On this date in 1937, The Foster County Independent reported that 15-year-old Robert Kuntz of Harvey had accidentally shot himself but not fatally. Just weeks earlier, he had fallen through an ice pocket on the Sheyenne River and somehow survived that, too.
In that earlier incident, Robert had been skating on the river with a group of youngsters when they suddenly saw him plunge through the ice. The ice and water were unusually clear, and they watched in horror as he was swept beneath the surface. They skated after him and saw him grab hold of a submerged tree. Using it, he pulled himself back to the opening in the ice and climbed out.
One Robert Kuntz from Harvey later served in World War II as a tail gunner and lived to be 99 years old. If that was the same boy who stymied the Reaper more than once, you might say he had nine lives — one for every decade.
Not everyone was so fortunate. Ice skating on streets, ponds, and rivers led to numerous fatalities across the state. Wading and swimming were risky as well. In 1937, another Harvey boy drowned while trying to cross the reservoir above the Sheyenne River dam. Harvey’s new inhaler device failed to revive him.
In the 1930s, the Federal Works Progress Administration’s parks initiative created parks, swimming pools, and skating rinks across the state so people of all ages could enjoy recreation more safely. In Wahpeton, numerous drownings had been recorded in the Red River. WPA officials came to Wahpeton on September 12, 1937, for the dedication of Chahinkapa Park.
The Chahinkapa swimming pool was described as the finest in the Northwest. The skating pond and warming house became major attractions during the winter months. For decades, colorful crowds of skaters filled the old oxbow lake of the Red.
The 1937 celebration featured a pageant, water ballet, marching bands, and a parade. Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and Ojibwe delegates, in service uniforms and traditional regalia, were invited back to their former hunting and council grounds. The Wahpeton Indian School band, with 54 costumed musicians, performed. The 164th Infantry Band marched in uniform. John King, described as an Indian scout and the lone survivor of Custer’s outfit, led the Dakota warriors. An adoption ceremony for WPA officials was conducted by the Dakota.
Dakota Datebook by Lise Erdrich
Sources:
- The Foster County Independent, March 3, 1937, Page 2
- The Bismarck Tribune, August 17, 1937, Page 2
- The Richland County Farmer-Globe, September 14, 1937, Page 1
- The Richland County Farmer-Globe, January 1937, Page 2
