tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83301493387486841362024-02-18T18:59:06.232-08:00Sherburne History CenterMike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-41730891500726553442022-10-21T13:47:00.000-07:002022-10-21T13:47:02.612-07:00Hospitality Industry in Early Sherburne County<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In reviewing the history of Sherburne
County, significant attention is given to the agriculture industry, or to
transportation, specifically the railroads. An area of the economy in Sherburne
County that receives very little attention, an area that warrants greater
attention, is the hospitality industry. From the beginning of the county to today,
hotels and hospitality played a significant role in the county.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting with Brown’s Hotel in Big Lake and
continuing with the Riverside House and the Blanchett Hotel in Elk River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, we need to note the inn at Bailey
Station in the 1870s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these establishments
played a significant role in the economic history of Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Brown’s Hotel in Big Lake marks the
beginning of hospitality industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before the county was created, Joseph Brown advertised in the Sauk
Rapids newspaper, promoting Big Lake as a stopping off point for fine fishing
and other activities for sportsmen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTG86WwT3EMSGXHH446o40kGhvp-kjKrDiwFOHNiMzXZtTFTwV-x_LAWfaNTjtW8JEsQZ2SdGCyXQFXWnVlzf7VoqweFS1kogiIYyKxq1D9U04EmfFmEE4lAFcf7xJFaNR7NhxHkjKPVm-igz3TzyykG8zs86jtwTX4uKNJSznIvw2VRk9G8lLu-9UQA/s4068/1992025008%20Riverside%20Hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2689" data-original-width="4068" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTG86WwT3EMSGXHH446o40kGhvp-kjKrDiwFOHNiMzXZtTFTwV-x_LAWfaNTjtW8JEsQZ2SdGCyXQFXWnVlzf7VoqweFS1kogiIYyKxq1D9U04EmfFmEE4lAFcf7xJFaNR7NhxHkjKPVm-igz3TzyykG8zs86jtwTX4uKNJSznIvw2VRk9G8lLu-9UQA/s320/1992025008%20Riverside%20Hotel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A few years later The Riverside House
and the Blanchett Hotel in Elk River provided a resting spot for travelers
coming through by train or by the Mississippi River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both hotels, under a variety of names served
fine dining and restful respite for travelers through Elk River.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVsp2M88HAZzeXqm8fSwHaNvf55di6WERwqdFaYL40OHGideofMbjLpJf_UCtebbrbYB3xnmfBWDyRoTIcSt_72QLx3udJ8JHC78D13v8ZtMMmIa4dp6I6eQwL-zQCDv5kStLixtvx6ItGW7ylDZdqkm7IBrjUPLhjNszF0o0g_X6VTd4YLZ8Abn4kA/s4128/1990201601%20Blanchett%20Hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2846" data-original-width="4128" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVsp2M88HAZzeXqm8fSwHaNvf55di6WERwqdFaYL40OHGideofMbjLpJf_UCtebbrbYB3xnmfBWDyRoTIcSt_72QLx3udJ8JHC78D13v8ZtMMmIa4dp6I6eQwL-zQCDv5kStLixtvx6ItGW7ylDZdqkm7IBrjUPLhjNszF0o0g_X6VTd4YLZ8Abn4kA/s320/1990201601%20Blanchett%20Hotel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another significant rest station
along the tracks and roads on Sherburne County was the Bailey Station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An inn managed by Orlando Bailey, for a time,
was described as a very luxurious location with fine chandelier hanging in the
dining room.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In addition to all of these, lesser
rest stops were located in Becker and Clear Lake. And in the north, in Zimmerman,
hosted a hotel for travelers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Throughout Sherburne County, hotels and
Inns were built to provide travelers and vacationers with spots to rest and
relax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This hospitality industry
warrants greater appreciation in the discovery of the history of Sherburne
County.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-69191932373787832372021-12-04T12:41:00.002-08:002021-12-04T12:41:52.489-08:00School Architecture in Sherburne county<p> <br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">While researching a general topic of education in Sherburne County,
a greater understanding of the architecture of schoolhouses emerged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this I suggest that searching for details
of the large, brick, near-monumental schools in Sherburne County reveals an
interesting pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The best known of the large schools in Sherburne County
resides in Elk River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1883, fire
destroyed the Elk River school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fire
resistant, brick building replaced the destroyed structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A two-story edifice, a school for all grades
opened its doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This building is the
first of the large, semi-permanent edifices that pre-dates education reform and
expands the possibilities for education in Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXIOWO3lwmclrSFOX2CjTYEvABCpkmVTOcx3DTPgGcBmeSM201hhsn4nc95JiWFc-LkHqN3It5INXZKad3ewbrNdgyTrRv9psS8WcAC25-SQuvy42M1DpomiPaC-33yf-ody597fqVPry/s2048/1990200691+ER+school+ca+1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="2048" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXIOWO3lwmclrSFOX2CjTYEvABCpkmVTOcx3DTPgGcBmeSM201hhsn4nc95JiWFc-LkHqN3It5INXZKad3ewbrNdgyTrRv9psS8WcAC25-SQuvy42M1DpomiPaC-33yf-ody597fqVPry/s320/1990200691+ER+school+ca+1900.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>First brick schoolhouse in Elk River pre-1900</b></td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first graduating class of this new Elk River school
matriculated in 1888.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eleven years
later, in 1899 the state of Minnesota advanced education in Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That year, the School Law passed through the legislature
requiring school attendance for all children between the ages of 8 and 16.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law seemed less than stringent, as the
required attendance demanded only 12 weeks per year, and at least six
consecutive weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, failure to comply
with the law could result in fines up to $20.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With the passage of the School Law, attendance in Sherburne County
schools increased dramatically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
demand for larger schools increased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
1903, Big Lake opened the doors for its well-known school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In less than a year, newspapers rated the Big
Lake School as one of the best in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In January 1904, the school claimed an enrollment of over one hundred
students. <o:p></o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTmysmkmgV09eWSi2tUVqdx2qC1OV_SV9sc5K5p8xzo3JrQd05NFnR0ucvqIN1zO1YQD2xdCyEVEWudhRQnLWITxiUg9V5LjWSpaEll8EoBGVIofbeQQJkWBM591qSH3qiLbNlS_msRIu/s2048/1990200289beckerschool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1411" data-original-width="2048" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTmysmkmgV09eWSi2tUVqdx2qC1OV_SV9sc5K5p8xzo3JrQd05NFnR0ucvqIN1zO1YQD2xdCyEVEWudhRQnLWITxiUg9V5LjWSpaEll8EoBGVIofbeQQJkWBM591qSH3qiLbNlS_msRIu/s320/1990200289beckerschool.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Becker school circa 1916</b></td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Becker soon joined the movement towards larger, and better
schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In January 1906, the two-story,
brick school building opened for students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The school offered classes from grade one to twelve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before long student needs out-grew the
building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teaching staff continued
to grow and by 1916, attendance demanded additions made to the building. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Beginning in the 1890s and continuing into the early 1900s, interest
in education grew and enrollment in schools increased dramatically. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Discussions over increasing the number of
school districts and the availability of educational resources seemed common
topics. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, the enhanced,
semi-permanent, brick, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>school buildings
in the larger communities of Sherburne County suggests the importance of education
