Haven't Left Rochester Yet

 This is what the Hormel family has created from one meat and provision store in the 1890s.

From the museum we wandered over to the Hormel Historic House.

This was not the first home of George and Lillian Hormel. The first homes were rented, and this, their first one, cost them $12.50 a month.

They bought what is now the historic house, for $3,000.00.

This is what the home looked like when they bought the house. After they bought the house, it went through some major renovations. Part of the renovations were accomplished so that the Hormel's could entertain. George had visions of helping others, and to do so he envisioned tearing down their carriage house, and building a center to help those in need; he never accomplished his dream. What is intriguing is that the Hormel Historic House Association added on the the house in 1993 to serve the community.

All the structure to the right is where the old carriage house existed. The day we visited the house the Red Cross was conducting a blood drive.

Lets go inside for a small peek. They lived much like other well off people, so don't be surprised at what you see.

ENTRY

FORMAL ENTERTAINING ROOM

DINING ROOM

BUTLER'S PANTRY

KITCHEN

BREAKFAST NOOK

ATRIUM

GEORGE'S OFFICE

Lets wander upstairs where the sleeping quarters, and servant's quarters are.

BATHROOM

BEDROOM #1

BEDROOM #2

BEDROOM #3

BEDROOM #4

OVER THE PORCH SUMMER BEDROOM ENTRY

OVER THE PORCH SUMMER BEDROOM

SERVANT'S LIVING SPACE

SERVANT'S LIVING SPACE

SERVANT'S BATHROOM

SERVANT STAIRS TO THE KITCHEN

The home may appear to be over the top, but the Hormel family was very much about their employees, and the community.

Another day trip found us at the Olmstead County Museum. The big attraction was the Mayo exhibit... but we'll get to that later. 

The first exhibit gives the visitor an idea how Minnesota came about. Take a breath, get a cup of your favorite beverage, and we will learn a little more about Minnesota.

Many European powers, as well as the united States were claiming the territory. The first treaty signed by the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain, was known as the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, concluding the American Revolutionary War. The treaty gave the United States the land that made up Minnesota's, northeast, north-central, east-central regions.

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the landmass of Minnesota. The last portion, the northern border of Minnesota was acquired in 1818, in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. In 1849, President James K. Polk created the Minnesota territory. In 1858, Minnesota became a state.

Think about the acquisition of the land; did I say anything about the Native American Indian... no. So lets step back just a bit. When the Europeans arrived, the region, to be known as the Minnesota Territory, was split between the Ojibwe (Oh-jib-way), and the Dakota. There were smaller tribes that lived in the region too.

Wellll... the United States thought a bit about land grabbing, and in 1825 signed a treaty, Prairie du Cien (Prairie do-sheen) with the Ojibwe and Dakota tribes, setting aside areas  for the Indian Nations. By mid-1800s, multiple treaties were signed between the Native American Indians and the U.S. government, transferring most of the remaining land to the United States.

Back to land grabbing. Despite the treaties, settlers continued to expand, violating the treaties. The Dakota had had enough, and in 1862 we saw the Dakota War. What were they fed up about you ask... the government failed to pay the Dakota their promised annuity, crop failures, and growing hostilities with the encroaching settlers.

I have told you before that cemeteries intrigue me, and we found validation here at the county museum. The first room off to the right looks at death in the county. In our culture today, many people feel that cemeteries are "creepy" places, which is much different than our ancestors of the past.

The Dakota Nation, which was prevalent in the area celebrated the death of a loved one by burning the deceased's clothing, singing songs, drumming, and prayer. Unfortunately their ways were seen in a negative light, and the U.S. government outlawed their ceremonies. It wasn't until 1978 that the U.S. government recognized their ceremonies, through the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978. There is still some difficulties for Native American families to find the resources for traditional burials. Here in Minnesota there is a movement to keep the rituals alive within their culture.

