MN MN - Richard John ‘Dickie’ Huerkamp, 15, Mapleton, 2 Oct 1965

[Brightchaser47]

There was a general description of Dickie's hunting cap mentioned in the newspaper accounts. It was said to be red and of "foam" construction.

Today, there are many different style hats worn for hunting, most of them are baseball caps. But back in 1965, choices were few. By "foam", it might have been meant that the hat was red vinal with foam rubber insulation. This was mentioned in regard to a comment on how the hat should have floated if Dickie had fallen into the river.

Here are just a few examples of types of hunting hats that might have been worn by Dickie:

Interesting point about the baseball cap style. Was there an unlined version that contained foam? Would it have been cool enough in early October to be comfortable hunting in a lined hat?

 

[Richard]

Interesting point about the baseball cap style. Was there an unlined version that contained foam? Would it have been cool enough in early October to be comfortable hunting in a lined hat?

Any of the hunting caps shown would have been warm on the head in early October. But back in 1965, one didn't have a large collection of red hats to choose from. You wore what you had.

 

[Richard]

In 1965 and earlier years, the color red was the go-to color for hunters' clothing because it was believed to offer a safety factor of visibility in the field. However, there are other factors for hunters to consider when choosing to wear red.

Geese, Ducks, and other birds have very good color vision and can spot red or orange easily, tipping them off to the presence of hunters. For this reason, waterfowl hunters usually dress in camouflage or dead grass color clothing.

Also, a smaller single item of red clothing or a red item carried by a hunter could be mistaken by another hunter as the head of a wild turkey or pheasant.

 

[Richard]

Since its inception in 1975, the Schola Foundation has provided scholarships to the students of Loyola Catholic School...

+ Richard Huerkamp Memorial Scholarship Fund​

This scholarship honors the life of Richard “Dickie” Huerkamp of Mapleton who disappeared on October 1, 1965 while goose hunting. He was 15 years old. Dickie served as an alter boy in Mapleton and enjoyed playing the clarinet. Proceeds from the fund are used to benefit a Loyola sophomore interested in music. Huerkamp’s mother and stepfather, Winifred and Orville Madsen support the fund.

Scholarship Criteria:

• Applicant must participate in Loyola band or choir programs.
• Applicant must demonstrate a need for financial assistance.

LINK:

Current Endowments — Schola Foundation

Endowments

scholafoundation.org

 

[SerenaLeigh]

Since its inception in 1975, the Schola Foundation has provided scholarships to the students of Loyola Catholic School...

+ Richard Huerkamp Memorial Scholarship Fund​

This scholarship honors the life of Richard “Dickie” Huerkamp of Mapleton who disappeared on October 1, 1965 while goose hunting. He was 15 years old. Dickie served as an alter boy in Mapleton and enjoyed playing the clarinet. Proceeds from the fund are used to benefit a Loyola sophomore interested in music. Huerkamp’s mother and stepfather, Winifred and Orville Madsen support the fund.

Scholarship Criteria:

• Applicant must participate in Loyola band or choir programs.
• Applicant must demonstrate a need for financial assistance.

LINK:

Current Endowments — Schola Foundation

Endowments

scholafoundation.org

I think this scholarship is a wonderful way to honor and remember Dickie but I just can't help but wonder why Loyola? He didn't go there and the family, while Catholic, attended church in Mapleton. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's wonderful - just curious.

 

[Richard]

Question: where was it stated about a large amount of food for his lunch? I must have missed that. That’s curious to me given what I always knew of the family…

The only description of the lunch was reported in the Jim Klobuchar article. He said that it was found with the bicycle and a gun case Sunday 3 October 1965 near a farm driveway culvert alongside Blue Earth County road 7, four miles south of Mapleton.

Accoring to Klobuchar, the untouched lunch was in a bag and consisted of "sandwiches, potato chips, and candy bars". There was no specific size or quantity mentioned.

