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HOME > History > History Club > Carol Weir - Pioneer Park

History of Minnesota Pioneer Park
Presentation to the Annandale History Club
February 4, 2008
Carol Weir

The following was submitted by presenter Carol Weir and edited by Jill Bishop. Carol also brought slides and scrapbooks to the History Club meeting.

Passionate – Everyone is passionate about something. I’m going to tell you about a passion for Pioneer History and its preservation. Pioneer Park’s mission is to encourage appreciation and preservation of the pioneer heritage of Central Minnesota through education and displays of artifacts, with an emphasis on the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

In 1971 a prominent attorney in Annandale heard about the upcoming demise of the Annandale Depot. You see travelers were no longer using the train as their primary source of transportation making the Depot an unnecessary building on the landscape. Nobel Shadduck was passionate about history and preserving it for future generations so he set about trying to save the Depot. He had an idea that transformed a 55-acre plot of land (previously owned by Viola Ridgway and given to the Village of Annandale) along Highway 55 on the east end of Annandale into one of the nation’s largest “open-air” living history museums.

A quote from an article written for the July 22, 1992 Advocate by Nobel Shadduck states the beginning of the Park.

“Fordyce Crouch, general counsel for the Soo Line Railroad and a summer resident of Clearwater Lake, told his summer neighbors, Colin and Marion McDonald, that the Soo Line Board of Directors had decided to discontinue the use of the depot [more] and it would be given to any civic body (including the Village of Annandale) that might find a use for it.

After several meetings of a local group, (including Dave Dahl from the bank) and a dozen ideas as to what to do with the depot, it became apparent that the only thing we all agreed on was that the depot should be preserved.

As the fall season approached, someone suggested that since quite a few of our number went somewhere in the winter, that on our trips we should visit every facility we could and find out what was a noble answer of finding a solution to our problem and how to manage it.

In the spring, we all agreed that the preservation of the depot had to be part of a large unit with something for everyone. The village offered us the area that had been purchased for a well site for $8,000. (It was decided by the mayor and council to lease it to the Park for $1 per year)

And so the original group had the answer and the whole community started with a unified purpose. It was probably the best effort by any Minnesota community to create a facility for everyone to enjoy.”

The Depot needed to be secured from the Soo Line Railroad. It just happened that the president of the rail line, Len Murray, had been the best man in Nobel and Mildred Shadduck’s wedding. He was excited about the possibility of saving the Depot so got all the necessary paper work expedited and the next project facing this small band of warriors was moving this monstrous building. In late June of 1972 the wheels were in motion (literally) and the Depot was moved to its present location with the help of the Shadduck boys, the Barkleys, and many others, with Mildred in their Cadillac as the “follow-up car” at the end of the procession. A front platform was recovered from the Loretto Depot with a lot of sweat, blood and toil from a small group of Park guys.

Nobel continued in his article and I quote,

“Naming all of the people who joined in this effort might be best done by publishing the telephone directory, but here are some of the highlights and people I can recall:

Julia Barkley with her idea of a fund-raising letter that pulled in our first $1,000 donation by Gordon Robinson.

Blaine Barkley was the first president of the historic effort, and contacted the Minnesota Historical Society for ideas about a name. They suggested that we orient our area toward transportation, and thus was born “Minnesota Pioneer Travel Park.” (later the name was changed to just Minnesota Pioneer Park).

Henry Jokie went up and down Main Street and secured a donation of $2,200 which were the funds used to move the depot.

On the subject of donations, there would be no end to the list of generous givers, such as Earnst Semb, who unexpectedly left us $3,600 in his will. Dayton and Julia Barkley had purchased the Power’s Blacksmith Shop and donated its contents to the park, which was the start of the Pioneer Village.”

In an Advocate article dated May 30, 1974, Jane Schulzetenberg wrote,

“Blaine Barkley is charged with the reconstruction of the innards of John Power’s Blacksmith Shop – the original building could not be moved successfully, so a new Smithy Shop has been put on the Park site (with $4,000 designated for such use by the Wright County Commissioners). It will weather in a couple of years and will look much like an authentic old shop.”

The Soo Line Railroad worked in conjunction with Nobel and Blaine to get the 1886 caboose complete with tracks moved from Minneapolis in 1973. Heavy equipment was brought in to assist in getting the caboose from the sideline to its location in front of the village.

