Name: The Stewartville Area
Brand: Stewartville Area Historical Society
SKU: 9780738560007
Price: 17.49 USD
Availability: InStock

The Stewartville Area

9780738560007

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Charles Stewart, a Scotsman saddened by the death of his first wife, Margaret McNab, left his infant daughter with his paternal grandparents and headed west from his native New York to begin a new life. It was the early 1850s when Stewart arrived in the territory that was to become southeastern Minnesota. Here he saw the Root River as a potential power source for a flour mill. He received permission to dam the river, which created Lake Florence, a longtime attraction in Stewartville, the city named in Stewart's honor. The area Stewart settled was known for its rich, fertile soil, its abundant timber stands, its wildlife, and its natural water supply, including the river.

Moorhead

9780738533025

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Moorhead, Minnesota, was founded in 1872 as a major stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad during its push toward the Pacific Ocean. The town grew to prominence in western Minnesota because of its location at the intersection of the rail line and the commercially important Red River of the North. Garnering an unenviable reputation in its early years as a wide-open town, dominated by its saloons, Moorhead subsequently developed as an important rural service center. Tracing the history of Moorhead from its founding in 1872 to the present day, the images in this volume reveal the experiences of this small Midwestern community within a framework of change and continuity.

Cass County

9780738552071

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In 1849, the Leech Lake Agency for the Ojibwa peoples was established southwest of Agency Bay on Leech Lake. A government trail wound its way north through the wilderness from Fort Ripley to the agency. The establishment of this trail encouraged exploration and settlement of the area that became Cass County. Fur traders, explorers, and missionaries were followed by the lumber industry. The Ojibwas ceded their lands, which went up for public auction in the 1870s, and the logging companies purchased thousands of acres of these lands. By 1895, the Minnesota Logging Company was in the northern part of the county and built the Brainerd, Northern and Minnesota Railroad, which was sold to the Minnesota and International, which was the first railroad in Cass County. Small towns were platted out by town site companies and quickly settled by immigrants and others seeking new opportunities. Cass County presently has 15 villages and 50 townships. Tourism was first introduced into the county when a trainload of 300 tourists from St. Cloud arrived for a weekend of fishing on Leech Lake. Tourism is the county's number one industry today.

Northwest Airlines

9780738534152

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Since flying its first mail flight on October 1, 1926, Northwest Airways, now known as Northwest Airlines, has grown to become one of the world's leading airlines. Northwest's legacy of leadership in the aviation industry began with its foundation in the Twin Cities and extended to its pioneering work as part of the U.S. war effort in Alaska, the establishment of the first U.S. commercial air links to Japan and the Orient, and its groundbreaking 1992 alliance and award of anti-trust immunity with KLM/Royal Dutch Airlines. Northwest is now America's oldest air carrier with continuous name identification. In celebration of the airline's 80th anniversary in 2006, this book chronicles the remarkable years during which Northwest became an institutional backbone of both American and worldwide air transport history. This diverse historical tribute relies heavily on the author's own photo archive along with images supplied by the exceptional Northwest History Centre Inc., established in October 2002 to preserve the airline's rich heritage. The rare photographs seen in these pages, accompanied by a detailed and informative narrative, bring together for the first time all of the elements of the Northwest "family," which includes Hughes Air West and Republic airlines and other predecessors.

Martin County

9780738577210

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When the first settlers arrived in Martin County in March 1856, the county was part of Brown and Faribault Counties. Perhaps these settlers heard the stories told by soldiers who passed through the region. They spoke of the many lakes and streams of clear water and abundant fish and waterfowl, ever-popular fur-bearing mammals, and timber stands where elk, deer, and buffalo foraged. Word spread fast, and by the winter of 1856-1857, the population of Martin County exploded to 20 men, 9 women, and 23 children. Martin County provides a visual record of the many cities in the county, from Dunnell to Truman and back down to East Chain and all the rest in between. There are photographs of the blizzard of 1881, a 1918 Red Cross auction, men balancing on telephone poles, and much more.

