By Julie Huebel
SPRING VALLEY, WI – As a local history enthusiast, it should be of no surprise that I was doing a bit of Christmas shopping for myself on eBay this year. I was perusing the resale site for my usual searches for local history items. I have a habit of always turning over an old postcard in a thrift store to see if I recognize the name of the recipient or sender. I did that over and over during this search and I came to a postcard of one of my favorite old Spring Valley pictures that I’m sure I’ve seen on eBay for quite some time, but something prompted me to check the name anyway.
It was the postcard that I’m sure some of you would also recall seeing, with Red Cross ladies all lined up across main street (a.k.a. McKay Avenue), it was taken at the end of WWI. The postcard was addressed to a “Mrs. Johnnie Anderson” in St. Paul, Minnesota. My great-grandmother was an Anderson from the Spring Valley area, and she had a brother named John and he did live in the cities, but surely this wasn’t him as it’s among the most common names that exist, “John Anderson.”
It was a long shot for sure, and I was already mentally accepting defeat before even enlarging the postcard to read who it was from. The postcard was harder to read on the edges, likely where more wear and tear happened in transit and in the many years since with handling, but I could see that the signature began with an “E.” Well, my great-grandmother’s name started with an “E,” still understanding this was almost surely a dead end I decided to copy the photo and edit the contrast to make it easier to read (the edited version pictured here).
Unfortunately, the name in the signature is not fully legible, but it sure looked like it started with “El” to me and then some…for lack of knowing an official term for them…short letters. You know, letters that would not go above the middle-dotted line on that paper we learned to write on in school and it kind of looks like it ends in “na.” This is still lining up with my great-grandmother’s very unique first name, Elvina.
Next, I go to decipher the message. It starts out with, “Dear Sis & Bro.” and then describes the photo by saying, “Sunday morn. This picture was taken Liberty Day Monday (illegible section).” There’s a bit that I can’t make out here that falls under the postmark.
I looked to the old Spring Valley (SV)Sun newspapers from this time that are in the Pierce County Historical Association’s (PCHA) archives, thinking that surely this celebration was covered in the paper. In the Sun dated November 14, 1918, there was an article on the front page titled: “THIRD VICTORY CELEBRATION WAS VOCIFEROUS HUMDINGER.” As you read on, in the article, it is mentioned that they already had two false alarm celebrations at rumors of the war being over.
The article continues, “So, when the St. Paul Daily News brought us the glad tidings Thursday we waited, but the joyful sounds from Elmwood, Olivet, Rock Elm and other cities near got on our nerves we celebrated again – and harder. Even then most of us didn’t believe it, but we knew it was soon, if not then. This practice left us in good shape for Monday’s real time.” The article goes on to say: “Calls to the city confirmed it officially – we were just a little afraid of being fooled a third time – and then came the noise.”
So, the Monday prior to this issue of the paper being printed, would have been November 11. So, the postmark on the letter is likely supposed to be Nov 15 and not Nov 5 as it appears. The article goes on to describe what the townspeople did early that morning to celebrate, they began by paying visits to known and suspected “pro-hun” sympathizers. Burning people’s photos of the Kaiser and having them parade through town carrying American flags.
The article mentions other ways the locals celebrated, “Capt. Holcomb’s battery, from South Hill took up a position on bowery hill early in the day, and shook the town with its bombardment of the fleeing huns. At night he came down into the valley, where the concussion broke windows in the Oz Richerd and Warren Patten houses, and jarred things considerably. But what’s the odds?”
This isn’t the first I’ve heard of Mr. Holcomb firing his cannon. The cannon wasn’t the only noise maker that day, the article describes, “Mart Stevens rigged up a whistle, which enlivened things, and another cute noise-making device was rigged up by M. F. Mulheron, who put two small gas engines out on the sidewalk, with whistles attached to the exhausts’ they kept up all day.”
In addition, “Someone had been thoughtful enough to order fireworks, big crackers, red fire and roman candles, as well as horns, rattles, etc. The noise-making devices were passed out freely. At night the fireworks made a glorious display. Even the train was all dolled up with red fire.”
The author goes on to mention the Red Cross ladies in the photograph on the postcard, “During the afternoon a few of the Red Cross ladies, who happened to have their emblematic caps with them, formed a parade, with their Chairman, Thos. M. Casey, at their head.” So, these women pictured were local women who were members of Spring Valley’s Red Cross unit.
The body of the message reads: “Well Alma wanted me to write you a few lines & tell you she is so busy sewing for me today. I ripped my green dress & she cut a skirt out of it. Well we got the box for Gerhart so if you wanted to send something you would have to send it so we get it by Thursday or Friday because we have to have them in the bank (illegible word). I am visiting Alma every day. Well wishes, From Alma & Elvina”.
Let’s break this down. I thought I recognized the name Gerhart from this family; I went to Findagrave and confirmed that he was an older brother to Elvina. His wife was none other than…Alma. I could not believe it. I was now convinced that I was looking at a postcard that my great-grandmother wrote and mailed when she was 18 years old. A needle in a haystack. I immediately purchased the postcard and anxiously awaited its delivery.
Regarding the “box for Gerhart,” I found an article in the October 17, 1918, issue of the SV Sun that referred to Christmas parcels being prepared by the Spring Valley Red Cross unit for local men in service overseas. The boxes were 3 x 4 x 9 inches and had rules on what they could and could not contain and were to be mailed out by November 15.
I was lucky enough to know her, my great-grandmother, Elvina (Anderson) Brorson. I’m aware that not everyone gets to know their great-grandparents and I feel honored to have had this blessing. She passed away at age 94 when I was 14.
I remember her well; we spent quite a bit of time visiting her at her little house in Spring Valley on Cleveland Road by the creek. She would be delighted to know that her descendants revived the old tradition of our Brorson family reunion this year and plan to keep it up going forward. I’m not one that usually believes in hocus pocus and the like, but it’s fun to think she sent our family this postcard as a way to show us that she approves.
Message received.
