Douglas County Historical Society MN

10/12/2026

Today is Indigenous People's Day!

Douglas County is located on the homeland of the Dakota people, specifically the Mdewakanton (Bdewakantunwan) and Wahpekute (Wahpekhute) tribes who are a part of the alliance called the Oceti Ŝakowiŋ—The Seven Council Fires. The Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) and Ho-Chunk (Hoocạk) nations also have a connection to this land.

Some of the names that indigenous peoples gave to the waters of Douglas County endure to this day. The Long Prairie River, which starts in Lake Carlos, was named after an English translation of the Ojibwe term “Ga-shagoshkodeia-zibi”. This translates to “Long-narrow-prairie-river”. Lake Osakis comes from the Ojibwe name “Ozaagi-zaaga'igan”, which translates to “Sauk lake”. The name refers to Ojibwe oral history of a group of people from the Sauk (Sac) tribe that lived on the lake for a short time. Early French traders and Euro-American settlers learned these names through trading and interacting with the Ojibwe people.

The photograph below was taken by N.J. Trenham, circa 1870. It shows a group of Ojibwe traders in early Alexandria, MN.

Native language and place names help us better understand the history of Douglas County.

10/11/2026

🧑🏻‍🌾 Did you know tomorrow is also National Farmer's Day?

This photograph shows Ole Langhaug's farm near Evansville, MN circa 1915. The Langhaug farm was located south of Evansville, but north of Long Lake, in section 23 of Evansville Township.

10/08/2026

🖼️ We're excited to announce that our free community scanning workshop, Scan for Keeps!, is back and that registration for appointments is now open! This year's workshops are co-presented by the Minnesota Digital Library.

🎞️ This October and November, the Douglas County Historical Society is hosting free community workshops to help digitally preserve your treasured family photos and documents. Our staff will scan and label your photos or letter-sized documents, then create digital copies and transfer them to a flash drive for you to take home!

📌 To register, contact DCHS via email at [email protected] or by phone at 320-762-0382, and we will confirm your timeslot! If you have any questions, email or call us at the information above!

📢 Space is limited, appointments are available are on a first-come-first-served basis, and registration is required. We currently have three appointment times per day (9:30 to 11:00 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; and 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.*) on the following days:

Monday, October 19
Tuesday, October 20
Wednesday, October 21
Thursday, October 22
Friday, October 23

Monday, October 26
Tuesday, October 27
Wednesday, October 28
Thursday, October 29
Friday, October 30

Monday, November 2
Tuesday, November 3
Wednesday, November 4
Thursday, November 5
Friday, November 6

📌 To register, contact DCHS via email at [email protected] or by phone at 320-762-0382, and we will confirm your timeslot! If you have any questions, email or call us at the information above!

(* You can expect to be able to scan up to approximately 20 items per appointment.)

Local archive & museum for Douglas County, MN history, offering historical research and education.

10/06/2026

⏰ It's time—our annual Scarecrow Contest is just around the corner, and you could scare up first place this year!

💸 Participation is $10 per scarecrow, with prizes paid out to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place entries (determined by public choice!)

🍁 Scarecrows may be of any theme, construction, materials, etc with the conditions that they are display-ready and family-friendly. Ten metal posts are available on a first-come first-served basis on the south lawn, which is exposed to weather including wind and potential snow.

🍂 Scarecrow drop-off/set-up days are October 13-16 and 19-23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on business days, and you can select your favorite scarecrow October 26 - Nov 1.

🏅 Winners will be announced on Nov. 2!

🛠️ Participants are responsible for setting up their own scarecrow on the lawn.

☑️ Instructions on how to select your favorite scarecrow will be announced once scarecrows are in place!

🔎 Do you have questions, or are you interested in entering the 2026 contest?

📞 Contact us via phone at 320-762-0382

📧 Email us at [email protected]

10/04/2026

❤️ Thank you all so much for joining us at yesterday’s Spruce Hill Church Open House!

We enjoyed sharing the historic elements of the church, the recent restorations and repairs performed by Logan Hanson of NItty Gritty Restoration and Construction LLC, and the performances by Brad Lambrecht, Paulette Friday, and Patty Kakac.

We would like to thank the following individuals, groups, and businesses who made yesterday possible:

🛺 Alexandria Golf Cars, for providing help with accessibility during yesterday’s event.

☕ Caribou Coffee, for donating hot coffee and supplies.

🛠️ Logan Hanson of Nitty Gritty Restoration and Construction, LLC, for all of the excellent work performed on Spruce Hill Church.

