Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Northern Wisconsin


These are photos of the log home Aunt Lottie and her husband built in the early 1900's. The bed pic is her upstairs loft, to me the coloring is vintage. At 13, I was tickled to stay at Aunt Lottie's cabin, a cousin and I slept in this loft. It was exciting to see all of her vintage furniture and belongings. Her kitchen was small but had everything she needed. A black and nickel wood cook stove purchased from Sears in the early 1900's warmed the kitchen on cold crispy mornings. It was like a little doll house inside and out. She kept her lawn neatly clipped with a vintage push mower. Holly Hocks and other flowers neatly arranged near the cabin were in bloom for the summer. She had no indoor plumbing (bath facilities) for a long time. A hand pump mounted on the kitchen counter was the only indoor plumbing. The outhouse was always kept clean and neat. She has pasted old magazine articles to the wall and had commode seats for a little comfort. You guessed it, a two seater! More pics coming!




Despite the harsh winters, northern Wisconsin is one of the most beautiful places I know. My mother was born in 1931 in the small village of White Lake, located in the north central part of Wisconsin. She is the oldest daughter of Earl and Gwen Conto, who had 4 girls and one boy. The little house she was born in still stands today in that village. Dad was born in Waukegan, IL in 1928. His dad passed away of pneumonia at a young age. Grandma and her 5 children moved to White Lake soon after his passing with nowhere to live and no income. Our paternal greatgrandparents Hugh and Nettie Shannon, lived on a small farm in Langlade county. Grandma and her five little ones went to live with Hugh and Nettie for a while. Today that sweet home is owned by a granddaughter, Kris and her husband. Just down the road Hugh and Nettie's oldest daughter, Lottie and her husband, built a log home for their family in the early 1900's, that little cabin still stands today as a historical site.
Just a little family geneology to share with you. Memphis, TN. is my birthplace. Dad served 23 years in the US Navy. As you can guess we traveled much during our growing years. My sister, Annette's birthplace is Orlando, Florida. My brother, Ken, born in Great Lakes, IL. I am the eldest of the three. Our mother and dad retired to northern Wisconsin where us kids finished grade school and high school. I met my good husband in October of 1970. We married in June, 1971. Not to bore you, the rest is our family history and a long time of wonderful memories. Ron retired after 42 years at a large company in Fond du Lac, WI. Today we live (Buckeye, AZ) near our son and his sweet wife along with their sweet children, who I'll introduce at a later post. Thank you so much for taking the time to skim through my blog. I love old family pictures and geneology. At a later date I will post vintage photos and a little more geneology. Again, bless you and thank you! Happy blogging to you!

4 comments:

  1. Linda,
    I found your blog via "The Feathered Nest". I found this post very interesting - I live about 15 miles from White Lake, in Lakewood! When I saw the picture of the log house I thought, "Boy, that sure looks like it could be right around here!!" I'm looking forward to reading more of your blog & getting to know you! :)
    ~Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  2. The house is beautiful!! Makes me wish for simpler times...

    ReplyDelete
  3. linda your off to a great start your bloging is realy good ...Tracy strawberrygirl

    ReplyDelete
  4. Welcome to blogland Linda. I linked over from Dawn's Feathered Nest. Dawn is my blog mentor and sweet friend. I am enjoying your new blog, and I hope you will find this new world as enjoyable as I do. Aunt Lottie's cabin looks so warm and inviting. I hope to see more photos of it. I hope your day is filled with good things Linda.
    Marcie

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking time to comment and visit QBC. :)