Volume 4, Issue 1, February 2023

...Love is in the air...

By Barb Van Eyll

You can always tell when it’s getting close to Valentine’s Day, February 14--all the ads for cards, candy, flowers, and gifts everywhere you look!

Valentine’s greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written valentines did not begin to appear until around the 1400s. The oldest recorded valentine was a poem written by a French medieval royal. Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415. The earliest valentine in English was penned later that century, in 1477.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. More familiar to our eyes today are mass-produced valentines, first begun in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Because of her entrepreneurship, Howland is known today as the “Mother of the Valentine”.

Although the Chaska History Center’s collection of valentines is not nearly that old, we are, nonetheless, lucky to have a group of valentine postcards gifted by Ruth and Duane Steinberger. The 15 valentine cards date back to the early 1900s, specifically 1909 to 1914, sent to Chaskan Miss Rosella Dircks by her sister Anna Dircks, who lived at one time in Excelsior and later in Saint Paul. Here are a few of these cards for your viewing pleasure. Note that some of these cards were just addressed to Miss Rosella Dircks, City, and only cost 1 cent to send!

Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. Perhaps these samples will inspire your own loving messages!

Making History Come Alive for Kids!

By Julie Wiese

“You mean your grandma’s grandma never had a bathroom in the house? She had to go outside to a little wooden building in the backyard! Gross!”

“Yup. That is how life was different in Chaska back then. And that is history.”

Kids come to the Chaska History Center all the time to learn about our town’s history, some with their parents, some with Girl Scout or Boy Scout troops, and recently a home school group of elementary kids, some as young as five years old. History here with young ones doesn’t start with dates and names, it doesn’t start with who founded the town or the important people of the town. We start with a familiar history- their grandmas.

The teacher asks, “So how many of you have ever asked your grandma or grandpa what it was like when they were kids?”

“My nana says there were no computers when she was young.”

“My grandpa calls our couch a davenport.”

“My grandma went to school on a horse,” says the teacher.

We talk about how life was different for our grandparents, their food, clothing, their language and how all of this is what’s known as HISTORY.

“My grandpa says he never had a taco until he went to college!”

From here we try to imagine what life was like for our grandma’s grandma. The kids don’t have much knowledge for that, so we move to a slide show of a life in Chaska with horse and buggies, outhouses in the backyards, old timey clothes, all original photos from old Chaska. We show the old, old buildings still standing and tell the wonderful stories that originated from within their walls. It was a time when it was still possible to see tipis across the river, and we talk of the culture of the Dakota, looking at photos of the old chiefs who used to live here and end the session playing a Dakota game of chance.

When the kids are about to leave, they are given a homework assignment. After allowing a moment for them to moan and groan, the teacher says, “Next time you see your grandparents, take out your smart phone and start recording them talking about their childhoods. Ask them how it was different for them than it is for you now.”

The kids all promise they will. We hope that they do. That is how history is made.

Finding the Magic in Winter

By Lisa Oberski

It’s while we wait during these slowly-getting-longer, cold days that Minnesotans look for ways to make it a more pleasant time. In Chaska we (usually) have the festive ice fishing contest at Firemen’s Park, a tradition since the late 1960s, along with the more recent Ice Garden event, beginning February 11 th this year, with carved blocks of ice beautifully illuminated.

Over thirty years ago, in 1992, Chaska quilt artist Audree Sells, pictured here in June of 1993, commemorated one of the winter-themed events that many Minnesotans look forward to each year—the St. Paul Winter Carnival, with its beautiful and elaborate ice castle. The castle was a bit controversial that year for its cost and grandiosity, and readers of the Star-Tribune, where it was pictured, sent letters to the editor criticizing the city for spending so much money on something that was just going to melt. The ice castle nonetheless was a stunning highlight that winter.