Enfield

9780738523095

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The area of Silver Creek Township was settled in the 1850s by Swedish immigrants who left their ancestral home to face the challenges of life in the new world. They cleared the land and developed a prosperous farming community, which they named Enfield when a post office was established in 1910. Enfield was a booming farm community in the early part of the 20th century, with schools, churches, a potato warehouse, a cheese factory, and its own baseball team. The rural farm community thrived for a century, but now the farming way of life has given way to a residential bedroom community for nearby Minneapolis. Those first homesteaders are long gone, but their legacy lives on, and many of their descendants continue to live and work in the community.

Waseca County, Minnesota

9780738520476

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Waseca County, Minnesota, is comprised of a number of unique communities-Alma City, New Richland, Waldorf, Otisco, Janesville, Palmer, and the county seat of Waseca-each adding to the county's rich history and remarkable scenic beauty. The county can boast of nine architectural gems on the National Register of Historic Sites. These distinctive landmarks include the Richardsonian Romanesque-style Waseca County Courthouse, the Greek Revival-style Janesville Public Library, and the Gothic Revival-style Vista Lutheran Church in Otisco Township. Historic houses include the P.C. Bailey House, built in 1868 and one of Waseca's oldest homes, as well as the R. Percy Ward House, home to one of the area's most prominent turn-of-the-century businessmen.

With over 200 vintage photographs Waseca County showcases not only the buildings and businesses of this historic county, but also the people who helped contribute to its growth and prosperity, people whose devotion to education, history, and a sense of community continues to grow.

Breezy Point

9781467114882

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In 1919, Wilford Hamilton Fawcett, better known as "Captain Billy," published the first issue of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang. Filled with jokes and cartoons, the little magazine made a fortune for Fawcett. In 1921, he purchased 80 acres on the shore of Big Pelican Lake near Brainerd, Minnesota, and built a bluff-top village of cabins. The following year, as Fawcett Publications brought out True Confessions magazine, construction began on the Breezy Point Lodge. This magnificent log structure featured a ballroom, casino, billiard room, and bowling alley. After Fawcett's untimely death in 1940, the resort was closed until the end of World War II. When Breezy Point reopened, Minnesota families returned in droves. After a fire destroyed the main lodge in 1959, Breezy Point was rebuilt and reimagined by Hollywood entertainer Ginny Simms. The legendary resort has grown and changed over the years, but Fawcett's vision and adventurous spirit are still soaring above Big Pelican Lake and the piney woods of Breezy Point.

Minnesota's Angling Past

9781467110532

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The importance of fishing in Minnesota goes back thousands of years: first as a means of critical subsistence and then, in the last 200 years, as a major economic influence. In the 1800s, anglers seeking pristine lakes with ample fish traveled to Minnesota on the railroads. The widespread use of automobiles and an improving road system rapidly increased the state's accessibility in the 1900s, and resorts sprouted everywhere. During the early tourist boom, the state was also home to countless boat builders, tackle manufacturers, and other fishing-related businesses. Images of America: Minnesota's Angling Past provides a view of the time when boats were made from wood and propelled by rowing; when great fishing spots were found through experience rather than electronics; and, for some, a suit or dress was proper attire for a day of fishing. This book includes rare images from across the state that capture memorable days of angling, such as the 1955 Leech Lake Muskie Rampage.

Alexandria

9780738598529

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Beautiful Alexandria, Minnesota, in the heart of lake country, offers something for everyone. Home to internationally recognized businesses, a bustling downtown, a thriving tourism industry, and a lively arts community, Alexandria is a city with a rich history and a bright future. On these pages, one will discover how the unique spirit of Alexandria grew out of its early days as a pioneer outpost. That spirit grew as men and women built the downtown still seen today, as tourists came to experience the pristine lakes and rolling hills, and as families set down roots. It is the same spirit of exploration, entrepreneurship, and enthusiasm that still stirs visitors and locals alike. Take a journey though the history of this special town and find out why there is a giant Viking statue on Broadway, why the Kensington Runestone continues to stir up controversy, and why the ghosts of Alexandria's past continue to whisper into her future.

