Sherburne History Center Blog

As we explore the traditions and customs evident in the Christmas season an interesting question arises: how did Santa Claus carry on with the business of giving out toys during a crisis?  In the archives of the Sherburne History Center, we found evidence to suggest that although Santa Claus maintains a high level of diligence, his creativity and thoughtful nature allows him to achieve his tasks, still in one night!  A letter found in the archives of the Sherburne History Center further explains Santa’s workload.  Addressed to the Nelson sisters in Zimmerman, Minn, the letter, written during World War Two.  Although it is dated: “Not many days before Christmas.” With his busy schedule, Mrs. Santa Claus takes on the job of replying to Christmas letters.  “Santa works until nearly morning these nights and so he has me do all his writing for him,” she explained.  She went on to note that “he will have to use reindeers this year because of gas-rationing.”...

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of several celebratory feasts.   The turkey day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day call for some type of feast and celebration. With the end of the Thanksgiving feast, I paused to wonder about the food I had just devoured.   Specifically, why turkey?   After a brief search, I discovered a variety of meats served during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.   Each of the centerpieces, whether they be turkey, goose, or pork; held a significant meaning to traditional diners.   In the United States most holiday revelers held Turkey as the primary dish of a festive meal.   Whether at Christmas or Thanksgiving, the bird of choice remained the gobbler.   The wild turkey must be hunted and killed.   And so, early feasts celebrated the holiday and the hunting skills of family members.   As you move into the twentieth century, turkeys became domestic farm animals and more easily attainable.   Goose and pork, on th...

  Union Church Bell currently housed at the  Sherburne History Center As we explore communication devices in Sherburne County, attention to the telephone and the telegraph remain important considerations.   Yet, before the telephone and telegraph, the county needed some technology to sound fire alarms and arouse the citizenry in the middle of the night.   Every small community wrestled with the question of how to sound an alarm.   Some communities used steam whistles from factories.   Others used the ever-present church bell. The leaders of Big Lake chose to utilize local church bells.   An example of the church bell warning system remains in the collections of the Sherburne History Center.   The church bell from the Union Church served for many years as part of the warning system for Big lake.   Some residents remember, “you could hear that bell for miles.”   With every fire, or other catastrophe, the Union Church bell rang out. Ins...

  With the end of the 2020 elections, an interesting letter in the archival collections of the Sherburne History Center warrants some discussion. As background information, the 19 th amendment granting women the right to vote in national elections passed in August 1920.   Prior to the approval of the 19 th Amendment, in Minnesota, women voted in some local elections.   Of particular interest, women voted in elections concerning local school boards.   This makes sense when we realize a responsibility of all women concerned the education of children.   This belief extends back into the 1800s. In a letter sent to concerned citizens of Clear Lake, Sherburne County, Assistant Attorney General Montreville J. Brown reaffirmed the right of women to vote in local school board issues.   His only caveat to this voting right being that women must be residents of the district in question and “they are of the age twenty-one years and upward and possess the qualific...

  As a follow-up to the recent report documenting the development of telephone technology in Sherburne County, a collection of documents highlighting the day-to-day operations of the telephone companies came to light.   The by-laws and expectations of users of the telephone company provide interesting insight.   The rules and bylaws from the Meadowvale Rural Telephone Company, and the Haven Rural Telephone Company provide details of construction as well as telephone etiquette for the 1910s and 1920s.   these documents provide some enlightening insight into early Sherburne County. The Meadowvale Rural Telephone Company organized in 1905 with a strict set of bylaws and rules of etiquette.   Article 2 of the bylaws set down strict penalties for failure to follow the rules of the company: “Should any members of this company neglect to keep their phone in order or willfully disobey the rules or bylaws or do anything to hinder the harmonious working of such lines, t...

  A new exhibit on the Sherburne History Center web page explores postcards and their popularity as a means of communication.   An equally interesting development in Sherburne County history is the adoption and use of the telephone.   Beginning in the early 1890s and continuing through the 1920s several small telephone companies organized in Sherburne County to offer this unique method of communication.   Delving into the early history of companies such as the Meadowvale Rural Telephone Company and the Haven Telephone Company, and the efforts of anonymous companies in Elk River provide an interesting appreciation of a rising telephone technology in the county.   Drawing of candlestick style telephone common in 1900 As early as 1893, the opportunity to reach out to friends in distant communities arrived in Elk River.   The Elk River Star News reported a telephone company installed a “hello line” at the Merchant Hotel.   A telephone at the hotel allowe...

  Labor shortages, in World War Two the phrase commonly referred to necessary work in the factories and armament industry.   Often associated with Rosie the Riveter, the phrase suggested a shortage of workers to man the factories and build necessary war machines.   Yet, the phrase carried a tragic and not often considered meaning in Sherburne County.   Although the federal government exempted most farm workers from the draft and created programs to provide more farm workers, the area around Sherburne County witnessed a severe shortage of labor during the war years of 1943 to 1945.   These labor shortages in farming caused more than a few farm failures and forced auctions.             With the opening months of 1943, a new phase of the war developed.   The conclusion of the North Africa campaign signaled success for allied troops.   Plans for invasion of Italy continued.   And the offensive a...