in the county grew significantly during this time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-15817185077410378702021-10-28T12:44:00.000-07:002021-10-28T12:44:36.231-07:00A Bit of Cemetery Symbolism<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Halloween arrives in just a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems appropriate to explore the symbolism in death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cemeteries contain an abundance
of symbols in the grave markers, plants, and architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Understanding the meaning of a few of these
symbols might give us a greater appreciation of the planning and design of
cemeteries and the communities surrounding these resting places.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4SJcHzcSGa4KoL-0MJ0RBH9zrwTbgb1NDyvb6GFy8_SN9YpMVxTOPJcPWEkSb711XwfUiDP0gz4uJtUrgJiMA4zAt06jVBlCXGqVd_W43AOXdpI-wOu76GgKclfIMQ8JZuDu8Qb8Ldpz/s1280/Becker+cemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4SJcHzcSGa4KoL-0MJ0RBH9zrwTbgb1NDyvb6GFy8_SN9YpMVxTOPJcPWEkSb711XwfUiDP0gz4uJtUrgJiMA4zAt06jVBlCXGqVd_W43AOXdpI-wOu76GgKclfIMQ8JZuDu8Qb8Ldpz/w320-h180/Becker+cemetery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Entryway of Becker Cemetery, Becker, MN. <br />Look closely, hidden by the evergreens, is <br />the arched entryway to the cemetery</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It seems as though everything in a cemetery contains
some symbolic meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shape of the entryways
to many burial grounds represent the gates of heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many cemeteries have pine trees and other
evergreens to remind us of the concept of eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the headstones often resemble bed stands
to suggest eternal rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We haven’t even looked at the headstones, yet the
cemeteries overflow with symbolism and, seeming, prayers for the dead.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On tombstones you might encounter an anchor, a Judeo-Christian
symbol for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fishermen use anchors
and this symbol reminds of Jesus as a fisher of men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often the anchors have a cross bar at the top
to symbolize the sacrifice of death on the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Flowers on tombstones also carry an abundance of
symbolism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunflowers, in an earlier
time, signaled a strong faith in the Catholic church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Broken roses, or a tree stump, both
symbolized a life cut short.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Even a simple message such as R.I.P., or rest in peace,
conveys greater meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rest In Peace
does not necessarily suggest a prayer for the dead to rest in the peace of heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rest In Peace may also convey a prayer that
the dead actually rest in peace; that they be protected from the too common
crime of the nineteenth century: grave robbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Cemeteries and graveyards carry a great deal of
symbolism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plants, the flowers, the
headstones; even the entryways provide deeper meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Understanding the symbols and the meaning of
these markers may provide a greater understanding of the communities that
support these final resting places.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-9028735498592715212021-10-26T08:54:00.002-07:002021-10-26T08:54:49.341-07:00Remembering the Halloween Blizzard<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />This week marks the thirtieth anniversary of the
Halloween Blizzard of 1991.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Memorable to
the history of Minnesota and, to a lesser degree, Sherburne County.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">We have witnessed Mother Nature and her
ability to inflict significant turmoil in our lives, with blizzards, flooding, tornadoes,
and other catastrophic events.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0opqJfIz7B4B1xDI2DHFUmHdXZY9yj8FhFt8_RUnzZ78vO13tjBfWQ-SXrozq0NTSuswT4v9a3X8NKE6N1Mnpc3zzDE1fyERFurUc-t4-S9HIcvbgIpJW9XdcQQtM_OhhmWhKLa7g7_X/s720/halloween+1991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="720" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0opqJfIz7B4B1xDI2DHFUmHdXZY9yj8FhFt8_RUnzZ78vO13tjBfWQ-SXrozq0NTSuswT4v9a3X8NKE6N1Mnpc3zzDE1fyERFurUc-t4-S9HIcvbgIpJW9XdcQQtM_OhhmWhKLa7g7_X/s320/halloween+1991.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Transportation by any means possible during the <br />1991 Halloween Blizzard. photo courtesy of Elk <br />River Star News collection</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Halloween Blizzard is one of these events that inflicted
significant challenges into the lives of Minnesotans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940, the
Halloween Blizzard started as an innocent snowstorm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly it erupted into something so much
greater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Record snow fell in 1991.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a 24-hour period, Duluth recorded more
than 24 inches of snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sherburne County
recorded an estimated 16 inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Elk
River Star News also reported snow drifts as high as fifteen feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The twin cities recorded 21 inches of
snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ice and record cold followed the snowstorm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the end the storm caused $63 million in damages throughout
Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>20 individuals
died in Minnesota because of the storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Sherburne County, the newspaper and police reported few damages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the Star News, only two traffic
accidents occurred because most people chose to stay indoors to wait out the
storm.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This week, we need to remember the events of 1991 and
appreciate the power of Mother Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She can creep up on us and provide an interesting surprise when we least
expect it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-32219270660408553862021-09-28T09:37:00.000-07:002021-09-28T09:37:27.777-07:00More Letters From Somewhere in France: Describing the YThe letters from George Bostrom to his sister document the events of World War One in interesting detail. Only after the war is over, he writes about seeing action in the Argonne Forest. More importantly, in the chronolo0gical order of his letters, he describes his seven days of leave in December 1918. He provides an interesting contrast between life on the front lines versus the luxury hotel he stays in Chambray, France. <div><br /></div><div><b>I am having just a dandy time at present</b>, he wrote. <b>Have been over here long enough to be granted a seven day pass and here I am at Chambray to enjoy it. And I sure am enjoying it. After being in the lines for nearly a month of real hardships. Laying in shell holes and digin’s, what we call them, lots of times wet thru and thru and cold and then sent to a place like this with every comfort you can think of.</b> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwfCacxC838la6tEI7PQRE0TIT8tYvpYjZw6fVs7Lv-NrAviV8XimXtAza7DI5haJav4OapKK6fDEKKhmNsQOcHoLliynBbAvC-c5ZxGqZhBE69qya2cjDhWDT95RVdSgg9T_Qyb1eCPa/s1280/Somewhere+in+France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwfCacxC838la6tEI7PQRE0TIT8tYvpYjZw6fVs7Lv-NrAviV8XimXtAza7DI5haJav4OapKK6fDEKKhmNsQOcHoLliynBbAvC-c5ZxGqZhBE69qya2cjDhWDT95RVdSgg9T_Qyb1eCPa/s320/Somewhere+in+France.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> He went on to describe the luxuries of the ever-present Y.M.C.A. <b>The Y.M.C.A I must tell you about. There’s a Y. here in a very large building. They have reading rooms, writing rooms, lunchroom, all of which are large and well fixed up. The have the place open from early morning and up until eleven or twelve o’clock evenings. In the morning they put up a dandy breakfast for a very small sum. In the afternoon and evening they serve hot chocolate and cookies or Ice cream, free of charge</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div> Only in a later letter, he mentions the action he encountered in the Argonne Forest. <b>Our division was doing it’s most important work since they’ve been in France, from October 8th and up until November 1st we were in some real fighting at that time in the Argonne Forest.</b> </div><div><br /></div><div> In his letters, Bostrom only briefly references the actions he fought in. More often he describes daily life and the beauty of the French landscape. Throughout his letters, George Bostrom provides interesting insight into the life of an American soldier in World War One.
