Above: Sacred Heart High School Viking 1967 & 1969 yearbook, which is a part of the Museum’s Yearbook Collection. Sacred Heart is our 2026 Featured Renville County City. RCHS is also looking for the school newsletters (the list of ones we have is below).
The most recent donation was for Hector yearbooks, which have been inventoried and added to the collection. The YEARBOOK Library Cart is organized by school name.
The goal of RCHS is to collect at least 3 copies of each yearbook for each Renville County school districts. One copy put away for permanent preservation, 2nd copy put away in case the 3rd copy disappears from the Research Library. Next to the yearbook dates in parentheses (#) is the number of yearbooks currently in the Museum’s collection (as of today, January 6, 2026). No ( # ) indicates only one single copy that is being used in the Research Library.
If you have yearbooks to donate, please contact Nicole at the Museum director@renvillecountyhistory.com or 507-697-6147! Yearbooks, plat books, and phone books are key pieces of preserving the history of who lived in the area and when.
That is okay if you are not ready to part with your yearbook. We can scan it and return it to you. Many of the yearbooks have been scanned into searchable PDFs.
Do you like looking at old yearbooks? We have a job for you. RCHS would like to start a database of Renville County graduates for future reference. We need your help. Data entry, attention to detail, typing skills, and some free time! We will train you, and this is a project you can do at home or at the Museum. Give me a call if you are interested. It is going to take a village to get this task accomplished. Nicole 507-697-6147 or info@renvillecountyhistory.com
Buffalo Lake The Laker: 1957 (3), 1958 (3), 1959, 1961 – 1966, 1968 – 1973, 1977 – 1987
Buffalo Lake – Hector Hoof Prints or Hoofprints: 1988-1994, 1995 (2); 1996 – 2008, 2010 (2) 2010 was the last graduation class for Buffalo Lake – Hector High School
Buffalo Lake – Hector Elementary: year unknown
Buffalo Lake – Hector – Stewart Hoofprints / Mustangs (BLHS): 2011 (2), 2012, 2014 – 2015, 2019
Franklin School Newspaper Atomite: 1948: Oct 6, Oct 20, Nov 3, Nov 17, Dec 1, Dec 15 1949: Jan 19, Feb 2, Feb 16, Mar 2, Mar 16 (cover only), Mar 30 1950: Oct 16, Nov 13, Dec 18 1951: Jan 29, Feb 26, Apr 23, May 28 1952: NO COPIES1953: NO COPIES1954: NO COPIES1955: Feb 10, Apr 28, May, Oct 27, Nov 17, Dec 22 1956: Jan 26, Feb 23, Mar 22, May 2, Nov 16, Dec 19 1957: May 22 1958: Feb 28 1959: Jan 23, Mar 20, Apr 30, May 22, Oct 21, Dec 18 1960: Jan 29, Mar 30
Franklin School Newspaper Tiger Beat: February 1970; May 26, 1972
Morton Tomahawk: 1907, 1915, 1917, 1938, 1940, 1944 (3), 1946 (2), 1948 (3), 1954, 1958 (2), 1960-1961, 1963, 1964 (2), 1965, 1966, 1967 (2), 1968 (2), 1969 (3), 1970 (3), 1971 (2), 1972 (2), 1973 (2), 1974-1979, 1980 (3), 1981, 1982 (3), 1983-1985. 1985 was the last year Morton had a graduating class.
Morton Blue & Gold School Newsletter: 1950: May 1953: Sep, Nov, Dec 1954: Jan, Feb & Mar, Apr, May, FINAL, Oct 29, Dec 1955: No Month, Feb, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec 1956: Jan, Feb, Mar & April, May, Oct, Nov, Dec 1957: Jan, Feb, Mar & Apr, May, Sep, Dec 1958: Jan, Feb & Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct 27, Dec 19 1959: Jan 30, Mar 19, Feb 25, Apr 24, May, Sep, Dec 1960: No Month, Jan, May, Oct 1961: No Month, Jan, Feb, Sep 1962: No Date, May 1963: Jan, May, Nov, Sep, Oct, Dec 1964: No Month, Jan, Feb, Oct, Dec 1965: Mar, Apr, Sep, Dec 1966: Feb, Mar, Oct 1967: Feb, Oct, Nov 1968: No Month, Feb, Mar 1969: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep 1970: No Month, Jan 1971: No Month1974: No Month 1985: May (LAST GRADUATION FOR MORTON SCHOOL)
Morton Smoke Signals School Newsletter: 1972: Feb 1973: Mar, Apr 6 1974: Jan 18, May 1, Sep 13, Sep 27, Dec, Dec 19 1975: Jan 17, Feb 7, Mar 21, May 1, May 5, Sep 16, Oct, Oct 2 1976: Feb, Apr, Apr 23, May, May 17 1977: Mar, Mar 29, May, May 2 1978: Sep 29 1979: Mar, Sep, Oct 30, Nov, Dec 21 1980: Jan 31, Feb, Mar 28 1985: Feb
Morton Elementary School: 1995 (last year Morton had an elementary school, they combined with Redwood Valley for 1996 school year and the school was permanently closed)
Guess where you can sit down, have a cup of coffee or a bottle of water, and listen to the MN State Tournament game between the Renville Indians and the Hibbing Huskiesin 1954? Why at the Renville County Historical Society, of course! The audio file was donated in 2019 by annual member James, who graduated from Renville in 1955. Stop by during business hours, and we can set up the audio for you!
