Lifestyle

You may have noticed an interesting array of construction equipment in Middle River recently. That is Wikstrom Telephone Company (Wiktel) installing new fiber optic telephone cables to the homes and businesses of Middle River. In the fall of 2019, they installed fiber optic to most of the rural homes and businesses and finished that project a couple weeks ago.

The Marshall County Council sponsored an Older Americans Essay contest. At MCC Elementary, 1st prize was awarded to Haidyn Andersen, 2nd prize to Lillian Hoglin, 3rd prize to Josh Brockhouse. Haidyn Andersen's essay also won 1st prize at county level judging. MCC 6th grade teachers are Becky Broderson and Miki Augustine.

Cora was born in 1929, the daughter of Anna (Magnuson) and William Ingalls. They were a farm family, living about 4 miles southwest of Middle River. She had 8 siblings - Willie, Arsa, May, Clarence, Edith, Ellen, Gladys, and Betty. They all helped with the 14 cows they raised, and when I mentioned the map I found on the backside of an ad for a cream separator, she exclaimed, “Did you ever work one of those cream separators?” I happily said no, I had not. Well, she continued to explain every detail of putting the parts together as well as the verocious method of spinning that tub and how they had to take turns because they would get so tired. After pouring the milk in the pails they would haul them to the well house where they were placed in cold water, making sure they changed the water frequently until “milk day” when they brought the white delicacy to the creamery in Middle River. Did they complain about this hard work? “No,” said Cora, “we knew if we didn’t do it, Ma would have to do it and we didn’t want her to work that hard.”