Commemorating World War One in Sherburne County
Charles C. Nelson of Sherburne County, in uniform in service WWI From SHC photo collections: 1990.201.266 April marks the century anniversary of United States involvement in World War One. On April 6, 1917 Congress declared war against Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and their allies. In the coming year, no doubt, a number of historians will commemorate the war activities of the United States. For Sherburne County, the war began earlier than April 1917. As part of the Minnesota National guard, in 1916, young men from Sherburne County served as border guards in Texas and New Mexico. The escapades of Pancho Villa along the Mexico-Texas border led to the stationing of National guardsmen all along the border. General John “Black Jack” Pershing commanded Minnesota Guardsmen ordered into national service in July 1916. Some historians maintain the United States eventually would enter the European war. The work on the Mexico border served ...