Category Archives: artifacts

George Sprandel’s Snowshoes, Circa 1945

Educator and avid outdoorsman, George Washington Sprandel, was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, on February 22, 1905, to Charles August (C. A.) and Mathilda (Becker) Sprandel. George was one of ten surviving children of C. A. and his two wives. C.A.’s first wife, Caroline Sophia (Kastner) Sprandel had four children. Caroline died of typhoid fever in 1896. George’s mother, Mathilda, had eight children, two of whom died in infancy. On June 23, 1940, George married Lucille M. Steuart in Iowa. George and Lucille had three children – Dorian, Dennis and Cheryl. George spent much of his professional career working in the field of education. He started as a teacher, coach and later principal at Verndale High School in Verndale, Minnesota, a town near the southern border of Wadena County. In 1938, George became Superintendent of Schools for Morrison County, a position he held until 1954. George also worked as a controller for Larson Boats of Little Falls until he retired in 1965.

George was a member of the Pinnacle Club, a local sporting association, and the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. George wore these well-used and cared for snowshoes to hunt, trap and fish throughout the Morrison County countryside during Minnesota’s deep snowy winters. According to his nephew, Fred Larson, the twisted cotton canvas boot straps probably replaced straps that were originally made of leather. Manufactured by the Sebago Company, the snowshoes are over four feet long and one foot wide.

George Sprandel’s Snowshoes, Circa 1945