Reason #56,892 Why I Love To Blog -- February 12, 2015

I feel somewhat remiss in not following up on Eckman. When a reader mentioned it the other day, I had planned to look up Eckman but never got around to it. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened an e-mail this evening with a bit of nostalgia regarding Eckman.

The reader linked Eckman with this "postcard / photograph."

For readers new to the blog, I was in high school, editor of the high school newspaper during my senior year, when I met Bill Shemorry. This photograph/post card was part of his collection.

When you get to the link, note that you can see both the front side of the postcard and the reverse.

It appears the photograph was taken in 1909 -- suggesting that "they" were drilling for natural gas in North Dakota as early as 1909. This as taken near Eckman, North Dakota.

The narrative that accompanies the photograph is fascinating: the derrick, the automobile, the men in derby hats (probably banks, not EPA or OSHA inspectors).

I find this particularly poignant, the message on the post card:

'Just to let you know that I am okay. Find farming kind of hard. Came here by team from Westhope. Your friend, Stenehjem.' 

Anyone who has read Giants in the Earth by Ole Edvart Rølvaag will know where I'm coming from. Giants in the Earth was one of the most "emotionally-laden" books I have ever read. I must have read it in middle school; not sure who would have recommended it to me to read. I think I did my "best" reading in middle school. By the time I got to high school, I was too busy to do much serious reading outside of class assignments. 

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Remember, It's Summer In The Antarctic

Ice Age Now is reporting:

The Australian 207-foot ship, the Antarctic Chieftain, has become trapped in thick Antarctic ice.

The US Coast Guard said the icebreaker Polar Star has been diverted to break through the ice and rescue the fishing vessel. Starting some 300 nautical miles away, the ice breaker was due to reach the stranded vessel by Friday or Saturday. In order to get there, it will need to cut through thick ice floes, heavy snow, and winds up to 35 miles per hour.