Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2020
Ida Gertrude May Gjerdrum was born Jan. 16, 1883, in Kennebec, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada. Her father was Eiling Odd Gjerdrum, and her mother was Mary Keefer.
As she grew up, Ida’s boyfriend was Frederick Buck. Ida was a registered nurse who took her training in a New York City hospital.
In 1912, Ida learned from her boyfriend, Frederick, that he wanted to get married. Dr. Buck returned to Canada, married Ida, and returned to Shakopee with his blushing bride.
In Shakopee, there was no public library, and the school library was inadequate. In October 1903 Ona Peck got together with a few other women in Shakopee and decided to organize the Shakopee Book Lover’s Club. Each woman contributed $1.00 to buy books. Ida loved to read.
The Book Lover’s Club met promptly at 3 p.m. Many of the mothers brought their babies along. It was inexcusable to arrive later. According to Ellen Boppel in a booklet called As I Remember Scott County, published in 1980, it was considered unacceptable to arrive even five minutes late!
According to Ellen, Mr. Dean had a bob sled and big bay horses, “Whenever the weather was inclement, he would hitch the big horses to the bob sled that always had a little hay in it, covered over with blankets, and he’d go to every home to pluck up the members. Later, he would call for them to take them home.” Once in a while, the Shakopee Book Lover’s Club attended a play, opera, or special musicals in St. Paul. With the help of Mr. Dean, everyone would join in the bob sled to go to the depot, as there was only one train a day.
“It left in the morning and returned in the evening, He’d be at the station again in the evening, to call for the ladies and deliver them to their respective homes, wind howling and snow knee deep,” said Ellen.
When Ida and Frederick moved to Shakopee in 1912, Ida joined the Book Lover’s Club. On Dec. 5, 1914, Ida and Frederick had a child, Marion Bell Betty Buck (1914-2007) in Shakopee. When Ida went to the book club, her baby went along.
A few years after Marion was born, Ida became blind.
Ida went to Faribault School for the Blind to learn Braille. She got a reading machine to read the books for the Shakopee Book Lover’s Club. And Ida received a seeing-eye dog to roam around downtown Shakopee.
Over the years, Ida had three different seeing-eye dogs. The dogs would lead her all around town. Ellen noted that “When she went to the doctor’s office, she would count the steps when she stepped up on the curb, at the corner to the door that led to his office. She would then stop, and the dog would turn to the door, and she would go up the stairs.”
According to Ellen, Ida never spoke of herself in a tone of self-pity.
“My life has been rich blessed from the deep friendship that existed between us,” said Ellen. “Never did I have a sense of pity for her. She was so humorous and witty.”
Ida Gertrude May Gjerdrum Buck died Oct. 9, 1957. She is buried at Valley Cemetery in Shakopee.
At age 95, Dr. Frederick Buck, Ida’s husband, died. He had served the people in and around Shakopee for many, many years. He was buried in Valley Cemetery next to his wife.