1954 Renville Tournament Details:
Region 3 Championship: Renville 47, Dawson 46 (Warren Brant’s last-minute field goal).
Be sure to check out Henry David Thoreau’s, “The First and Last Journeys of Thoreau”, edited by Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, pages 44 – 62, Thoreau writes about his journey on the Minnesota River traveling by steamboat, (sometimes referred to as its original name, St. Peter, to the Fort Ridgely, Redwood Falls, and the Lower Sioux Agency.
Thoreau’s Minnesota Journey ‘a tragic failure’ published by the Post Bulletin in the Health Section October 13, 2018 by Tom Weber
Thoreau’s Minnesota journey ‘a tragic failure’
A public domain image of Henry David Thoreau, as he appeared in 1856, five years before he traveled to Minnesota to seek a cure for his ailing health.
By Tom Weber weber@postbulletin.com
October 13, 2018 at 4:00 AM
“I have at last concluded that it will be most expedient for me to try the air of Minnesota, say somewhere about St. Paul,” Henry David Thoreau wrote to a friend in the spring of 1861. “The inland air may help me at once, or it may not.”
Thoreau, 43 at the time and suffering from advanced tuberculosis, had read the promotional brochures that advertised Minnesota’s clear and healthy air. It was said to be a tonic for those with breathing difficulties.
So, taking 17-year-old budding naturalist Horace Mann Jr. as his traveling assistant, Thoreau embarked on the longest and probably most bittersweet journey of his life. He expected to be gone three months, traveling west from his home in Concord, Mass., via boat and train to Chicago and finally East Dubuque, Ill., where he boarded a steamboat bound for St. Paul.
“They traveled by train during the day so they could see more,” said Corinne Smith, who has written a book about Thoreau’s trip to Minnesota.
Part of Thoreau’s interest in the state, Smith said, was due to his fascination with Native Americans. He met and knew several in New England, of course. But, she said, “The native population was so much closer in Minnesota at that time.”
As for the effect of the Minnesota climate, Smith said, “I think he knew his health would not recover.”
So, for Thoreau, the trip to Minnesota was a chance to see and experience a part of the country he had thus far missed. In fact, before he headed to Minnesota, Thoreau had never been farther west than Philadelphia.
Thoreau made notes along the way, jotting his impressions of the landscape, the foliage and the people. He noted, for instance, that as the steamboat passed river towns, everyone would come to the wharf, including dogs and pigs. He saw an Indian camp near Wabasha with what he described as “Dakotah-shaped wigwams.”
Thoreau and Mann stayed in St. Paul and St. Anthony and explored area sites, including Fort Snelling, where they observed 600 volunteers for the Union Army in training. For a while, they lived in a Mrs. Hamilton’s boarding house in the woods between Lakes Calhoun and Harriet, where they were harassed by mosquitoes.
Then, with a little luck, Thoreau and Mann managed to book passage on a steamboat trip along the Minnesota River to the Lower Sioux Agency at Redwood Falls. Finally, Thoreau would see frontier Dakota people up close.
The expedition included Gov. Alexander Ramsey and federal officials who were distributing an annual payment to the Dakota.
Along the way, the steamboat stopped in New Ulm to deliver supplies. “It consists wholly of Germans,” Thoreau wrote of the town.
At the Sioux Agency, the party witnessed a ceremonial dance. “Some dancers blew flutes and kept good time, moving their feet or their shoulders,” Thoreau noted. “They wore no shirts.”
Thoreau saw the famous chief, Little Crow, and sensed the unrest of the Dakota. “They were quite dissatisfied with the white man’s treatment of them, and probably have reason to be so,” he wrote.
As Smith noted, Thoreau did not live long enough to learn that Little Crow and his people would engage in a frontier war against the white man a year later.
Thoreau returned home via Red Wing, Milwaukee, Lake Michigan, Mackinaw City, Lake Huron, Toronto and Boston, arriving on July 9 in Concord. But his health had not improved, and the rigors of travel perhaps hastened his demise. Thoreau died less than a year later, on May 6, 1862.
“The Minnesota journey,” wrote Thoreau biographer Walter Harding, “had been a tragic failure.”
Geologists have one explanation for the existence of Barn Bluff regarding glaciers and erosion, but there’s a Native American legend that is much more colorful.
According to the WPA Guide to Minnesota, published in 1938, the legend is that a much larger mountain once stood where Barn Bluff is now located. But two Dakota villages argued over possession of the mountain. To settle the dispute, the Great Spirit divided it in two. One half stayed in Red Wing as Barn Bluff. The other half was floated down the river to Winona, where it is now known as Sugar Loaf.
Henry David Thoreau stayed at the Metropolitan Hotel (far right building) at the base of Barn Bluff when he visited Red Wing in 1861. Photo courtesy of the Goodhue County Historical Society.
