by Caitlin Zawodny, Sophomore Diplomacy and History Double-Major
Growing up, my favorite thing to do was explore. I would run around the grassy areas around my apartment building, pretending like I was an adventurer discovering an unknown area, a top secret agent saving the world, or a wizard at Hogwarts. My imagination guided my play; Clifford Estates in Guangzhou, China, was my playground. It was that community and environment that shaped so many of my beautiful childhood memories.
As our class delved deeper into the history of Storm Lake, I knew I wanted to focus on an often ignored aspect of history: children’s history. In these time periods and trends that we are studying, what role did children play? Focusing on the years 1898, 1919, and 1940, it was fascinating to see the multitude of organized opportunities for children in Storm Lake and in nearby towns, and how this differs from what children do today.
I believe as historians, it’s equally important to learn about church picnics, high school athletics, and local traditions, as it is to study dates and historical figures.
The most difficult year to research by far was 1898. Publications such as the Alta Advertiser and the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune did not report much about children’s organizations and recreational opportunities. One exception I found was published in the Alta Advertiser on June 10th, 1898. In Alta, the Methodist Episcopal and the Presbyterian Church celebrated “the Sabbath dedicated to the children” and had numerous festivities for children of the church: class songs sung by the children, activities for them to partake in, and recitations led by different classes. Donations raised during this event would be allocated towards young people who were unable to pay their own educational fees.
Like in 1898, in 1919 much of children’s recreational activities were centered around the church. On September 11, 1919, the Alta Advertiser published a notice alerting local parents of a Sunday school picnic open to all children of the church and their friends. They were encouraged to “fill up their lunch basket, and come for a good time. All kinds of games and sports were being provided.” That year also revealed the institutionalization of youth recreation as seen by the advancements and formations of clubs. On October 31, 1919, the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune reiterated “the value of clubs” and how they were necessary for introducing socialization and patriotism to future generations. These clubs were also meant to help fight against high illiteracy rates in the United States due to the impact WWI had on education.
Twenty-one years later, this advocacy for clubs comes to fruition with the Storm Lake community’s local Boy Scout troop being mentioned in the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune’s February 8, 1940, publication. February 4th to the 8th celebrated Boy Scout Week, and Storm Lake mayor, Bert Marchant, asked residents to rally around the local troop. The Scouts proved to be incredibly popular in Storm Lake, and saw the establishment of the Sea Scouts as well. The Boy Scouts and Sea Scouts gave Storm Lake boys an opportunity to learn valuable skills while having fun. Although there is no longer an active Sea Scouts presence in town, Troop 0103, Storm Lake’s local unit, still stands strong.
On Monday, March 28, 2022, our class had the honor of talking to Dr. Brian Lenzmeier, the president of Buena Vista University. One thing Dr. Lenzmeier mentioned that stood out was the community’s need for a recreation center, and how past attempts between Buena Vista University and the Storm Lake community to create a joint recreation center have failed. A recreation center would allow the public to come together as a community and practice skills, host events, and exercise. A strong sports culture already exists in Storm Lake, as seen by the SLHS boys soccer team aiming to make state this past season, or the passion and desire of the SLHS girls tennis team. Would the establishment of a recreation center create more opportunities for students in sports, especially starting at a younger age?
All of these topics centered around children and recreation originated from one question: what did people do in Storm Lake in the past, and what is there to do now? Sometimes when studying history, it is easy to focus on the past and forget about the present. And obviously, analyzing trends of clubs and activities for local youth in the nineteenth and twentieth century does not clearly reveal what the children and teenagers of Storm Lake do for fun today. When thinking about my childhood, I remember the local ice cream shop, the lake where we would rent out canoes and spend dry summer afternoons, and the best picnic spots in town. Often, these stories are the ones overshadowed in the news by more serious topics despite bearing equal value to me, personally (though I believe the Family and Friends section of the Storm Lake Times Pilot does a phenomenal job at highlighting these stories). I believe as historians, it’s equally important to learn about church picnics, high school athletics, and local traditions, as it is to study dates and historical figures.
These are the details that transform a town into a community.
