LOOKING BACK (Part II) By Helmi Voight

For income we kept a dairy herd and sold cream. A cream separator stood in the corner of most farm kitchens. I've always been fascinated by how this apparatus could separate whole milk into cream and skimmed milk, each flowing into a dirrerent container. Eventually the creamery began buying the whole milk and cream separators became obsolete.

The skimmed milk was used for drinking and cooking and the excess was fed to the calves and pigs. Some of the cream was used for making butter. We had a gallon sized glass churn and a large wooden barrel churn. I might add that churning butter was not a favorite pastime. Cream was a luxury reserved for holidays and company.

We raised out own potatoes and vegetables as well as the animals for beef, pork, chickens and eggs and we did our own butchering. Before refrigeration, we preserved foods by canning meat, fruits and pickles and salting fish. Potatoes and some vegetables were stored in a root cellar which also served as a storm cellar. Canned goods and some potatoes were also stored in a small cellar beneath the kitchen.

At some point iceboxes appeared on the scene, but we didn't have one. Ice was cut from frozen lakes and stored in sawdust in a building for that purpose until it was needed. Blocks of ice were placed in a top compartment of the icebox to keep the box cold.

We were self-sufficient except for such staples as flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cereals and coffee. We bought sugar in 100 pound sacks and flour in 50 pound sacks. Dad traveled 15 miles by wagon or sleigh once a month to town to buy groceries. He left at 5 a.m. and returned around 9 p.m. As children, these trips were of special interest to us because Dad always brought us some candy and Cracker Jacks.

By today's standards we didn't have very many clothes, but we always had at least one complete outfit for Sundays and special occasions. Patched clothes were not a disgrace. Most women wore dresses even when they worked in the barn or fields. Girls wore dresses, knickers and even bibbed overalls to school. To defy the winter we wore long underwear and leggings to keep warm when we walked to school. By the seventh and eighth grades the "fashion bug" began to influence the girls' thinking. Feeling self-conscious about long underwear they would roll up the legs or abandon their use altogether. By the 1930's more fashionable snowsuits, cotton slack suits and shorts outfits brought new ease and comfort.

The seasons brought many favorite things to do. Attending the County Fair was a highlight for me. Another was a family outing on Sunday to our special island for a day of picnicking, fishing and swimming. For lack of toys, we became inventive and made some of our own such as stilts which we enjoyed walking with.

In the winter months we spent hours skiing with skis made by Dad or sliding with sled or toboggan. It was great fun to ski or slide on the moonlit nights. We made snowmen, built snow houses and snow forts and dug tunnels into large snowbanks.

During spring thaws many ponds formed in hollows in the fields which would freeze over making ideal skating rinks. Later as the day warmed and the ice melted our interests turned to thoughts of rafting so we built rafts. We used a pole to navigate the raft around the pond. I have a very vivid memory of an unexpected accidental plunge into the icy waters.

Ours was a full and active life of work and pleasures. There was always food on the table and clothes to wear so I don't recall any feeling of deprivation.

As means of communication and transportation improved, a radio and a car in the 1930's opened up for a new avenues and new experiences. Other conveniences were to come later. It wasn't until I was married in 1949 and in my new home that I had my first running water, electric lights, indoor toilet, washing machine, refrigerator, electric range and other appliances. Even later we opted for a television set and a telephone.

Helmi Neuvonen Voight
This excellent personal memoir was submitted to the Sawyer County Historical Society this year. We extend our thanks to Helmi for her efforts. I hope our readers will share it with their friends, children and families. Does anyone remember more details? Were there any city kids who remember the blacksmith shops? How about those who remember more about resorts? Contact the Society at 634-3075 or P. O. Box 384, Hayward, WI 54843.