Stories & know-how
The stories behind familiar places.
The shore you walk past, the mill you drove to as a kid, the library card in your wallet. Each one has a little more to it. Pick one and take your time.
Local history
Then and now.
Same shore. Different chapters.
A dance, a concert, a wedding. Four chapters of the Pavilion, from the first park shelter in 1897 to the changes still ahead.
Open the Pavilion story ↗
When the lakes were the route.
Boat stops, mail runs and locks on the Pelican River.
Explore the boat-route era ↗Public domain, Becker County Historical Society, via MNopedia.
The mill built from memory.
Framed without a blueprint, milling by December 1889, and still bringing memories back.
Read the Phelps Mill story ↗Scott Backstrom, public domain.
Local know-how
Small jobs, good habits.
Practical notes you can use this week, with the source right beside them.
More on your library card.
Digital books, Libby and who can sign up, in plain language.
Open the library note ↗
Before the snow, plan for spring.
One planting spot, a short checklist and a head start on next spring.
Open the planting checklist ↗
Every how-to we have shared.
Hose disconnects, fall prep and the other seasonal reminders from our posts.
See the how-to posts ↗Photograph by Myotus, CC BY 4.0.