Our research center is
open from May 1 – September 15, Tuesday
–
Friday to genealogists and researchers for a $10.00 fee. We offer an
obituary
file and
microfilmed county newspapers from 1894 to present,
hundreds of family and individual histories, numerous city and village
histories, and thousands of photographs. We also have
information
on all of the eighty-nine cemeteries in Cass County and transcriptions
of forty-four of them. We have recently compiled several new lists of
county information we have such as past
postmasters, early
county divorces,
box holders at Ah-Gwah-Ching
and family
histories in the Longville Centennial book. Newly
available on
this site are the first 15 pages of the history of Federal Dam book
on our publications page, posted with the permission of the author.
Murder and Mayhem Now Available
The dynamic writing duo, Renee Geving and Cecelia McKeig, have
produced their latest paperback entitled Murder and Mayhem
about
crimes in early Cass County, several of which have never been
solved. Renee Geving is from Walker and is director of the Cass
County Museum. Cecelia is a resident of Federal Dam, and they have
utilized the newspaper archives and the state archives to put together
these accounts.
If summer readers are looking for a good murder story of the north
woods, a gripping tale of love gone wrong, or an unsolved murder of a
hundred years ago, this is the book to have. The book follows the
stories from newspaper accounts of the day and court records and
addresses such pointed questions as, Who killed Patrick Hawley and
buried his body in a manure pile? Who shot George Barclay on a cold
October night at Pine River? Was Cass Lake’s Dr. Dumas an outstanding
citizen, wrongly accused, or a Jekyll and Hyde character? Why was there
only one hanging in Cass County? Was Chounard an example to the rest of
the would-be offenders?
Follow the development of the story in the words of the first-hand
witnesses, and in the editorials of the day. The book is currently being sold at the Cass County Museum and at the
Little Apple
Bookstore for $24.95.
2010 Walking Tours
of Walker
The Cass County Historical Society will hold its second annual Walking Tour of Walker on July 20th and August 10th. This time the tour will cover the historical development of Front Street from 1896-1920. Both will start at 7:00 p.m. from the Cass County Museum. The cost is $10 per person.
Drive In and Visit Us!
For researchers who are unable to personally visit the research center, the staff will do research for a fee. For those who desire additional family research, we can refer you to a genealogist who specializes in Cass County research. Additional information is available by phone, mail, or email.
Meetings
The Cass County Historical
Society meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Cass
County Museum. We eagerly welcome new members!
2010 Summer Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Admission: Adults $4.00; Children $1.00; Family $9.00 (Group rates available with reservations)
Our newsletter, "Cass County Clippings" is available in PDF format on our Newsletter page.
Ah-Gwah-Ching Bricks Available
Ah-Gwah-Ching Sanatorium served its patients from 1907-1961. The new antibiotic agent, Streptomycin, was introduced in April of 1947. The first tubercular patient to receive the antibiotic made a complete recovery. This new drug enabled patients to be treated closer to home. The death rate for tuberculosis showed a steady decline from then on. After treating nearly 14,000 patients over 55 years in the battle against tuberculosis, the facility closed on January 1, 1962. The complex was converted into a state nursing home for geriatric patients known as Ah-Gwah-Ching Nursing Home.
A limited number of Ah Gwah Ching bricks were salvaged after the buildings were torn down at the site and were delivered to the county garage. These bricks were carefully cleaned. They are for sale as a fundraiser for the Cass County Historical Society. The price for each brick is $10. Please contact the museum to purchase a brick.
The following local history book and additional publications are available at the museum or by mail.
Images
of America Cass County
In 1849, the Leech Lake Agency for the Ojibwa peoples was established southwest of Agency Bay on Leech Lake. A government trail wound its way north through the wilderness from Fort Ripley to the agency. The establishment of this trail encouraged exploration and settlement of the area that became Cass County. Fur traders, explorers, and missionaries were followed by the lumber industry. The Ojibwas ceded their lands, which went up for public auction in the 1870s, and the logging companies purchased thousands of acres of these lands. By 1895, the Minnesota Logging Company was in the northern part of the county and built the Brainerd, Northern and Minnesota Railroad, which was sold to the Minnesota and International, which was the first railroad in Cass County. Small towns were platted out by town site companies and quickly settled by immigrants and others seeking new opportunities. Cass County presently has 15 villages and 50 townships. Tourism was first introduced into the county when a trainload of 300 tourists from St. Cloud arrived for a weekend of fishing on Leech Lake. Tourism is the county's number one industry today. The Cass County Historical Society has selected the best images from its extensive photographic archives and called on its historians Renee Geving and Cecelia McKeig to share some of the historical facts. This book can be purchased via the museum for $20.