Meeker County Museum at the G.A.R. Hall

Recently, our Museum staff was going through some files, when we came across a short, handwritten history about the Litchfield Toboggan Club of 1886. We were instantly curious and turned to the newspapers to see what more we could learn. 1886 Lithograph of tobogganers. Source: Library of Congress However, before there was Litchfield’s Toboggan Club, there was the St. Paul Winter Carnival. The Carnival started in 1886 as a way to show outsiders that the state could be enjoyed,

Around 1:00 a.m. on August 20, 1924, four unidentified men came to Cosmos, Minnesota. Quietly, they cut the town’s telephone and telegraph lines and made their way to the First State Bank of Cosmos. They entered through a basement window and found their way to the safe. Using nitroglycerine, the men blew open the safe. Inside, they found two smaller compartments. They blasted their way into the bottom compartment, but before they could do the same to the top section, they wer

Included in the winter display at the Meeker County Museum is a small, rather sparse Christmas tree. Some of the branches are loose, the base is a bit wobbly, and many of the faux pine needles have seen better days. And yet, this tree is special in that it just might be the oldest artificial Christmas tree in Meeker County. Museum's 100 year old Christmas tree The tradition of Christmas trees began in Germany, but as deforestation started to become a concern, the Germans also

While many of Meeker County’s early residents were farmers, it wasn’t until around 1890 that many turned their attention to dairy farming. By 1899, there were twenty creameries in the county. Despite having only the fourth-highest dairy cow population in the state, the county produced the most butter. And, it was great butter, too, commanding the highest price in the markets.