</div>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-19383297392455250582021-09-15T12:23:00.000-07:002021-09-15T12:23:18.616-07:00Women's Basketball in Elk River<p> <br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Recently, it occurred to me, this blog heaped a great
deal of attention on athletics in Elk River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, the attention focused on men’s sports, specifically
football and basketball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is time to
shift the focus and give attention to women in sports in Sherburne County.<o:p></o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0uQWqPERaJOtqBSU0Xuu728RErAu6UYKbZU2ga4KYzOyQKPutvsPNCKz9IeVfZvzUgvY2Qu1h0_n5TUAsgWDKmoZhSbSAaogZgXlP73n1WyI98f4nvjnpNe34EubBk3aMt_jtq9VLp1D/s1164/Elk+River+Women%2527s+Basketball+1921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1164" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0uQWqPERaJOtqBSU0Xuu728RErAu6UYKbZU2ga4KYzOyQKPutvsPNCKz9IeVfZvzUgvY2Qu1h0_n5TUAsgWDKmoZhSbSAaogZgXlP73n1WyI98f4nvjnpNe34EubBk3aMt_jtq9VLp1D/s320/Elk+River+Women%2527s+Basketball+1921.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elk River Women's team, 1921</b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As early as 1921, several schools in and around Elk
River offered Women’s Basketball to the female students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based upon the writing in the Elk River
yearbook the women of Elk River presented a relatively new sport to the student
body. The description of the Elk River team noted “inexperienced” players for the
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, the yearbooks writers
reported “a lack of a suitable place in which to practice.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite of these shortcomings, the Elk River
team posted a 2 and 3 record, facing Anoka, Princeton, Buffalo, and Monticello.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The women of Elk River continued to build on their
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women’s Basketball became a
regular part of the offering at the High School. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 1926, the team scheduled a 13-game season,
adding games against Big Lake, Osseo, and St. Francis, posting a 9 and 4
record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWyCnTZ_nkHdJUbZxW6yMLLZrcSzzTGLNq8er5ohMQPYz-8sc4a0vFL5__duaZtHUU1MItJ5UHdWzv6u3GMqkfqLQ94ibdNT9xbVEjxYnWZGX5hlE72mAe3erAQzu18XND7NNMlx6BGtN/s1098/Elk+River+Women%2527s+Basketball+1926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1098" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWyCnTZ_nkHdJUbZxW6yMLLZrcSzzTGLNq8er5ohMQPYz-8sc4a0vFL5__duaZtHUU1MItJ5UHdWzv6u3GMqkfqLQ94ibdNT9xbVEjxYnWZGX5hlE72mAe3erAQzu18XND7NNMlx6BGtN/s320/Elk+River+Women%2527s+Basketball+1926.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elk River Women, 1926</b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With the coming economic depression in the 1930s, some
schools dropped women’s sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elk
River offered a replacement to this with intramural sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The school promoted play in soccer,
basketball, volleyball, and kittenball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Organized, league play, returned to Elk River in the 1950s. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-20026947463355385112021-09-11T12:26:00.001-07:002021-09-11T12:26:45.698-07:00Football in Sherburne County<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Football season is upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed very appropriate to note the great
history of Football in Sherburne County. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sherburne county athletes played organized
games of football for 130 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to “A Century of Pride The History of Elk River Football,” the
first game reported in the local news witnessed Elk River defeating a team from
Monticello by a score of 29 to zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since then, Sherburne County presented a number of notable games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are two seasons of Elk River High School
football players, 1914 and 1927.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note,
1927 saw a championship season, with the Elk River team recording a record of
5-1-1. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, Big Lake and Becker
presented outstanding teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Big
Lake team from 1967 presented below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheg3KQ-ujAQb2yxDHnuJNDwLzHXaL4US9o9RCaUhWRRqvuFa39hgHpRYJkBQVaB4yX00JUBHHHprKhZceeSHVtXzHMFU8qoMwNw_vJhK6JJH8QC3iq9MpkZs2rwUtG-hd7ljkhbWUvsMy/s2048/20210911110254566_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="2048" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheg3KQ-ujAQb2yxDHnuJNDwLzHXaL4US9o9RCaUhWRRqvuFa39hgHpRYJkBQVaB4yX00JUBHHHprKhZceeSHVtXzHMFU8qoMwNw_vJhK6JJH8QC3iq9MpkZs2rwUtG-hd7ljkhbWUvsMy/s320/20210911110254566_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elk River 1914</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4sy1syC0EY2pB-W3lIKDeySTJwbx6uNMUY1b7yKz8WE5Uhcx2X2LiYc0dW7sjcn97t6yoYKNrtjI45wWnZhjBTWLNhDNR4HZEfinvzfumiXPrveT1EOHwiNJqX4IFqnNeFxiUZL_Uc3A/s1953/20210911112026217_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1447" data-original-width="1953" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4sy1syC0EY2pB-W3lIKDeySTJwbx6uNMUY1b7yKz8WE5Uhcx2X2LiYc0dW7sjcn97t6yoYKNrtjI45wWnZhjBTWLNhDNR4HZEfinvzfumiXPrveT1EOHwiNJqX4IFqnNeFxiUZL_Uc3A/s320/20210911112026217_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Elk River Championship Team 1927</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14gi28u29Z2Y9NqKhvPNMGvDda9WCv6wFbgmkaJqm04z8DeGm8Z9sWSfpwyFtPoXp-TumrlJyxSEgyg6I_SNd8KZ6ulasxpJCawy6DMQtKGIZNgzY_PoKq3C0J0tyO1s2528rObt_3VYD/s2576/20210911114717097_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="2576" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14gi28u29Z2Y9NqKhvPNMGvDda9WCv6wFbgmkaJqm04z8DeGm8Z9sWSfpwyFtPoXp-TumrlJyxSEgyg6I_SNd8KZ6ulasxpJCawy6DMQtKGIZNgzY_PoKq3C0J0tyO1s2528rObt_3VYD/s320/20210911114717097_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Big Lake 1967</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-31968018681743387952021-09-09T08:31:00.000-07:002021-09-09T08:31:33.743-07:00Remember 9/11<p> <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With the coming of the twentieth anniversary of the
attack on the Twin Towers, 9/11, it may be appropriate to take some time and
think about the events of that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Where were you when the towers were attacked?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s think about the 3,000 people killed that
day, and the 6,000 injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember,
the attacks also hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a fourth plane crashed
in Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIQHvv1_De_yPhXU7oZtc7DnkgGyK4GcPYoDbwl3S9eSxl_kdom1rbXqsvNmBiZKhsep7QQyF3VmRSk8O-2PpPUg0wxh6Yfv6uLH4dZ-PyLFFkQlimCrw1v6Y5Zny3dASUilOb9ZD5Sy4/s640/flower+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIQHvv1_De_yPhXU7oZtc7DnkgGyK4GcPYoDbwl3S9eSxl_kdom1rbXqsvNmBiZKhsep7QQyF3VmRSk8O-2PpPUg0wxh6Yfv6uLH4dZ-PyLFFkQlimCrw1v6Y5Zny3dASUilOb9ZD5Sy4/s320/flower+two.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>This week, every memorial ought to serve as a <br />reminder of what happened on 11 September 2001</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This day is perhaps the single most important event of
a generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe we can take the
events of that day, and the days immediately following, to become more
sympathetic, more empathetic, more generous individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s emulate the good from the people that
suffered that day. Remember them for the kindness and courage they showed us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learn from them and become better
individuals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s take some time and think: Where were you when
the towers were attacked?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-34411474220058752222021-09-03T08:26:00.002-07:002021-09-03T08:26:52.655-07:00More Letter From Somewhere In France<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A few weeks ago, we shared a few lines of letters from
Pvt. George Bostrom to his sister.
Bostrom, originally from Elk River, served in the American Expeditionary Force in France during World
War One. Here is a second portion of a letter
in 1918 sharing conditions in France in the last days of the war:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3u28pmI7xAuNY5I2hXY7NpAeMbcIfM8ZHB5I0VPUgYKFkzWGNL04VB04ElIEWCn9ihqnynjMIxi6OCudm_Bq_fBNJgLXMQwYSZzjmejFL1eP_Oc5AyzAcuIuK3SkZ58DuTqr231UMgJXJ/s1280/Somewhere+in+France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3u28pmI7xAuNY5I2hXY7NpAeMbcIfM8ZHB5I0VPUgYKFkzWGNL04VB04ElIEWCn9ihqnynjMIxi6OCudm_Bq_fBNJgLXMQwYSZzjmejFL1eP_Oc5AyzAcuIuK3SkZ58DuTqr231UMgJXJ/s320/Somewhere+in+France.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well Sister, I’m in the lines again and
have been for some time. I think we will
move soon, possibly little further to the front because we are kind of in
reserve here although we aren’t so very far from the front. Suits me alright
tho because back here we would be an excellent target for the (Germans) if they
had a mind to open up their big guns on us.
