Sioux Rapids in the late 30's and early 40's was very typical of any small town found dotted around the country at that time.  The Little Sioux river ran through the wooded area west of town.  I would guess that the first settlers were attracted to the area by the river.  Many of the residents were descendents of people from the Scandinavian countries who had settled here.  A busy railroad ran through the town bringing mail and the many goods needed by the retail stores.  Trucks had not yet entirely taken over that job.

There were no supermarkets or malls near small towns.  Hardware stores sold only hardware, grocery stores sold only groceries, and bakeries sold only baked goods.  If clothing, shoes, linens were needed, one went to a department store.  There were drug stores selling only drugs and meat markets selling only meat.  Now all these things are purchased in large stores at the Malls located in larger towns and attracting people away from their home town.  Sioux Rapids had a variety store similar to old time dime stores.  There was a weekly newspaper printed dealing with items of local interest.  There was a practicing dentist and a doctor.  In fact, Sioux Rapids provided all the services its people needed.

School organization was not extensive but many rural schools had closed and the pupils transported to Sioux Rapids by bus.  Earl had signed a contract as Junior High Principal here for the school year 1931-32.  Most people consider years January through December.  I think of a year as being from September through May the school year.  Sonny was seven months old when we moved to Sioux Rapids and twelve years old when we left in 1943.

One event well remembered was Armistice Day of 1941.  It began as a warm Nov. day with no thought of the disaster nature had in store for the entire state.  There was a football game in the afternoon and while we were there light snow started to fall.  By the time the game ended it was no longer light and the wind blew in with a vengeance.  This continued for hours.  It was so unexpected that many people were caught without protection.  A number of deaths resulted and many animals especially cattle froze to death. Sioux Rapids was snow bound for days not even the trains could run.  People risked wading through the deep snow banks to buy food afraid that the stores would be sold out they almost were.  Flour, sugar, eggs, coffee, etc were hoarded much as a squirrel hides nuts preparing for winter.  Earl and Frank spent one entire night helping shovel a road so that a woman in labor could be taken to the hospital.  Roads that were cleared resembled tunnels with snow piled high on each side.

There was no school for days.  My family and I were warm and safe and it reminded me of the contentment I felt, as a child, when my parents, brother, and sisters were all safe and warm on cold winter nights long ago on the Nolan farm.

During these years, Sonny was ill many times.  During his first three years of school, he missed many days.  He had many colds and chest congestion.  Dr. Campbell called at our home often.  He also made phone calls every morning to check on his patients a practice unheard of now.  When Sonny was in the fourth grade he caught chicken pox. Other than itching and feeling uncomfortable he was not very ill.  Not so of his father who caught it from him.  He was very ill with a high fever, for a time the doctor thought it was scarlet fever.  He was covered with blotches, which refused to leave after the fever was gone.  I taught for him and remember I had forgotten much I knew about 8th grade English.  It was near the end of the school year and in desperation Earl pulled off some of the scabs in order to persuade Dr. Campbell that he could go back to school.  He didn't, so I finished the year for him.  The 8th grade always graduated at the high school graduation exercises.  I remember that I didn't get them lined up just right so they were a bit confused on going to the stage to get their diplomas.

The epidemic of Polio struck during these years and terror was in the hearts of every parent.  We suffered every time Sonny became ill.  He often had leg cramps and we were terrified.  The usual treatment was placing the patient in an iron lung.  My phobia of being confined in a small space would never have allowed me to have Sonny put in an iron lung.  What a relief it was when in 1953 Salk perfected a vaccine, which ended the fear of polio.

Some of the most pleasant days of our 51 years of married life were spent in Sioux Rapids.  We had many good friends, all of which are now gone or at least I'm not in touch with anymore.  For the first Christmas in many years this year (1989) I did not get a card from Evelyn Ingram.  For several years we lived across the street from them. They had one son, John, who was a few years older than Sonny.  Then there was Myrtle Jappson, my last Christmas card to her was answered by her daughter, Myrtle had passed away

I have mentioned our closest friends.  Frank and Muriel, Cy and Ada. The Telliers left Sioux Rapids before we did.  They moved to Early where Frank taught for a few years and then became a Conservation officer.  They eventually moved to Doon, Ia and have now both passed away.  I had a card from their son, Dick, this Christmas, 1989.  Cy and Ada moved to Sac City where Cy was Superintendent for several years.  When he retired they moved to Grinnell to be near their son Larry.  Both have now passed away.  Larry and his wife called on me three years ago.  So from six close friends I am the only survivor.

Most of the summers after 1934 we spent on the farm except the one I have written about when Earl went to Cedar Falls.  Another time Sonny and I stayed in Sioux Rapids and Earl worked for Barney Halverson during the harvest season.  It was still in the years when oats were cut and bound with a binder.  He started shocking in a completely cut field of several acres.  It looked like an impossible job one man against acres of bundles.  His hands bled but he finished the job.  Sonny rode his bicycle to the field to take his father fresh water.  Another summer Sonny and I stayed home and Earl went alone to spend a few weeks at the farm.  Mom came and stayed with us a few days.

One summer while we were at the farm Earl was a delegate from the Masonic Lodge to a convention at Keokuk.  We left Sonny with Marm and Pop and spent several days there.  While Earl attended meetings I visited the stores in Keokuk.  I can't say I shopped there still was a shortage of cash.  That summer before we left we had planted an enormous garden at a farm north of town.  We had an excess of produce.  I canned quarts and quarts of vegetables and our potato crop was equal to the one my father grew back on the Nolan farm.