Using the photo in the newspaper as a source of inspiration, and sewing techniques including hand applique, piecing, hand beading, and hand quilting, Audree created a visual treasure that immortalized the castle, and, unlike its original, will not melt. Stop by the history center this winter for a chance to admire it in person!

Check out original pictures of this beauty here:

https://shop.startribune.com/product/winter-carnival-ice-palace-1992/

https://www.twincities.com/1994/01/06/architect-suppliers-sue-winter-carnival-over-1992-ice-palace/

Volunteer Spotlight: Kelly O’Neill

By Jeanette McGillicuddy

Although historical society volunteer Kelly O’Neill has had an interest in history for most of his life, it is only now in retirement that he can actively engage with that subject. As a volunteer for the Chaska History Center, he interviews locals using a best practice method he researched. To date he has completed approximately 14 interviews with people aged 83-97/98, which has added immensely to his knowledge of Chaska history through the stories of those who lived it.

Kelly was born and raised in Dennison, Iowa and is the oldest of 10 children. After graduation from high school with no further educational plans, he worked at a variety of jobs, including in a warehouse, at an iron plant, and on a railroad crew. While searching for a book at a Junior College, he met a man who became a mentor, leading him to—on a whim and with little knowledge about college life—enroll at the college, only to find he was three weeks late for the quarter! Lots of work and multiple support jobs later, he finished. He then went to Iowa State and graduated with a degree in Sociology followed by a Master’s degree in Human Resources (HR)/Industrial Relationships.

As a generalist in HR, Kelly eventually became an executive running HR departments coast to coast, California to Minnesota to Kansas to New Jersey/New York. His previous jobs prior to his education proved very valuable, as they allowed him to connect with people on all levels in a company. Some of the companies he worked for include Target, SuperValu, Payless Shoes, Musicland and Toys R Us. Before retiring he worked briefly as an Executive Coach.

Kelly is married to Cindy, a native Minnesotan, and they have two grown children. They moved back to Minnesota at the height of the pandemic and experienced a novel house-buying adventure. His hobbies include reading, music, walking, fishing, and gardening.

It was when he was walking through downtown Chaska that he found the History Center and his niche. The rest is history, as they say!

Welcome, Kelly!!

Can you believe it’s been 20 YEARS??

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Chaska Historical Society’s move to the historic Brinkhaus livery stable this year, we are going to share articles from the 2003 Chaska Herald. In this newsletter we are focusing on the Chaska components of the “Hidden Treasures” insert from 2003. Enjoy this trip down memory lane!

Searching for Dr. Schimelpfenig, 67 Years Later

By Linny Mae Siems

I can remember my doctors at Children’s Hospital. Maybe because I was there for a long time. They were Dr. Long Tie, Dr. Bow Tie, Dr. Crew Cut, and Dr. Good Looking. I was often sick as a child. My parents brought me to different doctors and specialists over the years. None of them found any reason for my ongoing illness. When I was five years old, I was a patient at Children’s Hospital of Minneapolis. The doctors there removed my appendix and performed exploratory surgery on me. Again, nothing.

With growing concern, my parents took me to see Dr. Schimelpfenig. He asked them, “What is your home environment?”

This is what they told him...

We Need Your Help!

The Chaska History Center exhibit topic for 2023 is “Health & Wellness Over Time in Chaska.” The exhibit will address a broad range of health-related topics between the mid-1800s to 2000.

We will cover types of medical care over time, paying particular attention to the variety of care available. Who were the doctors? Why and when did they arrive? How were the varied diseases that were rampant at times handled? What was the impact of disease on families and the community? Pharmacies, home remedies and ‘snake oil’ remedies – what were the differences from what we consider as a ‘trusted source’ today? What is the Native American impact on community health and government health ordinances? These and other questions will be explored. You may be surprised as well as educated!

If you have knowledge or experience with some of these health issues and wish to share your story, please contact the Chaska History Center by calling (952) 448-6077 or email historical@chaskahistory.org.

Thank you!