Polk County MN Historical Society

01/04/2025

A sample of remnants of the past in Polk County.

01/01/2025

12/14/2024

A farmer's pride in a straight plow furrow is well known for those who remember plowing. The moldboard plow is almost completely retired now in the Red River Valley, as are horses as beasts of burden.

This image is from a set of "lantern slides" from the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) in Crookston, the predecessor to the University of Minnesota Crookston. Lantern slides are glass, with a positive rather than negative image.

The history of the "Magic Lantern" dates to the 17th century, when a kerosene flame produced a dim light that projected through a hand painted glass image, focused with a glass lens.

With the advent of electricity and the light bulb, these early slide projectors were used in the classrooms at NWSA, I'm sure a source of fascination in the early 20th Century.

The first Magic Lantern image is a kerosene projector, the second an electric light bulb projector. Projector images are from an auction site on the Internet.

12/13/2024

In a collection of dry plate (glass) negatives in the Society archives is this undated and unattributed photo of a frosty morning. Who can resist taking a photo of frost on the trees?

12/01/2024

British Explorer David Thompson, in spring of 1797, traveled through Polk County (which of course did not exist then). From the confluence of the Assiniboine River (at Winnipeg) and Red River he traveled by dog sled to the confluence of the Red and Red Lake Rivers (Grand Forks) then proceeded up the Red Lake River, and on April 11, 1797, to a point near Red Lake Falls, when the ice became impossible for the dog sleds. He had encountered slush on the rivers prior.

An accomplished celestial navigator, Thompson's readings can be found on Google Maps and the original Minnesota survey maps. Although not perfect, he was generally within a mile or so of a known location. On the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers he was about 5 miles east with his readings, the latitude exact but longitude off. Amazing yet.

On the original survey map his location of the Ojibwe village is about 3/4 miles north of the river. It is likely they settled on the edge of the woods, maybe 1/2 mile south of his readings.

Included here is an excerpt of one of the interpreted / translated stories the Old Chief told Thompson. Thompson was quite fluent in the "Old Chippewa" language, and described the changes in the language to the "New Chippewa".

The village was semi-permanent. They raised corn and vegetables, supplemented with fish, wild rice, and small game. Having no horses or guns but only bows and arrows, hunting bison on the prairie required dozens of men and was a hunt of last choice. It was also at a time when the Sioux, who had both horses and guns, were hunting bison in the Red River Valley. Bitter enemies, they did not want to chance encounters.

11/24/2024

CONGRATULATIONS to the Fertile Beltrami Falcons, who won the State 9 man High School Football Championship after an undefeated season!

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=956442099839303&set=a.235128955303958&__cft__[0]=AZWmJsmyOq68bO8r5NUru2D_kFUppbeysrnM0PaYqNxstZLLD2kfLhZY-oSmOgEJqIulk3S6jzFrsRqQHu8TYiuw6VvNsljJO0XSmZaL8WMLLo5PzQUhOwDWtSWzmM2lvqVG8869ejyZo4K7Ru0uO37j1bFQ2i2GvtLAPecLvJiPyXosXZEcCNUOZ2p0o3Aum6bLNND7F6l_xEepufU8THOFtrJZgMBdhkSUXM5QJJ9iwhPeSPHU65zNrRPnbPsoVx0&__tn__=EH-R

FERTILE-BELTRAMI = MSHSL 9-PLAYER FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPS! 20-8 FINAL.

FIRST TITLE IN PROGRAM HISTORY!

11/18/2024

Gentlemen posing in front of the SP Johnson Store in McIntosh, 1901.

11/18/2024

Joy Neal Kidney provides us with photos and a short history of Keywest, MN. Keywest is now a few nice homes along the county highway. Located about 14 miles north of Fisher and about 10 miles slightly SW of Euclid, it once had a grain elevator, depot, post office, Woodman Hall, a Presbyterian Church, and a few homes.

The 1920 US census enumerates 222 residents in Keystone township. The 2020 population is 66.

Clicking the photo does not display the website. Click below to read the article.

URL:"https://joynealkidney.com/2021/10/25/discovering-key-west-minnesota/"

A Trip to Key West, Minnesota There wasn’t much left of Key West when we visited in 2002, just a ramshackle elevator with a faint “KEY WEST, MINN.” on one side. Key West had one house, a kind of co…

10/26/2024

First National Bank currency from the First National Banks of Fosston and Crookston. Images from eBay.

Although Federal Reserve Notes had been issued since 1875 and were backed by the federal government, the federal government authorized printing National Bank Notes for chartered First National Banks. Many banks outsourced the printing.

In order to issue nationally recognized and accepted First National Bank notes, the bank had to deposit with the Federal Reserve an amount equal to the currency the Federal government issued to them. They were valid tender anywhere in the US.

As collector items, these notes on eBay are offered for between $400 and $1400.

By 1935, the National Bank Currency was replaced with the Federal Reserve Note.