There has been some of their medium sized shells come our way at
different times. The other night they
sent ove3r a few that made us wonder if they really had come with our names
marked on them but I guess they must have misspelled them. I shouldn’t joke that way. It hurts me when I hear others talk that way
but here I am writing it.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well I will close for this time. </span></b> </p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-88684221452350261472021-08-24T12:04:00.002-07:002021-08-24T12:10:06.959-07:00World War Two Victory Gardens and Canning: Elk River on the Home Front<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With the coming harvest season, I am reminded of the
practices for preserving food during World War Two. In 1943, with the war going full blast, every
family tried to raise food in their own “victory gardens.” The produce of these gardens seemed so abundant
questions developed on how to best preserve the extra food. In Elk River a unique program developed to
provide canning services to any family in need of the service. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In June 1943, the Elk River newspaper announced the
high school acquired a canning unit capable of processing 500 quarts per
day. With the aid of supervisors, anyone
needing access to the canning unit might preserve any food grown in their
victory gardens. The unit canned in glass
or tin cans. If the family used tin
cans, they would be charged two cents per can.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAmoCZD_O4mxIHbxiaXBywBnJaxz3qx8fAARwODKd4rBoeXhWpUpTCB0tEb-rPIpKKQX9Y1Im2YWM0OXl8nBTsxsiQrrheDSl78KgO2utcNgb_kRRdBh-QGMkMbWQeIcblx5tGOf0lZCk/s2048/7+-+29+-+43+-+elk+river+-+ad+from+Village+marshal+-+notice+to+gang+destroying+victory+gardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAmoCZD_O4mxIHbxiaXBywBnJaxz3qx8fAARwODKd4rBoeXhWpUpTCB0tEb-rPIpKKQX9Y1Im2YWM0OXl8nBTsxsiQrrheDSl78KgO2utcNgb_kRRdBh-QGMkMbWQeIcblx5tGOf0lZCk/s320/7+-+29+-+43+-+elk+river+-+ad+from+Village+marshal+-+notice+to+gang+destroying+victory+gardens.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>“All are welcome to come in and can,” School Superintendent
Robert Handke said. He anticipated high
demand for the unit, he encouraged residents to contact the school to reserve
time for the operation. <br /> <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The only shortcoming of the program concerned
vandalism of victory gardens. In July,
the Village Marshall posted an ad in the Elk River newspapers. He knew of several vandals destroying victory
gardens. He wanted to give them an
opportunity to turn themselves in before he turned these cases over to the
state for prosecution. The Marshall’s
tactics apparently succeeded, as the vandalism stopped, and the Elk River
canning unit preserved a bumper crop of garden produce. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The canning units in Elk River serve as another example
of the attitude of complete cooperation during World War Two.</span> </p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-16188122780170349572021-08-14T08:59:00.001-07:002021-08-14T08:59:37.333-07:00Remembering Weather in the 1930s<p> <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The current weather conditions, drought, high heat,
and lack or water reminds me of recent research into Sherburne County during
the 1930s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A time of worse weather conditions
permeated throughout the county.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9JhAkNCQaIsY5iiNe-bShogSLVdZisOPTRLebvy-k1wp8Yr-6SuXBhOiXxbJpahD-mlb_5ecI7NVeQGCxikjbpwhJNpYFUlrmPH67NNwLmFKlFVWqVl8bqB9qU2PO0wt1v8rIvvYvXoV/s444/post+drought+farming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="444" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9JhAkNCQaIsY5iiNe-bShogSLVdZisOPTRLebvy-k1wp8Yr-6SuXBhOiXxbJpahD-mlb_5ecI7NVeQGCxikjbpwhJNpYFUlrmPH67NNwLmFKlFVWqVl8bqB9qU2PO0wt1v8rIvvYvXoV/s320/post+drought+farming.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Farming in Orrock Township after the difficult <br />weather of the 1930s. Notice the thick layer of <br />sand sitting above the darker soil.</b></td></tr></tbody></table>In the years 1933 and 1934, the county suffered a
major drought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmers remembered the
time as a “dust bowl.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some residents of
Sherburne County remember this time as an end to farming in some areas of the
county.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The light, worn out soils took
to the air and drifted like snow over the roads and onto front porches,” is the
way historian Herb Murphy described it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some folklore of the times described Orrock Township as the “poison ivy
capital of the world.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other tall tales
suggested that “jack rabbits, when passing through Orrock Township, had to pack
a lunch because there was nothing to eat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A variety of conservation efforts restored the area of
Orrock Township.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conservation groups
planted trees and slowly brought back the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bulk of the township became the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge and the
Sand Dunes State Forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this
resulting from the catastrophic drought conditions in the 1930s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worse than the weather of 2021, yet events
important to remember.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-80733445057388335462021-08-07T10:06:00.000-07:002021-08-07T10:06:35.146-07:00German Prisoners of War Work the Farms in Minnesota<p> <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvbPxBB2rTauyrQi6HICFvMglbjV4ExD3113_541IEja3gAYoer1hcbnUSH5UOarJ4dkYWyvHOylsfmmk9Yf4BvFbzlqzDyCSdAW-5DzSs323lIOA6fwbtqcRdsGHxc5lwCz9zJsaNMyc/s2336/powletter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="2336" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsvbPxBB2rTauyrQi6HICFvMglbjV4ExD3113_541IEja3gAYoer1hcbnUSH5UOarJ4dkYWyvHOylsfmmk9Yf4BvFbzlqzDyCSdAW-5DzSs323lIOA6fwbtqcRdsGHxc5lwCz9zJsaNMyc/s320/powletter1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Section of a letter written by H. C. Byson <br />to his daughter Dawn with exciting details<br />about POWs sighted in Elk River.</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Prisoners of War in Minnesota during World War Two often
worked the lumber mills and the farms in the northern and central parts of the
state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although not often seen in Sherburne
County, POWs worked the potato harvest in Princeton in 1943, and possibly again
in 1944.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At times, residents of Elk
River and eastern Sherburne County witnessed these POWs being transported or working
the potato fields.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The casual sighting of POWs in Elk River, like other small
towns in Minnesota, generated a certain amount of excitement witnessed in
family letters such as the letter from H. C. Byson to his daughter Dawn Byson
(later Moyer), in the summer of 1944.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Byson
wrote to his daughter:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bruce came home this morning from downtown</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <b>with
those expressive eyes of his telling us an exciting story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and several other people watched German
prisoners eat and then be loaded into trucks and hauled toward the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bruce said that there was a guard at each
table and as the prisoners came marching out one told the group in broken English
that they were captured in Africa and had worked on farms there for a few months
before being brought to this country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of them were still wearing their German uniforms two of which Bruce
thought were officers because of the caps and ornaments that were on their
clothes, straps, and pockets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This letter from the Byson family serves as another bit
of evidence documenting the activities of German and Italian prisoners of war
in Central Minnesota.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With an estimated
426,000 POWs in the United States during World War Two, only a small number of
these men found their way to Minnesota to work in the lumber camps and the
farms of Central Minnesota.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In small
towns, such as Elk River, their temporary and brief presence created an
exciting stir within the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-68526796346363904002021-07-31T08:57:00.000-07:002021-07-31T08:57:28.097-07:00Somewhere in France<p> <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">An interesting collection arrived at the Sherburne
History Center in recent weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A wonderful
collection of letters from George Bostrom to his family members living here in
Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Particularly
interesting, the bulk these letters came from France during World War One.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>George’s letters document the different
training camps and finally his stations “somewhere in France”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The letters begin in 1918 and continue
through 1920.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In letters to his family
George documents everything from experiencing bombings at the front, to the
price of chocolate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also interesting, he
provides the exchange rate from American dollars to French francs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From his letters we know, a 12-ounce
