March 2009 • Volume 14 / Issue 1 Chaska to York …

1 Hear the amazing story of Colton Witte and Sean Bloomfield s paddleup the Minnesota River, down the Red River of the North, across themassive Lake Winnipeg and ending after a total of 49 days at the YorkFactory on the Hudson Bay. The two teenagers started out at theirhometown Chaska and paddled for an incredible 2,250 March 29th, 1 / Treaty Site History CenterSean and Colton will talk about a journey few people would ever dreamof doing through images and personal observations. The idea came tothem after reading about Eric Sevareid and Walter Port s 1930 canoetrip from Fort Snelling to the Hudson Bay in the book Canoeing withthe Cree. For Sevareid and Port, it took 98 two teenagers started out on April 28th as snowflakes fell from thedark sky and they paddled back into winter by the time they made it tothe york Factory on June 15th.

2 On the way they battled a floodingMinnesota River, ate moldy pizza, and suffered through extreme weather conditions. They learned quickly to take people s advice onwhat they might see upstream with a grain of and Bloomfieldcontinued on page 5 March 2009 Volume 14 / Issue 1 Chaska to york Factory in Forty-Nine DaysCharitable giving workshopspotlights smart ways to shareWe all have time, talents and treasures(assets) that can be a powerful gift to organ-izations that we care about. A free educationalworkshop, Charitable Giving: How to Make aDifference by Giving Back, will cover a varietyof ways you can share and make an this workshop developed by ThriventFinancial for Lutherans, you ll learn about every-thing from volunteer opportunities to financialtools that may actually increase your givingcapabilities.

3 You ll also find out how you canleave a charitable legacy that will continue toprovide help far into the workshop will be presented by FinancialRepresentatives Jonathan Kraatz and Brian EJones, CFP .When: Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 :Treaty Site History CenterSign up today!Sign up on the registrationform at the Treaty Site HistoryCenter or contact the NicolletCounty Historical Society at507-934-2160 or to reserveyour spot various product solutions may be suggested assolutions for your needs, no products will be sold atthis educational event. Registered representative forsecurities offered through Thrivent InvestmentManagement Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis,MN 55415-1665, 800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836), awholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial forLutherans. Member FINRA and Financial and its representatives andemployees cannot provide legal, accounting or taxadvice or services.

4 Work with your Thrivent Financialrepresentative in collaboration with your attorneyand/or tax professional for complete s Report 2 Site Info 2 Memorials 2 Ridgely Report 3 Moline Scholarship 4 Legacy Amendment 5 Active Archives 6 Dakota HistoryRoundtable 7 Members 7 Median Project 8 Spring Fling at Co-op 9 New Board Members 10 Plant Sale 10 Norseland Invitation 10 Events Calendar 11 Membership Form 12 Memorialsreceived since the lastnewsletter:In Memory ofIrene BellGiven byMarilyn & Bill RobertzIn Memory ofDon BurchGiven byCarol & Martin MenkMarilyn & Bill RobertzEd & Bev WetherillIn Memory ofDave BussmanGiven byMarilyn & Bill RobertzIn Memory ofBeulah MartensGiven byCarol JacksonIn Memory ofGene NelsonGiven byMarilyn & Bill RobertzIn Memory ofBill PellGiven byCarol & Martin MenkIn Memory ofEvelyn RicciGiven byDolores HolteenJudy SchollIn Memory ofCarol TostensonGiven byRichard & DwightTostensonthe CROSSINGis a publication of theNicollet CountyHistorical is free with a forthis Issue :Jessica BrockbergRuth GreweEileen HolzBen LeonardJenniver LuhmannBob SandeenNancy ZempelDirector s ColumnIcan t turn on the news or theinternet without hearing aboutcurrent economic crisis.

5 We allknow times are tough right have many friends, as I m suremany of you do, who are out ofwork. In troubled times peopleoften look to history for guid-ance and perspective. It s some-what amusing that we seem tobe getting neither from the media. The GreatDepression is a popular starting point for newsreports these days. Some even suggest our current economic malaise is worse than that ofeighty years ago. For a little context I turned tothe Library of Congress. They provide a historylesson for those of us born after the GreatDepression: The Great Depression began in 1929 when, in aperiod of ten weeks, stocks on the New YorkStock Exchange lost 50 percent of their value. Asstocks continued to fall during the early 1930s,businesses failed, and unemployment rose dra-matically.

