Harry Means
Biography
Visited by Carol's family together with Bessie and their unnamed children. Lived on Campbell’s Island with Bessie Means before they took over managing and living at Camp Mansur. Later spoke about putting down his hunting dog with the narrator's father's help.
Timeline
date not given
Visits to the Means family
The family visited Bessie and Harry Means and their children, as well as a family named Rogers nearby.
Carol's ChapterA summer night when the narrator was about eight and Bob about seven
A summer visit to Harry Means's home frightens the boys
The narrator's father helped Harry put down his hunting dog. The boys misunderstood an overheard conversation and rifle shot, believing a man had been killed.
Bernie's ChapterAfter living on Campbell’s Island
Harry and Bessie Means move to manage Camp Mansur
Harry and Bessie took over managing and living at the Boy Scout Camp.
Bernie's ChapterA long time later
The narrator learns what happened that night
The narrator overheard Harry Means discussing putting down his hunting dog with Daddy's help, revealing the truth behind the frightening childhood outing.
Bernie's Chapter
Stories mentioning Harry
- Family Visits and Long Sunday-Style DrivesCarol recalls that the family never took what she considered a real vacation. Daddy visited his relatives in Brainerd, sometimes taking Iris or the boys, but Carol never went or met her paternal grandparents. He also took the family on long drives toward the Wisconsin border. They visited Bessie and Harry Means and their children in Cordova, and a family named Rogers nearby. Bessie worked at the East Moline State Hospital.
- A Frightening Summer Ride and a Childhood MisunderstandingOn a muggy summer night, the narrator's father took the boys and a .22 rifle to Harry Means's home on Campbell’s Island. Sent by Bobby to listen at the screendoor, the narrator overheard that they had to shoot someone and assumed a man would be killed and dumped in the river. The boys heard a rifle shot and waited terrified in the closed car. Much later, the narrator overheard Harry explaining that his hunting dog had been put down with Daddy's help. Embarrassment kept the narrator from telling the story until adulthood.
Referenced in
Family corrections
Notes sent in by the family and approved on review. They sit alongside the original record — the book's wording is never changed.
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