The Diamond Jubillee Account

A history of the town, Diamond Jubilee Luck, has an in-depth section on the yo-yo era starting on page 139. The book -- credited to the Luck Area Historical Society, Polk County Ledger and Russell B. Hanson -- is available online here.

Gumwood and Maple -- the early years

         In 1996, Edwin Pedersen gave this personal account of the early Duncan years:

         “For nearly twenty years, everything revolved around—rose and fell with the fortunes or misfortunes of the Duncan Yo-Yo Company.

         “It all began quietly enough in the years before the war with area lumber men supplying yo-yo squares of maple shipped to Chicago. The heavy green maple was difficult to ship, so it was not long before a relatively small dry kiln was built next to the railroad spur in which the local maple squares were kiln-dried. For a time, gum wood from southern states also came by freight cars to be dried in Luck. This was in the days before everything was moved on pallets with fork lifts.

Edwin Pedersen, about 1941

          “This writer knows. Day after day, Ernie Gorr and I unloaded the heavy gumwood sticks, almost dripping with sap, from box cars, stickered them on huge platforms on wheels and pushed them into the dry-kiln. The next kiln load would be local maple. The two woods could not be dried at the same time because of the different time needed. Then, night after night, I slept and fired the kiln and took readings on temperature and humidity.  Once again a stick by stick loading of the box cars for shipping to Chicago. When it wasn't yo-yo sticks to be loaded, it was railroad ties, one car load after the other.

           “With the coming of the war, frivolous things, like making yo-yos came to a halt. Men left for the service, older men took over and production was geared to pallets and ties, not yo-yos.

            “With the end of the war and there was once again time for play, Einar V. Pedersen convinced the Duncan Company of the merits of moving their entire operation to Luck. This would s ave the endless loading and unloading, and shipping of rough, heavy yo-yo sticks, and ship only the finished product. The true yo-yo era began for Luck.”

             Source: A Little Bit of Luck, edited by Edwin Pedersen, provided by Katherine Pedersen Wilson. She also provided the photo.