Louis W. Klemenhagen April 15, 1897 – November 12, 1944
Camp Cody, New
Mexico, November 3rd, 1918
We left Olivia
at 5:30, Oct 25th at Glencoe we had picked up another bunch of boys
so that made four bunches, the others being from Montevideo, Granite Falls and
Olivia.
Leaving
Minneapolis we followed the Mississippi river to Farmington, where we got a
hearty cheer. At Faribault we picked up two more cars of boys and gave them a
cheer. We also gave them a cheer. We also picked up boys at Owatonna, and
Austin, Minnesota, making a train of thirteen cars in all.
At. Calmar,
Iowa we had time to parade the town, yelling “Hurrah for Minnesota.” You can
imagine when three hundred and seventy-four men and boys shout what a noise it
makes. Sometimes I could not hear myself think.
We got to North
McGregor at dark so far the country looked good but from there on it looked
forsaken. I wouldn’t trade a hundred and sixty of Minnesota for all of New
Mexico. We took breakfast at Davenport, Iowa, a good sized city. At Mastic,
Iowa we saw some coal mines.
All we saw in
Missouri were mines and hills. Tell Herman it would be fine hunting squirrels
and raccoon in Missouri, where they also raise the four legged mule. We
certainly saw plenty of them.
We got to
Kansas City at 2:15 p.m., received more post cards from the Red Cross.
Here they took
off the dining cars as we went from there on the Rock Island road. We had
dinner just before we got to Kansas City, and got supper that night at
McFarland, Kan., in the Inter-State House, at 10:30 p.m.
We got to
Pratt, Kansas in the morning behind time, so our breakfast was ahead quite, so we
had time to go into a hotel and lunch room, and clean them out of everything
and some more.
At Liberal,
Kansas the ground was covered with sleet, there we got breakfast and dinner.
The country was so level you could see for miles and see straw piles as high as
hog cochs or shocks. It was mostly grazing land, where the grass was short in
the pasture we could see prairie dogs galore, one colony after another. We got
to Goodmill at dark, that was Monday the 28th, we got a meal at 9:20
p.m.
At Carrizozo,
New Mexico, the country was picturesque, high mountain and buttes on all sides,
covered with sage brush. The ground was of a fine sand. Here we saw a big black
eagle with wings which must have measured six or seven feet. It looked like an
air-plane sailing around.
Got to El Paso,
the end of the snow country, at 1:30, when we had dinner, at the Y.M.C.A.
building. Had a fine feed only it was 12 hours behind time. Here some of the
weak were taken off, that had gotten sick from cigarette smoke.
We left El Paso
at 3 p.m. arrived at Camp Cody at 7:35 a.m.
Our leader from
Olivia was Bert Flagsted, a fine young fellow, who at the present time is in my
tent.
We were met by
Lieut. Peterson, and 2nd Lieut. Homan, both fine fellows, you could
not find better officers anywhere.
We walked about
one mile to our headquarters where we were checked up and got a ribbon and card
on our necks with our names on, we also received sweaters from the Red Cross.
Then we marched
to Casval Camp, 15th Co. were given our tents and after that got
supper.
I got to my
tent at 11 p.m. that night to roll in, and got up at 7 a.m. Tuesday the 29th.
Had mess and then started to clean up the street of Co. 15.
Wednesday, we
were measured for clothing Thursday we got our suits, now we look like full-fledged
soldiers.
Friday was out
on drill, learned to salute correctly, and the following commands, such as
right face, left face, about face, squad right, squad left, etc.
Saturday at 1
p.m. we went up to the Reformatory for examination which I passed, then got a
shot in the arm, or vaccinated for pneumonia, from which my arm is a little
stiff today, but will be all right in the morning.
After mess
Saturday night the whole of 15th Company went to the Y.M.C.A.
building to see a motion picture show, and boxing matches, in which a boxer
from Minnesota put it over everything. You ought to have heard the up roar of
two hundred and fifty men of 15th co. being that we have a full
company now. The cry was “Wake up, Okla., Neb., or New York, for Minnesota has
the goods,” or “Minnesota can deliver the goods.”
