Chautauqua County - Circa 1927

Remember the ruins of the Peru brick factory? The following is information from Pat Molder in regard to 1927 population figures for Chautauqua County ... and some of the businesses that made their home in the respective towns.

Cedar Vale - 1044 - Blacksmith, Auto Salvage, Beuoy Surgical Instruments, Lumber Yard (2), Grain, Jewelry, Produce, Filling Stations, Clothing & Shoes, Restaurants, Bakery, Plumbing, Billiards, Meat, Harness, Paint, Wallpaper, Batteries, Furs & Hides, Wool, Gift Shop

Chautauqua - 401 - Grocery, Drugs, Garage, Restaurant, Hotel
Cloverdale - 50 - Blacksmith, General Store
Elgin - 600 - Grocery, Dry Goods, Plumber, Blacksmith, Confectioners, Restaurants, Drugs, Shoe Repair, Hardware, Furniture
Hale - 10 - Grocery Store
Hewins - 300 - Drugs, Grocery (3), Hardware, Garage, Flour, Feed
Leeds - 60 - General Store and Garage
Lowe - 9 - General Store
Monett - 6 - General Store
Niotatze - 186 - General Store, Restaurant, Garage
Peru - 570 - General Store, Drugs, Garage, Shoemaker, Roofing Tile Manufacturing, Bakery, Lumber
Sedan - 1885 - Hardware, Photographer, Lumber Yard, Meat, Undertaker, Dry Goods, Produce, Feed, Restaurant, Furniture, Plumber
Springcreek - 8 - Springcreek Telephone Company
Wauneta - 75 - Drugs, General Store

Most likely your memory of these places in time would increase the number of businesses having a home in our towns. Pat states, "My, how times have changed. I don't know the population of Cedar Vale now ... but probably in the neighborhood of 700." Thank you, Pat ... for this very interesting information.

Crystal Radios

Wayne's post about electricity has really sent me down memory lane today. How many of you remember crystal radio receivers? My uncle Lee made one and used it to bring in distant signals from Coffeyville or Arkansas City. I just looked up a good article on the subject in case you want to be reminded. HERE

I tried several times to make one, but never was successful. Did any of you try to build a crystal set?

Electricity

From a email correspondent who wishes to remain anonymous:
show details 6:22 PM (16 hours ago) Reply

What year did you move into the farm house? We didn't get electricity at the old home place until around 1948. I recall one of the first things mother and dad bought was a used refrigerator. I thought that was the most amazing thing. I was fascinated by the little light inside that came on each time you opened the frig door. The first day I almost wore it out. Mother kept scolding me to stop opening the door. She said it would make it use too much electricity and would burn out the light bulb. I remember the only item in the frig for a day or so, was some oleo. (remember the white stuff that came with an orange tablet that had to be stirred in the oleo to make it yellow? ) I always thought the white stuff tasted like lard, but MAGIC....once the orange tablet was added, it tasted so good...

Pearl Harbor from a Brownie Camera

Graduation Memories!

Recently, out for a morning walk, I smelled lilacs! And, I remembered the lilacs we had in our front yard in Cedar Vale! Strange how flowers and their scents remind you of past scents and flowers! Every once in a while, I sense a smell that reminds me of my first love! Can't remember the name of that perfume. Yet, I remember the girl!

All of this causes me to think on my "graduation!" As I remember the night, it was filled with a great deal of joy...and some sadness. Seemed like I was "in between" a present world and one which was to become! Kind of in an "in-between land!" It was a special place. No worries, yet.
Yet, you knew, worries were to come! Yet, you had such confidence that you and those around you would find "a place" where all that we had come through would find "its place!"

So, tomorrow, I go to the graduation of my granddaughter. She has graduated from M.U. with a degree in nursing! I tried, my fellow Jayhawkers, to show her the "true light!" I have hopes that she will continue her pursuit of knowledge at that "high mount" of Oread!

In the meantime, I think of graduation. Each of us have graduated. Each of us are continuing to graduate! Just know, that the time I spent "achieving" my graduation in Cedar Vale, is a time which I hope my children, my grandchildren and their children....and on down the line, will look back and say upon their graduation, "giving your all, it seems to me, is not so far from victory!"

Don't know about you. Just wish I had given more.

"Best Stories!"

Here we go! x

Give up your best "stories" of Cedar Vale! I'll start! It happened on the road to the "dam!" I was driving. Phil was riding 'shotgun'!" We must have rounded a curve a little too short! Nonetheless, we landed in a ditch! How we got out of the ditch remains a mystery to me! Perhaps Phil will 'fill" us in!

As I remember, we retreived ourselves from the ditch, with minor damages to the Shaffer Car! Not knowing what to do, we resorted to the only "other" friend we knew, Mr. Beggs, our band director! Well, we tooled over to his house and asked him what he would do in such a similar situation! In words that will ever ring true, he said, "Just tell you Dad what happened, he will understand!" Well, we did that! I told my Dad what had happened! I can't remember his exact words, but as I remember, it came out somewhat like, "Well, Don, what happens, happens!"

I've told you one of mine! Let me hear your "best Cedar Vale stories!"