Beltrami County History Center

06/20/2026

A year after the devastating storm on June 21, 2025, the Pioneer revisited several of the locations where we documented the damage to show the community's remarkable recovery efforts.

06/20/2026

06/20/2026

Thank you Lakeland Public Television for your fine coverage on this historical event in our community. 

This Sunday will mark one year since a devastating wind storm blew through the Bemidji area…causing millions of dollars in damages and changing the city landscape forever. "I think in some ways it feels like it's a year in other ways, not at all." said Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince. "There's…

06/19/2026

Juneteenth - a reel on real history - today!

06/19/2026

The rain kept us from sharing our Juneteenth History Walk today - so here it is virtually!!

06/18/2026

BEMIDJI — The Beltrami County Historical Society will host its annual meeting and director's program, "Developing History," at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, at the Beltrami County History Center, 130 Minnesota Ave. SW.

"'Developing History' looks back at the remarkable contributions of the Society's collections, research and publications teams over the past five years — the work that has shaped the museum into what it is today," a release said. "The program is also a heartfelt thank-you to the volunteers and staff whose efforts make preserving local history possible."

Throughout the presentation, several volunteers will highlight current projects and offer a behind-the-scenes look at ongoing work. Guests will also enjoy previews of the Center's new permanent exhibit.

The afternoon will conclude with a reception, where cake will be served.

The event is free and open to the public.

06/17/2026

06/16/2026

John and Norma McKee owned the Caravan Beach Resort on Lake Bemidji, but did Norma actually manage it or did they hire someone else to run it?

06/11/2026

BEMIDJI —The Beltrami County Historical Society is once again participating in the Blue Star Museums program, offering free admission to active-duty military personnel and families this summer.

The program will run through Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 7.

“Military families carry a weight most of us don't see," BCHS Executive Director Emily Thabes said in a release. "The deployments, the moves, the long stretches apart. Their service is real service, and it deserves to be honored. We're proud to open our doors to them this summer and say thank you the best way a museum knows how: come in, stay as long as you like, and know that this place is yours."

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums nationwide.

Free admission is available to those currently serving in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard, including Reservists and National Guard members regardless of status, along with the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Corps.

The program covers the service member and up to five family members per visit. Family members may include spouses, children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and others.

Visitors should bring a Geneva Convention Common Access Card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card, or DD Form 1173-1 ID card. The active-duty member does not need to be present for family members to participate, and families of deployed service members are welcome.

Veterans and retirees are not covered under the Blue Star Museums program, though the Historical Society offers year-round discounted admission for this group.

For more information and a complete list of participating museums, visit arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums.

For local museum hours, current exhibits and upcoming events, visit beltramihistory.org or call (218) 444-3376.

06/09/2026

On the Street Where You Live
516 9th Street NW
The earliest resident we know of was D. R. Spencer, a Cass Lake businessman, around 1916.. By June 1917, Henry Norton had moved in with his wife Bevorah and their young family. Henry worked for the Crookston Lumber Company — until the mill fire of 1924 ended that chapter and sent the family to Grand Rapids.

About the time the Nortons departed, John Stahl and his wife Betsy moved in. John was a Swedish immigrant who had spent years farming in Eckles Township before settling in Bemidji. He and Betsy, who hailed from Solway (also born in Sweden), had married in 1909. An interesting detail surfaces in the 1910 census, where the family name appears as “Stohl” — a spelling variant that reflects the challenges census enumerators sometimes faced with Scandinavian surnames.

By 1930, the address had a new household: the Lund family. They shared the home with Thomas Austad, a brother-in-law, and Mrs. Austad, the mother-in-law, both of whom had previously lived in Frohn Township. Thomas and his mother were evidently comfortable at the address and were still listed there as late as 1942. Albert and Annie Lund, meanwhile, had moved with their children to a different home sometime during the 1930s.

Mrs. Nettie Askin was a owner/resident by 1950. Nettie and her husband Robert had spent their lives moving from city to city in the service of the Salvation Army — Robert had actually been stationed in Bemidji as early as 1908. After his death in 1942, Nettie came back and lived in this house during the 1950s.

Later, Alice Cloose — a Bemidji Normal School graduate turned dairy farmer’s wife from Buzzle Township — made her home here after the death of her husband Rudolph in 1977. Three Cloose children -- Amy, Amber, and Max were still active 4-H members decades later. Grandchildren?

The house sat vacant from 1980 through at least 1988. Elliott and Penny Whitney appear in the 1989 city directory as the new resident owners, though they are not listed in the 1991 edition.

The deed record traces the more recent ownership of the property through several hands. Terry Lee Duy acquired the parcel in May 2006 and sold it that same month to Glen W. and Allison R. Mills. The Mills family held the property until April 2015, when it passed to Chad C. S. and Mary E. Erickson. In July 2017, CNM Properties of MN LLC obtained the property from the Ericksons by quit claim deed, and in August 2022 CNM conveyed it to Jonathan J. Tody and Trinity R. Haubrich.

Hope I got it right, J. Tody.