The South Dakota Cowgirl

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An Invitation to a Date

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My maternal grandmother died a few years ago and at the time my mother was still a busy choir teacher. She’s since retired and has begun the task of going through her mother’s things.  Two weeks ago, she found a box, full of treasures.  You see, Grandma never threw much away. Okay, I think she threw nothing away. She was a hoarder (a neat and orderly hoarder, of course) — of treasured newspaper clippings, and photographs, and even when she passed, her mind was full of fun facts.  What my mama found was a piece of history — a link to a simpler time. A time when decorum and etiquette were truly practiced; not the mouthy, disrespectful “gentleman” of today (though on some levels, I believe women have played a roll in the demise of etiquette as well). 

She found the ORIGINAL letter that my Grandfather wrote, to my Grandmother, asking her on their first date. SCORE.  I wouldn’t be here today if this letter had never been written. 

old school, sending a letter asking for a date
A letter, asking for a date.

They were married Decebmer 2, 1945, after he returned from the War.

Here is a photo of them in DC taken 1943.

My grandmother was quite the stylish lady, and grandpa looks a bit perturbed. The caption on the back of this image explains that his feet were hurting from his shoes.

Willis and Ethelyn in DC

As I looked over the letter, again and again, it made me long for simpler days, days when men acted like gentlemen, and women expected to be treated like ladies, because they acted like ladies. It brought to light reasons that country music from this era and subsequent decades actually told a story, and didn’t sound all the same — unlike the country music from today where cat calls, and descriptions of scantily clad women have become the norm. Society has become crass, uncouth, and less civilized.

I don’t know about you, but I love the idea of an Invitation to a Date. Here’s hoping you enjoyed this little look into some family history.

Happy Trails!

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ashley {The North Carolina Cowgirl} says

    That is so cool!! How awesome to have found that and be able to read it and see old pictures like that!

    Reply

  3. Cat Lady says

    What an amazing peek into a world so different from the one we live in today. I wouldn’t call your Grandma a hoarder, I would call her a family historian. I’ll bet your Mom will find more treasures like that you’ll be oh so glad were kept all these years.

    Reply

  4. Raquel says

    These are beautiful vintage finds and of course cherished memories. I occasionally keep letters and inviations so I hope one day someone else can read them : )

    Reply

  5. Jenny DiOrio says

    What a beautiful find. I’m totally with you on society being crass. I miss the days of hat tips, or removals and ladies in smart suits.

    I think when I go home to Mt in a few weeks, I’ll see what my grandparents have hidden. I think folks of that era tend to keep everything.

    Reply

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