Were they really cowgirls?

Friendship is such a wonderful thing.  After a series of career moves over the years, we’ve chalked up a healthy list of people we consider good friends – from Iowa and Oklahoma to Mississippi and Pennsylvania.

Except for Nebraska friends with whom we grew up, most of those friendships were established and developed over just a few short years.  But in many instances, we’ve kept in touch with these friends from elsewhere and continue nurturing the friendships.

We’re intrigued by the fact that so many people of our parents’ generation were often life-long friends.  People with whom they went to school, worked, and grew old.  Friends who confided in one another and – during good times and bad – helped each other.

Such was the special and long-time friendship of Lettie Miller and Gladys (Warren) Beamish.

We’ve heard stories of how these ladies, hard working but fun loving, used to celebrate Halloween to the fullest extent – dressing up in some remarkably innovative costumes.

It tickled us recently when we came across this old photo – taken in about 1947 on the Vince Braddock place north of Chadron.  We don’t think it was Halloween, although it may well have been in October.  No doubt about it, they were in costume!

Billy Beamish – about four years old – is shown at the left with his dog Ringo.  They both seem a bit bewildered by the antics of the two gunslingers on the right, Lettie (Maiden) Miller and Gladys (Warren) Beamish.

This image, we think, captures the light-hearted antics that these two ladies shared with one another.  Perhaps folks who’ve known them and their spouses -- John Miller and Warren Beamish  -- might contend that the girls' tomfoolery was a way of complementing the more reserved (some might say dour) personalities of their husbands!

Far be it from us to assign such motives.  In any event, these two ladies did have fun!

Lettie Miller passed away in Chadron in 1998 at age 77.  Gladys Beamish still lives in Chadron and remains quite active for a young lady in her 80’s!

Were you there?

The little lapel pin shown here was generated to promote a Maiden Family Reunion over the 4th of July holiday in 1984.

Only trouble is, we don't know which Maiden family line was promoting the event -- or where it took place!

We'll have to admit that our memory chip isn't as robust as it once was, but these little pins (we found two tucked away in a chest) have really befuddled us.

At first, we confused it with a family reunion that took place out in the Pacific northwest in about the same era.   Then, we recalled that the gathering was actually a reunion of Durham family members.  Our records include a written notice about a "Durham Family Reunion" on August 14, 1982 at the Rainier Sportsman's at Rainier, Washington.  It was organized by Helen Vincent and Tom Durham.  Tom, we believe, was a grand nephew of Leota Irene (Durham) Maiden.   We did not attend that reunion.

Our Maiden family tie with the Durhams was through  Leota Irene Durham (1891-1951), the daughter of David and Alatha (Norman) Durham.  She married William J. Maiden (1886-1972), the son of William H. and Dora (Derrick) Durham at Belle Fourche, South Dakota, 15 December 1915.

We'll hope that a Maiden cousin somewhere might happen across this posting and provide us with information about the 1984 Maiden reunion.    

The Maiden kids - late 1930's

While preparing a new picture calendar for 2012, I was digging for some old photos that might help spur memories of years gone by.  This one popped up, and I was delighted to include it in the calendar.

I had seen this photograph before, but it'd never captured my imagination the way it did today.  Perhaps it's the unique personalities of the six Maiden girls -- and one boy -- reflected in their faces and clothing.  Or it might be the contrast of the dry earth barnyard with Grandpa Maiden's bold new barn looming in the distance.  Whatever caught my attention, it's allowed me to examine more closely and enjoy this glimpse of yesteryear out on White River in Dawes County, Nebraska.  There's no date on this photo, but from the apparent ages of those in the picture, I'm guessing this was taken in the late 1930's.

In the rear (left-to-right) are Nettie, Henry, and Betty Maiden.  In the middle are Lettie, Minnie, and Dorothy.  Jackie is in front.  I can't see clearly enough to determine who is to the rear right, closer to the barn.  Perhaps Ray Scott -- Minnie's son -- is the boy, but I can't be certain.  I don't believe that's Grandpa Maiden back there, but again, that's just a guess.

I wish I could remember that barn.  I've been told that Grandpa William J. Maiden was very proud of it.

