I know it’s way early for this, but I have to share my enthusiasm with you of what happened two weekends ago. But, before that, a little background history…

Without going into a full history lesson, undoubtedly the biggest event in New Ulm’s history was the “U.S.-Dakota War of 1862” (formerly called the “Sioux Uprising.”) The Dakota (or Sioux) were forced to sell the southern half of Minnesota at a treaty in 1851 near St. Peter. They were then given money for their land, but were forced to live on reservations with virtually everything about their lives forced to change.

An event happened in August of 1862 to spark the war when four Indians shot five white people in Acton. The Dakota knew trouble would be coming their way and, aware that the Civil War was raging, decided to try and take their land back and to renegotiate from a position of strength.

I have to stress that not all of the Dakota participated, in fact, perhaps just a third or less!

There were seven major battles in the Minnesota River valley, with two in New Ulm where about 85% of the buildings were destroyed and about 34 settlers were killed and about 60 injured.  The end result of the fighting was that the whites won the war and banished the Dakota from Minnesota, even putting a bounty on their heads if they returned! This was after 38 Dakota were found to be guilty of what we’d call “war crimes” and were hung in Mankato in the largest mass execution in American history! A sad story all around, especially for the Dakota, although many hundred (perhaps 500-800) whites also died and much property was destroyed.

Back to the August 19^th weekend…the Brown County Historical Society sponsored a series of events as a “preview” of what they’ll do for 2012 – the 150^th Anniversary of this major event. They did a couple of tours around the county which were fascinating; they had an “art of the war” iPod presentation which was insightful with a variety of different viewpoints expressed (including the Dakota’s); they had an archaeologist present his findings on sites around the “Milford Massacre” area that I enjoyed; they had cemetery tours, downtown walking tours and author book signings.

If you have family or history roots in New Ulm, you will especially enjoy some aspect of the events for next year. If not, but you enjoy still history, this will also be interesting to you. Look at this web-site for an ongoing update of what will be happening next year: www.browncountydakotawarcommemoration.com

There’s a book list on the site that I developed to help prepare you to get ready for August of 2012, as well as other useful information. Book your lodging early, as we expect a full-house and www.newulm.com can help you with lodging choices.

See you then!
“T” Sveine

I know it’s way early for this, but I have to share my enthusiasm with you of what happened two weekends ago. But, before that, a little background history…

Without going into a full history lesson, undoubtedly the biggest event in New Ulm’s history was the “U.S.-Dakota War of 1862” (formerly called the “Sioux Uprising.”) The Dakota (or Sioux) were forced to sell the southern half of Minnesota at a treaty in 1851 near St. Peter. They were then given money for their land, but were forced to live on reservations with virtually everything about their lives forced to change.

An event happened in August of 1862 to spark the war when four Indians shot five white people in Acton. The Dakota knew trouble would be coming their way and, aware that the Civil War was raging, decided to try and take their land back and to renegotiate from a position of strength. I have to stress that not all of the Dakota participated, in fact, perhaps just a third or less!

There were seven major battles in the Minnesota River valley, with two in New Ulm where about 85% of the buildings were destroyed and about 34 settlers were killed and about 60 injured.  The end result of the fighting was that the whites won the war and banished the Dakota from Minnesota, even putting a bounty on their heads if they returned! This was after 38 Dakota were found to be guilty of what we’d call “war crimes” and were hung in Mankato in the largest mass execution in American history! A sad story all around, especially for the Dakota, although many hundred (perhaps 500-800) whites also died and much property was destroyed.

Back to the August 19^th weekend…the Brown County Historical Society sponsored a series of events as a “preview” of what they’ll do for 2012 – the 150^th Anniversary of this major event. They did a couple of tours around the county which were fascinating; they had an “art of the war” iPod presentation which was insightful with a variety of different viewpoints expressed (including the Dakota’s); they had an archaeologist present his findings on sites around the “Milford Massacre” area that I enjoyed; they had cemetery tours, downtown walking tours and author book signings.

If you have family or history roots in New Ulm, you will especially enjoy some aspect of the events for next year. If not, but you enjoy still history, this will also be interesting to you. Look at this web-site for an ongoing update of what will be happening next year:  www.browncountydakotawarcommemoration.com

There’s a book list on the site that I developed to help prepare you to get ready for August of 2012, as well as other useful information. Book your lodging early, as we expect a full-house and  www.newulm.com can help you with lodging choices.