When the Europeans showed up, they brought their own practices. During the Victorian era it was common for friends and families to go to cemeteries for picnics to celebrate departed loved ones, and the community, as well as enjoy nature.

What is the Victorian era? it took place between 1820 and 1912, in the United Kingdom and the United States, defined by the reign of Queen Victoria. Certain mourning practices became more common with the death of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, in 1861.

This was a typical home viewing during the Victorian era. The "viewing" was a gathering of family and friends before the funeral. The deceased's body was placed in the wicker basket for viewing, then moved to the casket for burial. You want "creepy", the basket was saved to be used again. Also during the viewing, black material covered the mirrors in the house, and all the clocks were stopped at the time of death. Mourning clothing was generally black, or dark material, and was an outward symbol of one's inner feelings. How long did the mourner where black, depended on the relationship to the deceased. A widow was expected to wear black for two years. Other countries wear different colors. For example, India wears white for mourning.

The 19th century saw keepsakes of the deceased loved ones made out of their hair. You are looking at one common keepsake in the form of a wreath, others might be jewelry.

Although embalming has been around since the Egyptians, advances in the U.S. didn't occur until the Civil War. Cremation was also another common practice. Today the technology in dealing with the dead has come a long way. This new method of dealing with dead bodies is called Resomation, sometimes called "water cremation". This is an eco-friendly process where the body is placed in a water, and an alkaline solution, where it breaks the body down to its basic organic elements. 

Off to happier places.

How many out there have heard of the Mayo Clinic? I will start at the beginning. Dr. W.W. Mayo and his wife settled in Rochester in the mid 1800s. Settling down only came after his wife, Louise, finally put her foot down after dragging three children from state to territory. 

Dr. W.W. Mayo was the type of doctor that found it hard to charge people in need of his care, but his wife had the business senses and managed the finances for his practice.

During the Dakota War Dr. Mayo left his wife and three children in Le Sueur, Minnesota Territory, and headed to New Ulm to set up a hospital to treat the wounded soldiers. While he was away, Louise opened their home in Le Sueur to families seeking shelter after the conflict.

In one instance this is how Louise described being left alone with the children. "When it was necessary for me to go to the barn or the well, I'd put on a pair of overalls and tuck my hair under one of the doctor's old hats. A few days after the doctor left me, refugees began straggling by... I would run to gate and ask, who dressed your wounds? And when they said the Little Doctor, I would know that my husband still lived." The reason she knew that her husband was alive was because of the term Little Doctor, you see Dr. Mayo only stood 5 feet 4 inches.

After the Dakota War ended in 1862, Dr. Mayo joined the Union Army during the Civil War. He was appointed as the examining surgeon for the Union Army for the First Minnesota District, in Rochester. The family didn't join him until 1864.

This is where Louise put that foot down when Dr. Mayo started to get his wandering urges again. Here in Rochester saw the birth of their second son. As the children grew, Louise took on the role as their educator.

As the boys, Will and Charlie, got older, they followed their dad on house calls, and observed him during surgeries. An example of the boys starting their doctor careers early was evident during one of DR. W.W. Mayo's surgeries. While anesthesia was being administered, the assistant administering the anesthesia fainted. Young Charlie climbed up on a box and continued administering anesthesia so the operation could continue.

In 1880, at the age of 19, Will went off to the University of Michigan Medical School. After graduating he returned to Rochester and worked with his father. Of the two sons, Will was the quiet, reserved one.

As for his brother Charlie, he was the opposite, with a friendly personality. Charlie had a mind for mechanics as a teenager, building a steam engine to run a well pump, and turn wheels for the family washing.

1888 rolled around, and off he went to Chicago Medical School for his studies. After completing his studies, he too, returned to Rochester to work with his father and brother.

Lets no forget the Mayo sisters. The sisters, Gertrude and Phoebe, were the oldest of the children.

