February 10, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Sat so not up till 9:30 clean house wash my head and Lysle comes. Eat lunch and Green comes. Get back to A. B. dance for next Friday night. Everett Ingram and Lenard Heacock take Marcella and I out for a ride behind 7 dogs. A glorious day and ride. Marcella–Green and I go to Ester to dance in double ender. Nell, Dee and Brown go in another one. Great time and novel dance. Many Fairbanks people there is stage. Dog houses. Met several people–miners invited out by Pattersons – Home by 5 am. 10° below.

February 9, 1912

Flo's Diary:A beautiful sunrise and splendid view of Mts. and Mt Mckinley. Where are the boys? Have missed them. Fenced. Went down town – got supper – wrote letters.

February 8, 1912

Flo's Diary:10° above - beautiful day. Develop pictures. Marcella Drury and I go to picture show. Drury wants to be father-in-law so he can make love to us.

February 7, 1912

Flo's Diary:
A most beautiful sunrise. Golden 10° above. Nell stayed all night at Ollsen's we come home an get dinner and wash dishes. Nell gets dinner. Splendid - rabbit - all alone.

February 6, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Alarm at 7 but lay until 7:30 and then hurry to school. Much better. Get Dinner and print more pictures. Drury comes and and asks us to go to the pictures show. Knock at door. Marcela opens and Fox stands there. Look of disgust on face. He asks me to go to Masonic ball. Refuse. Otherwise engaged. Green comes so Drury and I go to picture show. Boys to at 11. Beautiful day.

February 5, 1912

Flo's DiaryUp at 7 - oh dear - sleepy. go to school. Room changed. 34 kiddies - splendid - tired. Supper make meatloaf. School work - print pictures great. tired. Bed at 9:15.

February 4, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 9 AM. Go to Church with Lewis. Write Letters. change my dress and go to dinner with Lewis and rest of crowd at Arcade. Grouse and toast - while others go to show - Lewis and I sit in chair and talk. Bid he and Ralph goodbye as they start on Mt. McKinley trip next day. Bed at 11 - school next day.

February 3, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up about 11 am. Breakfast. Ralph comes while I am sweeping. Talk with Mr. Adams over the gate. Lysle comes and calls off Esther dance. Take a bath – Lewis comes mild weather - sunshine. Beat Ralph 2 games of crib. Marcella and Green go for walk – so do Brown and Nell. Lewis and I. grand night out Tanana way Hot chocolate at Red cross Home and 2 in a chair.

February 2, 1912

Flo's Diary:Up real early. Go shopping. Marcella goes sleigh riding and I miss it as I meet school board at school house at 2 p.m. They decide to give me an assistance, Mrs. Sea. Mr. Druery–Green–Gox come. Nell stays all night with Dee. I walk with Fox Harold goes home early why? candy – 2 boxes. Sunny.

February 1, 1912

Flo's Diary:Walk with Mrs. Ollsen and Mr. Fox over to Heacocks. Down town shopping. Mr. Green, Mr, Drury, Mr. Morrow and Bob came up for evening. Flashlights, ice cream at "Red Cross" x x x Chinook wind melting snow. Bed at 11:30 - last the bet. x. x. & o.

This doesn't really have anything to do with this post, but I thought this chart of winter temperatures taken from the Fairbanks Red Cross Drugstore was interesting.

January 31, 1912

Flos' Diary:
Mrs Heacock over early and start our fire. Marcella and I eat lentils. Go to Heacock's to Ladies Aid. Fruit salad. Go to High School play.

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.