By Karen Gibbons Knudson

Memories from Karen Gibbons Knudson

One of my first memories of Dickeyville is not a very pleasant one.  I was only three years old and quite excited and curious as to when the Popsicle Man would arrive in front of our house at 2323 Tucker Lane.  I ran into the street, only to be struck by a car!  Our kindly newspaper delivery man was on his route when I dashed out in front of his car.  Brother Mike and sister Linda were in the yard with me at the time and ran for my mother.  Fast forward…Ambulance ride to the hospital with head injury…three weeks+ in the hospital!  Good news, full recovery!!  Apparently the neighbors rallied around my parents and helped them through a very difficult time.  Moral of the story…”Look both ways… EVERY TIME!”

I grew up in Dickeyville from my birth in 1953 until I got married in 1972.  At that time, there were plenty of kids to play with.  It was definitely part of the baby boom era.  Let me drop just a few names… Lucy W, Lucy, Ramsey and Andy C, Karen and Fred K, Emily P, Tricia and Mickey C, Lee, Kathy and Mark H, , Peter, David, Kevin, Susan, Julie W, my sisters, Linda and Janny, etc., etc.,…  (some neighborhood dogs:, Nicky, Saint, Cheyanne, Muff, Bookashooey, Mopsy, Duke, just to name a few)

We played Kick the Can, Red Rover, Hide and Seek… We skateboarded (very new back then), ice skated, (complete with outfits designed by my wonderful Grandma Nell), sleigh rided, had huge snowball fights, we played in the woods, which had a couple of famous landmarks, i.e. “the big hole”, “the big rock”.  By the way, if you return for a look today, NOT very big…  We did Junior Garden Club, had Beatles Clubs, and just played and played and played!!!  We rode bikes, took hikes, exercised together, went to church together and simply GREW UP together.

When the riots were happening in the 60’s, the girlfriends got together and attended a “Peace Rally” at Memorial Stadium…  Unfortunately, a huge riot broke out complete with stampeding crowds trying to flee the stands, fighting, fires, lots of police…  Of course, no cell phones back then, so we ran for help from the police who I believe somehow contacted our parents.  We were picked up and lived to see another day.

Our age group also dared to cross the dam, via the broken apart board walk at the bottom of the falls.  Really a dumb idea!  We even tried it after a storm.  One of us fell between the boards and nearly drowned!  Thank goodness my parents aren’t alive to read this!!

I could seriously go on forever as these memories flow back.  But, we have to save some stories for the reunion….  So, stay tuned!! Cheers to the Dickeyville Kids!!

By Karen Gibbons Knudson

Editor’s note: Please check back each Sunday to the Dickeyville Village blog to read extracts from the Dickeyville Days memoirs – a compilation of memories from previous Dickeyville denizens reflecting on a childhood spent growing up in the village during the 1940s, 50s, & 60s.  We hope you enjoy their stroll down memory lane.