 

[DD Byrd]

I'm trying to find the source where I read about the size of the lunch, it was awhile ago. IIRC, it was in the context of an argument against the father and/or mother being involved because they wouldn't have wasted so much food. The guess was she had made more for the other boys.

 

[Brightchaser47]

I think this scholarship is a wonderful way to honor and remember Dickie but I just can't help but wonder why Loyola? He didn't go there and the family, while Catholic, attended church in Mapleton. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's wonderful - just curious.

Maybe Dickie's mother moved to Mankato when she married Orville Madsen.

 

[Pressureandheat]

I'm trying to find the source where I read about the size of the lunch, it was awhile ago. IIRC, it was in the context of an argument against the father and/or mother being involved because they wouldn't have wasted so much food. The guess was she had made more for the other boys.

In speaking to Dickies dear friend, he conveyed he has never believed that Dickie left the bike, gun case, etc along side the road for that mere fact that the family was not well off, he would never been so careless. The bike, gun case, even the lunch would have been high valued items in Dickies mind and he always took extra special precaution on taking care of things.

 

[DD Byrd]

It'd be so helpful to have the full statements from those boys. First because while it's possible one of them accidently killed Dickie and they all kept quiet, or the one killed him accidently and the other 2 didn't even know it (they assumed they heard a missed shot)...I still think it'd be hard to keep that secret.

Where I CAN see them keeping a secret is if they heard something damning at the house. Perhaps they never even knocked if on approach they heard a gunshot from the house, or overheard the parents talking about Dickie's death. Worse case would be witnessing some sort of clean up. I'm assuming it would still be darkish at that hour. Maybe they weren't seen as they approached but saw something through a window or right out front that would be pretty horrifying. Who knows what could happen to them if they spoke out. Are there any pictures of Dickie's house? I'd be interested to know if a car would come down a driveway and idle, or park on the street and how far the distances are.

 

[Richard]

In speaking to Dickies dear friend, he conveyed he has never believed that Dickie left the bike, gun case, etc along side the road for that mere fact that the family was not well off, he would never been so careless. The bike, gun case, even the lunch would have been high valued items in Dickies mind and he always took extra special precaution on taking care of things.

Good observation regarding Dickie's attitude and practices toward caring for valuable property. The bicycle and items would only have been dumped at the side of the road if:

- Dickie was abducted against his will at that point and forced to leave the bicycle and items behind. There is no information which ever said that there was a mechanical problem with the bike.

- Dickie was killed while hunting (possibly in a tragic accidental shooting), his body buried secretly, and then his bike and things later found and moved to where they were found by someone wanting to mislead investigators away from the actual scene.

- Dickie was murdered or died elsewhere and the whole story about him going hunting was carefully concocted and staged to mislead investigators.

- Dickie himself might have placed the bicycle and items there, hid his shotgun elsewhere, and hitched a ride somewhere in hope of "running away".

There could be other scenarios or variations on the ones discussed, but every one of those theories has problems or faults to question. Each scenario is a possibility, but how does each stand up under scrutiny?

Perhaps the first question to ask about each scenario is "What was the reason that the items were left where they were? And what did the person leaving the items want investigators to believe? Looking at one scenario, perhaps it was hoped by someone that staging the items might get investigators to focus on another one.

Was it to get them to think that someone abducted Dickie? Was it to lead them to believe that Dickie fell in the river and drowned? That he ditched his bicycle and simply "ran away"?

 

[Pressureandheat]

I think this scholarship is a wonderful way to honor and remember Dickie but I just can't help but wonder why Loyola? He didn't go there and the family, while Catholic, attended church in Mapleton. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's wonderful - just curious.

Loyola never made sense to me either…

 

[SerenaLeigh]

Are there any pictures of Dickie's house? I'd be interested to know if a car would come down a driveway and idle, or park on the street and how far the distances are.

Original post cut for focus.

Dickie’s family lived on Silver Street, house number 207 I believe, which is also State Hwy 30 so it’s a pretty major road. There is essentially no driveway as it’s not a big yard. Very short distances.

