1933 – 1934
My Aunt Ann lived in Chicago with her husband Nils and baby Nils Jr. She worked as a light housekeeper and took care of two boys. Her husband was employed as a butler. Work was difficult to find in Winnipeg, and Ann told my mother that, if I came to Chicago, I could easily find work as a domestic.
When I arrived in Chicago Aunt Ann asked me to take care of Nils Jr. while she and her husband worked. They lived in an apartment in the business area on State Street in a run-down section of the city. My cousin Nils Jr. was only a few months old at the time.1
I went everywhere by myself. When my aunt and uncle wanted to be alone, they would give me money for a movie. I would usually go downtown. The first time I went to a movie I found one featuring George Raft, one of my favourite actors at the time. Another time I ignored the large sign “Burlesque” in lights on a billboard, a word I wasn’t familiar with. I soon found out what it meant when I saw the strippers.
Another place I went to alone was a Dance Marathon. I happened to see a sign on the front of a building, and I paid an admission to see what it was all about. There were a many couples dancing on the floor. They all looked exhausted and ill. As long as they were moving, they were still in the contest. The last couple remaining on the floor would win a large sum of money. When I saw them, they must have been dancing for several days with short breaks. Couples held each other up so that they wouldn’t fall over, mostly because they were exhausted or asleep. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. They held on to each other as though it were a matter of life and death. Out of so many desperate people only one couple would win the prize money. During the depression, people in Chicago were dying on the streets from hunger. Somebody found a way to exploit the poor for profit.
After a month or so Aunt Ann suggested I go back to Winnipeg and take Nils Jr. with me so that she and her husband could work longer hours to build up their nest egg. I didn’t know at the time that Ann could never save money. She either spent it or gave it away, being overly generous with both her time and money. I of course was homesick and happy to be going home. All my friends were there. I don’t believe my mother even knew I was coming back, especially with a baby. Neither of the families had a phone at the time. Very few households did. My mother could not understand how her sister could send such a small child so far away. Neither of us had any idea how long Aunt Ann intended Nils Jr. to stay in Winnipeg. My mother had a great deal of work and other commitments and found it impossible to take on any more responsibilities. She also thought that the baby should be with his mother.
A month or two later my mother sent us both back to Chicago. I found work with a very nice family. They were kind and considerate. I was with them over the winter months. I did light housekeeping and took care of their two-year-old son. I was paid $5.00 a week, a fair wage for the times. I was homesick and wanted to find work that paid more money as I was anxious to save more quickly for my train fare home. I found work that paid $8.00 a week with a family who had two difficult and unruly girls, not the best of jobs.
I visited my aunt on my day off and made a few friends, mostly in her neighbourhood, but I still missed my family and friends in Winnipeg.
The highlight of my stay in Chicago was the 1933 World’s Fair. A friend of my uncle, also a butler, invited me to go with him. Sally Rand the Fan Dancer was the main attraction.2 It was a wonderful, exciting day.
After spending ten more months in Chicago I left for home.
Next Chapter: Kirkland Lake
1 Nils Jr. was born on February 5, 1933. Return
2 The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Century of Progress, ran from May 27, 1933, until October 31, 1934. Burlesque dancer Sally Rand was a main attraction. Return