The group of interested participants was growing and now involved not only Shadducks, Barkleys, and McDonalds (especially Marion), but Lloyd and Adeline Rask, Keymers of Malco Tools, Hetmans who are parents of Country Lane’s Jan McGinnis, Hawkinsons, Badgers, Ottos, Hasslens, Thorsons, Meurings, Kuehns, Dr. and Lucille Rachie, my parents – Albert and Marguerite Forster, Doris Raisanen, Marilyn Gordon, Ada Dawson, Diane Shoberg, Lundeens, Willard and Kathleen Leinonen, and I’m sure many others. In the beginning every Monday evening was potluck and work night. The group would gather on the steps of the Depot to enjoy a large roaster of beans prepared by Mildred along with other offerings. After dinner the women would work until dark cleaning up some of the buildings while the men were busy on renovation projects. Mildred said one of the most revolting jobs was cleaning the barn. They also cleaned the farmhouse and the granary. These three buildings were already on the property when it was acquired in 1972.

The workers were in for a great surprise when they began to renovate the house. During renovation, the front oldest section of the house where the kitchen was located was discovered to be an authentic log cabin, which had been sided and plastered during the 1902 addition. This was exciting to find and records were traced back to the 1880s. There are 2 sub-floors under the present one in the log cabin, all well worn, leading others to believe it was built and inhabited long before anyone bothered to record it with the county. It has French newspapers glued to the walls, which pioneers used as insulation in those days. The doorways are also low, another indication it might have been built by small-framed French people trading furs in the early 1800s. Under the cabin was an outside trap door leading to a cellar where it was obvious that a cow had been kept – this also was a European peasant custom. Viola Ridgway, Dr. Ridgway’s wife, is listed as owner of the house from 1886. At that time, the Fieldseth Family first rented the farm until the Rosenfeld Family took up residency from 1920 until 1970.

The Pioneer Park Crew had gotten really good at moving buildings with the help of a St. Paul company. The one room schoolhouse, built in 1901 and used in Albion Township until 1970, was moved in about 1974. The Church, built in 1886, was moved from French Lake on a cold December night in 1975. Moving the church was a major undertaking because of its unique construction. This was a combined project of many volunteers, a moving company, two Lutheran churches and Lutheran Brotherhood. About the same time the Corinna Town Hall was moved to Pioneer Village. Old buildings were brought in for use as replicas of the Barbershop, 1917 Dental Office and 1886 Post Office, Lawyer’s Office (later used for the Wagner Drug Store), Undertaker Parlor while construction of the Buggy Shop, Sod House (sod donated by Annandale Sod) and Maple Syrup Shack began.

From 1977 to 1978 work was completed on many buildings including the Doctors Office, dedicated to Dr. Ridgway and Dr. Bendix. Annandale’s first post office shelves and cubbies were retrieved from the basement of the Kaz Hardware store where they were being used to store nuts and bolts. Furnishings for the Mortuary were donated by Shadducks from their law office basement, which had been Dunton Funeral Parlor. Ada’s Millinery Shop was dedicated in 1978 after receiving hat donations from Ada Schierts and Lotus Williams and a great deal of work by Bea Thorson and many of the ladies cleaning the building and setting up the displays. Admission charged for the event was $2 for adults and $1 for children. An ad for the event mentioned that a Sioux Indian Campsite and Nature Trail were also available for touring.

The hardworking crew had completed construction of a Sod House/Claim Shanty replica by the late 1970’s, gotten the 1884 Anton Sorenson Log Cabin from Foley and reconstructed it on the site, and began the maple syrup operation in the newly completed Maple Syrup Shack. The granary was cleaned and moved to the village and furnished first with artifacts from the funeral parlor, later serving as the Village’s General Store. There was also work going on to construct the two level Main Big Woods and Museum Building which eventually housed upstairs the Indian Artifacts loaned by Harvey Hawkinson along with rock collections and much more given by Nobel Shadduck and other donors. The basement was to be used for meetings, potlucks, events and school tour dining. Mr. Shadduck, a well-known environmentalist also interested in preserving the heritage of the Native Americans who lived in the area in the 1800’s was passionate about teaching these things to children. He went to great lengths to have panels made from many different varieties of trees native to the Big Woods for the walls in the dining room with a frame on each showing the tree, a leaf and a brief description. He also had built a large case showing the soils of the Big Woods for display.

Nobel and his small band of men were good at finding super deals on items which could be used in building, furnishings or even artifacts. Nobel went to the Swapper’s Meet every Saturday and always came back with a truckload of goodies. Sometimes they would go to the War Surplus Store and glean building materials and things you just wouldn’t believe. The Big Woods Museum kitchen was furnished with steel sinks, grills, cabinets and more. There also, Nobel got hundreds of cases of unused brown medicine bottles that are still being used for bottling Maple Syrup. They were stacked to the ceiling in the Maple Syrup Shack until we rescued them when the city took over that end of the property for the water plant. Gary and I stacked them in the back of our truck to the roof and completely to the end of the tailgate to move them. An incredible amount remained after years of using from the supply, and there are still more cases stored for future use.

