March 28, 2024

The sound of music

Minnie Reeves’ European tour

A dream of this Osceola native had been realized. Here she was at age 35, studying music in Leipzig, Germany! This city was the home of that country’s first music conservatory founded in 1843 by Mendelssohn and Wagner. She also was taking in operas such as Hansel and Gretel, and traveled to Italy to revel in their music history. Her European tour lasted from September, 1906, until her return in June, 1907. The initial part of her tour was a party of 10 accompanying a Des Moines music professor for four months. Minnie was the only one of the party to enjoy the ocean voyage, as she never became seasick.

Minnie Reeves, daughter of James and Amy (Chick) Reeves, was born July 28, 1871, in Osceola. She graduated from Osceola High School in 1889, performing piano duets and solos and also singing. She took a course of instruction at the Des Moines School of Music. Minnie played piano and organ for various community programs and weddings, and at the Touet Opera House. Her piano solos were noted to be played “in her usual brilliant style”. In November, 1897, she started her long piano teaching career.

In 1901 she also taught music at the Osceola normal teaching school and worked for a short time in 1914 with the Travers-Wick Symphonic Orchestra in Creston.

A break in her music career came when homesteading in the West caught Minnie’s interest.  Her friend, Margaret Childers, had moved to an 80 acre homestead near Polson, Montana, in 1910. During a visit, Minnie located a site close by for her own claim.  She returned to Osceola and made preparations. She left again in February, 1911, for the requisite 14 months to prove up on her claim, making periodic visits back home. Minnie and Margaret returned for good in September, 1912. This and her European tour were the only times she did not live in the Osceola area.

Minnie lived in Woodburn for several years in the 1910’s until 1932 when she moved to Osceola. She conducted music classes in Osceola, Murray, New Virginia, Lucas and Chariton.  In early years she traveled by train. She taught all levels of music and her students gave many recitals in their hometowns. Minnie fell down a flight of stairs in her home in January, 1938, breaking both wrists, but this did not keep the stalwart piano teacher from conducting her music classes faithfully on schedule. In 1948, she announced she would discontinue her lessons in Chariton after 18 years. She estimated she had an average of 40 students a week for those years, amounting to 37,440 music lessons taught. Minnie was also very active in P.E.O.

In later years, Grace (Oneall) Marquis took care of Minnie in her home on East Pearl Street, across from St. Bernard’s Catholic Church.  Grace’s niece, Elizabeth Davenport, was one of Minnie’s last piano students. (Minnie’s home was destroyed by fire many years after Minnie’s death). Minnie moved to a nursing home in Bloomfield in 1961, and two months later had an accidental fall. Complications from this fall led to her death on April 13, 1961, in the Davis County Hospital. She is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery.