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Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection

Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection

Category Archives: People

Entertainment history

04 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by Stephanie Hess in Arts and Culture, Carleton College, History Blog, KYMN Radio, People, Primary Source Sets, Recreation, Social Issues, St. Olaf College

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Education, Entertainment, History, Leisure, Movies, Music, Recreation, Theater

Have you ever wondered how people in the past spent their free time? In Northfield, they had plenty of options. There were theater performances and motion picture houses. Musical groups often performed in town, and the people of Northfield also participated in bands, choirs, and other groups. People listened to the radio and went to dances. And there were many more things to do, too, of course.

For an overview of the many kinds of entertainment from Northfield’s history, I’d check out this Primary Source Set – Entertainment in Northfield.

Northfield Community Band, c. 1920

As you look at these materials, imagine what it might have been like to be entertained the way these Northfielders in the past were. How has entertainment changed over time? How is it still the same?

If you’re an educator, this lesson plan may be another great place to start:

Bruce, Charlotte and Helen Stephan. Twentieth Century Entertainment: When Work is Done. Lesson plan developed for the Library of Congress.

Also, this set is only one of a group of 12 available on the DHC’s website. See the other Primary Source Sets here!

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Settlement and Immigration primary source set

10 Wednesday Apr 2019

Posted by Stephanie Hess in History Blog, People, Primary Source Sets

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Primary Source Sets

Every month, we are featuring one of the 12 Primary Source Sets developed for the Collaborative in 2018. April’s feature set focuses on the people who settled in and emigrated to the Northfield area.

Settlement and Immigration Primary Source Set

This set has links to primary sources that tell the stories of Northfield’s founders, like John W. North, Hiram Scriver, and more. It also includes information on the many immigrant groups who have come to the area and called Northfield home.

There are also questions that help us all dig into the reasons why people came to Northfield so we can try to see ourselves in their shoes. For those who want more, there are plenty of links to additional resources and lesson plans under this topic, as well.

See the other Primary Source Sets here!

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Primary Source Sets released

02 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by Stephanie Hess in Agriculture, Arts and Culture, History Blog, James-Younger Bank Raid, Malt-O-Meal, Military, People, Recreation, Religion, Social Issues, Women, World War I

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Primary Source Sets

We are pleased to announce that we recently released a set of educational guides to Northfield-area history called Primary Source Sets. Primary source sets are online collections of digitized historical materials—from photographs to diaries and more—arranged by topic. These sets all reflect the local Northfield experience of a larger historic event, theme, or era.

The sets explore these twelve topics:

  • Settlement & Immigration
  • The James-Younger Gang Bank Raid
  • Malt-O-Meal in Northfield
  • Agriculture & Farming
  • Milling in Northfield
  • Women in Northfield
  • World War I Home Front
  • 1918 Influenza Epidemic
  • World War II in Northfield
  • Northfield Architecture
  • Religion in Northfield
  • Entertainment in Northfield

Each set includes a topic overview, links to approximately 20 digitized items on the Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection (DHC), discussion questions, related resources, and a guide to using primary sources for research. Several benchmarks of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in both Social Studies and English Language Arts can be explored using these sets, as well.

Some of the Primary Source Sets available on the DHC

Mark Heiman, Northfield history enthusiast and member of the DHC steering committee, observed, “This is an invaluable starting point for anyone interested in local history, whether you want a deep dive into a topic you’re already familiar with or an introduction to fascinating people and stories that may be new to you.”

The Project Coordinator for the DHC, Stephanie Hess, explained, “One of the primary goals of the DHC is to provide access to a wide variety of digitized materials about local history. We want to spread the word about these amazing resources and provide guidance so teachers, students, and the whole community can discover their stories.”

Northfield founder John W. North and his daughter, Emma, in 1855. Find this primary source along with others in the Settlement & Immigration Primary Source Set on the Northfield History Collaborative.

Northfield founder John W. North and his daughter, Emma, in 1855. Find this primary source along with others in the Settlement & Immigration Primary Source Set on the Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection.

The DHC developed these sets with guidance from the Minnesota Digital Library and the Digital Public Library of America. These publications were made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. The sets are open to all researchers: please follow the link to the Primary Source Set landing page.

For more guidance, check out our Primary Source Set Users Guide.

Send us feedback about these primary source sets!