The Pioneer Park Grand Opening was Labor Day 1976 in conjunction with our nation’s Bicentennial. A huge crowd came to see the buildings and the 26 craft demonstrators located throughout the park along with the Bicentennial Train, which made a stop, courtesy of the Soo Line (now CP) Railroad.

Artist Ada Dawson was instrumental in planning the Women’s World (Old Hearth and Home) building, which was constructed in 1981-1982. The floor plan was a chronological history beginning with an Indian display, immigrants cabin, Civil War to various phases of pioneer life including a 1915 kitchen, parlor, bedroom, hair salon, 1930s kitchen, Julia Barkley’s music room and ending with a World War II display. Many Park ladies, under the direction of Ada, worked for months getting funds for their own “Friends of the Pioneers” bank account and then had great times each taking a room to decorate and furnish. This grand project was a major addition to the Park and depicted the home life and “human” side of our pioneer ancestry.

The Annandale Advocate donated an antique printing press, and the donated jail cells needed protection from the elements, so in 1988 the building to house both was constructed. In 1995 the Wagners from Brownton, MN donated pharmaceuticals and other artifacts from their pharmacy, so items from the Lawyer’s Office building were moved to a corner of the Town Hall and the Wagner Drug Store and Brown’s Ice Cream Parlor moved in.

After 36 years of existence through thick and thin we currently have 22 buildings fully furnished with artifacts donated from people primarily in central Minnesota. We hear many favorable comments from visitors who come from around the world and across America.

EVENTS AND FUND RAISING:

Continual change and upkeep, not to mention employees to keep the museum running, cost money; so was born the concept of having money-raising events.

After the Big Woods building was complete, and Maple Syrup was abundant with Willard Leinonen and Gil Otto (father-in-law of Sandy Otto) and others doing much of the collecting and cooking of sap, Nobel and others decided to have a Maple Syrup and Pancake Breakfast. Mildred and many of the ladies worked whipping egg whites and making pancakes to please the hungry paying customers. Year after year this event grew and continues to be one of the oldest and most popular events.

About the same time, it was decided to have a Fiddler’s Contest. These first events were held on the front lawn and the fiddler’s stage was the porch of the Big Woods Building. Later, one end of the Women’s World was made to open up, and with a newly constructed wooden stage the event was moved to the back of the property. The Fiddler’s Festival has continued to be a favorite for 30 years now.

Over the years we have had a variety of events. One of the most popular, the Living Wax Museum, an event for the Centennial celebration based on Annandale and South Haven’s history, was a series of mini plays put on at different intervals throughout the Park. The script, written by Don Gadow and others, involved the whole community. The actors were in a frozen mode until a tour group would approach. Then they would “come to life” and begin acting out a pioneer scene. Pioneer Park members were directly involved with the elevator mural project at that time also.

The July 4^th celebration dates back to the first years that the Park was open. Record crowds attended the 2001 event to see the Civil War Reenactment group brought to the park by Brian Partridge and enjoy Buffalo Burgers, a long time tradition.

Also exciting to watch are the Old West Reenactments with horses, shoot-outs, ladies and men in fancy regalia and much more. Tom and Margaret Schuveiller work on coordinating these events. We continue to have our October Craft Sale. Originally the ladies of the park would meet to hand craft items for this event in addition to the gift shop.

In the late 1990s the December Immigrants Christmas was added and is a big draw. Visitors can ride on a horse drawn wagon to our buildings decked out with different ethnic traditions complete with costumed guides and food samples, then stop by the Big Woods dining room for stew, fry bread and entertainment.

The greatest money making event still remains the School Tours throughout May and again in the fall. Currently we have around 2000 children per year who love the guided tours around the Park and shopping in the Poke Bonnet Gift Shop. Study of pioneer life is part of the elementary curriculum so this field trip is an excellent addition to the students who come from schools in central Minnesota – unfortunately our local school does not. Schools have been coming to Pioneer Park since it’s beginning. Nobel would first have them come tour the woods during Maple Syrup season and then be toured through the buildings. Children enjoyed taking the Nature Trail hike past the animal pen to the Maple Syrup Shack to watch the cooking process. Eventually the sap collecting came to a halt as all those involved in the process were getting too old to continue. School tours require many volunteer guides in costume in major buildings explaining Pioneer Life and our heritage. We need more guides and offer orientation and stipends for this rewarding job.

A fun summer activity is the Pioneer Day Camp where children dress like pioneers and participate in bread making, butter churning, crafts, tours and much more. Grandparents, if your young ones are visiting, bring them over to enjoy an exciting day.

