“At the conclusion of the banquet, the horn made its appearance. Russell Spaulding carrying (sic) it to the steps of the school annex where, with due and appropriate ceremony he presented the instrument to Rueben Dill and Cecil Barnett of the junior class.
Immediately the school lawn became a mass of surging, struggling humanity, with the juniors gathered about their leaders in an attempt to shield the horn, while the sophomores pressed in, attempting to secure possession. Another factor also entered the fight, for several of the 1924 class – who failed to retain possession of the horn in their junior year – were likewise involved in the melee in a vain effort to secure the horn that their class numerals might be inscribed upon it.”
-Saginaw News Courier, June 12, 1925.
Artifacts, places, and food provide powerful windows into the past. Sometimes seemingly unrelated things align perfectly to create richly detailed histories. Such is the case with Mrs. Christ Dill’s Rolled Oatmeal Cookies. The recipe provides connections to two current exhibits at the museum: The Arthur Hill Horn and Saginaw United Schools.
Mrs. Christ Dill - Louisa Hoffman Dill – was born in Kochville Township on May 5, 1874. When she married in 1900, she and her husband established their home on a farm on Lawndale Road – a little more than two miles south of her parents’ home. The Dills’ nine children – two daughters and seven sons – attended Kochville Township schools. (It is most likely they attended lower grades at Crane School, located on Kochville at Hospital Road.) As Kochville Township schools didn’t provide high school level classes, their children attended high school in the city of Saginaw – some attended Arthur Hill and others Saginaw High School.
The Dills’ son, Reuben, attended Arthur Hill High School. He excelled academically and athletically. He figured prominently in the 1925 transfer of The Arthur Hill Horn from the Senior to Junior Class – although we have provided an excerpt of the description of this event at the beginning of this post, you will need to visit the museum to learn more of the story. In his senior year at Arthur Hill, he was class president – the “1926 Class Will” published in the yearbook asks: “Reuben Dill president of the United States?”
After a distinguished football career at Arthur Hill, he continued at Michigan State College – today’s Michigan State University.
“Reuben Dill of Saginaw was one of eight Michigan State college seniors recently elected as ‘outstanding Spartans’ in an all-college election sponsored by the Wolverine, Campus yearbook.
Dill was selected by his schoolmates in recognition for noteworthy effort in scholastic, and extra-curricular activities. He has been winner of the Athletic Scholarship for three years.” (The Saginaw Sunday News, February 28, 1932.)
When he passed away in 1973, Reuben Dill’s obituary notes that his career included serving as an engineer for the Bridgeport Core Sand Co. and the C & O Railway.
Louisa Hoffman and Christ Dill, Reuben Dill, other members of their family and many of their relatives are interred in a small cemetery on the southeast corner of Lawndale and Kochville roads. The Evangelical Church with which the burial ground was associated was destroyed by fire. However, a sidewalk that once led to its entrance remains and the carefully tended cemetery connects the items exhibited in the museum with the people and stories of Saginaw County.
The Recipe: Rolled Oatmeal Cookies
Rolled Oatmeal Cookies – Cream 1 c. lard and 1 c. sugar; add 2 eggs and mix well. Add 5 T. sweet milk with t. soda dissolved in it. 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t cinnamon, 2 c. flour with 1 t. B.P., 2 c. rolled oats. Add nuts or raisins, roll thin and cut out. – Mrs. Christ Dill Kochville, From the Kochville Methodist Church Jubilee Cookbook
Castle Test Kitchen Interpretation:
1 cup lard*
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 T. Milk
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 t. baking powder
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
¾ cup raisins
Preparation: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream together lard and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Dissolve baking soda in milk and add to mixture. Slowly add flour, salt, cinnamon, flower, baking powder and rolled oats.** Add raisins – or nuts.
Attempt to roll dough*** and cutout cookies. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 12 – 15 minutes. Until nicely browned.
*In our quest for authenticity, we used lard. Yes- lard is still available. The texture of the cookies was wonderful however, we are timid about using lard. We are certain – with proper adjustment - you could substitute a vegetable shortening or butter – a CTK favorite. However, the cookies made with lard had a fantastic texture and nice flavor.
**As we write this, we noted that we probably should have sifted some of these ingredients; however, the recipe worked without sifting.
***We tried chilling the dough for about 30 minutes and it still was too sicky to roll. With more patience – a longer time in the refrigerator, we believe you may be able to roll the dough. However, our gently patting and spreading, resulted in nicely formed cookies. The CTK staff confesses - we ate any that didn’t meet our standards for a photogenic cookie.
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