From AntiqueMoney dot com:

"The First National Bank Of Crookston in Minnesota printed $1,120,470 dollars worth of national currency. Over $1,000,000 face value is a lot of money. However, some types and denominations of currency from this bank could still be rare. This national bank opened in 1881 and stopped printing money in 1935, which equals a 55 year printing period. That is considering a long operation period for a national bank. During its life, The First National Bank Of Crookston issued 13 different types and denominations of national currency."

"The First National Bank Of Fosston The First National Bank Of Fosston in Minnesota printed $392,460 dollars worth of national currency. "

Although banks no longer issue currency, many long standing banks retain their name as a First National Bank.

10/24/2024

A short history of Nashville, Polk County, Minnesota 1863 - 1883.

The first white settler in Nashville, now East Grand Forks, was W.C. Nash. His full name is William Carroll Nash though no references to anything but WC Nash are used during his life...

Scroll through the photos for a short timeline history.

10/22/2024

Historic Post Offices of Polk County

Before rural delivery, before automobiles, when rural people counted on mail like we now count on the Internet, post offices were numerous. The application for a rural post office was simple. A sponsoring post office on the railroad where mail was delivered was necessary. The applicant had to propose a schedule for picking up the mail at the main office.

Not all post offices were stand alone. Often they were in a country store, or even in a home. Some lasted only a few years, for various reasons.

CLICK THE LINK, NOT THE IMAGE TO INTERACT.

You can click on any location to find the name and geocoordinates of where it was.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8363044,-96.635828,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!6m1!1s1aAgVMBK-6DyrCDwYXEkSbXQn8ew?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAxNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

10/19/2024

Mortgage foreclosure sales on farmland in Polk County, published in April 1891 in the Thirteen Towns newspaper, the sales to be held at the front door of the Polk County Courthouse on May 12, 1891 at 2:00 pm.

Almost all the mortgages were held by East Coast persons. Seven out of ten were in odd numbered sections, granted to the railroads and sold at $2.00 an acre.

Four of the foreclosures were in present Red Lake County, when it was still part of Polk. Most were for a quarter section of land. Those farmers lost their livelihood.

By 1891, farmland prices in the County, in the Red River Valley had risen to between $25 - $50 an acre. It appears investors were eager to foreclose for a delinquent sum as low as $29.70, possibly to capitalize on the increased value of the land.

Section, Township - Range, Delinquent Amount

11, 148 - 46 $38.50
21, 150 - 44 $501.00
33, 150 - 41 $32.90
23, 149 - 44 $48.00
23, 150 - 42 $29.70
Crookston Townsite $2,416.60
11, 148 - 46 $126.00
32, 148 - 48 $39.80
35, 149 - 48 $325.54
20, 149 - 45 $54.99
28, 150 - 43 $152.40

1915 Polk County Map

09/14/2024

Years before Federal Prohibition was enacted in 1921, in 1915 the Minnesota legislature passed a law that counties could choose whether to go "dry" or be "wet". Prior to that it was a vote in each village whether to allow liquor or not.

The argument for the county wide vote was that rural residents, who were about 60% of the state population, had no say, as only the residents of the towns could vote on the matter.

There were numerous bills introduced and ultimately the county option won by a close vote in the Minnesota House and Senate.

Polk County went dry, with East Grand Forks and Crookston overwhelmingly choosing wet but being out voted in the county wide ballot.

It was estimated that the vast majority of revenue for East Grand Forks was liquor licenses and the monthly roundup and fining of the city's "soiled doves", which essentially amounted to a city license to do business.

The House of Representatives has a comprehensive history of the legislation here.

https://www.house.mn.gov/SessionDaily/SDView.aspx?StoryID=5348

09/06/2024

A big Kudos to Jerry Wentzel, our PCHS Board President, for his meticulous scraping and painting of the popular "summer kitchen".

And a big thank you to the Polk County residents and Commissioners, for all the work done to the Museum building this year, including the new pavement at the front entry, excavating around the foundation slab and installing drain tile and rock to improve drainage. And many other repairs we otherwise would have difficulty affording.

We'll see you Sunday September 8 from 11-5 for Pioneer Day!

08/13/2024

September 8 at our annual Pioneer Day event we will be demonstrating the vintage sawmill. A load of pine was acquired and we will be selling rough cut lumber. We can cut to your specifications provided the logs are suitable. This is not fast grown commercial pine, but natural growth. It will be cut to true dimensions so an inch thick is, an inch thick, 10" wide is 10".

The lumber will not be cured so it is your responsibility to make sure it is properly dried.

08/13/2024

PCHS Board Member John Vraa to the rescue!

CLIMAX, MN (iNewZ.TV) A 24 hour cliffhanger in Climax, Minnesota has just come to a successful end on this Monday evening. Honeybee is safe!

07/29/2024

Our young vintage engine expert David got another classic tractor running, a rare COD tractor built in Crookston. Come and see it running on Pioneer Day, second Sunday in September.