MTFCA Forum

With great sorrow and high regard for his many accomplishments, we noted the passing of Richard Eagle, August 25, 2024 our dear friend of 62 years. Author of the forum topic , “The Adventures of Kalamity Dick - Fact, or Fiction?” The single longest-running topic on these boards, which logged an astounding 4,207 posts and garnered 979,477 views to date.

Rich E. held the primary sources for recounting the life and times of KD. The topic he authored simply cannot continue without his insight and guiding hand.

However, we are fortunate that interest in the history of “The Basin” remains high, researchers at the Institute remain dedicated to their task, and the recent discovery of Kalamity Dick’s voluminous scrap-books all promise to reward faithful readers of KD’s “Adventures” with continued installments of great interest.

Thank you, Rich Bingham,
I think Mr. Eagle would want the history of the area to be thoroughly chronicled!
I believe there are people who want to know about the history of the Basin. There for I submit a recently discovered example of a basin. Could this be the origin of the term "bath tub gin"?

When rumor had it that Carrie Nation was of a mind to pass through Chugwater on one of her saloon- smashing campaigns, Ernie was determined to avoid the certain destruction of his establishment that would follow if Carrie and her hatchet showed up in the Basin. He determined to survive by closing and shuttering his saloon. Naturally, this would result in a precipitous decline in business if he didn’t have a contingency plan.

To this end, Ernie enlisted the assistance of Charlie Glubstorf who had the new filling station across from Ernie’s. Cleverly plumbing one of Charlie’s gasoline pumps into the saloon basement, where barrels of Happy Sally could be pumped out at Charlie’s. Also pressed into service were the Herkheimer sisters Amy and Lucy (in black) president and secretary respectively of the Chugwater Basin Women’s Christian Intemperance League, organized to lobby for the admittance of ladies of all callings to saloons in the Basin.
They provided the mobile bath tub which, when filled at Charlie’s pump, was distributed by subscription to Ernie’s regular customers in the Tri-Burgs.

The arrangement was so successful it continued to serve well into Prohibition. At long last, shortly before the Volstead Act was repealed, Charlie’s careless employee mistakenly filled the tub with gasoline. Unhappy customers spelled the end of yet another colorful Basin custom.

It proved to be a great kick start for Charlie Glubstorf's new filling station. Here is a picture of customers waiting in line to get "Happy"

Another historical first: The first commercial gasohol vendor!

Bathtub gin. The woman on the right, known as "Bathtub Ginny", (real name: Hertha Brambletank), was the motive effort that kept the tub in constant motion, much to the pleasure of Ernie's "at home" customers. Hertha was also employed as an occasional singer at Ernie's. Her most popular song, the tear jerker, "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum", went to number 11 on "The Basin's, You Asked for it, Hit Parade". Her name can still be faintly seen on the Chugwater Boardwalk of Fame.

Speaking of the boardwalk, here is a scene that needs no explanation, unless the is something I am missing:).

Well Herb you're missing the point

I think the best way to remember Rich is just this, continue with this pointless weirdness, thanks guys, may this go on for ever and ever and ever

True enough, Herb. Only thing needed is to name the subjects in the photo. Heinrich had no trouble identifying Purvis Bostitch, twice mayor of Silver Plume, and Salome Chardonnay, the original Happy Sally whose seductive dancing inspired the tipple so popular in the Tri-Burgs. Cuthbert loaned his burro Methusela to Miss Chardonnay to get around on after she broke her right foot.

Bartholomew thinks the presentation bottle (4 gallons) and the Eiffle tower mock-up in the background dates the photo to 1894 and Saddlestring’s Columbian Exposition, but there is no documentation as yet.

[attachment=0]quintuplets.JPG[/attachmen Well the only thing I have to say about that is what the Nordstrom quintuplets did at the Exposition. They were so excited to be there that they were beside themselves! Hubert, Henry, Hugo, Hortense and Herb.

Reminds me of "The Twilight Zone"

Odd you should mention that, Pat . . .

Two of the Nordstrom quints, Hubert and Herb became talented and inventive chemists. When baling twine came in short supply, Hub & Herb synthesized a cheaper, serviceable replacement using the discarded talings from the moss mill. They dubbed their invention “zolote”, and marketed the product as “H&H Zolote Twine”. Years later, as Rod Serling was pondering a name for his television series, he happened across an advertisement for Zolote Twine in an old farm magazine, and something clicked.

For reasons of their own, why the other three Nordstrom brothers didn’t join the Zolote Twine enterprise ? Speaking for the other two, Hugo quipped, “We didn’t want to get tangled up in that.”

Years later, as Rod Serling was pondering a name for his television series, he happened across an advertisement for Zolote Twine in an old farm magazine, and something clicked.

That's just too good to be fictional, (which, of course, it is not )!!

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 03, 2024 12:08 pm

Years later, as Rod Serling was pondering a name for his television series, he happened across an advertisement for Zolote Twine in an old farm magazine, and something clicked.

That's just too good to be fictional, (which, of course, it is not )!!

Too good to "not" be fictional? Or too good to not "not" be fictional? Or "not" be good enough to be fictional? Or not be "not good enough" that it must be real? Or - - -

I "think" I fell into the "Twilight Zone"?

Wayne Sheldon wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 03, 2024 10:41 pm

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 03, 2024 12:08 pm

Years later, as Rod Serling was pondering a name for his television series, he happened across an advertisement for Zolote Twine in an old farm magazine, and something clicked.

That's just too good to be fictional, (which, of course, it is not )!!

