Lakeland Public Television
presents Common Ground
brought to you by the MInnesota
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund
and the citizens of Minnesota.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Hi! Welcome to Common Ground
I'm your host Scott Knudson.
On this episode join
author and historian Rhonda
Fochs as she takes us on a tour
of Lincoln and Buena Vista.
Two of MInnesota's
many lost towns.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
As a history teacher I
never cared about dates.
I always wanted to
tell the story of why
people did this and how
it affected their lives and
stuff.
And that's what I wanted
to kind do with that.
But I wanted to tell
how it affected
people lives. I wanted
to tell the stories
Today we are in the town
of Lincoln, Minnesota
which is a lost town
in Morrison county.
The town of Lincoln was
actually platted in about 1893.
It's a small town
that was once
thriving. And today we're
there actually having
a book launch party and
a community church social.
at the old 102 year old
Lincoln Community Church.
Hi. Nice to see
you guys again. Sure we heard
you had this wonderful book.
of our town. Actually it really
turned out really well.
So I think they have a lot of
nice mixPPof pictures and stuff.
Wouldppyou like to
copy. I certainly would. Well
let me get you one to sign back
here.
My book is called Minnesota's
Lost Towns and it's the
northern
edition. It covers about
the top 40 counties.
of Minnesota. All the way from
about Morrison county
north to the Canadian border.
East to west borders.
It covers nearly 150
but more like about 135
lost towns.
They're fun to read
narratives. I focused on the
stories on the people and the
places
rather than the academic
history. The book is based
on solid research. Everything
in the book was in the
records. Some towns left a
great deal of information
behind
some towns not so much.
Everything in the book I wanted
it to be historically accurate.
Covers it
county by county. A couple
of towns in each county.
at least. But again it tells the
story of the people and the
places.
of northern Minnesota.
Towns that were once
thriving had a post office,
a retail center,
a real community feel
and now pretty much
are non existent as a town.
Some of the towns survived
in the area names.
Many of them left behind school
buildings, town halls,
cemeteries.
and a rural population.
And some buildings
foundations, barren land.
But basically it tells the
story
of the long ago towns that were
once thriving and now are just
memories
in people's minds and hearts.
That was one of the harder
parts
of the book is to determine
exactly what a lost town was.
Because Minnesota's
lost towns are different.
There not the wild west images
of dusty tumbleweeds.
strewn streets.
We're more the
packed up moved away kind
of variety or left to fade
to the elements. When I finally
came up with the definition that
I liked
is a town that was once
thriving but no longer
exists as a viable town.
It still may
be an area name. It still
l may have a rural population
but it's a town that is
once thriving with
a thriving community that
no longer exists as a town.
The reason I got interested in
lost towns is my grandparents
had homesteaded in Montana
in the early 1900's.
In a little
east Montana town
called Purewater, MT.
And my grandmother would tell me
stories about the town and
basically after about 10 years
the town just ceased to exist.
Nothing
left. Also my aunt in
Wisconsin has property
on which the town of
Emerson, WI once sat.
And that was a logging
town in the late
1890's that was destroyed
by tornado and fire
afterwards. When we were
younger we would
crawl around and dig through
the depressions and find
old things. As I got older
I moved up to an area,
Lincoln, MN that was once
a thriving town. I was just
fascinated with the story.
Lincoln basically started out as
a railroad town. In those days
you had to have a town about
every 8 miles because
it was considered the
ideal round trip distance
for a farmer to bring his
products to market.
And the train depot would stop
here and bring passengers from
the
Twin Cities or points
away from here. They would
come here for the weekend
to fish and enjoy the lakes.
Also another one on the North
Shore of Minnesota, Tacconite
Harbor.
I always thought lost towns
were long ago towns,
but Tacconite Harbor
was built in the 1950's
and died in the 1990's.
It lived within my lifetime
So I was always fascinated
by those stories.
The older I got
I thought this history is
great and people today
want that connection and
we all have that connection
to these areas that
are lost to history.
I want to share the stories
of the people and the places
of Minnesota past.
Our church was built in 1912.
We're a hundred years old.
And back in
1910 or 1911
my grandfather came to
Lincoln in 1910.
Lincoln didn't have
a church. They used to
have church services
in the old hotel in
the dinning room. And so
if there was a minister
or a rabbi or
a priest that came through
on the train. They would
have church services
whatever denomination
in the dinning room
at that old hotel.
And that's how
this came about.
So my grandfather gave an acre.
He owned all of this property
back then. And this started out
to be the Lutheran church.
And it has been
a Presbyterian denomination.
and I don't know if
it was any other
or not over the years.
Evangelical Free.
Oh yeah, Evangelical Free too
and then they
wasn't enough room and
they built the one that's up
on the corner.
