The Pioneer Museum - Long Lake, MN

Dear Diary,
In the west metro of the Twin Cities stands a small town named for nearby Long Lake.

It's charming.

Located along the main road through town is The Pioneer Museum. Staffed and operated by volunteers, the museum is open to the public for 4 hours on Saturdays only.

The Old North School, 1858

The Telephone Room

(An old phone booth) 

The Military Room

I prefer self-guided tours, but I had the honor of hearing the stories of the exhibits told by an old man. He lived in the area all of his life, and his love for his home was apparent as he spoke.

This display of stars was haunting - each star represents each of the high school senior boys drafted into WWII. The gold ones, of course, are for those who were killed in action.

The drum is an artifact from the Civil War.

My guide told me that the museum once displayed a Civil War uniform of a Union soldier. One day three men entered the museum. Two of the men distracted the lone volunteer working there. The third walked off with the uniform, never to be seen again.

A 13-star American flag!

Antique Weaponry

Victorian-Era Medicine

Displays like these make me so grateful to live in a time with modern medical advancements, technology and true healing. The museum had glass display cabinets filled with snake oil concoctions, now-illegal drugs and random tonics. I imagine much of these items did nothing.

Funeral Dress

I admired the detail of this black dress, which I imagine to be a mourning gown.

Even creepier were the pair of mourning wreaths on display - they're made from the hair of the deceased, and hung in honor on the doors of the family homes. My guide said he's related to the woman whose hair made the wreath on the left!

Local Artifacts

This giant fish is known as the Long Lake Monster.

As families from Minneapolis traveled to the lakes by train for a relaxing weekend, men would hide along the rail lines and with a series of pulleys, make this sculpture come to life in the water as the train passed above. I can only imagine the stories that come from witnessing that!

They call this room the 'Genealogy Room' due to the many Victorian-era photographs that cover the walls. People can come to this room and trace their ancestry, and view the portraits of their long-deceased relatives. Then, central to the room and hanging from the ceiling, are local artifacts specific to the town.

Equipment to cut blocks of ice to sell to people for their iceboxes - today, our refrigerators talk to us.

A Victorian-era General Store, set up as historically accurate as possible - I smiled at the realization that I had just placed my grocery order online for home delivery.

This display depicts a legal office from the 1850s as evident by the Lincoln-Johnson campaign poster.

And the hide of a brown bear considered to be the pet of one of the local people. Legend has it the bear lived in a nearby cave, often visited by its "owner" (which is just crazy to me!)

This display was filled with antique typewriters and cameras - honestly the building housed the collection of oddities and artifacts of my dreams. It was all so intriguing made more so by the stories tied to each one.

IT'S HAND-CARVED.

These dolls are handmade and likely in need of an exorcism - so creepy!

The chains are also hand-made, and constructed out of WOOD.

This artifact is one of the museum's main attractions. It's a dugout canoe, which the University of Minnesota carbon-dated to be over a thousand years old. Discovered by the Gunnarson family in 1934 as they worked to extend their dock on North Arm Bay, this canoe is considered to be the oldest ever found in Minnesota.

Finally, someone played with that dollhouse.

And imagine packing your belongings into a steamer trunk for traveling. Things have come a long way, and it was interesting to see their humble beginnings.

This tour was a fascinating reminder to never pass over a small town museum in favor of a big city institution. The personal stories and local connections that are attached to each of these exhibits were as transformative as it was informative. You cannot help but feel a sense of pride.

The Pioneer Museum
1953 Wayzata Blvd., Long Lake
whip-museum.org
Open Saturdays 10-2
Free Admission

The Midnight Assassin: The Hunt For America's First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth

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Dear Diary,

The one line from this book that most has me in its grasp is this:

“We are as intrigued by what we don’t know as what we do.”

Skip Hollandsworth’s triumph, “The Midnight Assassin: The Hunt For America’s First Serial Killer”, examines the newspaper reporting of 1880s Austin, Texas as it emerged from desolate farm town to cosmopolitan metropolis. Where the history books fail, the newspapers reveal. Where descendants of the victims, servants’ employers, suspects and police officers were unaware, the microfilm informs. It seemed the city of Austin wished to bury the crime spree since they couldn’t bury the suspect.