Got to bed at
9:00 p.m. Saturday night and Sunday, morning was called out for insurance, so
are all thru taking out insurance; I happened to be the first to be called out
to go in, so got back to my tent where I commenced writing this letter, and had
to stop for mess; then we got orders to move, so we got trucks and now are in
barracks. Before we were in canopy tents, now we have board sides with canvas
tops, must close now for mess again.
The Minnesota
Minimum Wage Commission has established a scale of minimum wages to be observed
in Minnesota, in the employment of women or minors, as follows:
For mercantile,
waitresses, office or hair dressing occupations, in St. Paul, Minneapolis and
Duluth, $9.00 per week; all other incorporated cities in the state, $8.50 per
week; in the state outside of the cities, $8.00 per week. In manufacturing,
mechanical, telephone, telegraph, laundry, dyeing, dry cleaning, lunch room,
restaurant and hotel occupations the scale is 25 cents less in incorporated
cities while outside incorporated cities it is $8.00 per week. All other
occupations anywhere in the state, $8.00 per week.
For apprentices
or learner in any occupation, girl or boy under 18 years of age, in the state
outside of incorporated cities, $7.00 per week for four months, then $8.00 per
week. Woman or minor 18 years or older, $7.00 per week for three months, then
$8.00 per week.
Corporal L. E.
Whitmer, who is one of the boys from Fairfax to help bring an American and
Allied victory over there, has sent the following clipping to his parents here.
It gives a vivid description of how things have been done on a big scale to
accomplish big results:
“We have just
witnessed an interesting innovation, which provided a magnificent spectacle. It
was reported that German troops were assembling east of the Meuse for a
counter-attack. Immediately, 350 aeroplanes, with 32 tons of bombs, took the
air to attack the German troop concentration. There were 200 bombing machines,
100 “chasse” planes and 50 triplanes.
It was a superb
sight. The whole sky was black with groups of from nine to twelve machines “V”
formation, like a lot of wild ducks. The sun was just setting and its rays made
the aeroplanes gleam like gold and silver blades against the blue of the sky.
The aviators
flew eastward and soon after the explosions of their bombs mingled with the
sound of the cannon.
The counter-attack melted under the terrible
hail of metal and twelve German aeroplanes which boldly went to the encounter
of our great armada, were sent to earth.”
Well, I received three letters from you today and was sure glad to hear
from you. I got two letters from home today. I think ma is worrying
unnecessarily for I’m alright. This leaves me pretty well, had my tonsils
removed a few days ago so my throat is still pretty sore.
I was in bed five weeks with diphtheria but couldn’t have had better
care than I had. I don’t think I’ll have any more trouble with my throat since
I got my tonsils removed. They were about as big as my fist.
I got my first pay yesterday-nineteen pounds-that’s over ninety
dollars. Want to send some of it home when I get around to it.
I expect to be back on duty in eight or ten days and I hope I never
have to go to a hospital again. Was sorry to hear that the baby got hurt. I
never knew I was so close to Clarence Miller-his ship left as we came.
Well, I think I will close for this time.
With love, your brother, Claude S. Smith
P.S. Oct. 21st. Just got two more letters from you. U.S.S.
Texas, Care of Postmaster, Box E.D., New York, N.Y.
Paragraphs
taken from letters written Oct. 17 and 26 by Howard C. Olson, son of Mr. and
Mrs. A. E. Olson
Somewhere in
France, Sat. Oct. 26, 1918
Dear Mother and
Father:
This is
Saturday morning and am not very busy so will drop you a few lines to let you
know that Elmer and I are all well and getting along nicely.
