Memorial Day Adventure Day 2, Part 10 - St. John Area
After San Haven we went to St. John's Lutheran Cemetery, which is in the Turtle Mountains about 4 miles southeast of Carpenter Lake, where my great-grandmother lived when she was little. We had all kinds of crazy maps and directions, which you have to have if you want to find this place. There are no signs, and we had to drive up a hill on a road that wasn't so much a road, as a couple of grassy ruts.
We were looking for my Great-Great Grandfather's grave. At first I thought there'd be like, 50 "John Jenson"s in the cemetery, it being North Dakota and all. Fortunately though, there were only like 20 people buried in that whole cemetery, and only one was "John Jenson 1872-1921." He died of "mastoiditis" which is caused apparently by repeated, untreated ear infections. I suppose they didn't have treatment back then. Is it reassuring to know that my repeated ear infections have been in the family for generations? Not really. :P
My Great-Grandma (this is the one who just died last year at the age of 99) was about 13 years old when her father died, and they ditched the Turtle Mountains and moved to Minneapolis.
Then we drove fourish miles north on one of the gnarliest roads I've ever driven on to look for their old homestead. This is a picture of my Great-Grandmother poking around the homestead ruins in July of 1975. Me mum and I were there 32 years ago, but I don't remember cause I was 1 1/2, and me mum doesn't remember because it was 32 years ago. But we thought we'd look around and see if anything was left.
This is what's left. Absolutely nothing. Not a trace. A new shelterbelt and fields. They're probably farming over what was once our ancestors' homestead. Me mum was convinced there had to be something left, and that we were just in the wrong place. But the crazy maps and directions led us to this one place, and there was nothing there. M and I just sat in the car while she walked all over looking desperately for some sign. But there was nothing. We came all that way for nothing.
Next we stopped in St. John, which isn't too far from the old homestead, or lack thereof. St. John is at the east edge of the Turtle Mountains. This was their school. Hard to tell if they use it anymore.
Next was the castle house by St. John that I had read a story about in the Minot paper back in September of 2005, when we were staying at the Sky Dancer Hotel & Casino. I wanted to go so bad but the in-laws were driving. Me mum had been there before, but we still had trouble finding it because it's probably been 35 years since she'd been there. Alas! It was behind a big old fence, and someone had put farm equipment in front of it. It was part of a farm now.
I climbed through a thick shelterbelt to get a picture of it unobstructed by farm equipment.
We could see a dude on a horse back by the house, but he was too far away for us to ask if we could come in and take pictures. Its such a beautiful house though, I'm totally going to have to go back!