In the RCHS Research Library, there is a bookshelf area dedicated to the cemeteries of Renville County. RCHS would like to POOL the resources across the county that have cemetery records in their possession, cemetery maps, and other information that should be preserved. RCHS can scan documents and photographs up to 11″ x17″. RCHS is also gathering oversized items to be scanned through a potential grant. Contact Nicole at the Museum 507-697-6147 if you have information to share. ** means gravesite not cemetery.
NOTE: There are no cemeteries in Hawk Creek, Kingman or, Norfolk Townships.
Bandon Zion Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 27
Beaver Falls Beaver Falls Cemetery located in Section 22. **Gravesites of Mrs. S.R. Henderson, two Henderson daughters, Jehiel Wedge, and Eugene White originally located in Section 14, but relocated to the Wayside Rest (Tower) on the west side of Hwy 71. **Gravesite of Radnor Earle originally on the line of Section 12, but relocated to the Wayside Rest (Tower) on the west side of Hwy 71. **U.S. – Dakota War of 1862 Burials Morton City Cemetery located in Section25
Birch Cooley **Marguth Gravesite – Birch Coulie Battlefield located in Section 20 St. Patrick’s North Cemetery located in Section 2 Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery located in Section 27 Patten, Pioneer, or Simmons Cemetery located in Section 4 **Peavy Gravesite located in Section 21 Quam Burial Site St. John’s Calvary Cemetery
Bird Island Bird Island City Cemetery located in Section 23 Middleton Burial Site Olivia German Cemetery St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery
Boon Lake Evergreen Cemetery Lakeside Cemetery located in Section 28 Boon Lake Cemetery located in Section 8
Brookfield Churchill Methodist Episcopal Cemetery located in Section 27 Friends Quaker Cemetery Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 11
Cairo Bethel Methodist (Mud Lake) Cemetery located in Section 26 Bucher Burial Site Cairo Cemetery located in Section 10 St. Andrew’s Cemetery located in Section 5 St. John’s Lutheran located in Section 5 Smith Burial Site
Camp Boyum Family Plot Camp Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 25 Central Lutheran – Hauges Cemetery located in Section 10 Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 4 Fort Ridgely & Dale Cemetery located in Section 16 Franklin City Cemetery located in Section 8 **Gravesite **Taylor Burial Site
Crooks Cemetery Ebenezer Presbyterian Cemetery located in Section 19 Old Swedish Cemetery located in Section 4
Emmet Bethany Lutheran located in Section 27 Fairview Renville City Cemetery located in Section 5 Old Salem aka Schedel’s Cemetery located in Section 24 **Gravesites – 5 graves – located in Section 5
Ericson Dustrud & Lanning Cemetery Emden Cemetery Krogfus Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 21 Opdahl Cemetery located in Section 21
Flora **Brown Burial Site Calvery Catholic aka O’Brien Cemetery located in Section 22 First Flora Lutheran Cemetery Werner Farm located in Section 27 Gaffney Burial Site German Methodist Episcopal Cemetery located in Section 5 Middle Creek Zion Methodist Cemetery located in Section 35 St. Matthew’s Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 27 **Schafer & Thiles Graves **Schmidt Family Plot Graves Vicksburg Cemetery located in Section 16
Hawk Creek buriels but no true cemeteries. **Cemetery **Cemetery **Robidoux Family Cemetery
Hector Hector City Cemetery located in Section 29 St. John’s Catholic Cemetery located in Section 29 St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 19
Henryville St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Bechyn located in Section 28 St. Philips Catholic Cemetery was located in Section 24 but has since been moved & abandoned. Martinsburg German Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 26
Melville Elim Moravian Cemetery located in Section 26 German Lutheran aka St. Paul’s Cemetery is same as Elim, church moved to Hector.
Palmyra Palmyra American Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 16 Palmyra Swedish Methodist located in Section 32 Palmyra Swedish Mission Cemetery located in Section 23 Svedlanda Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 25
Preston Lake Buffalo Lake City Cemetery located in Section 30 Preston Lake Cemetery Zion Evangelical Methodist Cemetery Zion Lutheran Cemetery
Sacred Heart Ebenezer Lutheran Cemetery First English Lutheran Cemetery Koldorn Family Cemetery Okins Burial Site Opahl Cemetery located in Section 3 Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery Sacred Heart Cemetery Sweiven Cemetery Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
Troy Olivia City Cemetery located in Section 13 St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery located in Section 13 St. Matthew’s Lutheran Cemetery – Danube located in Section 7 Salem Evangelical United Brethren Cemetery Zion United Methodist Cemetery – Danube located in Section 7
Wang First Township Cemetery Hawk Creek Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 23 Vestral Sogn Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 21 Wang Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 9
Wellington Emanuel Evangelical Cemetery located in Section 23 **Gravesite of Edward Kiecker grave located in Section 14 **Gravesite of Mr. & Mrs. Ferdinand Hizman located in Section 14 Old Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 24
Winfield German Lutheran Cemetery Long Lake Methodist Mission located in Section 16 Swedish Covenant Methodist St. Lucas German Evangelical Cemetery located in Section 19
This article was found tucked inside of the 1980 Renville High School Renvillon Yearbook. The 1980 graduating class was the last for Renville High School. This article was a mimeograph copy with no author listed.