  A few weeks ago, I wrote of artists from Minnesota.   I failed to mention perhaps the most significant artist in Minnesota history: Charles Monroe Schulz, (1922-2000).   A master illustrator and creator of the widely read and enjoyed comic strip of all time: Peanuts .   Schulz, born in Minneapolis, lived in the twin cities for nearly forty years.   The exceptions to this, was during his service in World War Two and a brief time spent in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ripley’s Believe it or Not published his first original illustration.   A 1937 drawing featuring the family dog, a hunting dog that ate unusual household items such as pins and tacks.   This illustration he signed as “Sparky” a family nickname for the young Schulz. Seventy years ago, October 2, 1950, seven newspapers published the first Peanuts comic strip.   The syndicated comic grew to the point 2600 newspapers in 75 countries carried the daily antics of the Peanuts gang.   ...

  Minnesota Artist Anton Gag (1859-1908), self portrait This past week, at the Sherburne History Center, the annual Sherburne Area Visual Arts Showcase exhibited work from several local artists.   With art history playing around in my mind, I wanted to take a moment and give mention to a couple of Minnesota visual artists.   I want to acknowledge there is a force within the state that inspires painters, illustrators, photographers, and other visual artists.   Here are four artists born or lived in Minnesota and played a significant impact on the national art world. Sarah Louise Judd (1802-1881) born in Farmington, Connecticut.   She came to Stillwater, Minnesota in 1845 as an educator.   She also produced daguerreotypes and later, other portrait images.   She is regarded as the first photographer in the state of Minnesota. Perhaps the best known of all Minnesota visual artists, Wanda Gag (1893-1946) trained under the tutelage of her father, artist ...

  WAAC recruitment poster, 1943 During World War Two, young men receive a significant amount of attention in joining the service or being drafted to serve.   Rightly, we need to recognize their service to the country.   Yet, many young women also served in the military.   Their service also warrants recognition. There were a few opportunities for young women to serve the country during the war.   The government called upon women flyers to ferry aircraft to Britain that had been manufactured in the United States.   Nurses served an equally important role in the military.   And a multitude of administrative duties put the efforts of women enlistees to the task. The first of the women branches of service, other than nurses, organized as the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.   Beginning in 1942, the Army recruited 150,000 women to serve in administrative duties and still later as mechanics stationed around the United States.   In February 1943, C...

  With the coming holiday weekend, we need to stretch outside of Sherburne County History to explore the origins of Labor Day.   Beginning in the late 1800s and continuing to the declaration of a national holiday, the day to celebrate workers remains important.   Quarry workers in west Sherburne County The commemoration of labor and working often associated with May 1, May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day.   In the United States, in the late 1880s, May Day became more closely associated with radical philosophies often associated with socialism, anarchy, and communism.   A variety of more conservative labor unions and activists started promoting the first weekend in September as an alternative; a new Labor Day.   The Haymarket Massacre, on 4 May 1886, further solidified May Day as a celebration of radicalism.   In 1887, Oregon became the first state to recognize the Labor Day holiday in September.   Within 7 years, thirty stat...

  Newsletter advocating for reactor in Elk River, 1955 A truly unique anniversary passed this week, 57 years ago, on August 24, 1963.   On that date , the Elk River atomic reactor generated the first nuclear power in Minnesota.   After eight years of campaigning and planning, the Elk River nuclear plant opened for business.   Unfortunately, the plant operated for only a brief time.   Yet, it served as a highly informative experiment in nuclear plant operations.   Only ten years after nuclear power proved its strength, the Rural Cooperative Power Association of Elk River developed a campaign to introduce nuclear energy into the upper Midwest.   According to a proposal submitted to the Atomic Energy Commission in June 1955, a nuclear plant in Elk River could reduce electricity production costs by fifty percent in five years.   The Atomic Energy Commission looked favorably on the Elk River proposal.   In 1958, they granted approval to the p...

Recent discussions of early settlement presented an individual to consider as a pioneer serving a significant, yet unheralded, role in the settlement of Sherburne County.   We need to look at the life and times of Joseph F. Bean of Livonia Township.   Joseph Bean spent his childhood and early days in New Hampshire.   He made his way to Sherburne County, stopping first in Wisconsin before landing in Elk River.   Finally, in 1856, he and his new bride, Betsy, settled in an area of Livonia Township. The Bean homestead located on the stagecoach road between Elk River and Princeton.   In addition to farming, Bean also provided rest to travelers along the road.   He also served the role of Postmaster, the mail for area farmers being delivered by stage and later by the early morning trains.   In addition, both Bean and his wife Betsy emphasized education.   Both worked as teachers before settling in Livonia Township.   Evidence suggests the Bean...

