Strongheart & The Boy from Duluth

I used to prowl about antique stores, hunting for oddities and mementos. One of my favorite finds is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police pin - it features a tan metal castle-like building with an RCMP hat hanging from it. Another favorite is a Victorian portrait pin of a toddler who, I swear, might just be Spanky from Our Gang. 

But my favorite find of all is a beat up book published during 1926 in Racine, Wisconsin. It has a hard cover, and is only about 10 pages long. Each page features a full-color picture on one side, and text on the other.

 

Time Travel from 1926 to 2006

"Strongheart: The Story of a Wonder Dog" tells of a German Shepherd dog who was bred in and raised in Germany. He was sent to America - White Plains, N.Y. - when his German family became poverty-stricken during the War. (Remember - it's 1926. There was only one "The War" so far.)

If you read the book, you find that Strongheart was one of the first movie star dogs. He was White Fang in the movie adaptation of Jack London's "Call of the Wild." But that film came rather late in Strongheart's career. And none of this is what makes it my favorite antique store find.

What does it for me, is this: It was 2006. I was in Duluth for a conference for city officials, and for which I was in charge. After the event wrapped up, I took a break and weaved in and out of the shops on Canal Park. I stopped at a musty-smelling shop certain it would be a bust. After wading through acres and acres of milk glass, Depression glass and other standard antique store fair, I found a little book case. I don't remember what else was on it, other than the story of Strongheart.

But even that, in and of itself, wasn't that intriguing to me. What got me - like a good punch in the solar plexus that leaves you wondering for air - was the inside front cover.

Warren Arne Askeland, The Boy from Duluth.



W-a-r-r-e-n

The book belonged to Warren Arne Askeland. I know, because he wrote his name three times in the front of the book. He printed his full name once. He practiced his cursive writing once. And the third time, he spelled out W-a-r-r-e-n in bubble letters and wrote his last name in cursive. He used a fountain pen to do it! Some letter strokes are thick, some thin, some letters have the dry stutter of a fountain pen skipping across the paper. And he did it on December 25, 1928.

I bought the book on the spot, and didn't bother dickering over the ridiculous $13 price. I nearly skipped right out of the building, I was so tickled. I couldn't help but wondering who the boy was. At the time, it was 2006. A million question raced through my brain. How old was he when he got the book? Did he see Strongheart in the movie Call of the Wild? Where did the boy live? Was he from Duluth? Could Warren still be alive - 76 years later?

When I got my prize find home, I read it and put it away. I'd already forgotten of my excited daydream about the boy to whom it originally belonged.

Finding The Boy

Several months later, I set to wondering again. I Googled "Warren Arne Askeland." Not much came back. I added "Duluth" to the search. I found a 2006 Kitchi Gammi Club newsletter that mentioned Warren. I sent an email to the Club, explaining who I was, that I had found a book with Warren's name on it, and wondered whether I might write him to see if, indeed, the book I had once belonged to this Warren Askeland.

I'm certain you know where this is going. Though I wonder if you are aware that Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief, is digging into the story of another famous acting dog? She's penning the tale of Rin Tin Tin. Does she know Strongheart paved the way for Rin Tin Tin, maybe even Lassie? What does she think of the words of Lee Duncan, who in 1959 said "There will always be a Rin Tin Tin," when she reads about Strongheart's journey?

Warren did get my letter. He left me a voicemail in response. When we finally connected, he said he recalled the book but not how it might have landed in an antique store. He remembered a garage sale years and years before - maybe it was first sold then. As we talked, I learned he was more than 80 years old. He played golf several times a week, but said he was admittedly slower than years earlier.

Warren also told me about an upcoming family gathering in Duluth. Relatives - including daughters from Edina and Winnipeg - would be visiting.

I asked whether I could send him the book - maybe he wanted to take a look at it and see what memories it stirred. He agreed, and I sent the book to him. I asked that when he sent it back, he include a picture of himself so I could keep it with his book.

I was having fun imagining what it would be like to be in my senior years, getting a letter out of the blue about some childhood memento. Would I appreciate it? Would I want to go down the lane of memories?

The Gift of Strongheart

A couple of weeks after I sent Warren his book, it came back to me. Tucked inside the envelope was a letter, and a photo of the Boy from Duluth. I was married at the time, so the letter is addressed to "Mrs. Lake," the name I had then.

"Mrs. Lake, 

You were so kind and thoughtful to track me down. I am flattered. I remember the book well...My family (three daughters and five grandchildren and two grandchildren) and friends enjoyed seeing the book also...You are the first person to ask for my picture since I can't remember when - thanks for that also. I think this was taken New Year's Eve, 2005."

The letter is signed in the same handwriting from 1928. Some things seem fleeting, but are slightly constant.

I Googled "Warren Askeland" tonight, December 19, 2010. I hoped to find he's still spinning the Earth with us. I'm pretty sure that he is. I found an October 2010 obituary for a sister of his who lived in Illinois, and he is listed as one of her survivors.

Although I'm sorry for his loss, I'm thrilled that Warren still is traveling the planet with us. And while there always may be a Rin Tin Tin, there's never been another Strongheart.

Merry Christmas, Warren Arne Askeland, The Boy from Duluth!

Author's Note (Nov. 29, 2012) -- I was thinking last night of Warren Arne Askeland, and wondering whether life was treating him well. I did a Google search and was thrilled to find that age 96 he still is playing golf. An article in the Pine Journal about The Boy from Duluth talks about his golfing, a drive to Gordy's Hi Hat for a burger, and more. I hope you read it, and enjoy as much as I did. I know I was smiling last night as I fell asleep. I had on my face, after reading the article, what in medical terms would be described as a "shit eating grin."  The photo at left is from the Pine Journal. I also think that the eternal life granted to Warren will be longer than that of many of the huddled masses. Read what the heck I think I mean here.