These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 10 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
June 21, 2026
Last Sunday’s story told about the beginning of the long wagon train trip that Andy and Oline
Erickson from Badger were participating in starting in April of 1976 to commemorate the
Bicentennial. Oline wrote letters to her family along the way. In the May 20, 1976 edition of the
Badger Enterprise, I read this letter written on May 11 from Valparaiso, Indiana to the Sheldon
Ericksons as Andy and Oline drove the lead wagon on the way to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Hi Folks,
Today we are cheating. It was a cold day and Andy’s back was bad last nite so he is now
soaking in a hot tub. Today we sponged off the Olsons. Punky met us at our noon stop and
brought malted milks. Douglas and wife came to our camp site tonite and they have a
Winnebago so we were in there for coffee and cake and then he brought us over here. We need
to be cleaned up a bit because tomorrow ABC television camera men are coming in with
equipment and are spending three days with this train. It will be shown on the Harry Reisner
broadcast sometime. I don’t know when. If they tell us the approximate date I will write to one of
you. Today I was taken off the wagon train to a radio station for a live broadcast for 1 hour. They
brought me back to the train and about one half hour later we were attacked by Indians
(drunken white men all painted up) and they shot at the wagons with flaming arrows. No
damage done cause our police escorts were right there but it could have been bad.
The wind was coming off the lake today and so it was cold. I did get Andys wool jacket cleaned
yesterday so he doesn’t look so tough. We are fine. No colds and doing just great. Horses are
behaving real well. Tuddy (Andy’s sister) should be in Elkart on Friday. Eunice (Lindland) Larson
came to see us Sunday – Wonderful.
Love, Mom 
In that same issue of the Badger Enterprise, was a photo of Andy and Oline with another
couple. Here’s what was written about it.
Andy and Oline Erickson are shown here with Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Havel, formerly of Thief River
Falls and now of Burlington, Wis., Mr. Havel is a cousin of Ted and Norbert Dostal of Badger.
Mr. Havel sent the above photo to the Ted Dostals and reported he, his wife Lillian and a
daughter Colette visited with the Ericksons when the wagon train went thru their town May 1. He
had noticed in the Milwaukee Journal the notice of the wagon train. One thing caught his eye. It
said the lead wagon was being driven by 70-year-old Andy Erickson of Badger. Mr. Havel
decided that he may have met the man at some time when he was up in the Badger area
pitching bundles, or at least he would probably know the Dostals, Novotnys and Lubinskis, so
they decided they were going to meet these people.
The wagon train was made up of 27 wagons and 257 horses when it was in Burlington. Many of
the units were from close by, but the wagon train was the real McCoy. “And sure enough in the lead wagon was a grizzled old gent and a younger man (turned out to be their son, Kent), and Mrs. Erickson was sitting in the back of the wagon,” Mr. Havel said.
The Havels said they visited with the Ericksons but there were plenty of interruptions, because
everybody had to see this old couple who were on the lead wagon. Mr. Havel said: “I
understand that despite their years, they bedded down in the wagon box practically every night
on the road. As Andy described it, they were having a ball, and really enjoyed themselves. They
certainly were a pleasant couple to visit with, and I was surprised at how many of my cousins
and uncles they know. They mentioned you people by first names, and apparently knew Uncle
Andrew quite well.”
In the June 17, 1976 issue of the Badger Enterprise, two more photos were published, one of
Oline visiting with those who came to see the wagon train, and another photo of Kent Erickson
sitting at the tail gate of the wagon while Denise DeFrates, making the trip along with the
Ericksons, is shown sitting at the rear of the wagon. Those photos were taken by David F. Kern,
photographer for the Record-Courier, in Ravenna, Ohio. Andy was missing from the photos as
he spent six days in the hospital while the wagon train was in Ohio, suffering with an ulcer
problem. He had since recovered and was back driving the wagon, along with Kent. The
Ericksons are the lead wagon for the train and have been drawing much publicity wherever they
go.
The Badger Enterprise was also putting out a call for local people to submit any clippings and
photos sent to them by friends and family along the trail. They were being collected for a
gigantic scrap book to be presented to the Ericksons on July 24 during a welcome home for the
Ericksons.
Thank you to 
for letting us share our county’s history with your listeners by donating air time, studio time, and production staff every week.