History Behind the Victory Flagpole
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Behind the Victory Flagpole — Brief memories of growing up in Camden
By: Vivian Hofstad Semple 11/01/2007
By Barbara Meyer Bistodeau
I am pleased to introduce a guest writer today. Her name is Vivian Hofstad Semple and she lived at 40th and Dupont Ave. N. You may remember her as the 1942 Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes. She shares some of her memories of the 26 years she lived in Camden.
Brief memories of growing up in Camden
We used to walk to our grade school, Hamilton, on 44th and Fremont Ave. N. Esther Haveson was our sixth grade gym teacher - also the girls’ phy-ed teacher at North High. To Patrick Henry, a comparatively new junior high, we also walked. I was at Henry through 10th grade. And we walked to North High on 18th and Fremont, except during extremely cold weather when we had tokens for a street car ride. Tokens were seven cents then.
Camden Park had everything as far as I was concerned - a huge swimming pool to cool off in during those sweltering summers. Efrom Abramson worked there giving out locker keys as we checked in. Above the winter warming house - a building we called the pavilion - was our wonderful library. Reading six books in summer gave us a huge gold star on a certificate to bring back to school in September. The supervised summer programs were excellent. U of M phy-ed students led us in organized programs - athletics, baseball, volley ball, etc., and crafts, sewing and dancing. At the end of the six-week season each Minneapolis park in the program presented a dance pageant at the Rose Garden (by Lake Harriet). Thirty of us from Camden, in our crepe paper costumes, did a Spanish tango in “Dances from Around the World” theme.
There were also band concerts in the park throughout the summer, popcorn wagons for treats and canoeists on the pretty lake. During the winter months we skated (sometimes to music) on this little lake. We sledded on the steep hills at old Camden Park near the Mississippi River - also a place where Gypsies camped in summer, a ‘no-no’ to visit, but those of us who were curious had to walk by once!
Camden had two shopping areas - 42nd and Fremont, and 42nd and Webber Parkway. Falk’s Drugs was on Fremont and Gale Johnson Andersen’s dad’s drugstore was on Webber Parkway. Camden also had two meat markets, a jewelry store, a shoemaker, Camden Park State Bank (Mr. Sigurdson, President), Swanson’s Mortuary, the post office, hardware stores, Haertle Feed Store, barber shops, bakeries, dentists and doctors above the bank and drug store, and Dahl & Fredin’s Dry Goods Store. Its basement was a delight in December when the toy and gift store opened. “Do not touch anything,” we were warned as we traipsed down the narrow staircase. What a wonderland - green and red crepe paper garlands twisted from the ceiling with silver icicles hanging over them, toys of an assortment, beautiful dolls, wagons, trucks, sleds, colorful mittens, scarves, etc!
Camden Theater was our entertainment center. Tedd Schai’s attractive sisters sold tickets. There were bank nights, and dish and toiletry give-away nights.
Our churches also were important meeting places where parties were planned for our youth groups throughout the year as well as old-fashioned horse-drawn sleigh rides, toboggan sliding, bowling get-togethers, etc. Palmer Russeth’s family grocery truck transported the Gethsemane Lutheran Church group to many events.
Occasionally we’d go to Folwell Park, 37th and Girard, for tennis, band concerts and skating. Do you remember the North Side Picnics at North Commons Park, dancing in the tennis courts and the many food concessions plus terrific fireworks at dusk?
The Camden area was certainly a mixture of nationalities but many from my part were of Scandinavian descent. Many parents or grandparents had not too many years previously settled from Norway or Sweden.
The neighborhood was neat and tidy with well-kept lawns, flower gardens and fruit trees. There were truck farms in the Brooklyn Center area (now Brookdale). We reaped the benefits in summer from door-to-door sellers of fresh fruits and vegetables. There were lamplighters, knife sharpeners, ice men, grocery order takers, the Watkins man — so many who came door-to-door to sell, as well as men out of work who asked for a meal.
I have so many fond memories of the Camden area. I am glad I could call it home.
Note: Thank you, Mrs. Semple. Now, if anyone else has some memories to share, email wharrison5@cox.net.
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