 

[Brightchaser47]

Original post cut for focus.

Dickie’s family lived on Silver Street, house number 207 I believe, which is also State Hwy 30 so it’s a pretty major road. There is essentially no driveway as it’s not a big yard. Very short distances.

If that's the correct address, I'm not sure I buy no one in the house hearing a knock at the door. Regardless, someone should've seen or heard the boys' car arrive. jmo

 

[SerenaLeigh]

If that's the correct address, I'm not sure I buy no one in the house hearing a knock at the door. Regardless, someone should've seen or heard the boys' car arrive. jmo

I agree with you. It’s right in the middle of town and rather “enclosed” by public roads and other houses.

 

[SerenaLeigh]

As the 60th anniversary approaches, I would like to bring more attention back to this case. It has been suggested that the county sheriff be contacted. Can anyone please give me guidance on doing so? Call versus email? What should or should not be said?

I’m also open to suggestions about what might be appropriate ways for the community to honor and remember Dickie with this anniversary. I am a bit reluctant to even do so since his sisters are still in the area. I do not know them but it appears they don’t want attention drawn to the case. (jmo)

 

[Brightchaser47]

I do not know them but it appears they don’t want attention drawn to the case. (jmo)

RSBM
That's interesting.

 

[Richard]

As the 60th anniversary approaches, I would like to bring more attention back to this case. It has been suggested that the county sheriff be contacted. Can anyone please give me guidance on doing so? Call versus email? What should or should not be said?

I’m also open to suggestions about what might be appropriate ways for the community to honor and remember Dickie with this anniversary. I am a bit reluctant to even do so since his sisters are still in the area. I do not know them but it appears they don’t want attention drawn to the case. (jmo)

See post 298 this thread. Sheriff Wersal's phone number and email address are on the link for the Sheriff's Office website.

 

[Richard]

Beginning on 3 October 1965, a large-scale search was conducted by hundreds of persons hoping to find Dickie Huerkamp. It was focused on a rural area about 4 miles south of Mapleton in the area of the Maple River and nearby farm fields.

Three persons were named in a newspaper article many months later as still actively searching and seeking answers. Each was personally involved in the initial search and each continued to look for him or any sign of him. These dedicated searchers were:

Blue Earth County Sheriff Emil Muerer who led the search effort

Mapleton Chief of Police Harold Moore

Rev. William Schimek (1907-1989), Pastor of St. Teresa Catholic Church

Fr William Paul Schimek (1907-1989) - Find a...

The Albert Lea TribuneMay 22, 1989 The Rev. William Paul Schimek, 81, Mapleton, died Saturday (May 20) at Immanuel-St. Joseph Hospital, Mankato. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Easton. The visitation will be at the church from 4-8 p.m...

www.findagrave.com

Could one or all of them have kept personal records or files on the case?

 

[Brightchaser47]

Beginning on 3 October 1965, a large-scale search was conducted by hundreds of persons hoping to find Dickie Huerkamp. It was focused on a rural area about 4 miles south of Mapleton in the area of the Maple River and nearby farm fields.

Three persons were named in a newspaper article many months later as still actively searching and seeking answers. Each was personally involved in the initial search and each continued to look for him or any sign of him. These dedicated searchers were:

Blue Earth County Sheriff Emil Muerer who led the search effort

Mapleton Chief of Police Harold Moore

Rev. William Schimek (1907-1989), Pastor of St. Teresa Catholic Church

Fr William Paul Schimek (1907-1989) - Find a...

The Albert Lea TribuneMay 22, 1989 The Rev. William Paul Schimek, 81, Mapleton, died Saturday (May 20) at Immanuel-St. Joseph Hospital, Mankato. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Easton. The visitation will be at the church from 4-8 p.m...

www.findagrave.com

Could one or all of them have kept personal records or files on the case?

Very possible. I wonder what their theories were as to what happened to Dickie. Also, it's interesting that there's no mention of him in his father's obituary, but he's listed as preceding his mother in death in her obituary.