A Note from our CEO, Scott Soderberg

Don’t worry, the misleadingly negative title is only to catch your eye—I believe it’s known as “click bait” in modern digital terminology. Here comes the positivity…

For those who have lived in or visited the Eastern U.S., you’ve no doubt experienced historic areas, structures, or monuments that are a few hundred years old. For those lucky enough to have traveled to Europe, Asia, or almost anywhere else abroad, well-maintained historical sites can be several hundred to even thousands of years old. Back here in the U.S moving west, there are also historic sites that rival the ages of those elsewhere in the world, providing fascinating insights into the Americas before European explorers first visited our shores.

Amongst all these archeological gems is a category of American history that, I would contend, is equally important: the small-town history of the American West (read: west of the Eastern Seaboard). Of course, as you move west, the establishment dates of towns and states become more recent. Regardless of each community’s relative age, the story of each town’s birth and life is a unique and important treasure for those who currently call each of them home.

 

 

 

 

 

Preserving that story for the benefit of those who aren’t here yet, therefore, is crucially important. An awesome example of doing just that is the restoration of the Oakes Ruins historical site on the south side of New Richmond, which was dedicated on September 21. It commemorates Levi Oakes, who in 1855 was one of the earliest settlers of the New Richmond area, by preserving the limestone foundation of the horse barn he built as a part of his farm. The New Richmond Heritage Center spearheaded the effort by involving four major donors (of which we are proudly one) amongst other generous groups and individuals who contributed financially or donated their skills to the restoration.

The real title of this article is “Caring About Your Town’s History”, and a big part of the story is the example that has just been set by the preservation of an important piece of New Richmond history. But the story could not have been written without recognition of those who understood the importance of preserving their town’s history as much as anyone could—Irv and Mary Sather, the founders of the contemporary treasure known as the Heritage Center. I encourage you to visit the Ruins if you get a chance and see firsthand what caring about your town really means.