Growing up, our ancestry was a prominent topic at family gatherings and in everyday conversations. My great-great-grandfather, Antoine Grignon, a half-Native American, half-white man, was an explorer, fur-trader, U.S. Army servant, documentarian, story-teller, adventurer, and was one of the first settlers in Trempealeau. He is of great importance in our family’s history. Until embarking on this passion project, Trempealeau Mountain Music, I thought he was the most important player in our history, with tremendous influence on his descendants and this place in which we are deeply rooted.
I was wrong! While Antoine Grignon certainly contributed to
the people we are today, the individuals who have been the greatest influence
in shaping who I am today are the women of my
family. Story-tellers, musicians, survivors, joy-makers, hard workers, and even
dreamers, the women of my family have carried heavy burdens, lightened by the camaraderie
of music, stories, and laughter. I grew up with sing-alongs at every family
gathering, stories of people I never met, but who meant a lot to me. I am
grateful for the women of my family, my Ma especially. While I didn’t inherit
her gifts as a musician, I did receive her love of music and story-telling,
gifts I am grateful to share through the creation of Trempealeau Mountain Music: A Locally Curated, Universally Connected, Internet Radio Station. I can't wait
to welcome TMM home to my place, in The Caboose at The Station, on Main Street in my hometown of
Trempealeau, Wisconsin!
My Aunt Doris, a writer, reporter, photographer, singer, and
all-around interesting lady, also very connected to our family’s history and
legacy, has been a tremendous influence in my life and has provided the
memories I needed to become the woman I am today. I was not around for many of
the events in which our family’s memories were made, but are a huge piece of
the fabric of my soul. I consider Aunt Doris my link to the truth
of our family, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am grateful for her following
recollections of the “Shelterhouse Sing-Alongs”, which she and other women in
our family created during the early 1970s. Even though I didn’t arrive Earth-side
until 1978, some part of me was there with them then, and they remain
with me as I gather the community of souls to bring Trempealeau Mountain Music
to life now. Ma and Aunt Doris would say “God is so good”! I say thank
you, from the bottom of my ever-lovin heart…I am so grateful for each and
every one of you, the women, the leaders, of my
family!
Shelterhouse Sing-Alongs
Recollections of Doris Deutsch
Around 1970, a strange thing happened. Doris Deutsch,
Dolorous’s twin sister, decided to try operating the concession stand in the Shelterhouse
at Perrot Park. One evening Dolorous
brought her guitar out to the park and they had fun singing with whoever
stopped by.
This gave Dolorous an idea: With a piano, they could add
cousin Pauline Kessler. Good ideas come
with good luck. Dolorous managed to exchange a portable dishwasher with a lady
who had an upright she didn’t want, so now they had a piano! The next step was
to get the piano to the park and that alone was “a small miracle”, Dolorous
said. They had a two-wheeled trailer that
couldn’t stay balanced with the piano in the middle of it. Took a long time, and many prayers, according
to Dolorous, but it arrived at the Shelterhouse in good condition.
Then the third step was to find the sing-a-long slides and a
projector. Dolorous found a drive-through
restaurant that was selling a set, so she bought them all, and a projector. No one remembers the exact opening night, but
it would have been about 7 p.m. on a Saturday in the summer of 1970. The Saturday Shelterhouse Sing-Alongs became
a favorite recreational event at Perrot Park.
The ladies took up a collection that paid for the slides,
the occasional replacement projection bulb, and best of all, someone to tune
the piano! Pauline was not able to play
in all keys because the piano had a few issues, but her talent on the keys made
any shortcomings of the instrument unnoticeable!
Dolorous remembers the raucous laughter, the fun singing
with many harmonizing, and the joy of families having fun long before hand-held screens
separated them. People came ready to
share their own abilities, and their own musical instruments, including drums
and a bagpipe - anything goes! And go it
did! Carloads of people from the village
came to join in the fun.
Shelterhouse Sing-Alongs on Saturday nights lasted from
roughly 1970 to 1975, but five years is only a guess. No one took notes or even photos, so there is
no absolute correct account. This bit of remembrance embraces that time. A sing-along revival happened in the early 1990s when members of our California family spent the summers as "camp hosts" at Perrot State Park. Dolorous brought her same guitar, same amp, the projector, white sheet, and "shakey slides". Doris sang harmony and campers stopped in to sing-along or just listen. It was lovely in its own right, but not the same as the Shelterhouse days.
The trio, Doris, Dolorous, and Pauline share a common
relative—Antoine Grignon, one of the earliest residents of Trempealeau, and a true
Wisconsin historical figure.