chocolate bars cost anywhere from thirty cents to sixty cents.<o:p></o:p></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVghLIsT2TIf1qt1_3wz1DuMIp4R9P_J-4ojNS78eWLqOcUlmM69rp-U-JdH1gvcCTbK5W2PExBETSHqOU_IQPYFJoSznhXjtlY1imKIbfHeSs6EYJEuvUZSaj5ucnsBtfORabYJHodpxC/s1602/100_2373+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1602" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVghLIsT2TIf1qt1_3wz1DuMIp4R9P_J-4ojNS78eWLqOcUlmM69rp-U-JdH1gvcCTbK5W2PExBETSHqOU_IQPYFJoSznhXjtlY1imKIbfHeSs6EYJEuvUZSaj5ucnsBtfORabYJHodpxC/s320/100_2373+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Letterhead from the Knights of Columbus. <br />George Bostrom used this, as well as letterhead <br />provided by the YMCA, to write letters home</b></td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In a letter written the day before the Armistice,
George provides a sense of life in the Army and the excitement about the coming
end of the war:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nov.10, 1918<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dear brother,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am now in the third camp since landing
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also the best one I’ve been
in on this side of the water. One of the things contributing to this is that we
have no guard duty, K.P., or detail work.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Today the papers tell us that the Kaiser
has abdicated and the long-looked for revolution has begun in Germany.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally this is news that must bring joy to
people in all the allied nations, or it cannot but be an indication that the
end of the war is not far away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This collection may provide fascinating details as we fully
examine it for information about the first war “to end all wars.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we can examine these letters more, we will
provide greater details about George Bostrom and his service to the United
States.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-33793628213143819062021-07-17T10:56:00.000-07:002021-07-17T10:56:13.762-07:00Another Year For The Sherburne County Fair<p> <br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This week is county fair week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give or take a few years, we need to note the
132 years of the annual meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
year, an opportunity presents itself for county farmers and future farmer to
gather and share ideas for improved farming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This gathering also gives them all an opportunity for bragging rights
for their own farming prowess.<o:p></o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqxEBmSTnVgBMHD8Ikcq4sG5fIPY9u6-If1tC3BKnz7Zer8J1KMm358KShaBczxCv9eP1NP8S9VTMEZvfnBXV-FyGyPybZ3_Ys9PKjaJTLTxL8nX4c-ndyWNp2fIEDOCC_z2i8wRJI52N/s1431/90200633meadowvale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqxEBmSTnVgBMHD8Ikcq4sG5fIPY9u6-If1tC3BKnz7Zer8J1KMm358KShaBczxCv9eP1NP8S9VTMEZvfnBXV-FyGyPybZ3_Ys9PKjaJTLTxL8nX4c-ndyWNp2fIEDOCC_z2i8wRJI52N/s320/90200633meadowvale.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>An early fair exhibit in <br />Meadowvale, circa 1900</b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, we need to look back at the first meeting of
county farmers at the fairs held in Meadowvale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Starting in 1889, framers would meet for one day in November with the
harvest complete and time to explore new ideas and techniques.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then, starting in 1915, the fair moved into Elk
River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First at a location near the
corner of today’s Jackson Street and Highway 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, the fair site moved to land bordering
the Mississippi River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, in 1957,
the fair located to the present site on Joplin Street on the western outskirts
of Elk River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The length of the fair
also continues to expand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the one-day
event of 1889 to the four days in 2021, with so much to see, the fair exhibits
demand some time to take it all in.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIc3XwwKdclmVlotCOUK4fqP80WhkcO9obIO2rSquKV8Urb0OBQlrjMTz0WOznC5X_M0-IqNfRLPpPp-wJQsj_6MwL1cBzwfo_kJqT2f0vMULU8IHBrs76UYaVq5rvD2UR8gK50giJMAPl/s3232/902006432ndfair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="3232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIc3XwwKdclmVlotCOUK4fqP80WhkcO9obIO2rSquKV8Urb0OBQlrjMTz0WOznC5X_M0-IqNfRLPpPp-wJQsj_6MwL1cBzwfo_kJqT2f0vMULU8IHBrs76UYaVq5rvD2UR8gK50giJMAPl/s320/902006432ndfair.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Post 1916 fairgrounds near the Mississippi River</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although the fair location and duration changed from
time to time, the basic goal of sharing information and providing an
educational opportunity, remains the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The exhibits presented by local farmers and 4-H groups provide an
abundance of skill to be appreciated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Be sure to enjoy the Sherburne County Fair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is an opportunity to celebrate the
farming heritage that is so much a part of the character of Sherburne County. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-1457268708910681222021-07-02T09:04:00.002-07:002021-07-02T09:04:46.264-07:00Celebrating the Fourth of July in an Earlier Decade<p><br /> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">With the Fourth of July weekend upon us, local
historians inevitably ask: how did we celebrate so many years ago?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has it always been loud fireworks and
excessive drink?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer to these
questions remains a definitive yes and no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Depending on the year and the location, the fourth of July celebration
in Sherburne County has been both loud and raucous, and other times silent and
sedate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptEjeEiSURRpplkx6jcQ47cb5iqHeEO2CJO2ctgE6lSlPTHfnxOPQ3LiOeQR-bfCnjJdKcQ0dEEa97bDt4zKbknRM3D9_7MoIfN1ApyhUlMBurlfj2XpO-MM6rAKjemYaiOdhwu0ZaYg6/s1560/celebration+fourth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptEjeEiSURRpplkx6jcQ47cb5iqHeEO2CJO2ctgE6lSlPTHfnxOPQ3LiOeQR-bfCnjJdKcQ0dEEa97bDt4zKbknRM3D9_7MoIfN1ApyhUlMBurlfj2XpO-MM6rAKjemYaiOdhwu0ZaYg6/s320/celebration+fourth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Veteran's Memorial at <br />Sherburne History Center</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Using newspapers as the source, in the decade of the 1890s,
often town baseball remained the highlight of a July Fourth celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The newspapers routinely reported of
tournaments pitting Elk River nines against Rogers, Monticello, or other local
teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the end of nine innings a
watermelon feast marked the culmination of the celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">During the decade, livelier celebrations also took
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1893, the newspapers
advertised river excursions on the Mississippi River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The steamer “Louise” offered hour long boat
trips on the river at the low price of twenty-five cents per person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three years later, the Sherburne County Star News
reported the cancellation of annual blueberry parties due to the shortage of
blueberries in 1896.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, three years
later, in 1899, the residents of Elk River’s upper town neighborhoods marked
the Fourth of July with the purchase of a cannon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ultimate noise maker “ushered in the
glorious fourth and disturbed the slumbers of the community.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Apparently, the fire works never change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The timing of the blasts varied from time to
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-756607339921596632021-06-19T09:29:00.000-07:002021-06-19T09:29:10.075-07:00Recognizing Another Central Minnesota Hero<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Occasionally, we recognize veterans and their actions
during the wars of the 20<sup>th</sup> century.
The actions of Jack Bade, Frances Beck, and Charlie Brown have all been
documented on these blog pages. We need
to expand the borders of Sherburne County to acknowledge the bravery of another
young man from central Minnesota. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAoiLfQ77LZ3RmVoBtTJuWMd4E2wkIPBpb658ARnUx-axDD3aGZApZBLy1DC0Jyuz19LiAq2k9Zo4bvpO6e4ioDK8mydI-ED-YsRQU8AgOFwJK_XAcn9IhDeoXa66NrMvDEnIUZKhSy7a/s640/loading+bombs+WW+Two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAoiLfQ77LZ3RmVoBtTJuWMd4E2wkIPBpb658ARnUx-axDD3aGZApZBLy1DC0Jyuz19LiAq2k9Zo4bvpO6e4ioDK8mydI-ED-YsRQU8AgOFwJK_XAcn9IhDeoXa66NrMvDEnIUZKhSy7a/s320/loading+bombs+WW+Two.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Loading Bombs during WW II</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In 1943, Malcom H Trombley, from Rogers, served in the
United State Army. As a private, he
worked as part of an armament crew. The
crew loaded bombs into planes in the China-Burma-India theatre of World War Two.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The newspapers noted his bravery in service when he
rescued his entire loading crew from near disaster. According to the newspaper reports, a crew
member noticed a burning fuse on a bomb as the crew loaded it into a
plane. The entire crew ran for cover,
fully expecting to die in coming second.
