Steele County Historical Society

Sunday afternoon was a picture perfect day, sunny, and warm like you would expect for July. That afternoon my daughter and I went to the Steele County Historical Society's 31st annual Extravaganza. What a great turnout there was. There were so many different things to look at, and the Village of Yesteryear was open to wander through...

The Steele County Historical Society will be hosting the annual Gus' Station Car Show and Fundraiser on Saturday, July 22. Registration begins at 8AM and is $5 per vehicle. The show itself runs 8:30AM to noon with free admission. An egg bake breakfast will be served from 8:30-10:30AM...

The Steele County Historical Society will host their annual Extravaganza this Sunday, July 16. The event starts at 11:30AM, which a little later than past years. Admission is still free. Some of the new attractions this year will be a mini barn raising...

Now on display at the Steele County Historical Society: a DeLorean DMC-12. While it doesn’t have a flux capacitor like the car made famous by the “Back to the Future” movies, and so cannot time travel, it does feature the classic stainless steel panels, gullwing doors and engine in the trunk...

Riverside Cemetery in Medford, one of the oldest cemeteries in Steele County, is the final resting place for many Civil War soldiers, including a cousin of Robert E. Lee, and members of the county’s founding families. Robyn Ladd introduces us to a few of them...

The Steele County Historical Society’s Dan Moeckly tells us about Henry “Hank” Hartwig, who owned some of Owatonna’s first auto dealerships, and this automotive mechanic’s service coat. Hartwig, a lifelong Steele County resident, first operated Paige Motors, then H...

Longtime Owatonna doctor John McIntyre had a tumultuous early life and served on the front lines in Europe during World War I. After the war ended in 1918, he stayed in France, continuing his studies until he was discharged from the Army in 1919...

Steve Groening recounts some of the top 1917 news from May and June. Included are National Guard war recruitment efforts and area support, a lawsuit against a man selling margarine, and Red Cross contributions in Steele, Waseca and Dodge counties rise rapidly...

Jerry Ganfield tells us about some of the vintage dresses donated to the Steele County Historical Society by the Kinyon family. The dresses include the wedding gown and mother-of-the-groom dress from Florence Riddell Kinyon’s 1911 wedding, some day dresses from the 1880s, and some 1920s-era flapper dresses...

Daniel Moeckly gives us a preview of the Steele County Historical Society’s coming Autos and Roads exhibit with a profile of Ernest Winship, a local leader on the Jefferson Highway project and in building engines and chassis. New episodes featuring Rice and Steele county history are posted to the KRFO-AM YouTube channel and krforadio...