Heritage: Santa Comes Disguised as a Hunter

by Annie Coleman (Kerr) Sexton, published in Stanton Stats February 17, 1995

Then the Fall I was eleven years old a wonderful man, a real Santa Clause, came to hunt. He was a well-to-do lawyer from New York City. He had a tent put up beside our house. From Bottineau, North Dakota he brought a chap with a team of drivers and a democrat to drive him around. They both slept in the tent but had their meals in our house. This man had two six-hundred guns requiring big shells. He hired Father to shoot for him. He stayed six weeks and got a great quantity of fowl. I think he took them to Bottineau and shipped them back to New York.

Not having any children of his own, he seemed to like us and often he would send his driver to bring us home from school and how we appreciated that. He gave us treats, got books for me that he thought I should read, marked pieces in music books I should learn. He told my sister if she would stop chewing gum he would get her a special doll. He did and it was a very lovely doll and there was green silk to make it a dress.

He said he would send me a present and asked which I preferred, a silk dress or a gold watch. Although I would have loved either one, my upbringing kept me from saying which. After he went home he sent the gift, a dozen Sterling Silver teaspoons and three tablespoons; very lovely but I was bitterly disappointed. Today those spoons are very valuable. It was very dull after he left and for many Falls we hoped he would return, but, we never heard of him again.