From the iris notes mom and Grandma Lillie kept, 1930s to ’40s.
#3 in their alphabetical list. More info here: 1920s iris, Ambassadeur
I wonder if this 1981 photo shows it, in mom’s garden, on the right, the two-toned reddish purple.
Category Archives: Sioux Falls in the ’30s and ’40s
Iris diary: 2. Alta California
From the iris notes mom and Grandma Lillie kept, 1930s to ’40s.
2. Alta California
Gran wrote, “48-in bronzy yellow,” in 1939.
From Carl Salbach’s catalog for 1936: “First in the series of Sydney B. Mitchell triumphs in breeding for yellows, Alta California still holds its place as one of the most worth-while and sensational iris grown. It is tallest of all the new yellow iris and its branching qualifies it for “A” rating either as an individual stalk or as mass bloom.”
From Cooley’s Gardens catalog for 1937: “Standards of clear yellow, falls of deep yellow, faintly bronzed. One of the tallest of all irises, very popular among the new yellows, a reliable performer in Minnesota as well as New England and California. The large blossoms are of firm smooth texture, produced on splendid stems.”
Hybridized by Mohr–Mitchell in 1931.
More about family iris… 1. Albatross
I didn’t really know how many, many iris varieties mom and her mom had raised until after mom died. I’m starting an alphabetic posting of the names I have found, so you can see what they were up to in the 1930s and ’40s.
1. Albatross (“large white” as described by LBD—that’s grandma, Lillie Buswell Davie, not ‘little black dress’…)
TB 1922 Perry: Lillie says, “pale lavender, falls veined and tipped darker”
Note: TB = tall bearded; Perry = Perry Plant Co.
This is the link to the earliest Perry catalog I have found; it mentions “Albatross,” but there are no photos. Have yet to find a photo of this variety.
1930s–’40s: recipes approved, “War Dept.”
In my mom’s family, everyone wrote a lot. Letters, poems, journal entries.
They would have been appalled to see a ream of paper thrown out, just because it was printed on one side with something no longer needed. So, someone in the family, most likely mom’s sis Marion, who worked for the VA, brought home yellow paper with blanks on the back side for telegrams. Unused by the War Department (now the DoD), dated 1926.
They must have used that paper for at least a decade. I have recipes typed on it from the ’30s and ’40s. Just like the old yellow bond, the recipes were too good to waste. (Or not… depending on how you feel about singed chicken, mock paté, beef tongue, or “chiffonade” salad dressing… ) Some of the recipes show a source, most do not.
If you enjoy re-creating history, you might find the perfect dish to serve in your air raid shelter.
I have scanned them and made a PDF you can download. Thanks to the Davie girls, in the Dustbowl ’30s and the WWII ’40s, it was waste not, want not.
1934: hometown Canaries baseball
This is part 2. You can read part 1 here: https://wp.me/p4LBtj-ke
May 7, 1934
Sunday afternoon Ruth and Aimee and I went to the first baseball game of the season. The Canaries played Colman and beat them 8 to 2. At the end of the 4th inning, Stucker put in a whole new team from his recruits, and we had the opportunity to see the Canary pitchers work out: Anderson; a left hander; a newcomer from Marcus, Iowa; and Harnisko. Horio showed promise, getting 2 for 3 and fielding OK, at center. We also liked the first baseman from the Sioux City Stockyards and a fellow whose last year’s suit declared that he was from Omaha.
Sunday night we skated at Wall Lake, since Neptune’s skates have been sold down the river.
May 14, 1934
Sunday morning we drove down to Dell Rapids for some more tennis. In the afternoon, saw the Canaries get beat by the Vermillion Red Sox. Skated at Wall Lake. Ray Gehler was there, looking very spiffy.
May 21, 1934
Sunday night I had just got to Elsie’s, preparatory to skating at Wall Lake, when a severe dust storm sprang up. So we stayed there. Today, Monday, we had a couple of showers, the first rain this year.