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Women in Northfield local history resource

11 Monday Mar 2019

Posted by Stephanie Hess in History Blog, People, Primary Source Sets, Women

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In honor of Women’s History Month, we are excited to share an amazing new guide to women’s history in the Northfield area.

Women in the Northfield Area Primary Source Set

It’s called a Primary Source Set because it includes links to 24 different primary sources shared on the Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection website. It also includes some historic context, discussion questions, and related resources to help you dig deeper into the topic.

This set is part of a larger group of Northfield history sets developed in 2018 – stay tuned for more info on those!

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The Armistice of 1918

09 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by Stephanie Hess in History Blog, Military, People, St. Olaf College, World War I

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One hundred years ago this month, people in Northfield waited with the rest of the world to hear that the devastating Great War was finally over. Rumors that Germany was going to agree to an Armistice—or cease-fire—ran rampant.

On November 8, 1918, the Northfield News ran a political cartoon showing American troops, and American resources, were forcing Germany’s Kaiser to end the war. It was more than wishful thinking, since at that very moment a German delegation was considering the terms of an armistice with the Allied countries.

Northfield News cartoon, published Nov. 8, 1918

Northfield News cartoon, published Nov. 8, 1918

Homer Mason, one of Northfield’s service men stationed in France, was the assistant N.C.O. in charge of a radio station. At his post, he frequently received press reports sent out by the Allied troops. It was here, he later wrote, that he heard Germany “send out her press at the critical period before the armistice was signed.” He sent copies of these press reports to his parents.

Press Report, delivery of Armistice terms, Nov. 10, 1918

Press Report, delivery of Armistice terms, Nov. 10, 1918

The very next day, November 11, 1918, Homer had just come into the station when he heard that the French Marshal Ferdinand Foch had just sent out his orders to all of the Allied troops to cease firing at 11 o’clock French time. The Germans had signed the Armistice terms, and the war was finally over.

Order from Marshal Foch, November 11, 1918

Order from Marshal Foch, November 11, 1918. Translation available on the Collaborative.

The world rejoiced, but none as much as people in France, whose country had been completely devastated by trench warfare and German occupation. Homer reported that “The French people are certainly a happy bunch of folks nowadays. They are celebrating everywhere.”

Letter from Homer Mason to his parents, Nov. 13, 1918

Letter from Homer Mason to his parents, Nov. 13, 1918

Northfield was celebrating, too. Homer’s parents both told of the jubilation they felt and provided details on just how Northfield celebrated the end of the war. On November 12, Homer’s mother Melinda wrote:

This is a day after we got the news that the war was over, but yesterday I could not write – so many came in and then there was so much merriment and noise that you could not hear yourself think. The bells commenced to ring at 3:30 in the night. We got up and lit up the whole house. We knew what it meant and how glad and thankful we [were]. And after it got light the soldiers came and the band and after that, all the school children, with old pails and dish pans and anything they could make noise on. All [are] so thankful it is over.

Homer’s father, George, later said all the church bells and whistles in town blew after they got the news at 3:30 a.m. and they “kept it up until 6 o’clock.” He said he “grabbed the Flag and whirled it around and posted it at the front door.”

Letter from George Mason to Homer Mason, November 27, 1918

Letter from George Mason to Homer Mason, November 27, 1918

“We are glad the armistice is signed,” wrote George, “and I hope that they will soon come to a peace that will be just and durable. We don’t want any more of this war business.”

What did the Armistice mean for the boys from Northfield stationed in places “over there” as well as “over here”? It did not mean they could come home immediately, especially since it only halted the military operation of the war. The official end to the war came with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919.

In the meantime, servicemen stationed in Europe changed their focus from military offensive to occupying force. Homer Mason, for one, hoped he would be home by the summer [he was]. Other servicemen, like Northfield’s Arthur Houston and his road crew, now focused on rebuilding blasted roads without the threat of German bombs overhead. Others were recovering in hospitals from injuries or the flu, serving as military escorts, and other duties as assigned by the American Expeditionary Force.

Some Northfield residents served the military at camps scattered throughout the United States. When the Armistice was signed, and a military force at peak strength was no longer necessary, many of them were given a few options. Fredrick Heiberg was at an officer’s training school at the time, and he reported on November 16 that he was offered three options:

  1. Remain here and finish his course – get a commission and be placed in the Reserve Corps.
  2. Get an immediate discharge from the Army.
  3. For men from S.A.T.C. units to return to them.

