Woodsnews Forum

[bob]

I just read all of the letters to the Editor, and have several comments I would like to make.

First I would like to say this is not the place for all this political junk, I can get that on the TV and the newspapers and form my own opinions.

I completely enjoyed the letter from Nyle---but gosh Nyle---you forgot me. Marlys Baldwin. Rosie was my mom and she worked there I guess after I married and left for California...but you have to remember me. I did waitress work in the summers (1954-1956) and also cleaned house for your mom every Saturday morning for a couple of winters...She was a very neat person so it didn't take long, about 2 hours. So every Sat morning I would earn $1.00 and go to Bigfork with Dad every Saturday night, He would go buy groceries and I would go over to Dar's record shop and pick out 5 used jute box records to spend my dollar on. This trip was the high point of my week, not only did I get some new records but this was my driving lesson as I got to drive there and back.

Jeannie Ramstad asked about RUDY B---yes, that was Rudy Beckman I am sure, He is the one that built the Snowshoe either 1952 or '53. Rudys wife's name was Alletta and the two waitresses were Myrtle Snell and my sister Gayle. Rudy and his family didn't stay real long maybe a couple of years. He sold to Lyle LaGrange .took his family and moved back to Florida.

Lyle is the one that put the addition on maybe the second year I worked there?. I sure remember how nice that was...and I also remember the first customer I waited on in that new dining room....Dana Andrews and Dennis Morgan. Most of you probably don't remember these "STARS"----I went into the kitchen and told Irene who we had out there, so she brought fresh hot coffee out to them. It was great. I also remember Hugh Beaumont--but as I am older then Nyle I remember him different. He was not a STAR yet--just enough so we knew his name, He had done a few bit parts. He was the guy who gave Jimmy Stewart his Jacket in "Night Passage". If you are into westerns you will know that one. I remember every time he came in he would sit over by himself and order a peanut butter sandwich .20 cents--anything to drink? No, just water. and NO TIP. After I was in California he got the part as Beavers father. maybe then he could afford Chicken, I do know Irene made some very good fried Chicken. These were also the days of Johnny Cash's "I walk the Line" every tip I ever got went into the jute box. Dar knew what a sucker I was for country music so if I was working when he came in he would put the new records on and then let me play a few for free before he would close it up.

I remember the baseball team well, and they were good, very good. Us girls used to sell pop at the games. Lyle would order it for us and give it to us for cost and we would use the profits for the teen age dances. Our very good Band was Harold Boege, Jerome Ingstad, Larry Probst, and Owen Jacobson. we had a lot of fun at those dances.....They were held in the old town Hall and now I see that is gone as well....kind of sad.

You also mentioned Walt--do I remember Walt? Oh yes, I remember Walter. I had this little plastic bottle from my "perm"-just a little bottle filled with water but if you squeezed it.?? ..well when I turned Walt's direction, he said "I wouldn't if I were you." didnt take much more then that to temp me, and I knew I could out run him.....and my dad worked just across the street, right? So empty that bottle I did. Walter came up off that chair and I took off----He caught me in less then 15 good strides, scooped me up ran down the dock and through me into the Lake.

Lots of good memories and anyone who wants to bat a few of them back and forth my address is Hwy 71 N Wadena Minnesota, if you want to drop me a card... If I believe you are someone I would like to correspond with I will send you my e-mail address.... Say I would love to read a story telling me a bit about the Snowshoe after LaGranges sold, and also plans for the future-----That looks like a pretty big building? what is is going to be? thanks mkb

[bob]

To The Editor:

Thank you for displaying the picture of "The Snowshoe" just prior to demolition. It is now a memory in the past, as was Marcell Mercantile, the "old' town hall, Pine Haven Resort, on Big Turtle, Karjala's resort store, Newstrom's store, Beckman's Bait store, Probst's Lumber Mill, the original Marcell Church, Hawkeye Haven, Camp Caribou, Idewild Resort and many more.