May 25, 1934
Last night, Thursday, we saw the first league baseball game of the season. The Municipal Band played and Mayor Graff pitched the first ball. After the players were introduced to the fans the game started, and for a while, it looked like the first inning would last all night. Wilson, Harnisko, and Pierson managed to get three outs between them, after 12 runs had been scored.
In the second inning, Floyd Anderson took the mound and finished the game very creditably. The final score was 16 to 3. I had locked the keys in the car, and we got a man from West Sioux to chauffeur us home for the other keys, then back to the ball park.
Friday night we saw a much more satisfactory game in which the Canaries shellacked Norfolk, 12 to 1. Tarantola pitched, and led the batting as well.
At Saturday afternoon’s game, ladies were admitted free, so of course we went, and saw Govenont again limit the opposition to one run while we accumulated several.
Elsie and I had taken Saturday morning off and played three hard sets of tennis. At night, skating. Ward roused himself from the mood he was in to buy us all pop. Ray Gehler says we should be going together instead of toting other people around.
Monday night was Ladies Free again and the Canaries lost to Lincoln, 2 to 4. Shannon pitched OK but had rather poor support. In the last inning, Von Honecker started by singling and the pitcher batted in two runs.
May 31, 1934
Memorial morning we played tennis, Elsie and I breakfasted afterward at Sherman Park. It was a scorching day. We saw Bing Crosby in “We’re Not Dressing” at 6:00, and went to the Beatrice–Canaries ball game at 8:30. It was fun to see the Canaries pound out a few base hits for a change, and win the game, 8 to 4. Pierson used his gloomy ball and fanned 9 men.
Thursday, June 1, 1934
Another dust storm.
Friday, farewell dinner at the Tip Top for Cleone, who’s getting married soon.
Monday, June 4, 1934
We had a rainy day for the first time in 1934. It came down hard for a while, then a soft rain fell.
June 8, 1934
Two more days of rain, and the Canaries, on the road, continue their losing streak.
June 11, 1934
There’s a lot of baseball talk in the office today after last night’s game with the Nebraska All Stars, which we won, 12 to 7. Larry Wheelridge says we’re going to get Rhode of Norfolk and Conaway. We traded Pierson for Rhode, as Norfolk is short of pitchers, and the league that Conaway is in is busting up. Everybody longs for Bosse back again.
June 12, 1934
Ladies Night was a ball game that would have been well worth the 35¢. Horio drove in 7 runs with a triple and a homer inside the park. Woody Hanson, the new right fielder, played brilliantly in the field and hit a triple, scoring Horio before him. There were errors, but it was exciting all the way through—a lot of base stealing. Tucker was like to kill the umpire when Norfolk’s pitcher committed a balk to catch our man stealing second and the umpire called him out. Govenont yelled himself hoarse after that episode. Tarantula did all right on the mound and the final score was 13 to 6.
June 13, 1934
Last night “Doc” Liepelt worked hard for 8 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs while we made 5. When he hit a triple somebody in the stands yelled “Is there another doctor in the crowd?” When we walked a man with only one out in the 9th, Stucker called “Hey, Duda” and Casey came in and retired the side.
This morning, Hoppie and Bill Wittrock started for their Black Hills vacation, hitchhiking. I took them 10 miles out of town and left them adjusting their knapsacks.
June 14, 1934
The game went for 7 innings and part of the 8th last night with lots of lightning and thunder and occasional sprinkles. The score wavered first in Norfolk’s favor and then in ours, back and forth. Duda relieved Govenont on the mound when the fielders began to drop the balls and fail to make the putouts. the score was tied by a run in the first half of the 8th when the downpour became so heavy that the players took to shelter. It sure came down, and we waited until finally, after the 20 minutes required by rule, somebody announced that the game was called on account of rain. So the score went back to the last full inning and we won, 8 to 7. After we started to go, Tarantola asked Ruth if they could ride home with us, so we took Les Wilson and Norman Tarantola to town. We sat and waited for it to quit raining and talked for about 1 1/2 hours. Couldn’t get the car in up the driveway when we got home, it was so muddy. (Tarantola had had his car at the ball park, but Govenont drove it back for him.)
