{"id":14,"date":"2014-10-13T18:48:05","date_gmt":"2014-10-13T18:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lahs1857.wordpress.com\/?page_id=14"},"modified":"2026-04-16T19:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:10:49","slug":"la-crescent-area-historical-society","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

OUR 2026 ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday, April 18
Social 5:30 pm
Dinner follows
<\/span>Pine Creek Golf Course
_________________<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Thank you for <\/span>celebrating La Crescent area history
<\/span>We love documents, and this one is a gem!<\/strong><\/h1>\n

ARTIFACT–DOCUMENT FROM 1958 – Building Permit
<\/strong><\/span>for Clarence Vonderohe’s business
<\/strong><\/span>Issued by Bob Kies, then our village clerk
\u25ca
Our thanks to Summer Thorson for finding this document when she moved her business into the 106 S. Walnut Street building<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

ONE PIECE OF HISTORY LEADS TO ANOTHER…AND ANOTHER…\u00a0<\/span>
The signature of Bob Kies is at the bottom of the document:<\/strong><\/span>
Then our city clerk, Bob was also La Crescent’s telegrapher\/depot agent for 21 years, taking over from Ed Hurley (1884-1966), who held that job for 50 years.\u00a0 Scroll down to the Letters Home project to learn more about Ed Hurley’s civic involvement<\/em>.
Wait!\u00a0 A people depot?\u00a0 La Crescent had a passenger train?\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>
Yes, we did.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span> Our\u00a0passenger train<\/strong> was affectionately called the “hoot and holler”<\/strong> because it first alerted passengers up ahead with a very loud whistle before it was announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 AFTER MEMORIAL DAY …
THE HISTORY CENTER WILL BE OPEN on Saturdays 1 – 4<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

UNTIL THEN … WE’RE BEHIND THE SCENES <\/span>
Volunteers are busy cleaning and updating displays
to be ready for visitors.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Planning a visit? Tours can be arranged by appointment
Leave a message at 507-895-1857<\/span>
Email to lahs1857@gmail.com<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

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 BRIEFLY, HERE ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2025 …. <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Saturday, November 8<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

VETERANS DAY 2025 … a time of reflection<\/span><\/h1>\n

 November 1944<\/span>    <\/strong>A group of community leaders, including Mrs. Georgia Fay and Ed Hurley, organized the La Crescent Community Club to stay in touch with the many young men and women from the area who were in the armed services in World War II.  The Club gathered local news items and addresses for about 80 servicemen and women.  To create 80 copies, several members typed the same newsletter (on a manual typewriter and using several sheets of carbon paper). <\/em>[Explain “carbon paper” to your grandchildren!].  D. C. Webster paid for the mailing, and eventually a few businesses offered the use of their \u201cmodern\u201d machines (copy, Gestetner,<\/strong> and ditto) to duplicate pages. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The newsletters were upbeat, reporting on hunting seasons, the bowling leagues, home purchases, marriages\/births, and business news, and always with a bit of humor and sincere concern for the welfare of those brave men and women.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1994<\/span>   <\/strong>Julie Zuehlke led a group of volunteers to re-type the newsletters into a readable format; following that, a special display of them was held at Gittens-Leidel Post 595 American Legion.  Afterward, all the material was donated to the La Crescent Area Historical Society, where it was archived.  Eventually, the Historical Society scanned each newsletter and all the letters received from servicemen and servicewomen, displaying them years later at the La Crescent Event Center in the new American Legion meeting area.<\/strong><\/p>\n

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CONGRATULATIONS<\/strong><\/span>
LA CRESCENT’S MAN OF THE YEAR 2025
DON THESING<\/span>
<\/span><\/strong>President of the La Crescent Area
Historical Society<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

Rain or Shine, Don’s the Man!!
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were a featured stop on the
2025 TROLLEY TOURS<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Click on:  EXPLORE LA CROSSE<\/a>

<\/strong><\/p>\n

See a bicycle similar to this one in our museum!<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did apple growing begin in La Crescent?  It started with one man…     <\/strong>            <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

____________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/strong><\/span> Because of Harris, La Crescent become famous for apples<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We still grow apples!<\/strong>  To learn more about our annual festival, click on this link to the Applefest USA<\/span><\/strong><\/span> website.<\/p>\n

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THE LA CRESCENT HISTORY CENTER
& APPLE MUSEUM
OPEN MAY T<\/span><\/span>HROUGH OCTOBER<\/span><\/span>
Stroll through the displays in the house<\/span><\/em>
Visit the Apple Museum in the big red shed<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/h2>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/strong><\/p>\n

THANKS TO GRANTS FROM THE ARLIN FALCK FOUNDATION,<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

WE ENCLOSED THE PORCH ON THE BACK OF THE HOUSE,
A MUCH-NEEDED UPDATE THAT GAVE US MORE DISPLAY SPACE,
AND WE UPDATED OUR COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY!!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

June 16, 1832<\/span>
Nathan Boone and his survey crew
reach the area that is now La Crescent<\/h1>\n

Click on 1832 LAND SURVEY at the top of this page to learn more<\/span><\/h4>\n

Below is a transcription from Boone’s original field notes.
His field notes are in the National Archives.<\/em><\/h4>\n

T\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n
\n

THANKS TO
<\/span>LA CRESCENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
<\/span>4TH GRADE CLASSES AND THEIR TEACHERS VISIT<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

What a surprise!\u00a0 Quinn Jore, 4th grader,\u00a0
saw\u00a0her great grandmother’s photograph on a display shelf.<\/h3>\n

_____________________________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>IN MEMORY OF<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Gordon M. Fay\u00a0 1924-2022<\/strong>
La Crescent native
Past Recipient of the Historical Society’s Heritage Award
His heart never left La Crescent<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n

MARKING A SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN HISTORY
Nathan Boone’s land survey <\/span>
of the Neutral Ground in 1832<\/span>
<\/span>
\"\"<\/a>
HISTORICAL MARKERS- walk\/bike\/drive<\/span>
Along the Wagon Wheel Trail, south Shore Acres Road (above) <\/span>
and along Skunk Hollow Road<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n

LEARN MORE<\/strong>: Click on 1832 LAND SURVEY\u00a0 (top of this page)<\/span>
<\/span><\/h2>\n

Gratitude to Our Boone Project Partners<\/span>
City of La Crescent<\/span>
La Crescent Public Library<\/span>
La Crescent Township<\/span><\/h3>\n

FUNDING
The project was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

PROJECT ADVISORS
<\/span>Don Borcherding, a licensed professional surveyor with 45 years\u2019 experience in land surveying, survey research, and survey history<\/span><\/h2>\n

Gwen Westerman, a scholar of Dakota history and language and a professor in English at Minnesota State University, Mankato<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

ASK US ABOUT GROUP TOURS<\/h1>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

______________________________________<\/h3>\n

We will be recognized and respected for preserving the cultural heritage
of the La Crescent area\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0 <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OUR 2026 ANNUAL MEETINGSaturday, April 18Social 5:30 pmDinner followsPine Creek Golf Course_________________ Thank you for celebrating La Crescent area historyWe love documents, and this one is a gem! ARTIFACT–DOCUMENT FROM 1958 – Building Permitfor Clarence Vonderohe’s businessIssued by Bob Kies, then our village clerk\u25caOur thanks to Summer Thorson for finding this document when she moved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":616,"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1598,"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions\/1598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacrescenthistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}