Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-03-16
PINE COUNTY LOOKS GOOD

Editor Askov American:
A few weeks ago l was in Askov
and found that the bank had closed
few days before. People were pref
ty blue and discouraged and seemed
to feel that the last straw had been
thrown on to break the back of the
camel. Well, we must admit that it
is great hardship to any community
to have its bank close, but l can think
OF many things worse. The closed
bank hits the older people and the
active business harder than anyone
else. Things that could be worse
can be counted by the hundreds. Take
a trip back with me to that fall
morning when we drove across twenty
miles and saw what the fire had done
to Moose Lake and Cloquet the day
before. The big cyclone that hit
down south of st. Paul a couple of
years ago. The cyclone that hit just
north of Minneapolis two years ago.
The epidemic of flu that swept across
the country about 1920. All of the
above are much worse and we can be
thankful that a closed bank is not to
be compared with them.
Again, your bank was organized and
run by men of the highest type and
ideals. 1t is just a case of frozen
assets and not case of insult and
Foshay type of banking. The fact
that the whole United States has been
in bank frozen era" should bring
to our attention that we are not alone
place.
In the first place, | do not think
there are many who ever came to
Askov, in the first place to get rich.
You came here that you might have
a colony. have your own church and
guage. You have accomplished most
of this. You have built large strong
church and have reared your children
in the highest possible manner.
question where there is a cleaner
town in the U. S. A. than your own
school system, and when you have
given your children this what more
can you wish to give them? People
were never more unsettled than at the
present time, and it might be possible
to start new influx of Danish people
time and buy out some of the older
people who wish to retire to smaller
home and less work. | believe it is
possible.
| have just had a months vacation,
down to New Mexico to see my dear
old mother and then on to Los An
geles and Long Beach. Pine county
looks the best to me of any place that
| saw in the 1000 miles. Southern
Minnesota is beautiful, but they have
the same troubles as we have. A good
crop and no price. Iowa is the same.
Then from there on the country looks
as if it had not seen a quart of paint
on the buildings for twenty years;
houses and barns that would not be
used at all in this county; great por-
ton of it poor soil. Oil well towns
seemed to be overbuif and much va
cant. They too have had their boom.
California, on the coast. beautiful to
look at, but with great fruit crop
unpicked for lack of price due to
over-production. The climate at this
time of the year is very inviting to
older people, but there is no work for
old or young. | was in Los Angeles
and Long Beach just seven days be-
fore the earthquake.
Pine county has its drawbacks, but
it has it's good points also. If we
would all put the same old pep into
it and boost Pine county, that we did
ten years ago, we would see diff
ferent county.
JAMES SLAVEN.
Pine City, Mimi, March II, 1888.