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Wednesday 12pm - 5pm Thursday 12pm - 5pm Friday 12pm - 5pm

Cold Spring Area Historical Society

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Cold Spring Area Historical Society

The Cold Spring Area Historical Society was formed in 2006 to preserve and protect the history of the Cold Spring, Richmond, Rockville and surrounding area.

Along with Tuesdays (12-5 pm), Thursday & Fridays (9-2 PM), the museum will be open the 1st & 3rd Saturdays each month (9-2 PM)

09/02/2026

Imagine being able to stand on Main Street in Cold Spring more than a century ago and know exactly what stood on nearly every corner. What was made of wood, what was built of brick, where the blacksmith worked, where businesses operated, and even where the nearest fire hydrant could be found. The closest thing we have to such a time machine may be the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

Way Back Wednesday:

Where was that building originally built? What type of business was located there? What was the structure made of, and what were its dimensions? These are just a few of the questions that come to mind when Cold Spring historians examine buildings or houses seen in historic photographs. Thankfully, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps can provide some important information to assist us with our photographic detective work. The maps were named after the creator Daniel Alfred Sanborn. In 1867 Sanborn founded the D.A. Sanborn National Insurance Diagram Bureau which was headquartered in New York City; this small company was destined to become the premier fire-insurance mapping company in America. The Sanborn map wasn’t originally designed as a tool for historical use, but rather as an aid to agents underwriting fire insurance policies. Because insurance companies needed accurate information, surveyors recorded a town’s layout and buildings in painstaking detail; this is what makes these maps a welcome historical aid today. The Library of Congress is the largest holder of these Sanborn maps with some 780,000 sheets on file including this Cold Spring sectional (bold black lines indicate multiple map sections) 1895 map.

Photo Credit/Information: Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Cold Spring, Stearns County, Minnesota. Sanborn Map Company, De, 1895. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress,

08/26/2026

“Woods abounded with bear, deer and other game animals, and the numerous lakes with aquatic fowl of every variety.”
- Henry H. Sibley

Way Back Wednesday:

Though he was not considered a founding father of our town, Ashley Crowl Riggs (1828-1907) is credited with several important contributions to Cold Spring. Following the example of thousands of young men during the 1840s-early 1850s, Riggs,seeking adventure and opportunity, struck out towards the Minnesota Territory which three years prior had opened for settlement. Soon after his arrival into our area, he established a trading post along the Red River Trail in 1852, trading furs and goods primarily with the native Ho-Chunk ( then commonly called Winnebago) community. This business achievement gave Riggs the distinction of becoming the first Euro-American businessman in the area. Local history also credits him with referring to the area as “Cold Springs” due to the many springs that were present in the surrounding wilderness. An interesting historical artifact associated with Ashley Riggs is his surviving ledger book that is currently preserved, protected and displayed by the Cold Spring Area Historical Society. This remarkable volume not only gives us a brief glimpse of what life was like in 1852-1853 Cold Spring, but also insights as to who visited his trading post, what type of goods were traded, and how business transactions were accomplished.

Photo Credit/Title: taken and provided by Mike Vinar/ A. Riggs Ledger

Cold Spring Area Historical Society: csahs.org [email protected]

08/19/2026

“Education in the schools is one, but it is not a substitute for education at home.”
-Theodore Roosevelt

Simple single room wooden schoolhouses predated this impressive structure, however, this was Cold Spring’s first significant brick public school building. Completed in 1886, this expansive project was designed to accommodate an increasing student population for the upcoming years as Cold Spring was evolving from a quiet pioneer settlement into a bustling and prosperous city. Continued immigration (particularly of German Catholics), farm expansion, development of local businesses, and the arrival of the railroad were all major contributors to the explosive growth of the area. Considering this, community leaders felt that a school of this magnitude was needed so that it could serve generations of students. This photo, taken by Father Peter Engel, O.S.B. in 1887 (more than likely within a year of the school’s opening) speaks volumes from a historical point of view. It not only reflects the community's commitment to educating its youth, but also its unwavering optimism of the future economic growth and success of the town.

Photo Credit: Engel, Peter OSB. 1887. "Public school building, Cold Spring, Minnesota." Saint John's Abbey, Accessed July 27, 2026. https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/john:284

08/12/2026

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
— Louisa May Alcott

Way Back Wednesday:

As we continue to celebrate America250 let’s turn our attention to the very beginning, the Revolutionary War. Instead of focusing on the war itself or the patriots involved, we’ll shift our attention to a steadfast, proud and patriotic group of women, members of The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), an organization that keeps this 250 year legacy alive. Women in Cold Spring and the surrounding area that are at least eighteen years of age and can show ancestry to a patriot of the American Revolution can apply to the Sarah Steele Sibley Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) headquartered in St. Cloud. Sarah, the namesake for this DAR chapter, was the wife of the state’s first governor, but more importantly she became widely known for her grace, poise, hospitality and intelligence. She was involved in numerous charitable and patriotic events, which eventually led to her being invited to take part in organizing restoration efforts of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. This invitation was clearly an indication of the respect that Sarah Sibley had earned outside of Minnesota.

Photo credit: “Sarah Jane Steele Sibley” House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/39869.

08/05/2026

"Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me." — Elvis Presley (1956), describing his famous, controversial onstage movements.

