The Johnson Journals, Chapter 13

Don Johnson Letters and Journals
The Dahlberg Years 1936-1945

[The following is from an oral history recorded by Voyageurs National Park in August of 1976. This was Don speaking.]

We were at Dahlberg’s, I think I mentioned before, for nine summers, and it got progressively worse, due to Mrs. Dahlberg’s disposition. Not only were we disillusioned with her, but the guests kept on telling us we were stupid to keep on working for these people. “You should go into business by yourself.” “You should start a resort on Rainy Lake.” We couldn’t miss, and so we decided to look around for a place to build our own little resort. One day I was driving the Dahlberg cruiser and went by this Dr. Hvoslef’s island and we knew the Hvoslefs very well, and I thought that’s the place. I pretty near ran the cruiser up on the shore, but anyhow, to cut it as short as we can, we decided to go into business. We borrowed money and bought the island and started out on our own in 1945.

[In October of 1944, Layna had left home to drive Gilda Dahlberg’s car to Los Angeles. This was the only time in the Johnson’s married life that they were separated for any length of time, so there are letters between them that talk about the proposed transition from caretakers to resort owners. Layna’s first stop in was in Minneapolis. On October 10, 1944, Layna wrote to Don:]

I went out to Hvoslefs’. I am quite sure I was successful. At first I was afraid the deal was all off, but as I talked on and explained everything to them, she began to see that we were anxious to make a change and they both thought we would be able to make a go of a proposition like that.
They weren’t interested in renting the place to us but wanted to sell outright, if anything. She explained that they had put a lot of money in the place and would have to ask from $4500 to $5000 for the place. Imagine.
I told her it meant so much to us because it would be home and a living besides. I also told her that our future depended on it. They were very much impressed. They didn’t object to using it commercially, at all. She seemed to like the idea very much of spending some time with us each year. I didn’t have a chance to talk to [Stewart] Sheldon as he worked all day.

[Don replied to Layna on Oct. 15:]

Your report of your conversation with the Hvoslefs sure sounded good. It seems as tho we had their reactions pretty well figured out, altho I didn’t have guts enough to have the courage of my own convictions. If we can get that place for less than $5000 we are as good as over there right now.

[In a January, 1945, letter, Bill Welsh, a long time friend and Chicago businessman gave Don some advice about going into business ending with the following]:

“The only partner that you need is Layna and you can’t find a better one. Between the two of you, there is no question in my mind that you will put this thing over and start a new experience in life that is going to bring you a great deal of happiness and satisfaction.
Now you can read this latter part to Layna, or not, as you please, but I want you to read it to yourself damn hard and let it sink in . . . . . Layna has a damn good business head on her. Her business I. Q. I would rate slightly higher than your own. In this deal she is not only your wife but your partner. Treat her as an equal.”

[In February Don replied to Bill Welsh with the following:]

“I thought it strange that you felt it necessary to tell me that Layna deserved a full partnership in our business and should receive due consideration accordingly. I don’t think you city slickers understand the relationship between a couple of backwoodsmen like us. When you live twenty years with a woman who can portage a canoe, shoot her own deer – and carry it out of the woods, and in every other way keep up with the best of men; and then also be able to turn out the finest food anyone could ask for – and over an open fire if necessary, you don’t have to be told she is an equal. If you failed to detect any of the conventional niceties that are usually associated with happily married people, it was because we save that stuff for when we are alone. I am sorry that you got the impression that I didn’t appreciate what I have in Layna. Probably I should change my ways when out in company so that others won’t get the same impression you did.
The lady in question has been snoring for a full hour. The bed is only three jumps from where I sit. I think I’ll make them. Goodnight.”

[Dr. Irwin Oliver, a medical doctor from Graceville Minnesota, and Ed LaFave, a banker from Morris Minnesota, were close friends and hunting partners of Don and Carl Harrison, the owner of the City Drug Store in International Falls. In a January letter Don wrote to Dr. Oliver:]

“In the first place, Layna’s trip to California rubbed out any doubts we may have had left as to the advisability of our staying on at this place. I won’t go into any details, just say it was one unholy mess. It was one thing to decide to jump and quite another to agree as to the direction. As we haven’t been called on to make a decision of any importance for a mighty long time, the old bean was pretty rusty, and squeaked plenty, when it was called on. If it hadn’t been for fellows like you, Ed and Carl, it wouldn’t have been equal to the task and here we would have sat.
There was another factor of major importance that none of us knew anything about and that was the weather. In order to start anything next summer it was absolutely necessary that we build at least two cabins, an ice house and a main dock. The materials for these had to be cut and hauled in over the ice before travel by car stopped because of snow. With the help of our kids, we have cut and hauled enough logs to do the job. If it snows two feet now, we can get our buildings far enough along so we can finish up when spring comes. I won’t give the details now but it is a story in itself. I will tell you that the logs used to belong to the crown and were furnished to us by putting Lend-Lease in reverse.
Regarding the place. The Hvoslefs started building there in 1927 and as they have spent all their summers there up until last year, everything is ship shape. They have agreed to sell the place just as it sits with the exception of a few personal belongings such as pictures, articles of clothing, etc. They built the place with the intention of living there the year around and that is how it is constructed and equipped. We could move in there tomorrow with a packsack full of chuck and not want for a thing.
Of course there are a couple of rubs. One being the fact that to date we haven’t located a boat. I am not unduly worried over that as I have a couple of prospects. The other one is Carl. I am not sure of his attitude and it worries me plenty. I am not sure what the matter is but I think I do. It seems that he has consulted a few of the business men in the Falls about this deal and from what they have told him, he is afraid this is going to interfere with our friendship. One of them, Frank Keyes, who owns most of the town, is a firm believer in the old axiom that you can’t mix friendship and business. I realize that we are moving on pretty thin ice but I’ll be damned if I can see why we have to fall thru. Literally speaking, I have traveled on plenty of thin ice and it has been my experience that it cracks plenty before it actually breaks. If a fellow uses his head he will back up when the cracking gets too loud. I give both Carl and myself credit for enough sense to do that. I hold our friendship as sacred as anything I know and would stay here and take crap from Gilda the rest of my life rather than do something that will break it up.
I have written so long that the lamp went out of gas and this is being finished up by candle light. I think I will leave the financial end of the business for another installment. Layna has been snoring for an hour, tired out from peeling 20 logs today.”