See you then!
“T” Sveine

I know it’s way early for this, but I have to share my enthusiasm with you of what happened two weekends ago. But, before that, a little background history…

Without going into a full history lesson, undoubtedly the biggest event in New Ulm’s history was the “U.S.-Dakota War of 1862” (formerly called the “Sioux Uprising.”) The Dakota (or Sioux) were forced to sell the southern half of Minnesota at a treaty in 1851 near St. Peter. They were then given money for their land, but were forced to live on reservations with virtually everything about their lives forced to change.

An event happened in August of 1862 to spark the war when four Indians shot five white people in Acton. The Dakota knew trouble would be coming their way and, aware that the Civil War was raging, decided to try and take their land back and to renegotiate from a position of strength. I have to stress that not all of the Dakota participated, in fact, perhaps just a third or less!

There were seven major battles in the Minnesota River valley, with two in New Ulm where about 85% of the buildings were destroyed and about 34 settlers were killed and about 60 injured.  The end result of the fighting was that the whites won the war and banished the Dakota from Minnesota, even putting a bounty on their heads if they returned! This was after 38 Dakota were found to be guilty of what we’d call “war crimes” and were hung in Mankato in the largest mass execution in American history! A sad story all around, especially for the Dakota, although many hundred (perhaps 500-800) whites also died and much property was destroyed.

Back to the August 19^th weekend…the Brown County Historical Society sponsored a series of events as a “preview” of what they’ll do for 2012 – the 150^th Anniversary of this major event. They did a couple of tours around the county which were fascinating; they had an “art of the war” iPod presentation which was insightful with a variety of different viewpoints expressed (including the Dakota’s); they had an archaeologist present his findings on sites around the “Milford Massacre” area that I enjoyed; they had cemetery tours, downtown walking tours and author book signings.

If you have family or history roots in New Ulm, you will especially enjoy some aspect of the events for next year. If not, but you enjoy still history, this will also be interesting to you. Look at this web-site for an ongoing update of what will be happening next year:  www.browncountydakotawarcommemoration.com

There’s a book list on the site that I developed to help prepare you to get ready for August of 2012, as well as other useful information. Book your lodging early, as we expect a full-house and  www.newulm.com can help you with lodging choices.

See you then!
“T” Sveine

I know it’s way early for this, but I have to share my enthusiasm with you of what happened two weekends ago. But, before that, a little background history…

Without going into a full history lesson, undoubtedly the biggest event in New Ulm’s history was the “U.S.-Dakota War of 1862” (formerly called the “Sioux Uprising.”)

The Dakota (or Sioux) were forced to sell the southern half of Minnesota at a treaty in 1851 near St. Peter. They were then given money for their land, but were forced to live on reservations with virtually everything about their lives forced to change.

An event happened in August of 1862 to spark the war when four Indians shot five white people in Acton. The Dakota knew trouble would be coming their way and, aware that the Civil War was raging, decided to try and take their land back and to renegotiate from a position of strength. I have to stress that not all of the Dakota participated, in fact, perhaps just a third or less!

There were seven major battles in the Minnesota River valley, with two in New Ulm where about 85% of the buildings were destroyed and about 34 settlers were killed and about 60 injured.  The end result of the fighting was that the whites won the war and banished the Dakota from Minnesota, even putting a bounty on their heads if they returned! This was after 38 Dakota were found to be guilty of what we’d call “war crimes” and were hung in Mankato in the largest mass execution in American history! A sad story all around, especially for the Dakota, although many hundred (perhaps 500-800) whites also died and much property was destroyed.

Back to the August 19^th weekend…the Brown County Historical Society sponsored a series of events as a “preview” of what they’ll do for 2012 – the 150^th Anniversary of this major event. They did a couple of tours around the county which were fascinating; they had an “art of the war” iPod presentation which was insightful with a variety of different viewpoints expressed (including the Dakota’s); they had an archaeologist present his findings on sites around the “Milford Massacre” area that I enjoyed; they had cemetery tours, downtown walking tours and author book signings.

If you have family or history roots in New Ulm, you will especially enjoy some aspect of the events for next year. If not, but you enjoy still history, this will also be interesting to you. Look at this web-site for an ongoing update of what will be happening next year:   www.browncountydakotawarcommemoration.com

There’s a book list on the site that I developed to help prepare you to get ready for August of 2012, as well as other useful information. Book your lodging early, as we expect a full-house and  www.newulm.com can help you with lodging choices.

See you then!
“T” Sveine

I know it’s way early for this, but I have to share my enthusiasm with you of what happened two weekends ago. But, before that, a little background history…

Without going into a full history lesson, undoubtedly the biggest event in New Ulm’s history was the “U.S.-Dakota War of 1862” (formerly called the “Sioux Uprising.”)

