POLAND CHINA CHARLIE KRUMM was born in Mechlenberg, Germany in 1860. He came to America at the age of 18 and engaged in farming in the employ of others. Later 'Jolly Cholly' made a specialty of breeding and raising full-blooded Poland China hogs and became one of the top swine producers in the State of Iowa. His famous herd of hogs was shipped all over the midwest. He attended some 12 straight Iowa State Fairs where he usually came in first place.

Minnie Krumm was the hard working wife of Charlie and was an excellent gardner. She specialized in the raising of cabbage for the making of home-made kraut, by the barrel. Their two daughters were Miss Ella and Miss Mina.

Charlie Krumm and Minnie were especially close to Bert Tuttle, who became Editor of the Postville Review in 1901 and remained very close friends for life. Bert wrote in a happy, humorous vein and was a master story-teller. He loved people and the Postville people loved him. His ideas and ideals, his sense of humor, and his friendly spirit were revealed in everything he wrote.

In 1889, editor Burdick wrote:

The Germans are bound to own all this country, and they ought to own it. They are contented to remain in the best country on this continent, while the Americans are contented with nothing. Durning the past seven years there has been scarcely an American farmer in all this section that has not wanted to sell out, while we never heard of a German farmer who wanted to sell. They realize and appreciate the fact that every foot of this land is as good as gold, in fact better than gold, because gold of itself will not produce anything. We have no patience with the Americans who are crazy to sell out and leave such a life as this. The thrifty Germans who succeed them are here to stay and the old homestead cannot be repurchased at any price. The contented sticking qualities of the German character is what enable them to build up and buy out their ever restless and discontented American neighbor and get rich while the American is looking from place to place in a vain attempt to find where a quarter of section of heaven has been let down to earth. So mote it be!

Charlie Krumm was one of the hundreds of Germans who moved up to the Postville area in the 1880's.

The following are excerpts written in the early 1900's from the pen of Bert Tuttle about his friend Charlie ..... the first written in 1900:

Last week Poland China Charlie Krumm and a couple of wolf hunters from Yellow River territory went out on a wolf hunt. They killed a total of five tough timber wolves.

Chas. Krumm had an unwelcome visitor one night last week. He had marketed a large load of hardy hogs at Postville during the day for which he received a considerable amount of money. He returned home and abuot three o'clock the next morning was awakened by someone attempting to open a window from the outside. Poland China Charlie got his old German gun and the felonious fellow who covetedhis cash decamped. It is supposed to have been a tough tourist tramp who witnessed the money transaction and had followed Jolly Cholly home for the sole purpose of securing it.

..... a week ago three or four thieves entered Minnie's hen house and pulled off the heads of 6 chickens, left the heads and took the bodies away. I am pleased to say they do not live near for they came on horse back as we saw where the horses were tied in the grove north of the chicken house.

Charley Krumm, the Poland China man has had some difficulty with his bowels. He has been sick for a week. He should try some Dr. Williams Pink Pills for Pale People.

Poland China Charlie Krumm had quite a fearful fire scare recently by the burning out of a defective flue on his dear domicile. A friend of his told him to get a little gunpowder and put it in the stovepipe hole and to touch it off by applying fire to it with a lighted paper, and that the explosion which would follow would remove all soot from the clogged chimney .... as if by magic. Well, the powder went off, as did also Charlie's hair, eye brows and whiskers. Chas. says he will live.

Our Poland China Charlie Krumm says: "Don't plant more kraut, as you can stuff your outsides in."

Chas. Krumm, the hog man's pet dog, Wilhelm was bitten by a rattlesnake last Saturday near his farm, and from the effects of which it died.

Poland China Charlie Krumm lost seven of his prime pedigree pigs by their venturing on the Milwaukee railroad track ..... in front of a moving train. They have crossed to the great beyond ... to hog heaven.

Poland China Charlie had a horse stolen from his barn last Saturday night. No clues as to the horse thief. Chas. should contact the horse-thief riders from Strawberry Point, Iowa.

We see that Poland China Charlie Krumm and a couple of farmer friends captured a wily wolf a week ago Sunday after an exciting 15-mile chase on foot.

Poland China Charlie Krumm got caught in the blizzard Monday and had his walrus moustache blowed to bungie. As a result, Charlie's numerous friends have to look at him twice, before they are dead sure he's the felow they're looking at.

Realizing the educational advantages offered by the Postville public schools, Chas. Krumm this week placed his girls, Miss Ella and Miss Mina in the town school. They had been attending the German Lutheran School here in Postville.

Chas. Krumm lost his horse Willie suddenly in town this week. It fell dead in the harness near Hecker's Blacksmith shop. Hear difficulty was the probable cause. Chas. says he has crossed the great divide and has gone to horse heaven. Bad luck for Poland China Charlie!