My father was
Joe Dubbels Sr.
He came to this
country in 1911.
He was preceded by
my Uncle John.
And they farmed
together as
like amount of farms at that
time.
And they also
were a part and parcel
of working on this
church when it was built.
As I've said before
they were Lutheran by
denomination, they
didn't mind working
on Presbyterian church.
Just so they could
have local services.
When I was a kid
going to school.
all this woods that's
off to left
was just very few trees.
It was quite open
at that time. You could
see the school from here.
Now it's completely
enclosed in woods.
And that was always
the church pond.
But since that railroad
has drained it.
So it has
so now we don't have a
church pond anymore. The school
had a flowing well and
it kept the water level
on that right up almost
to the church here.
There were times
when they would bring livestock
sometimes it was livestock
that was on the train
too long and they had
to water it and feed it
them. So they would...
There was between
the railroad and the
old gravel road.
There was
a small stockyard where
they unloaded them and
watered them and fed them and
then loaded them back up
again.
That was between the old
gravel road and the railroad.
right away.
Straight past here is the old
Jefferson Highway. The highway
came
from Staples and crossed
what is now
Highway 10 which is County Rd 7
up here.
And continues on down across
the railroad tracks to the
south here.
And then followed the
railroad tracks on down
to Cushing.
There was no bridge
down south of here.
Right about
in this area right here
there was a pool hall.
I suppose
somewhat of a restaurant too.
And above it
where it had been
living quarters but it
had been changed
into where they made
jigsaw puzzles.
Next to the pool hall was
the lumber yard,
Morrison County. My dad
called knot hole company
but it was
Morrison County Lumber Company.
The foundation is still here.
You can see the foundation of
the
lumberyard.
Well my grandfather I don't know
whether he was
president of the bank or
whatever but I do know
that as a child after the bank
was closed and they had
a lot of deposit slips
and old checks
and stuff like that
I used to play with those.
So I don't think there
is anymore of them
around. I think I used them all
up.
Writing on them and so I'm glad.
The bank has had
several different people have
bought it over the years
Somebody bought it once and
was going to make a sandwich
shop, another was going to
make an ice cream shop.
The ice cream shop
did come to fruition.
Oh it did. Roy Popalinsky had a
soda fountain and ice cream.
Okay cause they lived in there
too.
That was
in the late '40's.
That's the last time
I know that it's been
put to any use. But it's been
completely reconditioned
- new windows
It's all been rebuilt by my next
door neighbor. The basement
has been all fixed
the basement windows are in good
shape. ppEven planted some Arbor
Vitae
on the north side of it.
It's beautiful inside.
Next to the bank building over
here is the Duborg's Store.
They lived there, to begin
with I think it was just the
store and then they built on
so they have living quarters.
I don't remember exactly
when that happened.
When they moved or when they
came. Yes, It's always been the
way it was.
I went to school,
and I always walked
past here on my way home.
And of course stopped at the
post office and picked up the
mail.
And would go ahead of
course pick up any groceries
or whatever. They always
had everybody had
the slip and they paid
once a month. I think
because everybody
had their own slip
that they kept track for the
different people.
Everybody's credit was good.
There were several families
more than half a dozen families
in the town of Lincoln
that depended on
the railroad for
their employment.
People lived here and over
there. Well they had the section
the Potama section crew.
Oh Sure and then they
and then it wasn't
just the section crew.
It was also they had the depot
and they had depot agents.
The old depot was over across
beyond the machinery
on the other side
The railroad just takes up a
lot more room then they used
to.
When I was a kid
there was a man named
Timon Olson, Yes.
Drove her grandfather's car
to meet the
train every
time the train came.
He'd come
with that old Willis Knight car
and pick up the passengers
and take them to the hotel.
Some of them
spent most of their time at the
hotel and then some of them went
out
fishing during the weekends.
That was when
the train transported
people to and from
the country. My mother
used to talk about
people that came on the
train and would come
like for the summer and
they would stay at the hotel.
My grandmother of course it
was like a bed and breakfast.
that we call nowadays. Except
you did get three meals a day.
So my grandmother spent
a lot of time cooking.
And washing. And there
was no electricity.
So everything was done
by hand. Now I didn't
stay here. I moved
away after high school.
Well I got married.
and moved away. Later
on I moved to Anoka
and lived for about
43 years in Anoka.
of which I went to school.
Lived in the Twin City area.
I became an RN.
I came back and there were
very few people that I knew.
It was like coming back
to a ghost town practically.
Because the people that
lived here, they were gone.
Except for the grandchildren.
Joe is one of the few old timers
Laughter
He wasn't that
but it is now.
