Hunting Party

I mentioned in my previous post that hunting, fishing, and trapping were common leisurely pursuits by Tenney folks. Just today I came upon this photo of a hunting party of Tenney men. I don't know when it was taken, but somebody could probably tell by the age of the vehicle. I am guessing it was sometime in the late 1930s. The men in the photo are (left to right) Louie Wittman, Pat Murphy, Arthur Kath, and John Polifka.

Louie Wittman had a garage/machine repair garage in Tenney, located just north of the Larson (later Hardie) store. He lived with his wife Minnie and children in a home right next to the Kapitans, behind the fire hall. Pat Murphy's real name was "Allen," but he always went by "Pat." He married Rose Durner, and they lived in Campbell. Art Kath was married to Edna. I don't know if they lived in Tenney, Campell, or in the country. John Polifka was my great grandfather. He ran the Tenney elevator as a young man, and was Tenney's rural mail carrier later on. He and wife Helen lived in a home in the southwest corner of Tenney.

One of the most interesting things to me about this photo is the fact that one can see the town hall (large building), as well as the fire hall (small building) in the background. And if you look closely, the town pump--such an important spot in town--is visible between those two buildings, complete with someone using the pump. This photo would have been taken in front of the Larson or Klugman Store. Considering the current condition of our little town of Tenney, I am always fascinated to see these wonderful old Tenney buildings in their prime. If you have any photos of Tenney's structures as they existed in the first half of the century, I am very interested in seeing them.