Gertrude, more often called Trude. In 1877 she married a local veterinarian, was very involved in the Rochester community, and one of the founders of the Civic League in Rochester.

Phoebe, the second born child, spent most of her short life bedridden, due to a carriage accident in her youth. 

Phoebe often spoke of what she would do once she got better. Unfortunately, at age 28, she died from complications caused by a splenic disorder (a problem within the spleen). This would affect her brother Dr. Will, who felt guilty that he couldn't help her. Dr. Will eventually specialized in abdominal surgery, which helped many later on.

Time marches on a little, and the Mayo brothers get married, one to a young lady from a local family, the other, a nurse Dr. W.W. Mayo hired to work the his practice.

The Mayo practice was originally known as the Drs. Mayo Clinic, eventually the "Drs" was dropped, they were simply known as the Mayo Clinic. 

(PARPHRASED). Now we will talk a little about a hospital. The nuns of the church talked with the Mayos regarding starting a hospital because of all the patients coming for treatment. The hospital would be called St. Mary's. In the beginning the nuns served as nurses and assistants. As more patients arrived from around the world, and technology improved, the hospital grew. A doctor, Dr. Plummer, was instrumental in the design and implementation of a system to effectively track a patients care, and streamlined the process for patients moving between specialty departments. The new hospital also  was one of the first to have doctors and specialist located within one facility.

The two brothers had a very tight relationship, they had houses next door to each other. Charlie and his wife lived in the yellow house, and Will and his wife lived in the red house. The brothers would come home and discuss the work of the day at the hospital. There was a SHORT discussion at one time about building a breezeway between the houses, but the wives DID NOT agree to it. Their solution...

The rocker was owned by Dr. Charlie. The brothers sat here most nights to discuss the day. Charlie and his wife also enjoyed time in the chair.

If visiting Rochester it is highly recommended that one take a tour of the Mayo Clinic; we did not get the opportunity this trip.

Moving on in the county museum. This part is outside... you ready to roll?

Currently the barn and house cannot be toured, they are being renovated. With that said, lets look at this door..

The Stoppel brothers hand-dug into the Jordan limestone to create housing for their families. They spent the winter of 1856 in these caves. The single door is the house, the other is their smokehouse.

HOUSE CAVE

They later built the house we could not visit right now.

Getting back in the truck we slowly drove over to the schoolhouse.

The Hadley Valley School was built in approximately 1885.

Do you remember...

OK kids, back in the truck.

This humble little cabin was built in 1862, by the Irish immigrant William Dee. What made this cabin special was the day construction started. Bridget, William's wife, gave birth to their son David. They went on to have three more children  before selling it, and moving into larger accommodations.

SLEEPING SPACE FOR THE CHILDREN (UPSTAIRS)

After changing hands several times, Andrew Seeverts purchased the cabin in 1900. Mr. Seeverts rented out the cabin to Mrs. Anna Benson Ward, and her four children, from 1907 to 1911. In 1911 there was talk of destroying the cabin, but the Rochester chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution (DAR) spearheaded a campaign to save the cabin. The cabin saw several locations throughout the county, until finally resting at the Olmstead County Historical Society property. Total reconstruction was completed in 1986. The DAR chapter still cares for the cabin.

Do you know the importance of this candle? This is a courting candle, used from 1600 to 1800. When a young man came over to court a young lady, it was used as a timer. When the lit candle burned down to the black metal, it was time for the suitor to leave. The brown peg was used to raise the candle for the next visit.

The day we were there, they were getting ready for an exhibition of steam operated farm equipment. After our visit we headed out to lunch, then back to the trailer.

The next day we took a drive to the Rochester Veteran Memorial, and the Plummer House.

First, the Veteran Memorial. 

This memorial is made from large slabs of black granite. All the outer walls have murals, and great information. The walkways have the names of our fallen comrades.

