Don Johnson Letters and Journals
Captain of “The Mando of Rainy Lake”
And Check Writer for the Mill Pulp Yard
Living on Norway Island, home and resort
Part 28

10/5/49 A wicked south wind but out with Sprague shortly after lunch nevertheless. Deal with him to go thru as planned. He will buy Backus Island for $20,000. Layna to be local agent for deal. Way down deep I have feeling that he is going thru deal with us just because he gave his word (before Backus) and won’t let us down.

10/8/49 Home to talk about trip down Ohio & Mississippi. I wonder!

10/14/49 Took party of 4 to town and discovered that we are all thru for season at Mando. I am irritable as hell. Must be a strain on me being nice to people for so long. Looks like it doesn’t come naturally - or maybe it is expecting too much of flesh and bones!

10/18/49 Chris & Ole [Oien] & Lawrence going good on cabin.

10/19/49 Lawrence and I to Dahlberg’s and pulled out cruiser. Found out that the Gilda wasn’t entirely drained so saved them a nice repair bill and Ray Anderson a real headache. Don’t even feel obligated now about leaving our boat there.

[The Delta Queen is a paddle wheel cruise ship which was owned and operated by the Greene Line Steamship Co. out of Cincinnati, OH. When the Greene family came to visit a son who was a camper at Camp Koochiching they stayed at Norway Island. They were so impressed by the hospitality that they invited Layna to bring her husband (who they had not met) to join them on the trip from Cincinnati to New Orleans and back as their guests.

#When Don showed some reluctance to make the trip as it would cut deeply into his hunting time Layna told him that as the Greenes had never met him, she was sure she could find someone else to fill in for the trip. Hunting plans were cancelled and it turned out to be one of the highlights of their lives.

#The 25 days that Don and Layna were away from Rainy Lake was the longest they had been away since arriving at the lake in 1929.]

11/14/49 Gave new cabin a good looking over and it looks like it will be the real thing.

11/15/49 Layna and I to Sandpoint at 10 a.m. and didn’t see a track There are at least six wolves on island, which may account for that. I shot my first deer 30 years ago this fall, and haven’t missed since. This looks like the one, and it makes me feel pretty tough.

11/17/49 Ray Anderson over to say that Gilda had turned him loose. ***damn such an outfit!

11/18/49 Stopped at Wagness for about an hour. For once we were the listeners when Gilda D. was topic for conversation. Near as we can tell, she is getting worse. Mabes right in with her, and Gilda owes her $400. Damned good thing.

11/19/49 Byrne and I to Goose Island. Not a damned deer track. I shot the head off of 4 partridges with 5 shots from .270 so felt a little better. Played first game of canasta with Layna & kids. For future reference, the year 1949 was the beginning of the canasta craze in USA D.D. Davis one of chief exponents.

11/22/49 Tied up at Bears Pass Narrows for night. Some good cribbage games. Also very interested in discussions by crew on world and national affairs. Those boys not so dumb. Lack of education tempers their judgment, maybe for the better in some cases!

11/23/49 When we went across lake at 4:30 there wasn’t a bit if ice to break. Landed at Bruggeman’s dock. Waited for Byrne until 7:30 and by that time, the wind had gone down, lake skimmed over practically all the way home. We ran kicker thru some, and paddled some. A 2 hour job. Cut boat pretty badly.

11/26/49 We got it during the night, about 5 inches of snow on top of our 2 inches of ice. That is one helluva tough break for us. Our whole existence is built around transportation to and from the mainland. It is one thing to get a good freeze up with little or no snow. We can then step in the car at our door and drive on to town. Provisions and materials of all kinds can be hauled by car or truck. It is another thing if this loose snow prevents ice thick enough to drive on until another snow storm comes along to make the snow too deep to drive on. It is then a snowshoe and toboggan chance.

11/27/49 Byrne and I worked on bedroom until he left for town at 1 p.m. He sure is our problem child at the moment. The Mando scholarship is gone for good. He plans on sticking us for his education and I am neither financially nor mentally in the mood for it. Damn such a mess. One thing in his favor. He seems to be a lot easier to get along with. For darn sure he isn’t as cocky - must have got some of that knocked out of him last winter - so year wasn’t a complete loss.

11/28/49 Sally and I had a pretty tough trip to town. It thawed during night so ice was covered with about 4 inches of wet, heavy snow. This wasn’t fastened to the thin ice, and every now and then we would slip, which was plain hell for my bum knee.

11/29/49 We are getting a real break in weather. The snow is practically all gone. If we get some cold weather now, we might still be saved!

12/1/49 We bought the jeep. $500, which we borrowed from Carl. It looks like a good deal. We aren’t as hard up as that “borrow” business sounds. Everything else, island, boats, car, etc. are paid for. We even have a little cash, about $500 but hated to grow broke.

12/2/49 Could have brought Paul Laurence and 2 helpers back in car but figured walk would do them good - and let them see what we do every day. Took sounding at dock site and we will be able to drive pilings.

12/3/49 Layna went to town about 4 and got Sally & Shelly Lewis. Every time we look out on the lake, we marvel at the break we are getting in this weather. Ice is getting thicker every minute.

12/4/49 Mabes & Pappy came along at 1 p.m. on way to Dahlberg’s. A fine pair - and a fine setup - Mabes, Gilda, Inc.

12/6/49 First day on job. Work from 10 - 6. Got 61 loads of pulp. Mostly bobtails. Off from steady work since October 19, so should be satisfied to get back on job.

12/7/49 MacKellar called with estimate of dock. $3000.! Sure doesn’t sound good.

12/10/49 Leo Prevost was to haul lumber today but couldn’t make it. Will do Monday, he says. Karen wanted to get in drawer of table where I am sitting writing this. “Daddy, please move your little old belly so I can get some paper”! What a kid!!

12/11/49 By daylight it was raining hard — and it kept up until noon. It had frozen during the night so ice sheet over everything. Layna took Byrne to town at 1 p.m. and said roads impossible - cars in ditch all along. Gunnar Lindstrom came by in snow sled. Missed running in open water by a block.

12/12/49 Temperature dropped from 40 above to 6 below during night. Fire out in our room. Sure hard to get out of bed! Had to crank jeep as starter stuck. Roads still terribly slippery so pulp hauling slow.

12/13/49 Had to build fire under Jeep to get it started. Starter not working so decided to really give it a going over. Drove in to Bill Pavleck’s and spent most of day there. $16.50 worth. Overhaul starter, new plugs, new points, new bushing in distributor shaft. We shall see.

12/15/49 Pulp wood really coming in. Looks like farmers want to make stake for Xmas.

12/18/49 I got the doe and one fawn so my record of 30 years still good. It sure had me worried.

12/20/49 Byrne’s birthday. 20 years old, and still a ship without a sail.

12/22/49 Have worked 4 days with Charlie Hess and have decided he is O.K. Nothing spectacular, but darned easy to get along with.

12/23/49 The current weather isn’t as important in our lives as one might think. 25 below zero doesn’t mean much. The question always is: Will the car start, and if so how good is the traveling on the ice. So far both these answers are happy ones. The hell of it is that we are almost positive that one of these days the car wont start, and also one of these days a snow storm will stop the driving.

12/25/49 Byrne and I banked up house and cleaned up outside. Went for Ben Haskell by way of Dahlberg’s in Jeep. Xmas dinner, Lawrence & Gladys, Burton, Oscar, Ben, Ernie and all of us except Buck. The usual Tom & Jerrys and marvelous feed by Layna and Sally. Everyone gone by 7 p.m.