Schaller, Catherine 1851-1939

SCHALLER, MILLER

Posted By: Geo Clinton (email)
Date: 7/11/2016 at 16:39:51

Storm Lake Pilot Tribune - Thu, Oct 12, 1939 - Mrs Catherine Schaller, another of the beloved early pioneers of northwest Iowa, passed away at her home, 306 Lake Avenue Wednesday evening after an extended illness. Mrs Schaller had been a resident of Storm Lake and vicinity for over 66 years. Funeral services will be held Friday afternoon at Lakeside Presbyterian church. Interment will be in the Storm Lake cemetery.

Catherine Schaller nee Miller was born near Stuttgart, Germany, Dec 10, 1851, being 87 years and 10 months of age at the time of her death.

When two years of age she moved with her parents to America settling in Clayton county, Iowa. She was married to Fred Schaller on March 11, 1873 and arrived in Storm Lake April 18 of the same year. They lived on a farm about 9 miles south of Storm Lake which they occupied until 1882 when they moved to Storm Lake. Mr Schaller set up a general store on Lake avenue in which he continued until he founded the Citizens First National Bank in 1902. He continued with this institution until his death.

The children were born to their marriage, George J Schaller, born Dec 24, 1873 and Clara A born July 9, 1878, who passed away June 4, 1904. Fred Schaller, her husband, preceded her in death March 8, 1922.

Mrs Schaller is survived by her son George; two grandchildren, Harry W and Catherine S Yon, both of Storm Lake; and 5 great grandchildren.

An interesting review of Mrs Schallers pioneer life in northwest Iowa appeared in an interview with her and which appeared in the Pilot Tribune at Christmas time.

Mrs Schaller recalled them vividly: "For the Christmas feast those days we tried to have chicken. But the first Christmas days we had no choice. The menu was the same as the other days of the year. We had no luxuries.

We were happy in those days as now, for we were building a home. We had our joys and sorrows and disappointments but the Unseen Hand led us. George was our Christmas present. He came to us on Christmas Eve.

We came from Clinton county in March 1873 and paid $2.50 an acre for land nine miles south of here. We always came to Storm Lake to trade. There were no roads, no trees, no fences. There was one sod house between our home and Storm Lake. There were no schools, nor churches, but we brought the Bible my father had given us.

Mr Schaller built our home 14 X 16 and the first winter, we divided it. It was not plastered. We burned slough hay for fuel in a cook stove and water and bread froze over night. In 1875 and '76 some settlers loaded their little belongings and left. Grasshoppers had taken their little plots of crops.

We experienced blizzards, grasshoppers, and prairie fires. After a prairie fire in the spring there were often nests of eggs left and we gathered the eggs and used them. We had a hard time raising chickens for hawks and foxes took them. For 9 years we did not raise many crops but we never went to bed hungry. We had either potatoes or corn meal.

There were so many snakes in those days one could scarcely go out of the house and return without seeing snakes. We saw deer go by and Indians trapped and fished in the Boyer slough near us in winter. I used to help Mr Schaller in the fields leaving George to care for his sister, Clara. Sometimes I was not off the place for a month. I wore the slat bonnet and calico dress, good enough in those days for we were all alike.