WORKING ON THE YEARBOOK
When looking at their yearbook, students often say, “Why didn’t they put this in or why aren’t there more pictures?” Usually, these people do not realize the kind of work that has to be done to produce a yearbook.
First, the person who is doing the page has to decide what the page will ook like. It means the person has to figure out how many pcitures to use, to pick out the mot interesting ones, and place them in an appealing arrangement.
A page deadline must be met constantly throughout the year to complete the book to meet the printer’s deadline. The editor-in-chief and the other editors must get the work done on time. The photographers and students who have pictures must help along to meet these deadlines. For instance, if the senior glossies are not in on time, that holds up that section of the annual. If the activity pcitures are not handed in, that section of the book falls behind.
When you page through the annual next time, remember it is mean hard work on the part of quite a number of people.
One artifact, one photograph, and/or one archival piece at a time!
Donate today to the Shelving and Archival Boxes Fund to preserve the history of Renville County from yesterday until tomorrow. RCHS orders its archival boxes from a company called Gaylord. It is one of the top-ranking preservation supply companies available in the US. The boxes are acid-free and suited to preserve treasures for years to come.
Shelving: Amazon 5-Tier Storage Shelves on Wheels, Heavy Duty, Metal 18″x48″x82″ to replace the current standalone shelving in both the Artifact Storage (16). Three standalone units will be against the exterior wall (space left for air flow), and wheeled shelving for the rest of the room. Amazon Newspaper Storage Room 2’Depth x 4’L x 8’H (7). Three standalone units will be against the interior wall of the artifact room, and wheeled shelving. The remaining standalone shelving will then be moved to the Church store room, the Machine Shed backroom, and Heritage Building for storage in those locations.
The above items are just a rudimentary list of the everyday boxes needed for new incoming donations of collections.
Use this LINK to donate towards the Boxes, Shelving, Bookshelves, and other supplies
or
Purchase through Amazon or Gaylord and ship directly to the Museum using: Renville County Historical Society, 441 N Park Dr, Morton, MN 56270
or
Send a donation check to RCHS, 441 N Park Dr, Morton, MN 56270. Write in the Memo section of the check what you would like the donation funds to go towards: General or Archival Funds
We appreciate your assistance in preserving Renville County history.
Last Updated: January 6, 2026 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
We NEED Renville County School Yearbooks (Annuals)! UPDATED 1/06/2026
Above: Sacred Heart High School Viking 1967 & 1969 yearbook, which is a part of the Museum’s Yearbook Collection. Sacred Heart is our 2026 Featured Renville County City.
RCHS is also looking for the school newsletters (the list of ones we have is below).
The most recent donation was for Hector yearbooks, which have been inventoried and added to the collection. The YEARBOOK Library Cart is organized by school name.
The goal of RCHS is to collect at least 3 copies of each yearbook for each Renville County school districts. One copy put away for permanent preservation, 2nd copy put away in case the 3rd copy disappears from the Research Library. Next to the yearbook dates in parentheses (#) is the number of yearbooks currently in the Museum’s collection (as of today, January 6, 2026). No ( # ) indicates only one single copy that is being used in the Research Library.
If you have yearbooks to donate, please contact Nicole at the Museum director@renvillecountyhistory.com or 507-697-6147! Yearbooks, plat books, and phone books are key pieces of preserving the history of who lived in the area and when.
That is okay if you are not ready to part with your yearbook. We can scan it and return it to you. Many of the yearbooks have been scanned into searchable PDFs.
Do you like looking at old yearbooks? We have a job for you. RCHS would like to start a database of Renville County graduates for future reference. We need your help. Data entry, attention to detail, typing skills, and some free time! We will train you, and this is a project you can do at home or at the Museum. Give me a call if you are interested. It is going to take a village to get this task accomplished. Nicole 507-697-6147 or info@renvillecountyhistory.com
Visit our Facebook Page for featured yearbooks.