6 By 1932, one of every four workers wasunemployed. Banks failed and life savings werelost, leaving many Americans destitute. With nojob and no savings, thousands of Americans losttheir homes. The poor congregated in cardboardshacks in so-called Hoovervilles on the edges ofcities across the nation; hundreds of thousands ofthe unemployed roamed the country on foot andin boxcars in futile search of jobs. Although fewstarved, hunger and malnutrition affected many. In a country with abundant resources, the largestforce of skilled labor, and the most productiveindustry in the world, many found it hard tounderstand why the depression had occurred and why it could not be resolved. Moreover, it was difficult for many to understand why peopleshould go hungry in a country possessing hugefood surpluses.

7 Blaming Wall Street speculators,bankers, and the Hoover administration, the rum-blings of discontent grew mightily in the early1930s. By 1932, hunger marches and small riotswere common throughout the nation. However, not all citizens were caught up in thesocial eruptions. Many were too downtrodden orbusy surviving day to day to get involved in pub-lic displays of discontent. Instead, they placedDirector s Messagecontinued on page 4 Executive BoardPresident, Gary Schmidt, MankatoVice President, Julie Gilbert,St. PeterSecretary, Jeremy Freeman,St. PeterTreasurer, Herb Poncin,NicolletHistorian, Evie Swenson,NicolletDirectorsSteve Baxa,St. PeterDr. Chris Corley,North MankatoArden DeBoer,LafayetteDr. Lori Lahlum,North MankatoEmilie Lokensgard,NorselandThorild Nelson,NicolletDr. Sujay Rao,St.

8 PeterTami Skinner,St. PeterDiane Stenson,St. PeterSally Webster,BernadotteContact InformationExecutive Director, Ben Manager, Bob Manager, Jessica Store Manager, Ruth GreweCox House Manager, vacantHarkin Store Site Manager, Ruth GreweHarkin Store Asst. Site Mgr., Ross GerstenHarkin Store Site Guide, Ann KochTSHC Museum Assistants, Allen McBride,Hannah SkinnerTSHC Maintenance, Wayne PassonFt. Ridgely Site Manager, Nancy ZempelFt. Ridgely Site Guides, Dorothy Polesky,John Taylor and Char NackTreaty Site History Center1851 N. Minnesota AvenueSt. Peter, MN 56082 TSHC Phone: (507) 934-2160 TSHC Fax: (507) 934-0172 Hours:Tues. Sat. 10 4 1 4 : Tues. Sat. 10 4 information via St. Julien Cox House500 N. Washington AvenueSt. Peter, MN 56082 Cox House Phone: (507) 934-4309 Hours:June, July, AugustThurs.

9 Sat. 10 4 Box 112, New Ulm, MN 56082 Eight miles northwest of New Ulm,on County Highway 21 Harkin Store Phone: (507) 354-8666 Hours:June, July, and AugustTues. Sun. 10 5 through October 15 Fri. Sun. 10 5 Ridgely72404 County Road 30 Fairfax, Minn. 55332 Fort Ridgely Phone: (507) 426-7888 Website: Day Labor DayFri. Sun.: 10 5 October 15 Sat. & Sun.: 10 5 the CROSSINGBen Leonardthe CROSSING 3 Soon we will bepreparing the exhibitsfor the 2009 on scheduling 5th Minnesotafrom Albert Lea, our Saturday andSunday June 27 and28 Breckenridge will presenta program on Sunday at 1 Roger is a Civil War histo-rian and will present hisresearch about local men whofought in the Civil War. He willshare family histories and alsowhere the veterans have beenlaid to programs are beingplanned for the upcoming sea-son.

10 Keep checking the NCHS website for updates. See you atFort snow still on the ground it is hard toimagine that in less than two months thegrass will be green and the Fort Ridgely HistoricSite will be busy with school groups. Manyschools are return visitors and will set their Mayvisit a year in advance. It is always great to hearthe laughter and chatter of children at the first program of the season will be on June 7,which is the State Park Open House Sunday. Nofee will be charged to enter any of the states 67parks. Ron Bolduan will be at the commissarywith his program Macro World: Little CrittersAre Wildlife s pictures are alwaysgreat and he will share his knowledge of wildlife in the MinnesotaRiver valley. Check out his website will be no charge forthe program or to enter theexhibit Civil War MilitaryWeekendwill be held onSaturday, June 27 andSunday, June 28.