Willmar

9781467128605

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It was the 1850s when the first settlers arrived in the area that would become Willmar, Minnesota. Encouraged by the land itself, they came for the fertile soil and the beauty and serenity provided by the landscape. Calamity would strike in 1862 due to the Dakota War, causing residents to flee for safer pastures. In 1869, the Great Northern Railroad would again call settlers to Kandiyohi County. Most of Scandinavian descent, this hardy lot would not be driven from the land again. In 1870, acting as agent for the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, Leon Chadwick Willmar purchased the title to Section 1 of Willmar Township. The following year, Willmar was officially named a city and became the county seat of Kandiyohi County. As the years passed from then to now, Willmar residents would face success and challenge, feast and famine, and partnership and controversy. No matter the circumstance, they would band together to face whatever arrived and join together in both celebration and sorrow.

Long Prairie

9781467129039

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The area known today as Long Prairie was once the battleground of the Sioux and Chippewa Native American tribes. With the arrival of the US government-established Winnebago Agency in 1845, Long Prairie became the first white settlement in what became Todd County. Approximately 700 Winnebagos and 150 buildings were located here. Since those days, town roads have been cut from the sloping hillsides, straightened, and leveled. The river traffic succumbed to the power of the railroad. The addition of a stunning courthouse in 1883, overlooking the townsite, has greeted families and visitors for generations. The historic main street, lovingly built by the founding members, has given Long Prairie that comforting sense of place that only small towns seem to have. Long Prairie, home to generations of people, has seen many changes.

Rogers, Hassan Township, and Fletcher Remembered

9780738541112

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The heavily wooded area of western Hennepin County, known as the "Big Woods" to early explorers, slowly transformed into three trade centers with the first permanent settlers staking their claims to land in 1854. The initial pioneers emigrated from such faraway places as Germany, Ireland, England, and France in search of a better life, and the fact that many of their ancestors still reside in the area demonstrates they found just that. Rogers, Hassan Township, and Fletcher Remembered is a photographic tour of three early trade centers that formed a community. The pictures, newspaper clippings, and stories provided by local residents and businesses capture the rich history of the area and illustrate how emphasis on church, education, commerce, and entertainment created the endless opportunities enjoyed today.

Rogers, Hassan Township, and Fletcher Remembered

Plymouth

9781467104234

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Years before Minnesota became a state in 1858, hopeful land speculators designed a plan for a town named Plymouth, built on the northwest shore of Parkers Lake. A gristmill and other structures were raised, but a flood in 1857 destroyed the fledgling pioneer town. Settlers continued to arrive, though, setting up homesteads in the 36 square miles of Township 118. By the time Hennepin County commissioners christened the township Plymouth, over 400 citizens resided within its borders. Over the next century, this close-knit farming community, located just 12 miles from downtown Minneapolis, maintained its rural roots. Urbanization finally took hold in 1972 when Plymouth installed its first traffic light. Now the seventh-largest city in Minnesota, Plymouth reflects a newly diverse and dynamic American suburb where industrial, residential, and recreational areas converge. This book aims to bridge Plymouth's past with its present, connecting the city's newest pioneers with those who founded it so many years ago.

Nobles County

9781467124881

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Located in the southwestern corner of Minnesota, Nobles County was first established in 1857. However, a financial panic and concerns about Indian conflicts delayed the area's settlement until the 1870s. Railroad companies had only recently expanded their rail networks to this part of the state. Meanwhile, hundreds of people, including many Civil War veterans, began migrating to the region to make their homestead claims. They were attracted to these virgin prairies by the allure of plentiful land and fertile soil. Other new settlers chose to reside in one of the many small towns that had sprung up around the railroad depots, offering business services and community support to townspeople and the growing farm population. Though there have been changes over time in how people work the land, farming and agriculture-related industries continue to be the major driving forces of the county's economy.