From Harding County to the Space Station

If ever someone "bridged the gap" between yesteryear and the world of tomorrow, it could well be young  Maiden relative Brandon Tenold, whose family ranches near Reva, South Dakota.  Brandon is a great-grandson of Betty (Maiden) Love Jolovich, and a grandson of Gene and Janice (Love) Tenold.  We were delighted when we learned of Brandon's interest in amateur radio  and extremely pleased that he's continued to pursue this hobby -- with considerable success, we might add.  Our good friends at the Nation's Center News shared the following story with us.  It was written last fall and published in their September 30, 2010 edition, but it's worth sharing again!

As the International Space Station orbits the earth, ham radio operators in the United States, Canada and other countries try hard to be able to communicate with it.  With so many radio operators on the air, while it is not difficult to contact the space station, it is very difficult to be able to conduct a very long conversation with the crew, for the station is traveling at 5 miles per second.

Brandon Tenold "on the air" from Harding County

However, Brandon Tenold, the 13-year-old son of Dustin & Dana Tenold of Reva, made strong contact with Colonel Doug Wheelock on the International Space Station on Monday, September 20, 2010.  Brandon made contact as thestation was crossing the western edge of Montana and stayed in contact until it was just getting above Minnesota.

Dustin and Brandon became licensed as amateur ham radio operators in February 2010.  They studied together at home for nearly six months before taking their technician exams at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.  The FCC has 35 different tests for technicians, and those taking the exam so not know until the exam starts which one will be administered. 

“The number of tests makes studying a long process,” explained Dustin.

Since that time Brandon has visited with a multitude of people all over the central states. He has participated in several weather nets and flood nets which are situations in which ham operators from all over the state report adverse weather conditions and flood conditions to the National Weather Service and other agencies. Ham radio communication is the only form of long distance communication that will work when all other forms, such as telephone, internet and satellite, have failed.

At 4:30 pm on September 20, as the international space station made a direct pass over South Dakota, Brandon, call sign KD0KMT, made contact with Colonel Doug Wheelock (call sign NA1SS) with his 75-watt 2-meter ham radio. He had a conversation about the weather, Mount Rushmore and local landmarks. With the direct overhead pass, Brandon was able to carry a good signal to space and hold that signal for a long duration, allowing them more time to visit.

The International Space Station Fan Club has its own link on the Internet which gives some more information about contacts, orbit and history of Ham radio on the space station.

If one goes to www.issfanclub.com, he can actually hear part of the conversation between Brandon and Colonel Wheelock because a record of contacts is maintained on the website.

While some people are texting their friends or visiting with them on cell phones, Brandon has taken communication to another level.  Being able to speak directly to a member of the International Space Station is quite an experience.

Apples from the John C. Derrick tree

Some years back, while researching the 1927 drowning of William Weston in White River north of Chadron, Nebraska, we had the pleasure of chatting by telephone with Winfred Dalrymple, a distant "cousin."  He told me that he  and his family were visiting the Maiden family north of Chadron when young William drowned while trying to save his sister.  She survived the ordeal.  

Winfred's grandfather was Albert John Derrick, a son to the much-discussed John C. Derrick. Also, his grandmother, Martha (married to Albert John), was a Maiden.   

It's another example of the maze of relationships that would result when someone married into a family to which they were already related by marriage.  We've found it several times in the Derrick family -- with both the Maiden and Miller families.  And -- more than once -- its complexity has caused this writer to fall into a "relative" stupor.

Alas, we've lost touch with the Dalrymple clan, but hope that we can reconnect one day soon.  He lived in the Seattle vicinity when we chatted in 1994.   Finding the photograph above, which was tucked in the back of an envelope, was quite fun -- especially since someone had taken the time to write down who was in the picture!  If only they'd also dated it!

I find it intriguing that many of these old photos reproduce so well.  This original black & white photo is 2 x 3 inches.  It  hasn't been particularly cared for over the years, but the clarity and resolution is still pretty good -- a testament to the quality of the camera and lens used in capturing the image.

We're guessing the photo was taken in about 1924 or 1925, before young Weston drowned.  Shown left-to-right are Dorothy Maiden, Bobby Dalrymple, Henry Maiden, Winnie Dalrymple, and Lettie Miller.