Sherburne History Center Blog

Okay, I stand corrected!  Last week I wrote that snow in April seemed odd.  Well, it turns out that snow in April in Minnesota is not so odd.  In just recent history, we have had some substantial snow fall in the fourth month of the year: According to the Star Tribune newspaper, on April 15, 1983 the Twin Cities experienced 13.6 inches of new snow.  So that you can appreciate the great differences in the weather around the area, the Elk River Star News reported the snow fall was only 2 inches in Sherburne County from that storm. Slightly more than one year later, the frozen precipitation was even more dramatic in its differences.  On April 30, 1984 the Star Tribune reported "almost 10 inches" of fresh snow.  The Elk River newspaper noted the limited precipitation, nothing frozen, in Sherburne County. Well, the forecasters are predicting wet, heavy snow for tonight.  They are predicting maybe two or three inches.  The date is April 19, 2011...

As you all probably have surmised, I am absolutely fascinated by the impact of weather on the community.   The blizzards, the tornadoes, the floods, and rain all generate interest and curiosity.   I have to wonder: how do all of these natural occurrences influence the character and history of Sherburne County ? Well, the date is 14 April 2011 and the weathermen are predicting snow for this coming weekend.   Nothing that will really stay around, but the snow storm will still be an inconvenience. Looking back, I already know that snow is not unusual in Minnesota in April.   Going back more than a century, it seems snow is routine.   The Sherburne County Times in 1898 reported snow in the first week of April.   The fact that it snowed was not really news.   However, “two colts belonging to Jo and Will Clitty strayed in the snowstorm … and wandered into the yard of a Clear Lake farmer.”   When the farmer returned the colts he also presented the C...

1898 --War was the dominant topic of discussion in the newspaper pages of Sherburne County in the first week of April 1898.   Nearly three weeks after the sinking of the U. S. S. Maine in the harbor in Havana , Cuba , men are rushing to volunteer to fight the Spanish and free Cuba from the imperialists of Spain . In Sherburne County the sentiment is no different.   The Sherburne County Star News reported that men were anxious to enlist in the United States Army.   The Star News reported that twenty-nine veterans of the Civil War, members of the local G. A. R., offered their services to Governor David Clough as a unit ready to fight Spain .   It is not known if the Governor took these men up on their offer.   However, more than 220,000 volunteered for immediate service in April and May of 1898.   In the ten months of the war, more than 300,000 men served in the United States Army against Spain .

With the planning of the upcoming Wine and Beer Tasting sponsored by the Sherburne County Historical Society and the Carousell Works, I have taken on the task of re-educating myself about beer. We all understand that all beers do not taste the same, at least not until the sixth one.   But there are a number of interesting facts and details that have come to my attention in the past few weeks. Did you realize that beer often symbolizes masculinity?   According to a little known newsletter, the Woodhouse Symbolism Newsletter , beer has long been viewed as the drink of the common man.   And, only in recent centuries has wine been the drink of the gods.   Before wine, the gods preferred a fine draft ale. Did you also realize that aluminum cans are actually better for beer than bottles?   According to a Del Vance, a beer expert in Salt Lake City , Utah , the myth of metal cans ruining the taste of beer is just that, a myth.   With the end of steel beer cans ...

“… land is the only thing in the world worth workin’ for, worth fightin’ for, worth dyin’ for, because it’s the only thing that lasts. ”---Gerald O’Hara in Gone With the Wind Having lived and worked in Atlanta , Georgia for more than 15 years, it is expected that I would know the story Gone With the Wind very well.   Recently the quote from Gerald O’Hara came into my mind as I was thinking about the Sherburne County century Farm Program The land, and ownership of the land, is so important.   I have written in the past about the variety of crops grown on the farms of Sherburne County .   Living on the land and growing the corn, the soybeans, the potatoes and all of the other crops that are raised in this area is truly a mind boggling concept. To even further confound the mind, think about the farm families that have lived on the same piece of land, and worked the land for more than one hundred years.   That is even more astounding! We don’t do enough to ackno...

These are tough economic times.   The legislature struggles to close a 6 billion dollar deficit, job market continues to look dreary, gas prices continue to rise; and to make matters worse it is cold outside!   Yet, in spite of all of this, we can take a look at some of the details of the past few years and count some victories. In the local history field, perhaps a significant success over the past two years has been the implementation of the Legacy Grants, which are officially known as the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.   In 2010 legacy grants were issue to 343 organizations throughout Minnesota .   In a report issued to the legislature by the Minnesota Historical Society, the estimates suggest that for every dollar spent through the Minnesota ACF, the return on investment was $1.95.   That means Minnesotans almost doubled their money on every dollar spent on cultural heritage in the state! The Sherburne History Center has been a benefici...

I was recently reminded back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was first running for the Presidency; the news reported a large sign in his campaign offices read: “It’s The Economy.”   Now, nearly twenty years later, the economy is still a big issue.   And, after reading 1936 copies of the Elk River Star News it becomes apparent that the economy is always in the news and always an important issue to consider in our local history. Back in January of 1936, a major headline in the newspaper reported that the federal government was preparing to pay World War I veterans a bonus for their service.   It was estimated in the paper, although probably too high, that some 300 veterans in Sherburne County would receive $180,000, about $600 each.   All of this came available as a result of the World War Adjustment Compensation Act of 1924.   Under that legislation, the federal government issued bonds to veterans that could be redeemed in 1945.   With the crisis of the Grea...