James Jensen

The Mason County Historical Society archives contain an extensive collection of Mason County newspapers dating back to the 1860’s. Those newspapers frequently illustrate the connections between the history of our community and the history of our country. Such was the case in the spring of 1930; a time when the severe economic downturn, today known as the Great Depression, was in its early stages.

Recently a dedicated educator and longtime supporter of Mason County Historical Society, 99-year old Loretta Mae (Hayward) Pankow, passed away. Her obituary mentioned her many contributions to our community including teaching at St. John’s Lutheran School. Mrs. Pankow was in fact the last teacher at that now long closed school and she is the inspiration for this article. During the latter part of the 19th century Mason County was home to many churches affiliated with the Lutheran religion.