Sherburne History Center Blog

  In reviewing the history of Sherburne County, significant attention is given to the agriculture industry, or to transportation, specifically the railroads. An area of the economy in Sherburne County that receives very little attention, an area that warrants greater attention, is the hospitality industry. From the beginning of the county to today, hotels and hospitality played a significant role in the county.   Starting with Brown’s Hotel in Big Lake and continuing with the Riverside House and the Blanchett Hotel in Elk River.   Also, we need to note the inn at Bailey Station in the 1870s.   All of these establishments played a significant role in the economic history of Sherburne County.               Brown’s Hotel in Big Lake marks the beginning of hospitality industry.   Before the county was created, Joseph Brown advertised in the Sauk Rapids newspaper, promoting Big Lake as a stopping off point...

  While researching a general topic of education in Sherburne County, a greater understanding of the architecture of schoolhouses emerged.   By this I suggest that searching for details of the large, brick, near-monumental schools in Sherburne County reveals an interesting pattern.   The best known of the large schools in Sherburne County resides in Elk River.   In 1883, fire destroyed the Elk River school.   A fire resistant, brick building replaced the destroyed structure.   A two-story edifice, a school for all grades opened its doors.   This building is the first of the large, semi-permanent edifices that pre-dates education reform and expands the possibilities for education in Sherburne County.   First brick schoolhouse in Elk River pre-1900 The first graduating class of this new Elk River school matriculated in 1888.   Eleven years later, in 1899 the state of Minnesota advanced education in Sherburne County.   That year, the Sc...

  Recently, it occurred to me, this blog heaped a great deal of attention on athletics in Elk River.   Unfortunately, the attention focused on men’s sports, specifically football and basketball.   It is time to shift the focus and give attention to women in sports in Sherburne County. Elk River Women's team, 1921 As early as 1921, several schools in and around Elk River offered Women’s Basketball to the female students.   Based upon the writing in the Elk River yearbook the women of Elk River presented a relatively new sport to the student body. The description of the Elk River team noted “inexperienced” players for the team.   In addition, the yearbooks writers reported “a lack of a suitable place in which to practice.”   In spite of these shortcomings, the Elk River team posted a 2 and 3 record, facing Anoka, Princeton, Buffalo, and Monticello.   The women of Elk River continued to build on their experience.   Women’s Basketball became a reg...

  During Women’s History Month we recognized several women impacting community and culture in Sherburne County.   We also need to note at least one of the many community organizations, led by women, that worked to impact and improve life in Sherburne County.   The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (the WCTU) remains one of the more important of these groups. 1911 Star News headline reporting vote results on alcohol sales.  Nationally the WCTU organized in 1874 urging abstinence from alcohol.   Beginning in 1878, under the leadership of Francis Willard, the group also advocated for prison reform, labor laws, and suffrage.   Many regarded the group as one of the largest and most influential of reform societies in the United States during the 1800s. In Sherburne County, the WCTU organized late.   In 1895, the Elk River Star News reported meetings at the Elk River Methodist Church.   Not until 1910 did the WCTU formally organize in Becker.  ...

  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...

  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...

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...

The lyrics from a Perry Como Christmas song keep running through my head, “Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.”   My thoughts turn to schools in Sherburne County; the large consolidated schools such as Handke School in Elk River; and the many small, one-roomed school houses in the county.   Although the larger communities of Elk River and Big Lake offered large well-established schools.   The majority of students in early Sherburne County attended one-roomed school houses.   Until the 1960s, one-roomed schools served an important role in education in Sherburne County.   In fact, from 1854 to 1969, more than 50 one-roomed schools taught children in Sherburne County.   Many of these schools educated 25 students each year, grades one through eight.   How they operated and functioned is a story better told in volumes.   Some of the memories, however, are worth recording here.   Haven Township school circa 1905 Many of...

