A Number Of Jobs

My grandpa, Allen Luther Spencer, like most people worked at a number of jobs. The one I have heard the most about was his time with the Great Northern Railway, where he worked as a carpenter. That put him building and repairing the seats on the train cars, benches in the depots, and much more. Grandpa was an excellent carpenter. He built furniture for the family, including desks, and very likely beds, tables, and chairs. While being a carpenter on the Great Northern Railways might not seem like something exotic or even fun, it did allow him and his family, to travel from Holyoke, Minnesota to Superior Wisconsin so the kids could go to school and into town. Now, don’t think that my dad, Al Spencer and uncle, Bill Spencer demurely boarded the train each day, because they both decided that just boarding the train legally wasn’t the way to go. They decided, rather that they would take a way to board that was a little bit more dramatic…namely hopping the train. Yes, they hopped on the moving train like they were hobos who shouldn’t be on there. Of course, that brough reprimands from railroad officials, and probably their parents too, but it didn’t stop them. Boys will be boys, I guess.

Grandpa also worked for a time in the oil fields in Texas, but I don’t know very much about that time in their family life. I know that my grandma, Anna (Schumacher) Spencer and my aunt, Laura (Spencer) Fredrick were there too during those years. Then the family returned to the Superior, Wisconsin – Duluth, Minnesota area and later to Holyoke, where the family would have a farm, while Grandpa worked on the railroad.

Other jobs he had, were managing a hotel (which Grandma helped with), working in the logging business, the time that he and his brother-in-law, Albert Schumacher decided to go into the fur trade. They actually hunted skunks at one time. Imagine that!! It does go to show that they were determined to make a living, but they nearly froze to death while hunting. That was ultimately what made them decide to abandon the fur trade for the logging industry. Yes, it was an interesting life that my grandpa led. Today is the 145th anniversary of my grandpa, Allen Luther Spencer’s birth. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandpa. We love you very much, and can’t wait to meet you in Heaven someday.