1953 Wannaska Boys Hockey Champions
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| Top, left: Jerome Gunderson, Dennis Breiland, Glen Espe, Allan Dallum, Gerald Rygh, Johnnie Carlson, Marvin Sherman. Bottom, left: Marv Espe, Duane Espe, Gordon Carlson, Roger Sellen, Gary Wickland, David Culp, John Orvis. |
"A generation still remembers when the nearby river was the only stretch of ice available. and a crooked tree branch or piece of board the only hockey stick."
--Bill Adams, February 1951
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| Wannaska's Adult Team. Back row, left: Buddy Swanson, Robert Oslund, Marshall Rygh, Duane Larsen, Adolph Erickson. Front row, left: Robert Benson, Kenneth Eggen, James Oslund. |
Lying on its elbow like a truant boy with a “straw-in-the-mouth” attitude of summer days on drowsy river banks… fingers laced behind comfortably dirty neck… staring at fleecy cloud countries piling up in the mysterious heavens… is WANNASKA.
It surrounds a leafy Roseau River bank… cuddles a sudden dip in the highway that crosses a picturesque stretch of overhung, meandering river. In everyone it creates dreams and reminiscences of the fantastically carefree days of youth. Bright hued memories that are recaptured only in nostalgic flashes… gone in an instant; leaving but a pleasant glow.
In winter it changes… but only in physical appearances for then the soft snow rounds out the emphasis of summer and makes it more gentle. It’s a comfortable place… a peaceful place… a friendly place, and it is lived in by a friendly people… a lively people who realize fundamentals and make their own way.
To Pass the Winter
As all small communities, it has a basic winter pasttime… one that helps prolong the excitement it needs to carry through the routine of daily living. Of course that recreation at Wannaska is skating and hockey.
It wasn’t always that way tho… a generation still remembers when the nearby river was the only stretch of ice available, and a crooked tree branch or piece of board the only hockey stick. Now, Wannaska has a modern rink with two warming houses, two hockey teams and a host of enthusiastic supporters.
But… that’s a matter of history which perhaps should be recorded. It would be kind of fun to look back and see when and how Wannaska got what they have… what they did to make it possible to enjoy hockey and skating for everyone… so, let’s look!
Ice and Crooked Sticks
Up to 1938 there was no rink at Wannaska. The river was there, also an ambition to have better facilities. So to think was to act and they got busy. Money wasn’t plentiful in those days, so they had to use their ingenuity and do the best with what they could scrape up. Looking around, they found a old slab pile nearby and hit on the idea of using that for the boards around the arena and on the warming house.
Everyone pitched in and donated their labor. They borrowed a building, moved it in, trimmed the slabs somewhat and put them up around what was to be the ice sheet and on the borrowed building. They made a go of it; and that first rink is still referred to as the “old slab arena.”
Money and Fun
Of course they needed money to get things started, so they used their ingenuity again. Basket socials were the answer. Skating parties were the answer… and the generosity of Wannaska people was the answer; and in a short time they weren’t so badly off. As skating increased and kids began to take an interest in hockey, folks found that they needed more facilities. They cut logs and made square timbers for a building which they put up later. Knudt Lee volunteered the use of a small light plant which was gleefully accepted and later a second hand generator was hooked on. Now it was possible to skate at night too! Water to this first rink was retrieved from the river by means of a small rotary pump and flooding was a real job. It was worth it though for lots of people used the resultant ice.
Good Service
The slab arena served for quite a few years and then another wall was put up of rough lumber which served until the present rink went up. That too was the result of cooperation and donated work and funds. During the war the rink wasn’t used much as there were few young men to care for it, and the rest were pretty busy keeping the home front going. But, the war ended and Wannaska renewed its enthusiasm in skating and hockey.
With peace, came more freedom and people looked back at the time when the first hockey series had been played at Wannaska and thought it would be about time to start their hockey team again. In the old slab arena, Wannaska had played Malung in the first series and a bit later Roseau had come out occasionally. Homer Gilbertson used to referee those matches and when Spruce and Jadis used to play there, there was lots of ice flying.
Join League
Later Spruce-Jadis, Wannaska and Malung used to meet in Roseau for their games and later Wannaska went into a Class B League… but that had all been before the war.
Now, they thought… the old rink isn’t so good any more. We need more space and a better facilities. Again they got to work. The present rink went up three years ago… 1947. This time they used planed lumber and set cedar posts firmly and deeply into the ground. They used the old generator house for a smaller warming house, and moved in a much larger one which is used primarily by the hockey team. They put a barrio stove in the smaller house and a big “school house” stove in the other and together with the newly built board wall… had the rink ready to go.
Bay Lights
At the same time they accepted donations and bought some floodlights which were installed around the ice sheet. Everything was ready but the flooding. They used to have a lot of trouble with the flooding proposition, so a year ago they had Knute Grahn dig a water system. Now a pipe line extends from the river for handy flooding and the arena is complete and as nice as any around.
Hockey is a major sport now. The boys graduated from their beginning games last year and joined a league composed of Gentilly, Red Lake Falls, Thief River Falls, VFW, Detroit Lakes, Greenbush, etc. That same year they won the league but lost to Thief River Falls on the final play for the tournament championship.
Twelve on Team
There are 12 men on the hockey team this year and they schedule about 13 games for the season. Practices are regular and heated every Monday and Wednesday at 8 p.m. They even come into Roseau and take a whack at the Cloverleafs at practice sessions once in a while. In addition to the big hockey team, the Juniors have a team that is a dandy. The boys are really in the swing for hockey and 28 of them are out for the sport. They play such teams as the Roseau and Salol Juniors and make a good accounting of themselves. Support for the hockey team is good. During every game a small pop stand in the smaller warming house handles pop. No special one has charge of these sales, but the proceeds go to the team that happens to be playing that evening.
Good Hockey Fans
The older folks in Wannaska are as fervent hockey fans as the young people. They turn out to the games, eye sparkling, cheeks red and collars covered with frost from the cold. They are only out-cheered by the youngsters because there are more of the younger folks. Most of the boys on the team are from either Wannaska proper or from the surrounding farms. They take their own cars to out-of-town games and pay their own gas. They want to play hockey and things like that aren’t going to stop them.
The arena is not out of debt yet, but it has been cut down considerably. The PTA has contributed a bit to it and last fall the men of Wannaska cooked a big waffle supper which netted the rink over $100.00.
A Good Operation
While they may not be out of debt, the rink is operated as efficiently as any. This year a membership drive was held and $100 memberships sold to the community. There was an election and a board of officers chosen to conduct the rink business which is composed of Robert Benson, treasurer, Adolph Erickson, secretary, and Ben Grefthen, chairman. These officers have no set date for meetings, but meet whenever it is necessary. They are changed in office each year by vote. The rink rules are set at the annual meeting by those present at the meeting.
The caretaking system is unique. The winter is divided into weeks and one man is delegated for rink duty each week. He can call on others to assist him in flooding and snow removal, and he is charged with the responsibility of supervising skating and the general charge of the rink. Everything is done voluntarily and no one is paid for their work. It works fine!
The American Way
With the desire to create something for their children and to better it as time moves along, Wannaska has found something extremely valuable… how to work together in the American way to further their way of life. They are an average little community in an average American scene. Add the attributes of the Wannaskans throughout this country of ours and we see a powerful bulwark for the American Way of life… a way of freedom and growth due to the initiative and the right of the individual… the only individual in the world who will work so freely for ideas and ideals…
The American!
Poetic history, reminiscent of Wendell Berry.
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