Sherburne History Center Blog

World War dominated the headlines a century ago.  In reviewing the news pages of January 1, 1918, comes the realization some things never change.  When the news coverage moves away from the death and destruction of world war, the economy and discussion of taxes takes up space in the newspapers.  Column from the Star News  reminding  county residents to pay their taxes The third headline seems most interesting: Heavy Penalty For Failure  In surveying the pages of the Sherburne County Star News for the first week in 1918, it comes as no surprise the war is a dominant topic of reporting.  Yet, the newspaper’s inside pages provide interesting commentary.  In addition to the war, the Star News reminded its readers to pay their income tax “before March 1, 1918.”  In the five years since the passage of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, collecting income tax remained a new concept.  Yet, with the war continuing in Europe, p...

  As we celebrate Christmas 2017, we wanted to take a moment and share a small portion of the collection of Christmas cards from the Archives of the Sherburne History Center.   These all date from around 1910.   We hope you enjoy these and also have a safe and Merry Christmas.

The 1920s proved a challenging decade for Sherburne County.   The period seemed particularly tough in the community of Clear Lake.   Coupling crime and economic challenges presented significant difficulties.   The tenacity of business owners and residents kept the village moving forward.   Examples, such as the history of Frank Hankemeyer and his general merchandise store reveal the resolve of character in the local residents.   Despite the challenges of the decade, the persistence of men and women like Frank Hankemeyer reinforce the character of the community.   T he county newspaper, the Sherburne County Star News, suggest the 1920s a crime riddled era for Clear Lake. The news regularly reported businesses burglarized and hold-ups in the small town.   Thieves burglarized the local creamery.   In broad daylight, bandits robbed Joseph LeBlanc’s general store at gun point.   The newspaper regularly reported thefts of livestock and burg...

Advertisement for beer sales, published in the Sherburne County Star News , April 13, 1933 Prohibition officially ended April 1933.  Sherburne County officially ended prohibition April 6, 1933.  City Councils adopted ordinances allowing for the sale of beer and other spirits.  Although the local newspaper reported excitement, the availability of alcohol was not immediate.  And after the arrival of the newly distilled spirits, the paper reported a level of disappointment.  The legislation allowing the sale easily passed.  The challenge came in finding brewers and distributors to provide the previously prohibited drink.  Locating a palatable drink to distribute also presented a challenge.  With the end of national prohibition in 1933, the Sherburne County Star News recalled Elk River as dry in 1915, four years before the national movement.  All of Sherburne County voted dry by 1916.  Yet, with the end of prohibition in 1933, the ...

Front Page Headline from Sherburne County Star News , October 1933 Farm prices and foreclosures in 1932 generated a radical reaction by farmers in Sherburne and Anoka Counties that revealed a unique effort at organizing the Minnesota farm industry into a unified organization.   After nearly a decade of falling produce prices and rising foreclosures, nationally, farmers organized what became known as the National Farmers Holiday Association.   More commonly known as the Holiday Movement, the group advocated for sympathetic refinancing on farm debt and it suggested the federal government guarantee farmers a minimum income to cover production costs. The Holiday Movement, originally organized in Iowa, made itself known in Sherburne county in October 1932.   Farmers and sympathizers tried negotiating with the state legislature for relief in the midst of the Economic Depression with no results.   In the second week of October farmers set out pickets to prevent t...

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...

The cease fire to end World War One came on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.  When news arrived in Sherburne County, celebrations started early in the morning and continued throughout the day. A.E.F. troops in France, 1918 “The Union church bell began clanging out the good tidings to the sleeping public” the Sherburne County Star News reported.  “Soon the school bell joined in.  A freight engineer went through town with his whistle blowing drum beats.”  The paper went on to report the community anticipated the news.  “Without any further information Elk River knew that Germany had surrendered.”    With the news, a spontaneous celebration involved the entire city of Elk River.  A spontaneous parade developed, taking over the main streets throughout the city.  Businessmen closed their shops and joined the celebration.  “Old and young were included in the ranks of the paraders,” the newspap...