January 30, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Mr. Fox and Lewis call. We go to Condit's for evening. splendid time. Our dresses comes. Beautiful - gloves and stockings to match.

January 29, 1912

Flo's Diary:

A beautiful bright sunny day. Get 3 registered packages xmas presents. weith 122 1/4 lbs. Mar - 129 lbs. Mr. R for supper - I get it - solitaire. Marce. & I walk at 10:30 to Tanana way.

What could they have possibly gotten that weighted so much? I'm really anxious to see if we find out or not.

January 28, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up and go to church with Ralph and Marcella. Hot chocolate after church. Fox invites us to breakfast. Nell mushes with Dee. Marcella and I start dinner when Fox comes to ask us out to dinner - slow. Green comes and I walk with him. Lewis comes. He and Green stay fox dinner. Marcella and I to to C.E. and church and boys was the dishes. Chairs spoons & pie. Alarm at 12.

Heidi's Diary:

In Fairbanks. Up at 6 a.m. Clean and straighten up. -10°. Car has frost on it. Took about 8 minutes to drive from Ester to work. Clear sky brings out the stars. Got IM from Mr Olson. "How do I get the camera to zoom on my iPhone." Decided to skype with him so he could see the process which wasn't working for him. Had visit with Miss Huizenga, Mrs Runnion, Mrs Parkerson and Mrs. Clendenin lots of laughing. Reading Cold: Adventures in a the World's Frozen Places. Bed at midnight

January 27, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Girls didn't fill well so no cleaning but what I do. Green comes. Nell & I take a walk. Clear-moonlight night. Pie from Heacock.

January 26, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 12. Get our warrants - go calling on 6 people. Ans phone. Mrs. D. to late - go to show with Harold.

I'm starting to see some competition here amongst the men in Fairbanks!

January 25, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Tired, up at 12 noon. Lay around all day. Girls go for walk in evening. I put on bath robe and lie on couch reading. Lysle comes and he reads to me then Ralph comes. I put on shoes and coat and go to show with them. Meet girls and they go too. M. R. and I go for hot chocolate. Litsey & Morrow & Fox drink with us. Crackers. Home.

I assume that before she went to the show she changed from her bathrobe!

January 24, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Feel Better - help to clean house. Walk 3 miles with Lewis. Mrs. Fairburn calls. Mr. Drury comes and I take him to Leap Year Ball. HAve a great time engaging dances. Joe Morrow paints and fixes like woman - goes with Marcella. Men come with flowers, etc.

January 23, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Still feel bum. Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Hess come. Mr. Thrift here for dinner. Harold comes to see about Leap Year Ball. tease him. Hear from Mr. Drury whom I'm to take to the ball. Marcella and I take flash lights. Brown comes - has to be sent home.

I'm guessing that the Leap Year ball must be like a "Sadie Hawkins Dance" from my generation where the girl asks the guy. One of these days I'm going to have to do a flow chart of the men in Aunt Flo's life. I'm getting mixed up on who is whom!

January 22, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 12 - Mr. T comes. 10 o'clock breakfast. ill - cold - recline on couch. Mrs. Meachum, Mrs. Carothers, Mrs. Condit and Mrs Gates call. The Leap Year joke increases. Who's the lucky chaps Marcella and I are to take?

I can hardly wait to find out what the leap year joke is!

January 21, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Feel stiff and sore but go to Mrs. Simson's for all day. Splendid dinner. help get it. Play piano-untill 10 o'clock then they bring me home. Found Nell and Brown home. colds - and Green here. Bed at 12 - Leap Year joke.

January 20, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Go for long much over on hill toward Fox with Lewis. 10° below. Saw Mt. McKinley and panorama of Mts. Great. Beautiful colors in sky. Back by initial hill. Marcella has dinner ready hungry yes—bath and bed early. Green comes-but I stay in bed. Nell goes to Esther.

Traveling by dog sled - this photo is captioned: The Pioneer Style of Traveling, Winter 1911. It was taken from my Great Uncle Gus's collection.

January 19, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Made my white serge dickey and embroidered anchor on it. At Heacocks. girls walk go to arcade to dinner with Mr. Lewis – have grouse. Good. Candy - home and find Brown- talk and read till alarm goes off. Have to send B. away.