“Which should I choose?” he asked his mother. “After considering all points from all angles and points I think I’ll choose the second.” He was discharged on November 30, 1918, returned to Northfield shortly after that, and became a dentist.

With the Armistice came the end of fighting the “war to end all wars”. The Northfield men and women who served remained forever changed by their experiences. We honor their service and sacrifice every year on Veterans Day, but especially this year—the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice.

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What’s new on the DHC?

13 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by Stephanie Hess in Agriculture, Businesses, Carleton College, City of Northfield, History Blog, Malt-O-Meal, Northfield Historical Society, People, Politics and Government, Religion, Rice County Historical Society, Social Issues, St. Johns Lutheran Church, St. Olaf College

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Residence of Frederick Albers, c. 1900. Bridgewater Township collection.

We have been busy so far in 2018! Here is a list of some of the highlights that have been added to the Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection since January:

Bridgewater Township collection:

  • Birth Register 1907-1915
  • Individual documents and photos

First United Church of Christ collection:

  • Looking Backward: A History of the Congregational Church in Northfield
  • Manual of the Congregational Church of Northfield, 1878

Three Links Care Center collection:

  • I.O.O.F. Home for Elderly and Children Scrapbook

St. John’s Lutheran Church collection:

  • Ladies Aid Past Presidents scrapbook

Rice County Historical Society collection:

  • Miscellaneous historical documents

Northfield Historical Society collection:

  • 1878 Newton S. Persons Diary
  • Northfield City Council meeting minutes book, 1893-1903
  • Malt-O-Meal photographs and documents
  • Sheldahl Co. photographs
  • Reminiscences of Elise K. Ytterboe
  • Minutes book of the Northfield Improvement Association, 1884-1937
  • Northfield High School commencement programs: added years 1929, 1930, 1937

Carleton College born digital collection:

  • World War II photographs and documents

More to come!

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Rebirth and Reflection: Glimpses of Spring in Northfield during the early Twentieth Century

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by Stephanie Hess in Arts and Culture, Carleton College, History Blog, Northfield Historical Society, Northfield News, People, Recreation, Religion, St. Johns Lutheran Church, St. Olaf College, World War I

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by guest columnist Robert Coleman

Spring is finally here! Well, at least according to the calendar. In Minnesota it can sometimes be a little difficult to tell. But before long, song birds will be returning, trees will be budding, and gardens will need tending. This year’s frigid winter will soon be only a distant memory as the last of the remaining snow melts away. Easter approaches, as do commencement celebrations and spring festivals such as May Day. Finally time to escape the homes we have been cooped up in all winter and pull out the barbeque or have a picnic. In my family, spring also means getting out the rain boots and coats so we can do some serious puddle splashing!

In the early years of the twentieth century, citizens of Northfield welcomed the germination of the new year in ways both analogous to and different from today. Perhaps a larger contingent of the population was occupied with planting the season’s crops, and masses of children probably did not descend on the city’s parks to search for candy-filled plastic eggs. Still, many parallels can be drawn, and it is certainly possible to imagine oneself sitting on a blanket having a picnic along the Cannon River on a fine April afternoon, whether in 2018 or in 1918. Exploring the wealth of documents digitized by the Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection opens a window into these early years. These documents span many aspects of life, from histories of the city’s early schools and churches to letters sent home from sons at war, all giving us opportunities to study these spring days of long ago.

Early spring on the Lakes, Carleton College, undated. Harvey Stork, photographer. Carleton College Archives.

St. John's Lutheran Church Sunday School picnic at Heath Creek, May 1910.

St. John’s Lutheran Church Sunday School picnic at Heath Creek, May 1910. St. John’s Lutheran Church collection.

Spring is first and foremost a time of rebirth. It is a time for planting gardens and fields. As leaves return to the trees, so do the song birds that escaped to warmer climates for the winter. An early undated photo from the Carleton College archives shows a spring view of Lyman Lakes that could nearly have been taken today, minus the newer buildings and the highway. The lakes were created and given to the College in 1916-1917 by George and Marietta Lyman in memory of their son George Huntington Lyman.[1] A second photo, from May of 1910, shows a group of children from St. John’s Lutheran Church having a Sunday picnic. The trees overhead show relatively bare branches with few leaves yet still manage to shade this idyllic seen. At least one of the young girls has a hat covered with early spring flowers, which she deftly wears on what appears to be a blustery day.