Herbert Hagen,
a young fellow who lives two or three miles South of Bird Island, was wounded
in three places in his body while sleeping in a church near the front. A high
explosive shell hit the church early last Sunday morning, wounding him in the
left shoulder and body, also killing twelve other fellows and wounding many. He
was sent to this hospital for treatment and I stood beside him at the operating
table while the pieces of shrapnel were removed. At the present time he is
feeling and getting along nicely, at a base hospital some hundred miles back of
the lines.
There is one
other thing I want to tell you and that is we have the record of all Evacuation
Hospitals in France. In twenty-one days we took care of over twenty-six
thousand and wounded soldiers.
A couple of
nights ago we were bombed close by, killing two Americans, four Frenchmen and
twenty-one women. Everybody was out watching the excitement as it does no good
to run and hide under some building because those bombs go thru anything on
earth.
The British
captured Lillie and Ostend the other day and got back some six hundred women
and girls who had been prisoners of the Germans for the past four years. They
had been tortured something awful.
A week ago today
Oct 13th I went up to the front and saw Elmer, somewhere in the
Argonne Woods. I left here by ambulance at eight o’clock and arrived in the
woods at twelve. He was going out on a detail with thirteen teams so I got
there just in time as he was already on his horse. I ran out and shook hands
with him and he surely was glad to see me and I surely was glad to see him. I
spent Sunday afternoon and all Sunday night with him. We slept in the woods and
believe me the boche shells were flying all around us. I thought sure one was
coming along and pick me off. Elmer has had several very close calls but has
been lucky so far. Outside of all the sufferings and hardships he is going
thru, he is feeling fine and still alive.
They are short
of food and clothes for the reason it is so hard to get it up to the front
lines. There is no city in the world that handles more traffic than the main roads
going up to the front. There is one continual stream of wagons, trucks, troops,
artillery, ammunition trains and ambulances for twenty-five miles back of “No
Man’s Land.”
The wounded men
are coming in fast again so I must stop and go to work. Hoping you all spend a
Happy Thanksgiving,
I am, your dear son, Howard.
Editor’s Note: We do not have a photograph of Howard C. Olson.
Posted: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Letter from Louis Klemenhagen, Olivia Times, 11-14-1918
April 15, 1897 – November 12, 1944
Camp Cody, New Mexico, November 3rd, 1918
We left Olivia at 5:30, Oct 25th at Glencoe we had picked up another bunch of boys so that made four bunches, the others being from Montevideo, Granite Falls and Olivia.
Leaving Minneapolis we followed the Mississippi river to Farmington, where we got a hearty cheer. At Faribault we picked up two more cars of boys and gave them a cheer. We also gave them a cheer. We also picked up boys at Owatonna, and Austin, Minnesota, making a train of thirteen cars in all.
At. Calmar, Iowa we had time to parade the town, yelling “Hurrah for Minnesota.” You can imagine when three hundred and seventy-four men and boys shout what a noise it makes. Sometimes I could not hear myself think.
We got to North McGregor at dark so far the country looked good but from there on it looked forsaken. I wouldn’t trade a hundred and sixty of Minnesota for all of New Mexico. We took breakfast at Davenport, Iowa, a good sized city. At Mastic, Iowa we saw some coal mines.
All we saw in Missouri were mines and hills. Tell Herman it would be fine hunting squirrels and raccoon in Missouri, where they also raise the four legged mule. We certainly saw plenty of them.
We got to Kansas City at 2:15 p.m., received more post cards from the Red Cross.
Here they took off the dining cars as we went from there on the Rock Island road. We had dinner just before we got to Kansas City, and got supper that night at McFarland, Kan., in the Inter-State House, at 10:30 p.m.
We got to Pratt, Kansas in the morning behind time, so our breakfast was ahead quite, so we had time to go into a hotel and lunch room, and clean them out of everything and some more.
At Liberal, Kansas the ground was covered with sleet, there we got breakfast and dinner. The country was so level you could see for miles and see straw piles as high as hog cochs or shocks. It was mostly grazing land, where the grass was short in the pasture we could see prairie dogs galore, one colony after another. We got to Goodmill at dark, that was Monday the 28th, we got a meal at 9:20 p.m.
