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Inscribed inside the front cover of this autograph album is “Merry Christmas to Christine Carlson from your sister Olli.” The cover of the book is white celluloid with embossed purple and yellow daffodils with gilded stems. The 25-page album has pale green, white, and pink pages. The autographs in the book are dated between 1901 and 1905 and are from friends and family.

Sixteenth century Dutch and German students had classmates and professors sign the margins of their textbooks. Later small leather-bound albums with blank pages were used for collecting signatures. During the Victorian era (1820-1901), autograph books became popular with both men and women. Autograph books became treasured keepsakes to those who moved away and might not see friends and relatives for a long time, if ever again. They served as sweet reminders of childhood and school days. Antiques autograph books contained good and silly poetry, witty sayings, the signers’ thoughts and good wishes, and artistic drawings. A lock of hair or pressed flowers may even be found pressed between the pages. Autograph books had a resurgence of popularity around 1914 through the 1920s. Autograph books have not passed into oblivion, yet from the 1950s on, they mostly contain simply signatures and perhaps addresses.

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The South ��ֱ���� State College (now SDSU) Horticulture Department invented this grasshopper poison spreader to combat the locust plague during the Dust Bowl.

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With Europe’s agricultural production being war-torn, the US was forced to feed not only troops and civilians from this country but those from other countries. Rationing evolved from this need to support the Allied Forces. Home front mobilization encouraged recipes that used available food, with as little rationed food as possible.

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Find out more about this stone boat used in Brookings community until 2014.

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This 1911 postcard was sent from Springfield, Minnesota to Charles H. Gamble, Brookings. Gamble’ family moved from Springfield to Brookings in 1907. He received this postcard when he was 21-years-old. At age 26 he worked as a bookkeeper for Farmer’s Coop Elevator. As his friends did in 1911, we wish you a Happy New Year!

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This image of women defending the corn crop from birds is from Schoolcraft Vol. III (1884 re-publication), page 63. The text that goes with the image says: "It is found, among the bands who raise the zea maize, that, as the grain ripens, attention is required, in some seasons, to keep the rails, blackbirds, and other graminivorous species, from destroying the crop. This is a precautionary labor that also falls to the share of the matrons, girls, and boys. Such is the fierceness of these predatory attacks, that a particular kind of staging is sometimes erected in the field, on which the watchers sit, to frighten away the birds." 

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This fancy rosette ribbon with gold fringe and trim an award at the 1987 64th Little International Agricultural and Home Economics Show for the Most Educational Booth. The rosette center has an image of the Little I barn and the date. It is unknown which booth won this impressive pink, purple and white ribbon. The ribbon measures 29 inches long and the rosette is 7 ½ inches in diameter.

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The time-honored tradition of wood-carving dates back thousands of years. This fun example of a cowboy needing to hold on as his horse comes complete stop celebrates this past-time. “A Horse that Stops on a Dime,” by Clear Lake, resident Quentin Rhody, brings a poor cowboy’s plight to life.

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Quilts, such as this quilt by Laura Volstorff, tell wonderful stories of days past.

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Who doesn’t enjoy warm, salty French fries!? French fries are eaten all around the world. The word French does not refer to nationality, it is a cooking term. To French a vegetable means to cut it lengthwise in long, thin strips, or to cut on the basis

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 In 1931, Fisher Price made and sold Pluto string puppets.

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This tractor spent its entire working life in South ��ֱ���� with all but five years on the Guilds farm east of Dell Rapids. In 1989, after rejecting many lucrative offers and wishing his Mogul would permanently remain in South ��ֱ����, William "Willy" Guilds donated his tractor to the Agricultural Heritage Museum.

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Trench art has existed since ancient times, but it flourished during World War I. It was made by soldiers in the trenches, prisoners of war, and civilians caught in the war zone. Using the wastes of war—bullet casings, shrapnel, ordnance casings, and pieces of destroyed buildings – those living in a war zone created beautiful and useful items. The various works created included souvenirs, tools, jewelry, vases, candle sticks, cigarette and match cases, and ashtrays; whatever form inspired the artist. Soldiers would create items to pass the time and document their activities. Civilians and soldiers created works that they sold, sent home to loved ones, or to commemorate battles in which they fought.



This ashtray is made from brass and has a button soldered to the center of the bowl. The button has a crown in the center, laurel leave beneath the crown and “Gott Mit Uns” (God With Us) above the crown. This was the symbol of Imperial Germany. During World War I, this expression was inscribed on the edge of 3- and 5-mark silver and 20-mark gold coins. It was also inscribed on German soldiers’ belt buckles.

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The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s most successful work-relief programs. The CCC, WPA (Works Progress Administration), and other relief programs helped the United States overcome economic depression and severe unemployment.

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Shake to dry. From quills and nibs to clean erasing ink, pens have changed significantly over the years. This week’s What’s New Wednesday celebrates a forgotten piece of the writing process, the pounce box.

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