I guess I'm becoming
an old timer.
I took my tour of duty was the
military
toward the end of World War II.
When I came back,
I looked elsewhere
I went to school
elsewhere for a while
but
there was something
about this area, not
just Lincoln but the area.
The lakes
the woods, the people.
I found nothing
else that really compared.
I love it here.
I always have.
And I never
ventured very far away
since I came back in
1947. I've stayed
here til now. I raised
my family here.
That's something you
don't see with
people in big cities
don't get that attached
to their neighbors
and close friends.
It kinda hurts
to see a community like this
not exactly die but
just kind of fade away.
There are several factors that
lead to the demise or the
abandonment
of lost towns. Many of them were
based along the railroads
every 8 miles. But as
transportation improved and
automobiles
became more the norm. People
could travel longer distance
to get supplies.
Another big factor
in the demise of some
of these lost towns was
rural free delivery. At one
point the post office
decided that it was
better for one mail
person to take the mail
to people rather than to have
50 people in the area come to
the town. And when those people
stopped coming to the town.
The town couldn't exist any
longer.
Another reason was
the railroad. A lot of
towns were built on the hope
that the railroad would come
there.
through the town providing
a station there. And when
railroads
changed routes or
highways changed routes
the town just couldn't survive
anymore. People just bypassed
the local community.
Hi! Today we're in Buena Vista
located in Beltrami
County about 12 miles
north of Bemidji. This area
has always been a very
historical area. As early
as 1738 the English
topographer David Thompson
had been here.
And in 1823 early 1800's
Count Beltrami had been here. He
was looking for the true source
of the Mississippi
River and he saw
Lake Julia which
is in the background of
this town and claimed
that as the true source of the
Mississippi River. But as we
know
later it was Lake Itasca that
is really the true source.
But from that time on in
about 1896 this became a
town dependent upon
the logging in the area.
And the town's peak was
from about 1896 to
1912. By World War I
it's heyday was over.
This building here
is the Turtle Lake Township
Hall built in 1898.
It originally began it's
life as the Buena Vista
school. Everything is
pretty much exactly as it
was except for the siding
now that's there.
Buena Vista is just to my right
that way a little bit to the
south.
And after the town faded
the actual school building
was moved here to
serve as the town hall. The
building was just a one room
school
house. Serviced people from
about 1st grade through 8th
grade, one teacher.
Located right in the town.
One of the interesting things I
noticed when I was doing this
research.
The very first things that
people built in a town where
the schools and the church.
I think it's
fantastic to see how important
religion and educating
their young were.
If you look at older pictures of
the school you'll see the
windows
are exactly in the same spot
that they used to be.
The building foundation was
moved shortly after Buena
Vista faded.
Even has the original outhouse.
which has been resided on the
side. It is one of the only
remaining original building
from Buena Vista left.
Today were in
Buena Vista and I have
Suzanne Thomas here.
Suzanne's family has been in
Buena Vista and preserving it's
history for nearly
5 generations, going on
the 5th generation.
Today we're standing in front of
the Buena Vista school, the
original school building
from the town of Buena Vista.
Do you have
any memories or did your
families of this school?
Yes they did.
My dad and my
two aunts and my uncle
all went to school here.
It's a one room schoolhouse
and it had a huge
stove indoor stove.
It's now
used as the Turtle Lake Town
Hall.
It's really nice to be utilizing
the building. It's still
in it's original foundation.
This is where it sat in the
town.
Yes. Back in the late
1800's it was white.
There was a little picket fence
out front here and
another storage room. So
basically it's at the same
location
and it just looked a lot
different back then. Just the
siding
different.
Today Suzanne is
going to show us
the old town site of Buena Vista
right down to the south of us
here.
Highway 15 used to
be the main street.
Here we are at the entrance
to the town of Buena Vista
This is the town site here.
Suzanne you said there was a
church
on the right. Yes, the
First Presbyterian church
was located right here.
There are foundations still
in here. Probably right
about in this area. And I
remember some of the
ancestors talking about
Frank Higgin, the preacher.
He was a sky pilot.
Some of the ancestors
from some of the preachers were
her a PPnumber of years ago and
wantedppto see
where their ancestors did
preach years ago. I've heard of
a
sky pilot.
Then as we
we're walking into town now. You
have ppthis actually a mown
pathway
here with little markers
detailing were each building
stood. Yes we do. And when
you had a picture you
have pictures on those
makers also. To the left
of us is the town site correct?
It is.
Don't you have a cross country
ski trail through this
town also. We do we have
the trail that goes
right through part of the
town sites right down here.
to the north. It goes
probably about
12 kilometers through
the western trails here.
A lot of
skiers can see where the old
town site was. It's very
interesting
to them. Now up ahead
is Summit Lake you said.
