Sherburne History Center Blog

With the arrival of autumn, it seemed appropriate to turn our attention to school and education.  We found two photos of schools for Sherburne History we wanted to share.  the top photo is the meadow vale schoolhouse dated around 1885.  The second photo is a more recent building of learning, Elk River school around 1900.  Both can be found in the collections at the Sherburne History Center.

Although not found in Sherburne County, this photograph illustrates the equipment needed to create moonshine. A news report in the pages of the Sherburne County Star News provides entertainment and also highlights the challenges police faced enforcing the 1920s prohibition laws. The Sherburne County Star News reported in February 1929 of a burglary at the county jail.  “It is not often that anyone cares to break into jail,” the paper wrote.  The cause of the “jail break-in” began several days earlier.  Saturday night, February 9, 1929, Sherburne County police arrested an unidentified bootlegger.  Police caught the man transporting 120 quart bottles of whiskey from Fargo, North Dakota to Minneapolis.  After a weekend in jail, the man pled guilty to bootlegging.  He paid the $240 fine and left the county.  The whiskey remained in the county jail waiting disposal.  Tuesday night, 12 February, an unknown thief broke into the ja...

Airplanes, literally and figuratively, soared through Sherburne County in the 1920s.  The magical technology of flight sparked the imaginations of more and more Sherburne county residents as the decade proceeded.   In 1928, the fascination with airplanes culminated at the Christmas celebration in Elk River.  A group of young ladies admire 1920s aircraft  in Orrock Township  Beginning with the post war period, Sherburne County held a fascination with airplanes.  As early as October 1919, the Sherburne County Star News reported on deliveries to Elk River merchants via air transport.  Interest grew until August 1927, a race and good will tour passed over Elk River.  At that event, letters addressed to Elk River Mayor Beck dropped from planes, requesting city leaders place signage on the highest building in town.  During the race pilots used the signage as a navigation tool.  Still later in the year, an aerial circus perfor...

With the reported end of Minnesota measles outbreaks; and school beginning (where most children receive inoculations) I think of the multitude of epidemics and diseases that have plagued Sherburne County. Tuberculosis, although generally not associated with epidemic disease; in the early 1900s the “white plague” caused significant worry in households throughout the United States.  Sherburne County suffered a share of panic and death from the disease.  An example of the concern and worry about the disease appeared in the local newspapers in December of 1928.  In 1928 a vaccine for tuberculosis remained in experimental stages.  The American Lung Association carried out a fundraising campaign to cover research costs and patient treatment.  Part of the campaign included selling Christmas Seals in communities throughout the United States.  Locally, to promote the campaign and sell the Christmas seals, the Sherburne County Star News personalized the dis...