The Dakota (or Sioux) were forced to sell the southern half of Minnesota at a treaty in 1851 near St. Peter. They were then given money for their land, but were forced to live on reservations with virtually everything about their lives forced to change.

An event happened in August of 1862 to spark the war when four Indians shot five white people in Acton. The Dakota knew trouble would be coming their way and, aware that the Civil War was raging, decided to try and take their land back and to renegotiate from a position of strength. I have to stress that not all of the Dakota participated, in fact, perhaps just a third or less!

There were seven major battles in the Minnesota River valley, with two in New Ulm where about 85% of the buildings were destroyed and about 34 settlers were killed and about 60 injured.  The end result of the fighting was that the whites won the war and banished the Dakota from Minnesota, even putting a bounty on their heads if they returned! This was after 38 Dakota were found to be guilty of what we’d call “war crimes” and were hung in Mankato in the largest mass execution in American history! A sad story all around, especially for the Dakota, although many hundred (perhaps 500-800) whites also died and much property was destroyed.

Back to the August 19^th weekend…the Brown County Historical Society sponsored a series of events as a “preview” of what they’ll do for 2012 – the 150^th Anniversary of this major event. They did a couple of tours around the county which were fascinating; they had an “art of the war” iPod presentation which was insightful with a variety of different viewpoints expressed (including the Dakota’s); they had an archaeologist present his findings on sites around the “Milford Massacre” area that I enjoyed; they had cemetery tours, downtown walking tours and author book signings.

If you have family or history roots in New Ulm, you will especially enjoy some aspect of the events for next year. If not, but you enjoy still history, this will also be interesting to you.

Look at this web-site for an ongoing update of what will be happening next year:            www.browncountydakotawarcommemoration.com

There’s a book list on the site that I developed to help prepare you to get ready for August of 2012, as well as other useful information. Book your lodging early, as we expect a full-house and  www.newulm.com can help you with lodging choices.

See you then!

“T” Sveine

It started in 2000 with a heavy focus on the Minnesota River, but as time and interest evolved,the river focus has been tamed. It’s not gone, but it’s not as much as in years past. Now, it is mainly a music fest and music of a style I particularly like – lots of blues!

The fest is located in Riverside Park at Center and Front Streets along the river and is all outside.There are tables and benches and big spools for standing against, so it’s comfortable that way.

Most of the surface is paved so it is easy to stand on even there was rain. There are some tents and the stage is also under cover, so in light rain, the party still goes on!

It runs Friday night from 6:00pm to midnight and then Saturday from noon to 1:00am. The audience is mainly composed of what I will call “us old hippies” meaning people 45 to 65 years old. In fact, I often describe it to ex-New Ulmites as “a Shorty’s Bar reunion,” as many of us hung out there and partied in the 1970s and ‘80s. However, everyone is welcome and it’s a fun, exciting experience for any age. Little kids love the freedom and hassle-free nature of the event!

The music style is not all blues, but is infused with Cajun, zydeco, R&B, and rock and roll.There are occasional country-rock and folk bands, too, for variety. While I would pay quite a bit of money to go to it, it’s always been free, so no arguments that way!

A newer part of the event that has gotten big participation in the last couple of years is the camping in the event site – Riverside Park. There are seemingly 100 campers and/or tents down along the Minnesota River and mini-parties go on all night – guaranteed!

The Regional River History and Information Center is in the park and it features many fine exhibits on the Minnesota River and its uses over the years. Stop by and learn something! There’s a cool pirate ship playground set for the little ones, too.

There used to be “flotillas” on the river and they may come back next year. These included parades of most anything that can float and were hilarious. Be alert to their return for next year!

There’s food and drink for sale on site and please patronize them, as that’s what makes the event free. It kills me to see people sneaking in a beer or two to save $3 when all they’re doing is killing it for the future. Support the fest with your purchases.

The music line-up this year is going to be EXCELLENT and I can’t wait!

Look at www.riverblast.org for more details and I will see you there.

“T” Sveine

I will always remember how cool it was to have all of the little neighborhood grocery stores we used to have in New Ulm (and most small towns, for that matter.) Of course, most moms were not working then, but were home taking care of families that were, in general, bigger than those we have today. Four to six kids was the general family size then, but, of course, there were exceptions either side of that. Also, families typically had just one car that the dads used to get to their work, so being able to get to a local store for grocery needs meant that many smaller stores needed to be conveniently located all throughout town.

