Steele County Historical Society

The Steele County Historical Society will be offering tour guide training in April. Sessions will be at 1PM on April 3, 10 and 17 at the History Center. All three sessions will be the same. They will consist of classroom training and a tour...

The deadline for nominating a Steele County building or property for their 2017 Preservation award is Saturday, April 1. Each year two Steele County buildings or properties are recognized for their outstanding preservation and or restoration efforts...

June Voss delves into some fashion history with a look the creation of hats and the evolution of hat fashion as guided by social changes, focusing on the cloche hat. Millinery was one of the few jobs outside the home available to women at the time, and Steele County boasted a few shops...

Steve Groening reports on the March-April 1917 news for Steele County. Topics include President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of war on Germany, Owatonna’s National Guard Company I ordered to more than double its recruits to a force of 150, a proposal to dissolve the Farmers Cooperative Meatpacking Co...

Robyn Ladd tells us about Harriet Ware, a graduate of Owatonna’s Pillsbury Academy and a famous teacher, lecturer, composer and publisher of music in the early 1900s. Her music was performed by popular opera stars of the time such as David Bispham and the Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir...

The Steele County Historical Society announces that they are now accepting nominations for their 2017 Preservation Awards. Two Steele County buildings or properties are recognized each year for their preservation and or restoration efforts. Criteria for nomination includes the fact that the property should accurately reflect the architecture of the time it was built and be as close in its original

Valentine's week looks to be a busy one for the Steele County Historical Society with a number of events planned. On Valentine's night they will be hosting The Language of Love Candlelight Couples Tour. There will be live music, appetizers and beverages in the History Center, along with a self-guided tour through the exhibit hall, which includes Wedding Traditions of Steele County...

The Steele County Historical Society’s Paul Nelson explains how the Anti-Horse Thief Association was created in Steele County in 1902. Horse thefts had been increasing, and residents needed a way to protect their stock. New episodes featuring Rice and Steele county history are posted to the KRFO-AM YouTube channel and krforadio...

Just how prevalent were horse and mule thefts in the early 1900s? The Steele County Historical Society’s Paul Nelson takes a look at one such theft from the Fred Ahrens farm and how the Anti-Horse Thief Association may have been involved...

Steve Groening presents the KOBK news for January-February 1917. On topic are the celebrations surrounding the return of Steele County’s Company I from Mexico, a report on the absentee rate at rural schools, and the fate of a proposed packing plant intended for Owatonna...