1938 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A GREAT FALLS MONTANA SINGLE DAD WHO WORKS HARD TEACHING HIS SON THE MANLY ARTS OF SHOOTING, HUNTING, TREATING SKINS AND READING BOOKS

On offer is an interesting, original 1938 manuscript diary handwritten by an unidentified man living with his son Bob in Great Falls Montana. While the author is unknown there are many clues that would undoubtedly allow local researchers to learn his identity. His birthday is on January 21st and a casual reading suggests he is a widower or divorced as there are many mentions of his son but never a mother. [A woman named Sue sees the boy a fair bit but her role is never detailed.] He and son Bob [11 years old on April 2nd] spend many of their free times hunting, working on cowhides, trips to the Falls, hunting bullets at the Sand Hills, target shooting and more. They are prodigious hunters and spend time dressing their kills and prepping or storing for food. Besides the everyday labours of rural living the writer has a job perhaps with a food or farm co-op as he mentions a call from the Spokane office and being asked to sell all their wheat, he also calls on his tenants which we believe refers to tenant farmers. A very dedicated father inside the home too. He reads to Bob nearly daily to help him prepare for book reports, goes to the library with him and attends church run father and son banquets. A dry wit runs throughout the diary: he hurts his hand burning brush and reminds himself to not play with fire. He also can descend into poor form mentioning playing Chinese Checkers in a not so kind manner. The diary also details a three week summer trip to the state of Washington staying around the Seattle area. Here are some snippets: 1938 "January 3rd, Not too much in the lSue of work this day. Pascal getting ready for a trip to California. He decided to leave tonight. Cleaned a small turkey which had been hanging in the cold room since December 19th when I returned from Valier with 23 of them. It didn't smell too good. Hope it tastes better. Will see tomorrow night. Bob went out to the Christmas tree fire, they had a swell one. I played old Sal for awhile. I've chased gums and so to bed." "February 7th, There was a little snow, not much. Temperature hangs around zero. This walking busSuess is rather hard on the dogs and my left from knee to ankle are sore. Too bad I don't have the ambition to make myself walk about half the time. Shoveled the walk but didn't' do any great job, just made a path." "March 27th, Almost finished raking the lawn but still a lot of wind today. RMA and I went up on hill where the old well rig used to be and had a swell tumble weed fire in the coulee to the east. We figured out how to get the car up on the high butte to the northeast and drove up there. It was too windy to have much fun rolling rocks." "April 3rd, Nice day. Did some work on the yard and built a fence to keep people off the back lawn. We went for a ride in the afternoon. RMA, Ray and Margie were quite busy in their meetings of the "Bloody Three" which is a three way organization they have formed. Guess it is from reading Tom Sawyer but suppose it's good for them and don't think they will commit too many murders before they think of something else." "April 10th, RaSued some in the morning. We overslept and RMA missed going to Sunday School. Spaded the bed by the side of the house and cleaned the one in front. Went for a ride in the afternoon and passed by the pistol range where we picked up a swell mess of bullets. Two policemen were shooting." "May 26th, Pretty warm today, 81 degrees. Pascal and Hattie went to Big Fork to bring back MaxSue whose school will be out tomorrow. They expect to get home Saturday night. I went out North to Marm's, also saw Fiedler and brought in a load of pastes. In the evening we went out for a little ride to see the ACM tulips; they were real pretty." "June 10th, Pascal went to Big Sandy to pick up Fred Bydeley who came that far with Skie. They got back here about five. We went on the picnic to Big Falls to celebrate school being out for the year. It was nice there and we drove on down to Morony Dam and then back home. Came on back down town and visited with Fred tell about 10:30." "July 10th & 11th, Went up to Johnson's for dinner, a darn good meal but of course we were late. There was a little hail storm there in the afternoon. Left there at 6:30 and went to Glacier Park station where we got a cabin for the night….Up and at em early. Left at 6:20 A.M. and drove to Belton then up by Lake McDonald and over Logan Pass. Went to Babb and then into Cardston for lunch. Back the same way to Browning, to Valier and home. Damn tired." "July 26th, Got up early and John and I made the trip north. We went to the Torrison then out three and over Berubes and to Christians. The roads were rough and somewhat muddy in spots but we had a nice trip. Picked some wild red raspberries at Berubes." "August 9th, Roy and I hit the deck at 4:00 A.M. and went for razor clams. It was swell digging, got the limit. Father's wife passed away at 10:30 A.M. We cleaned clams and watched the chicks but didn't bother them any. Left at 3:10 P. M. went down to Jim's, six miles beyond Tumwater. Had a little visit with him and brought Emma back to Forks. Got there at 10:15 P.M. Prims arrived in Great Falls today at noon. Letter from Pa 8-14-38." "August 20th & 22nd, Mr. Young and I went to Everett and saw Don Currie and the Merrill property. Went to Bellingham and saw the Moody place and the Wattam house. Had dinner at the Bellingham Hotel and met les Walton there. Of course saw Bill Follis. Got back to Seattle about 11:00 P.M…..Went with Mr. Young. RMA and Sue over to Bainbridge Island. Mr. Young wanted to see his dentist and we there prowled around the island while he was there. Got back to Seattle about 2:00. Sue and RMA went on their way and Bradley and I circulated around the town. Went out to Little about 9:00 and then home or rather to the Hancocks." "September 25th, Some wind today. Not bad but the most we have had for sometime. Went out to Mrs. Marm's and bought 5 pigs for Hi. Went over to Fiedler's and to the Hale and Frisbee places. Got the remains of the old copper kettle and made a plate for the bathroom floor. We all went for a ride out to Highwood. Got ice cream and mailed some letters." "October 6th, Worked some and listened to the World Series game between the Cubs and Yanks. Yanks won 6-3 Damn it. Went down to the Elmore Hotel to locate Paul Dean. Ive wanted him over to dinner." "November 7th, A heck of a day, all in all. Sue came down in the morning to get her hair fixed and bought a dress. In the afternoon she came back and got gloves and a hat but the dress didn't get delivered. Well we did get off to the Civitan Banquet where we had duck and a swell time. Dr. Larson was good as well as De Schoen and Crouch. All of them were real nice to us. RMA stayed at home with Ray and at Lovitt's. Maybe it was a good experience for him. Pascal got back this evening." "December 24th, We didn't do too much today. Sue and Bob came down in the afternoon and Sue went to The Liberty. Bob and I went home and had some lunch, then out to the Sand Hills where we shot bottles. Bob missed one and I missed two. We hunted for bullets and then went to the police pistol range. Then got Sue from the show and home." Researchers and historians of the time and place will be pleased that our author mentions many, many names of those he interacts with: Walt Sells, Eppe, Herbert Shane, Alice Fay, Lewis, Rouse, Torkelson, Borthwick Jessie B. Miller, Paul Hobitzan, Parker, Pritchard, Christian, Young, Fred Bydeley, Archie Campbell, Sam Crockett, Jacob Johnson, Latta, Marm, Fielders, Frisbee, Hale, George Wilson and more. The 4" x 7"book is overall VG.; Manuscript; 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, GREAT FALLS MONTANA, SEATTLE WASHINGTON, SAND HILLS, HUNTERS, TRAPPERS, MORONY DAM, CARDSTON, HUNTERS, HUNTING, RURAL LIFE, WHEAT SELLING, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, AUTOGRAPHED, AUTHORS, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, ARCHIVE, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNAL, LOG, PRIMARY SOURCE, FIRST HAND ACCOUNT, SOCIAL HISTORY, PERSONAL STORIES, LIVING HISTORY, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL,BIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY PERSONAL NARRATIVES