A postcard that I recently snagged was mailed from Tanana, Alaska, on February 10, 1911, to Mrs. J.T. Hoover in Pasco, Washington. On the front of the RPPC (real picture postcard) is a picture of US Army Corporal Gust Mihleder in full Arctic gear, standing beside a pair of tall snowshoes, while smoking a pipe.
The message on both front and back is most informative. Corporal Mihleder was assigned to Company “A” – 16th US Infantry. The card was mailed from Tanana, Alaska. Corporal Mihleder was stationed at Fort Gibbon near the Tanana village in the Yukon-Koyukuk area near the Yukon River. The following message was handwritten in perfect cursive and flawless spelling on the back:
“8/8/11
Dear Mrs. Hoover: Your card and letter rec’d. Was much pleased to hear from you, and hope you will like your new home, and that the climate way cause Mr. Hoover’s complete recovery. Will write as soon as I can find a moment to myself. What do you think of the Alaskan style of clothing and would you know me in this outfit. All the boys are well and send their kindest regards. Will write in a few days. Sincerely.
Gust Mihleder”
On top of the photo of Gust was written the following:
“Ready for a “hike” on snow shoes at Fort Gibbon, Alaska, 58 below zero. How does that suit you for cold?”
Mrs. J.T. Hoover and her husband were undoubtedly very close friends of Gust Mihleder, and Gust was probably a longtime pal with J.T., as they both lived in Franklin, Pennsylvania, and went to school there. Both the Mihleder parents and Hoover descendants were born in Germany. J.T. Hoover’s mom, Minta,was a school teacher at one time.
Mr. and Mrs. Hoover had only lived in Pasco, Washington, for a short time, one year, having relocated there from Littlerock, Arkansas, because of John Thomas Hoover’s health.
John Thomas Hoover was a successful businessman as well as being involved in the banking industry. He was a senior officer with the German Bank of Littlerock. John married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Ellen Knox on January 29,1899. She chose to go by Mrs. J.T. Hoover, taking her husband’s name as many married women often did back then.
After John T. Hoover passed away on May 6, 1911, at the young age of 39, the body was sent from Pasco to Arkansas, where it lay in the state capitol rotunda until the service. Mr. Hoover’s funeral was attended by a good number of family, friends, and business associates.
Mrs. J.T. Hoover, now a young widow, moved from Arkansas to Oregon to be close to her sister and three brothers. There, she married a much older man named Willis E. McElroy in 1917. He was the music director for the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
That marriage lasted one year before she divorced him for being unfaithful. Elizabeth told the judge that he began cheating on her two weeks after they tied the knot. It would’ve been a short-lived marriage even if they stayed together, as Willis McElroy passed in 1927 from a sudden heart attack.
Having changed her name back, Mrs. J.T. Hoover died in Gilchrist, Oregon, in 1942, at the age of 59. She was buried in Portland with her tombstone saying: Elizabeth Ellen Hoover.
Gust Mihleder lived an adventurous life, staying in the military almost his whole life. He never married. Not only did he serve his country in Alaska, but he fought battles in the Spanish-American War, in Panama, the Philippines, and ultimately, in WWI. With further research, I believe I’d find he received many rewards during his extensive service.
Lieutenant Gus Mihleder began his military career as an enlisted private, was promoted to corporal, then sergeant, first sergeant, and ultimately became a lieutenant. Not many soldiers advanced from enlisted to officer rank without having an exemplary record.
During his foreign assignments, he wrote many lengthy letters to his father, who shared them with a local newspaper. Gust Mihleder was an accomplished writer and storyteller, as his letters attest. Someday, when time allows, I’ll transcribe and print them all.
Passing away on June 22, 1952, at the age of 75, Lieutenant Gust Mihleder is buried with honors at Antietam National Cemetery in Maryland, amongst other war veterans, including those killed during the Battle of Antietam during the American Civil War. It appears that Lieutenant Mihleder’s life is one worthy of a book or movie.
I like to write junk... 