Letters to the Editor - Camden memories - Camden memories

I have lived in Camden all my life. I lived at 3734 Lyndale in that little white house up on the hill. My mother told me we had 32 steps up to the front door. As you can imagine, the alley was our most frequent way to enter and leave.

    I would like to ask Camden News readers if anyone remembers the Camden of my childhood. On my father’s day off from work on the Great Northern Railroad, he would take my sister Ellen and me to pay our grocery bill at Erman’s Grocery. In the store the owners used long poles with clamps on the end to reach cans on very high shelves. Frank Erman and his brother would deliver our groceries to our house, as my mother had no car (and probably didn’t want one). Does anyone remember the old Franklin car with a horn that sounded “ah-ooga, ah-ooga?”  We would also go to the bank — the building is still there — with the iron railings around the windows. We also went to the feed store to get fertilizer for my father’s huge vegetable garden that was in the vacant lot next to our house. We also went to Dahl and Fridren’s dry goods for new shoes in the spring and fall. We would then go to the meat market where owners would give a nice fresh wiener to us kids — a delicious treat. My sister and I loved these trips with our dad.

    When it was very hot, my mom and neighbors would take us to the Camden swimming pool (now known as Webber Park). It was a huge outing for city kids who didn’t live close to a lake. And I remember the old fire house, Camden movie theater, the little pond for skating….Well, I’m sure many people my age remember these old places and will always love these memories of Camden. And I hope the new generation will always love this dear little community and continue the good work to keep Camden a good part of our bigger city.