Hearing About Deaths of Five Near Volga - Saturday, August 4, 1962

We went in to town for a short while tonight on a few items of business. I didn't get out of the car. I finished my suit. This afternoon on the Ft. Dodge radio station news I heard "Volga" (they head each news item with the name of the place). At first I thought they meant Russia, then heard something about the murder of five "in this small northeastern South Dakota farming community." Sounded exciting (!) and I heard a little more at 3:00 and 5:00. Since it's where Jim and Dick Peeke are from, it's a small world.

Determining Who Will Bring What to Our Room - Friday, August 3, 1962

Friday again already. I've almost decided to give up trying to do anything this summer except in the clothes line. Marge wrote and said in none too considerate words she didn't think we needed the pole lamp room-divider, then proceeded to say she was bringing a 4x4 stuffed donkey some guy had given her. I wrote back about the same to her, only softening to my old self in the last paragraph. We have two new cousins, Martin Andrew Estep and Calvin Ray Varner, born August 1st and 2nd. Cuddebacks leave tomorrow on their trip to Virginia.

Saw Horse Shows This Afternoon and Tonight - Thursday, August 2, 1962

We (Mom, Dad and I) went in to the horse show as the climax of the county fair tonight. Ann went in with Denise and Virginia and Phyllis went with Timmonses. We girls were also at the one this afternoon while Mom washed, but that was all that was left of the fair. They really had some nice horses. I sewed a little more on my suit and Phyllis and I got most of the grass mowed. I've never locked a diary. Maybe I should write down my loves and hates and do so.

We Followed the Sac-Fox Indian Trail - Wednesday, August 1, 1962

We got home from a wonderful trip about 3:00 this afternoon. We drove past Buena Vista College at Storm Lake and then came on home through Boone, Ames and Tama. We followed the Sac-Fox Indian Trail, several miles of gravel road, and saw some Iowa Indians. Everything is as usual here. I had a letter from Mary Ellen and one from Vivien. I guess Park got her minister as the new college pastor. Right now I feel like going to bed and starting to re-read some of the "Little House"  books. Phyllis went to the fair with Pences. Peggy McKinstry, representing West Chester, is Miss Washington County. Diana Reiff and Deanna Statler had the champion 4-H demonstration, Larry the champ lamb.

We Visited "Little Town on the Prairie" - Tuesday, July 31, 1962

Tonight we're in a motel in Spencer. It even has a swimming pool so we just finished having a dip. We saw Huron College this morning and then we came through DeSmet that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about as "Little Town on the Prairie" in her last "Little House" book. It was so wonderful - we saw the false front stores, then drove out of town toward where we thought they might have lived. We drove through a little country cemetery and there were Ma and Pa's graves, Mary's, Carrie's, and Laura's baby son's. We found a marker for their home site on the prairie south of town then, and the cottonwood trees Pa planted! Then we came through Volga, I called and saw Dick Peeke and found Jim at the Brookings swimming pool life guarding. We saw one of Daddy's college farm men near Worthington, Minnesota.

We Saw a Wide Expanse of Land - Monday, July 30, 1962

Oh, what a nice trip we're having! We're in Aberdeen, South Dakota tonight. We had a nice drive south of Winnipeg on the widest expanse of flat land I've ever seen. We crossed back into the United States at a little country port of entry place in North Dakota. We stopped at the Ft. Totten Indian Reservation near Devils Lake and looked over the Jamestown campus. It's nice. I like, like, like this beautiful northern scenery. We plan to go through, among other places, none other than Volga, South Dakota.

We Went in to Canada at International Falls - Sunday, July 29, 1962

For the first time in my life I'm going to sleep on foreign soil. We're in Winnipeg tonight after crossing into Canada at International Falls and Ft. Francis. We drove up to Kenora and then on over here by way of the Trans-Canada Highway. This is such beautiful country. We drove out in the country and saw some colony farming and young people in their costumes, and were given a night watchman's tour of a modern race track.