Page 288 of The History of Carleton College

Excerpt from page 288 of The History of Carleton College, 1904. Carleton College Archives.

Of course, for many community members the spring holiday of Easter marks a pivotal rebirth. Apparently, those Carleton students not home for the holiday could look forward to a special morning. According to a 1904 history of the school, “Easter morning, in place of the rising bell, a carol is sung, and singing carols, all descend to breakfast with a butterfly or daffodil awaiting each one.” A story in the Northfield News of April 21, 1906 tells of a particularly packed house at All Saints Episcopal Church for that year’s Easter observances. “The church was crowded to its utmost capacity at each of the services, and all agreed that never before had the parish passed a more pleasant and impressive Easter […] A special train on the Great Western railroad brought about ninety from Faribault and adjacent towns.”[2]

Spring picnic near the Cannon River, 1909.

Spring picnic near the Cannon River, 1909. St. Olaf College Archives.

As the snows finally melt away after a lengthy Minnesota winter, people across the years have wanted to get outside and enjoy themselves. The parks have filled with families enjoying the sun and the Cannon River has provided ample opportunity for an afternoon river trip. The 1909 photo above shows a group of St. Olaf students having a picnic next to their canoe. What better way to spend a warm weekend afternoon after a long week of classes?

May Fete 1922

Four women dancing in the May Fete pageant of 1922. Carleton College Archives.

May Fete 1923

Frances Emge’s solo dance in the May Fete pageant of 1923. Harvey Stork photographer. Carleton College Archives.

Nothing epitomized this need to get out in the warming sun and celebrate more than Carleton’s elaborate Mai Fete pageants which were held each May on one of the islands in Lyman Lakes. As the two photos above show, Mai Fete was foremost a springtime dance festival. These extravagant events were produced by students and came to involve a majority of the women on campus. First celebrated in 1918, Mai Fete reached its peak popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, regularly drawing thousands of spectators.[3]

Tornado damage

Tornado damage behind a house on St. Olaf Avenue in 1922. Northfield Historical Society.

As we all know, spring weather can be fickle and the citizens Northfield had ample opportunity to witness nature’s unpredictability in the early years of the twentieth century. The city has known its fair share of floods along the Cannon River and late season snows, along with the early appearance of summer thunderstorms. A particularly dramatic spring storm occurred on May 3, 1922. The photo above shows some of the damage incurred by the tornado that hit the St. Olaf area that evening. The Northfield News noted that “Northfield had a visit from an early season tornado Wednesday evening that threw a scare into everybody in town, and wrought considerable havoc in the northwest portion of the city […] Those who had the opportunity to view it at close range admit that they are satisfied and have no desire for an introduction to another.”[4] Luckily, while considerable property damage was sustained, there were no injuries, not even among the occupants of a bus that was blown into a ditch along Lincoln Street.

The Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection has been focused on commemorating the centennial of World War One over the past many months. What must the families at home have thought of a spring planting of the family farm or of attending an Easter service without their loved ones by their side? Capturing the contrast between spring’s joy and the darkness of war, one Carleton member of the student training corps recorded in his diary on March 1918: “Only one class. Ushering in Spring – Playing catch […] Good long sleep […] Drill until 4 P.M. Home at 10:01 – [..] Big day at home. Red Cross Auction. Worked in shop. Dance.” What a week! Went to class, played catch, and practiced for war.

Still, even during a time of war, spring brought with it some light-heartedness and apparently a desire to go out and buy a new suit. Two ads for tailors seem oddly out of place during such difficult times. A Chas Stern Square Dealing Clothier ad from March 1917 notes, “Easter 1917 Fashion Decrees Military Effects.” That certainly could have made for some interesting suits at Easter service. An ad for Olberg’s Tailory the next year, however, departed from military styles: “Don’t think that just because the country is at war you can do without your Easter Suit.” Instead, the country needs prosperity during such times and, after all, “you cannot feel prosperous unless you look prosperous.”

Northfield News, March 30, 1917

Northfield News, March 30, 1917

Northfield News, March 8, 1918

Spring is such a contrasting season, the first colorful songbirds bursting onto an otherwise wintertime scene, or bright warm days leading quickly to dangerous floods when the snows finally melt. Though seemly a disparate group of documents—from an advertisement for military style suits to a photo of a church picnic—all of these sources display this distinct contrast that so defines springtime. The pictures taken of Lyman Lakes or of St. Olaf students on a picnic, could easily have been taken in 2018, though perhaps without such formal attire. A diary entry about students drilling for war at Carleton College, or an ad telling us that it is our patriotic duty to purchase suits in war time, perhaps seem a little more out of place.

