Sherburne History Center Blog

Front Page Headline from Sherburne County Star News , October 1933 Farm prices and foreclosures in 1932 generated a radical reaction by farmers in Sherburne and Anoka Counties that revealed a unique effort at organizing the Minnesota farm industry into a unified organization.   After nearly a decade of falling produce prices and rising foreclosures, nationally, farmers organized what became known as the National Farmers Holiday Association.   More commonly known as the Holiday Movement, the group advocated for sympathetic refinancing on farm debt and it suggested the federal government guarantee farmers a minimum income to cover production costs. The Holiday Movement, originally organized in Iowa, made itself known in Sherburne county in October 1932.   Farmers and sympathizers tried negotiating with the state legislature for relief in the midst of the Economic Depression with no results.   In the second week of October farmers set out pickets to prevent t...

Ice harvesting developed into a significant industry in early Sherburne County.  Particularly around the City of Big Lake, ice earned a national reputation for purity and quality.  The seasonal work also established itself as a significant part of the local economy.  The lucrative process of harvesting the ice also proved tricky and dangerous. Ice Cutters and the Big Lake Ice Company warehouse  circa 1910 News reports in the 1920s and 1930s suggested a significant contribution to the local economy.  The Sherburne County Star New s in 1925 quoted Justus DeBooy, the president of the Big Lake Ice Company.  He estimated harvesting the ice led to the employment of nearly 150 men on a seasonal basis.  He went on to suggest nearly 55,000 tons of ice would be harvested from Big lake alone.  The company warehoused 35,000 tons, while the Northern Pacific Railway company hauled away 20,000 tons for its own use.    The technique to harv...

The cease fire to end World War One came on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.  When news arrived in Sherburne County, celebrations started early in the morning and continued throughout the day. A.E.F. troops in France, 1918 “The Union church bell began clanging out the good tidings to the sleeping public” the Sherburne County Star News reported.  “Soon the school bell joined in.  A freight engineer went through town with his whistle blowing drum beats.”  The paper went on to report the community anticipated the news.  “Without any further information Elk River knew that Germany had surrendered.”    With the news, a spontaneous celebration involved the entire city of Elk River.  A spontaneous parade developed, taking over the main streets throughout the city.  Businessmen closed their shops and joined the celebration.  “Old and young were included in the ranks of the paraders,” the newspap...

With the fast approaching Veteran’s Day, we wanted to take a moment and thank all veterans for their service.  We also wanted to recognize some of the men who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. Men who died in the service of their country from Sherburne County, Minnesota include: Leo A. McBride Arthur Bernard Embretson Oscar Engbloom James L Brown Funeral service of Charles Brown, Becker, MN circa 1944 Lyle Illif Howard Palmer Robert Darrow Harold Gohman Charles Brown George Meyers Lawrence E. Lindorf Reginald “Mike” Smith Robert Brown Orvile Anderson Donald Borst Orville Hartman Robert Bell Carl Trovall Carl N. Nielson This is not intended as a comprehensive list of men from Sherburne County who have died in service.  We would welcome any information about others who have served. Thank you and have a safe Veteran’s Day 2017