The Time Before My Memories

I don’t remember much before I was 4 or 5, so anything before 1955 is based on what I have been told. In the 1970s, I wrote a page about my early life, residences & schools—most of the information about my schools I’ve posted previously. But I thought I’d try to piece together my early life.

August 1950 – After my birth, my mom and I lived with nice people about ½ block from the hospital. My mom couldn’t remember their names, but she liked them.

September 1950 – Donna (my grandmother) sent money to my mom for us to fly to Minnesota.

October 1950 – My mom and I stayed with Donna and her friend, Henry “Red” Rossburg at the bar and cabin at Little Rock Lake, Minnesota. During the fall, my mom would wrap me up and row me all around the lake. There wasn’t a crib, so they put me in a dresser drawer to sleep. In the ’60s, when we’d drive up to Motley to see my maternal grandfather, we’d drive past it, and Mom would always comment about the place and how there wasn’t any heat.

January 1951 – My mom left me at the cabins with Grandma Donna and went to Minneapolis to work at Snyder’s drug store at 8^th and Hennepin. She would then hitchhike to Little Rock Lake (about 85 miles) twice a week with her tips to get money there for food. Apparently, Donna and “Red” lived there rent-free. They only had to keep things from freezing and discourage vandalism.

May 1951 – Enough money was saved to Donna, “Red,” my mom, and I were able to move to Minneapolis. Everyone stayed at the Marquette Hotel in the $1.50 per day rooms. Donna worked at Nivens Dry Cleaners, and “Red” worked for the street car company.

Summer 1952 – Mom worked as a cook aboard the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper.[i] It was an auto/train car ferry between Muskegon, Michigan, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Again, it was a place she could live and send money back to Minneapolis regularly to support me.

Fall 1953 – My mom found herself pregnant and decided it was best to go back to Oregon to have the baby. She hitchhiked from Minneapolis to Portland, Oregon, with three-year-old me along. She had a little girl and named her “Donna” after Grandma. She called Donna and asked if she could keep her. Donna said, “No, keep with the plan.” So, my mom put the baby girl up for adoption.

Early 1954 – I’ve been told that we moved from the Marquette Hotel to 1221½ Nicollet Avenue and lived there briefly before moving to Hastings. I vaguely remember Hastings, MN, later in 1954 (where I was stung by a bee) and moving again to the Capitol Apartments in Saint Paul, where I entered kindergarten in 1955.[ii]

Endnotes:

[i] See Mom crewed on the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper.
[ii] See Scheffer Elementary School, Saint Paul, Minnesota.