Saginaw, Minnesota

Sauk men

1,784 miles

Mar 18 – The name Saginaw is widely believed to mean "where the Sauk were" in the Ojibwe language, possibly in reference to the Sauk people who lived at the mouth of the river near what became Saginaw, Michigan, and were later driven out by the Ojibwe. 

Mixed Woods in Winter,
by Eli Sagor

Many people have taken the name with them to give to other places.  Now there are towns named Saginaw in Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Alabama, Oregon, & Washington.

Sauk image:  http://www.britannica.com/topic/Sauk

woods image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/esagor/13477510845

Mar 17 - Discovering a Friend

Hattie Blakely

Hattie Blakely wrote home to her parents on September 4th, 1867:  “I have made the acquaintance of some very pretty girls I think.  There is one girl that reminds me of Miss Crosby who I like very well.  Her name is Edis Perkins.”  Hattie was starting to make friends among her classmates!

Although this is the only time when Hattie mentioned Edis, she is the only classmate who was mentioned by name, so I think she is important to find out about.  When I tried to find Edis last fall, I couldn’t find any information, so I am excited to share what I’ve found now. 

The “Miss Crosby” to whom Hattie compared Edis was Angeline Crosby, called Angelia.  According to the 1870 Federal Census, she was a 24-year-old schoolteacher living in the neighboring town of Tinmouth.  The corner of Pawlet Township where the Blakely family farm and their local grammar school were located was very close to Tinmouth.  It is very likely that Miss Crosby was Hattie’s pretty, young, and admired teacher.[1]

Eddice Eliza Perkins

“Edis Perkins” was the daughter of Rufus Lyman Perkins & Olive Perkins.  He was a grocer in Rutland, with two of his sons.  Her name was spelled variously by clerks and census-takers as Eddie or Eddis, but Eddice seems to be the correct version.  Hattie did not mention her again during the few months while they both attended Rutland High School.  The friendship that Hattie hoped for may never have blossomed, or it may have been short-lived.  No letter from Eddice, or any other Rutland classmate, was kept with other treasured mementos of that time.[2]  

It appears that Hattie did not keep the letters that her family sent her during that period, at least not long enough for us to enjoy them.

Eddice Perkins image: Ancestry.com

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[1] In 1871, Angelia married Allen H. Edgerton in nearby Wallingford.  They had at least one child, Maria.  Allen died in 1907.  She died in 1918 of a kidney disorder called Bright’s disease.  They are all buried near their family home in Wallingford.

[2] In 1870, Eddice was a 19-year-old teacher living with her parents.  In 1872, she married Clarence E. Perkins, a carpenter.  In 1873, she died three days after she gave birth to a daughter named Josie Eddice.

Floodwood, Minnesota

1,770 miles

Floodwood Winter,
by Christine Bass

March 16 –The village of Floodwood started as a logging center, then it became a center for dairy farms.  In Floodwood, as in the surrounding counties, the workers were strong proponents of co-operative economics.   There was a farmers’ cooperative which bought and sold their products collectively, at wholesale prices, through the society.  

Floodwood Creamery Cooperative, 1948

 The Floodwood Creamery Cooperative was organized by dairy farmers in 1911.  During the 1930s, this tendency toward cooperative economics led the county to be a major stronghold of the Farmer-Labor Party, which aimed to create a cooperative commonwealth in Minnesota.  This party then merged with the Democrats to become the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.  In the mid-20^th century, Floodwood supported the creamery cooperative, another farmers' cooperative, and a credit union.  Today all that remains of the cooperative past in Floodwood is the credit union.

Today Floodwood has about 528 residents.  It’s described as a bedroom community, since many of its workers commute to larger towns in the area, even to Duluth, which is nearly 50 miles away.  

The town of Floodwood has been luring summer visitors by creating an annual Catfish Days festival, and then naming itself "The Catfish Capital of the World", although numerous other towns also claim that title.