Grouse/Ptarmign photo from Great Uncle Gus' collection:

January 18, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Mr. Lewis and I walked went to wireless station out on railroad. Mr. T. here for dinner - rabbit. Nell gets it. Ralph comes and we go to Acklins – nice time. Met Mr. and Mrs. Williams. Retire at 2 a.m.

Unrelated photo:

Rabbits must have been a mainstay of many Pioneer menus! This is titled "Belle Stevens returning from her trapline." from the UAF Archives.

January 17, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up and pile wood before breakfast pancakes. Fix my pink dress - sew at Heacocks. 10° above. Lysle came and staid till an unearthly hour. Wrote odes to salad and Johnny-cake. Pictures on bear rug – bottles.

January 16, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 12 Nell gets breakfast of sourdough hotcakes. I wash dishes, scrub tables, clean up in general–even mop the floor. While cracking nuts, Lewis comes–helps and asks me out to dinner for Friday night. Fox phoned me to go skating declined. Drury and Morrow come to help with "johnny cake" and Morrow salad–good. Flashlights bear rug. picture show wash dishes and talk till 12. Great time-tired.

Original Johnny Cake came about in the South before the Civil War.

These cakes were made from white cornmeal and had no eggs, sugar, or syrup! They were fried on a hot cast iron pan in bacon drippings. The true Johnny cake recipe is nothing more than

White Corn Meal
salt
boiling water
bacon drippings

A more modern recipe:

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/3 cups cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease thoroughly an 8 inch square cake pan.

Combine cornmeal and milk. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together the egg and milk.

Cream shortening, and blend in sugar.

Stir flour mixture and egg mixture alternately into creamed mixture alternately.

Blend in cornmeal mixture.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot, with maple syrup.

January 15, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Finished my tea jacket at Heacocks. Ralph come and I take a walk with him. Kelly comes. Marcella and I make candy and mayonnaise and wash dishes. We kill time. Have pillow fight and poety. set clock 1:18 ahead. Bed as 12–

January 14, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Went to Church. Marcella and I bake and get dinner – Lewis invites us out but too late. Drury and Marrow call–write. Nell goes to picture show with Brown. Lewis and Fox appear on scene. Play "500" Fox and Marcella disagree so Lewis walks with M. and I entertain Fox. Ate pie got even – chocolate when Nell and B. come. Oh-dear the times we have.

January 13, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 10. Brown and wood saw come. Breakfast. Cut out tea jacket sew while Lysle reads. Lewis comes and and we walk out toward Fox –40° below. Met Ralph brought him home with us. Met Mrs. Clark at door. Just leaving. Went over to Heacock's to sew. Came home and got dinner. Mr. Thrift stays 1st time for a long time. Had been sick. Harold comes.

January 12, 1912

Go calling —30°below. Take fencing lesson. Mr. Green comes but goes but Mr. Brown – Marrow and Sheldon come. Nell and Bob popcorn. Lysle and I read Rubaiyat – Marcella and Joe walk. All in. Hot chocolate corn and kisses.

I must say, Great Aunt Flo, take it easy on the men!

The Rubaiyat probably refers to Rubiayat of Omar Khayyam, but apparently it might also be reference to a type of poetry from Persia. Read it here.

January 11, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Awaken by Mrs. Heacock coming over to start our fires at 10:30. Rather tired. Marcella and Ralph walk. Nell–Lewis and I start–but Nell finds it to cold so stops at her father's. Lewis and I continue. Come back and read "Chinytown Ballads." Go to bed early. 45° below.

Chinatown Ballads, by Wallace Irvin, 1906

Available here as a free download

Interesting reading - as I read the first poem, I found myself taking on a rap cadence–very weird!

January 10, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Still cold –28° to 30°. J.B.M. dance. Come for our cushions. Harold-Marcella-Barker and I go together. Great time – very informal. Moonlight dances. flash lights and search light danes. confetti battle. Danced to 4 a.m. Was at Heacocks. blankets and soups.

