Sherburne History Center Blog

  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...

  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...

The 1915 Bank of Elk River Building located on Jackson Street.  Although not visible, a side entrance to  the bank led to the basement lounge for farm families and ladies Recent efforts to map the Elk River business district provided some interesting results, not the least of these is the development of a ladies’ lounge in the Bank of Elk River basement.   Researching the lounge, shows the businessmen of Elk River very attuned to early 1900s marketing and customer service ideas.   Their efforts to recruit entire families shows an appreciation for a close-knit community. Fire destroyed the business district of Elk River in April 1915.   The Bank of Elk River immediately developed plans for a new bank building. With the new construction on Jackson Street, the bank also introduced the idea of providing a “rest room for farmers wives and families.”   The idea being to provide “a place for farmers wives and families a place to rest and visit with one a...