Images in the following video (a promotional trailer for the book The Last American Highway: A Journey Through Time Down U.S. Route 83: The Dakotas, will be familiar to many readers. Thanks to my friend, Patsy, for posting it on Facebook.
1926 January 20th Wednesday
Bright but cold. Louise went to school. The Men shoed horses and Will went to store in evening and William got cattle from Elshires. I made bread. Ed Gran was here selling hog dope.
1936 January 20th Monday
Bright, cold and a few clouds in p.m. Will brought in water, hauled it out, hung up 3 tablecloths and 4 outing-flannel sheets and churned butter, drove the cattle to hay on State Land, visited with Jim Horton, who came to see if Will would buy some corn, he walked from home 5 miles N.W. of here and back via Hidden Timber, also Ben Clausen walked in with the mail. Clarence Pettitt came for Ray Carr’s ice-slip or shaver. I got meals and all clothes washed but it was 6 p.m. when I finished, so Will had to wash dinner dishes and set table for supper. He was sick so had to go to bed after supper. Frank and LeMoyne made a fence between hay on Lily Old Lodges and State land.
1946 January 20th Sunday
Snowed some last night but sun shone bright, was cold but no breeze so didn’t mind the cold. Will chored and he shaved for I swept floors, combed my hair and put on clean dress for I washed dresses and towels yesterday and dried indoors, but my cold is a nuisance but got meals, played rummy with Johnny Haukaas and Will in eve and Hank, Vivian, Johnny, Henrietta, Patty and Peter. Peter will be 1 yr. old, Tuesday, Jan. 22nd and this day is Johnny’s Birthday. They came at 1 p.m. and went home 4 p.m. We never saw Van Epps to-day but they are home.
1956 January 20th Friday
Snowed last night and this a.m. cloudy, 10 above this day. Men gave cattle hay under hill and filled Tank for Bulls & calves to water so shut cows out until the Bulls & calves got water at Big Tank, also caked cattle. I fried oysters for lunch and got sick as too rich. Started to fix cottage cheese out of sour milk but cooked too much. Ellen and Elaine up to get several things out of deep freeze. Chester fixed some welding on sled. Will washed all dishes and slept in a.m. and p.m. I played solitaire and wrote in diary and got eats.