Head of Tide

My great-grandfather sold his house in Maine, encouraged his wife to move, and during the fall of 1881, they left their hometown so he could seek his fortune in the west. At the time the west was Minnesota, Minneapolis specifically. His experience in the lumber business made the transition a natural one because the lumber harvest in Minnesota was yet to peak so off they went. I decided to trace his steps so V and me set off for Minneapolis, a place neither of us had ever visited. 

Unfortunately, we are not great planners and waited too long to decide to head to the state of ten thousand lakes so we found that the nicer Minneapolis RV parks were booked up. Unknown to us, Minneapolis is a popular place in July and these “Texas heat escapees” should have guessed this.  We finally found a spot that would allow for a thirty-day stay and it was located in the town of Faribault (pronounce Fair-bo) which is about fifty miles south of Minneapolis. It is a quaint town in which to spend a month and we set out to explore.

It was from here that we found the towns of Red Wing (big boot) and Blue Earth (Jolly Green Giant) (see post “OMG…”) but it was also from here that we ventured into Minneapolis to discover where my great-grandfather conducted business and where his children (including my grandfather) were born.

I remember hearing about Minneapolis by watching various sporting contests over the years. I didn’t really have an opinion about Minneapolis or Minnesota but I like what I found. Minneapolis is a large metropolitan area but it was easy to navigate. Traffic was heavy at times but nothing like what we experienced in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, or Austin.

We found the Lumber Exchange which my grandfather was a central player in its construction. The staff was very receptive to showing us around and except for my disappointment in not of finding a plaque in the lobby with my great-grandfather’s name on it the tour was exceptional. 

When not trying to find my roots in Minneapolis we explored Faribault. We found a Heisman Trophy and a great source for Bleu Cheese. Our trip to Minnesota was productive and enjoyable. BTW: They undercounted the lakes, those suckers are plentiful and around every curve in the road.