Milaca Area Historical Society News

Preserving and sharing Milaca's history for over 30 yearsSummer 2015 – Volume 17, Number 2

Sharing History With Our SchoolsDid we ever have fun this spring, sharing Milaca’s history with Milaca students! It all

started on April 20, when Jere Day, Leslie Anfinson and Karen Schlenker took History in a Box to Milaca Elementary’s second grade. Seven classes heard how people used to light and heat their homes, how they did laundry, and how telephones have changed (see photo).

Then on May 1, the second grade classes visited us at the museum. We talked about how Milaca was first settled and what schools used to be like, and looked at displays. The students were all attentive and well-behaved.

On May 19, three of Mr. Kragt’s seventh grade history classes came to the museum. Their assignment was to answer questions about local history, and the answers were to be found in the museum exhibits. Again, students were well-behaved and very thorough as they looked for information.

Looking at history from the outside was what third grade classes did on May 26, visiting the museum building, the depot, and Trimble Park. There is so much to learn about our

community from looking at buildings and how neighborhoods are laid out!

Many thanks to the teachers and students for these fun and educational days! Thanks as well to MAHS volunteers Ardy Becklin, Janet Burklund, Leslie Anfinson, Ann Johnson, Jere Day, Tom Sauer and Karen

By Ann Johnson

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Schlenker. And special thanks to Julie Bemis at Milaca Depot Floral for allowing 134 kids to come across the railroad platform!

Building Notes Our 2014 conditions assessment recognized the need for replacement

of the overhead door in the 1907 portion of our building, and repairs to the skylight in the 1936 addition, giving these needs a high priority. To get these projects going this year, on April 13 members of the MAHS board met with Greg Lerud, Milaca City Manager. We requested that the engineering firm which is on the city’s retainer be made available for the creation of specifications for these two projects. He agreed, and since the engineer from this firm was coming to Milaca on April 22 on city business, Mr. Lerud arranged to have him visit the museum as well. Currently we await word from the city regarding the engineer’s findings and disposition of the specifications. It appears these two projects are on their way to being completed.

MAHS News and NotesCounty funding is important!

Local historical societies are important organizations, providing resources for individuals, schools, businesses and governments. These organizations provide information to all, and are a destination for visitors from the neighborhood and from afar. Many Minnesota counties provide significant funding for their local historical organizations, and all but a couple provide some support – with Mille Lacs County always far down the list on level of funding. In 2014 we received $1200, with a total of $3600 divided among the three county historical organizations. Over the summer, our county commissioners will be planning for next year’s budget. When you talk to your commissioner, please voice your support for better funding for history in Mille Lacs County.

Belle Bennett to appear in paradeWhen we heard that Hollywood would be the theme of this year’s

Gateway to the Northland parade on Thursday June 18, we knew Belle Bennett, Milaca native and famous film star, should make an appearance. Belle performed in many stage productions, silent films, and a few talkies. As we complete this newsletter, we’re in the process of finding and costuming a Belle stand-in and putting together some signage for John Boggs’ 1928 Ford, in which she’ll ride. Come to the parade and cheer her on!

County Fair Heritage BuildingMAHS will once again have displays and volunteer staff at the Heritage Building during

the Mille Lacs County Fair, August 6-9. Along with the other two members of the Mille Lacs County History Alliance – the Mille Lacs County Historical Society in Princeton and the Mille Lacs Lake Historical Society in Isle – we will be telling the story of transportation in Mille Lacs County. If you’d like to help staff the building, call Leslie Anfinson at 983-3749. The Mille Lacs County Fairgrounds are at the west end of North Third Street in Princeton.

By Jere Day and Karen Schlenker

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Thanks to area TownshipsMany thanks to area townships, which have once again decided to support their local

historical society. We have received funds from all of the townships in the central part of Mille Lacs County – Milo, Page, Hayland, Bogus Brook, Borgholm, and Milaca Townships.

4H Club cleans up Many thanks to the Chema Comets 4H club for doing spring yard cleanup around the

museum. They also worked on the library grounds and the River Walk between.

Local History ConnectionsKaren Schlenker and Jere Day attended the spring

Minnesota Historical Society meeting at White Bear Lake city hall on 22 May 2015. The workshop, entitled “More Than Stones and Bones: Archaeology is Local History,” focused on how you can use archaeology to tell stories over a longer period of record, use collections appropriately, and review responsibilities under the Native Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

Keynote presenter David Mather, state historical architect, showed how artifacts can tell the history of a place from prehistory up to modern times. There was also a session on grant writing for archeology projects.

Leah Bowe, MHS’s expert on NAGPRA, presented two sessions dealing with issues around these sensitive issues of human remains and medicine bundles. The MAHS collection doesn’t include any artifacts covered by the act, but it is important that we all understand ethical questions related to historical objects.

Another session dealt with collections management, which is always a hot topic (at least for volunteer curators) in this age of rapidly evolving software and digital media. This was presented by MHS technology specialist Joe Hoover, who is a great resource for those of us trying to care for and make accessible our history resources.