Just recently, a cross-country ski trail was blazed through the woods and around the property by Ed Skomorah, Maurice Danielson and others. It officially opened January 27, 2008.

We are looking forward with anticipation to the 2008 opening of the Gordon Memorial Research Library. Located in the upper level of the Big Woods Museum, it will be open year-round for people to come and do research or just browse. Many old books depicting Pioneer life are from the Albion School and other sources.

DIRECTORS AND THE BOARD:

Early Boards consisted of most of the members – as many as 30 at some times. Blaine Barkley was the first president of the Board, followed by Gordon Robinson, Kevin Keymer, Walter Muehring, John Hasslen, Willard Leinonen, and others including Marilyn Gordon and Pearl Lieb. Marilyn has served on the board and in other capacities since she joined in 1975. Currently, the Park’s business is conducted by a 16 member Board of Directors and Officers who meet monthly with an annual Membership meeting for elections. We are incorporated and have a non-profit status. All meetings are open to the public. We are constantly looking for “new blood.” You don’t have to work at the Park but we do strongly encourage membership. That also entitles the bearer to free admission to events, etc.

Bill and Pearl Lieb were very active in the Park operations, events, guiding and running of the office. They were responsible for recruiting Ken Rudolph, whose talents and expertise were greatly appreciated. Over the years the park has had good employees, such as Willard and Kathleen Leinonen, who worked for meager salaries in the early days of the Park. The CETA Program provided workers for building and renovation projects. Our current Office Manager, Kitty Pallis, has been with us for about 8 years.

FUNDING AND VOLUNTEERS

Minnesota Pioneer Park is not supported financially by the City of Annandale, Wright County or the State of Minnesota. All the funding for repair, renovation, roofs, improvements, and our one employee come from income made at events, donations, membership dues, and occasional grants. The buildings are aging and in need of much repair in order to preserve the historical artifacts. We have a very small group of men we lovingly call our “Tuesday Crew” because they faithfully show up to do what they can on Tuesdays. Projects have included lifting and replacing logs on the cabins, restoration of the Barbershop, Funeral Parlor, and most recently they completed their largest endeavor – renovation of the Dentist’s Office. All laborers, tour guides and event people are strictly volunteers. We certainly could use many more to keep our valuable passion of preservation and education of pioneer history alive and well. If anyone is interested in becoming an active part of the Park, we would be delighted to talk with you. Please let us know if you would like to make a donation or become a member. We welcome new ideas for moneymaking events, leads on grants or other contributions.

We would like to have businesses or groups of interested individuals “adopt” a building for upkeep, cleaning and artifacts exchanging. Diane Shoberg and Rod and Jan Andersen have adopted the Scandinavian Sorensen Cabin.

Our Big Woods Building with kitchen facilities is available for rental for reunions, family gatherings, meetings, etc. and the Church occasionally is rented for weddings and even recently a funeral was held out there.

Our monthly potlucks, open to everyone, are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm in the basement of the Big Woods Building. We often are fortunate to have a speaker or artisan present to the group. Anyone is welcome to join the fun and fellowship.

We have different levels of memberships.

Single Membership: $15.00 – Monthly newsletter, free admission to event/museum, 10 % discount in the Gift Shop for the year.
Family Membership: $25.00 – All above benefits for 2 adults and their children under the age of 18 and living at same address, plus a 10% discount on activity program fees (i.e.) Day Camp and 15% discount on rental facilities for the year.
$100.00 Membership – All above benefits of Family Membership plus 6 guest passes, each valid for free admission to any event for the year.
$300.00 Membership – All benefits of Family Membership plus free gift membership as a benefit of giving, additional 10% discount on rental of facility (for a total of 25%). An additional 4 guest passes (for a total of 10) for the year.
$1000.00 / Life Member – All benefits of the $300.00 Membership plus one free facility rental, additional 10% discount on facility rental (for a total of 35%) and annual inclusion on Museum recognition plaque.
Business/Adoption Sponsor $300.00 – All benefits of the $300.00 Membership plus a plaque with the business name engraved mounted on the building the business is sponsoring.
Building Restoration donation – Any cash donation to go toward the repairs of any Minnesota Pioneer Park buildings.

You can contact the Park through our website at www.pioneerpark.org, email at pioneerp@lakedalelink.net or call 320-274-8489. We are open daily for self-guided touring from Memorial Day through October 31. If you would like one of our talented volunteer interpreters to take you around, give the Park a call to set up an appointment.

Be sure to look at the scrapbooks showing the excellent coverage we have had by the Annandale Advocate over the past 36 years. We always enjoy looking back at the history of the Park preserved through photography.

Annandale Online

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