When I arrived to take her to the doctor I knew she was very ill. One push on her right side confirmed for me that she had appendicitis. By 7:30 p.m. that evening she was in surgery to have her appendix removed. We spent Memorial Day weekend at North Memorial Hospital, thankful that everything had gone well and that the surgeon felt she would be ready to resume all activities (fast pitch softball, included) within three weeks.
She felt well enough to ride to Lake Koronis the weekend following Memorial Day. She needed to be sedentary but we all enjoyed being at the cabin. My son decided to clear some brush. All weekend he trimmed trees and clipped weeds. Poison ivy happened to be one of the weeds and he developed a rash. By Monday at noon my pager was active again; this time my mom reported that Brian’s rash had spread from head to toe and that his face was swelling. Off we went to the doctor’s office and he was placed on a 13-day course of steroids. All in all, he felt lousy but never complained.
I’m hoping that these two are the only medical emergencies we have this summer. However, I know that unexpected events can occur. Many times accidents and emergencies are just a part of the summer. Events in the early 1900s were no exception.
In 1918 J. Donney and his children went on a fishing trip to Lake Koronis. The children decided they would rather play on the shore than sit in the boat. It was a fortunate decision as the boat began to leak. “...and after a little tipped right over. It was not very deep so Mr. Donney managed to get to the shore, but got thoroughly wet. The boat anchored itself with the bottom up,” read the report in The Paynesville Press.
A minor incident brought the first airplane to Paynesville in July of 1919. The plane had soared over Paynesville one evening and then made an emergency landing in Halvorsen’s pasture, just west of town. Lieut. Ed. McElligott and Kenneth March were en route to Glenwood when they experienced engine trouble. Repairs were made in about an hour, allowing enough time for many of Paynesville’s residents to visit the field and take their “first good look at a really truly plane.” After the repairs McElligott and March resumed their route to Glenwood where they performed flying stunts for the 4th of July celebration.
A hunting accident took place in November, 1919. Arthur Liestman and his brother-in-law, Oscar Bossard, were sitting in a boat waiting for ducks to pass. Suddenly, a flock appeared within their range. In the excitement, Liestman made a quick grab for his gun.
“The gun was lying across the seat of the boat and in some manner the trigger caught on the seat, exploding both barrels. One shot entered the palm of his left hand, the other plowing a furrow across his wrist. Liestman was brought to town immediately for treatment and by evening was feeling as well as could be expected under the circumstances.”
Accidents, incidents and medical emergencies have been, and will continue to be, a part of life at the lake. Hopefully, all episodes this summer and in summers to come will be manageable by all involved allowing a worryfree view from the lake.
Information for this column was taken from the following issues of The Paynesville Press: June 20, 1918, July 10, 1919, November 6, 1919.