Yearbooks in the Research Library
Belview Danube Renville Sacred Heart (BDRSH): NO YEARBOOKS
Bird Island – St. Mary’s: The Blue Mantle: 1958 (2). 1959 (2)
Bird Island – The Blue Mantle School Newsletter: 1958
Bird Island – St. Mary’s: The Marion: 1960, 1962-1963, 1965 (2)
Bird Island Panthers: 1950-1951, 1955 (3), 1956 (3), 1959, 1960, 1962, 1965-1968
Bird Island – Lake Lillian: 1978, 1981, 1983-1984, 1986-1989
BOLD High School: 1992-1995, 2000-2003
Buffalo Lake Breezette: 1946, 1948, 1949 (3), 1950 (3), 1951 (3), 1952 (3), 1953 (2), 1955 (3), 1956 (3)
Buffalo Lake The Laker: 1957 (3), 1958 (3), 1959, 1961 – 1966, 1968 – 1973, 1977 – 1987
Buffalo Lake – Hector Hoof Prints or Hoofprints: 1988-1994, 1995 (2); 1996 – 2008, 2010 (2)
2010 was the last graduation class for Buffalo Lake – Hector High School
Buffalo Lake – Hector Elementary: year unknown
Buffalo Lake – Hector – Stewart Hoofprints / Mustangs (BLHS): 2011 (2), 2012, 2014 – 2015, 2019
Cedar Mountain: 1984, 2000 – 2003, 2016
Danube Falcons: 1951 – 1952, 1954 – 1955, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1971 – 1974, 1977 – 1979, 1982
Danube Renville Sacred Heart (DRSH): NO YEARBOOKS
Fairfax Eagles: 1917, 1923, 1956 – 1957, 1959, 1962, 1965 (2), 1970, 1981-1983
Franklin Atoms: 1948-1949, 1950 (digital copy only), 1958-1960, 1963 – 1966, 1969 (2), 1970, 1971 (3); 1972 (3); 1973 (2); 1974 (3); 1975 (3); 1976 (4); 1977 (2); 1978 (2); 1979 (2); 1980-1982; 1983 (2)
Franklin School Newspaper Atomite: 1948: Oct 6, Oct 20, Nov 3, Nov 17, Dec 1, Dec 15 1949: Jan 19, Feb 2, Feb 16, Mar 2, Mar 16 (cover only), Mar 30 1950: Oct 16, Nov 13, Dec 18 1951: Jan 29, Feb 26, Apr 23, May 28 1952: NO COPIES 1953: NO COPIES 1954: NO COPIES 1955: Feb 10, Apr 28, May, Oct 27, Nov 17, Dec 22 1956: Jan 26, Feb 23, Mar 22, May 2, Nov 16, Dec 19 1957: May 22 1958: Feb 28
1959: Jan 23, Mar 20, Apr 30, May 22, Oct 21, Dec 18 1960: Jan 29, Mar 30
Franklin School Newspaper Tiger Beat: February 1970; May 26, 1972
Gibbon – Fairfax – Winthrop (GFW): No Yearbooks
Hector High School: 1915 (2)
Hector Hectorian: 1948, 1952 – 1959, 1961 (3), 1962, 1963 (2), 1964 (2,) 1966, 1975, 1979 – 1987
Morton Tomahawk: 1907, 1915, 1917, 1938, 1940, 1944 (3), 1946 (2), 1948 (3), 1954, 1958 (2), 1960-1961, 1963, 1964 (2), 1965, 1966, 1967 (2), 1968 (2), 1969 (3), 1970 (3), 1971 (2), 1972 (2), 1973 (2), 1974-1979, 1980 (3), 1981, 1982 (3), 1983-1985. 1985 was the last year Morton had a graduating class.
Morton Blue & Gold School Newsletter:
1950: May 1953: Sep, Nov, Dec 1954: Jan, Feb & Mar, Apr, May, FINAL, Oct 29, Dec 1955: No Month, Feb, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec 1956: Jan, Feb, Mar & April, May, Oct, Nov, Dec 1957: Jan, Feb, Mar & Apr, May, Sep, Dec 1958: Jan, Feb & Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct 27, Dec 19 1959: Jan 30, Mar 19, Feb 25, Apr 24, May, Sep, Dec 1960: No Month, Jan, May, Oct 1961: No Month, Jan, Feb, Sep
1962: No Date, May 1963: Jan, May, Nov, Sep, Oct, Dec 1964: No Month, Jan, Feb, Oct, Dec 1965: Mar, Apr, Sep, Dec 1966: Feb, Mar, Oct 1967: Feb, Oct, Nov 1968: No Month, Feb, Mar 1969: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep 1970: No Month, Jan 1971: No Month 1974: No Month
1985: May (LAST GRADUATION FOR MORTON SCHOOL)
Morton Smoke Signals School Newsletter: 1972: Feb 1973: Mar, Apr 6 1974: Jan 18, May 1, Sep 13, Sep 27, Dec, Dec 19 1975: Jan 17, Feb 7, Mar 21, May 1, May 5, Sep 16, Oct, Oct 2 1976: Feb, Apr, Apr 23, May, May 17 1977: Mar, Mar 29, May, May 2 1978: Sep 29 1979: Mar, Sep, Oct 30, Nov, Dec 21 1980: Jan 31, Feb, Mar 28 1985: Feb
Morton Elementary School: 1995 (last year Morton had an elementary school, they combined with Redwood Valley for 1996 school year and the school was permanently closed)
Olivia Crucible: 1912, 1916, 1917
Olivia High School: O-HI-AN 1924, 1949-1951, 1957-1959, 1962 Wildcats 1964-1965, 1967, 1972, 1974-1975, 1977
Redwood Falls High School Cardinal: 1977, 1981-1983, 1984 (Morton & Redwood Schools combined in 1986)
Redwood Valley Cardinal: 1985 (2), 1987, 1990-1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2009
Renville County West (RCW): No Yearbooks
Renville the Renvillon: 1931 (2), 1939, 1941 – 1947, 1949, 1950 – 1954, 1964 – 1977, 1978 (2), 1984
Renville Sacred Heart Raiders (RSH): 1981, 1983, 1986-1988
Sacred Heart Viking: 1967 – 1972, 1977-1978
Please contact Nicole at 507-697-6147 if you can add to the yearbook collection!
