Lennie Sees No Flood But Watches Soldiers Drill and Walks Katie Home

Today (year 2011) the Missouri River a number of miles east of Wakefield, Nebraska, is at flood stage. Many, many acres of Iowa and Nebraska cropland under water. The U.S. Corps of Engineers is releasing huge (record) amounts of water through the five dams above us. Those historic releases will continue into mid-August. We live across the river from Wakefield. We are apprehensive of the coming weeks.

But in 1898? Lennie is busy with ordinary every-day events. Following is his week in 1898 as written in a small pocket diary which he kept for the year.

Sunday, June 12, 1898
Nice day.
Had children's day at Prest (Presbyterian) & ME (Methodist-Episcopal) church.
(In his adult years Lennie and his wife, Alma, were members of the Presbyterian church. But so far I do not know which church Lennie attended as a child. It is evident from his diary that he visited nearly every local church whenever they had special events or dinners. Lennie was a highly sociable fellow.)

Monday, June 13, 1898
Hauled manure.
George Green loaded up all I had to do was to haul.
Went to band practice.
(I posted yesterday about Lennie hauling manure. Please be aware that this was a smelly operation and the odor of manure would waft from the fields for long distances. But spreading manure was the norm for farming in 1898.)

Tuesday, June 14, 1898
Hauled manure for Green.
Watched soldiers drill.

Wednesday, June 15, 1898
Hauled manure.
Band played for dress drill.
Went to social at Peat? Neffs? (Sorry, can't decipher Lennie's hand-writing.)

Thursday, June 16, 1898
Did not work.
Watched soldiers drill.
Took Katie? home.

Friday, June 17, 1898
Went to a picknick at Joe ???
Ladies had supper for soldiers.

Saturday, June 18, 1898
Loafed around town all day.
Edith Duncan and Miss Carter? came down.
are (Edith most likely was the daughter of Scott W. Duncan and his wife, Aminia (America??) of Dakota City, about 30 miles northeast of Wakefield. If this is the correct Edith, she married John E. Triggs and remained in this general area until her death in 1930 at the age of 57. The photo is of the 1880 census for Dakota City, Nebraska. You can click for a closer view.)