Kanabec County

9780738590561

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Featuring 217 historic photographs, Images of America: Kanabec County guides readers on an exciting journey into the past as it explores the daily lives of the people who helped make Kanabec County, in East Central Minnesota, what it is today. Each chapter examines a unique aspect of Kanabec County's history. Readers meet Native Americans, settlers, and loggers from the county's earliest days; learn about early government, industries, and transportation; catch a glimpse of towns and villages in the 19th and 20th centuries; go on a shopping trip with county residents; discover the fascinating histories of area schools and churches; and find out what Kanabec County people did for fun in the days before television and computers.

Preston

9780738532363

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Nestled in a lush valley along the banks of the Root River, Preston, Minnesota, is ideally located at the geographic center of Fillmore County. The earliest settlers found the area rich with everything they needed to build a community: timber, building stone, water power, and fertile soils. By 1860, Preston was a bustling business and government center in the heart of the most populous county in Minnesota. With rare and vintage photographs culled from the collection of the Fillmore County History Center, as well as from the albums and scrapbooks of many local residents, this book brings together nearly 200 images of Preston and its environs.

Detroit Lakes

9780738584041

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Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, was incorporated in 1871 as the village of Detroit. Detroit became a boomtown in the late 19th century because of the vast supply of timber that dominated the landscape of northwest Minnesota at the time. The population grew by leaps and bounds, and by 1900 the census recorded 2,060 residents. In 1926, the US Postal Service officially changed the town's name to Detroit Lakes in order to avoid confusion with Detroit, Michigan. The lush landscape of lakes and rivers created a natural vacation destination, and tourism pioneers like John K. West began to market to the newly moneyed industrialists of the Gilded Age, promising steamboat transportation and boardwalks to the shoreline. Today, Detroit Lakes remains a vibrant city with thriving resort and business communities. It is the heart of lakes country and continues to provide a welcoming atmosphere for visitors and residents alike.

Spring Grove

9780738519494

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Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement is a tribute to the state's earliest Norwegian emigrants, and to generations of Norwegian Americans who have made this small farming community amongst deep valleys, fjord-like bluffs, and winding streams their true vesterheim. It is a tale told through striking historic photographs, many previously unreleased, and personal narratives, often humorous and always insightful.

The area was first settled in the 1850s by pioneers like James Smith, who, inspired by the landscape, named the place Spring Grove. Smith was followed by the likes of "Big" Ole Gulbransgutton, who chased crooked land surveyors out of town with his bare fist; by the innovative Mons Fladager, whose business acumen earned him the title of "Father of Spring Grove"; and by the 20th-century cartoonist Peter J. Rosendahl, whose work gave a comical voice to the challenges of cultural assimilation. Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement also conveys the universality of the Norwegian immigrant experience, and anyone with Norwegian roots who desires to learn more about their ancestors will find it an enjoyable read.

Stevens County

9780738540825

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The land area that came to be known as Stevens County was ceded to the United States government by the Dakota Indians in the treaty of the Traverse des Sioux in 1851. Government and railroad exploration parties, Red River Trail oxcarts, and pioneers and missionaries had come through the area long before it was officially ceded or settled. After the Dakota uprising of 1862, the United States government made the decision to put a fort in Dakota Territory. In 1864, Fort Wadsworth, later called Fort Sisseton, was built. Mule teams with supplies for soldiers and Native Americans, and pioneers began traveling in greater numbers across the tallgrass prairies of Stevens County from St. Cloud and into Dakota Territory. Pioneers from many different countries settled in Stevens County to break up the prairie sod and plant wheat and tree claims on their homesteaded land. Grasshoppers, prairie fires, and blizzards tested their determination, but the hardy ones survived to provide for their children's education, organize local governments, and build homes, churches, and businesses.

