VOLUME I – The Letters from Men and Women in the Service
Click on to download: Volume 1 Letters 
(See Page 3 for alphabetical list of names with matching page numbers.  The full mailing list is at the end of this volume.)

VOLUME II – The Newsletters sent out from the Community
(November 1944 to December 1945)
Click on to download:  Volume 2 Newsletters

BACKGROUND

During World War II, with many young men and women serving in the military, the La Crescent Community Club, a group of volunteers, created a newsletter to local men and women in military service.  In return, the service men and women wrote back to the volunteers, sharing information that would be published in subsequent newsletters. 

The newsletters, mailed monthly to 80 or more individuals, were written by a variety of people including Ed Hurley and Mrs. Georgia Fay, mother of Gordon and Hugh.  Each newsletter recapped “hometown” events news from the service men and women.  Not everyone on the mailing list sent a letter back, but the Community Club wanted all of them to feel closer to home. 

At first, Community Club volunteers typed the newsletters on manual typewriters with layers of carbon paper to make copies.  An “e” often looked like an “o” because the ink gummed up on the striking key.  Eventually, local organizations stepped forward to offer their Gestetner and ditto machines.  Because of the war effort, volunteers did not use high quality paper, which eventually led to many pages yellowing or the ink fading over the years.