Last Updated: February 4, 2026 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Renville Indians Boys’ Basketball 1954
Guess where you can sit down, have a cup of coffee or a bottle of water, and listen to the MN State Tournament game between the Renville Indians and the Hibbing Huskiesin 1954? Why at the Renville County Historical Society, of course! The audio file was donated in 2019 by annual member James, who graduated from Renville in 1955. Stop by during business hours, and we can set up the audio for you!
1954 Renville Tournament Details:
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Henry David Thoreau’s: The First and Last Journeys of Thoreau”
Posted: January 26, 2026 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Be sure to check out Henry David Thoreau’s, “The First and Last Journeys of Thoreau”, edited by Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, pages 44 – 62, Thoreau writes about his journey on the Minnesota River traveling by steamboat, (sometimes referred to as its original name, St. Peter, to the Fort Ridgely, Redwood Falls, and the Lower Sioux Agency.
Online PDF of Henry David Thoreau’s “The First and Last Journeys of Thoreau”.
“He who hears the rippling of rivers in these degenerate days will not utterly despair.”
‐-‐ Henry David Thoreau (
Henry David Thoreau’s Final Journey: Minnesota
by David P. Steensma, MD; Carol A. Roede, MA; and Robert A. Kyle, MD
Thoreau’s Journey along the Minnesota River
by Rose James, Scott County Historical Society Program Manager.
Thoreau’s Minnesota Journey ‘a tragic failure’ published by the Post Bulletin in the Health Section October 13, 2018 by Tom Weber
Thoreau’s Minnesota journey ‘a tragic failure’
By Tom Weber weber@postbulletin.com
October 13, 2018 at 4:00 AM
“I have at last concluded that it will be most expedient for me to try the air of Minnesota, say somewhere about St. Paul,” Henry David Thoreau wrote to a friend in the spring of 1861. “The inland air may help me at once, or it may not.”
Thoreau, 43 at the time and suffering from advanced tuberculosis, had read the promotional brochures that advertised Minnesota’s clear and healthy air. It was said to be a tonic for those with breathing difficulties.
So, taking 17-year-old budding naturalist Horace Mann Jr. as his traveling assistant, Thoreau embarked on the longest and probably most bittersweet journey of his life. He expected to be gone three months, traveling west from his home in Concord, Mass., via boat and train to Chicago and finally East Dubuque, Ill., where he boarded a steamboat bound for St. Paul.
“They traveled by train during the day so they could see more,” said Corinne Smith, who has written a book about Thoreau’s trip to Minnesota.
Part of Thoreau’s interest in the state, Smith said, was due to his fascination with Native Americans. He met and knew several in New England, of course. But, she said, “The native population was so much closer in Minnesota at that time.”
As for the effect of the Minnesota climate, Smith said, “I think he knew his health would not recover.”
So, for Thoreau, the trip to Minnesota was a chance to see and experience a part of the country he had thus far missed. In fact, before he headed to Minnesota, Thoreau had never been farther west than Philadelphia.
Thoreau made notes along the way, jotting his impressions of the landscape, the foliage and the people. He noted, for instance, that as the steamboat passed river towns, everyone would come to the wharf, including dogs and pigs. He saw an Indian camp near Wabasha with what he described as “Dakotah-shaped wigwams.”
Thoreau and Mann stayed in St. Paul and St. Anthony and explored area sites, including Fort Snelling, where they observed 600 volunteers for the Union Army in training. For a while, they lived in a Mrs. Hamilton’s boarding house in the woods between Lakes Calhoun and Harriet, where they were harassed by mosquitoes.
Then, with a little luck, Thoreau and Mann managed to book passage on a steamboat trip along the Minnesota River to the Lower Sioux Agency at Redwood Falls. Finally, Thoreau would see frontier Dakota people up close.
The expedition included Gov. Alexander Ramsey and federal officials who were distributing an annual payment to the Dakota.
Along the way, the steamboat stopped in New Ulm to deliver supplies. “It consists wholly of Germans,” Thoreau wrote of the town.
At the Sioux Agency, the party witnessed a ceremonial dance. “Some dancers blew flutes and kept good time, moving their feet or their shoulders,” Thoreau noted. “They wore no shirts.”
Thoreau saw the famous chief, Little Crow, and sensed the unrest of the Dakota. “They were quite dissatisfied with the white man’s treatment of them, and probably have reason to be so,” he wrote.
As Smith noted, Thoreau did not live long enough to learn that Little Crow and his people would engage in a frontier war against the white man a year later.
Thoreau returned home via Red Wing, Milwaukee, Lake Michigan, Mackinaw City, Lake Huron, Toronto and Boston, arriving on July 9 in Concord. But his health had not improved, and the rigors of travel perhaps hastened his demise. Thoreau died less than a year later, on May 6, 1862.