Legendary Locals of Crookston

9781467101578

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Crookston is in the heart of the fertile Red River Valley. Railroad baron James J. Hill positioned the city to be a hub of transportation, so Civil War veterans and railroad workers settled Crookston first. At Hill's behest, a long tradition of learning how to "farm smart" started with the Northwest School of Agriculture in 1906. Facing a short growing season, farmers stayed close to the soil and invented better implements to harvest the area's bounty. The tradition of improving technology continues from the century-old practices begun at the Experiment Station. Currently, precision agriculture is taught at the University of Minnesota, Crookston's "laptop university." Familiar family names from Crookston's retail sector have prevailed throughout the farmers' cycle of boom and bust. Many other talented personalities shine through, especially those skilled in sports and music. Also included in this volume are unsung heroes for their acts of kindness and volunteerism.

Haunted St. Paul

9781596299337

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From the phantom pig at the Minnesota State Fair to the ghostly gangsters of the Wabasha Street Caves, St. Paul bristles with haunted history. Let the spectral usher of the Mounds Theatre show you to your seat as Chad Lewis reveals why the bits of St. Paul's past that insist on intruding on the present deserve to have their stories told. By the time the lights come back on, you will be convinced that sometimes the strangest things have happened in the dorm room upstairs...or the table next to you at your favorite restaurant...or even in your own backyard.

Minnesota Mayhem

9781609495978

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Turn back the yellowing pages of Minnesota's past and explore the best of the state's worst moments, as chronicled in the Minneapolis Tribune and its successor newspapers. These stories and photos, culled from the Star Tribune's microfilm archive by author Ben Welter, range from the catastrophic to the merely curious. From a fire that destroyed the State Capitol in 1881, to a wordless fistfight that broke out on a Minneapolis street in 1898, a flu outbreak that killed more than 10,000 Minnesotans in 1918 and the arrest of Frank Lloyd Wright at a Lake Minnetonka cottage in 1926.

Murder in Chisago County

9781467142335

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At 3:30 a.m. on April 11, 1933, neighbors and firefighters arrived at the farmhouse of Albin and Alvira Johnson to find a smoldering heap where a seemingly happy home once stood. Beneath the ruins, investigators found the bodies of Alvira and her seven children, but Albin's remains were nowhere to be seen. The authorities determined that Alvira and the children were dead before the fire, and fingers immediately pointed to Albin. Hundreds of searchers, including the illustrious Pinkerton Agency, combed the area and even crossed into Canada in pursuit of Johnson, who was indicted in absentia for murder. But he was never found, dead or alive. What happened to the Johnson family and what part, if any, Albin played in the tragedy remain a mystery. Twin Cities journalist Brian Johnson tells the story that has beguiled the community for generations.

Haunted Mantorville

9781609491093

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Stroll into Mantorville, and you get the sense that it is a place where you could comfortably live forever. Ghosts seem to feel the same way, and this excursion into the stories of their activity keeps pace with the feverish bustle buried in the town's heritage. From ruined breweries to opera house mummies, Christopher Larsen takes the measure of one of Minnesota's most historic and haunted places. The tale of his investigations might not rob Mantorville of its charm, but when you walk into a gift shop that was once a funeral parlor, you might be a little more susceptible to a shiver.

Legendary Locals of Pine City

9781467101196

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Throughout the history of Pine City, individuals have dreamed, struggled, and created a remarkable place of American culture. Legendary Locals of Pine City represents an amazing mix of talents and activities, sometimes with far-reaching effects. The Pine City story is told here in the faces of its people: the innovators who brought industry and commerce; generous people and institutions who have given back to the community in a variety of ways; participants in Pine City's thriving cultural life embracing a spectrum of interests and enthusiasms; and ordinary people living everyday lives who have done extraordinary things or had remarkable experiences. This book honors such individuals as the renowned Karla Nelsen, the world's most muscular woman; Anna Dickey Olesen, the first woman to break the glass ceiling and run for US Senate; and Shane Bauer's mom, Cindy Hickey, who worked diligently for more than two years to free her son from captivity in Iran, along with many other memorable people.