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.
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| Grace Craig circa 1940 |
Born
in 1865 in the family homestead in Orrock Township, Grace Craig lived with her
parents, two sisters and a brother.
According to a brief biography, Grace Craig lived at the homestead for
her entire life. To a certain degree her
education developed through her own initiative.
As a teenager, the biography maintains, she obtained the skills for Sunday
School teaching through a correspondence course. While teaching, for fifty-eight years, at two
Sunday Schools around Orrock and Snake River, she also upheld the responsibilities
as local superintendent. 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.
Throughout
most of her life, transportation for Grace Craig consisted of walking. In the last few years she owned a horse, Tom,
to pull her small buggy around the area.
Her care for Tom reveals so much of the compassion she held for all of
God’s creatures. One Christmas event
tells of her receiving a wonderful gift basket of fine food and treats. She took the basket to the local merchants and
exchanged the items for grain for Tom. The
day before her death, Grace dictated her final will. 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.
Born
when the settlement of Orrock Township remained in its infancy, Grace Craig
lived for eighty-two years. 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. Kicking off Women’s History
month with a true pioneer seems appropriate.
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