As the days lengthen again, let’s reflect on the different meanings of spring, and maybe contemplate what it may have been like to welcome the season here in Northfield a century ago. Most importantly, let’s all go grab our rain boots and splash in a puddle or two. I am sure that Northfield residents, young and old, were doing the same a century ago!

—

Robert Coleman is an independent historian and current stay-at-home dad. His background is in public history with an emphasis on Native American history, the environment and changing understandings of landscapes. He has enjoyed working on transcribing projects for the Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection over the course of the past year and looks forward to continuing to research and write about the fascinating history of his newly adopted home.

—

Notes:

[1] Ben Weiss, Lyman Lakes, http://northfieldhistorical.org/items/show/67

[2] “Easter Services,” Northfield News, April 25, 1906.

[3] Carleton College Student Activities, “Mai Fete,” https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/campact/programs/maifete/

[4] “Tornado Visits Northfield Early Wednesday Evening,” Northfield News, May 5, 1922.

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WWI Community Organizations

06 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by Stephanie Hess in City of Dundas, History Blog, Military, Northfield Historical Society, People, Politics and Government, World War I

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In my previous posts, I have highlighted some interesting archival documents that tell stories of Northfield experiences during World War I both at home and abroad. Today, I’ll provide more examples of community organizations that arose during and after the war.

Entertainment at the home front was militarized for a short time during the war. You can see evidence of it in the formation of the Dundas Band and Military Company. Prior to 1917, the Dundas Military Company and the Dundas Brass Band existed separately. The two organizations merged on July 9, 1917 to become one organization with two related departments. The band existed to provide entertainment at dances and other community events, and the military company provided military training to men of draft age prior to their entry into the armed forces.

Excerpt from the Dundas Band and Military Company Constitution, adopted July 18, 1918

Excerpt from the Dundas Band and Military Company Constitution, adopted July 18, 1918

This organization was community-minded, too. They charged a fee for renting their hall, but would omit or lower the fee if the event were to be a fundraiser for patriotic organizations like the Red Cross. Music and dancing helped raise morale and encourage patriotism throughout a community, things that are essential for community-wide support for a total war like World War I. Once the United States was no longer in an actual state of war following the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty in 1919, the military division was permanently disbanded. The band, however, continued well into the 1930s to provide musical entertainment during peacetime.

Whether Northfielders served their country near or far, their wartime experiences shaped the rest of their lives. When the soldiers returned home, what could they do to process the changes they went through in a relatively short amount of time? Many chose to join together to form a post for the new national organization, the American Legion. The National Organization of the American Legion was formed in 1919 with this as the preamble to their constitution:

to uphold the constitution of the United States; to foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism; to preserve the memories and incidents of [their] association in the Great War; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state, and nation; to make right the master of might; to promote peace and goodwill on earth; to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom, and democracy; [and] to consecrate and sanctify [their] comradeship by [their] devotion to mutual helpfulness.

Members of Northfield’s Post 84 strived to live up to these ideals from the start. They reprinted this preamble in their official history on the very first page chronicling their history (page 26).

We are fortunate that Northfield’s Post 84 had an able and committed post historian, E. T. Tufte, for its early years because he documented the formation, development, and community activities of the post in two volumes of typed histories. He also included draft lists and names of the men and women of the Northfield area who served in World War I in general, not only those who later became members of the Post.

Excerpt from the History of American Legion Post 84, Volume 1

Excerpt from the History of American Legion Post 84, Volume 1, with details on the preliminary steps for forming the local post in 1919.

The NHS is grateful to members of the post who made these American Legion histories available for scanning and sharing online, because they are amazing resources that tell great stories of Northfield’s veterans and the community at large.

Whether one served the country during World War I abroad or here at home, everyone was affected in some way by wartime activities. It is my hope that the materials preserved and available online can help us understand what life was like for Northfielders during this tumultuous time by providing fascinating details about their individual and collective experiences.

View all of the items digitized for this project here.

