What is your favorite memory unique to growing up in North Dakota?
CRISP NIGHTS OF SLEDDING
My favorite memory unique to growing up in North Dakota is my privilege of growing up in an unincorporated village called Blaisdell in Mountrail County. The population was about 75, and the village was about four square blocks. We had no paved streets, but there were about six street lights.
The small Catholic church was on a hill about two blocks east of Main Street. That was a wonderful location, because the east side of the hill was dimly lit at night by a couple of the street lights.
In the winter months, after the supper dishes were washed and when it was dark outside, we dressed in our winter clothes and pulled our sleds up the church hill. We zipped down the hill to end in snow too soft to carry the metal runners of the sled any further. We then walked to the top of the hill again, pulling our sled behind us, and flew down the hill many times a night. If we didn’t have a sled, we rode a big sheet of cardboard to the bottom of the hill (if we didn’t slip off on the way down the hill). There were at least a dozen of us going up and down the hill.
We felt the community was a safe place, even in the dimly lit winter evenings. In my memories, it just seems like the moon was so bright, too.
Quitting time seemed to come too soon. We each walked to our respective homes, where we took off our wet sledding clothes and hung them over the coal furnace floor grates heating our homes.
This is but one of my wonderful memories from the 1950s in that small, safe and precious unincorporated village.
Sharon St. Aubin
Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative
EXPLORING THE MAJESTIC BADLANDS
I grew up southeast of Watford City on my grandfather’s homestead in the breaks of the Badlands. My brother still has the good fortune of being able to live there and enjoy all of the beauty that surrounds this place, despite the vast oil development. I woke up every morning being able to view buttes in the distance. I didn’t appreciate them nearly so much then as I do now.
Our neighborhood consisted of many families who were related to each other. That was actually quite common at the time. Immigrant family members often settled in the same area. So, a lot of time was spent growing up with cousins.
One summer activity I fondly remember is when the cousins and the other neighborhood kids would saddle our horses after church on Sunday and ride in the breaks of the Badlands. We enjoyed the ride, each other’s company and the wonderful lunches our mothers lovingly prepared for us. I do not remember ever getting lost, which kind of amazes me when I think back. We traveled many miles on each of those treks.
For those of us who were blessed to grow up in the Watford City area, our playground was the Badlands and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A trip to the park was never complete until you climbed Saddle Butte. To this day, I take every opportunity I can to revisit those places that brought so much fun, comaraderie and tranquility. Climbing Saddle Butte is now a wonderful memory of youth, energy and agility. But I still marvel at that work of nature – from the bottom!
Kathy Broderson Muscha
Verendrye Electric Cooperative
CARRYING A BIG STICK
As I was growing up in the southwestern part of the state, Medora, which was only 35 miles from home, became a getaway for our family. Springtime was challenging, as we had to cross the Little Missouri in a car with eight of us in tow to get to our uncle’s place south of the river. The river was always unpredictable and sometimes we would park the car and walk.
The Badlands, in all its beauty, came alive in the spring. But as a child, I was taught to respect this area. The three things instilled in our minds to respect were: 1) the river, 2) the bulls, and 3) the snakes. I remember my grandma always carrying a stick when walking and I did see her kill a few snakes. It was a time of peace and excitement.
Marty Kudrna
McKenzie Electric Cooperative
PEACEFUL NIGHT
Growing up on a North Dakota livestock farm meant I had no experience away from the farm. Off to college I went, looking for an easier life.
I fondly remember coming home that first Christmas and feeding cattle as it was getting dark on a cold, snowy winter night. I remember the stillness of the night, as cow hooves trampled the snow following me to every feed bunk and hay bale. That fond moment of peace and calmness never escapes me to this day almost 50 years later.
Curt Kost
KEM Electric Cooperative
FUN IN EVERY SEASON
There are many fun things about growing up in North Dakota. I have many great memories of things I have done here. You can build a snowman, go sledding, ride a bike, go for a run or a walk and many other fun things, all in the same place during different seasons. A place with a lot of different weather is a really fun place for a kid to grow up. It is fun to play outside when it’s snowing, but it is also exciting when the sun finally comes out.
One of my favorite things to do in the summer is go on a picnic. I also love exploring in the hills. Every summer, my siblings and I go in the hills to find some place to sit and eat our lunch. It’s great being able to grow up in North Dakota.
Samantha Schaper, 12 years old
McKenzie Electric Cooperative
UPCOMING READER REPLY QUESTION:
February: Share a memory of your favorite teacher.
Deadline for submission: Jan. 10
March: As we observe International Women’s Day in March, what woman do you admire most and why?
Deadline for submission: Feb. 9
We want to hear FROM you: Submissions should be no more than 250 words, typewritten or in legible handwriting. Include your name, complete address, daytime phone number and the name of the rural electric cooperative to which you belong. Note: Magazine staff reserves the right to make editing changes and cuts. We pay $25 for each letter we print. Email to ndliving@ndarec.com or mail to READER REPLY, North Dakota Living, P.O. Box 727, Mandan, ND 58554-0727.