The first snow of each year generates discussion about the multitude of blizzards and snowstorms in Minnesota History.   We have the Armistice Day blizzard in 1940, the Easter blizzard in 1968, the Halloween blizzard of 1991.   And now we have the Super Bowl blizzard on 1975.   The wet snow of January contributed to the challenges of the Supper Bowl blizzard of 1975 Beginning January 9, and continuing for three days, rain, then freezing rain, then snow blanketed Minnesota.   Minnesota football fans christened the storm the Super Bowl Blizzard.   As the three-day deluge began to subside the Minnesota Vikings faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl IX.   Locally, the Vikings loss went unmentioned as local reporters documented the snow storm.   Elk River reported a total of 13 inches of snow and wind up to 40 miles an hour after the three-day storm.   “The first indications of real trouble came when heavy sleet and ice ...

Young men, most likely from the NYA, taking a break  from working on the Handke Stadium, a joint NYC and WPA project in Elk River Recent blog posts regarding Depression era programs in Sherburne County suggest a number of county residents received federal assistance.   Further reading the pages of the county newspaper, the Sherburne County Star News , shows the county nearly dependent on federal programs for survival.   Several articles in the newspapers report the Sherburne County farming community received significant support from Franklin Roosevelt’s economic programs.   In 1940 and 1941 nearly 90 percent of the farms in Sherburne County received benefits from the Agriculture Adjustment Administration.   In 1941, 1630 farms in Sherburne County, out of a total of 1822 farms, received some payments from the AAA programs.   In addition to farm aid, depression era programs included the construction around Handke Stadium.   The Works Progre...

The development of Sherburne County and the political divisions are common questions.  When were specific townships created?  How was the county originally divided?  The Minnesota Territorial Legislature created Sherburne County from the southern lands of Benton County in 1856.  This legislation designated Humboldt (later renamed Big Lake) as the county seat.  Special elections chose Elijah Cutter, John Stevenson, and Ephraim Nickerson the first County Commissioners.  The newly created county was divided into three assessment districts.  The county Commissioner, two years later, created the original five townships of Sherburne County.  On September 13, 1858, Baldwin, Big Lake, Clear Lake, Elk River, and Briggs Townships came into being.  Briggs Township was later renamed Palmer.  Although this map is dated 1874, a significant error on this township map is the omission of Blue Hill, created in 1868 yet not designated on this she...

Ice harvesting developed into a significant industry in early Sherburne County.  Particularly around the City of Big Lake, ice earned a national reputation for purity and quality.  The seasonal work also established itself as a significant part of the local economy.  The lucrative process of harvesting the ice also proved tricky and dangerous. Ice Cutters and the Big Lake Ice Company warehouse  circa 1910 News reports in the 1920s and 1930s suggested a significant contribution to the local economy.  The Sherburne County Star New s in 1925 quoted Justus DeBooy, the president of the Big Lake Ice Company.  He estimated harvesting the ice led to the employment of nearly 150 men on a seasonal basis.  He went on to suggest nearly 55,000 tons of ice would be harvested from Big lake alone.  The company warehoused 35,000 tons, while the Northern Pacific Railway company hauled away 20,000 tons for its own use.    The technique to harv...

During World War One, the United States first recognized gold star families, families who lost a member during war time.  In Sherburne County, the only gold star family in the area of Big Lake came with the death of Arthur Embretson in 1918.  Serving aboard the U.S.S. Cyclops, Embretson was one of 306 sailors lost when the ship sank in March 1918.  Because of failed radio transmissions, the exact location of the ship was lost for many years.  The ship could have been captured or sunk as it sailed along the North Carolina coast.  The exact cause of the sinking remained inconclusive, although maritime experts believe the Cyclops had been overloaded and storms in the Atlantic Ocean caused the ship to founder or break apart.  The sinking of the Cyclops remains the single largest loss of life aboard a United states naval ship not directly involved in combat.     Before he enlisted in the navy in 1917, Arthur Bernard Embretson left a small mark...

