Don Johnson Letters and Journals
Check Writer for the Pulpyard and
Captain of “The Mando of Rainy Lake.”
Living on Norway Island, home and resort
Part 24

1/27/48 Woke up feeling pretty good. Car started easy. Had bulb under hood all night. Got 60 gal of oil from Slim. A real break!

1/29/48 Started on a 1000 calorie a day diet - first time in my life I ever went in for such guff. Belly getting too big for comfort. Wonder how long it will last.

2/4/48 Seventh day of dieting - but no noticeable effects. No scales so can’t say for sure. Have really stuck to it and Layna says not to lose hope. Big trouble is I take no exercise. Will take care of that end when weather moderates a little.

2/7/48 Byrne and I up until 11 p.m. splicing and editing film. Saw movies we hadn’t seen for two years.

2/8/48 35 below in morning but as I needed exercise badly - walked out to Emil Johnson’s. Found all 3 in good health and spirits. Round trip about 7 miles - enjoyed every step of it.

2/9/48 Bought scale so we can see if diet is doing any good.

2/10/48 Layna and I to town to hear High School kids annual music festival. Sally - and the others, all in formals. Very pretty - and a good job all around.

2/11/48 Went to Sportsman’s meeting with Cliff. Didn’t hear much that I didn’t already know, but came home pretty well disgusted with whole set-up.

1. 1⁄2 hour spent arguing who should serve banquet and what should be on the menu.

2. Jackfish season unchangeable - experts, says Berg figured this out.

3. Pearson, Canadian warden, made it plain that they had us over a barrel and planned on keeping us there.

2/12/48 Helped unload first load of pulp for Johnny Budris.

2/14/48 Stock market steady after week of tumbling prices. Economists still afraid to make any kind of prediction. Unloaded pulp.

2/15/48 Layna and Sally thrilled over recipe and article about “Wonder Cake.” Buck and I to island. Darned if women folks hadn’t made super-duper cake already!

2/16/48 Worked on films until 10 p.m. Plan in making continuous story - summer to summer. Lots of splicing!

2/17/48 Biggest day at yard so far - probably biggest in years. 250 loads in day. 145 of them on my shift.

2/23/48 Belly ache all day. I tried to play Christian Scientist and partly succeeded as it got better toward evening. Charlie and Blanche Williams over to see movies in evening. Charlie had old photos which we thoroly enjoyed.

2/24/48 160 loads on my shift and this job is making my tail tired. Sat and wrote checks from 11 until 3 without getting out of the chair!

2/26/48 Sat around with blues in evening until 9 o’clock. Suddenly got inspiration to go to Olson’s. Did. Played 3 games of whist, which Lawrence and I won, and came home at midnight feeling much better. Largely because they seemed worse off than we are! $14.50 for mink they expected to get $30 - $50 for.

2/28/48 One of worst storms of this, or many seasons, hit most of NW. Range south to Minneapolis pretty much tied up. Falls area got by pretty easy. High winds but not much snow. Tough enough so that pulp wood hauling slowed down considerably.

2/29/48 58,000 cords of pulpwood hauled into Falls during February - rail and truck.

3/1/48 Have made diet a pretty flexible proposition. Have refrained from over eating, but at no time, since first 2 weeks, have I kept strictly to 1000 calories per day.

3/3/48 Jack Green and Kielczewski found after laying out for 3 nights following plane crash. Jack in pretty tough shape.

3/8/48 Rumors still flying, and becoming more insistent, concerning the closing of the highways for pulp hauling. We all know that it can’t keep up all summer so one of these days it will be a fact. Monkeyed with income tax but quit in disgust.

3/10/48 Layna stayed in bed - first time since Karen came. Nothing serious - just felt rotten. Pulp hauling slowed down somewhat, partly because of weather, partly because many pretty well cleaned up.

3/13/48 Went out in yard to help La Pier unload and ended up by working on 3 loads. Worked up good sweat. Finished up income tax before going to work. Made a mistake in addition and had tough time finding it.

3/14/48 Lewis, Carol, Layna and I to Biondich’s [logging] camp. Got there by noon. Short visit with George before dinner. A typical one - roast chicken, string beans, mashed potatoes, 2 kinds of pie, etc.

3/17/48 St. Patrick’s Day - and no crows. Truman gave 20 minute speech - damn near asked outright for war!

