Colfax Sesquicentennial 2014: The Stranded Traveling Men’s Club

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX —  In honor of the Colfax Sesquicentennial celebration July 17-20, 2014, the history installment for this edition of the Colfax Messenger is the story of the Stranded Traveling Men’s Club.

The club was formed in March of 1917 when a blizzard closed down Colfax for three days. For several years after that, the Stranded Traveling Men’s Club held an annual banquet in Colfax to remember the occasion.

Here is the story of the blizzard from the March 23, 1917, edition of the Colfax Messenger:

Northwest in Grip of a Fierce Storm

(Three Days Elapse Without a Passenger East-Bound — The Most Severe Blizzard in History of State)

There are blizzards, and there are blizzards.

In the memory of the oldest inhabitants there has been nothing to compare with the weather conditions of last week. The two blizzards that raged were quite general throughout the northwest, and hundreds of cities and villages were in the throes of the storms as Colfax was.

The blizzard which prevailed on Tuesday of last week was only to be followed by another on Wednesday night and throughout Thursday, only of more severity as to the fury of the elements and in the demoralizing of traffic and crippling business generally.

The last train through Colfax following the storm of Thursday was the passenger train No. 1, due on Friday at 1:20 p.m., which did not reach here till evening. That train reached Cylon, where it was forced to stand because of the fact that No. 2 east bound was stalled at Jewett. On Friday, No. 1 got as far as Gloster and later was pulled back to St. Paul.

On Saturday morning at 3:25, a work train steamed through Colfax for the west with the object of relief. On this train, there were 40 Italian laborers as a shovel brigade. Two more trains bent on assistance went through here on Saturday afternoon and the other Saturday evening. The first train carrying the Italians became stalled a mile and a quarter east of Emerald. The second got through to Cylon and nearing Emerald also got stalled.

A train went through here Sunday morning carrying coal and food supplies, it being claimed that supplies at New Richmond had run low and merchants absolutely refused to part with provisions for the imprisoned passengers and train crews.

Train No. 1 finally ran out of coal, making it impossible to turn around and get back to the relief of No. 2. Every possible effort was made by the crew of No. 1, even to the shoveling of snow into the tank, to keep the steam.

There was not a freight train through Colfax from Tuesday night until the clearing of the tracks the first of this week. It is said by railway men that the drifts were three or four feet high, while in the cuts, they were in most cases completely filled.

The first train to reach Colfax, after the complete blockade of Friday, was No. 1 west bound, which reached here Sunday afternoon at 2:20.

Commercial travelers

An incident in connection with the general tie-up is the fact that ten commercial travelers, who were registered at the Colfax Hotel on Thursday evening were unable to get out in any direction, most of them being headed for Eau Claire.

Each of the commercial men took the situation philosophically and made the best of the situation. There was no rough house at the local hostelry but each one of the “Knights of the Grip” contributed to making the forced stay as entertaining and enjoyable as possible as they could under the trying circumstances.

There was not a grouch among them. Contributed to this was the hospitality of Landlord and Landlady Smith, who let nothing escape their attention to make the compulsory sojourn one of real pleasure and comfort.

[The businessmen were from Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Minneapolis and Chicago.]

There was enough good talent in the “bunch” to run a continuous vaudeville with morning, afternoon and evening entertainment for the half week — and take it from the Messenger they had it and there was something doing every minute …

All guests at the hostelry were like one large Smith family. While the commercial men, especially Fleming, had considerable fun at the expense of Landlord Smith, the genial host proved equal to the occasion…

On Saturday evening, the telephone was pressed into service and it was noised around that a dance would be given at the Joy Theatre. There was a good response, and about twenty-five couples assembled and danced to the strains of the electric piano with Mr. Harsh presiding. The merriment was continued till the midnight hour.

On Sabbath morning, George T. Vorland piloted most of the men to the M.E. church where they listened attentively to the excellent sermon delivered by Rev. Fraser, several of them also attending divine worship at the same church in the evening.

F.J. Hones, one of the prosperous farmers in the Town of Grant was one of the passengers unfortunate enough to be stalled on No. 2, that train having been stalled at Cylon. Mr. Hones was enroute home from a business trip to the Twin Cities, reaching home on the long looked-for train on Sunday night.

The rural mail carriers missed but one full delivery, that being last Saturday. An attempt was made each day, and the deliveries made as far as it was possible to do so.

Third annual banquet

In the April 1, 1920, edition of the Messenger, the front page included a story about the third annual banquet for the “Stranded Traveling Men’s Club.”

Here is the story:

The third annual banquet of the “Stranded Traveling Men’s Club” was held at the Hotel Colfax last Thursday evening — and Friday morning. This is an event commemorating the snow blockade and blizzard of March 1917. It is one long looked forward to by the “boys” of the group who were forced guests at the local hostelry for three days and as many nights. However it was a “misfortune” that the jolly bunch of travelers richly enjoyed …

What added to the pleasures unforeseen was the fact that ten affable and lady-like school teachers were boarders at the time, as well as ten other regular boarders, the Messenger scribe being one of them — awaiting the arrival of his family. It was soon after his arrival in Colfax. [Ward Swift had just purchased the Messenger from A.C. Chase in March of 1917.]

Joking, story-telling, “smere,” church-going, feasts and a social hop were among the diversions. In fact it was a forced circumstance that will linger long in the memory of those who were fortunate enough to be among the unfortunate ones. It was an occasion which has not only brought about the annual even above referred to, but also a summer two-day session at Eugene Pond’s summer cottage on Lake Chetek, another event that is richly enjoyed by the participants …

At the “gathering of the Clans” last Thursday evening, the late hours of the evening and early hours of the morning were pleasantly spent in smere playing, social converse and partaking of a spread served by Mine Host and Mrs. J.L. Smith. A few of the local citizens were invited, the ladies entertaining themselves in the parlor while the men folks were busily engaged elsewhere.

No more?

In the Colfax Messengers for 1921, in March and April, there were no references to a fourth annual banquet for the “Stranded Traveling Men’s Club.” Either the club gave up meeting after the third annual banquet — or they met, but Ward Swift did not write about it and, therefore, did not publish an article on the front page of the Colfax Messenger.