The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-06-29
w. HetzeI Writes
From Wood Camp
June 10, 1888
To the Sank Centre Herald:

To the Sank Centre Herald:
I am member Of Company 723
which has it's camp pitched here
three miles south of Founce in the
midst Of several hundred acres of
forest land which is somewhat de-
void of timber by virtue of a forest
fire which devastated this region in
1925. Our camp lies some 40 miles
to the north of Upper Red Lake, II
miles south Of Williams which in
turn Is Ii miles east Of Warroad.
Company 720, which entrained from
Fort Smelling the same time as we
did, is located some Is miles north
west of us while last Sunday morn
Ing a company of 200 negroes from
Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri,
arrived in Warroad by rail and were
promptly transported by trucks to-
gether with their supplies and
equipment to Clear River, a spot IA
miles south of Warroad.
Companies 720 and 723 left Min
neapolis at 300 p. M. June IL on
a special Great Northern train car
rying four baggage cars and 10
passenger coaches equally divided
between the two. Our train passed
through Sank Centre at TOO o'clock
Monday evening after our train
made a stop just west Of Melrose
to enable the demonstration army
to wash their mess kits. After that
we stopped at Evansville, Barnes
vile and Crookston before passing
through Red Lake Falls and Thief
River Falls in route to Warroad
where we vacated the train to be
hauled to our camp site. Our train
pulled into the city at 900 A.. M.
but 1T was not unil one-thirty that
we reached our camp. We ate din
ner at 800 o'clock and supper at
500 o'clock and were almost de-
voured by mosquitoes at the latter
meal. Late that night the last of
our supplies reached the camp.
Last week our time was spent in
putting up a total of Is tents,
Strengthening out our supplies, MAX
ing fire wood, constructing an ice
box, making fire break around
the camp, modelling a baseball dia-
mond and filling in some ruts in
a road through some heavy timber
several miles to the northwest. For
athletic exercise we play volley ball,
baseball, and horseshoe, our kit
tenball outfits will be secured later.
Games in all sports will be ar
ranged with Company 720 and the
camp Of negroes while our baseball
nine also will be hurled against
such teams as Roosevelt, Williams
and Warroad. The nearest swim
ming hole is the Rapid River which
runs hve miles south. This Is re-
puted to be a very bad district for
fires and one mile south Of our
camp there Is a watch tower In
which a lookout is stationed to be
constantly on guard for any fires
which may resultin disastrous con-
flagration.
Sunday afternoon a forest fire
broke out seven miles southwest of
us and 15 members Of our company
were called upon to fight It with
the result that it was extinguished
after it had covered a section about
20 yards square. This territory be-
tween the Lake Of the Woods and
Upper Red Lake gets to be pretty
dry in summer as the rainfall Is
scarce. The soil is nothing but
sand and will produce nothing but
timber. A light shower fell here
Sunday night but outside of that
we have not had any rain.
Many of G. c. Cs. here are dis
gusted with conditions mainly
because there are no shower baths
and because the mosquitoes and
horse flies get to be exceedingly
obnoxious either during the day or
at night.
Baseball practice win be held to-