At Carrizozo, New Mexico, the country was picturesque, high mountain and buttes on all sides, covered with sage brush. The ground was of a fine sand. Here we saw a big black eagle with wings which must have measured six or seven feet. It looked like an air-plane sailing around.
Got to El Paso, the end of the snow country, at 1:30, when we had dinner, at the Y.M.C.A. building. Had a fine feed only it was 12 hours behind time. Here some of the weak were taken off, that had gotten sick from cigarette smoke.
We left El Paso at 3 p.m. arrived at Camp Cody at 7:35 a.m.
Our leader from Olivia was Bert Flagsted, a fine young fellow, who at the present time is in my tent.
We were met by Lieut. Peterson, and 2nd Lieut. Homan, both fine fellows, you could not find better officers anywhere.
We walked about one mile to our headquarters where we were checked up and got a ribbon and card on our necks with our names on, we also received sweaters from the Red Cross.
Then we marched to Casval Camp, 15th Co. were given our tents and after that got supper.
I got to my tent at 11 p.m. that night to roll in, and got up at 7 a.m. Tuesday the 29th. Had mess and then started to clean up the street of Co. 15.
Wednesday, we were measured for clothing Thursday we got our suits, now we look like full-fledged soldiers.
Friday was out on drill, learned to salute correctly, and the following commands, such as right face, left face, about face, squad right, squad left, etc.
Saturday at 1 p.m. we went up to the Reformatory for examination which I passed, then got a shot in the arm, or vaccinated for pneumonia, from which my arm is a little stiff today, but will be all right in the morning.
After mess Saturday night the whole of 15th Company went to the Y.M.C.A. building to see a motion picture show, and boxing matches, in which a boxer from Minnesota put it over everything. You ought to have heard the up roar of two hundred and fifty men of 15th co. being that we have a full company now. The cry was “Wake up, Okla., Neb., or New York, for Minnesota has the goods,” or “Minnesota can deliver the goods.”
Got to bed at 9:00 p.m. Saturday night and Sunday, morning was called out for insurance, so are all thru taking out insurance; I happened to be the first to be called out to go in, so got back to my tent where I commenced writing this letter, and had to stop for mess; then we got orders to move, so we got trucks and now are in barracks. Before we were in canopy tents, now we have board sides with canvas tops, must close now for mess again.
As ever, Louis W. Klemenhagen
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Posted: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Minimum Wages, Fairfax Standard, 11-28-1918
The Minnesota Minimum Wage Commission has established a scale of minimum wages to be observed in Minnesota, in the employment of women or minors, as follows:
For mercantile, waitresses, office or hair dressing occupations, in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth, $9.00 per week; all other incorporated cities in the state, $8.50 per week; in the state outside of the cities, $8.00 per week. In manufacturing, mechanical, telephone, telegraph, laundry, dyeing, dry cleaning, lunch room, restaurant and hotel occupations the scale is 25 cents less in incorporated cities while outside incorporated cities it is $8.00 per week. All other occupations anywhere in the state, $8.00 per week.
For apprentices or learner in any occupation, girl or boy under 18 years of age, in the state outside of incorporated cities, $7.00 per week for four months, then $8.00 per week. Woman or minor 18 years or older, $7.00 per week for three months, then $8.00 per week.
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Posted: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Counter Attack Halted, Fairfax Standard, 11-28-1918
January 9, 1894 – Febrary 1985
Corporal L. E. Whitmer, who is one of the boys from Fairfax to help bring an American and Allied victory over there, has sent the following clipping to his parents here. It gives a vivid description of how things have been done on a big scale to accomplish big results:
“We have just witnessed an interesting innovation, which provided a magnificent spectacle. It was reported that German troops were assembling east of the Meuse for a counter-attack. Immediately, 350 aeroplanes, with 32 tons of bombs, took the air to attack the German troop concentration. There were 200 bombing machines, 100 “chasse” planes and 50 triplanes.