Trombley bravely removed the fuse from the bomb and threw it in the air
just as it exploded. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although never recognized from the Army, Trombley’s
crew mates acknowledged his courage. A
notice posted on a bulletin board in crew barracks read: “Private Trombley—who in
the face of grave danger to himself, did on April 6, 1943, remove from a
demolition bomb the tail fuse, which had been made live.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The notice went on to say, “We the guys who came so
close to saying ‘hello’ to St. Peter, offer Private Trombley our thanks and are
sorry we don’t have the power to award him a medal appropriate to the bravery
displayed.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">With the end of the war, Private Trombley returned to
central Minnesota and a quiet life.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Little mention of any of the brave actions he took during his years in
service.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet, a tradition of recognizing
veterans of the World Wars remains an important feature of many blogs posts and
social media that we happily join.</span> </p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-13394858843460852472021-06-12T08:34:00.000-07:002021-06-12T08:34:55.272-07:00National Ballpoint Pen Day: Memorable in More Ways Than One<p> <br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6omKJqFC-QSncaambXhR3D84PRvNTZ9Uf4LZiBst9icbHiVgi1waeEOaEhklQ5g6yDu6xE3KJmglUTEPZRfMMqoEDWWqX3X6JVLuU88OPq0TIU2-wvNApxn7yQtRslpIg7VIgUAGdg0sU/s2048/National+Ballpoint+pen+2.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6omKJqFC-QSncaambXhR3D84PRvNTZ9Uf4LZiBst9icbHiVgi1waeEOaEhklQ5g6yDu6xE3KJmglUTEPZRfMMqoEDWWqX3X6JVLuU88OPq0TIU2-wvNApxn7yQtRslpIg7VIgUAGdg0sU/s320/National+Ballpoint+pen+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Just a sampling of advertising ballpoint pens<br /> in the SHC collections</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
past week we failed to recognize National Ballpoint Pen Day (June 10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an effort to rectify this gross oversight,
today we note the significance of this significant invention and the impact on
local history.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Patented
in 1888 in Argentina, the ballpoint pen slowly spread throughout the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On June 10, 1943, the
international patent was filed with the United States Patent Office. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today the ballpoint pen sells more than 57
pens per second throughout the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is also the most widely used writing instrument in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s design simply puts a steel ball at the
tip of a tube of ink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rolling steel
ball regulates the flow of ink for an even application to paper.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">An
ingenious design, the inventors and early marketers overlooked a valuable sidelight
of the pen as a marketing tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, a
multitude of pens carry advertising for businesses throughout the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the ballpoint pen, the evolution of business
and marketing can be followed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK5UyZ1NdynGWAP-VxkWzN6Fq_qfmVlkWOITALYVuh6ML1eFQi_3ujJ5N1MU_W0lW5_myizJuuK_690K2xBvN8vbHUkYKSTmztU1Nmu2SjLWFbJXZGIvgrkfciIoJGTSc0R4ldlEmHKzc/s2048/national+Ballpoint+pen.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK5UyZ1NdynGWAP-VxkWzN6Fq_qfmVlkWOITALYVuh6ML1eFQi_3ujJ5N1MU_W0lW5_myizJuuK_690K2xBvN8vbHUkYKSTmztU1Nmu2SjLWFbJXZGIvgrkfciIoJGTSc0R4ldlEmHKzc/s320/national+Ballpoint+pen.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Northern States Power Company <br />pen used as a promotional tool</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the case of Sherburne County, in the collections of the Sherburne History
Center a variety of pens document business in the county.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the collection we have pens from gas
stations, such as Charlie Brown’s Shell in Elk River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a pen to help document Northern
States Power Company. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pens from Sherburne
State Bank and AgStar Farm Credit Services help record the history of financial
institutions in the county.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">National
Ballpoint Pen Day recognizes a significant invention in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Equally important, the ballpoint pen provides
unique tools to document business and history on the local level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happy National Ballpoint Pen Day!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-40019004658297767252021-06-04T09:15:00.000-07:002021-06-04T09:15:05.892-07:00Be Sure to Commemorate National Donut Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z6AmSvPcsHfAjjCzY59_ddmPwJqZov0o8fvW5jZG_Wp_7lppZaabVZkO19C7_a0JNV5pftoN90GK3dUqwc2PdNWtZLRfvHjRp2Y__ZPYYXAJMrv-JgTNZzfQGjP_0VQHymOm2eQXP2sR/s320/Bake+Anderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z6AmSvPcsHfAjjCzY59_ddmPwJqZov0o8fvW5jZG_Wp_7lppZaabVZkO19C7_a0JNV5pftoN90GK3dUqwc2PdNWtZLRfvHjRp2Y__ZPYYXAJMrv-JgTNZzfQGjP_0VQHymOm2eQXP2sR/s0/Bake+Anderson.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I just now posted on facebook a photo to commemorate
National Donut Day.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Although the day
sounds like a frivolous marketing tool for the baking industry, in reality it
does have a serious, memorable component.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The celebration began in Chicago in 1938 to honor the members of the
Salvation Army, particularly, women that handed out donuts to soldiers during
World War One. The Salvation Army also hoped to use the day as a fundraiser to
help people in need caused by the crisis of the Depression.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The celebration continues on the first Friday
in June.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, with that in mind, we want
to honor NATIONAL DONUT DAY! </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here is a photo
of one of the more famous of Sherburne County Bakers: Bake Anderson in his shop
in Elk River.</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-49461861448423336212021-05-21T13:45:00.001-07:002021-05-21T13:45:47.229-07:00National Register Sites in Sherburne County<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UrCVaHWDT3zeKWL6yUpZAh3Fj4UZbXurDglhYXmG6EEOy8TB79Ls-QwcqckiuJoGRy18iYxGQFVMaTWiGWlr3_dbr3Otw1GGZT9TD0uJJW9m2ksacaKhrQKzTRhZsh9TT7w14mKaEpZx/s947/Herbert_M._Fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="947" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UrCVaHWDT3zeKWL6yUpZAh3Fj4UZbXurDglhYXmG6EEOy8TB79Ls-QwcqckiuJoGRy18iYxGQFVMaTWiGWlr3_dbr3Otw1GGZT9TD0uJJW9m2ksacaKhrQKzTRhZsh9TT7w14mKaEpZx/s320/Herbert_M._Fox.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>View of Fox House in its original condition</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />With
May being National Historic Preservation Month, it seems appropriate to talk
about one of the five National Register sites in Sherburne County.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The most obscure and underappreciated of the
sites must be the Herbert Maximillian Fox House.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, we need to look at this structure to
appreciate the impact and influence the site provides.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original owner and builder of the Fox
House remains unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before Herbert
Fox, Ole Martinson purchased an 80-acre parcel along the St Francis River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He later sold the parcel to Samuel P. Glidden,
who in turn sold it to Fox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With these
transactions, the farm site grew to 160 acres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometime before Fox purchased the property, Glidden or Martinson built
the house.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
house construction makes the site unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of the original slates on the house were vertical, and load
bearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There remains very little
horizontal construction in the original house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This type of construction, for a time, signaled a New England influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Fox House maybe the only example of this
construction in Minnesota.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SHhqxruyIzjI8tNQzZj99C2S3K4yGfSmKC2502HTmMZ0vRObMcBu5HBlMccwmy18q_DdNFpgCyBXxaJnLcdM6wBiqJBiCCHe9bLqtdvGg5pIeHOXYlr2WjVBwXVUhglcVMwCbsPv7Jh3/s634/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SHhqxruyIzjI8tNQzZj99C2S3K4yGfSmKC2502HTmMZ0vRObMcBu5HBlMccwmy18q_DdNFpgCyBXxaJnLcdM6wBiqJBiCCHe9bLqtdvGg5pIeHOXYlr2WjVBwXVUhglcVMwCbsPv7Jh3/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Fox House post move to SHC</b></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Originally