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More Digitized Resources Available Online

01 Wednesday Nov 2017

Posted by Stephanie Hess in History Blog, Military, People, Politics and Government, Rice County Historical Society, World War I

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Over the last few months, I have been busy with my World War I digitization project for the Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection. To see all 460+ and counting unique items online, go to http://nrcdighistory.org and click on the “World War I in Northfield” link near the bottom of the page.

The stories that can be found among the digitized materials of the DHC are set in locations both near and far. For example, Northfield-area serviceman Irwin F. Smith, a sergeant in Division Intelligence of the 88th Division, was stationed in the Alsace border region of France. Although we have found no records that specify exactly what Sgt. Smith did as an Intelligence officer, some clues can be found in his scrapbook of photographs that is in the Rice County Historical Society collection. The whole scrapbook has been digitized and you can see some amazing photographs from France during the war – including a set of aerial photographs showing trenchworks and more!

Irwin Smith and French colleagues "somewhere in France", 1918

Irwin Smith and French colleagues “somewhere in France”, 1918. See the original on page 7 of his scrapbook on the DHC.

This photograph shows Sgt. Smith standing with unidentified officers and men from the French army. Since America was so late in entering the war, its intelligence-gathering services were not as developed as its allies, and it relied heavily on standards set by the intelligence services of both France and Great Britain. Smith likely trained with and performed his work with these French allies in the field.

While the Allied Forces gained information about the enemy through breaking coded radio transmissions and other methods, they also conducted aerial surveillance using tethered balloons and airplanes equipped with cameras. The aerial photographs showed the locations of enemy trenches, tanks, soldiers, and more. It is very possible that Sgt. Smith was involved in the gathering and analysis of aerial photographs as an intelligence officer, because he had access to dozens of aerial photographs taken in the Alsace region where he was stationed. He kept copies of them in his scrapbook.

Aerial photograph of trenches and shell holes near Bernwiller in the Alsace region, c. 1918

Aerial photograph of trenches and shell holes near Bernwiller in the Alsace region, c. 1918. On page 17 of Smith’s scrapbook.

Most of his photographs show locations near Altkirch, a border town in the Alsace region that was affected by the opening attack of World War I by the French Army against Germany in 1914. Smith was not there until 1918, but the evidence of the battles remained in his photographs – miles of convoluted trench works and empty rain-filled shell holes, not to mention the ruins of houses and barns, remain visible in this contested area 4 years after they were destroyed. We can only imagine what they looked like on the ground.

Check out the next post to read about World War I-era Northfield stories closer to home!

View all of the items digitized for this project here.

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Friday the 13th during World War I

13 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by Stephanie Hess in History Blog, Military, People, Politics and Government, St. Olaf College, World War I

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If you think that Friday the 13th is an unlucky date, you are not alone. 99 years ago, Northfield resident Homer Mason agreed with you in principle, but his experiences during World War I made him begin to think that perhaps Friday the 13th was not such a bad thing, after all.

Homer Mason in uniform, 1918. See the full portrait on the Collaborative.

Homer served in the Signal Corps in Tours, France, south of Paris during the fall of 1918. As a radio operator, he was well aware of news from the front as well as from home. In two of his letters, he makes reference to the unluckiness of Friday the 13th, but considering what happened, he said, “I’ll never be skeptical about Friday 13ths after this.”

Excerpt of a letter from Homer Mason to his parents, September 15, 1918. See the full letter on the Collaborative.

In this letter, Homer discusses the Saint-Mihiel offensive of September 12-16, 1918. It was the first independent offensive led by the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing. In effect, the Americans regained control of a section of France that had been occupied by Germany since 1914. This success – and perhaps the luckiness of Friday the 13th – led to a great increase in confidence on the part of the Americans and their allies.

Excerpt of a letter from Homer Mason to his father, December 13, 1918. See the full letter on the Collaborative.

Later that year, after the Germans had signed the armistice but before the peace treaty was signed, Homer noted another occurrence on Friday the 13th of December. This time, he mentions the fact that President Wilson was willing to take the risk of landing in France to begin the peace negotiations on this traditionally unlucky date. While the treaty negotiations were more or less a success (at least for the winners of the war), Wilson’s other plan for a League of Nations – a multi-national organization devoted to peace in the world – failed. Perhaps he should have landed in France on another day?

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  • Settlement and Immigration primary source set
  • Primary Source Sets released
  • Women in Northfield local history resource

♣ Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection

Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection

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