These are Some Real Minnesota Fans
Here's a look at some old electric fans that have ties to Minnesota. They were either made in Minnesota or came out of Southern Minnesota institutions.
- 1
Queen Super Blower
This Queen Stove Works Super Blower was made just down the road in Albert Lea. They're the ones that made the Super Fan or the fan that looked like a suitcase. I'm aware of only one other of these fans. It was used to cool migrant workers at a farm outside Hollandale.
- 2
Herzog Heater Fan
This is one ugly fan but it was made in St. Paul by a foundry called Herzog. It's a heater fan from just after the second World War. It still works.
- 3
Westinghouse Ceiling Fan
This is an old one. It came out of the Owatonna Library. Other than a crack in one of the original paddles, it appears to be intact. This was made in 1925 or '26. Perhaps one of your ancestors sat under its cooling breeze in the library some 90 years ago.
- 4
1954 Vornado
This fan came out of Mayo in Rochester. Another case of OSHA saying it wasn't safe so an old-time employee hauled it home and then passed it on to me. These fans were the last made in the U.S.A. and were patterned after an airplane cowling.
- 5
Barcol Fan
This Barcol fan was used to cool employees at Federated Insurance in Owatonna. It dates to the early 1940s. When OSHA said it was unsafe, an employee took it home years ago and her daughter gave it to me many years ago. It's made of a super-lightweight material called Bakelite.