Our family’s local store was the Nun Brothers’ Grocery at State and 3^rd North Streets. Art, Harry and Charlie Nun worked together well and each had their own personality and area of expertise. The store, despite being small, was pretty complete. Oh sure, you didn’t have twenty six varieties of toilet paper, or fifteen kinds of sugar like we do now, but you had decent types of most of your basic needs for preparing meals and baked goods. They also had a fine selection of meats that they prepared in the back and it was fun to watch them carve or slice off the exact pieces mom ordered. In short, most things our family needed was attainable just one block away.

As the oldest, I remember with pride being allowed by mom to take my “Radio Flyer” red wagon to get groceries for her. While it was acceptable to charge the groceries that Art just wrote in a paper booklet, sometimes mom trusted me with actual cash that I carried in an envelope. As a reward, she would allow me to buy one candy bar for a nickel – Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll being a perennial favorite, along with Bonomo’s Strawberry Turkish Taffy. (No one else I know remembers Bonomo’s brand. Do you?)

As I got older, I began collecting baseball cards and packs of Topp’s baseball card packs were a common purchase at Nuns’. I remember asking the Nun boys if a certain pack would have my favorite players, to which they replied, “We don’t know. You’ll just have to buy it and find out.”

As we got to be teenagers, we would hang out there, but they didn’t like it when groups of teenagers were just gathering in and around the store. They feared shoplifting and annoying their  “real” customers so we were shooed away. I have to confess, without being too much of a “suck up” here, that I never stole from Nuns and was respectful to them – which I can’t say for many of my school mates! After all, the Nuns had been a part of our family for most of my life and we liked and took care of each other.

I can’t say that about today’s “mega-stores” where no one seems to know each other. While the selection and choices are enormous today, the personal touch that existed in the small-scale neighborhood grocery stores is something to be envied. A few big stores attempt to capture some of the welcoming feeling with their “greeters,” but it is a long shot from the good old days of intimate knowledge, genuine affection, and the sense of family we used to have!

“T” Sveine

This time, more car stories…

The Brown County Fairgrounds still has remnants visible of what used to be an oval, dirt race track on their site. I think it was originally used for horse races, but as the auto age came on, it was used for car races of many types. My favorite was the “Joey Chitwood Auto Thrill Show.” The fair’s announcer’s demands to, “Get your tickets now, in front of the grandstand” is forever etched in my memory. Chitwood had a national act that would thrill audiences around the country with his drivers’ antics like racing head-on and narrowly avoiding each other, driving through flaming hoops, executing jumps and spins, and generally making our lives exciting for an hour or two.

—

The Fair used to also host regular dirt track car races and still has demolition derbies. That reminds me of when my dad and his pals were younger (in their 40s) they would enter a car in the demo derby for a 3 or 4 year stretch around 1972-‘76. Watching them strip down cars and prepare them to be smashed was a treat, and being allowed to go in the pits with them was pretty cool. My sister, Karen, and girlfriend, Ruth Landsteiner, each got to drive dad’s semi-smashed car in the “Powder Puff” races, which was also exciting. I kind of felt “schlumpfy” (as Ruth’s mom would say) for not driving myself, but there was no room for me to do so, as dad, Jimmy Wieland, and other buddies each wanted to drive it themselves.

—

My first car was a black, 1962 Chevy Corvair –not Corvette, Corvair! This was a compact, rear-engined car that Ralph Nader made headlines with in his book, “Unsafe At Any Speed” where he showed how dangerous of a car it was!

I bought it cheaply from a guy at age 18 and enjoyed the freedom my own car gave me (although I had had motorcycles for 3 years by then.) It proved to be a piece of junk that literally fell apart near Winthrop as I was driving to Minneapolis to see my girlfriend, Vicky Altmann. I soon scrapped it and learned a lesson about “getting what you pay for.”

—

The coolest car I ever had, was a 1970 Dodge Coronet that I bought from my classmate and buddy, Sam Clyne. It wasn’t a muscle car, but was of that era and with work -and money!- I could have done something cool with it. I had it for two years until I wiped it out in an accident in town. One morning I didn’t properly scrape my windshield in winter and hit a truck and wrecked the car!

For a couple of months after the accident, I had hundreds of windshield glass shards embedded in my forehead. As gross as it may sound, I would squeeze them out like pimples until they were all gone! I was working part-time at Kraft Foods while in college at this time and when I got assigned to the salt room, it was pretty annoying to have salt dust in my freshly wounded head.  I still have a few scars from it and learned to always drive with a clean windshield!