Yep Lake Summit.
Now you said you grandfather
used to have a nice garden
here right above the lake.
Right below the
hill he had planted
a lot of asparagus and
J W Speelman and the
Summit Hotel, they would serve
chicken the best chicken
around.
And we would always
here about the stories
of the chickens and the
beautiful gardens right PPjust
below the hill where
we'reppwalking.
In the 70's there used
to be a horse arena
back there too right?
Yes we had horse
shows set up and we had
a beautiful ampitheater
setting for everything, with
Grandpa Leonard being the judge
of course.
And this is where
the actual garden was
and there is still is asparagus
in therePPthat you family eats
today.ppYep.
Right down through here.
Beautiful shot ppNow if we go
further into town
you have some markers from
like the hotels in town
and some of the other buildings.
Lake Summit was located
right in this area.
They're are actually
Summit Hotel? Yes Summit Hotel
and the first hotel
burnt down. But it was within
days that I think great
grandfather
started building the
new hotel. So this
was sitting in this location
right here.ppAnd look at the
beautiful trees
They've got to be 125 years old
or so. Original to the town.
John Speelman had
had a unique advertising because
of the continental divide.
Yes he did use the
top of the world.
I know was brought up
being here with the hills
and beautiful lakes. And of
course he actually
brought the name Buena Vista
from Oregon which means
beautiful views in Spanish.
Now the continental divide
would mean the rain would fall
either to the north Hudson Bay
or
south to the Gulf of Mexico.
That's correct.
We're kind of right here in
the parting of the waters.
Now to the right here it
also says there was a hotel
here. Yeah the Scandia
Hotel was just south
of here. And probably
right in this area.
as our marker
says it was the
Stanlin's Bargain Store.
So a little
mini mall of it's day.
Absolutely it probably PPsold a
little bit ofppeverything.
Yep I guess so.
No you mentioned
the Hudson Bay Company
the waters flow to the Hudson
Bay. Wasn't there a fur trading
post here in the early days?
Yes actually if we
would keep walking
I would say another
maybe 3 blocks to the south
We would find the location where
the Hudson Bay trading post
was. And our township
which is the Turtle
Lake Township just was
awarded a grant to do
some archeology digs
to try and find relics.
How fun. Now up here
there are some remains.
What is that?
That is kinda of
a frame of the bull pen from
back in the early 1900's.
The original
boards are there. Now a bull pen
was like a stock yard?
It's kind of a holding
place for the bulls.
There are some old chains still
attached to some of that wood.
And some relics.
You said the township
was going to be doing some
archaeological research and
digging
and stuff. What is
the hope of that.
They are quite interested in
seeing what's out there.
Pretty much you have to have
the professionals come in
and do the digging and
concentrating on certain areas
such as
the Hudson Bay Trading Post.
They know just where that was
and they are kind of knowing
what they may find.
That is just something of
interest for all of us. I think
people
sometimes forget that history
can be in their own backyards.
I mean the history of our
nation to have to make
Bay Company is part of that
but still it's our history.
And we do what to
preserve it and we want
to share it and let it go
on for generations to come.
Once it's gone nature
reclaims very quickly.
Now is that an old homestead
across the way there?
Yes that's where Ralph Dickinson
lived and more recently
my grandfather
Leonard and Agnes
Dickinson lived their all their
lives.
And what is that old stone
formation there?
Looks like a barbecue grill or
something. It is it's an outdoor
fire area. But it was part
of the original building?
Fireplace in the house.
It was actually just a
free standing. That's where it
was on the lawn. All the picnics
are held there.
Well Suzanne, thank you for
showing me thePPtown. It's
amazing how thispphistory
is right here on the side of the
road. I think it's great that
your f family for 5 generations
is preserving it.
I think the reason that they
love the book so much is it's
their personal history.
You can read about
presidents and wars
and all that national history
but this is personal to them.
It's places they know,
places they live.
People they know live there.
It's just a real personal
history and it makes
a lot of connections with
people. Sometimes I go to a
presentation and when I show
a slide of their town
they go that's my hometown.
And the proceed to tell me the
greatest
story about how they came to
that town and what that town
meant
to them. They are just so
excited to be able to share that
with me.
But also to see they're
history in a book.
Thanks so much for watching
Join us again on Common Ground.
If you have an idea for a Common
Ground piece that pertains to
north central Minnesota
email us at legacy@lptv.org
or call us at
218-333-3014
To view any episode
of Common Ground
online visit us at lptv.org
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
To order episodes or
segments of Common Ground
call 218-333-3020.
Common Ground is brought
to you by the Minnesota
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund
with money from the vote of
the
people November 4, 2008.