Social Studies

In 1947, Jay Hormel founded the Hormel Girls to create jobs for women veterans of World War II and to promote Hormel products like Spam and Dinty Moore. The glamourous group of musicians and singers grew to include 60 members and was a top rated show on three national radio networks. The Hormel Girls are a true treasure of Minnesota history and an early symbol of the independent woman.

Traditional music and dance is one way that North Dakotans celebrate their Scandinavian heritage and find part of their own identity in their ethnic background. “No tree grows strong by cutting off its roots.” Understanding where we come from helps us know who we are. North Dakota’s largest demographic is people of Scandinavian descent. Many people in North Dakota are aware of their roots, know who they are, and take an active role in keeping those traditions alive.

Singer songwriter Elisa Korenne of New York Mills, MN writes original songs about historical people and events of the northern plains. One such figure is Rachel Calof. She traveled from Russia to North Dakota in 1894 as an immigrant homesteader and a mail order bride. Her story is a riveting and candid look at the hardships of life on the prairie.

Singer songwriter Elisa Korenne of New York Mills, Minnesota writes original songs about historical people and events of the northern plains. In 1893, northern Minnesota was experiencing a logging boom but it was a dangerous industry. Back then, health insurance was in the form of health tickets to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth, MN. Sister Amata Mackett of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery sold these tickets to lumberjacks and quickly became know as Sister Lumberjack.

Singer-songwriter Elisa Korenne of New York Mills, Minnesota, writes songs about unusual characters and obscure events in Minnesota history.

Susan Frenier Brown was a mixed-blood Dakota Indian, and although she was surrounded by influential people who had an impact on politics in the mid and late 1800’s, her own identity and story has been somewhat lost to history. Minnesota musician Elisa Korenne explores this shadowy figure in her original song "Who Was I?"

Discover how the building and use of railroads declined due to the popularity of automobiles and trucks. One effect was the development of regional and short line railroads that served smaller communities. Several larger cities used local electric streetcars until the automobiles took over.

Discover how transportation has affected every step of North Dakota history. North Dakota’s position in the center of North America has always made transportation a challenge with even the earliest peoples seeking ways to cover large distances of land. The arrival of horses to the Northern Plains had a radical effect on the Native American culture and way of life.

Learn how World War II meant funding was diverted to all but strategic roads and highways. After the war, the state had to play catch-up on road maintenance, helped by federal funding of the interstate system. In today's world, larger and heavier trucks are critical to transporting freight. In rural North Dakota, providing local transit for a growing senior citizen population is a big issue.

Learn how rivers already provided an avenue for the movement of goods and people in 1803 when Lewis and Clark traveled up the Missouri River to look for a waterway to the West.

Learn about how the Keller brothers from Minnesota invented the first Bobcat loader, and built it using scrap metal.

Since 1954, giant iron machines have been roaring back to life each Labor Day weekend in Rollag, Minnesota. The Western Minnesota Steam Thresher’s Reunion attracts thousands of visitors each year with its 210 acres of exhibits and demonstrations. Almost nothing is static, as workers have meticulously restored and revived vintage equipment. Enjoy a glimpse of the sights and sounds of Rollag.

Learn about the history of automobiles in North Dakota. The automobile age gave freedom of movement and choice for passengers and freight. With more people driving cars, the push came for better roads.

Learn about the history of steamboats on the Red River. Although its course meandered like a lost and homesick pig, the Red River of the North was a major artery for steamboats, which coordinated with stagecoaches from St. Paul to Fort Abercrombie.

Learn about the role of railroads in North Dakota history. In their time, railroads had no peer in their ability to move people and goods, although shipping costs were high. The railroad companies helped increase immigration to North Dakota by actively marketing the opportunities here to foreigners, especially Scandinavians and Germans from Russia.