3/18/48 Wallace made speech in answer to Truman. I came to the conclusion that one or the other is either badly misinformed or a damned traitor!

3/19/48 County roads being posted so hauling about over. Before I forget - largest day at yard - 285 truck loads of wood - March 6. Don’t know how many [railroad] cars. Several truckers hauled more than 1000 cords of wood during season. Irwin Rahier about 1800 - all the way from Effie - 75 miles. Made 2 trips almost every day. 10 - 12 cords per trip.

3/23/48 To town early to interview Bill Leslie from Winnipeg for steward job. Unless I am a damned poor judge - he will fill the bill. Anyway he is now hired - on my recommendation. Dick Haney here to help on ice - we sure need him.

3/24/48Everything lined up at Fitzgerald’s so we went ahead in good shape. Byrne in ice house, Dick on rope, Layna driving Chevy, me on saw (oh my aching back). Sure hell to watch our new car doing that kind of work. One tier in at night.

3/28/48 Easter - but on with the ice. Got one tier almost in at our place - and moved home besides.

3/29/48 Finished up at our place. Ice house really full. Paid Dick Haney $48 for 6 days work. This should make interesting reading when we hit another depression.

4/2/48 Layna and I to Dahlberg’s in morning - still think it a mess and a shame.

4/3/48 Letter from Scott asking for moose and elk head again. Nuts! A good letter, nevertheless. Dahlbergs want to put Harry R. back on the payroll now at this late date.

4/6/48 My birthday and a sure sign that I am getting old showed up in the fact that I took the thing very casually. Layna off for Milwaukee [sports show] at 5:30 with Mabes. Another sign of old age - I’m getting more critical - movies, radio, comic books, etc. Also of myself!

4/9/48 Snow shoe going tough as snow quite sticky. My pack 40# and it was all I wanted. Roberts’ ice - a first class bollix job. Hauled from town to landing by Turenne @ $1.25 a cake - 40 cakes. Then by toboggan behind car - 2 helpers to ice house then by slide into place. My $35 charge of two years ago shouldn’t look so big in the light of new developments.

4/13/48 We decided to buy Pilley boat and skip all unnecessary expenditures.

4/15/48 Pay day - I got my raise!

4/19/48 Got mad as old hell when we stopped to borrow flaring tool from Wagness and saw sign on door of Roberts’ shop. It said no more lending of tools or using of shop “no exceptions, please.” Looked like it was aimed at me.

4/20/48 No news from Layna so planned to go with Carl to wrestling match (Nagurski) in Eveleth. Layna called at 3:30. Came in at 6:30. Pretty tough walking on lake. Pulled and carried good load. Darned glad to be together again. Layna satisfied with her trip.

4/23/48 Started approach to dock but ran out of rock. Piled wood rest of day. Byrne and Sally home at 5:30 with news that Byrne had won Mando scholarship - Happy Day!

[ The Mando scholarship was a four year $500/ year scholarship awarded by the paper company to two senior boys. It could be used for Forestry, Business Administration or several Engineering majors. Was seen as a full scholarship. Bob Murray received the other in 1948.]

4/24/48 Layna and I to town for load of groceries to “spring out” on. Took big sled. Helluva load of stuff.

4/26/48 Byrne went to school over the ice but I stayed home. It was a good thing because a warm day with strong west wind raised Ned with ice. Don’t think I could walk on it tonight.

5/2/48 Lake opened! Three days of steady east wind did the trick on the ice. At no time was the velocity more than about 20 mph. The Ford’s from French’s went by for the first boat then Don Hodgdon in his Steelcraft - which was froze in all winter!

5/3/48 Had long talk with Carl on money matters. Told interesting story about fellow who bought $10,000 worth of Canadian money and paid for it in 10 - $1000 bills! 5% of this for Carl!

5/4/48 Billy Martin and Hallet crew here at 9 a.m. for reconnaissance trip to new site for Mando. After a careful going over, I think that we can really make a home in Swell Bay.

5/6/48 Louie came with two workmen and we went on up to Swell Bay. Anchored 4 eye bolts in rock to tie Mando to. My first experience with a rock drill and was impressed with the ease in which it was done.

5/9/48 We were all having coffee when Major Roberts was seen picking up pulp sticks on Keyes Island. I got in a helluva stew! Byrne and I out and hauled until dark. A good stroke of business.