Northern Pacific Railway allowed family to blossom

NP locomotive No. 2223, 1948

My mother grew up in the company town of Brainerd MN. It was a company town with the railroad, Northern Pacific. 

Not long after Mom passed away in 2018, I went through items in her bedroom and found her father's Northern Pacific ID card. It was in a leather wallet that had his name engraved. 

My grandfather Andrew died long before I came into the world. The little newspaper headline announcing his passing was blunt: "Andrew Ohlson, retired NP worker, is dead." Well it was a fact. It came about in the midst of the World War II years, on October 12, 1943. 

Brainerd appears in WWII history in a very sad way: its National Guard unit was activated and was captured by the Japanese in the Philippines.

My mother Martha left her studies at Hamline University to return home and support the family. At Hamline she formed a good friendship with Coleen Gray the future Hollywood actress. Coleen's real name was Bernice Jensen. She is best known for her films "Nightmare Alley," "Red River" and Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing." 

Andrew's obituary didn't flesh out enough of his life, unfortunately. I have the clipping from the Brainerd Daily Dispatch, a newspaper that today has the word "daily" excised. Yes there is downsizing in the print media. The paper is today twice weekly. The obit reported that Andrew passed "at the NP Hospital in St. Paul." He was age 73. Mom said the cause was a stroke. 

Andrew's funeral was at a church with the same name as the one we came to join in Morris: "First Lutheran." 

Andrew was born in 1870 in Sweden. He came to the U.S. as a young man. He lived in Brainerd for 40 years and worked as machinist helper at the NP shops. His widow Hilda lived long enough to join the Williams family in Morris. She too succumbed to a stroke. She died at Stevens County Memorial Hospital on August 19 of 1963. It was three months before the assassination of JFK. The Williams family was settled into our residence on Northridge Drive, Morris. She was age 77 when she left this life. I was a third grader at Longfellow Elementary School in west Morris. 

 

The image at right shows the Ohsons when my mom was a young girl. She's the one at left. Along with parents Andrew and Hilda, the photo includes Mom's sister Mildred.

 

Back home for internment

It was essential for Hilda to have her final resting place in Brainerd. So she's spending eternity at Evergreen Cemetery there. I compliment the cemetery on having an outstanding website that presents photos of every marker. 

"Ohlson" is an unusual spelling, so when I found a marker for "Johanek Ohlson" my interest was piqued. I learned she was Andrew's first wife. Nothing unpleasant to recount here in terms of conflict or anything like that. Johanek died in 1920 at the age of 46. I don't recall Mom ever saying anything about her. My aunt Doris related in a Christmas card a couple years ago that to her knowledge, Andrew and Johanek had no children. 

Andrew married Hilda and began a family of three children. He was at an advanced age for doing this. 

I find it sad I cannot find more information on Johanek. I found the alternate spelling "Johanna." Oh, and Andrew's cemetery marker has his last name "Olson" without the "h." But the cemetery directory has the name spelled right. Odd. 

I am rather haunted knowing nothing about Johanek, the love of my grandfather's life for a chapter. She was a human being with a story. 

I was eight years old when Grandma Hilda passed. I can share an amusing anecdote about her: Not only did this Scandinavian use the term "uffda," she knew the variant "ishta." Years later Del Sarlette would inform me of the distinction between the two: "Ishta" suggested something worse! For example, if I peed into the toilet and didn't flush after every time, Hilda might grab my collar and say "ishta!" 

I remember making the trip to Brainerd for Grandma's funeral at the Nelson-Doran Funeral Home. My aunt Mildred and her children were there. She had five total but I don't think all were born yet. I was especially close to the two oldest, "Dianne and Debbie." My ties with them ended in an ignominious way with the parents breaking up. Certainly I will not elaborate here. 

The NP logo

Years later Dianne reached out to us, actually showed up at our front door unannounced, and after that we made kind of a halting re-acquaintance with the group. It was with some sense of inhibition. No reason it couldn't be closer. I gathered Mom felt those kids had a volatile quality. Could I handle that? Mom's gone now so I guess I have to decide. Yes Mom is gone! I must be autonomous.

 

God bless Julio

Mildred's last years were at the Dorchester House in Lincoln City, Oregon. One time Mom and I were on the phone with her when "Julio," a janitorial guy, entered her room to change a light bulb. After that, I'd always tell Mildred "say hello to Julio." It seemed a comfortable place. She eventually died from esophageal cancer, not a pleasant way to go. She was cared for in home hospice by her daughter-in-law from her second marriage. My mom ended up in home hospice with yours truly. 

Mildred was blessed, or resilient, landing on her feet with a new relationship after her first husband. I grew up in a nuclear family where the bond of my parents never came into question, not one iota. I can't relate to the kind of discord that is so common. I can only try to grasp it in the abstract. You know, maybe this is why I'm living life as a loner now: don't want to take the risks. I want my life to continue being as placid as possible, because that was my norm growing up. Troubled waters? It might upset me too much. 

Grandma Hilda was born in Limhamn, Sweden, on December 16, 1885. Andrew's obit did not specify his native city in Sweden. Awfully economical obit for ol' Andrew. There had to be some interesting aspects to his life. I flipped over his Northern Pacific ID card and found his signature. Handwriting rather like mine, cursive of course. I now use the leather wallet for my debit cards. What would Andrew and Hilda think of "paying with plastic?" I can hardly keep up with all the changes in the year 2021. 