Too good to "not" be fictional? Or too good to not "not" be fictional? Or "not" be good enough to be fictional? Or not be "not good enough" that it must be real? Or - - -

I "think" I fell into the "Twilight Zone"?

No. I meant what I said. "Too good to not be true."

Where was Sally Krunchknuckle in all this?

And there you have it Ladies and Gentlemen, another informative discussion on the life and times Of Kalamity Dick and the people he influenced and who influenced him!

Come on Herb, Sally Krunchknuckle, proprietress and chief obedience officer of the Drywater Natatorium.

I think Jerry created a new Gracie Allenism.

Those ladies look like they could blister a fellow's bottom at 20 yards with a mere glance.

The Drywater Natatorium at Silver Plume was an obscure and short-lived recreational feature in the Basin. Miss Sally Krunchknuckle was the proprietress and chief obedience officer throughout its existence. Literally a favorite watering hole of Basin residents, the appellation “dry water” was popularly applied because of the peculiar quality of the spring water that fed the pools. More similar in character to a good grade of scotch, the drywater springs had a mildly intoxicating effect. Hence, the careful supervision of Miss Krunchknuckle and her cadre of watchful matrons, who seriously monitored activities in the natatorium for frivolous behaviors by the folks who came to (literally) “take the waters”. Mysteriously, the spring dried up, coincident with the passage of national prohibition in 1919. Curious.

Curious indeed.

Miss Krunchknuckle's Drywater matrons were nationally famous, often winning prizes at the annual Spoil-ye-Sports Conventions held in Chicago and Cincinnati. In this photo we see Miss Oligocene Titanothere in a light colored dress, wielding the Parasol of Righteousness with a sharp eye on the gentleman in the foreground, whose limbs are already precariously visible.

Despite their efforts, the Natatorium waters were often mysteriously sprinkled with ice cubes, a random lime slice, and in 1899 and again in 1904, tiny paper umbrellas.

That fellow may be Hans Gunter Pillenwerfer, a pugnacious pugilist of wide reknown.

Oh, if one of these 'Obedience Officers' would discipline me, I'd be in heaven !

Those ladies may have been put through a "finishing school". I don't think anyone ever developed a posture like that naturally... Miss Starchkopf-Pynkham's Discipline School for Young Ladies, perhaps, or the Potlatch Academy of Advanced Discomfort.

Requesting loyal readers of KD’s Adventures to post any examples they may have of paintings, drawings and/or illustrations by Aldo Van Pinksburg. Recall, he was KD’s favorite artist. Perhaps he is best known for the labels on bottles of Happy Sally over the years. Thank you !

Are you referring to something like this Pinksburg pencil drawing of the Scarfenthwait brothers?

My wife and I have it proudly hanging in our conservatory.

What ever became of them, after the Embarrassment of 1912, and the subsequent trial? I believe their attorney was none other than Billiard Bobwhite!

I don;t think this is what you are talking about, but is a pencil drawing about a trial.

Very good call, Herb ! Cartoonist Jack Kettle was a student of Van Pinksburg’s, although his offerings (like this one) weren’t at all funny. He was Ma & Pa Kettle’s nephew.

The Van Pinksburg influence can be seen in the exquisite detail of the “shiners” in this rendering.

Were these some cousins of KD from Nebraska? There is a lot to interpret here.

A rare color photo of one of the projects that one of KD's cousins worked on from back in the old country.

I'm not sure, but it looks like Andrew Carnegie brought some watermelon to share with them. Rooftop cows were quite fashionable in those early days, but watermelon was a very rare treat.

Herb Iffrig wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 13, 2024 1:46 pm

luft.png

A rare color photo of one of the projects that one of KD's cousins worked on from back in the old country.

Ah yes, a rare fighter plane from the German Luftwaffle!

The Flying Luftwaffle and the Flying Hamburger set many records for fast and reliable travel by air and by rail, though passengers had to bring along their own syrup, mustard, and ketchup.

A recent photo of Chugwater shows how population has dwindled since KD’s time. The Parsnip Creek Dam project has diverted water from the former moss beds, just desert plain now where the Regatta used to be held. Sic transit gloria mundi . . .

Dwindled? Once they could no longer draw water off the mighty Chugwater, and the watershed collapsed, the lake once touted as the "Inland Sea" Evaporated to become the "Inland Swamp, thence to the "Inland Marsh" (renamed to rehonor the famous hydrologist and bug sprayer Cornelius Chugwater the 4th, for whom the lake was originally and then renamed) .

Even the remains of the famous Castle on Dead Newt Island (now referred to as simply Black Butte) have been taken away, likely to build another of the chain of combiniation restaurant/boxing rings, "Rockys", probably another casualty of the ending of the regatta (and the water). No one knew that the far reaching ecologic and economic disaster the dam, once heralded as the "Savior of Parsnip Creek" and touted to restore the population of the feral 3-eyed Parsnip Newt. Without the ecological diversity of the lake, life shrank away, leaving the area barren of both Man and Newt.

Very true, Susanne. And Newt was sorely vexed !!

The Parsnip Newt, properly filleted, was held by epicures to be far superior to anchovy in cold salads.

Epicures?
Look what happens when you have too many anchovies..

Never light up a smoke while reading the Sears Roebuck catalog!

I'm gonna turn you loose on this one. one.

Elvin, the undersized elk, had a rather slow romantic life until the day he acquired a fine set of second-hand antlers from a re-sale shop.

Herb Iffrig wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 25, 2024 11:00 pm

I'm gonna turn you loose on this one. elk.pngone.

Stick bug.

Elvin found it necessary to give up his fedora, and crows sometimes mobbed him.