Morrison County Historical Society

Jan Warner, MCHS Executive Director, will be hosting her popular discussion series “Conversations with Jan” during the next three Tuesdays – February 9, 16, & 23. She’ll be leading a discussion on the pioneering spirit of enterprise in Morrison County, focusing on  why people moved to Morrison County and the entrepreneurial endeavors they engaged in when they got here.

“Conversations with Jan” will be held at 2 p.m. on February 9, 16, & 23, at The Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum in Little Falls, MN. The event is free and open to all. If you have any questions, give us a call at 320-632-4007.

Hope to see you there!

This morning, when Ali was helping a researcher, I thought I heard a common question pop out of the researcher’s mouth. The question, confirmed by Ali, was “Do you have all these newspapers online?” Our answer is, “No, we don’t.”

Because we get the question so often, I thought I should take a few moments to explain why we don’t have local newspapers available online. There are several reasons.

First, the amount of work involved with scanning each page of every issue of the local newspapers would make this a monumental endeavor.  Let’s do a little fuzzy math, shall we?

If we take our largest collection of newspapers – the morgue of the Little Falls Daily Transcript - we own a run of papers from 1892 through 1982. That’s 90 years worth of newspapers, printed at least 6 days per week – 6 x 52 = 312 issues per year x 90 years = 28,080 issues of 6-8 pages each. If we use the conservative figure of 6 pages per issue and multiply it by 28,080 issues, we get 168,480 pages to scan.

MCHS went online in 2002. At the time, historical organizations were getting familiar with an online environment and weren’t sure what it was going to do for us or our stakeholders. There also weren’t the easy-to-use tools available online that we have now. Let’s ignore those facts for a moment. If we had started in 2002 and staff had worked steadily on nothing but newspaper scanning between 2002 and 2010 (we’ll take whole years here to make it easier – fuzzy math, remember?), we’d have to have scanned 81 newspaper pages every single day the museum was open within that time (260 days per year within 8 years = 2,080 days open). With a paid staff of 4, one of whom is the custodian, another of whom is only here 2 days per week, we literally could have done nothing else within that 8 years – and that would mean scanning only one of the newspapers.

(Think about this for a moment – no newsletters, no Nathan Richardson book, no rotating exhibits, no school tours, no quilt shows, no assisting researchers, no events, no bill-paying, no Uncommon Focus photo project, no accessioning of collections items, no organizing the Stanek Photography collection, and no website to put the newspapers on. Those are some of the things that staff have done in the past 8 years.)

A second reason we don’t have all of the newspapers scanned is the technology. When scanning newspapers, ideally we’d want to scan a page in its entirety. That means owning a scanner with a bed large enough to accommodate a full newspaper page. Scanners of this size are not widely available from regular commercial outlets, nor are they affordable. The costs associated with the equipment we’d need for properly scanning newspapers are out of reach for MCHS.

Thirdly, we have to be concerned with copyright. Each of the newspapers in our collection has a copyright holder. While fair use allows us to make limited copies out of the papers for researchers for personal use and study, it does not allow us to make every issue available to the masses for ready reproduction on a broad scale. Granted, we could scan and put online every issue published prior to 1923 because they fall within public domain according to copyright law, but we’d have to get permission to do so for issues after that date. (That process is not as easy as it sounds.)

While researchers (and MCHS staff) would love to have every issue of past local newspapers readily available online (and searchable!), there are plenty of hurdles to getting them there. When it comes to museum work in general, there are always more tasks that need tending than there is time for the tending. Our decision-making about what we’re going to tackle involves weighing a number of factors.

With scanning newspapers, we weighed the factors mentioned above with our current methods of accessibility (researchers coming to museum to look up items, staff searching newspapers for requested info) and decided that those methods are sufficiently efficient and cost effective in comparison to what scanning would take.