located on property of the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge, to save the house, it was
moved to the site of the Sherburne History Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When SHC moved to its present location, the
Fox House was also moved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite of
these disruptions, the integrity of the original structure remained intact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Efforts to preserve this unique construction
caused the renovators to envelope the house with horizontal wood slats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Select locations around the house provide
insight to the original construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today,
the house remains on the property of the Sherburne History Center, continuing
to document the influence of New England emigration to Minnesota.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Providing yet another example of the
importance of Historic Preservation and reasons to commemorate National
Historic Preservation Month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
a minor footnote, the other four National Register sites in Sherburne County
are: The Elkhi Stadium in Elk River, the 1920 water tower in Elk river, the
Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River, and the Minnesota State Reformatory for Men
Historic District near St Cloud.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-42389749490836761962021-04-23T08:21:00.000-07:002021-04-23T08:21:06.645-07:00Maybe Minnesota Poet Laureate<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To
commemorate National Poetry Month, we need to recognize the apparent first
Minnesota Poet Laureate, Margarette Ball Dickson.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorQeNkTL-0589anj6cNIQ1nkWKZfeOdY5FXVhXZYiAJf1NpvsydpkXFc_TyfjETLrdRM1XCJMrdV4M0rfft9vG09nrugUNBmAP8n_YaNeoakKZcxH_fcVgNe8tUrv9JxvOJftaDv9FNqB/s425/Margarette+Ball+Dicksonb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorQeNkTL-0589anj6cNIQ1nkWKZfeOdY5FXVhXZYiAJf1NpvsydpkXFc_TyfjETLrdRM1XCJMrdV4M0rfft9vG09nrugUNBmAP8n_YaNeoakKZcxH_fcVgNe8tUrv9JxvOJftaDv9FNqB/s320/Margarette+Ball+Dicksonb.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Born
in Iowa, she earned a B.A. Iowa State Teachers College, an MA from the
University of South Dakota.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She also
studied for a time at the University of Iowa and the University of Chicago.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She then taught at a variety of different
schools before she settled in Staples, Minnesota and founded the Dickson-Haining
School of Creative Writing.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She served
as editor for a variety of different magazines.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She also cofounded the League of Minnesota Poets.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">For her work, in 1938, she received the
Rockefeller Center Gold Medal award.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
1934 the Washington, D.C. based Poet Laureate League named her Minnesota Poet
Laureate.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She held the title until 1961,
just two years before her death.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">At
times, the title of Minnesota Poet Laureate lacked official state designation.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Minnesota government refused to pass
legislation recognizing the title until 2007.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">At that time, Robert Bly received the honor from Governor Tim Pawlenty.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The current title belongs to Joyce Sutphen,
who received the title in 2011.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-28264590865208140062021-04-10T08:49:00.000-07:002021-04-10T08:49:14.788-07:00Sinclair Lewis and His Impact in Sherburne County<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">More than a bit of folklore suggests Sinclair Lewis
spent some time in Sherburne County, visiting family and, more importantly,
writing.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, we have to sit, contemplate
this lore, and consider any impact Lewis may have had on the area.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHF4Qn7R-oltCHCIsDKcmK7EUpK7PgIb5hKPKa5pQVKHvdhODbDFEqBjUvS60qkWU9cUPqKdkE0OfbPKA7VHIjWEjdXpADVXJMI1z5qapsJiuN3cLTBA7sUSM7ursuP9-_4qRuP27QUgum/s243/Sinclair+Lewis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHF4Qn7R-oltCHCIsDKcmK7EUpK7PgIb5hKPKa5pQVKHvdhODbDFEqBjUvS60qkWU9cUPqKdkE0OfbPKA7VHIjWEjdXpADVXJMI1z5qapsJiuN3cLTBA7sUSM7ursuP9-_4qRuP27QUgum/w263-h320/Sinclair+Lewis.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The first book published by Lewis, under the pseudonym
Tom Graham, <i>Hike and the Aeroplane</i> marked the beginning of a significant
career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the folklore maintains
that after the publication of his book <i>Main Street</i> he was ostracized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He never set foot in Sauk Centre again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, family members owned property and
lived in west Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In addition to <i>Main Street,</i> he went on to
publish <i>Babbitt, Elmer Gantry,</i> and a host of other works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in
1930.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first writer in the United
States to win the award.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps most
insightful, his 1935 publication of <i>It Can’t Happen Here</i> explores events
after a fascist wins the Presidential election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He died at age 65 in Rome, Italy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, his writing career seemed prolific and impactful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because his life and travels remain difficult to
track, the folklore of Sinclair Lewis visiting and staying in Sherburne County remains
just that: folklore. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, we must wonder,
with Lewis growing up in Sauk Centre, his extended family living in Sherburne
County; did Sinclair Lewis influence the character and history of Sherburne
County?<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-79895664846739317322021-03-26T08:04:00.000-07:002021-03-26T08:04:53.023-07:00Women and High School Basketball 1920's Style<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAu0CJYCsXyWWLaJt4UN114N6xbMfvVw3T7DCZxyJV1jDxjeJo9Via3tkiMlf3B-jqcDATQjBLqVg5IlkttDLBN-1LA90MsElqpo8MhpJT1inR61cSGnblx-Pfzmhjtkt-LeHys41Yl-m/s1145/1921+er+women+basketball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAu0CJYCsXyWWLaJt4UN114N6xbMfvVw3T7DCZxyJV1jDxjeJo9Via3tkiMlf3B-jqcDATQjBLqVg5IlkttDLBN-1LA90MsElqpo8MhpJT1inR61cSGnblx-Pfzmhjtkt-LeHys41Yl-m/s320/1921+er+women+basketball.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Although, individually unidentified, the 1921 <br />Elk River Women's Basketball Team included: <br />Rosie Roggatz, Maria Taplin, Esther Cornelius,<br />Althea Gould, Evelyn Bressler, and Agatha McBride</b> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fifty
years before the federal mandate known as Title IX, sports for high school
women seemed the norm in areas around Sherburne County.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">With the conclusion of Women’s History Month,
it seemed appropriate to acknowledge an earlier generation of female athletes competing
in the high schools.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Referencing
the earliest yearbooks available in the collections of the Sherburne History
Center, the Elk River High School Women’s Basketball Team stands proud in 1921
and 1922.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unfortunately, their record
seemed less than stellar. In 1921 they posted a 1 and 4 record, and in 1922 their
record ended at 2 and 4.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The simple fact
that they played remains the important detail.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not only Elk River, but Buffalo, Princeton, Anoka, and Monticello all
organized women’s basketball teams.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Central
Minnesota High Schools presented some forward-thinking opportunities in the 1920s.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Years before federal law prohibited gender
discrimination in high school sports, Elk River and others provided equal opportunity.</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrAybWTIuS7S1wi0v0QYvrtOMy3v_sBO8vu1n87hOOGyjiG2IZU_2P3v-qqJSWJAlHRPEhYXZtIqG4CHrAVBo99mYoefEWXnXMjGB3dSbeA4bu-HJ7GXrhkCBBKn1ua5E6bGfERHn7AlZ/s945/1922+er+women+basketball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrAybWTIuS7S1wi0v0QYvrtOMy3v_sBO8vu1n87hOOGyjiG2IZU_2P3v-qqJSWJAlHRPEhYXZtIqG4CHrAVBo99mYoefEWXnXMjGB3dSbeA4bu-HJ7GXrhkCBBKn1ua5E6bGfERHn7AlZ/w312-h320/1922+er+women+basketball.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The 1922 team included: back row l to r: <br />Agatha McBride, forward; Evelyn Bernard, Guard; <br />Dorothy Leffingwell, forward; Leah Scoville,<br />Guard. front row l to r: Mable Kaliher, Guard;<br />Grace Johanning, Jumping Center; Esther Cornelius, <br />forward and Capt.; and Elizabeth Nickerson; <br />running center. </b></td></tr></tbody></table></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-36492228167924215052021-03-19T09:49:00.001-07:002021-03-19T09:49:39.922-07:00WCTU in Sherburne County<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">During
