Isanti County Historical Society

10/12/2026

Well, 142-ish years passed before having to post the property at the West Riverside School & Edblad Cabin. A sign of the times quite literally.

Why the change you ask? It just so happens that people couldn't resist breaking in and ransacking our Edblad Cabin.

If anyone has information or saw suspicious activity between Tuesday October 6th and Friday October 9th, please reach out to us.

We really wish it didn’t have to come to this, but the grounds are private property so if you’d like to visit, please contact us before doing so. Our security has been ramped up accordingly.

763 689-4229
[email protected]

10/08/2026

If you’re out and about today enjoying this beautiful weather, come by and visit us. Today will be the last day of the season that will have our buildings open. So, if you haven’t seen them before or just want to reacquaint yourself, stop by!

We’re located in the north west corner of the fairgrounds at 33525 Flanders St. NE., Cambridge. We’ll be here until 4 o’clock today.

10/05/2026

This is the photograph that was just hung at the Isanti County Historical Society building. A big thank you to Sam Klocksien, the director, for his ongoing support and assistance with this little project. I'm sure we will be working with him a lot more as we continue to work on the book about history of Cambridge State Hospital.

10/05/2026

This has been a fun and rewarding partnership. A lot of our local history is tied to the Cambridge State Hospital!

10/02/2026

Homecoming 2026.
Good luck, Bluejackets!

The first CHS football team - 1910.

Back row L-R: Paul Dahlgren, Elmer Starkey, Emil Oman, Coach Carl Hendrickson, Elmer Dahl

Middle row: Clifford Starr, Alvin Berglund, Hugo Olund, Allan Hallin, Robert Moody, Reuben Bloomgren

Front row: Irving Mellin, Lawrence Chouinard, Asil Shaw

09/23/2026

Interested in learning more about the history and health benefits of sauna? If so, drop by our Heritage Center tomorrow night at 6:30 for a presentation!

09/18/2026

If you’re out and about at the Cambridge Customer Appreciation Event, stop by and say hello to Board President, Robert Fealy-Layer. He’s in front of Happy Productions Studios on 2nd Avenue.

09/09/2026

Wednesday, September 16th: Join the East Central Regional Library and Miss Margaret at the West Riverside School for Storytime Around the Town!

Click the link for more details.

Storytime Around the Town! Join Miss Margaret for a special storytime at the West Riverside School. This is a very special location in Isanti County! The schoolhouse was in use...

08/31/2026

While digging for a photo, we came across another that caught our eye. This one shows Ritchart Ford-Chrysler on Main Street South in Cambridge.

The building at 2440 Main Street South has seen many cars in its lot over the decades. What started as an expansion to the well-known Jack Roach Ford dealership eventually transitioned into Ritchart and later Hayford Ford. The building is now home to the Isanti County Sheriff's Office.

Note the properties directly east of the structure. The Cambridge Christian School was yet to be built, and if you look closely in the upper-left frame, you can just see a combine harvesting soybeans on what we think may have been the Glenn Nelson property.

The little wetland (Bayview Pond) shown in the treeline is part of a development now.

Things sure have changed!

08/16/2026

A few more photos of some of our great volunteers at Heritage Day!