There could come a time when the balance tips and the hurdles can be jumped so that newspaper scanning becomes feasible. (It’s also possible that another organization – Google?, the Minnesota Historical Society? – will accomplish this endeavor  before we do.) Until that time, the old-school method of newspaper research will have to suffice.

Museums, particularly history  museums, are known for wallowing in the past. It’s kind of our gig. And that’s okay, so far as it goes. The kicker is that what is happening now is history in the blink of an eye. If you think about that too closely, it’s almost overwhelming. Any given moment is instantaneously history. People may be immersed in the present, but the present doesn’t last.

What that means is that those of us working in museums can’t only concern ourselves with some distant, fuzzy past. We also have to be conscious of what’s going on with the near past and today so we can preserve the NOW with as much immediacy as possible. The longer we wait to save history, the harder it is to get the facts straight, to get the whole story, to capture the authentic voices of those who lived it.

One of the things we do at the Weyerhaeuser Museum to collect immediate history is to observe what is going on in Morrison County and post those observations on Twitter. For those of you unfamiliar with Twitter, it is a micro-blogging service that allows users to say what’s happening in 140 characters or less. A post on Twitter is called a “tweet.”

We’ve been tweeting for almost a year now. (The time flies!) After using Twitter for a while, I came to the realization that it can serve the function of past Local Items columns in the old local newspapers we have on file at the Weyerhaeuser Museum. It’s rare that today’s newspapers offer snippets about ordinary people and minor community events. With Twitter, people can now post their own snippets of what’s happening in their daily lives and communities.

We have been using Twitter to mention our observations about local construction projects, weather, gas prices, business openings and closings, and the like since October 2009. We call these our “Today Is History” tweets.

With only three staff people observing and tweeting, it’s difficult for us to give a complete picture of all the stuff going on throughout Morrison County. What we really need are correspondents – local people using Twitter who are willing to post their observations about local happenings. We could then follow these local Twitterers and capture their local news tweets, which we would publish as an insert in our newsletter.

If there are locals out there willing to make the observations, but not tweet them, we’d be open to having them phone in (320-632-4007) or email (contactstaff@morrisoncountyhistory.org) their observations and we will post them to Twitter.

In order to follow particular topics more easily on Twitter, the service allows people to apply hashtags to their tweets. A hashtag is the number symbol (#) directly followed by the search term of choice. We are using the hashtag #tih for our Today Is History tweets.

You may follow our tweets at http://twitter.com/weymu.

If you want to sign up for a Twitter account, follow this link: http://twitter.com

If you do sign up for Twitter and want to be a Today Is History correspondent, let us know and we’ll follow you.

If you have no idea what Twitter is, but want to know more, sign up for the Twitter class we are hosting on March 13, 2010, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Weyerhaeuser Museum. I’ll be covering the how-to basics of the service. (Call 320-632-4007 to reserve a spot in the class. Cost: $10 per person.)

I was driving past the Little Falls Dam a couple days ago and caught sight of the dramatic half-frozen flow of water out of the corner of my eye. I happened to have my camera in the car so decided to turn the car around and try to capture a few shots to share with blog readers.

Little Falls Dam, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010

Little Falls Dam, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010

Little Falls Dam, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010

This is actually the fourth dam to grace this general location in Little Falls, the original site of a waterfall that ran in two channels split by an island. The first dam was built in 1849 and stretched across only the eastern channel of the river, rather than the full width. The second dam, also across the eastern channel, was completed in 1858, but washed out the following year because it was built on top of sand. The third dam, constructed of wood, was built in 1887/88 and stretched the full width of the river. It remained in place until natural deterioration took its toll. The fourth dam, the one pictured above, was built between 1914 and 1921, with periodic improvements having been made since that time.

Last Sunday, January 24, 2010, fire broke out inside Iron Hills Pawn Shop in Little Falls, MN. The fire spread to Bill’s Decorating behind the pawn shop and eventually decimated the interiors of both businesses. The Morrison County Record has more particulars on the fire.

