Chapter 8: Barbara Christine Nelson, a New Member of the Nelson Family

As far as naming her children, Mom said she always wanted a "Paul" and a "Barbara".  Neither of them had a connection to a family member; she just like the sound of the names.

Barbara was born on April 20, 1954, at Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls, Montana, which at this time was located at 1106 6th Avenue North.

In the first picture of this series, Mom catches a happy group posing at the table in the parsonage kitchen.   One of the hallmarks of our kitchens in both Great Falls and Warren were the copper-bottomed pots and pans hanging from hooks within an arm's reach of the stove..  The small door just above the stovetop is a laundry chute, which extended from the basement laundry room to the second floor hallway.

I tried without success to remove the black marks in the photo.  Unfortunately, they seem to be embedded in the film.

A beautiful portrait of mother and daughter.

The picture below was probably taken during a summer vacation visit to ......Rockford, Illinois?  In the pre-Interstate highway era, Mom and Dad never hesitated to travel long distances by car to visit with the Nelson and Luthgren families.  Even with very young children in tow.  We Nelson kids were very good travellers.  I have no idea who's on the bike behind Barb and me, but looking at the saddle shoes and bobby socks, I'd guess it's one of my older girl cousins.

Is Dad attempting an "arty" shot here, with Barb in direct sunlight and Mom in the shadows?   This picture was taken in front of the parsonage.  Looks as though Bonnie and Clyde are still in town.

Chapter 7: The Story Continues in 1954

This copy didn't respond well to any of the Windows Photo Gallery's fixes:  Auto Adjust, Adjust Color, Adjust Exposure -- although Mom's not quite as washed-out as appears in the original slide.  I'm guessing this picture was taken in the office of First English Lutheran Church.  Whether she's helping out Dad by filling in for the regular secretary or composing one of her regular letters to relatives, I couldn't say.  And, sadly, Mom's not around to ask anymore.  (Mom was quite the letter writer, by the way,)

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It's May 11th, and we're celebrating Larry's 3rd birthday.  ("Baby Face" Nelson.)  Not sure why both electrical cords -- the upper one leads to a wall clock -- are plugged into the same outlet. The kitchen window looks out onto an alley, where, with some daylight, you can see the backside of a Buttrey's grocery store .

The picture quality is a little fuzzy, and Larry looks quite a bit older than in the above photo.

I could ask Larry, but I'm sure he wouldn't remember.  Did you receive a trike on your 3rd birthday?  But it does seem to be a very distinct possibility.

Paul hops on for a ride.  (Wish Dad would have positioned us in the aun for these last two pictures.)  If this is mid-May, it seems as though the trees shouldn't be so bare -- even in Montana.  The back end of the car at the right makes me think we have company -- Bonnie & Clyde!

(License plate sidebar.  In Montana, the first number designates the county, based on population rank, in which the car is registered.  In other words, based on the 1950 census in this case, Cascade County, in which Great Falls is located, is the second most populous county in the state.  Remember, this was a time when new license plates, not just renewal stickers, were issued every year.   And who was #1?  Yellowstone County -- largest city:  Billings.)

Chapter 6: Christmas 1953 in Great Falls, Montana

The photographs in this chapter are presented in sequential order -- slides 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 from the same roll of film.

A few years ago, I cataloged the Nelson family slides -- surprised? -- attempting to arrange them in chronology order and creating a descriptive list: people, setting, and location. It became a more time-consuming project than I'd anticipated, and, come to think of it, I probably ran out of gas somewhere in the mid-1960s. (Guess I'll find out in a few months, at this rate.)  At one time, Dad had organized the slides in a metal, rectangular slide file, completed with annotated index chart.

I look to be very pleased with the bike that Santa left for me, though I'm not sure how much I actually rode it once spring arrived.  In Great Falls, the parsonage was located between two very busy one-way streets:  2nd Avenue North (where traffic moved from east to west) and 1st Street North (in the opposite direction).  Mom and Dad would have limited my bike-riding to around the block.  

It looks as though Mom received a West Bend bean pot and a coffee percolator from Santa.  (And that wallpaper; I remember it well.)

I have no idea what's captured my attention, even when I zoom in on the picture.  Larry, however, seems fascinated by the tinsel on the tree.  There was tinsel on the Nelson family Christmas tree well into the 1960s.

The "gold chair" -- and that's how we always referred to it, reverently -- was a mainstay in the Nelson living rooms in Auburn, Great Falls, and Warren.  I think it had been discarded by the time I graduated from high school in 1968.  And I should be able to confirm this observation when I reach the mid-to-late-60s section of the slide file.

Dad looks ready to doze off.  And perhaps with good reason.  If these pictures were taken on December 25th, he would have presided at a children's program and separate service on Christmas Eve as well as another service on Christmas morning.   Dad didn't work a regular 40-hour week.

One more comment.

At 4 years of age, I was a firm believer in Santa Claus and already familiar with Clement Clarke Moore's "The Night Before Christmas".   One line in particularly, though, gave me great cause for concern.

