We’ve been learning about Marian Pagel’s childhood on the Schroeder family farm west of Marshall, how she and her siblings helped on the farm from an early age; and how the Schroeders rallied after losing their farm home to a fire.

But Marian’s childhood involved more than farm chores and helping her family recover from a fire. For instance, her dad’s prize-winning team of Percheron draft horses also a took up her time.

She recalled, “I remember every once and a while, they were such a nice team, he’d let us ride.” She laughed, remembering how those big Percherons were not only really high for riding, but also had really wide backs to sit on.

The workhorses were not the only horses on the farm. “The week was work, but Sunday we could play,” Marian said. “We had ponies and carts and every Sunday the neighbors would come over and we’d go riding.” She smiled, recalling their names, “They were the DeSmets, the Millers, and the Mortiers. We grew up with them.”

The first priority every Sunday, however, involved attending services at the United Brethren Church on West Main in Marshall. “That was never missed,” she said, laughing.

Marian described another favorite pastime, “The other fun thing we did was go up in the haymow and jump in the oat bin from the hay. We had a rope that we would swing into the oats bin.”

She laughed and explained how barn play had its dangers, “We kids were playing in the barn and I fell against a nail into the side of my head. My dad always took care of us and he didn’t think it was serious enough to go to a doctor, so he poured iodine in that hole in my head.” She laughed again, “I’ll never forget that! It hurt!”

Those Sundays the Schroeders didn’t host neighbors, they would spend the afternoon at a neighbors’ home or, sometimes, with a relative.

Marian remembered, “My cousin lived just beyond the Poor Farm and the Redwood River is right there. So, we’d go to the river and that’s where I learned to swim.”

Marian described ways her dad provided treats for the family.

“Dad would always plant some popcorn and we could pop the corn.” She added, “He made root beer in the basement. We would sneak down to see if one of the corks had popped, so we could drink it.” Marian laughed and explained, “If it popped, you couldn’t keep it — that was our excuse.”

Marian recalled how Saturday evenings were special.

“We went to town every Saturday night to get the basics — the flour, the sugar, and that kind of thing. Everybody went to town, parked on Main Street and sat on their fenders and watched people,” Marian said, laughing at the memory, “That was our Saturday night. That’s the only time we went to town and we got a nickel to spend.”

Marian said they put their nickel to good use.

“My uncle, Warren Riess, had an ice cream shop on Main Street. We’d pay for our ice cream, but he’d always give us a stick of gum,” Marian said, smiling.

The Schroeder kids walked to the District 9 school near the County Poor Farm.

Marian described their school, “One big room with a pot-bellied stove when you came in the entrance. There were lines of desks. The desks were attached to each other with an inkwell in the corner.” Marian laughed and added, “The boys would sometimes put our pigtails in the ink, you know.”

The schoolyard included a coal shed for the stove, a swing set, a pump the kids used to fill a drinking water pail for the classroom, and an outhouse at the back of the lot.

Marian explained how the pot-bellied stove was particularly useful in the winter, “If we took soup to school in a jar, it was usually frozen in the wintertime. So, we’d set our jars of soup on top of the pot-bellied stove when we got to school so it was warm by dinner time.”

Marian recalled how the teacher lived nearby, “The teachers always lived at the Poor Farm. So, they just had a short distance to get to school.”

The teacher had her hands full, working with students from grades 1 through 8.

“Miss Holland was our teacher. She didn’t spend a lot of time with each group. We were given assignments and we sat at our desks. And she had a desk up in the front and she would bring us up there when it was our turn to be taught.”

But this method did not work well for a shy girl like Marian.

She explained, “If you had a problem, you couldn’t discuss it with her because she was busy with other children. So, I didn’t think you got the help that you needed. But I was a very shy person and I wouldn’t ask for help.”

Marian found parts of school fun. The annual play was her favorite event.

“We all had a part in the play and when I started, I was so shy, I didn’t want to do it,” she recalled. She laughed and added, “During one play, a mouse was in the school and I remember jumping up on a chair when I saw the mouse.”

A dwindling student population led to District 9 closing after Marian completed the sixth-grade. She finished as a student of the Marshall Public Schools, graduating in 1948.

I welcome your participation in and ideas about this exploration of prairie lives. You may reach me at prairieviewpressllc @gmail.com.