June 15, 1934
Good doubles tennis at McKennan Park last night with Richard Stevens and his pal, Ed McAllister. He seemed intrigued. Elsie said it was probably the shorts.
Listened to the Baer–Carnera fight last night. It was grand.
The Canaries went 14 innings to win against Lincoln, 3 to 2, with Perry pitching.
June 16, 1934
We played doubles with Richard and Ed again. I went to the ball game at night and saw Tarantola pitch a 6 to 2 victory over Lincoln. It was a well-played game. Today we are all set for a weekend at Okoboji.
June 19, 1934
The Canaries sure need a new first baseman. If we had Bosse we could have won the game last night. Canaries lost to Beatrice 5 to 9. Two or three times we had the bases loaded or at least two on and couldn’t produce a hit. Ruth and Tarantola kept each other entertained.
June 20, 1934
Hop got home from the Hills today. They got rides all around with tourists and saw most everything. On their way home, they were on a pop truck and got stalled in the middle of a storm. So they spent the night in the jail at Salem (not by force!), being treated most hospitably.
June 22, 1934
Last night Ruth and I were both stepping out. She went to a diamond ball game with Fred Pratt and later to the carnival. Richard Stevens took me to see “Moulin Rouge” at the State in his folks’ new Pontiac.
June 30, 1934
Thursday night we had a wiener roast at Cactus Hills with the Pratt and Holt boys. The food was good, and so was the scenery. I do enjoy being outdoors at night by a wood fire.
Friday the team was back in town and we saw them win their first home game, 12 to 0, a shutout for Govenont. The game was marked by four hits by Brandon and a freak double play when the runners thought the ball had been caught, and it wasn’t, but they were both put out before they woke up.
Next installment to come: July, 1934
Marion loves the “Canaries” • 1933
INTRO: Mom’s sister Marion Davie was a big fan of the Sioux Falls Canaries in the 1930s, a local baseball team that was part of the Nebraska State League—like a farm team. Marion was born in 1909 and graduated from high school in ’27, so players in their twenties would have been near her age. Marion worked at the Vet’s Admin, doing clerical work, taking dictation, processing claims, and documenting expenses.
She wrote about games, sometimes mentioning players. And she was friends with a few guys over the years. Sometimes we read about Marion and friends going out with the players, driving around town with them, snacking after games, etc. Marion’s best friend is Elsie Walser. Elsie is mentioned frequently. Marion and Elsie enjoy skating (roller and ice), and they learned to play tennis about a year before her 1933 diary is written.
Found this HISTORY blurb online:
The Nebraska State League was composed entirely of teams affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals (other Nebraska cities in the league were Norfolk, Lincoln, and Beatrice).
St. Louis’ General Manager, Branch Rickey, was largely responsible for the “farm” system—among his many innovations—under which the parent club controlled the minor league affiliates. Eventually, this system was adopted by all the other MLB teams.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1933
Monday night we went to the ball game at Legion Park between the Canaries and Beatrice, Nebraska. It was Ladies Night (ladies free). Of course there was a capacity crowd, and it was far and away the best game I ever saw. Stan Conaway’s striking appearance and splendid pitching had a lot to do with it. The game was full of thrills, the Canaries rallying after the score stood at 4 to 1 against them, to win by a point. Baseball under the floodlights is all right!
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 1933
We’ve been skating at Neptune this spring. Sometimes George Baker comes—he likes Elsie. Sunday before last Roy Gehler came rather late in the evening. We had a good skate—we like to skate zig-zag and it went especially well that time. I must have had a good pair of skates and I guess Ray still brings his own. Ray is working again in a gas station at Hartford. He is playing ball also (first base).