Arson often caused a shivering chill of fear to many early Sherburne County residents.  A simple fire could devastate a family.  A fire intentionally set generated fear in an entire community.  Big Lake, in 1925, experienced such a fear.  In September and October at least nine fires burned eleven homes around Big Lake and Lake Mitchell.  Police and community members “staked out” neighborhoods around the two lakes.  On October 8, 1925, after a chase from Big Lake into Wright County and the Silver Creek community police captured a suspect. During the chase police shot at the fleeing vehicle.  The suspect suffered bullet wounds in the shoulder, this wound caused him to lose control of his automobile.  Police found the wrecked vehicle and the wounded suspect.  After his arraignment in Elk River court, the suspect was transferred to the St. Cloud hospital.  The newspapers identified a local veterinarian being in police custody and charge...

Congratulations to the congregation of Saron Lutheran Church in Big Lake.  125 years ago a group came together and organized a church community.  Since then they have gathered each week for community worship. And this year, 2017, they celebrate 125 years of gathering for community worship. The community first organized as a group of Swedish Lutherans living in an area known as the “Roman Settlement.”  Named after Axel Roman, one of the first settlers of the area north of Big Lake.  Officially founded on 25 January 1892, the congregation first met in area schoolhouses.  Through donations and sweat equity, a church was built.  Descriptions of the church wrote of arched windows, a tall steeple with a bell tower at its peak.  A small barn was built on the back of the church for the horses.  Willard Moey, in his history of Saron Lutheran Church 100 anniversary, wrote the congregation named the Church “Saron,” the Swedish spelling of “Sharon.”...

Becker’s claim to fame includes strawberries.  Big Lake gained fame for the purity of the ice.  Another truth handed down through time: Elk River’s claim to fame is the potato.  The Sherburne County Star News reported on March 28, 1912 “that Elk River has been famous as a great potato market.”  As proof a front page news article reported two men in an unnamed, yet famous, Minneapolis restaurant heard the demand for Elk River potatoes.  “The Elk River potato is known and called for as an especial relish of big Minneapolis restaurants,” the paper reported.  The paper went on to suggest that although some believed the men “had taken a wee bit too much of some sparkling fluid from bottles,” it was common knowledge around the Sherburne county town, “Elk River potatoes are famous and will be more so in a few years."        The Star News felt this claim to fame warranted some action by the county to adopt a specific type of spud to m...

An early example of the dedicated and adventurous settlers of Sherburne County is the namesake of Haven Township, John Ormsbee Haven.  A local public servant, John O. Haven established himself as an early leader in Sherburne County. Although his life history is sparse in detail, it is worth noting and acknowledging.    Born in Addison County, Vermont on October 3, 1824.  He graduated from Middlebury College and began teaching.  In 1854 he migrated to St. Paul, then to Wright County, Minnesota.  During his time in the county to the south, he surveyed both Monticello and Big Lake.  In 1866 he relocated north of the Mississippi River to Big Lake.  There he took up the many duties of public servant.  The next few years he served as: Sherburne County auditor, Register of Deeds, Surveyor, Superintendent of Schools, Clerk of the District Court, and County Commissioner.  In 1872, he also had time to represent Sherburne County in the State S...

John Putnam deserves sainthood.   Okay, that may be an overstatement, yet, here is a man that devoted his entire life to the development and improvement of Sherburne County.  His contributions to Sherburne County need to be recognized.  Born 10 November 1826, he moved to Big Lake, Sherburne County in 1855 where he lived until his death on 3 October 1899.   Putnam was one of the first settlers around Humboldt, the community known today as Big Lake.   In the forty four years he lived in Big Lake he held just about every possible elected office and public servant station in the county.  He was county clerk, Register of Deeds, County Auditor, first Clerk of the Court, Probate Judge, and County Commissioner.  He also served in a variety of offices in the City of Big Lake and for the local School District.  As a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, he was appointed Postmaster in 1861 and held the job almost continuously until 1898....

A couple of interesting news articles appeared in the Big Lake Wave  newspaper  in 1913 and 1914: November 28, 1913: "The Big Lake ice house now has a capacity of twenty thousand tons of ice, a large addition having been built." It was rumored that the ice on Big Lake was so pure, restaurants as far as the East Coast advertised this special ice for cubes in drinks. March 6, 1914: "The NP Road is shipping Big Lake ice to Pasto, Wash.  This speaks well for the water but how long will the lake stand the present drain?"