The Snowshoe was the Snowshoe Cafe. At it's peak it was a viable enterprise that supported a family of four. Many of the regulars in the 1950's and 60's ranged from grass roots to celebrity. A few names of he colorful patrons are now only recognized by very few people. Cherry Chins (Gunshot Maki), who reportedly attempted suicide and missed, blowing off his chin, Andrew Maki, sporting a shotun under his long black coat in case the communists ever came after him, Moose Lindgren, Big Nick and Little Nick Neimala would go into the kitchen with my dad to borrow money to drink and then come out and buy the house a round to make it appear as though they had "lots of money", Skinhead, Billy Boy, Johnny Panula, Bill Knott and his dog Patch, Hugo and Hilda Gangruth, Tuts and Bud Benson, on and on. Oh yes, Hugh Beaumont, "Ward Cleaver" on the leave it to Beaver show often brought his family in for mom's fried chicken. There were some spirited sparing matches on some occasional Friday and Saturday nights requiring the honorable constable Walter Lyytinen to intervene (which I believe he thoroughly enjoyed "Breaking up", literally).

If you ate, or drank at "The Snowshoe" you could expect to be waited on by Sis Boege, Joan (Boege) Snell and sister, Rosie Baldwin, Delores (Lusti) Eckert, Evelyn Kibler, Jan Newstrom and of course my parents over the years.

Occasionally the "Sky Pilot", Reverend Herbert Peters would stop in to jest with the regular patrons, probably hoping they would see the light. He was an inspiration beyond description truly dedicated to spiritually guiding the people of Marcell in his circuit.

Most people may not know that Marcell also had a pretty darned good baseball team that would sequester after Sunday games at The Snowshoe Cafe. Local celebrity speedball stars, such as Bruce Eckert, Bob and Harold Boege, Walter, Reino and Wilho Lyytinen, Owen Jacobsen, Charlie Eckert, Sonny Jarvi, Sonny Lusti and Allen Rautio, just to name a few. They were guided and coached by the spirited Ted Ecker. Bill Knott umpired. In addition to the protective padding he was also "well oiled" so that the stray balls would just ricochet off of him.

There were three families that migrated to Marcell from Eastern Iowa. All were friends following each other to an area they loved. Orva and Sis (Gertrude) Boege moved first as proprietors of Pine Haven Resort. Lyle and Irene (Tuts) La Grange then bought and expanded the Snowshoe Cafe and then Harold and Evelyn Kibler followed eventually operating the Marcell Inn and Snowshoe.

All but my Dad, Lyle La Grange have passed away. From my perspective there are more than walls that existed at The Snowshoe. There was life. Thank you for the Timely picture. It has precious meaning to my brother and I.

Sincerely,
Nyle La Grange

[bob]

To the Editor:

I was so happy to read the letter from Nyle La GrRange! Bruce and I are the present owners of the Snowshoe and have shared in some of the "life" that centered around the place. We shared alot of good times there with friends and there are alot of "Snowshoe" stories to be told. I remember dancing to a song call "Big Mable Murphy" on the juke box-- Sunday nights when the Marcell Inn was closed. Jimmy and Esther Drieman would show up to dance too. Lined up along the bar were Johnny Pannula, Pat Snell, Bumstead, Floyd Talbert, Betty and Ralph and a host of others. Jerry and Marilyn Gang owned it the whole time I remember...We felt the same way about the place, the people are what made it so fun. Alot of people that came into the Snowshoe (when it was our second-hand shop) stopped to tell us about the good times they had there when it was a bar & cafe. We recognized many of the names that Nyle mentioned in his letter. I bet there are others out there that do too. Does anyone else want to share a story? I'm going to clip them and keep them in the new shop. I hope that when we rebuild we can keep some of the character of the Snowshoe alive by remembering the people. ps. Inside the wall we found a newspaper from 1952 --Rudy B. was written on one corner. Bruce thinks it might have been Rudy Beckman. Does anyone know if he might have helped build the snowshoe??

PS. The first wall went up today....

Jeannie Ramstad

Marcell