Women’s History Month we recognized several women impacting community and
culture in Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also
need to note at least one of the many community organizations, led by women,
that worked to impact and improve life in Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (the
WCTU) remains one of the more important of these groups. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvLCz1e8TTI03U0eLh6pWLzEte0AWxmdEarNyesO8rJQTyPPMzWuq0B9h_MVIzwymcA0lZ2AQpfh6OpdbBtmzDoBHq_fXhzcpFX0efFNLtS8oeFdsKQQ1GRYtmkWzjKhdnR73a-p2N-PG/s1646/dry+vote+WCTU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1646" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvLCz1e8TTI03U0eLh6pWLzEte0AWxmdEarNyesO8rJQTyPPMzWuq0B9h_MVIzwymcA0lZ2AQpfh6OpdbBtmzDoBHq_fXhzcpFX0efFNLtS8oeFdsKQQ1GRYtmkWzjKhdnR73a-p2N-PG/s320/dry+vote+WCTU.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1911 Star News headline reporting vote <br />results on alcohol sales. </b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nationally
the WCTU organized in 1874 urging abstinence from alcohol.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Beginning in 1878, under the leadership of
Francis Willard, the group also advocated for prison reform, labor laws, and
suffrage.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many regarded the group as one
of the largest and most influential of reform societies in the United States
during the 1800s.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
Sherburne County, the WCTU organized late.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 1895, the Elk River Star News reported meetings at the Elk River Methodist
Church.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not until 1910 did the WCTU
formally organize in Becker.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
leadership included Mrs. Howard Reed, Miss Dell Clitty, and Mrs. C. A. Johnson.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two years later, a chapter organized in Big Lake.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
chapters, apparently, held some influence.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In local elections held in 1911, while Elk River and Zimmerman voted to sell
alcohol, Becker (by a slim three vote margin) voted to go dry.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">According to the newspaper reports, Elk River
had been dry for two years leading up to the 1911 vote.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Until
national Prohibition became the law in 1920, groups in Sherburne County
maintained an on-going debate about the deleterious effects of alcohol.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Local chapters of the WCTU clearly held some
influence in the discussions and decisions.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">An impact worth noting during Women’s History Month.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-78453461988910430752021-03-13T07:26:00.005-08:002021-03-13T07:26:30.709-08:00Ella Kringlund: Conservationist for Sherburne County<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Conservationist, 4-H advocate, and educator of
children and adults; all terms that describe Ella Kringlund in Elk River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An early promoter of Sherburne County and their
natural resources, Ella Kringlund enthusiastically worked to boost conservation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the midst of Women’s History Month, it
seems appropriate to make record of her life and her mission in Sherburne County.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NiMA7LrVh6G1AkAgXs5zzB-dFOLvO5Atpf4jSLcg36lB1GZ9MPbMaKt2BuAmC3c09vd7AYXLvnsrqn_qY5f1_rQkhSXHe_znjV9gXn6Mv42rtxOgwPEX63XSrIkpwsJE8rZObA5G2p8y/s1434/Ella+Kringland+1990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NiMA7LrVh6G1AkAgXs5zzB-dFOLvO5Atpf4jSLcg36lB1GZ9MPbMaKt2BuAmC3c09vd7AYXLvnsrqn_qY5f1_rQkhSXHe_znjV9gXn6Mv42rtxOgwPEX63XSrIkpwsJE8rZObA5G2p8y/s320/Ella+Kringland+1990.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ella Kringlund is long remembered for her work
restoring the land that is today Sand Dunes State Forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her memoirs record her efforts to plant a
variety of pine trees in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
her project began in the mid-1940s (and continuing until 1965) each season she
organized a tree planting as a 4-H project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In time, Ella Kringlund and her volunteers planted an estimate seven
million trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her efforts proved so
successful, a Christmas tree thinning project also developed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By conservation standards in 2000, the trees she
planted may not fit the accepted norms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, her planting provided opportunity for soil regeneration; changing from
the sand dunes of the 1930s to a better environment today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In addition to her conservation work, she headed up
the 4-H in Sherburne County, actively worked with county extension offices, and
worked as part of the county fair board. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than simply identifying her as an early
conservationist, Ella Kringlund is better known as an educator, providing new
ideas for improving the local environment of Sherburne County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly worthy of note during Women’s
History Month.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8330149338748684136.post-15554413224990648072021-03-05T08:06:00.000-08:002021-03-05T08:06:04.152-08:00Grace Craig: Sherburne County Pioneer<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">March being Women’s History Month it seemed
appropriate to start off the month noting a significant settler and educator
from Sherburne County: Grace Craig. </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4nztb7LiXIP9zJlUuQfFZ8RNVmybvaeiMk8CnpjW4fMThbaMRPuuDrot89Q5njasM1nHhTyigqLdQIgP-fZoLy0OCqm_05wL8JJzS5Hhmsj4xn88qEvRf3VjNTDArBXQwu1A1kIgMCvY/s1621/Grace+Craig+1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1621" data-original-width="1053" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4nztb7LiXIP9zJlUuQfFZ8RNVmybvaeiMk8CnpjW4fMThbaMRPuuDrot89Q5njasM1nHhTyigqLdQIgP-fZoLy0OCqm_05wL8JJzS5Hhmsj4xn88qEvRf3VjNTDArBXQwu1A1kIgMCvY/s320/Grace+Craig+1993.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace Craig circa 1940</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Born
in 1865 in the family homestead in Orrock Township, Grace Craig lived with her
parents, two sisters and a brother.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">According to a brief biography, Grace Craig lived at the homestead for
her entire life.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">To a certain degree her
education developed through her own initiative.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">As a teenager, the biography maintains, she obtained the skills for Sunday
School teaching through a correspondence course.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">While teaching, for fifty-eight years, at two
Sunday Schools around Orrock and Snake River, she also upheld the responsibilities
as local superintendent.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">In addition to
her work on the farm and at the local churches, she also served as the Orrock
Township correspondent and reporter for the Elk River Star News.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout
most of her life, transportation for Grace Craig consisted of walking.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the last few years she owned a horse, Tom,
to pull her small buggy around the area.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her care for Tom reveals so much of the compassion she held for all of
God’s creatures.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">One Christmas event
tells of her receiving a wonderful gift basket of fine food and treats.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She took the basket to the local merchants and
exchanged the items for grain for Tom.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
day before her death, Grace dictated her final will.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She implored the Township Clerk to find a
good home for Tom and dispose of her chickens and belongings to needy families
in the area.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Born
when the sett</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">lement of Orrock Township remained in its infancy, Grace Craig
lived for eighty-two years.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Through several
wars and multiple economic crisis, she witnessed the development of the county
and contributed as an early settler of Sherburne county. She also exhibited the
independence and self-assurance demanded of early settlers in Sherburne
County.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kicking off Women’s History
month with a true pioneer seems appropriate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Mike Brubaker, Executive Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05295530513620674996noreply@blogger.com0