January 9, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Quite cold but put on my fur and and walk 10 miles with Lewis out Valdez trail. Came back and took fencing lesson -fun. Bot my pink gingham dress and blue stuff for tea jacket. Harold comes. Bed early night gown parade.

January 8, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 10 - got breakfast went downtown got my golf gloves. We got all our clothes out to straighten and company came. Overfield -Hurley-Cathcart and Miss Barthel. Took walk with Harold out Tanana way after show -30° below exhilerating. Came home and found Kelly giving Nell a dancing lesson. Hot chocolate. Sat in chair with Kelly while he made up.

In sweet contentment here I duet and say sweet things to Florence.

While Harold holds his own Marcella and pours his love in torrents

While on the sofa sits fair Nell and holds her hand the while

and thinks her time will come ere while

and her thots fly out to Lysle.

Boys went home at 12.

January 7, 1912

Go to church. - Lewis and I walk down river to ice co. plant and back. 6 miles - 15° below. Cold. Come back and chat. dinner. Brown stays - Green and I go to Church. come home feeling good. Find Lewis and Marcella playing crib. Green & I go for walk. Visit jail. come back. Marcella and & I find hot tamale man thru Ralph. Josh on boys. They stake our rooms. horrors. such a mess. Hot Tamales & ice cream. good. Send boys home at 12. Peace reigns once more.

January 6, 1912

Flo's Diary:

We cleaned house. Ralph comes in midst. Beautiful sunny day. Took my bath and was sitting in my robe when a knock came and I skooted to bedroom. Mr. Lewis came. I put on Marcella's green dress. Lewis and I go for letters. Got 3 and several PO cards. Wrote letters. Nell and Brown go to Gilmers.

January 5, 1912

Flo's Diary

Up and finished work. Over to Heacocks. Take our 1st fencing lesson. great. As we were getting dinner, Nell and Mr. Fredericks come in and surprise us. Mr. Green comes Marcella reads "Mr. Opps" Bed at 11:30.

Preliminary search for "Mr Opps" wasn't found.

January 4, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Nell goes to creeks. M. and I up about 11. We rush around madly trying to fine a place to fence, unsuccessful. Ironed and piled wood. early dinner. Began my hem stitching. Bob Sheldon appears. "Looking for dog." Brown comes next. Green the third. Sad mix up. I go to show and eat ice cream with Brown. Send him home early and Green at 12.

The Creeks: This could have been anywhere around the Fairbanks area! The photo below was taken from my Great Uncle's collection is 1910 from the Jesson-Contradt dump out at Ester. The back of the photo says:

this was taken in 1910.

The 3 ladies between you and I were out from town on a lark. I don't think you knew them. 2 of them were school teachers.

Received from Mrs. Gertrude Everall 10/6/56

January 3, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 9. fool around and then get breakfast at 11. Clean and mend my red dress. Miss Gilmer calls. Write letters. Finish the "Trail of '98." Marcella and I left alone in evening - spent quietly.

January 2, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 10 am. All well. Finish Gladys' letter. Go downtown with Marcella. Snowing. Rec'd bead purse from Blanche and Betty. Beautiful. button bag from Martha and Jabot from Rose. Go to Mrs. Simpson's and make candy. The oyster man's wife was there - ugh! Had a lovely time and candy turned out nicely.

Glady was Flo's younger sister. She eventually following the Salladay sister's to Fairbanks around 1918. Jabot - this is a fancy lace accessory found along the front of a shirt.

January 1, 1911

Flo's Diary:

Up at 11 - after a fitful night. Marcella and I have breakfast of bacon and eggs and toast. Nell ill stays in bed all day. Go over to Heacocks. Mr. T. comes. Write. Mr. Kelly comes with mistletoe–result was kissed. ugh! don't care for open house if that's the way its done in the northland. Go to dinner with Messers Lewis-Cairnes-Heeling and Mr. and Mrs. Cathcart at Shaw House. All come to our house and play "500." Serve blueberry wine and cake. Bed at 12.

Shaw House was listed on 2nd and Wickersham in the 1909 Alaska Almanac and according to "The Reader's Companion to Alaska", the observations of 8-year old Margaret Murie: