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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

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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)

10/14/2026

"You must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it."
Clara Barton — founder of the American Red Cross

Way Back Wednesday:

These St. Boniface High School students (school year 1948-1949) are hard at work as members of the American Junior Red Cross (AJRC). Under the watchful eye of Sister Martin, the kids are performing such tasks as filling Red Cross boxes, making stuffed toy animals, creating fun scrapbooks, and even putting together thirty Easter themed table centers (centerpieces) to help decorate the dining facility at the St. Cloud Veterans Hospital. The American Junior Red Cross has a long, proud history and its origin dates back to the start of World War I in 1917. In that first year enrollment in the organization grew to 8 million, and was 11 million members strong nationwide by 1919. Nothing was going to stop the movement of these selfless, energetic youths, so by 1945 membership reached an astonishing 20 million members, representing close to 75% of the nation’s school population. During war time the task focus was on “comfort kits” for overseas service members. These kits contained personal items such as a: comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, and many other small personal items. Following WWII the AJRC remained a formidable organization and shifted their efforts to center on veterans’ assistance, disaster relief, and community service.

Photo credit/information: CSAHS Archives/Photo found in 1948 Sabonite

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

10/07/2026

“Music can change the world because it can change people.” — Bono U2

Way Back Wednesday:

Featured in this week's photo are the proud looking men of the 1915 Jacobs Prairie Harmonia Band. These merry music makers had especially close ties to St. James Parish. One historical record (The History of St. James as published in the Parish Centennial book in 1954) attributes the formation of the Harmonia Band to Father Julius Locnikar O.S.B. in 1911; the band leader was a man by the name of John Huss. The leader was an important role and the position had to be filled by someone who knew music well enough to teach others. Huss had numerous other duties as well which included: selecting music, conducting rehearsals, arranging performances, and maintaining discipline. Community bands like this were extremely popular and were seen in the early 1800s through the mid 1900s. Some historians even make a reference that this time period was considered to be the golden age of the community brass band Minnesota had several hundred of these bands scattered throughout the state to include even the smallest of rural towns. These men could be thought of as ambassadors of their communities, as they often traveled to neighboring towns to participate in community celebrations, church events, dances, and parades. This photo captures a frozen moment in time for the Harmonia Band, but their music lasted well beyond the click of the shutter. And the band played on. Thanks for joining us on another trip. . . Way Back When.

Photo credit/information: SHM Photo Collection_Jacobs Prairie Harmonia Band 1915

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

10/02/2026

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
— Pablo Picasso

09/30/2026

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." — Frederick Douglass

Way Back Wednesday:

As a nod to local area students who have returned to school, it seems appropriate to share this amazing photograph. Captured in this thought provoking image is the 1921 class of School District no. 154- the Engelhard School in Munson Township. Are the dour expressions seen on these children the result of a bad day at school, or is there something much bigger happening that could be responsible for their unhappy faces? If we pull back and look at 1921, we can see that it was a year full of challenges. As Europe began to recover from World War I, the demand for agricultural exports from the United States steadily decreased, which quickly caused crop prices to plummet. In 1921 corn, wheat, and oats prices were at an all time low (close to a 50% decrease per bushel) as compared to the year before. The Great Depression hadn’t occurred at this point, but for Minnesota farmers something very similar was already underway. These kids have also lived through the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic (Spanish flu). The flu took a devastating toll in Minnesota with over 7,500 deaths reported in 1918 and another 2,500 in 1919. So, we’ll never really know the reason for those young unhappy faces in our photograph. Maybe it was just a challenging school day, or maybe those faces are a true representation of children growing up in 1921. Afterall, they have experienced the outcome of a world war, a deadly disease outbreak, and rural economic collapse.

Photo credit/information: SHM Photo Collection District 154 students and teacher Munson Township 1921.

csahs.org [email protected]

09/16/2026

Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world.”
— Babe Ruth

Way Back Wednesday:

Like our 1941 Farming baseball team that we featured last week, this Richmond club appears ready to take to the field to play ball. Just imagine what life was like for these two teams during the 1941 summer season. Life was relatively carefree as the United States began to show gradual yet promising economic recovery from the Great Depression, and local town baseball was considered to be one of the chief sources of community entertainment. None of these players or their families knew that within a few short weeks their lives as citizens in a small rural town was about to take a serious turn. Local team baseball came to a sliding stop as the United States entered WWII. Men from all over Minnesota left as they enlisted or were drafted into service. Of the 452 organized town baseball teams that had been established by 1941, only 162 remained in 1945. Minnesotans hadn’t lost their love of baseball, the players simply just weren’t there. When mentioning the war effort it’s important to point out the significant contributions made by women during this time. Not only did they directly support the country by working in defense factories, but they also took to the baseball field on a professional level. This was done to boost morale and to preserve a sense of normal American life during this difficult time; thus, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League began play in 1943. The Minneapolis Millerettes were on the roster.

Photo credit/information: Stearns History Museum/Baseball team Richmond (MN) circa 1940

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

09/09/2026

“I was told I would never make it because I’m too short. Well, I’m still too short, but I’ve got 10 All-Star games, two World Series championships, and I’m a very happy and contented guy. It doesn’t matter what your height is, it’s what’s in your heart.” — Kirby Puckett

Way Back Wednesday:

Since it’s deep, deep, deep into the baseball season, it seemed only fitting to go with a baseball themed post. This picture is a home run and shows members of the 1941 Farming, MN baseball team. Over the years small Minnesota towns have shown a robust interest in playing organized baseball, resulting in the formation of the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Association in 1923. Because of the energetic player response to the newly founded organization, statewide tournament play began the following year. Providing a way for rural communities to organize and compete, the Stearns County League appeared on the roster in 1934. Minnesota town team baseball had become so popular with players in 1940 that there were 452 such clubs scattered throughout the state. Historians noted that an enthusiastic fan base was equally noteworthy. Town baseball games drew spectators by the hundreds into even the smallest of communities. As we take a final look at this special photograph be sure to notice what isn’t there; no advertising signs, no manicured grass on the playing field, and possibly no fancy lighting for night time games. What you do see are 12 young men, eager to take to the field and play for the love of the game!

Photo credit/information: Stearns History Museum/Baseball team Farming (MN)1941

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

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

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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