AUGUST, 1933
One night at the ball game, Stanley Conaway sent me some gum by little Ray, the boy who puts on the jackets. May Fletcher told us last Saturday that the boys were crazy to meet us and that they even called her up one Sunday. Last night (August 8th) on the first game here since their last tour, Bill Harrison lost and apologized to us afterwards. He comes over to the car after the game, says “Good evenin’ ” and in his southern accent discusses some of the fine parts of the game with us. We enjoy what first-hand information he gives us. He says we are good luck—if he looks up and sees us sitting there, its _all right_.
On August 10th, Conaway pitched and almost had a shutout. The next day, Friday, we went to another game. Conaway amused himself by peeking at us through the megaphone. After the game Bill stopped at our car for a chat and we told him we were going to leave soon on our vacation to Okoboji. He thought that was too bad. While were were gone, Ruth and Aimee had some fun at the ball games. They went to two. A highlight was Ike Olk’s rendition of “Lazybones.” Another was some player who sent up a messenger to learn Ruth’s name (he said he was the best looking outfielder!), without avail.
Sunday, August 27, was the first home game after our return from the Lakes. We wond from Norfolk, 14 to 13. Monday was Ladies Night. Conaway pitched and won, 9 to 6. On Wednesday we lost to Beatrice. The umpire called some awful decisions and we had an indignation meeting afterwards.
Thursday Schroeder pitched and Beatrice took us again, 5 to 1. Bill Harrison and Rip Schroeder rode back to town with us, to their hotel. We made a tennis date for Saturday afternoon. We went to the Orpheum instead, because, as the Manager said when Bill got him to drive him out to McKennan Courts, “Hell, it’s too wet to play, anyway, damn you!” Bill said we were often the subject of conversation in the dugout, the boys speculating as to who we were, etc. It seems that Mitchell said he was dying to meet one of us and wanted Harrison to fix it up for him, but Bill said ” _____, I can’t even fix it up for myself.” (Bill graduated from the Univ. of Tennessee, M. A., and was the only five-letter man.)
Saturday night there was an unexpected game with Lincoln. Conaway lost, 4 to 2.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1933
Lincoln beat us 2 to 1. Dahl from Luverne pitched. We gave Conaway and Harrison a ride home and Harrison promised us tickets for Labor Day. Monday we played tennis in the morning and met Bill Harrison at the courts. We went to the afternoon and evening game.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1933
We saw the Canaries play Sioux City Stock Yards and win, 7 to 1, Schroeder pitching. On Sunday the 17th, we saw them beat Alexander’s House of David. A _swell_ pepper game.
During September, when Bill was in town, I saw him quite often. One Saturday, we arranged to meet at the East Side Court and had some good tennis. We had orangeade at the 12th & Minnesota drugstore. Bill asked me to go to a show with him that night. He came out in a taxi. We went to the midnight show at the State and saw Marlene Dietrich in “Song of Songs.” Afterwards we went to the Tip Top, then hiked in the rain to the taxi stand.
Jerry Donovan is a friend of Bill’s from Sioux City, a salesman who spends his weekends here. When Bill got back from playing in Minnesota, we went to see “Three-Cornered Moon” at the State. Bill drove Jerry’s car. Afterwards we drove about and visited the Hills of Rest Memorial Park. On another occasion, we drove out to Seney Island.
On Dot’s birthday, I played tennis with Bill and Stanley Conaway was an interested spectator. After we had dropped Stan at the Ritz, we drove out to Sherman Park and had pop at some stand at a golf course. After the birthday party at Swanson’s, later he took me riding, having borrowed Jerry’s car.
The following Thursday Bill was back in town and eager to see me. He was going home to Tennessee to visit for the first time in five years. Bill’s winter plans were completed; he was keen on playing basketball with the Rock Springs Sparklers under Stucker’s management, and was to be back in Sioux Falls in a month. He called a couple of times when I wasn’t home. Toward the end of the week in the sport news came the announcement that Bill Harrison had been shipped to Arizona for his health. The End.
Later in the fall, there was a fast basketball game wherein the Rock Springs Sparklers got the best of Babe Didrikson and her team.
Things mom saved. 