“The Minnesota journey,” wrote Thoreau biographer Walter Harding, “had been a tragic failure.”
Geologists have one explanation for the existence of Barn Bluff regarding glaciers and erosion, but there’s a Native American legend that is much more colorful.
According to the WPA Guide to Minnesota, published in 1938, the legend is that a much larger mountain once stood where Barn Bluff is now located. But two Dakota villages argued over possession of the mountain. To settle the dispute, the Great Spirit divided it in two. One half stayed in Red Wing as Barn Bluff. The other half was floated down the river to Winona, where it is now known as Sugar Loaf.
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Last Updated: November 18, 2025 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Cemeteries and Gravesites of Renville County
In the RCHS Research Library, there is a bookshelf area dedicated to the cemeteries of Renville County. RCHS would like to POOL the resources across the county that have cemetery records in their possession, cemetery maps, and other information that should be preserved. RCHS can scan documents and photographs up to 11″ x17″. RCHS is also gathering oversized items to be scanned through a potential grant. Contact Nicole at the Museum 507-697-6147 if you have information to share. ** means gravesite not cemetery.
NOTE: There are no cemeteries in Hawk Creek, Kingman or, Norfolk Townships.
Bandon
Zion Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 27
Beaver Falls
Beaver Falls Cemetery located in Section 22.
**Gravesites of Mrs. S.R. Henderson, two Henderson daughters, Jehiel Wedge, and Eugene White originally located in Section 14, but relocated to the Wayside Rest (Tower) on the west side of Hwy 71.
**Gravesite of Radnor Earle originally on the line of Section 12, but relocated to the Wayside Rest (Tower) on the west side of Hwy 71. **U.S. – Dakota War of 1862 Burials
Morton City Cemetery located in Section25
Birch Cooley
**Marguth Gravesite – Birch Coulie Battlefield located in Section 20
St. Patrick’s North Cemetery located in Section 2
Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery located in Section 27
Patten, Pioneer, or Simmons Cemetery located in Section 4
**Peavy Gravesite located in Section 21
Quam Burial Site
St. John’s Calvary Cemetery
Bird Island
Bird Island City Cemetery located in Section 23
Middleton Burial Site
Olivia German Cemetery
St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery
Boon Lake
Evergreen Cemetery
Lakeside Cemetery located in Section 28
Boon Lake Cemetery located in Section 8
Brookfield
Churchill Methodist Episcopal Cemetery located in Section 27
Friends Quaker Cemetery
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 11
Cairo
Bethel Methodist (Mud Lake) Cemetery located in Section 26
Bucher Burial Site
Cairo Cemetery located in Section 10
St. Andrew’s Cemetery located in Section 5
St. John’s Lutheran located in Section 5
Smith Burial Site
Camp
Boyum Family Plot
Camp Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 25
Central Lutheran – Hauges Cemetery located in Section 10
Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 4
Fort Ridgely & Dale Cemetery located in Section 16
Franklin City Cemetery located in Section 8
**Gravesite
**Taylor Burial Site
Crooks
Cemetery
Ebenezer Presbyterian Cemetery located in Section 19
Old Swedish Cemetery located in Section 4
Emmet
Bethany Lutheran located in Section 27
Fairview Renville City Cemetery located in Section 5
Old Salem aka Schedel’s Cemetery located in Section 24
**Gravesites – 5 graves – located in Section 5
Ericson
Dustrud & Lanning Cemetery
Emden Cemetery
Krogfus Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 21
Opdahl Cemetery located in Section 21
Flora
**Brown Burial Site
Calvery Catholic aka O’Brien Cemetery located in Section 22
First Flora Lutheran Cemetery Werner Farm located in Section 27
Gaffney Burial Site
German Methodist Episcopal Cemetery located in Section 5
Middle Creek Zion Methodist Cemetery located in Section 35
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 27
**Schafer & Thiles Graves
**Schmidt Family Plot Graves
Vicksburg Cemetery located in Section 16
Hawk Creek buriels but no true cemeteries.
**Cemetery
**Cemetery
**Robidoux Family Cemetery
Hector
Hector City Cemetery located in Section 29
St. John’s Catholic Cemetery located in Section 29
St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 19
Henryville
St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Bechyn located in Section 28
St. Philips Catholic Cemetery was located in Section 24 but has since been moved & abandoned.
Martinsburg
German Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 26
Melville
Elim Moravian Cemetery located in Section 26
German Lutheran aka St. Paul’s Cemetery is same as Elim, church moved to Hector.
