Aitkin County Historical Society

10/13/2026

🏈 The Little Brown Jug — Another Aitkin County Connection?

Following our recent post about the Little Brown Jug, several people have mentioned Oscar Munson, the University of Minnesota custodian credited with finding the famous jug in 1903.

We’ve done a little digging and discovered that an Oscar Munson did indeed live in Aitkin County. His obituary confirms that he lived here in his younger years, moved away, and eventually returned to the area later in life. There is no mention in his obituary of any connection to the University of Minnesota or living in Minneapolis.

We haven’t yet been able to confirm whether our Aitkin County Oscar Munson is the same man pictured here with the Little Brown Jug in 1933.

Does anyone recognize Oscar Munson or remember him living in the Aitkin area?

We’d love to hear from anyone who might help us confirm this connection!

10/11/2026

A unique chapter of Aitkin County history is back in the spotlight.

Today’s Minnesota Star Tribune features an article about the proposed Minnesota Experimental City (MXC) near Swatara.

First envisioned in the 1960s by Dr. Athelstan Spilhaus (1911–1998), this project claimed it would create an experimental city featuring cutting-edge technology, innovative transportation, and even a giant dome.

The proposal sparked a unified response from Aitkin County residents, including a 170-mile protest march from Swatara to the State Capitol in 1973.

What do you remember about the proposed Experimental City? We’d love to hear your memories and stories in the comments!

Read the full story in today’s Minnesota Star Tribune as part of its Curious Minnesota series.

A domed city was planned for rural Swatara, in the north-central part of the state. Locals thought the 1960s vision was “out there.”

10/09/2026

🏈 HERE’S THE ANSWER! AITKIN COUNTY AND THE LITTLE BROWN JUG! 🏈

Earlier this week, we asked if anyone knew the connection between Aitkin County and the famous Little Brown Jug, the historic football trophy awarded to the winner of the University of Minnesota–University of Michigan game.

The answer is Edward “Ed” Rogers, born April 14, 1876, in Libby, Aitkin County, Minnesota!

Ed Rogers was an outstanding athlete who went on to become captain of the University of Minnesota football team in 1903.

On October 31, 1903, Minnesota faced Michigan in what would become one of the most famous games in college football history.

With Michigan leading 6–0 late in the game, Minnesota scored a touchdown, and Ed Rogers kicked the extra point that tied the game 6–6!

The excited Minnesota fans stormed the field, and the game ended in a tie.

In the confusion following the game, Michigan left behind its five-gallon water jug. The jug was recovered, and the famous Little Brown Jug tradition was born!

🏈 BUT THERE’S MORE TO ED ROGERS’ STORY!

Ed was the son of William Andrew Rogers, a lumberman, and Mary Williams Snetsinger. His early life was rooted in northern Minnesota during the height of the region’s lumbering era.

Aitkin residents may recognize another familiar name from our community’s history — Rogers Addition, an area within the City of Aitkin.

Athletic talent also ran in the family! Ed’s half-brother, Frank Jude, went on to play professional baseball, including a stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1906.

Ed Rogers’ accomplishments extended far beyond the football field. He earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota and became a respected attorney, serving for many years as Cass County Attorney.

In 1968, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, recognizing his remarkable contributions to the sport.

Ed Rogers died in 1971 at the age of 95.

🏆 A LITTLE MORE HISTORY!

Another interesting figure in the Little Brown Jug story is Oscar Munson, the University of Minnesota employee credited with recovering Michigan’s abandoned jug in 1903.

Interestingly, an Oscar Munson also lived in Aitkin! We’re currently researching whether these two individuals were the same person.

Stay tuned — we may have another fascinating Aitkin County connection to share!

Who would have thought that one of college football’s most famous traditions had such an important connection to our own Aitkin County?

That’s what makes local history so interesting. You never know where the connections will lead!

🏈〽️

10/07/2026

🏈 A little Aitkin County trivia for you!

Does anyone know what connection Aitkin County has to the famous Little Brown Jug — the historic football trophy fought over by the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the University of Michigan Wolverines?

Here’s a hint: the connection goes all the way back to the game that started the Little Brown Jug tradition in 1903!

