Provided photo Pictured is Bonnie (Madden) Davis (far right), next to her cousin, Barbara Madden, and the other District #2 students outside the school along with their teacher, Mrs. Snyder (back row left), circa 1943. 

We have been learning about Bonnie Jean (Madden) Davis, whose life journey began on a rural Lynd farm. She attended the nearby District #2 country school for three years, the last year with a new teacher.

“Mrs. Snyder came from Balaton. I think she was a farmer’s wife and they lived on a farm. She would drive her car. She was OK, but I don’t remember anything special about her. I remember more things about Miss Erickson.”

Bonnie described the daily lessons schedule during her three years of country school.

“I remember we little kids were always first. Then we were supposed to be quiet, do our work, and not bother the others while she went through her lessons for the other grades.”

The teacher dismissed the students for morning and afternoon recess. Bonnie describe another popular recess activity beyond kittenball, Anti-I-Over, or playing on the swings, slide, and a teeter-totter that also spun in circles.

“We’d drown gophers sometimes, seeing if we could get a gopher to come out. That was a big thing at times. It seems like it was kind of the whole gang a lot of the time. We’d have a bucket that we’d fill with water. Then we’d find a hole and pour it in. OHHH! We were so happy if we got one of those gophers to come out! I don’t think it happened too often, (Bonnie chuckled) but it happened every once in a while.”

Bonnie remembered the visits from the county superintendent of schools.

“Jenny Frost — I think she came each year, but it was very special. I remember showing her pictures of a bird folio that must have been from the year before when I didn’t miss a day. I was so proud of it. It was all different birds — like robins, blue jays, and bluebirds. We were supposed to be on our very best manners when she came to school.”

The school’s Christmas program was a major event each school year.

“We had those big, Christmas get-togethers. I remember putting up paper decorations. We used lanterns when we had the Christmas program and everybody came. It was very special! It was at night and I think everybody’s Mom and Dad was there unless they were sick. Sometimes there were other people there, too. Everybody had a memory verse that they had to do and we’d do a lot of singing. I can’t remember ever being in a play, but I remember saying my piece in front of everybody. We’d get an orange and that was special because you didn’t have oranges at Christmastime.”

Bonnie explained that school did not interfere with her farm responsibilities.

“I didn’t have anything I had to do before I went to school (Bonnie chuckled) other than dress myself; get ready; and walk there. My chores were when I got home from school. That’s when you filled the cob box and made sure it was plumb full. It had to be full because they burned a lot of cobs. The kitchen was such a little room that the big stove was more in the dining room. You could crawl behind it and get warm when it was too cold. So, that worked out fine.”

When the District #2 school closed after Bonnie’s 3rd grade year, the Maddens acquired a part of her country school experience for their farm.

“When it closed, my dad bought (the teeter-totter) and moved it to our yard. I remember my mother and I teeter-tottering a few times out in the yard on the lawn. We would go around and it was a really neat teeter-totter!”

Bonnie’s younger brothers never attended District #2.

“My brothers never went to country school. I’m five years older than my next brother.”

The transition from District #2 to attending the much larger Lynd Elementary School was challenging for Bonnie. She recalled feeling terrible anxiety.

“It was hard! I didn’t like change. When I got to Lynd, I was in a class with 20-some kids, a big change from three (in country school) and kind of fell through the cracks a bit. (Our teacher) was busy. She had a lot (of students) and she was young, in her 20s.”

Bonnie estimated that it took her two years to feel comfortable at her new school and establish friendships there. But she eventually thrived in the Lynd Public Schools. In the meantime, she and her family worked their farm and enjoyed outings in the area.

“They were very good parents! They took us places alike when we went on a vacation to the Black Hills. I remember going down to (the Lyndwood Dance Pavilion) for the 4th of July. They had big fireworks up on the hills. I was once in a pageant there. I remember my dad was in that, also. Of course, we all went for that. My dad would tell us about playing baseball down there by that pavilion. There was a field right next to it. We also did a lot of picnics on the weekends at Camden.”

Bonnie also recalled growing into new farm chores.

“We went to the lumber yard a lot to buy different things. It was our mother’s job to wash the cream separator until it was my time. (Bonnie laughed) But I know that I didn’t do it nearly as much as she did. Somebody came out to pick up our cream.”

Bonnie graduated with the Lynd High School class of 1953 and began attending Mankato State Teachers College, planning to become a teacher.

©2026 William D. Palmer.