“People of Harpers Slough” series continues: “Let the Good Times Roll”

“In the 1930’s my parents bought a building lot from Happy Nipper, and my father, with the help of several friends and relatives, built a simple summer cottage on the banks of Harpers Slough. Our family spent a part of 10 or 12 summers there. Dad commuted to work in Waukon every day. There were some interesting people who made their homes in the area and lived there year-round. Some of them became good friends of our family. Their children were our playmates. These sketches are a compilation of memories of several of us who lived through those ten years together. It was during the Great Depression and times were hard.”

Lest the reader think there was no relief from drudgery and hard work, I hasten to mention a few of the small businesses which afforded opportunities for socialization and recreation.

A couple named Quillin operated a small cafe in Harpers Ferry. The Quillins were both deaf, but their children had normal hearing. During non-school hours the kids helped out, taking food orders and making conversation with the customers. Their menu was not extensive, being confined mostly to soup, sandwiches and home made pie. The hamburgers were served with a thick slice of onion, between slices of bread. In my childish view, a burger was not a burger without a bun, but the lemon meringue pie was to die for.

After a time, Happy's business had prospered enough that he planned a new home for his family, to be located on the Island, at the fish camp. Construction progressed to the place where the structure was enclosed, though not yet partitioned off. Some of the neighbors begged Happy to host a potluck dinner and dance in the large open space. It was an unqualified success. Thus was born "Happy's Hop House," the new home had become yet another business venture.

The old hotel at Harpers Ferry had few guests, but the rooms were there to be rented. On occasion, a group of major league ball players from Chicago came out for a few days of fishing and boating and would rent the entire place. In the evenings they often went to Happy's. Locals also patronized the place, as did fishermen. It was a merry scene, especially when the ball players would throw handfuls of nickels into the air and amid shrieks and cries everyone would dive to the floor after the coins.

In summer, one of the resort owners would set up for a big gathering every weekend. Early on Saturday a large core of ice blocks would be stacked in the middle of a picnic area - cases of beer would be piled around this cold core. By Sunday it would be well chilled. Several hundred people could and would be accommodated at this gathering. This was a family excursion, with the children drinking soda pop, while their elders enjoyed the beer. The river folk worked hard and played hard, too.

(About the Author: Joan Leschensky Grosshuesch grew up in Waukon. Her maternal great grandparents were early homesteaders in the area. Grosshuesch has made her home in Wisconsin for the last 47 years with her husband Ruben, who is a retired clergyman, in Sheboygan, WI. They are the parents of four adult children.

Grosshuesch is the sister of John Leschensky of Waukon. Her parents were Emil and Clarice Dillenberg Leschensky.)