Morrison County Historical Society

10/27/2026

We posted this on the Royalton History & Memories page a bit ago. Sharing with everyone because it's an interesting mystery.

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Recently the staff at MCHS received a research inquiry regarding a peculiar incident that may have occurred near Royalton in mid-November 1898. Apparently a meteorite crashed into a farm field north of town?

The attached image was sent to us, having been taken from a St Paul MN newspaper at the time.

Staff at the Weyerhaeuser Museum scanned through all three of the major newspapers of the county at the time, along with our files relating to Royalton history, and found no references to this incident.

Any chance anyone on here ever heard of this tale?

For now we will the researcher know we hit a dead end but will keep looking out for anything that may unexpectedly arise

10/23/2026

Time for an EXPLOSIVE second installment of our "What Was Zebulon Pike Doing Here?" series where we recount his time in Morrison County straight from his journals. This week is short but it goes out with a BANG, some would even say the party had a BLAST!

On October 16th, 1805, Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike halted his expedition up the Mississippi River to build a stockade on the shore of Swan River where it emptied into the Mississippi River. For two …

10/22/2026

We're putting together a new hallway exhibit before Nutcracker Tours start back up next month. Here are some items that may appear in the display. What could the topic possibly be 👀?

10/22/2026

This has been shared several times, but we wanted to add our voice in supporting our friends across the river.

10/16/2026

221 years ago today, Zebulon Pike stalled his Mississippi River expedition in Morrison County as winter set in, but what did he really do here? Follow along every week for a modern recounting of his time in the area, straight from his journals, beginning with their first week where we learn WHY they really stopped.

On October 16th, 1805, Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike halted his expedition up the Mississippi River to build a stockade on the shore of the Swan River as it emptied into the Mississippi River. For two…

10/14/2026

Museum Mysteries: Will The Real Mrs. Weyerhaeuser Please Stand Up?

Most days, my job as Collections Manager is monotonous and repetitive. Put an accession number on an artifact, log it in our database, find somewhere on our shelves for it to live. Fortunately for me, I love monotonous and repetitive tasks. After a while I reach a sort of Nirvana-esque flow state where it’s just me and the numbers; 2026.023.032, .033, .034......

Most days, my job as Collections Manager is monotonous and repetitive. Put an accession number on an artifact, log it in our database, find somewhere on our shelves for it to live. Fortunately for …

10/12/2026

Today, Monday, October 12, is a federal holiday.

Many folks might not even realize this were it not for the lack of mail delivery, most financial institutions not open for business, and many government offices being closed.

This day though, has a difficult history.

For many it is Columbus Day, named after Christopher Columbus. That has been its official federal designation since 1937, though its acknowledgement goes back decades prior.

For others, it is Indigenous People's Day. Eighteen states, along with Washington DC and American Samoa, now use that designation for this day. Numerous cities across the nations also use it.

How this naming disagreement came to pass, and continues to be debated, is a decades-long story of advocacy and passionate disagreements.

The two articles linked below help tell part of the story:
https://www.history.com/articles/indigenous-peoples-day-history

https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/october-12/

MCHS strives to acknowledge and better tell the stories of the area's Indigenous inhabitants. There is much that happened here pre-European settlement, and that history is just as relevant.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates the culture, history and contributions of Native Americans. The holiday is usually...

10/10/2026

Today, October 10, is Universal Music Day.

Music has been utilized for most all of human history for entertainment, celebrations, and the telling of notable stories.

In 2025, the museum was gifted an Edison Amberola 30 phonograph player from about 1912. It was not functional -- which Collections Manager Grace saw as both a challenge and opportunity.

She got it working, and visitors can now hear in person how people in the early twentieth century enjoyed their music.

https://morrisoncountyhistory.org/?p=11031

10/09/2026

Today -- Friday, October 9 -- marks the end of Fire Prevention Week. Enjoy these images of fire departments from Little Falls (1896), Royalton (c1900), and Swanville (1906).

10/08/2026

MCHS Museum Manager Alesha Ouren joined KVSC - 88.1 FM for their 3 part History Mystery series on Zebulon Pike's Mississippi River expedition, now available on their website. In part 1, she discussed the beginning of the trip, the Dakota Treaty of 1805, and the discovery of St. Cloud's Beaver Islands. Listen here:

In this History Mystery, KVSC News Director talks with Alesha Ouren about Zebulon Pike, the adventurer who was sent to find the source of the Mississippi River