(Source)

I’m familiar with Hollandsworth’s writings on the Midnight Assassin. Twice he’s published articles about him and his rampage in Texas Monthly magazine. Twice prior to my reading his book, my mind was left to wander and speculate about the identity of this mysterious monster.

The Midnight Assassin terrorized Austin in a manner previously thought to be unfathomable. He butchered first servant women with brutal savagery before moving on to affluent white women. Committed before the term “serial killer” was a part of our vocabulary, before the forensic sciences were a sophisticated discipline deployed by the criminal justice system, before highly trained investigative agencies like the FBI were in existence, the Midnight Assassin’s trail ended like a confused, braying bloodhound as it fades into the distance.

What intrigued me most was the police constables investigating Jack the Ripper’s murders in Whitechapel were curious about the Austin murders. Perhaps, Austin was the Ripper’s training ground. In the end, both left more questions than answers and unfortunately for both cities, there would be no revelation.

Was H.H. Holmes, the madman who built a hotel in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair to lure his victims, also the Midnight Assassin? I’ve heard it also theorized Holmes is Jack the Ripper, but to me, the triangle drawn by these three Victorian-era murderers seems unlikely. Maybe time will reveal the answer of “who” – maybe there’s a dusty old steam trunk in an Austin attic holding the key to the identity of the Midnight Assassin. Maybe there’s a long-lost file in a rarely entered room at a London building that reveals the identity of Jack the Ripper. Maybe they’re all the same man. Maybe our history is filled with more monsters than what we care to admit.

Whatever comes next, a simple truth remains - I’m intrigued by what I don’t know.

Statues in Hampton, MN

*Note to all fans of the Muffler Man statues, these are not a part of that iconic club.

Dear Diary,
Hampton, MN is a small, rural community with a population of less than 700 people.

It's ideal location 40 miles south of the Twin Cities, close to major thoroughfares and the county seat of Hastings make it appealing to commercial businesses, who have been petitioning the township to rezone beyond just agricultural.

But until that happens, proud farm after family farm dot the landscape. It makes for a very scenic drive en route to Rochester and beyond.

It was during one such trek that we passed a trucking/landscaping/racing business (I know, quite the combination), Eilen & Sons Trucking. It's well-maintained aesthetic was eye-catching, but what really grabbed our attention was the collection of unique, roadside statues.

 (As evident by The Beach Man's shorts, can you sense the common theme here? #skol)

How could you NOT pull in? That was the statues' intent, after all.

Eilen & Sons Trucking
22550 Hampton Blvd.
Hampton, MN 55031

Christmas in Missoula, Montana

Dear Diary,

On Christmas Eve, the kids and I flew out to Missoula, MT to spend the holiday with Nick. He had a 30-hour overnight, and rather than he be alone, I wanted the four of us to be together.

Missoula is a college town, growing steadily, and has an active downtown scene. We stayed at the Double Tree, probably one of the nicest hotels in the city (and in my opinion).

The real draw, is the scenic mountain landscape.

We found this old rail depot.

Accented by what I suspect are bullet holes!

(Especially cool is that it's called The Milwaukee Depot)

Now it's known as an Explorer's Club of sorts, established in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt.

We were able to rent a car.

It was easy to feel small surrounded by the snow-covered mountains.

MOUNT SENTINEL

Nick and the kids CLIMBED THIS on Christmas Day - which I'm sure is a Christmas memory that won't soon be topped!

Mt. Sentinel provided one of the state's most popular hiking trails since forestry students cut its switchbacks in the early 1900s. There is an M on the mountain face, first built in 1909 with whitewashed rocks, and freshman gave it an annual cleaning until a concrete 'M' was built in 1968.

It was snow-covered when we were there, and difficult to spot. The 'M' is 125-feet long and 100-feet wide, and sites 620-feet above the Missoula valley floor.

(The view of Missoula from the top!)

Meanwhile, since I didn't pack footwear conducive to a mountain climb, I stayed at ground level. I explored the surrounding college campus.

THE PRESCOTT HOUSE

This beautiful Victorian home was a family residence for 95 years, and built by miner/cowboy Clarence Prescott, Sr. The University of Montana acquired the home from Clarence Prescott, Jr., who lived in the house until 1993.

