Sherburne History Center Blog

Although the United States did not enter World War Two until December 1941, the government instituted preparations for war as early as 1940.   The plans for war impacted Sherburne County as the army drafted a number of young men in the county.   The local newspaper, Sherburne County Star News reported the draft calls and also noted national efforts to get ready for war. 

Robert Wadlow strikes a pose with the Greupner brothers during his promotional stop in Elk River Business relies on publicity.   In 1939, Greupner Shoe Store carried this adage to an unusual end. Appearing to promote Peters Shoe Company, and the local distributor: Greupner Shoes, the tallest man in the world arrived in Elk River. Robert Wadlow, of Illinois, spent a day in August 1939, in Elk River.   He busied himself signing autographs and promoting the quality footwear of Peters’ Shoes.   Pointing out his own shoes, Wadlow noted the size as 37AA.   Using a cane and braces to move through the city, Wadlow struck a variety of poses beside individuals and automobiles to illustrate his great height.   On the day of his visit, the Sherburne County Star News measured him at 8 feet, 9 ½ inches.   A year later, at his death he was measured at 8 feet 11 inches.   During his visit to Elk River, his most memorable pose provided comparison to t...

“Make Your Own Mattress:” served as a program developed by the United States Department of Agriculture in the Fall 1940 to eliminate a cotton surplus from the South.   The USDA targeted Sherburne County as a potential location to benefit from the program.   Although small in economic impact, it provided some aid to local families. According to reports from Washington. D. C., an over-abundance of cotton hit the market in the fall of 1940.   The Agriculture Adjustment Administration, a depression era program to help farmers, created the “Make Your Own Mattress” program to reduce the cotton surplus. The preliminary plans reported by the Sherburne County Star News , noted an undisclosed warehouse will store cotton and “good grade ticking” so that individuals might sew their own mattresses.   The government developed the program for low income, rural families in Minnesota.   Income could not exceed $500 for a family of four and households received one mat...

demand for electricity in rural Sherburne County reached a fevered pitch in the last years of the 1930s.  Reading ads in the Sherburne County Star News reveals a rising demand for electricity in areas immediately around Elk River.  Although power did not reach every corner of Sherburne county until the 1950s, the pre-war period witnessed a rising demand. Advertising in the Sherburne County Star News in 1938, 39 and 1940.

History describes the draft in World War Two as an arbitrary, straight-forward, yet fair method of selecting young me to serve in the armed forces.   We all understand men between the ages of 21 and 45 registered for the draft.   Local draft boards would determine the fitness of each man and his ability to serve.   A man could be excused from service for several reasons: family and dependents or possibly essential occupations.   Yet rarely is the arbitrary nature of the draft explained.   Each man receives a number.   The numbers are drawn from a lottery in Washington, D.C.   But, how are these numbers assigned?   And, how does Washington determine the quota for each state?   Shortly after the creation of the draft process in 1940, the Sherburne County Star News explained the process to readers.   According to the newspaper, local draft board registered and examined between 6,000 and 6,500 men.   Based on the population o...

You have to read alot of verbiage, yet the advertising in the Sherburne County Star News (in 1940) documents some interesting changes in the county. Electricity reached out to the citizens of Sherburne County to the point they need to consider re-wiring their homes.  Meanwhile, the Bank of Elk River urges their customers to save a trip into the bank, and bank by mail.  "We'll give the same careful attention as if you came in person."  Reading the advertising from a different era reveals a variety of changes to modern life.

Today, June 29, we recognize National Camera Day.  A day to commemorate the camera, its invention, and the photographs and images cameras create.  For historians and history museums, the camera provides important evidence and resources that help document life in the past.  In honor of this momentous day, we provide images from the collections of the Sherburne History Center (dated to approximately 1880) and samples of cameras (dated much later in time) that made this documentation possible. None of these photographs have been identified. Details within each photo assist in dating the images