FILLED WITH NAMES OF OUR FALLEN COMRADES

ANGELS OF CARING

This is a memorial for all the medical servicemembers that put themselves in harms way. The inscription on the monument reads: Throughout the history of our nation, brave men and women have given aid and comfort to our troops as they served to project the freedom we enjoy.

INSIDE WALLS

That one-mile square is where I spent my time during the Gulf War.

QUIZ TIME:

When did we fly this flag?

1775-1777; known as the Continental Colors. It was the first National American flag, and flown by Navy warships and Army fortresses.

When was this flag flown?

1777-1795; known as the Frances Hopkinson Flag. It is supposed that Frances Hopkinson designed the flag, and Congress adopted in 1777.

Quiz over.

Down the walkway towards the street are a couple of pieces of artillery.

This is an Iraqi 57MM gun that was captured during the Persian Gulf War.

Stop number two, the Plummer House. The one thing we did not check was when it was open to the public... Wednesdays only, but we were able to walk around the outside.

This mansion comes with its own garden too. The house is used for events now days, and that is why it is only open on Wednesdays to the public.

The garden...

WALK ENTERING GARDEN

FOUNTAIN ON ONE SIDE

OPEN AREA WITH FLOWERS AND SHRUBS

FOUNTAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE

Carriage house on the way back to the truck.

Time to prep for our journey in South Dakota.

Making Our Back to South Dakota

 

Scenes before leaving Breezy Hill Campground. The top photo is a collage of a sunset after a big storm, and the moon that rose. The moon was orange thanks to the Canadian fires. The lower collage is the sunflower field near the campground, which is created yearly by the dairy farm that owns the creamery.

Since we were breaking camp on my birthday, we celebrated my birthday the night before.

With the birthday now celebrated, it was time to  move on. 

Wife: have you seen the dog bowl?

Husband: I didn't know he could bowl.

Our next stop was Fairchild, WI, at a campground we have stayed at before. I even reserved the same site we had last year.

We liked this spot because there was separation from the cabin to the left in the photos, even though it was close to the road, the traffic noise was occasional at worst.

OUR WELCOME PARTY

We didn't do much sightseeing, but I did go for a walk to visit the local cemetery. You see Fairchild is an extremely small town, with maybe 400 (living) residents, and just about as many permanent (deceased) residents.

While the town is small, they were represented in our struggles for freedom... from the Civil War, to the Gulf War.

The bottom right head stone is a sailor from the Civil War, and the most recent resident fought in the Vietnam War. All wars are represented in the collage.

I visit cemeteries because I have a morbid interest in how we choose to remember our loved ones, and this cemetery was no different.

The upper left head stone is that of a relative that fought in the Civil War, lower left is that of a father who loved the outdoors. Then there is the young man that also loved the outdoors, and he is remembered through an ironwork head stone. Lastly, there is the young man remembered as "Bear Cub".

There are many family plots in this cemetery too. The one the intrigued me the most was the Thunder family.

This collage is only a small representation of the family that lays at rest here. You may be asking why I was intrigued with this family... they are Native American Indians from the region, and one of their sons fought in the Gulf War. 

Back home I go.

Carol and I had been discussing putting something on the range for more counter space...

Our solution was to build a removeable counter top. I made the counter top from solid cherry, to match our cabinets. In the Fairchild area it was difficult find small lumber, and we ended up at an Amish lumberyard. This lumberyard was paradise to me. The craftsman was kind enough to cut the wood to size... and it only cost $15.00.

While I was playing with the counter top, Carol was busy making more jerky...

CHICKEN JERKY

Got this on our way out of Wisconsin, and into Minnesota, quite an upgrade huh. Just kidding, this monster was in our site when we arrived.

The monster was two hours late leaving the site... but all was good, and we got settled in. 

As I said, we got settled in, with a few minor issues.

This is the first time we have ever had our range top cover and grill grate end up on the floor. We have had a few issues with cabinet doors opening after large bumps.