It was a superb sight. The whole sky was black with groups of from nine to twelve machines “V” formation, like a lot of wild ducks. The sun was just setting and its rays made the aeroplanes gleam like gold and silver blades against the blue of the sky.
The aviators flew eastward and soon after the explosions of their bombs mingled with the sound of the cannon. The counter-attack melted under the terrible hail of metal and twelve German aeroplanes which boldly went to the encounter of our great armada, were sent to earth.”
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Last Updated: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Letter from Claude Smith Morton Enterprise 11-15-1918
July 14, 1897 – August 7, 1954
Oct. 20, 1918
Dear Sister,
Well, I received three letters from you today and was sure glad to hear from you. I got two letters from home today. I think ma is worrying unnecessarily for I’m alright. This leaves me pretty well, had my tonsils removed a few days ago so my throat is still pretty sore.
I was in bed five weeks with diphtheria but couldn’t have had better care than I had. I don’t think I’ll have any more trouble with my throat since I got my tonsils removed. They were about as big as my fist.
I got my first pay yesterday-nineteen pounds-that’s over ninety dollars. Want to send some of it home when I get around to it.
I expect to be back on duty in eight or ten days and I hope I never have to go to a hospital again. Was sorry to hear that the baby got hurt. I never knew I was so close to Clarence Miller-his ship left as we came.
Well, I think I will close for this time.
With love, your brother, Claude S. Smith
P.S. Oct. 21st. Just got two more letters from you. U.S.S. Texas, Care of Postmaster, Box E.D., New York, N.Y.
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Last Updated: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Letter from Howard C. Olson, Bird Island Union, 11-28-1918
Paragraphs taken from letters written Oct. 17 and 26 by Howard C. Olson, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Olson
Somewhere in France, Sat. Oct. 26, 1918
Dear Mother and Father:
This is Saturday morning and am not very busy so will drop you a few lines to let you know that Elmer and I are all well and getting along nicely.
Herbert Hagen, a young fellow who lives two or three miles South of Bird Island, was wounded in three places in his body while sleeping in a church near the front. A high explosive shell hit the church early last Sunday morning, wounding him in the left shoulder and body, also killing twelve other fellows and wounding many. He was sent to this hospital for treatment and I stood beside him at the operating table while the pieces of shrapnel were removed. At the present time he is feeling and getting along nicely, at a base hospital some hundred miles back of the lines.
There is one other thing I want to tell you and that is we have the record of all Evacuation Hospitals in France. In twenty-one days we took care of over twenty-six thousand and wounded soldiers.
A couple of nights ago we were bombed close by, killing two Americans, four Frenchmen and twenty-one women. Everybody was out watching the excitement as it does no good to run and hide under some building because those bombs go thru anything on earth.
The British captured Lillie and Ostend the other day and got back some six hundred women and girls who had been prisoners of the Germans for the past four years. They had been tortured something awful.
A week ago today Oct 13th I went up to the front and saw Elmer, somewhere in the Argonne Woods. I left here by ambulance at eight o’clock and arrived in the woods at twelve. He was going out on a detail with thirteen teams so I got there just in time as he was already on his horse. I ran out and shook hands with him and he surely was glad to see me and I surely was glad to see him. I spent Sunday afternoon and all Sunday night with him. We slept in the woods and believe me the boche shells were flying all around us. I thought sure one was coming along and pick me off. Elmer has had several very close calls but has been lucky so far. Outside of all the sufferings and hardships he is going thru, he is feeling fine and still alive.
They are short of food and clothes for the reason it is so hard to get it up to the front lines. There is no city in the world that handles more traffic than the main roads going up to the front. There is one continual stream of wagons, trucks, troops, artillery, ammunition trains and ambulances for twenty-five miles back of “No Man’s Land.”
The wounded men are coming in fast again so I must stop and go to work. Hoping you all spend a Happy Thanksgiving,
I am, your dear son, Howard.
Editor’s Note: We do not have a photograph of Howard C. Olson.
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