Thanks to donations, the home was restored in 1996 to its original splendor.

Today, it's used for special events.

(The stadium - Go Griz!)

WILMA THEATRE

(I love this old ticket window.)

The name of this Elks Lodge is a bit ominous, but the detailed architecture was charming. I loved the spooky gargoyles at its roofline.

Thanks to my husband's obsession with the show Gold Rush, I knew immediately what this was and was instantly curious if there's still "gold in them there hills."

GARNET GHOST TOWN

I had to include this sign, because I came within a mile of achieving my dream of exploring an old west ghost town.

As we scaled the mountain, I was feeling equal parts nervous and excited - nervous, because the government shutdown meant there wouldn't be staff on site, but excited for the obvious.

Unfortunately, the unplowed switchbacks proved too treacherous for our rental (which was an all-wheel drive Subaru Outback) and we had to turn around. But, even Nick promised this is a "must see" next time he has an overnight in Missoula.

(A beautiful yet random waterfall we found along the Interstate.)

(The sea container completes the aesthetic of this motel - plus I like the 60s signage.)

After exploring, we enjoyed a Christmas dinner downtown.

And of course, on our way home, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise from high above the clouds. Nick piloted our ride home to Minnesota. It was a fitting end to our quick trip, and 2018.

Murder in Mississippi by John Safran

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link, I may make a small commission off of your purchase, which I will use to buy more books.

Dear Diary,
To be a fan of True Crime means you are a consumer of someone else's tragedy.

It's vital that the utmost respect is paid, and the story is well-written.

['Murder in Mississippi' by John Safran]

This book, the Australian version, puts a different spin on the True Crime genre because it emphasizes shock value. A controversial Australian journalist with a reputation for pushing boundaries regarding race, pulls a public prank on a white supremacist in Mississippi. Upon learning of his murder, he befriends his black killer and writes this book.

The author visits "the murder house" where the white supremacist was killed, interviews the detectives, defense attorneys and prosecutors; talks to the families, reads the files, transcripts and reports - it's obvious he covered both sides, did his best to remain unbiased, and did his research. Any time he hypotheses one angle or direction, he's caught off guard by a revelation that presents more questions than it does answers.

In America, it's published under the title, God'll Cut You Down.

It was an interesting account, as it provided a perspective of America's disease of racism from a non-American. It noticed that the Confederacy is still revered, and the resulting oppression of a population is visible in the neighborhoods and businesses. White areas were maintained by the state and cities better than the black areas. White initiatives were better funded, and there were still "segregation schools".

I felt no compassion towards the victim in this story, which is atypical for a True Crime book.

Instead, and while I don't condone the act of murder, I felt an understanding towards the perpetrator. I didn't find the humor John Berendt, who wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, referenced in his review of the book, but I do consider this perspective one everyone should read about.

Pinkie the Elephant - DeForest, WI

Dear Diary,

Driving I-94 from the Twin Cities through Madison and continuing on to Chicago takes 6 long hours. The drive is monotonous and tedious.

But then, rising above the pavement and farm fields, something surprising: Pinkie the Elephant.

Pinkie stood proud at this gas station since the late-1960s, when the owner sought a way to make his gas station stand out from his competition. It endures as a roadside attraction and a local landmark.

Her draw continues to be successful as well - it worked on us, choosing this slightly more expensive Shell gas station for this photo-op and fill-up!

This pink elephant, along with others, were produced by Sculptured Advertising in Sparta, WI.

Pinkie was first produced in 1963 and installed in front of the Pink Elephant Supper Club in Marquette, Iowa, and upon her move here, remains one of the last in the area. Only after Pinkie was installed at this gas station did she receive her cool, Buddy Holly-style glasses.

Other elephant statues can be found at car washes, antique malls and car dealerships in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee.

The gas station sells Pinkie merchandise (we were satisfied with pictures) and works to keep the statue clean. Unfortunately, she's a sometimes target for graffiti.

You never know what you'll find on the side of the road, but discovering new things is always worth it - like pink elephants!

Shell Gas Station
4995 County Road V
DeFortest, WI 53532-1966