Cars – you gotta’ love ‘em!                              “T” Sveine

Having recently attended the always-excellent “Auto Fest” two weekends ago, I am motivated to share some of my memories of the auto scene in the New Ulm of my youth.

My parents never had a cool car of any sort, although if I had some of dad’s cars from then, now, they would be considered cool. A ’48 Studebaker would be neat to have, as would his 1957 Chevy Bel-Air!

My 16^th birthday happened on October 27, 1970 and immediately my buddy, Whitey Eckstein, began bugging me to ask dad to get the car so we could go driving around. My dad part-time bartended and so the evening of Wednesday, December 9^th we walked down to Marti & Kretsch’s Bar to ask dad if I could drive. Whitey stood behind me making sad faces and my dad, always a cool guy who trusted us kids, gave me the keys with a simple admonishment to “be careful.”

We drove around town in dad’s cream-colored, 1963 Chevy Impala for awhile smiling proudly to anyone we recognized. As I was about to head up Center Street from South Broadway, in the literal middle of town, I half turned into the oncoming traffic and instead of continuing on, I panicked and stopped. The on-coming traffic had no way to stop with the snow and ice from a Minnesota winter all around and I got hit in the right, front corner of the car.

No one was hurt, but it was a long 2-block walk back to tell dad. He initially thought I was teasing, but Whitey, again behind me, was shaking his head to verify my story. I didn’t get in trouble, as dad felt the experience was a self-evident teacher, but how embarrassing to think that the very first day of driving I would have an accident. It almost seems like a story from TV’s “Leave It To Beaver” with “my” Whitey acting as Beaver’s Whitey with my benevolent dad!

Another thing us young guys (14-15 years old) would enjoy doing was to sit on the flag pole stand at the Armory at 1^st North and Broadway and watch guys drag race from the 3^rd North stop light to Center Street. The Bzediachek brothers (sorry if I misspelled their unusual name), Bob and John, were the “Kings of Broadway” with their 1955 and ‘57 Chevys and when they weren’t doing that, they would drag elsewhere on Broadway by pulling up to other cars and gunning their loud engines to lure guys into trying to take them on.

When they got a serious challenger, they would head just out of the city limits to the Chancery Road where there was a mile-long stretch of straight road. They’d have friends wave a handkerchief to start them as they roared off to the predetermined ¼ mile end point. Several times they’d have to high-tail it back into town as a Sheriff or Policeman showed up, but they must have gotten away with it because they’d be back in town cruising on Broadway again. I recently saw them at Auto Fest and while they didn’t remember me (I’m about 5 years younger), I regaled them with stories that I remembered about their role as heroes to us young car buffs.

“T” Sveine

Rather than a broad topic today, I think I’ll just throw you some fun tidbits that you can use as you see fit.

*There are two places that make home-made fudge: Country Loft and Hope & Faith Floral – both downtown and both very good! Naturally, they both carry many other decorating and fun items, but it’s the fudge that I really like. Look at www.countryloftdolls.com and www.edelweisincmn.com (The web-site is named for the previous business name.)

*We have two stores that carry a fine selection of German-import goodies: The Guten Tag Haus and Domeier’s German Store. Domeier’s is 10 blocks from the Visitor Center and has  been there since the 1930s. The Guten Tag Haus is right downtown on the corner. They both have foods, clothing, recorded music, ornaments, home décor items and more. You’ll enjoy a stop at both of them! Look at www.gutentaghaus.com for more info and Domeier’s is open on weekends.

*The Defender’s Monument, located prominently on Center Street by the Courthouse, was put up in 1891 to honor the Defenders during the U.S.-Dakota War in 1862. It is well worth a visit and since I grew up less than two blocks from it and we used to play on it, I can tell that I am one of a tiny few who know that it is made of metal, not stone like it is crafted to look like. Go up, read the inscriptions, admire the beauty and pound on it to hear the hollow metallic ring and become one of a select elite to know its secret!

*Do you like to try things that are fun, but unusual? If so, Tommy Guns Paint Wars is for you! It is located about 8 miles east of New Ulm off of scenic Highway 68 and features multiple courses in the woods to practice your paint-ball skills. Gather some buddies and head out to have some fun. (I would recommend long pants and shirt if possible.) I did it once with my sons years ago and had a ball, however I must tell that when Tommy goes over the rules, pay attention. It can hurt if you are shot at too close and keep your helmet and eye protection on. It’s a “big boy’s” version of “soldiers” that we used to play as kids and is as fun now as it was then! Look at www.tommygunspaintwars.com for more info.

“T” Sveine