My husband kindly went out into the cold on my request and took some photos of the buildings after the fire.

After the fire - front of Iron Hills Pawn Shop, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010

After the fire - north side of Iron Hills Pawn Shop/Bill's Decorating, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010.

After the fire - Bill's Decorating, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010.

After the fire - Bill's Decorating & Iron Hills Pawn Shop, north side of building, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010. Isn't the heavy equipment impressive?

View of the sidewalk after the fire, Bill's Decorating & Iron Hills Pawn Shop, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010. There's evidence of fire damage on the sidewalk.

After the fire - back (east) side of Bill's Decorating & Iron Hills Pawn Shop, Little Falls, MN, January 26, 2010. If you look closely, you can see evidence of the roof damage in this photo.

What’s interesting to note about the aftermath of this fire is how little the exterior structures show the damage. That’s the beauty of brick and cement block. They’re fireproof.

Downtown Little Falls is known for its primarily yellow-brick buildings. The yellow brick was produced locally at three brickyards that were located on the western edge of town. While yellow brick was easy to get, that wasn’t the only reason so many buildings in downtown Little Falls are made of brick.

In 1889, the City Council, including Mayor Nathan Richardson, passed a fire protection ordinance that “prohibited the construction of wooden buildings within a particular geographical area of the city.  …. The ordinance further required that “all buildings and other structures erected within said limits shall be constructed of stone, brick, iron or other fire proof materials ….”" (pg. 84, A Big Hearted Paleface Man: Nathan Richardson & The History of Morrison County, MN)

Richardson had suffered a number of fires (home and business) in his life, so this ordinance would have been of special interest to him.

Even though the Iron Hills/Bill’s Decorating building appears to be a later addition* to downtown Little Falls and the 1889 fire protection ordinance may have been superseded by other building codes when it was built, you can easily see the value of that original ordinance. Those old-timers knew a thing or two.

*(Most of the yellow brick buildings were built from the late 1880s to 1915 or so).

The Minnesota Association of County Officers has created a searchable online database of marriages in Minnesota. It is called the Minnesota Official Marriage System and is searchable by name (bride’s, groom’s, or both), county or date. I’ve added this to our Online Resources page under State Information Sources. Check it out. I’ve already found a surprise concerning a marriage in my family.

January 28, 2010 – Note: I think I’ve inadvertently confused people with this post. I have three links; one that leads you to a description of the Minnesota Association of County Officers; the second one that leads you to the Minnesota Official Marriage System search page; and the third that leads you to our Online Resources page, where I’ve listed the MN Official Marriage System.

Here’s the link to the Minnesota Official Marriage System search page: http://www.mncounty.com/Modules/Certificates/Marriage/Default.aspx

Sorry for any confusion.

After an icy weather weekend, The Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum has reopened for normal business hours (Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.).  Thanks for your patience during our weather-related closure last Saturday.  As the museum’s parking lot continues to be a bit of a skating rink, feel free to park in the driveway near the building if you choose to visit during the the next few days.

Due to icy conditions,  traveling in Morrison County is treacherous today and travelers have been asked to stay off the roads.  Little Falls radio (KLTF) advises all plows have been pulled off the roads this morning.   The Weyerhaeuser Museum will be closed today and reopen on Tuesday, January 26 at 10 a.m.

White particles, usually crystalline, of ice formed on objects exposed to cold air…and everything looks so beautiful.  We have had a number of days this year in Little Falls to enjoy this beauty; and I can’t resist taking my camera with me on my short trek to the museum.  It was around 20 above last week when I took the photo below.   Mary thought I should share; I am pleased to do so.

As you will see from the photo below, the Choke Berry Bush still has those shriveled berries.  We’ve had snow on the ground since before Christmas; and it looks as though the article I read about the birds eating the berries when their food supply is scarce may not be true.  I’m not giving up though, going to keep watching those berries to see what happens.