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

"How will Santa get in the house, Mom?" I asked shortly before bedtime.  "We don't have a chimney."

The parsonage had no fireplace.

"We'll leave the front door unlocked," she replied, not missing a beat.

Perhaps it was the same answer her mom or dad offered when she asked this question in the mid-1920s at 6 Hartford Terrace in Springfield, Mass.

Chapter 5: The fall of '53

All five of these photographs were taken inside the parsonage of First English Lutheran Church in Great Falls, Montana.  The house was located at 112 8th Street North --never North 8th Street, at least not in "The Electric City" -- on the northwestern edge of downtown.

I can pinpoint the date that this picture was taken:  October 29, 1953, on the occasion of my 4th birthday.   Larry, my 17-month-old brother, looks on, probably wondering as I am, "Where are the presents?"

The slide mount identifies the woman on the right (below) as Mrs. Charlene Gullings.  The name doesn't ring a bell.  Perhaps she was a member of First English, or a family friend passing through town.  The latter scenario seems highly unlikely considering Great Falls' isolated geography.  (Dad's hometown is Rockford, Illinois.  Mom's from Springfield, Massachusetts.  In other words, both of my parents lived a long way from their respective homes at this time.   Also on the couch, from left to right, is Mom, me (cut off at the chin -- thanks Dad!) and an unidentified girl who looks to be a year or two older than I.  Charlene's daughter?

In 1953, many families bought their first television set, but this purchase was still two years off for the Nelson family.  And for good reason.  During the five years we lived there, Great Falls had just two TV stations, which didn't start broadcasting until the late afternoon.  I was listening to the "The Lone Ranger" on the radio at this time in my life. Here I stand -- Dad's still struggling with framing his shots -- next to our new stereo phonograph/radio, which I suspect might have been a "family" Christmas gift.  (I would love to know what record was playing.)

There seems to be some doubt about when this picture was taken -- 1953 or 4 is written on the mount -- which makes me think that the captions were added after the fact. 

Looks as though Mom and Dad dressed up their two sons for a Christmas portrait.  Note how our hair has grown out since my birthday picture.  And so neatly combed!

A solo portrait of Larry.  Perhaps there was also one of me.  It's clear from the numbers on the mounts that as many as 50% of the slides from each roll of film are missing.

Chapter 4: Glacier National Park

All of the Nelson family's early slides include a very general handwritten description on the cardboard mount. The first picture in this group has the notation: 1953. Glacier National Park. Paul and Larry.  If properly cropped, it's a great shot for a Christmas photo card, don't you think?   Larry looks as though he's in the process of wetting his diaper.

Without a map, and with no specific information on the slide mounts,I have no idea where this stunning panorama is located.  Best guess:  Lake McDonald.

I really like the fact that Dad includes the two parked cars in the frame of this picture. But that's just me.  By the late 1950s, I was able to name just about every make of car on the road.  By year. I somehow developed a fascination with automotive design, which started to wane after 1960.

Since 1953, I've visited Glacier National Park just twice -- in 1975 and 1983 -- but just to drive through.  I don't recall having a camera with me in August 75, perhaps the lowest point ever in my life.  In 1976, Dad bought a new camera and gave his 23-year-old Kodak Pony.  Once I complete this review of the Nelson family slides, I'll have my own collection to sort through.  And it's likely I'll find more Glacier photos there.

 

Chapter 3: Flathead Lake

My only memories of a 1953 family summer vacation are through these slides. We visited the brand-new Hungry Horse Dam, spent some time at a Bible Camp (which apparently is still in business), and drove through Glacier National Park on the return trip to Great Falls.

In this first photo, I pose with my bathing-beauty Mom.   The only question I have :  Where is my 14-month-old brother Larry?  Maybe the camp offered a nursery?

While Mom stares off into the distance and soaks up some sun, I intently study the contents of a plastic glass.  Minnows?  (If you look closely, you'll note I'm holding two glasses.). 

Flathead Lake.  The bluest of blue water.

Chapter 2

Here I am, wearing a red baseball cap and standing in front of a statue of Paris Gibson in his namesake park, a beautiful greenspace located just north of the Civic Center in downtown Great Falls, Montana.

[I added the photo below 36 days after posting chapter 2.  It didn't take long for me to realize that this slide was out of order.  First of all, where's Barb?  It's supposed to be the summer of 1954.  And the red hat I'm wearing looked awfully familiarly.  And indeed it was; I had seen myself wearing it in the above pic.  I have a feeling there'll be an increasing amount of editing as I progress with this project.]

Dad's still having trouble with indoor exposures.  Larry, probably 14 months old, in his crib, which looks like a classic piece of 1950s blonde furniture.  And Larry, what big eyes you have!

Mom catches Dad and the boys looking at the latest issue of TIME.  OK, I seem more intent on mugging for the camera.  And who, you might ask, is on the cover of TIME