Though the stay in Rochester was short, we made efforts to visit attractions in the area. The first stop was to...

For those that are not SPAM lovers/likers, you may want to slide past this section. This museum is located in Austin, MN. 

Austin was not really an important town until George Hormel came to town in the 1890s. He formed a partnership with Albrecht Friedrich, and they opened a provisions store, selling provisions (groceries), and meat products. Albrecht's interests centered around the provision side, while George's interests were the meat side; this caused a riff after a couple of years, and they parted ways. George was interested in how to preserve meats for long periods of time, realizing the issue at hand were possible food shortages, and family finances.

His first packing plant, in 1891, was located in an abandoned creamery, and by the time he turned the reins over to his son in 1929, it was a multi-million dollar business. Turning the business over to his son Jay, George and his wife built a home in Bel-Air, CA., where he retired. He knew that if they stayed in Austin he could not keep his fingers out of the company.

GEORGE'S FIRST STORE

Notice the 12.5 cents for a pound of bacon, and a one pound, sugar cured ham went for 10 cents. If you wanted to place an order, just dial 80.

Lets get back to talking SPAM🄬.

Driving into Austin from the east, drivers can smell the aroma of SPAM🄬 wafting on the gentle breeze.

The museum is small, but packed (pun intended) with good information. For SPAM🄬 lovers... they provide as many samples as you want to consume. If you only remember one flavor of SPAM🄬 growing up, looky here...

What you see here is missing one of the newer flavors... Maple.

Many stations throughout the museum are interactive. At the beginning is a kiosk that allows visitors to view different recipes, and download them to the their e-mail for later retrieval.

As you might already know, Hormel owns SPAM🄬. Here is something you may not know... Hormel Corporation provides two-year scholarships to children of their employees. Besides the interactive stations, they have some oddities to gaze upon...

If you read the right issue of People Magazine, you may already know something about the motorcycle. This motorcycle is a one-of-a-kind manufactured in 2011. The bike does 100 mph... using bacon biodiesel. The name of the bike is: Black Label Bacon.

These instruments were commissioned in 2015 for a the SPAMERICAN tour that crossed the United States, bringing eats, beats, and crafty treats.

QUIZ TIME: 

Q: What year was SPAM🄬 created?

A: 1937

Q: What country consumes the most spam per capita?

A: Guam

Q: How many cans of SPAM🄬 have been produced?

A: 9 billion

Q: How many cans of SPAM🄬 are eaten every second?

A: 12.8

Q: What size SPAM🄬 cans are sold in the United States?

A: 7oz and 12oz

The Hormel family was a very patriotic family. In 1898, Hormel Company was only a fledgling company, but George promised all his employees that went off to fight in the Spanish-American War, that they would have their jobs when they returned, and one of those volunteers was his brother Ben.

With the beginning of WWI, George's son Jay enlisted, and was sent off to France as a Chief Quartermaster. Jay could have gotten out of service because of the families importance in the food industry.

1941 saw Congress approving the "Lend-Lease Act". This Act promised aid to Great Britain, France, and Russia. The Hormel Company stepped up, supplying 15 million cans WEEKLY to the Lend Act. The equivalent of more than 133 million cans of SPAM🄬 fed hungry soldiers and civilians overseas between 1940 and 1945.

During the war years SPAM🄬 was still called canned luncheon meat. The company wanted to attract a larger consumer market so they went about looking for a new name for their canned luncheon meat, and arrived at SPAM🄬. SPAM was not a real word back in the early days. This will have importance later.

"Only those who have eaten SPAM🄬 at dawn, toasted on the end of a knitting needle at a bomb shelter, amongst debris, can really know how good it is."

With WWII looming, the Hormel Company promised the 1,961 employees who went off to fight, would have their jobs when they returned home. They hired in 1,300 women to take their place, ensuring no lag in production. See ladies, someone did understand that less women could achieve the same as a bunch of men. In 1944, 90% of Hormel's SPAM🄬 production went to feed Uncle Sam's operations, and in 1945 it dropped to 65%. Remember, we had troops in Europe, and the Pacific.

