Sherburne History Center Blog

Today, as many people reflect on the wars of the twentieth century, “rationing” seems to serve as a great buzz word of the World War Two era.   In spite of a practice so common and mundane, many people do not fully appreciate the challenges and difficulties connected with this part of daily life.   Reading the pages of the Sherburne County Star News, the burden of rationing and the pressure to maintain a semblance of normalcy becomes apparent.   Ration book issued in Sherburne County, 1942 In Sherburne County, the greatest rationing challenge impacted farmers and the agriculture industry even before the war began.   As the winter of 1941 set in, advocates of the federal government urged farmers to keep their machines in good repair.   “New equipment in many instances will not be available” next year, the paper reported.    The war machine first rationed automobiles and tires, later sugar, gasoline, and pharmaceuticals joined the list. 1942 ma...

“Bake” Anderson, legally known as Clarence Anchor Anderson, remains a little known and unreferenced businessman and contributor to Elk River history.  Clarence Anderson gained the nickname “Bake” early.  He attended the Dunwoody Baker’s School in the 1920s with the goal of owning his own bakery. Advertisement for Anderson's Bakery, 1940 Beginning in about 1932, Bake Anderson opened Anderson’s Bakery in downtown Elk River.  38 years he operated, apparently, the only bakery in town. At times, he claimed the title of Sherburne County’s only bakery.  Regardless of the claims, he produced a wonderful array of pastries and breads for Elk River consumption.  Throughout the 1930s he sold ice box cookies, pies, cakes, donuts, and a variety of breads.  At Christmas he sold a number of fruitcakes and breads.  Jula Kaga, a Swedish Christmas bread, remained a specialty unique to his bakery.  He also continuously updated his bakery, guaranteeing a qual...

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...

Unfortunately, the holidays are over, yet, the joy of the season remains with me.  So, I want to share this small artifact from the collections of the Sherburne History Center. This commemorative plate comes from the Frank Henkemeyer General Store in Clear Lake.  Probably dated around 1905 to 1910, Henkemeyer's store was a fixture on Clear Lake main street until around 1920. I wanted to use this additional artifact to wish everyone a belated Happy Holidays, especially a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

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 ...

Immigrant ship approaching Ellis Island 1906 With the discussions about a “wall” to prevent immigration, it seemed appropriate to explore the histories of Sherburne County residents.   These memories, collected from oral histories at the Sherburne History Center, show immigrants desperate to live in the United States.   Immigrants, one hundred years ago, sought the freedoms in the United States as desperately as immigrants today.   The poem on the Statue of Liberty rings true both today and one hundred years ago: “Give me you tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”  Here are the memories of two Sherburne County residents, Ella Kringlund and Astrid Moores.   Ella Kringlund: I will just briefly say that my father’s parents came across from Germany---they eloped when they were 18 years of age.   They did not have money to pay their transportation across, somehow they got on board ship, they were stowaways and when the...

Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 After the attack at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, the country suffered a level of crisis not experienced in eons.   For many, the original concern arose from not knowing of the survival of family members serving and stationed in Hawaii.   Some families in Sherburne County experienced this anxiety.   The survival of Orville Burandt and Charles Nogle, both residents near Elk River, remained unknown for some time in 1941.   Their families and friends remained in limbo for several weeks after the initial attacks. Orville Burandt, serving in the navy since early in 1941 sent information to the Sherburne County Star News about his service.   He arrived in Peral Harbor in August 1941.   According to the newspaper report Burandt served in the communications office of the Flag of Patrol Wing 2.   His duties included forwarding communications to and from patrol planes.   Two weeks after the attack on ...