Palmyra
Palmyra American Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 16
Palmyra Swedish Methodist located in Section 32
Palmyra Swedish Mission Cemetery located in Section 23
Svedlanda Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 25
Preston Lake
Buffalo Lake City Cemetery located in Section 30
Preston Lake Cemetery
Zion Evangelical Methodist Cemetery
Zion Lutheran Cemetery
Sacred Heart
Ebenezer Lutheran Cemetery
First English Lutheran Cemetery
Koldorn Family Cemetery
Okins Burial Site
Opahl Cemetery located in Section 3
Our Savior’s Lutheran Cemetery
Sacred Heart Cemetery
Sweiven Cemetery
Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
Troy
Olivia City Cemetery located in Section 13
St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery located in Section 13
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Cemetery – Danube located in Section 7
Salem Evangelical United Brethren Cemetery
Zion United Methodist Cemetery – Danube located in Section 7
Wang
First Township Cemetery
Hawk Creek Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 23
Vestral Sogn Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 21
Wang Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 9
Wellington
Emanuel Evangelical Cemetery located in Section 23
**Gravesite of Edward Kiecker grave located in Section 14
**Gravesite of Mr. & Mrs. Ferdinand Hizman located in Section 14
Old Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery located in Section 24
Winfield
German Lutheran Cemetery
Long Lake Methodist Mission located in Section 16
Swedish Covenant Methodist
St. Lucas German Evangelical Cemetery located in Section 19
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Posted: November 5, 2025 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Working on the Yearbook
This article was found tucked inside of the 1980 Renville High School Renvillon Yearbook. The 1980 graduating class was the last for Renville High School. This article was a mimeograph copy with no author listed.
WORKING ON THE YEARBOOK
When looking at their yearbook, students often say, “Why didn’t they put this in or why aren’t there more pictures?” Usually, these people do not realize the kind of work that has to be done to produce a yearbook.
First, the person who is doing the page has to decide what the page will ook like. It means the person has to figure out how many pcitures to use, to pick out the mot interesting ones, and place them in an appealing arrangement.
A page deadline must be met constantly throughout the year to complete the book to meet the printer’s deadline. The editor-in-chief and the other editors must get the work done on time. The photographers and students who have pictures must help along to meet these deadlines. For instance, if the senior glossies are not in on time, that holds up that section of the annual. If the activity pcitures are not handed in, that section of the book falls behind.
When you page through the annual next time, remember it is mean hard work on the part of quite a number of people.
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Last Updated: January 26, 2026 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Preserving Renville County’s History since 1940!
One artifact, one photograph, and/or one archival piece at a time!
Donate today to the Shelving and Archival Boxes Fund to preserve the history of Renville County from yesterday until tomorrow. RCHS orders its archival boxes from a company called Gaylord. It is one of the top-ranking preservation supply companies available in the US. The boxes are acid-free and suited to preserve treasures for years to come.
Gaylord Discount Code GA130 FOR 20% off Preservation & Archival Supplies
Archival Supplies:
Gaylord Archival Burly Box H241812 $57.75 retail 18Wx24Lx12″H
Gaylord Archival Burly Box H18126 $31.90 retail 12Wx18Lx6″H
Gaylord Archival C-flute Acid-Free Record Storage Carton TC1215 $13.90 retail 12Wx15Lx10H
Gaylord Archival E-Flute Deep Lid Newspaper Box EFNB19252 $25.60 retail 19″Wx25″Lx2 1/2″H
Gaylord Archival Unbuffered Acid-Free Tissue (100-pack) BT2030 $86.60 retail 20×30″
Shelving:
Amazon 5-Tier Storage Shelves on Wheels, Heavy Duty, Metal 18″x48″x82″ to replace the current standalone shelving in both the Artifact Storage (16). Three standalone units will be against the exterior wall (space left for air flow), and wheeled shelving for the rest of the room.
Amazon Newspaper Storage Room 2’Depth x 4’L x 8’H (7). Three standalone units will be against the interior wall of the artifact room, and wheeled shelving. The remaining standalone shelving will then be moved to the Church store room, the Machine Shed backroom, and Heritage Building for storage in those locations.
The above items are just a rudimentary list of the everyday boxes needed for new incoming donations of collections.
Research Library
Sturdy Wooden Book Shelves 6 matching for binders & books.
3-Shelf Rolling Cart (3) (2 sided with three shelves on each side)
8 1/2″ x 11″ Sheet Protectors
8 1/2″ x 14″ Sheet Protectors and 8 1/2″ x 14″ 3-Ring Binders
11″ x 17″ Portrait Sheet Protectors and 11″ x 17″ Portrait 3-Ring Binders
11″ x 17″ Landscape Sheet Protectors and 11″ x 17″ Landscape 3-Ring Binders
Other everyday items for the Museum and its operations:
Supplies: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Cleaning Solutions, Antibacterial Wipes, Cleaning Supplies
Drop off at the Museum Monday – Friday 10 AM – 4 PM
Office Supplies: Avery Labels: 5160, 8463 Avery Cards: Business Cards, Tent Cards for Exhibits, 8 1/2×11″ Card Stock White and Cream, 8 1/2×11″ copy paper, 11×17″ copy paper, # 10 Envelopes, AA Batteries, AAA Batteries, Extension Cord 8′ interior use 3 prong single or multiple
Use this LINK to donate towards the Boxes, Shelving, Bookshelves, and other supplies
or
Purchase through Amazon or Gaylord and ship directly to the Museum using: Renville County Historical Society, 441 N Park Dr, Morton, MN 56270
or
Send a donation check to RCHS, 441 N Park Dr, Morton, MN 56270. Write in the Memo section of the check what you would like the donation funds to go towards: General or Archival Funds
We appreciate your assistance in preserving Renville County history.
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