Two Characters
My Dad and my Uncle were always my hero’s when I was growing up. My Dad was the “The Great White Hunter” and my Uncle Glen who was my mom’s brother was” the Cowboy” hero.
Dad on the left, Norman W., my Uncle Glen on the right
These two were wilder than “March hares” when they were growing up on the prairie of Northern Montana in the 1920’s. They hunted, coyotes, skunks, and weasels and trapped all three in the winter. They rode horses and most of all pulled pranks on any and all unsuspecting people. Friends, family, schoolmates, neighbors, and teachers weren’t exempt from these two.
Some of the mischief they pulled around this time of year, Halloween, was they managed to put a Model T on the top of the two story school building in Hingham, Montana where Uncle Glen, my mom and my Aunt Francis went to school. They accomplished this feat with ropes, block and tackle, and just strength from some other teenage boys. No explanation to me who got the Model T off the roof of the school or who the unfortunate person was who owned the car.
I’m not sure if it was the same Halloween or not but they put ol’ Bossy, a milk cow into one of the 2nd floor classrooms in the same Hingham School. I don’t know if any of you have cleaned up after a milk cow, but the amount of cow pies they can leave is extensive and if the right food was eaten it can be a runny mess on top of it. No word if they got caught or if any punishment followed.
It’s a good thing they didn’t live nowadays or the headlines in the paper would have been an inch high with ” Hooligans hit Local High School”.
Wild boys with the little coyotes
These two always trapped in the winter and after they had gotten a mother coyote one day they captured 4 coyote pups. They put them into an old tin stove they found at an abandoned homestead and loaded them on their old horse, Ol’ Bouncer. True to his name when the old horse heard the little coyotes scratching on the tin stove the horse bucked off the stove the little coyotes and ran all the way to Grandpa Bud’s ranch about 5 miles away leaving our young trappers/hooligans a long walk home.
I miss them both every day.
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I miss Grandpa too. He was one of a kind.
Hi Russ, I think the car was Charles Swatek’s who was the school superintendent and the old cow Mrs. Amdahl’s cow. Been a long time since my dad told me about that so I’m not sure. Getting old and my memory isn’t as good as it once was. by the way good job on your blog.
Thanks Ed for the feedback I remember the names now, but it needed your input..Miss all those old guys and there tales of terror…
Long time since I heard the name Charles Swatek, he was my favorite teacher of all time. Only class I ever got an A+ in, and he claimed the only one he ever gave! He taught my mom, myself and a nephew, not bad helping 3 generations. Sorry to say I could probably not work an algebra problem today. Even if my life depended upon it. He was one of a kind.
Love the stories of my dad & yours, their were great friends & brother-in-laws. Thank you for keep the stories alive.
Sure glad to stir some memories, that is what this journey is all about..
Love to hear these old stories. We don’t have the “characters” now like we did back then. There are so many of our oldsters I miss terribly. Thanks for the great stories, Russ!
I miss them all. Glad to have grown up when I did so I could come in contact with a lot of Characters.. Thanks for comin by Susan. I appreciate it.
I love your stories! Please keep them coming!
Thanks for stopping by Michelle, there are more stories.. I appreciate your time. Thank you.