It was 1919 when August Grosslein, Sr., better known as Gus, began his business with a grocery store and beverage distribution company where Mississippi Street meets East River Road in Fridley.
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Thousands of people attend the Anoka Halloween parades each year to see the floats. What they don’t see is all the work behind the scenes. Liz McFarland has organized the parades as a volunteer with Anoka Halloween for over 10 years. She stopped by the museum to share the story of how she fell into the role, and all the details that go into creating the Anoka Parades.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
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When a city like Anoka begins, the residents erect several landmark buildings to signify the importance of their culture. Often these include a post office, bank, town hall, churches and schools. This week, students and staff at Franklin Elementary in Anoka celebrate 150 years of education under the same name, though not always the same building.
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FCC established the Federal Cartridge Social Club in 1934 to maintain employee events and clubs as well as “promote closer relations among the employees”. This worker-controlled organization would receive reimbursement for things like bowling uniforms, ammunition, and refreshments. In total, the Club was responsible for a long list of things, including the archery club, bowling teams, chorus, Credit Union, Diamond Ball Team, and the Clubhouse.
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The Riverfest tradition is back, and organizers are expecting larger-than-usual crowds on July 10. The History Center will open its doors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to the public for games, treats and a sneak-peek into the framed objects included in the anniversary collection. Grab a selfie with a life-sized cutout of Charles Horn, the founder of Federal Cartridge Company, and see an original photo of the first staff he hired in 1925. You’ll also view other framed images on display include a parade float, Christmas celebration, advertising and aerial images of the plant.
Read MoreLike many people in Anoka, Karen George has an orange tint to her blood and thrives on Halloween as a year-long holiday. Growing up in Anoka, she has many fond memories of the festival, including walking down Main Street in the Big Parade of Little People, painting Halloween scenes on business windows, marching with the Anoka High School Band in the Grande Day parade, and represented the city and festival as a Princess from 1979-80. Karen joined the Anoka Halloween Committee in 2006 and has served in many capacities during the ensuing years.
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The Anoka County Historical Society is helping Federal Premium/Vista Outdoor with their historical materials in part because the Anoka-based ammunition company will be reaching its 100th anniversary in 2022, marking a century since the Federal Cartridge Corporation, as led by Charles L. Horn, began its many decades of successful business. But that was not the first year that the ammunition company known as Federal came into being — for that, 1916 is the year we want.
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Flashes of red, white and blue sparks soar through the dark sky, each one more spectacular than the last. Fireworks have always been symbolic of when America finalized its freedom from England, but the history of these loud, colorful sparks that always evoke some “oohs” and “aahs” reaches much further back, before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
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Back in January when I thought about a new year full of experiences, this isn’t exactly what I was expecting. I envisioned my youngest child graduating from high school, parading across the stage while her dad and I cheered for her even though the administration said not to. I imagined adventures of summertime fun — the backyard bonfires, barbecues and outdoor excursions we all cherish. I imagined being an empty nester as my children went their separate ways, leaving JC and I to explore the new territory of being “just a couple” once more.
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American culture loves its fast cars, its freedom and its food. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 quarantine has taken a swipe at all three lifestyle pinnacles. But, as tradition would have it, the Anoka County community has fought back with resilience and innovation.
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The latest microfilm find - incorporation record for the Protection Hook & Ladder Company Number 1 of Anoka!
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The newly married Flora (Southard) Aldrich (1859-1921) arrived in Anoka in 1884 as the 21-year-old bride of 28-year-old Dr. Alanson Aldrich, seemingly to all the world an educated woman from a privileged and proper East Coast family. It didn’t take long for the community to understand Flora’s ambitions for herself outside the traditional role of women at the time — working alongside her husband in his medical practice, as his equal in a partnership of service to the community. Alanson not only allowed it, but encouraged her to achieve a medical education at the University of Minnesota, where she graduated in 1887.
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Specialist Leslie Lawrence Cowden was born on in 1946 in Cedar, the second oldest of five children who attended St. Francis High School. At age 18, Cowden joined the Army and went to Germany. After hearing about the desperate need for medics in Vietnam, he volunteered to serve
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Back in May, we published an article about the early history of the Farmer’s Hotel building, which was located at 2110 2nd Avenue North, about midway on the block between Jackson Street and Van Buren Street, facing the river. (Please find the earlier article on either the ABC Newspapers or ACHS website: AnokaCountyHistory.org) Since this building no longer exists, we wanted to find out more about its history. Further digging in some of our resources here at the history center (especially photographs and telephone directories) allowed us to piece together a better picture of the building’s later years.
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In 1879, at the age of 28, Edward L. Curial, a jeweler here in Anoka, was a political activist. Viewing the upcoming national election for the presidency between James Garfield and Winfield Scott Hancock, he set about designing, building and patenting a political token in the form of a watch fob. A fob was a small item attached to a pocket watch chain that dangled in plain sight between the pocketed watch and the secured end of the chain. It was a simple way for an individual to make a statement
Read MoreOne of the most enjoyable things I do as a volunteer for the Historical Society is to spend a few evenings each fall as a Ghosts of Anoka Walking Tour guide. I can’t think of a better place for ghost tours than the Halloween Capital of the World, and it’s a great opportunity to take a walk around town, share some history, and tell some stories that Anoka residents have shared with us about some of the unusual or unexplainable things which they’ve experienced in their homes and businesses.
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In order to take advantage of opportunities further west, George Morrill moved to Anoka in 1873 with his wife Olive (nee Caldwell) and daughter Eliza (Lida) Caldwell Morrill. He began a successful law practice, welcomed two more children, and served as Secretary for the Anoka Library Association for 1879 and as the Anoka County Attorney, 1877-1881 and 1885-1887. For all appearances, Morrill seemed a successful businessperson and happy family man in 1890--yet, he vanished never to be seen again. What happened to cause his sudden and mysterious disappearance?
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The tornado that struck Anoka on June 18, 1939, left a lasting impression in its wake. Although the damage is long since cleaned up, repaired, or covered over, the effects of the storm continue in ways we might be less familiar with today, 80 years later.
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