LIBRARY NOTES: Hokah stories far from hokey

One of my favorite things to do is read stories about local history. I am fascinated by ancestry, personal journals and early settlements in Wisconsin and the surrounding area.

Several years ago I was pleasantly surprised when public radio host Michael Feldman interviewed Hokah, Minn., author Agnes Tippery on his weekly broadcast of “Whad’Ya Know?” Her banter with Michael and her witty responses to Michael’s questions piqued my interest in her book “Stories of Hokah from Aggie’s View.”

Tippery became a columnist for the Houston County News in 1995 after taking writing classes. In this book she composes her own stories and compiles dozens of other stories from Hokah residents.

The short stories are about families and friends, tributes to those who passed away, historical accounts and fond memories of growing up in Hokah. In typical small-town fashion, most of the people have nicknames. With so many stories and some duplicate nicknames, Tippery wisely includes a nickname appendix for cross-reference.

One of my favorite stories is “The Milkman Was a Lady.” Tippery includes great detail about the effort that this woman put into her milk route starting with the bottling process, then delivery and pick-up and finally cleaning and sterilizing the returned bottles.

She tells about the customers that the milk lady encountered along the way and the notes that were left with the milk orders: (“Please do not leave milk, the cat left home.”) I can just picture this happening like a scene from the 1940s.

Another of my favorite stories is “Summertime in Union Valley” — Tippery’s memories of her family & friends doing farm work and farm play. The play aspect was humorous as she describes hypnotizing chickens and turning the corn crib into a playhouse.

Both of these stories hold an element of surprise, which I’m not going to reveal for those interested in reading the book.

Many of the history and personal memory chapters were not written by Tippery but she included them in the compilation for the book. No matter where you are from, if you like the closeness and camaraderie of a small town, you will identify with these timeless characters and stories. I find it interesting that the whole basis for this book is located about 15 miles southwest of here in Hokah. Maybe you will, too.

Hedy Otto is a La Crosse County Library System staff member at the Onalaska Public Library.