Another great thing about these get-togethers is the informal conversations we have with MHS staff and with people working on local history from all around the state. Ideas for everything from business member recognition to care of old quilts were exchanged, and we all went home energized!

Who's Who at MAHS: Ann JohnsonAnn has been MAHS vice-secretary and secretary for 3 ½ years, and has also taken a leading role in grant writing for our building’s conditions assessment, and in the efforts to move forward with repairs to the building.

I grew up west of Minneapolis attending country and Delano schools. Moving to Milaca before my senior year, I later worked in Princeton and Minneapolis. I married Bob Johnson who generously put me through SCSU. We bought Bob’s parents’ farm in Milaca where we raised four children, then returned to teaching. We sold our farm to an Amish family and now live in Mobile Manor, with plans to build on the family property.

By Karen SchlenkerVolunteer Curator

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Exciting times include the day God chose me, and I thank Him daily for many blessings. We made a road trip to Alaska and I visited my son/daughter-in-law in Australia. I volunteer at the library and MAHS. We enjoy plays, musical productions, and support our grandkids in their pursuits in school, music, and sports.

Wish listThere are plenty of gaps in our resources, but some are more obvious than others. Some

things we'd like to add to our collection are: Photos from Mille Lacs County schools – country schools as well as Milaca High School. Advertising items, photos, menus, etc. from Milaca area cafés. Advertising items from before 1980 from Milaca area businesses.

Karen Schlenker (center) received a Lifetime Membership at the MAHS April meeting. Presenting the membership are Vice President Jere Day and Secretary Ann Johnson.

From the CollectionWe keep getting artifacts in (and I continue to fail to keep up with

processing), and the most interesting thing about it is how pieces of the puzzle fill in as we go. One very interesting recent acquisition was of four fabric items. They came in “over the transom,” from a woman in Alexandria with whom we seem to have had no prior contact. Her name is Julie Shaughnessy, and her grandmother was Bertha Engebretson Myron, who graduated from Milaca High School and was married in 1912 in Milaca to attorney Olin Myron. The “soft goods” sent to us had belonged to her. They include an apron, a lace vest, a wedding dress (from the 1912 wedding) and a large signature crazy quilt, dated 1893. All of these things are in excellent condition, considering their age and the fact that fabrics don’t always age gracefully.

Besides the items themselves and the condition they’re in, another remarkable thing about this accession was the information included with it. Mrs. Shaughnessy and her sister Harriet Kearn were good enough to write down some family background and send it along with the package (see From the Record, page 6). From this information, our researchers Tom Sauer and Ardy Becklin were able to pull birth records, obituaries, and a lengthy article about the wedding, creating wonderful background information to help us better know who these people were.

The moral of the story is: the more information we get along with artifacts, the better. When donating something to us, even if you don’t have the full background, tell us what you

MAHS Officers 2015Tom Sauer, President 982-6603, tysauer@milaca.netJere Day, Vice-Pres, 983-3325, jlazyday@frontiernet.netLynn Kent, Treasurer 983-3155, lynnkent@frontiernet.netAnn Johnson, Secretary, 983-6391, alj1941@yahoo.com Leslie Anfinson, Vice Secretary, 983-3749, cairoleslie@gmail.comKaren Schlenker, Newsletter, Curator 983-3586, jkarschlen@gmail.com

Museum phone – 320-982-1212Museum email - museum@milaca.net

Website http://milacamuseum.org

Mille Lacs History Festival and Rendezvous, June 25-27. This annual event celebrates the history of the fur trade with a period camp, storytelling, black powder shooting, folk arts, demonstrations, entertainment, food and drink. Admission is only $3 at the gate; camping is available for $30, and a vending/demonstration site is $30. Located south of Isle, and sponsored by the Mille Lacs Lake Historical Society, Jim & Kate West, and the Mille Lacs Fur Company members. Email millelacs.vous@gmail.com or call and leave a message at (763)757-4118.

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know. If you know in whose attic it was found, or what your uncle said about it (whether he was a teller of tall tales, or a reliable historian), it can help us place it better in the story of the Milaca area. The more context we have, the more valuable the objects are to us.

Places To Go, Things To Do

Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, MN is open April through October. In addition to the museum in town, visitors can now go to the original Ingalls dugout site a few miles away. The Wilder Pageant will be performed in 2015 on July 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, and 25. For more information call 888.528.7298 or visit the website at www.walnutgrove.orgNote: Laura's uncle Peter Ingalls (Little House in the Big Woods) is buried in Milaca's Forest Hill Cemetery, third grave from the entrance on the east side of the road.

Stearns History Museum has Breakfast Club events the second Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. at the museum (235 S. 33rd Ave., St. Cloud). Speakers share information about local history (research, books, etc.). Free for members, $7 for non-members. For information about the History Museum, Breakfast Club, and other events call 320.253.8424 or go to the website www.stearns-museum.org.

