Outside Looking In

One of the things I enjoy traveling around to historical sites. Most travelers looking for historic places usually visit the bigger cities because they can take in more than one thing during a trip. But they also end up paying a lot of money to visit these sites.
When you think of things that are interesting in the Minneota area, you could easily make a full day of sightseeing at no cost through four small communities along Highway 68.
Starting west and working your way east, visit the old brick "hoosegow" in Porter, which has a wonderful historic story. I wrote a story about it a few years ago and was allowed to go inside (it remains locked for safety reasons) to see where unruly drunks were once put in lockup. Built in 1898, 17 years before Porter was incorporated as a village, citizens were determined that there was a need to construct this "hoosegow", which was a popular name for a jail in those days, because of the abundance of drunk and disorderly conduct that was occurring at the saloon and dance hall in town. It was thought that these people needed time to cool down or to sleep off their inebriation in an adult "timeout" room 17' x 20'. Although the project was approved by a council on April 11, 1898, the construction of the jail didn't come to fruition until 1903 (although the sign outside the jail incorrectly reads that it was built in 1898).
The jail, which stands along Park Avenue just off Highway 68, included two small rooms with cells that could house two prisoners each. Each cell included two bunk-style hinged iron beds. A wood stove in each room would keep the prisoners warm in the winter.
The jail was finally closed for good in 1957 and was restored in 1993. It is the oldest existing jail in Yellow Medicine County.
Also in Porter, the SM & I Hydraulics Company constructed the iconic train that travels inside Minute Maid Park in Houston every time an Astros player hits a home run. The train was featured on national television during the team's World Series championship last summer.
A few miles to the east, Taunton has an impressive 6' x 10' memorial stone four miles north of town that introduces passers-by to the 315-acre James Meger Wildlife Management Area. Former Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith made the trip to this tiny town in October of 1917 during the governor's pheasant hunting opener and helped dedicate the wildlife area to the late former Minneota native and renowned wildlife artist and avid outdoorsman. Meger's wife and daughter also attended the dedication.
Minneota is chock full of history with three buildings in town placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. These include the former O.G. Anderson and Company Big Store on Jefferson St. that was built and run by Icelandic immigrants. St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Parsonage was also built by Icelandic immigrants. Finally, the J.S. Anderson home, now owned by Betty Johnson on East Second Street, is a three-story home designed and built in 1896 by famous architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Minnesota State Capitol, as well as two other state capitol buildings and the U.S. Supreme Court building. The octagonal tower sits high above the home and can be seen for blocks. When Anderson's family resided in the house, a gas lamp was placed in the window of the tower like a lighthouse, allowing travelers to find their way in blizzards.
South of Minneota is the Hemnes Lutheran Cemetery where the graves of eight members of the John and Sarah Arnold family that were killed when their automobile was struck by a train near Mankato in 1924. It remains the single-highest, one-family fatality in state history. Sarah was a native of Minneota and the family was were traveling from their home in Wisconsin for a Fourth of July celebration in Minneota. The deceased bodies of John, Sarah and their children, Anna, 22; Marvin, 13; May, 10; Lawrence, 8; Lillian, 4; and Herbert, 2; were brought to Minneota by train to be buried here. Luther, 18, was the lone survivor of the accident. He and brother, Seward, 16, who stayed on the farm to attend to chores and did not make the trip, came to live in Minneota with relatives. Luther graduated here in 1925 and Seward in 1927.
Minneota was also home to a former National Football League running back (Les Josephson), a former state treasurer (Val Bjornson), popular poet/author/musician Bill Holm, and a young soldier who recorded transcripts during the Nuremberg War Trials (Larry Tillemans) following World War II.
In Ghent, the former 121-year-old former St. Agnes Convent School still stands along McQuestion Street. It has been renovated to appear much like it did when it was built in 1902 by current owners Adam and Chassidy DeRoode. The beautiful three-story home had 16 rooms when it was used as a school and chapel that held daily Mass. The students slept on the third floor.
There are many interesting historical sites in rural areas of southern Minnesota that many people don't know about. One example of this is located south of Sacred Heart, off Renville County Road 15. A portion of a stone house built in 1862 by Joseph R. Brown is still visible and storyboards on the site tell a compelling story. Brown is a familiar name to most ardent historians. He was a wealthy man who built a 3 ½ story, 19-room mansion is the earliest known home that is made of quarried granite in Minnesota. Brown and his wife built this elaborate home because they had 12 children. The Brown's house was burned by the Dakotas during the uprising. The house was gutted by the fire and all their belongings were lost or destroyed.
It's worth the drive to witness what is left of this house and to read the story.
It takes a little digging sometimes to find these forgotten landmarks, but challenging yourself to discover history is all part of the fun.