 

The image at right shows the Ohlsons at a later time. Mother Hilda poses with my mom Martha (left), Edwin and Mildred.

 
My mom graduated from Brainerd High School in 1942. She played with the band for ceremonies in connection with the star-crossed Brainerd National Guard unit. 

My father directed the Brainerd High School choir from 1941 to 1942. I never did inquire about how far his relationship with Mom developed at the time. I mean, something must have happened. 

I discovered press clippings about great accomplishments by the Brainerd High School choir in contests under Dad. Dad answered the call of wartime and served in the Pacific theater as gun crew commander on a merchant ship, an oil tanker. Toward war's end, he was assigned to the USS Appalachian. He visited the mainland of Japan in war's immediate aftermath, found the Japanese people to be incredibly humbled and passive. 

 

I needn't know, I guess

How did Mom and Dad resume their relationship? I never asked. They never talked much about their wedding ceremony. It seemed very small, not a public event at all. Two adult friends posed with them for a photo, but I never learned anything about them. Well, if my parents had wanted me to know more, they could have told me. 

Dad began teaching at the U of M-St. Paul School of Agriculture. I was born in January of 1955 in the east metro suburb of Ramsey. This I confirmed from a genealogy website a few years ago. There was something traumatic about my birth and I don't know if this involved me or my mother. I heard hints about this but didn't seek to explore - too unpleasant. It was a C-section birth. 

I did learn that Mom had a stillborn child before me. I learned she could have no more kids after me. So if you resented me because I was an only child, don't blame my late mother. 

  

Brainerd, a blessed place

My family went back to Brainerd quite often through the years. I considered it God's country. Such beautiful lakes and forest country, a contrast from our (flat) Morris area. 

Mom's two siblings Mildred and Edwin are with her in heaven. Her best friends in Brainerd were in a Northern Pacific family too - these were the Schiels, Art and Myrt and their three children. Mom was BFF with Ruth Schiel. Ruth's siblings were Frank ("Sparky") and Gloria. Gloria's son Richard ("Dicky") was killed by friendly fire in Vietnam in 1966. We attended his funeral in Brainerd. I remember the graveside service at Evergreen Cemetery where Gloria was inconsolable. 

What an unnecessary loss. God works in ways mysterious. A few years ago when "Lady Bird" Johnson died, the media gave it very little attention. My boomer generation did not care to extend much respect to the Johnsons, as LBJ pushed the USA's involvement in 'Nam. I might suggest "damn his memory." The war trumped his civil rights work.

 

The best memories

I fondly remember playing cards with Art and Myrt on the porch of their cottage at Pelican Lake. Talk about God's country! That was right on the doorstep of heaven. We played the "31" card game. 

"You done me dirt," Myrt would say if she felt I dealt her a bad hand. She had a wonderful and unique personality, could put a smile on anyone's face. 

Dicky's brother Lyle has been an incredibly versatile person in his life: multiple marriages and jobs, and I envy him for that skill, adjusting to new circumstances. Seriously. Here I sit in the same home where I was in '63. 

In Brainerd, NP Railroad shops historic district

I haven't been to Brainerd since about 1980. A shame, I'll really have to try to get back. I soaked in quite a bit of Brainerd as I was growing up, so much so my memories have value for the Crow Wing Historical Society. My family took part in the community's Centennial in 1971. I guess we had time for both Brainerd's Centennial and our own in Morris, same year. 

 

It's all about the railroad

Brainerd owes its existence and much of its importance to the Northern Pacific Railway. Before it was decided that the railroad would come to the area, there was no Brainerd and no thought of a settlement there. The railroad brought mechanics, laborers and merchants. 

The most notable event in the history of the NP was the completion of a through line to the west coast in August, 1883. Somewhere out in Montana, the rails met, thus joining the east to the west by "hands of steel." A golden spike was driven and ceremonies spread along the Northern Pacific line. 

As World War II drew to a close, extensive additions were made by the railway shops in Brainerd. The NP merged with other lines in 1970 to form Burlington Northern Railroad, which became BNSF in 1996. 

Mom's friend Ruth was married to Chuck and they had one child, daughter Nancy who is my age. Ruth and Chuck are deceased. Chuck joined my dad and I for a hunting trip out to Wyoming. I got a deer but not a trophy. Neat to see the "mule deer" out there. Ruth and Chuck Closson were big in the "Eastern Star" organization. If you know anyone in the organization, you know what all this involves: lots of pomp and rituals. I haven't seen Nancy since the '70s, so unfortunate. 

The community of Brainerd stays close to my heart.

 

My podcast for March 3

My mother would be pleased I'm sharing spiritual-themed thoughts for this Lenten season of 2021. I allude to the special challenges of the mainstream Christian denominations. There is decline. Mom cherished her church which is now in the ELCA, and I compliment that synod on its inclusive and progressive attitudes. Here is the permalink to my "Morris Mojo" podcast:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/Another-Lenten-week-erdhtg  

 

Edwin Ohlson in service to his country. He's with sisters Martha (left) and Mildred.

 - Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com