The Minnesota Historical Society runs over two dozen sites around the state, and there are many activities and events at these sites throughout the year. Site and event admissions are free or reduced for MHS members. Check the website for activities, events and site open hours: www.mnhs.org. (Also on the site are indexed Minnesota birth and death records and a catalogue for the MHS library.)

For great day trip ideas, see our collection of brochures from local and Minnesota Historical Society sites, in the Museum entryway.

Winter 2015 MAHS News 6

Local History – It’s Where You Live!Milaca Museum Open Hours

Open April through OctoberWednesday through Friday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Call if you need an appointment outside our regular hours

Admission is free!We appreciate your donations

From the Record: The following notes were sent along with artifacts from the Engebretson-Myron family’s descendants. We very much appreciate the donation of artifacts and family stories from Harriet Thomas Kearn and Julie Thomas Shaughnessy.

Bertha Engebretson and Olin C. Myron were married in Milaca, Minnesota in the spring of 1912. Bertha was born in 1885, the daughter of Andrew and Mary Engebretson who farmed east of Milaca. Olin was born in 1876, the son of Helge and Britta Myron from the Aberdeen, South Dakota area.

Bertha was a high school teacher in Milaca. At the time of their marriage she was living with her sister Caroline, and brother-in-law Alfred Olson, a prominent local businessman owning a store that was part of downtown Milaca for decades. Olin was an attorney with his own law office. Olin and Bertha had three daughters, Emily, Caroline and Virginia.

Olin had a successful practice and was instrumental in having Milaca be the Mille Lacs County seat rather than Princeton. At one time he was the Mille Lacs County attorney. Olin was in the habit of walking from his office to their home for lunch most days. On May 10, 1933 he was taking this usual noon walk when he suffered a massive heart attack in front of the armory and died that day. He was 57. Bertha continued to raise their daughters and after they had all moved on she lived with her mother, an aunt, and one of her sisters in a house across from the school.

Her family fondly remembers her driving everywhere in her big, black Buick town car, about a 1925 model. At times she would take on a job, sometimes as a clerk in the notions department in Olson’s store. For a time she worked as the front desk clerk at the hotel. She once arranged for a couple of her grandkids to spend the night in one of the rooms, which they thought was great fun.

In the late 1940’s she moved to Minneapolis, living with her daughters Virginia and Emily and her four children. Caroline and her family had been living in Minneapolis for some time at this point.

She kept busy with her family and their activities. She died on November 2, 1966 at the age of 81, survived by her daughters Virginia Myron, Caroline Thomas, and Emily Magdanz, plus her son-in-law Melvin Thomas, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was buried in Milaca next to her husband.

Winter 2015 MAHS News 7

MAHS appreciates our 19 business membersAll-Aboard Travel/Travel LeadersBillings Service Blue Moon SaloonEthan Allen Law OfficeFirst National Bank of MilacaFransen DecoratingHarris HardwoodsJims Mille Lacs DisposalKoch HardwareMilaca Chamber of Commerce

Milaca Local LinkMilaca TownshipMille Lacs County DACMolacek Family EyecareNAF EnterprisesPeterson Johnson Funeral HomeRum River RealtyTown & Country FinanceUnited Country Real Estate

We have a total of 219 MAHS members as of 31 May 2015!Please be a MAHS Member!

Please consider joining the Milaca Area Historical Society in 2015.  We have been preserving historical photos, items, and information for over 30 years.  To make the process simple for you, there is a tear-off form below. Please check the box preceding your desired membership category (see below). Then send your dues to our address below.

We thank you for your interest in helping us achieve our goals of helping our members and our community discover and preserve the heritage of the Milaca area. 

Jere Day Vice-President/Membership Chair

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dues January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015

2015 Membership in the Milaca Area Historical Society[ Send to MAHS, PO Box 144, Milaca, MN 56353 ]

Date ___________ *** Please check box(s) below ***  MAHS membership categories Enclosed is my check

#  __________ 

Fire Hall circa 1918

Senior $ 5.00 Single/Two seniors

$ 10.00 Family$ 15.00 Sustaining$ 30.00 Patron

$ 60.00 Business/Organization $

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for 2015 membership dues   $ __________

I’d like to add a donation $ __________

My total is $ ___________

MAHS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit so your TOTAL  is tax deductible)

Name/s: _______________________________________________

Address:  ____________________________________ city/state __________________

Phone:  _________________________  E-mail:  ________________________________

I would like to receive E-mail notice of monthly meetings Please send me the MAHS newsletter via E-mail Please send me a paper copy of the MAHS newsletter

MAHSPO Box 144Milaca, MN 56353

Winter 2015 MAHS News 9

Join us at our regular MAHS meetings!4th Tuesday each monthJanuary through October

Note The Time! 6:30 p.m. Note The Time!23 June meeting at the Milaca Fire

Hall1005 North Central Ave.

Meetings are usually held at the Milaca City Center Council Chambers

255 First Street E. Participate in fun and fellowship with

the Milaca Area Historical Society!