Sherburne History Center Blog

I want to take a moment and wish everyone a happy holiday season and at the same time look forward to an exciting New Year.   Here at the Sherburne History Center , we have had a good year in 2010 and we are looking forward to many interesting new events in 2011.   We have already scheduled a series of genealogy programs to continue through June.   In addition we have a book signing scheduled in January and a Poetry reading in February. In order to continue with the exciting programs we have scheduled, we need your help.   As the New Year begins, please consider donating to the Sherburne History Center .   Your donations will be used to create more interesting and exciting programs and build collections and resources for both the museum and library. In addition, if you have any ideas, suggestions or comments you want to share with us, please feel free to contact us.   We are always happy to hear from you. May you all have a Merry Christmas and a Hap...

            This past week I had the pleasure of presenting several farms in Sherburne County with their Century Farm designations.   As part of the program, I conduct a bit of preliminary research in order to introduce the farms.   An interesting detail came to light: in the late 1920s, tobacco was a significant crop in Sherburne County .   Think about this, a crop that is so closely associated with Southern farming, and a crop that is very labor intensive, and depletes the land so quickly, was introduced into Minnesota in the 1920s.             I find the fact that tobacco was even grown in Minnesota to be remarkable.   Even more interesting is the total production of the crop.   In 1928, for the state more than 1.2 million pounds of tobacco was grown.   In two short years, that number had doubled to 2.9 million pounds.   I haven’t yet ...

            The holidays often translate into family, friends, and a great deal of activity.   Yes, we are all busy visiting, catching-up with relatives and sharing the joy of the day.   In spite of the hectic holiday, the coming festivities offer a unique opportunity for every genealogist and family historian.   NOW IS THE TIME TO COLLECT THOSE ORAL HISTORIES!               For the uninitiated, all upper case letters means I am shouting at you.   I want to get your attention so that you will think about this idea.             With the electronic capabilities of inexpensive digital recorders, anyone can capture an oral history.   Anyone can sit down with old Aunt Sally, or Grandma, or even Dad, and ask about growing up on the old homestead.   Or, what was Thanksgiving like back when you wer...

The Star Tribune   newspaper ran an interesting article about the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940.  Read more about the great snow at: http://www.twincities.com/ci_16568110?source=most_viewed This is interesting in light of the recent weather we are having.

            The weather always seems to be an important topic of discussion in Minnesota .   I have been living here less than two months, people continue to tell me about the fierce winters of the upper Midwest .   Yet, one example of the fierce weather is all I need to appreciate the severity of the climate and the hardiness of the people that live here.  Undated photo.  Snow drift north of Elk River SCHC collection 1990.201.068              The Armistice Day Blizzard, seventy years ago, on 11 November 1940 more than two feet of snow fell in some parts of Minnesota .   The storm hit so quickly and covered such a large geographic area, that 154 people were killed, many of them were hunters taking advantage of what seemed to be unseasonable warm weather for a day of duck hunting on the lakes and on the Mississippi River.   The storms killed people...

This past Friday, portions of the prairie around the Sherburne History Center were part of a controlled burn to enhance the growth of native plants in the coming year.  There were some incredibly dramatic images of the fires as they consumed areas around the building. This is an interesting project to be a part of.  I have attached a couple of photographs of the burn.  Before the Burn Then During the Burn And After the Burn      Really very interesting.       

Earlier this week the Sherburne History Center honored and celebrated the many volunteers that make this fine institution work.   As a way to say thank you, the Board of Directors sponsored Mexican theme dinner to host the volunteers that have given more than 2700 hours of their time to SHC in the past year. The many volunteers at SHC have done everything from processing collections in the Archives and the museum; to organizing and staging programs and special events.   Their work is valued at over $29,000 in labor for the past twelve months. After the dinner, and a brief annual meeting, Mike Roberts spoke to the audience.   Roberts is the author of the book The Last Keeper at Split Rock , an interesting memoir of his years of service in the Coast Guard.   During his service, Roberts spent 27 months as the last light keeper at the Split Rock lighthouse on the Great Lakes . Although we can’t say it enough, we will try to continue to say thank you to everyone tha...

A few days ago, I was listening to a program, a history of Sherburne County , when several of the battles between Native American groups were mentioned.   It occurred to me that more places in Sherburne County ought to be named after the many Native American battles that took place in the county. According to the lecture, and with a bit of research, I learned that because there are several rivers joining the Mississippi River in Sherburne County , the area became a valuable territory for trade among Native American groups.   And the Dakota and Ojibway groups continuously fought over control of this land. According to Herb Murphy’s book Historical Sketches from Baldwin Township and the Surrounding Area , as early as 1750 at the Battle of Kathio, Dakota and Ojibway men fought over control of the territory around the confluence of the Rum River and the Mississippi .   Before the battle, the Ojibway had managed to bargain with white traders and acquired more rifles tha...

from Clear Water Times 1920 October means World Series Baseball, and this year with the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs, the game take a special importance throughout the state.   However, baseball has a long tradition beyond the professional level that has flourished in the late 1900s.   In Sherburne County , the game hearkens back more than 100 years as the sport of choice for so many young men.   The memories about baseball abound throughout the small communities of Minnesota .   Sherburne County is no exception. Archie Larson, from Orrock, remembers, in the book Boondocks Baseball , back to the time of semipro teams throughout the area.   “Back in the summer of 1917 a couple of us players from Orrock were asked to come and play for Glendorado.   If we won, we’d get $5, if we lost we’d get nothing,” he said.   “We got in trouble and were losing as we went into the ninth inning.   Then our luck changed and we managed to go ahead and we w...