Drop your guesses in the comments! 👇

We’ll share the answer soon. 🏈〽️

10/05/2026

🍂🍁What a beautiful fall day we had on Friday for our “We Raised the Roof” Open House! 🍁🍂

Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by the Aitkin County Historical Society Depot to see our beautiful new roof, tour the Depot, explore our displays, enjoy a root b**r float, check out our new merchandise, and simply spend some time visiting with us.

🎉 We’d also like to congratulate Jan Raushel, winner of our Historical Society gift basket drawing!

Most of all, thank you for your continued support of the Aitkin County Historical Society. It means so much to us, and we loved having so many stop by!

Here are a few photos highlighting a wonderful afternoon at the Depot. 🍁❤️

Thank you for celebrating with us!

10/02/2026

🎉 Today’s the day — come celebrate with us! 🎉

Stop by the Aitkin County Historical Society Depot today from 4–6 PM for our “We Raised the Roof!” Open House!

09/30/2026

🏠 Only TWO days until our “We Raised the Roof” Open House!

We’re so excited to welcome everyone back to the Aitkin County Historical Society! Come take a look at our new roof, see some of the other changes happening at the Depot, learn about new opportunities to get involved, and hear a little about what we have planned for the coming year.

Most of all, we’re looking forward to seeing all of you!

📅 Friday, October 2
⏰ 4:00–6:00 PM
📍 Aitkin County Historical Society Depot

Stop by, take a look around, visit with us — and enjoy a root b**r float on us! 🍺🍦

We can’t wait to see you!

09/27/2026

☎️ What did it take to make a phone call in Aitkin in 1957?

A 1957 Aitkin phone book, courtesy of Ted Landgren, offers a glimpse into a time when making a call required more than simply dialing a number.

For a long-distance call, you could ask the operator for a station-to-station connection. That meant speaking with whoever answered the telephone. The charges began as soon as the call was answered.

If you needed to reach a specific person, you could request a person-to-person call. The operator would ask for that individual, and billing began only when they came to the phone. That added service cost more. A three-minute daytime call from Aitkin to Minneapolis was 75 cents station-to-station or $1.20 person-to-person.

You could also place a collect call, asking the person you were calling to accept the charges.

One of the directory’s most interesting features is its rural ringing code. On a party line, different patterns of short and long rings identified which household the call was for.

Imagine listening carefully for your ring before picking up!

These pages offer a glimpse into how much telephone service has changed. Do you remember using an operator, sharing a party line, or making a collect call? ☎️

09/26/2026

As we count down to our "We Raised the Roof" Open House on October 2nd from 4-6pm., we're sharing a little more about the journey to build Aitkin's depot, as with life things don't always move as smoothly or as quickly as one would like.

In 1913, local news reported that Northern Pacific officials would soon be building a new depot to service Aitkin County - naturally there was much excitement for the new facility. Construction was expected to begin that spring, but the community would wait a little longer.

Throughout the remainder of 1913 there were a handful of mentions on the depot's progress in the Aitkin Independent Age and by 1914 there was one small paragraph sharing the frustration of not knowing whether the depot would become a reality.

After two long years of waiting, construction finally began in 1915, with the depot finally completed in 1916.

More than a century later, the building is still bringing people together - now as the home to the Aitkin County Historical Society. We hope you'll join us on October 2nd to celebrate the new roof and the history beneath it!

09/14/2026

As we get ready to celebrate our “We Raised the Roof” Open House, we thought it would be fun to look back at how the Aitkin Depot came to be.

Our story begins in 1913, when the Aitkin Independent Age announced on March 8th:

“New Northern Pacific Station Is Definitely Agreed Upon”

Railroad officials were preparing to meet with Aitkin businessmen to work out some pretty important details — where the new depot would be located, how the tracks would be arranged, and what the new station would look like inside and out.

The article offered Aitkin residents their first real glimpse of what was coming and reported that construction was expected to begin “when spring opens.”

More than a century later, that depot is still standing — and preserving it continues to be a community effort.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share more of the story of how Aitkin’s Northern Pacific Depot went from an announcement in the newspaper to the historic building we know today.

Next up: What happened when spring finally arrived?

🍂 And don’t forget to join us for We Raised the Roof, our free open house on Friday, October 2, from 4–6 p.m. Come see the new roof, learn about the Depot’s preservation, and enjoy a root b**r float on us!