Looking Back

25 Years Ago - 1984

Classes started for the 1984-85 school year on Tuesday of this week.

James Adamietz of Staples, has become an independent distributor for the Conklin Company, a Minneapolis based chemical and energy related products manufacturer.

Motley firemen responded twice

- o - last week to a house f i re at the Lou Eckes home just south of Leader. The majority of the house was lost.

Chief Navy Counselor Robert F. Golden has been awarded by the Secretary of the Navy, "The Navy Achievement Medal" for professional achievement in recruiting physicians at the Naval Recruiting District Headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The son-in-law of Irene Martin, Staples, Golden is currently serving as Recruiter in Charge of the Pottsville, Pennsylvania Navy Recruiting Office. He and his family reside in nearby Schulykill Haven, Pennsylvania.

Only one other men's softball team from Staples has made it to a state tournament. It happened again this year for the team from Lefty's. This year's team took third place at the state competition. Team members are: Tom Hollister, Tom Hegre, Joe Des Marais, Dan "Wally" Goff, Gary "Husker" Mayavski, Pete Backberg, Mark Lauer, Jerry Volesky, Jim Sauer, Don Hesse, Mike Lauer, Tom Crawford, John Riewer, Rick Parent, Bruce Kirk and Dale Zappe.

50 Years Ago - 1959

Mrs. Christian Jensen of Staples, returned Wednesday from Hutchinson where she conducted seminars at a four-day writer's conference at Oak Haven. Fifty-nine writers from 17 states attended the conference which, for the past five years have been conducted by Mrs. Jensen. (Mrs. Jensen writes under her maiden name of Dr. Margarette Ball Dickson, a Minnesota Poet Laureate, age 80.)

Assuming the duties as chief operator of the Staples exchange of the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company is Doreen Conlin O'Neill. Her appointment became effective September 1. Mrs. O'Neill began working as an operator in April, 1955. She will be in charge of all operators and will train all new operators. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. F. Conlin and is a Staples High School graduate. She has one son, Thomas, age 4 ½.

The Staples Theater this week is featuring James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell,

Eve Arden and Kathryn

Grant in Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder."

REMINISCENCES: Imagine the shock of having a veritable avalanche of phone calls on Thursday and since with many good people telling me the answers to my queries about the derivations and locations of these three places, Jakees, Swafford's Woods and Blueberry Hill. Perhaps many of you are waiting to see if I can be delicate in telling you what I discovered - I'm wondering that myself right now.

With regard to Jakees, everyone knew where the old swimming hole is but no one knows why it is called Jakees. (One caller remembers a time in the late 40's and early 50's when there were outhouses/changing huts on the site.) For the record there is no person buried at Evergreen Hill Cemetery with the name of Jakee or Jakees and none of my callers can ever remember anyone living here with that name. Sometimes areas are named for their old residents as in another landing on the Crow Wing with a sign reading "Dummy Hole." This puzzling name came about during the 1880s or 1890s when four of my deaf-mute Martin ancestors homesteaded there. Their fishing spot was dubbed with that name. Jakees may remain a puzzle forever unless someone out there can find a way to explain it.

Perhaps equally puzzling is Swafford's Woods. Known by all the caller's

as being located east of

Eighth Street NE near the "rock." Generally, that is

the spot. The only information on the name since there are no Swafford's buried at Evergreen Hill. There was a family named Swafford that lived in a big old house on the south side of Staples on 5th Street SE. in the years before and slightly after 1920. The house, now torn down, was later owned by the Albert Strands, William Taylor, a family named Robertson and probably more people. There is at least one person who remembers this family named Swafford in Staples and there may be a connection.

Many callers remember

playing, hunting and - yes, I'll say it here, making

out in the woods. The making out part brought about many laughs.

Blueberry Hill is out on County Road 7 near Rosenthal's. Apparently this location was well known to many who laughingly told me it was another place to

go to "make-out."

One lady said to me, "Margo, do you mean to

tell me no one ever took you to Swafford's or Blueberry Hill?" Well folks, that's right. Perhaps it's because I wasn't allowed to date when I was in high school and then left town for twelve years. Or, maybe it's because I totally missed the opportunity because no guy ever tried very hard to get me there. Whatever the reason, I am perhaps the most embarrassed person in Staples and have been since the column came out. Imagine having to admit being one of what appears to be only a few people who never made it to those places.

I'll leave you kind folks of Staples to remember all the good times you had at Swafford's Woods and Blueberry Hill. I'll go stick my nose back in a book which is probably what I was doing when others were out in the woods.