Floodwood Winter, by Christine Bass:  http://cbassart.com/works/723913/floodwood-winter

Floodwood Creamery Cooperative info:  https://libarchive.d.umn.edu/?p=creators/creator&id=410

Floodwood Creamery Cooperative image:  http://www.lakesnwoods.com/FloodwoodGallery.htm

catfish image:  http://www.honeybadgerbikerblog.com/?p=411

Swan River, MN

Swan River crossing

1,756 miles

March 15 – The village of Swan River consists of an intersection, a truck stop, and a saloon.  The only nearby water is Bruce Creek, which is a drainage ditch along highway 65.  But if you follow that highway 3 miles southwest, you can get a glimpse of the Swan River.

trumpeter swans with mallard

The name Swan River probably refers to trumpeter swans that used to winter in this part of Minnesota.  They were nearly exterminated for their feathers, skins, & meat until conservationists introduced them back into their former winter habitat.  Ironically, they thrive in the warmer waterways near nuclear power plants.

river image:  Google Street Views

swan info & image:  http://saintpaulaudubon.org/education/bird-spotlight/swans-trumpet-once-again

March 14 – PI day in MN, PO in WA

 It’s pi day!  3.1415926…  Last year, of course, pi day was correct to the 5^th digit.  This year, it’s correct if you round it to the 5^th digit (3.1416).

In Minnesota, π was celebrated with pie and a pi digit recitation.

In Washington today, a windstorm toppled our cherished plum tree.  It's the end of an era.

Lucky for me, it’s a non-cycling exercise day.  Even though our power was knocked out by the windstorm, I was able to use the low-tech home gym in the dark.  The last time we had a power outage, I was stuck (virtually) in Eastport, Idaho, waiting for my chance to cycle across the border into British Columbia.

pi pie image:  Pillsbury.com

pi challenge:  http://www.kare11.com/news/education/pi-day-serves-up-fun-at-mn-state-math-tournament/82831954

Grand Rapids, Minnesota

transporting logs by floating them downriver

1,742 miles

March 13 – Grand Rapids was originally founded as a logging town, as the Mississippi River provided an optimal method of log shipment to population centers.  The long local rapids in the Mississippi River were the uppermost limit of practical steamboat travel during the late 19th century, but today those rapids are hidden underneath the dam of the Blandin Paper Mill.

There are about 10,869 people in the city today, about 95% of them White.

modern Blandin paper mill yard

The Mesabi Range (or Iron Range) region of Minnesota contains several iron mines around Grand Rapids, but the town’s economy has been historically based on paper manufacturing and other wood products.  

The town's current economy also has a large tourist component, with many local resorts, four golf courses, over a million acres of forestlands that offer hunting, and more than 1,000 lakes for fishing.  It also is the service center for 46,000 people due to a large seasonal and weekend population.

The Forest History Center is a State Historic Site and a living history museum that recreates life as it was in a turn-of-the-20^th-century logging camp.  Costumed interpreters guide visitors through a replica of a 1890s logging camp to educate the public on the history of white pine logging and its relevance to today's economy.

wood waste biomass generates electricity

The North American paper industry is in rapid decline. Historically the most powerful resource in the forests of Minnesota, lumber mills have cut thousands of workers and are competing for a shrinking market.  Paper mills are experimenting with renewable energy options.  Blandin Paper Mill  is now powered in part by wood waste from quick-growing tree species.  

paper mill info & image:  http://www.startribune.com/nov-18-2012-as-society-sheds-paper-an-industry-shrinks/179601951/

Cohasset, Minnesota

Cohasset, Massachusetts

1,728 miles

March 12 – This town of 2,698 people was named after Cohasset, Massachusetts. The town's name came from the Algonquian word "Conahasset", meaning "long rocky place".  This name could indicate the connection between the Algonquian people who had spread from the Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes, but it is far more likely that the naming of this town was based on nostalgic Anglo memories of the New England town.  The racial makeup of the town is 94.9% White, 2.0% Native American, 2.5% from two or more races, 0.4% Asian, and 0.1% African American.

No points of interest could be found in Cohasset.  This town does not even have a public library.

On Bass Lake, the north end is freezing around the edges, but there's a large open water hole at mid lake. The South Bay of Bass is fully ice covered.

info:  Wikipedia.com

Bass Lake image by Jeff Sundin:  www.jeffsundin.com