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Articles by Heidi Gould
Gedney Foods, the creator of the ‘Minnesota Pickle’ Original
Matthias Anderson Gedney founded the M.A. Gedney Company. He was born in Patterson, New Jersey on Oct. 24, 1822. Gedney spent much of his youth and early adulthood at sea as a sailor on merchant and naval vessels. In 1849, he joined the California Gold Rush, making enough money to start a small trade business and marry Calista Jane Bailey. Gedney first got involved in the pickle business in 1863. That year, Gedney and his family moved to Illinois.
Taking care of history
Over the course of 64 weeks, from February 2021 until May 6, 2022, the Aitkin County Historical Society conducted a complete inventory of its collections. A Legacy grant through the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund paid for the conversion to a new cloud-based Collections Resource Management (CRM) software. The grant also funded two paid, part-time employees to work off-site in the storage building to complete the inventory. You may ask, what’s so important about doing an inventory?
Roller organs and ‘Cobs’
Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth...
Start new ‘giving’ tradition
“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.” ~Ruth Carter Stapleton Christmas should be a time of joy and giving. A time to gather with friends and family and celebrate the season. This is not always the case, however. In the early hours of the morning of Christmas day, in 1949, the MacGregor-Dennerly building in Aitkin caught fire.
Let’s bring back ... hats!
I can wear a hat or take it off, but either way it’s a conversation piece. ~Hedda Hopper If you work in the history field, and especially with photographs, you will notice many things about the public, about people and how they behave and dress, that have changed drastically over the decades. Whether for good or ill, change is inevitable. Consider photography.
Garage sales and fundraising
“Giving is not just about making a donation, its about making a difference.” ~Kathy Calvin When you work in the nonprofit sector, one of the most important aspects of your work is fundraising. On average in the museum and historical society sector, fundraising dollars make up around 40-60% of the operating budget. While we may not have exact figures, not every museum joins peer organizations, the U.S. has approximately 35,000 museums of all types.
Irene, ‘the prettiest girl in town’
Irene Hodgeden, christened Mary Irene, was born in Aitkin in 1892. The daughter of Samuel and Catherine Hodgeden, her high school yearbook called her the “prettiest girl in town.” Aitkinites might already be familiar with the history of the Hodgeden family. The Aitkin Opera House and the Butler Building, originally the Hodgeden/McDonald building were the dreams of her parents.
What a long strange year it’s been
2020. What a year. A year of struggle, financial strain, and lockdowns. As we celebrate the holiday season this year, our traditions and celebrations will look very different. As we consider holiday traditions old and new, perhaps there are ways to adapt these traditions to offer care, support, and Christmas cheer to those impacted financially, emotionally, and physically by the struggles of 2020.
Change is inevitable, growth is optional
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional” - John Maxwell When the pandemic hit, the world around us changed how each of us operated in our daily world. There are two ways we can take this change - we can let it weigh us down and hide from it, or, we can embrace the opportunity that change of any sort can provide - the chance to grow, adapt, learn and explore new ways to do things.
Laughter is the best medicine
In these trying times, laughter is needed to alleviate our stress and prevent us from going stir crazy while stuck in our homes. This esteemed newspaper, throughout the 1890s, provided this laughter to its readers in the form of social satire. Fans of The New Yorker’s “Borowitz Report” will appreciate the particular turn-of-phrase and wit of the Aitkin Age’s editor C.C. Kelly’s the “Town Tramp.” If you want even more satire, investigate the articles written by “It,” a man by the name of Gawthmey.
For a few years in the late sixties, Jonathan, Minnesota was the city of the future
Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society Jonathan had a city center with offices, stores, and restaurants. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of rapid suburban growth. City planners were frustrated by the growing pollution, traffic, urban sprawl. One solution to these problems was the “new town” movement. Designed as planned communities, these “towns” were intended to control population growth in a systematic way.
August 20, 1904: The day a cyclone slammed Waconia
A tornado is defined as a rotating column of air with a funnel shaped cloud. A cyclone is a large violent rotating windstorm without the funnel. Back in the 1800s and 1900s, the two words were used interchangeably. On August 20, 1904, a large cyclone hit the City of Waconia, changing the face of the city forever.The storm began about 6:00 pm, with sporadic rain, before the clouds passed over.
An Open Letter of Thanks to Thurston County Sheriff Snaza
As residents of Thurston County for many years, we want to extend our thanks to your deputies and support staff for responding to our call midday Friday, Jan. 12. We called 911 because of a suspicious vehicle parked on our property for an extended time. Two other neighbors had also observed the vehicle and one was in communication with us and had also called 911. We called 911 after approaching and speaking with the driver and sensing that he may have been under an influence of drugs or alcohol.
Thirty years ago today: Paisley Park Studios opens
Home to many historically significant people and places, Carver County's possibly best-known are recording artist Prince and his Paisley Park Studios. Located in what were Chanhassen cornfields, the site was a key location in Minnesota's music industry. In its heyday, it drew artists and musicians from around the world.
Happy Birthday to Wendelin Grimm, Minnesota alfalfa mogul
Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical SocietyWendelin and Julianna Segner GrimmWendelin Grimm was born October 18, 1818 in Kulsheim, Baden, Germany, to Valentine and Marie (Adelmann) Grimm. He grew up in a farm rich area of southern Germany, learning important crops and farming practices. In 1845, Grimm married Julianna Segner (born June 15, 1821) of Steinback, Baden, Germany. The Grimms chances to own a farm were limited by the land inheritance practices of the time.
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