Way Back Wednesday:

From the looks of these photos it appears that St. Boniface High School Class of 1955 was experiencing a typical school year; they attended the required classes that were part of a challenging curriculum, and participated in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. But if we zoom out and take a peek at what was happening in the world around them in 1955, we just might get a better understanding of some of the events that influenced their thoughts, dreams, career choices, and even the things that made them laugh. While the students settled into their scholastic routines, many changes were underway on both the state and national level. During this time in Minnesota the iron mining industry on the Mesabi Range remained a formidable economic force, and the Twin Cities rapidly expanded as new suburbs took shape. On a national level, the Salk Polio vaccine became available, and we witnessed the birth of Rock and Roll. You can almost hear Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” blaring from car radios as teens gathered to jitterbug, swing and bop to this new sound.

07/29/2026

How Historians Describe the early 1900s Creamery Era:
The Cooperative Model- Reflecting on the foundation of rural processing plants that began spreading in this era, experts highlight how the community creamery model allowed small farmers to pool resources, transition away from pure subsistence farming, and collectively face commercial markets.

Way Back Wednesday:

Just think of the rich history of Cold Spring dairy farming that poured through the butter-making equipment shown in this remarkable photograph.The vast majority of local farm families owned dairy cows in the early 1900s, making the need for a centralized milk collection and processing facility almost inevitable. Most farmers didn't market their milk and butter independently, but instead recognized the advantages of pooling their resources through a cooperative. This spirit of cooperation led to the organization of the Cold Spring Cooperative Creamery in November 1917. The creamery's primary responsibilities were separating cream from milk, producing high-quality butter, marketing dairy products, and returning profits to its member-owners. Other advantages of membership included the opportunity to purchase shares and elect the cooperative's board of directors. The farmers themselves owned the business rather than outside investors. From the 1920s through the 1950s, dairy farming continued to rise to the top throughout the Cold Spring area, and the cooperative creamery earned a reputation as one of the community's longest-established and most successful institutions.

Photo Credit/Information: Stearns History Museum_ #14684/Interior Cold Spring Co-op Creamery Cold Spring MN circa 1925

07/22/2026

"Our veterans have borne the costs of America's wars and have stood watch over America's peace."
— President George W. Bush

Way Back Wednesday:

These bronze-cast jungle boots, now on display at the Cold Spring Area Historical Society, were once worn by Cold Spring native Timothy Hennen during combat operations in Vietnam, including the 1970 Cambodian campaign. Tim proudly served as a sergeant with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment. Most visitors to the museum will see these boots as an interesting museum artifact. But for Vietnam veterans like Tim—and his older brother, Damien, who served in Vietnam a year earlier—these jungle boots conjure memories of oppressive heat, monsoon rains, helicopter assaults, lifelong friendships, and the constant uncertainty of ever returning home. To all of the servicemen and women who answered their country's call to service and made the ultimate sacrifice (eight military women gave their lives—all were nurses), we bow our heads in gratitude and silently vow that their devotion to duty will never be forgotten. To Tim, Damien, and all of the Vietnam veterans who left their blood, sweat, and tears on the jungle floor, we offer our sincere thanks and, at long last, the words that should have been spoken decades ago: Welcome home.
Photo Credit/Title: taken and provided by Mike Vinar/We Remember
Celebrating America250 by honoring our veterans_1st in a series

07/15/2026

“The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.” President Harry S. Truman

Way Back Wednesday:

Well, this week’s column is an invitation for Cold Spring area residents to help us solve a truly puzzling history mystery! This dramatic photograph offers some helpful clues that will hopefully jog your collective memories, but there just isn’t enough information to give us the big picture of what caused this event. A couple of local historians and staff members at the museum have a few ideas, but since we don’t want to influence your inputs with potentially inaccurate information, we will keep them to ourselves for the moment. Here are a few of the questions that we hope will be answered with your detective work. Where was this bridge/road washout area located? What creek or stream is shown? Do you know the exact date this photo was created? Can you tell where this photo was taken? Does anyone have any additional photographs, documents, or newspaper clippings of this event? Remember, Cold Spring history is a part of all of us, and in many cases community members hold pieces of the puzzle that are essential to understanding our past. If you have any information that will help us solve this mystery, please share it by commenting on this post, or reaching out to our email: [email protected].

We did not receive a single reply from any Way Back When readers when we posted this in the Cold Spring Record. We're hopeful that our Face Book followers will be able to give us additional information on this historic Cold Spring photo.

Photo Credit: Stearns History Museum

07/08/2026

"A railroad is like a lie—you have to keep building to it to make it stand."

"It is hard to make railroading pleasant... Stage-coaching is infinitely more delightful."
-Mark Twain

Way Back Wednesday:
Folks were excited to see the railroad survey crews, because they knew what it would mean to have a train steaming directly through their town. Grain, lumber, machinery, and granite could be transported faster, cheaper and more efficiently; this would result in an economic boom that would turn a small village like Cold Spring into a rapidly growing and thriving community. But who was responsible for this transportation development and was considered a major railroad visionary? Canadian born James Jerome Hill (1838-1916) arrived in St. Paul in 1856 and pursued a career in transportation, freight and river shipping, but eventually focused exclusively on railroad development. He encouraged and supported settlement, farming and business establishment along his proposed track routes, as he felt that the railroad should be built where it could support long-term economic growth. Because he not only built railroads but also created communities, Hill became known as the “Empire Builder”. One of the most pivotal events in railroad history occurred in 1889 when Hill merged several railroads into the Great Northern Railway; Cold Spring was now not only connected to Minneapolis and St. Paul, but to the Pacific Northwest as well.

Photo Credit/Information: New Brighton Area Historical Society_via mndigital.org_Portrait of James J. Hill, St. Paul, MN_circa 1915

Address

411 Main Street
Cold Spring, MN
56320

Opening Hours

Wednesday	12pm - 5pm
Thursday	12pm - 5pm
Friday	12pm - 5pm

Website

http://www.csahs.org/

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