.

   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

Neighborhood Bully

   Well, the neighborhood bully paid a visit to our little place in the woods last night. The bird feeder is in a shambles and the fence around the chickens looks a little worse for wear. Bears do whatever they want, whenever they want.
   WWBD. Yes that's the main question. What would a bear do. If you were a bear strolling through the woods and you smelled a big juicy cheeseburger, you'd do whatever you could to get it. That's the way bears are about bird feeders. There are no limits on them.
   After having this one uprooted so many times, I just gave up. I put a big ball of concrete on the bottom so that when they tip it over, I can just go outside and stand it up again. The important part is to wait until the bear leaves.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.
   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

Log Homes

   Back in the time of the big timber camps construction was mostly done with White Pine logs. There weren't many lumber yards in this area. Some of these creations still stand today, but most rotted from the bottom and went back to the soil.

   Some of the best log cabin builders came from the Scandanavian countries, mostly Sweden. These were actually master craftsmen. A team of four men and one good horse could put up a house in a week and a half. There was always work for them to do,

   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.
   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com

Rendezvous

   In my book "A River of Seasons" I write about the Rendezvous an event where all trappers gathered each year. Some were gatherings of several hundred trappers and others were just a chance for the men to let off a little steam.
   The years furs weren't worth much if there wasn't someone to buy them. Hudson's Bay Company always had buyers no matter what the size of the gathering. For many years, beaver were the mainstay of the trapping industry. Most of those were shipped by sail to England. The gentry had a love of beaver felt top hats and paid well.
   My book "River of Seasons" is for sale on Amazon.com as  well as peaceriverbooks.com.
   The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 
   I invite you to visit "A River of Seasons" blog site each day for a small look into what life was like a long time ago.

Good Reading,
Ron

Cover Design and Formatting by coversareus.com