When Jay took over the company, he did not sit on his laurels, in fact, new products were created.

ON ONE OF OUR BOMBERS

PROGRESSION OF THE SPAM🄬 CAN

CON CARNE CREATED IN 1935

Jay was interested in producing canned products that were already cooked in the can, but there was three challenges he needed to solve... find proper degree of curing, find proper temperature of cooking, and maintaining a proper vacuum within the can. He brought in a German meat canning master, Paul Joern, to teach his employees.

A hole was made in the can, a thermometer was inserted to check the temperature, then the hole was solder sealed. Once they perfected the process, they now called their canned meat "Hormel Flavor-Sealed".

The United States is not the only consumers of SPAM🄬. We already know that Guam and Hawaii are large consumers of the product, believe it or not, you can find SPAM🄬 in Japan, Philippines, South Korea, China, England, and Latin America.

SPAM🄬 wasn't introduced into China until 2009. SPAM🄬 was produced for the first time in China in 2017, along with other Hormel products. SIDE NOTE: Here is some perspective on the length of the Great Wall of China; it takes 92,933,068 cans of SPAM🄬 to go the entire length of the wall, which is 13,171 miles.

Hawaii consumes so much SPAM🄬 that labels were designed specifically for the Hawaiian market, which consumes more than 8 MILLION cans a year.

Right behind the United States in consumption of SPAM🄬 is... South Korea. SPAM🄬 was introduced to them via U.S. soldiers during the Korean War. A Korean company, under license, began manufacturing SPAM🄬 for Korea in 1987.

Budae Jigae, or Army Stew, is a popular recipe among the locals. The stew contains kimchi, ramen noodles, classic SPAM🄬, hot pepper paste, and onions.

During two of their holidays (Thanksgiving and Lunar New Year), it is common for family and friends to receive SPAM🄬 products as gifts.

The United Kingdom is not to be left out. England lovingly refers to SPAM🄬 as "The Meat that Won the War", and celebrates a SPAM🄬 Appreciation Week, every year. A signature dish in England is the "SPAM🄬 Fritter". It is thick slices that are battered before frying. Consumers in England can also find this product in supermarkets.

This SPAM🄬 superfan got married at the Spam Museum in 2017.

How many of you out there remember Monty Python's Flying Circus? In 1970, they performed a skit that took place in a restaurant. A lady was trying to order food, but every item on the menu contained SPAM🄬, which she did not like. A big part of the skit were the Vikings singing SPAM SPAM SPAM... SPAM SPAM SPAM. There is an important note to this skid.

Why is the skit important? If you remember earlier, I said SPAM was not a word. Lets jump to 1993. Around March a corporate administrator accidently posted the same message 200 times to a discussion group and... hence the term SPAM was born regarding unwanted messages. Because SPAM was not a recognized word, it became recognized for all those unwanted messages, and this caused the Hormel company some concern initially. But as you can see, it did not affect the companies bottom line.

How Do You Measure Up:

Like measuring a horse in hands, we can be measured in SPAM🄬 cans. I was a tad over 22 cans, Carol came in at 21.

If you think you can measure up, try packing SPAM🄬... 

INTERACTIVE PACKING STATION

Your job is to get the meat in the can, sealed, to the oven, labeled, and stacked. If you are fast enough, Hormel may hire you. A little bit about the oven. The real oven at the packing plant is six stories tall, and is variable speed. The reason the speed is adjustable is the difference in recipe ingredients, some require a faster time, others slower.

There is a conveyor above the visitor's head, and it carries 780 SPAM🄬 cans, with a pig leading the way.

The museum was a fun day trip, and is highly recommended, plus it is free.

From the SPAM🄬 shack we say "see you in the next post".