Volume 2, Issue 3.1, August 2021

Treasured Artifact: Sand Art

By Julie Wiese

One of the more treasured artifacts at the Chaska History Center is this rare piece of sand art. It was a gift to Magdalena Faber at her wedding in 1883. Not much more is known about Lena, but her father was an early resident of Chaska, building the first commercial structure in town in 1858 with money he had acquired in the gold fields of California. This building still stands on the southwest corner of Walnut Street and Second Street.

Though we are unable to prove the artifact’s connection to a specific person, its age, proximity and great detail suggests that the creator of this sand art bottle was Andrew Clemens of McGregor, Iowa, 1857-1894. Clemens collected his sands from beaches along the shores of the Mississippi. He fashioned special tools made from pieces of hickory and fishhooks and arranged the individual grains of sand into amazing, intricately detailed designs like those found in the historical society’s example.

The Chaska History Center is truly lucky to hold this piece of art and history. The 9" bottle was donated in 1989 by Jim Faber, Chaska historian and the nephew of Magdalena.

"The Sand Art Bottles of Andrew Clemens" authored by Roy Sucholeiki, published by McFarland Books.

Learn more about Andrew Clemens and his incredible works of sand art:

Andrew Clemens Wikipedia
McGregor Historical Museum and its newspaper archives can also provide photos and more details of his life and art.
“The Sand Art Bottles of Andrew Clemens” book by Roy Sucholeiki, in the Chaska History Center library.

Chaska: A Minnesota River City Quiz #2

Hopefully you had time to review Volume 1 of Chaska: A Minnesota River City and find the answers to the Quiz #1 presented in the May Newsletter. (See the answers below.) Our next issue will point you to the answers for Quiz #2 and their source pages.
Here are 7 questions from pages 171-636. The answers and reference pages will be included in the next newsletter.

What was Susan Hazeltine noted for in 1855?
In what year did some Chaska residents receive electric power?
In 1903 what family owned the first automobile in Chaska?
What kind of epidemic killed at least 17 residents in 1892?
In 1920 what 2 families in Carver County were known for their banks?
By 1907, what important new factory was operating in the Chaska area?
What community-wide event occurred December 14, 1942?

Volunteers Assist Lano Equipment, Inc

By Doris Coghill

Lano Equipment, Inc is an industrial equipment distributor and familiar fixture at its current location near Hwy 169 and 41 in Shakopee. The company was started by four Lano brothers - Dick, Clarence, Joe and Hauser 75 years ago as Lano Implement in a building in Chaska on 4th Street just west of the History Center in Chaska. In 1959 it moved to the south side of 1st Street West and then moved to its current location in 1978.

To get ready for their 75th anniversary celebration, Molly Beaudin, from Lano Equipment Marketing, contacted the History Center to see if we had any pictures. Tracy Swanson took on the task of looking through our files. Doris Coghill then worked with Molly to provide the photos and help Molly find more materials from the History Center newspaper files and add them to the Lano anniversary celebration. To learn about Lano’s history: https://lanoequip.com, then select News –The Lano Story. The photos from our archives add that touch of history that makes anniversary celebrations special!

Our volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to help a local business celebrate their 75-year history!
Photos taken by Doris Coghill: a restored 1959 Bobcat Skid Steer Loader in the Lano lobby, with its history.

Volunteer Spotlight - Laurel Means

By Sarah Carlson

A Singer of folk songs, Author of 17 books, gifted Professor at universities throughout the world, gourmet Cook, (ask her about her favorites from Singapore and Malaysia) and Historian are just a few of the words that describe Laurel Means.

Laurel grew up in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and learned many of the folksongs that had their origins in the 17th and 18th century. While singing, she often accompanied herself playing the dulcimer.

Sitting in the History Center during the interview for this article, she sang the opening verse to “Come All Ye Fair and Tender Maidens.” Her interest in writing was developed at the Star Progress newspaper, located in Berryville, Arkansas, where she wrote articles and did research. She studied at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium and at Oxford University in England. She developed a keen interest in archives of history, particularly of France, Germany, and the Latin language. Throughout her life she has translated numerous articles, diaries, and family histories to English. She earned her doctorate degree from the University of Toronto with a specialty in archives of early English, French, German and Latin.

After moving to Minnesota, she was a professor at Gustavus Adolphus and an adjunct professor at Crown College. When asked about her teaching career, she said “I loved the interaction with my students, presenting new ideas and concepts and observing the intellectual changes.” She most enjoyed preparing lectures using slides, PowerPoint and materials to keep students engaged in the learning process. In addition to her teaching, she developed a series of nine historical pioneer stories set in Minnesota and the Dakotas. (Available though AMAZON books). Additionally, she has written and edited numerous books and articles on medieval English prose.

Moving to Chaska in 1997, she has continued her research and editing at both Carver County and Chaska Historical Societies. Paraphrasing a quote from Thomas Aquinas, she said her work has stood on the shoulders of giants - volunteers and staff of the History Center that have always been available to search for the needle in the haystack with her.

In response to the question “What makes a good editor?” she offered three key aspects of editing:

• mechanical correctness – grammar and sentence structure

• readability – friendly, not formal

• correct facts - obtained through newspapers, official records and church programs

Chaska History Center has been very fortunate to have an editor with her knowledge and experience for the upcoming Chaska history book covering the years 1950-2000. Working closely with Lisa Oberski and others, she continues to provide editing for our new book. Her upcoming move to Kentucky to join her daughter and family will limit talking in person with Laurel, but she will continue her help remotely with an anticipated publication in 2022. She has already been in touch with the Lexington, Kentucky History Center to continue her involvement in history. We will miss you, Laurel!

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Chaska: A Minnesota River City Quiz #1 Answers

As the Chaska Historical Society puts the finishing touches on the 2nd volume of its Chaska history book (see the related article in this newsletter), perhaps you would enjoy delving deeper into the well-researched pages of Volume 1.
Here are 7 questions from the quiz in the May Newsletter with their answers and the source page.

What year did Jonathan Carver first explore parts of Minnesota? Answer: 1766, page 12
What year does Chaska claim as its starting point? Answer: 1851, page 25
The Faber house, built in 1858, is one of the oldest buildings in Chaska. What funded George Faber’s investment? Answer: California Gold Rush, page 30
In what year did the Valley / Chaska Herald move into its present location? Answer: 1871, page 95
Were sections of the Herald ever published in Swedish? Answer: No, but for several years, there were pages in German, page 95
Where is the Civil War monument for Chaska’s soldiers? Answer: Waconia - City Square Park, page 139
What family started the Chaska Foundry + Machine Shop? Answer: the Ess family, page 168