KNOCKED DOWN ITS SAVIOR. Poland China Charley Krumm dropped into our den Monday and told of a little electrical experience he had on Sunday morning. As he started out to feed the hungry hogs he saw a cloud of smoke rolling from over the brow of a hill and knew something was taking place that not ought to. His daughter, Miss Ella, went to investigate and returning reported an electric light pole burning. Jolly Cholly organized himiself into a while fire company at once and started to the scene of the conflagration with a big bucket of ....... wet water! Arriving he found the high wind had blown over a pole and broken a wire carrying a high voltage current from the Upper Iowa Power Co's plant and had set fire to the pole. This particular pole was adorned with a tricky transformer, which pickled the high voltage so it could be peddled out to one of his neighbors at aoubt the proper power to push his pump, ect. Charley advanced to within a few feet of the pole so that one good swish would exterminate the fire; he took careful aim and let it sliver. The instant the water came in contact with the crafty current Charley got a jolt that landed him several feet distant as quick as a wink, and when he came too, he felt like he was plum full of pins that were trying to get out at every pore. And he allows the next time he finds an electric light pole on fire he'll write a letter to the company on a postal card and tell them all about it; for he won't do anything for a son-of-a-gun that will deliberately knock him down when he's trying to save it.

Poland China Charlie Krumm and his wife Minnie took in the Big Show at Cedar Rapids. Chas. said the 50 cent admission price allowed them into the menagerie and into the main tent. Maybe some day Ringling Bros Circus, the greatest show on earth will play progressive Postville?

Friend Poland China Krumm killed a ramblin' rattlesnake in the hay field last Friday with nine rattles and a button on its north end -- proved the sneaky snake was heading south.

Thursday night, some time after midnight, somebody procurred several prime porkers from Chas. Krum's Poland China pig-pens without his permission. If Poland China Charlie finds out "who did it", there will be some business for J.B. Hart, Postville's friendly undertaker.

Our thanks are due to Charlie and Minnie Krumm for a large burlap bag full of wonderful Wolf River Apples from his apple orchard. The next thing we can count on it good old apple pie.

Mr. Paderewiski, the famous pianist should come to progressive Postville and see Poland China Charlie Krumm's famous herd if he wants to buy some good pedigree pigs. Jolly Cholly has the No. I herd of hogs in all Iowa. Charlie says a 60-horse-power auto will not pull a man out from under a mortage as quickly as a good habitable hog house.

Poland China Charlie Krumm received a fine new Man-Pig to head his pedigree Poland China herd. It is 650 years old and weighs 2 pounds -- NO! -- we got the cart befront of the house yet -- it is 2 years old and weighs 650 pounds. The two girls, Miss Ella and Miss Mina have named him "Amazing Arnold," Jolly Cholly keeps right on improving his handsome herd of hogs.

The thanks of the editors wife are due her friend, Mrs. Chas. Krumm for a bouncing big bucket of wild gooseberries, which got here in fine shape. Many thanks Minnie.

Our friend Poland China Charlie Krumm came into our den yesterday and told us that he is missing several of his young pedigree pigs. With the Postville people being bothered by bands of bold gypsies it is positively possible some of them wandered out Charlie's way and purloined from his pig pens a few of his prime porkers. Maybe Chas. should hire an armed guard to protect his pig pens at night.

Poland China Charlie Krumm was discussing the high price of cabbages with Chris Salzgeber of the Postville Meat Market: "I dell you, dese cabbages is way up dis year" "Me und my wife puts up six or seven, or eight barrels of sauer kraut every year, Yes -- but we can't do ut dis year, No. Der cabbages cost too much." "But you put up some sauer kraut, don't you," said Chris. "Oh, so -- Yes. Ve put up some, two or three barrels, shust to haf in de house -- in case of sickness, Yea"

There are big bad burglars about. Poland China Charlie Krumm went to bed last Friday night with something over $100 in his pants pocket and his pants hanging by the galluses over the bed-post. When he awoke Saturday morning, both the britches and the boodle were gone. He later found the pants in the outhouse and also discovered the busy burglar had overlooked a gold watch carried in the waist-band pocket of the pants, which shows the thief thought he could have time enough with the hundred without taking the turnip. No clue has, as to the perpetrator, has been found.

Charley Krumm has taken a carload of his full-blooded hogs to the Iowa State Fair. This is the 12th straight year for Chas. Hurrah for Poland China charlie, the SWINE KING OF IOWA!!

The war years, 1917-1918 were hard on Charley and Minnie, being German. But he continued raising hogs, as Herbert Hoover ordered "To help feed the world". The following appeared in the Postville Review:

Fight the cruel Kaiser with his own weapon -- sauer kraut -- is the slogan of Chas. Krumm, the Poland China Man. He has sent a barrel of kraut, practically 200 pounds to Camp Dodge, Des Moines, for the Allamakee county soldier boys stationed at the camp. Hurrah for Jolly Cholly!!

In 1918 Charlie built a new brick house in town. It was situated right across the street from the Oddfellows Hall. And in the back yard, a new hen house for Minnie! He continued raising of herds of handsome hogs for some years on his farm out in the country.

- published on the Allamakee co. IAGenWeb with the generous permission of Stan Schroeder
- original transcripts provided by Stan Schroeder & transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall

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