Letter to the editor
Family shares history behind tradition
This is in regards to the article, “Family celebrates century of Fourths together” that was published August 9, 2017, in the Brandon Valley Journal.
I thought you might be interested to know that the Ode family picnic was started by my maternal grandmother, Julia Ode Pearson, of Brandon, and that the first picnic was held at McKennan Park in Sioux Falls.
My grandmother and her siblings, Henry, William, Paul and Mildred, grew up on the family farm east of Brandon. Their parents were Austin and Thora Ode.
My grandmother lost her parents when she was 7 and 12, respectively, and she and her sister kept the household running while their brothers kept the farm going at relatively young ages.
Eventually, as the brothers got older, they each went to found their own farms, with Paul Ode staying on the ‘parent’ farm. Paul’s son, Burton, took over the farm. When Burton could no longer actively farm, his son, Thomas, took over. Burton and his wife Dorcas (Erickson) had three children, Deborah, Christine and Thomas. As you noted in your article, Deb Wehde hosted this year’s event.
A family story goes that Austin Ode walked from Decorah, Iowa, to Brandon, a distance of over 200 miles, to found the Ode farm.
Another family story goes that my grandmother lost three younger siblings to a flood when they were out on a jaunt near the Sioux River.
My grandmother and her brothers never forgot this and it haunted them to their dying days. As a result of losing her parents and three younger siblings, my grandmother never lost the importance of family, nor did her remaining siblings.
My mother, Lorna Pearson Kilian, 91, was also at the Ode family picnic and has been attending all her life. She remembers how her mother regularly hosted all the family for holidays or just because. My grandmother’s husband, Einar J. Pearson, founded Brandon Saving Bank on Main Street.
I enjoyed your article and plan on making copies to send to family members.
Sincerely,
Susan Kilian,
Sioux Falls
