| Notes |
- The Free Lance Star, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Monday, January 31, 1977
Family spends record cold winter in shelter of plastic, tree branches
Wahkon, Minn. (AP) – David and Lois Bassett and their three children
are snug and warm, even though several layers of plastic sheeting are all that
separate them from temperatures as cold as 48 below zero.
The Bassett family is spending one of the coldest Minnesota winters on
record in a shelter made of tree branches covered with polyethylene sheets.
Bassett, 25, said the winter weather scared the family a little, but
they wanted to get onto their own load so he built the shelter near Mille Lacs
Lake in central Minnesota in November.
It took two days to build the shelter and install a metal heati
stove so Mrs. Bassett, 23, and the children – April, 5; Nathan, 1 ˝, and
Benjamin, 3 months – could move in.
The house was built by bending over tree branches to form the outline
and support for it. The house has a wood back and front and see-through
plastic sides. No windows were needed, but there is a vent at the top for a
stovepipe and a little air for ventilation does get in because the plastic is
not sealed tightly.
The wood used to warm the shelter and for cooking is scrap left by a
logging company which formerly owned the land. During the day, the sun helps
warm the shelter, and Bassett said one log will keep the home warm. At night
it takes a little more.
“I have seen frost on the door hinges,” he said.
The Bassett’s home is an extension of an idea that more and more
owners of conventional homes have been using to seal drafty windows in the
wintertime. The Federal Energy Administration, in fact, says covering windows
with plastic creates cheap and effective storm windows. The plastic is usually
installed inside the house, rather than on the outside.
Visitors who step through the wooden door of the Bassett’s plastic
shelter know they’ve stepped into a home, however unconventional. There are
wood floors that are washed weekly, a cook stove, a table and chairs, a bed
for Bassett and his wife, a pull-down bunk for the two older children and a
basket for the baby. The house has two big rooms, but only one is being used
right now.
The Bassetts also have an A-frame outhouse and a wel
A big metal washtub keeps clothing and the Bassetts clea
“I can wash two loads of clothes and rinse them with 20 gallons of
water,” Lois Bassett said.
The kids take baths in the tub, but David and Lois hook up a coffeepot
full of warm water and stand in the tub to take a shower.
“The kids have fun in the tub, but it’s kind of squishy for us,” Mrs.
Bassett said.
The family used three oil lamps for light during winter evenings.
The Bassetts get a newspaper on weekends and have a battery-powered
radio to get news and music in the shelter, which they plan to replace with a
hand-built cabin in the spring.
Response from neighbors also has contributed to the feeling of warmth
in the Bassett home.
“The neighbors have welcomed us really warm,” Bassett said. “Everyone
on the road (five families) has visited us.”
Mille Lacs Messenger, Friday November 6, 2009
Wahkon men indicted in federal court
Nathan Bassett, and Tytus Bassett, 31, who were charged in September wi
violating state drug laws, have now been indicted on three counts in federal
court for allegedly growing 428 marijuana plants on land owned by Aitkin
County.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of
Minnesota, a grand jury indicted the two brothers on one count of conspiracy
to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of
possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and one count of maintenance
of drug-involved premises.
The indictment alleges that the brothers knowingly and intentionally
maintained a marijuana grow operation between the spring and fall of 2009. If
convicted, the defendants face up to 40 years in prison on the conspiracy and
possession counts and 20 years on the maintenance count.
For more information, check back to this page or see the Nov. 11 Messenger.
Mille Lacs Messenger, Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Bassett brothers plead guilty
Nathan and Tytus Bassett pleaded guilty in federal court in Minneapolis on
Monday, April 12, to possession with intent to distribute 100 or more
marijuana plants.
The Wahkon brothers earlier pleaded not guilty to three federal charges after
investigators found them tending over 400 marijuana plants in Aitkin County
last fall. They also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and
possess with intent to distribute marijuana and maintenance of drug involved
premises. Their not guilty pleas on those counts still stand.
For more on this story, see the April 21 Messenger.
Mille Lacs Messenger
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Nathan Bassett Memorial Service
Nathan Bassett, 35, of Wahkon, passed away on May 4, 2010. A celebration of
life will be held on Saturday, May 8, at 3 p.m. in the banquet room of Wahkon
Inn.
Mille Lacs Messenger,
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Cyrus Jack Bassett was born Dec. 18, 2009, at the Mille Lacs Health System in
Onamia to Jaclyn Innes and Tytus Bassett of Wahkon. He weighed 7 pounds, 5
ounces and was 21.5 inches long. Cyrus is welcomed home by Bailey, 8.
Grandparents are Bonita Hauglid of Elk River, John Innes of Brooklyn Park,
David Bassett of Wahkon and Lois and Jim Munsterteiger of Mora.
David Charles Bassett and Lois Sharon Pudwill had:
Tytus Ahtushmit Bassett, born 7 Oct 1978 in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota (MBI)
Tytis Ahtushmit Bassett and Jamie Rose Downs had:
Bailey Isabella Rose Bassett, born 7 Sep 2001 in Ramsey County, Minneso
(MBI)
Tytus A. Bassett, 22, married Jamie R. Downs, 18, on 3 Mar 2001 (MMI)
|
Bassett Family Association Database
1904 - 1967 (63 years)
[1]