MEMOIR:  A PAPER ROUTE TRIO
From the Re-Echo, December 2008

The following is a sample of the kinds of memoirs that appear in Don Swenson’s book, Something in the Water.

A PAPER ROUTE TRIO

By Earl Ames, Jr.

If you lived in Oak Hill in the 1930s and wanted a newspaper delivered, you dealt with me or one of my two buddies. Bill Roberts delivered the Journal, Harry Hanson delivered the Star, and the Tribune was my paper. Our home was on Texas Avenue, just north of Walker Street. The Roberts family lived on 35th Street next to Ruedlinger Nursery, and Harry lived at Pennsylvania and Walker Street. Central pick-up spot for our newspaper bundles was at the Reiss Corner, and that’s where we met other Park paperboys. The Village was spread out with lots of open spaces, so each route was a long one.

We covered all of Oak Hill with our deliveries. That meant Lake Street from the Reiss corner to Jasperson’s Dairy, Cottageville and all points in between. We then went as far north as Minnetonka Blvd. with the Creosote Plant on the east and Minnehaha Creek on the west. We could use our bikes in the warmer months, but it was a hike through the snow in the winter. Round trip from home and back was 7 ½ miles.

In the summer, Bill, Harry, and I sometimes wanted to get to the creek for a swim so we needed to hurry up the delivery process. We would divide the territory and each of us took one section and delivered all three papers. This didn’t always work out to the best advantage. Sure, we knew every customer in Oak Hill, but there were mix-ups when customers received a paper – but not necessarily the right one. The phones would ring and we had to straighten out the mistakes. Paper routes were a learning process, and we learned that haste makes waste!

LIVING IN THE COUNTRY

We lived in the Village, but Oak Hill was more like living in the country. The Skogmans across Texas Ave. from our home had about six or seven acres and were involved with truck farming, raising strawberries, raspberries, sweet corn, and other produce. Most of us boys in Oak Hill worked at Ruedlingr Nursery [now Knollwood Liquor Store] and I also helped with haying and other chores for Vic Johnson, who was the largest farmer in Oak Hill. He was a grain farmer and at one time had a dairy. For a while, Dad helped Vic with milking in the mornings before he went to his regular job at the Creosote Plant.

 

We saw Highway 7 being constructed, but it was impossible to look ahead to all of the changes that would follow for Oak Hill. I remember when Calhoun Realty put of a FOR SALE sign on the property that later became Knollwood Plaza. Someone contracted to take hay off the acreage and it turned out to be a real attraction for us kids when everything was neatly stacked. A gang of us descended upon the field and were having a great time sliding down the stacks when the caretaker arrived and scattered us in all directions. I headed for cover at the Creosote Plant, but a couple of the guys were caught. I soon found out that those who were caught had provided the names of each of the offenders. A formal letter from Calhoun Realty told my parents that legal action would be taken because of the damage. The good news was that Mother convinced the company that it would be good for the boys to re-stack the hay under the supervision of the fathers. All went well on that Sunday afternoon when the repair activity took place until my dad was accidentally stuck in the leg with a pitchfork. It didn’t turn out as a happy day for the Ames family!

OAK HILL HERITAGE

Myrtle Borne, my mother, grew up on Oak Hill near Quebec and Lake Street. Long time friends who helped to raise her were Clara and Annie Werner. Annie married Sig Lundin, and Clara’s husband was Boostrom. Both of the men did brick work at the Creosote plant. Mother met Earl, my dad, when he was taking courses at Dunwoody during World War I. They married in 1918 and settled in Oak Hill. The family tragedy was when my sister, a teenager, died of a ruptured appendix in 1935. The family joined Union Congregational Church and became very active members. When I was young, the church had a mission program at Oak Hill School to serve our neighborhood. I attended Sunday School class there with Albert Lundberg as teacher.

Dad worked at the Creosote Plant for 20 years. I became very familiar with the operations there. In fact, before we had indoor plumbing at our house, I went to the plant for a shower each week. The Rodgers Hydraulic Plant was also in Oak Hill and Dad worked there as a security guard during and after World War II.

Dad was a World War I veteran and the family was very involved with the Park’s American Legion Post. Mother worked with the Auxilliary and also with the Rebecca Lodge since Dad was an Oddfellow. The Legion, Lodge, and church activities were at the center of family activities.

In 1950 my wife and I built a home on Texas Ave. next to the one owned by my parents. We lived there until 1988 and had a chance to see Oak Hill change from rural to a fast-paced suburban community.

 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.