  The anniversary of the atomic bombing of Japan arrived this week. It seems an appropriate time to recognize the impact of the war on Sherburne County. Unfortunately, and tragically, World War Two impacted everyone. Whether through rationing or military service, or a multitude of other means, every individual in Sherburne County, between 1940 and 1945, felt the war.    An oral history collected from Edmund Babcock makes an interesting point of this: “When my high school class had its fiftieth reunion, we invited every class member to get up and take the microphone and tell a little bit about what had happened in their life since graduation from high school. We invited a dear lady who was one of those teachers that everybody in the class knew and liked. She was getting to be an elderly person at that point. Her daughter, who happened to be a medical docto r, drove her out from Minneapolis and stayed with her through the whole evening. We had a reception the ne...

Fishing holds a rich and extended history in Sherburne County.   The first resort in the county, Brown’s Hotel, in 1855 advertised Big Lake as a premier fishing spot. In the last 165 years, fishing remains an important sport and pastime in the county.   Stories abound of landing that great catch, that trophy fish.   Yet, a detail of the sport, not often discussed, concerns the creation of that most personal of items, the fishing outfit.    Walter Gohman, in his memoirs, writes of the fishing kit he devised with hard work and a little creativity.   “I made a fishing outfit by selecting a very special willow pole,” he wrote.   “I skinned the bark from this pole and treated it with oil.   I found a wooden fish line spool and fastened this the side of the pole.   I made a crank handle with a bolt and used screw eyes to guide the line.”   Gohman went on to swear by the effectiveness of his outfit.   “We caught many fish of all ...

With the current discussions of disease and quarantine, the condition of schools and student attendance, I am encouraged to look back in the history of Sherburne County and explore the development of schools in the area.   It quickly becomes obvious; education played an important role in early Sherburne County.   Elk River school, circa 1900   As early as 1869, Elk River witnessed construction of a brick school, with multiple classrooms.   This was not simply the one-room schoolhouse similar to those scattered around the county.   This was a true school with several teachers and separate classes for students based on grade level.   In 1876, the County Commission set aside specific township sections to benefit education in Sherburne County. The idea originates with federal law, mandating sections of land be set aside for education, the actions of the commission, however, reinforce the importance of teaching county children. In 1883, e...

A recent photograph published on the internet, generated a variety of questions regarding the location and history of Meadow Vale.   We will make an effort to provide more details about life in the area known as Meadow Vale, possibly fill in some details about the community   Meadow Vale was originally a farming community located in the north west corner of Elk River township.   For individuals looking at a map, consider section 6 of township 33, range 26, with some overlap into section 31, township 34, range 26.   Meadow Vale Schoolhouse Perhaps the most common photograph associated with the community continues to be the image of District 28 schoolhouse (references vary, some research refers to the school as District 18).   The school, along with the nearby church, served as the community centers for Meadow Vale.   Still later, the local Grange Hall also acted as a community gathering place.    Memories of the community, written...

Orrock Creamery circa 1900 Notice the multitude of milk cans in each wagon,  waiting to do business with the Creamery With the closing of June as National Dairy Month, it seemed appropriate to recognize the importance of the dairy industry and the creameries to Sherburne County.   For decades in the late 1800s and early 1900s, farmers recognized Central Minnesota as a significant producer of dairy.   As late as the 1980s, the region was recognized as the “golden buckle of the dairy belt.”   In the middle of this region, Sherburne County creameries offered quality milk, butter and cheese.   The multitude of milk producers and their distributors in Sherburne County need to be recognized for their impact on the local economy and history.   From the Elk River Creamery, and its related Twin Cities Milk Producers Association, to the Orrock Creamery and Becker Creamery, they all served a significant role in the agriculture history of the county. Ad...

Meeting in the basement of the Big Lake Municipal Liquor Store, September 3, 1941, a group of men and women living in Sherburne County came together and organized the Sherburne County Conservation Club.   For the next forty-one years they met to develop and discuss plans for very necessary projects, to aid conservation in Sherburne County.   Because of drought, over-farming and several natural disasters, land in Sherburne County in the 1930s rapidly deteriorated.   Zimmerman was known as the poison ivy capitol of the world.   Sandstorms were so common, “there were days when Highway 10 was closed,” club member Art Nelson remembered.   An early project for the club called for tree plantings to develop wind breaks and stop the soil erosion.   Over the years, the club estimates millions of trees were planted in Sherburne County as part of the Conservation Club program.  Construction of a cement dam on Mud Lake, circa 1955, by the Sherbu...

Recent research at the Sherburne History Center disclosed a copy of memoirs, describing the work of early settlement on farmland in the county. Written by Vernon Bailey, it provides interesting insight in the multitude of tasks needed to ready a farmstead for occupation.  Between other work during the winter, Father and Charles cut and hewed the logs and timber for the new house, hauled them together in the snow.   When spring came, the foundations of the house were laid, the walls were rapidly built up of great logs, fitted tight together and hewed smooth on the inner surface.   The roof was framed of dry tamarack rafters, wide roof boards, and good pine shingles.   A cellar for vegetables was dug under the house after the roof was on but later an outside bank cellar was constructed in the side hill at one corner of the house where milk and meat and vegetables and fruit could be kept cool in the summer and from freezing in winter.   When the house neare...