Note: In an April 7, 1956 letter to Clifford Ruona, Virginia Irene Zehnder-Janecek recalled memories of her Uncle John and Aunt Leah Hielscher and their visits from California. “John would hold us spell-bound with stories of the Alaskan frontier and his many narrow escapes.” This is Virginia’s story.
John Frederick Hielscher was born on June 15, 1866 in Le Seuer, MN. On June 15, 1891, he married Leah Zehnder and they made their home in San Francisco. Leah died on August 27, 1954 and John on November 27, 1955.
John was the son of the Rev. Ernest Julius Hielscher (1826-1914) and ran the first grocery and feed store on Concord Street, where the Drover’s Bank now stands in South St. Paul.
His story, however, chronicles the adventures of a butcher, gold miner, world traveler and very proud owner of a 1921 Model-T Ford.
With the coming of the Alaskan Gold Rush John and Leah moved to Seattle. “He took with him 138 live hogs and established the first butcher shop in Alaska. Each hog was sewed into a gunny sack and sent across the Chilkoot Pass by cable and then to Fairbanks, where he sold the hogs at 150 per pound live weight.”
During the next 17 years he made 29 trips to Alaska from Seattle, each time taking with him cattle, sheep, horses and hogs. He ran a butcher shop in Valdez and became publisher of the Valdez News while keeping up his mine interests. He was also known as a trader with the Eskimos.
When John retired they went home to Seattle and he purchased a 1921 Model-T Ford, second-hand, in 1923. He painted the wheels red and polished the motor like new and set out to enjoy a “second honeymoon,” travelling through the U.S five times, visiting all 48 states, Canada and Mexico. In fact, at the time of their 60th wedding anniversary in 1951, he had over 153,000 miles on the car and famously refused to accept Henry Ford’s tempting offer to trade his Model-T for the newest model. In 1949, his brother, Dr. Adolph Hielscher, left him an inheritance of several thousand dollars.
He used the money to travel to St. Paul and from there they travelled to Chile and Argentina and from there they went by plane, train and thousands of miles up the rivers by boat to see South America first-hand but said it did not compare with the old Model-T travels.
Virginia recalled that on each one of his visits he would hold them spell-bound with stories of the Alaskan frontier and his many narrow escapes. “He always was so interesting! Both Uncle and Aunt enjoyed life like few people can in their later years. . .they just traveled about and were interested in the history of the places they visited. He is known as my ‘Rich Uncle’ as money never was an obstacle for to him - he made plenty in Alaska – during those early years that he could afford to take life easy later. Pioneering days however were hard and rugged but the history of Alaska will never be written without his name.”
Leah died on August 26, 1954 and “somehow the honeymoon was over for him.” John continued living in the apartment “living with memories which made him very, very lonely – but somehow he picked up the loose ends again and made plans for the future. . . much like a young man setting out – with a great future ahead – but little did he realize that the time ahead would be short” In the midst of packing things to a visit with Virginia and Joseph he died of a heart attack and was buried December 3rd, 1955. Virginia received a long letter he’d sent before his death and wrote in her letter “it makes you weep what plans were left unfinished.”
He was having a special granite tombstone made in St. Cloud for Leah, telling their Alaskan story, but the sculptor was left with an unfinished model after John’s death.
“Just before his death he sent me a small box and when I opened it here he sent me the first gold nugget he panned in his Alaskan Gold Mine - back in 1898- he wanted me to have it – so he took it out of the safety box at the bank and mailed it to me. Why? Because I was kind to him – I sent him a sympathy card when Aunt Leah died with a few words which touched his heart. Then I kept sending him letters of cheer until his dying day and somehow he appreciated it much.”
“Well poor Uncle John is over on the other shore enjoying another “honeymoon with Leah” now and I’m sure he is happy wherever he is. We shall always cherish those memories of the stories that came out of his Alaskan experience. Both were 89 years of age.”
Virginia Irene (Zehnder) Janecek
Virginia Zehnder, born December 26, 1898, was the daughter of Christian J. Frederick and Martha Zehnder. On June 7, 1922 she married Oscar Ingwald, who died in 1934. On August 31, 1939, she married Joseph J. Janecek. Virginia died on October 20, 1977.
This story was published in the Old Salem Shrine newsletter, vol. 5, 2018.