🌿 Lawn & Lake Maintenance, for helping with post-restoration clean-up.

🎵 Brad Lambrecht, for the amazing behind-the-scenes history and performance on the reed organ.

🎙️ Paulette Friday and Patty Kakac, for performing Marjorie Van Gorp’s “Voices from the Hillside,” an anthology of poetry based on individuals in the Spruce Hill Church community.

🌟 DCHS Staff members Brittany Johnson, Jenna Collins, and Lewis Mundt, for contributions during the programs, cleaning the space, and preparing artifacts and spaces for guests; DCHS Board members Laura and Mel Kracht, for assisting guests during the event; and volunteer Joel Barten for assistance with the carrying of many boxes and hauling golf carts.

❤️ The people of Spruce Hill and the community of Spruce Hill Lutheran Church, whose belief in and warm care for this space was fully felt yesterday.

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⁉️ What’s next for Spruce Hill Church?⁉️

DCHS is seeking your input on the future of Spruce Hill Church!
We know that many of you are deeply invested in the future of this beautiful church.

To this end, DCHS is seeking contact information for individuals willing to participate in a new organization or advisory committee that would lead future events, fundraising, coordination, etc. related to Spruce Hill Church.

🚩 Please sign up for this committee by visiting the sign up link in the comments! 🚩

Or, you can share your interest by emailing DCHS at [email protected], calling us at 320-762-0382, or visiting us at 1219 Nokomis Street, Alexandria, MN 56308 (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by appointment outside of those hours.)

Thank you for your interest in keeping this historic place alive for future generations!

10/01/2026

⭐🎤 New program added for Saturday's Historic Spruce Hill Church Open House! Paulette Friday, Storyteller and Patty Kakac will be performing Marjorie VanGorp's "Voices from the Hillside" beginning at 2:30! 🎤⭐

🔔 Join us THIS SATURDAY, October 3, from noon to 4:00 p.m. for a very special open house at Spruce Hill Church.

🛠️ This summer and fall, restoration work is being done to repair and preserve this historic building, and we're looking forward to giving you a "behind the scenes" look at the current progress and projects.

🎵 The event will also feature music on the church's historic reed organ from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., played by Brad Lambrecht.

🎤 And a presentation of Marjorie VanGorp's "Voices from the Hillside" by Paulette Friday and Patty Kakac, beginning at 2:30.

📍 Spruce Hill Church is located at 12553 Ottertail Trail NE, just east of Miltona near Spruce Hill Park.

🎟️ This event is free and open to the public!

🍪 Light refreshments will be provided.

🚻 Portable restrooms will be available on site.

❓ Questions? You can contact DCHS about this event at [email protected], or by calling us at 320-762-0382 during our office hours (Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

09/25/2026

🌧️ NEW DATE DUE TO RAIN! 🌧️
Meet us at Kinkead Cemetery on SUNDAY, September 27!

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🧽 Join us for a Cemetery Cleaning Workshop at Kinkead Cemetery starting at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 27 on how to safely remove biological matter such as lichen from headstones using approved, effective stone cleaners—and then try it for yourself, getting hands-on to help preserve these precious monuments for years to come. 🧽

👖 Wear work or gardening clothing that can get messy and close-toed shoes, and bring your own gloves! 🥾

Join us at Kinkead Cemetery in Alexandria, MN located approximately at 530 Agnes Blvd NW, Alexandria, MN 56308.

(Park & meet at eastern side of the cemetery!)

Questions? Call DCHS at 320-762-0382 or email [email protected].

09/24/2026

📅 Coming up this week, we have a pair of exciting events in and around the Douglas County Historical Society!

🚗 First, join us Thursday, September 24, for an Open House celebrating our next photo gallery exhibit--Moving Forward: Antique Autos of Douglas County! The reception takes place at DCHS from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., and light refreshments will be provided.

🧽 Then on Saturday (September 26) at 9:00 a.m., join us at Kinkead Cemetery in Alexandria for a cemetery cleaning workshop! Learn how to safely remove biological matter such as lichen from headstones using approved, effective stone cleaners, then try it for yourself, getting hands-on to help preserve these precious monuments for years to come.

Park and meet at 9:00 a.m. on the east side of the cemetery for this workshop, which should finish before noon. Wear work or gardening clothing that can get messy and close-toed shoes, and bring your own gloves!

🌧️If it is raining on Saturday (watch our page Douglas County Historical Society MN for an announcement!) We will move to our rain date:

💧 Sunday, September 27, at 9:00 a.m.

Thank you! See you soon!