Arthur & Viola
(recollections by Arthur Tschetter, son of Jacob)
After I completed the fourth grade in the rural school, we lost the farm, and my father went through bankruptcy. This was during the summer of 1925. We moved to another farm east of Onida, South Dakota. This wasn't much for a farm and was a step down for us—a small house with no modern conveniences. The family lived on this place for eight years from 1925-1933.
The first year on this farm, Viola and I attended Onida Public School, since it was only one mile from town. So for the 1925-26 school years, my fifth grade was completed there. Even though we were only one mile from Onida, we lived in a different township than the Onida Township. This township had a large consolidated school, which was about 7 1/2 miles from our farm. My parents decided to have us attend there for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, which we did. The problem was how to get to school each day. No school buses in those days. My father took care of that problem. He got a 4-wheeled buggy and built a top over it of heavy cardboard. In the winter we had a small kerosene stove in it that we used to keep warm. We also picked up from 5-7 other children on the way to school. I presume they paid my parents some money for this service. I think it took us about 1 1/2 hours to cover the seven and one-half miles. Viola and I were both happy with this arrangement.
