S. M. Garver - Minnesota Views

This page has views from Austin and Alexandria, Minnesota. Additional Minnesota views are on the Mississippi River Bluffs pages.

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Jay C. Hormel Nature Center - Austin, Minnesota - May 27, 2008

A 125-ton boulder moved by the glaciers approximately 3.6 billion years ago. (In 1985 some heavy equipment with the help of a road made of ice moved it to its present location.)
[A huge rock sits in the middle of a grassy patch. On the left edge of the rock is a dirt section where the grass has been worn away. There is a building off to the left with a path leading to it.]

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SPAM Museum - Austin, Minnesota - February 12, 2009

In 2000 the Minnesota State Lottery featured SPAM on a lottery scratch-off ticket.
[$2 scratch-off ticket with a photo of a can of SPAM with prizes ranging from $2 to $25,000.]

Theater doors at the museum
[Two doors for which handles look like a pig snout and windows look like eyes.]

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Runestone Museum and Fort Alexandria - Alexandria, Minnesota - September 6, 2011

Big Ole (28 feet tall) was made for the 1965 New York World's Fair where it stood at the door to the Minnesota Pavilion.
[Outdoor statue near the Runestone Museum in Alexandria. Same as the clay statue except it wears a tunic with no leggings.]

Clay model of the artist's original design for the Big Ole statue
[Approximately 3.5 foot statue of a Viking in a yellow tunic and leggings, and boots up to the knees, holding a shield in one hand on which is written Alexandria Birthplace of America and in the other is a long spear which touches the ground.]

Three-quarter-size replica (40 feet long and 12 feet wide) of an 11th century ocean-going Viking merchant ship found wrecked in the harbor of Roskilde, Denmark.
[Wooden ship with a large oar attached to the front and a low, wide mast with sail attached in the back. It is set on stands in a large, warehouse-like building.]

Route Norsemen may have taken in 1362 to reach Minnesota (hashed in black on the map's lower far-left side).
[Map of Europe and North America at that time with a route marked in red across the ocean, through the Hudson Bay and down rivers to Alexandria, Minnesota.]

Kensington Rune Stone found near Alexandria in 1898 stuck in the roots of a tree when a farmer cleared land. It weighs 200 pounds.
[Hunk of rock sitting on two stands in a glass case. One the face of the stone are many rows of runic symbols. Quite a bit of stone is chipped away in the left corner.]

Translation of the runic language on the stone implying Vikings were in that area in 1362.
[Paper with English below each row of runic.

Moe Township school building was one of the earliest schools in the county.
[White clapboard building with short tower at the top and a smaller section attached to front with doorway. Bell in a small structure on the grounds in front of the sidewalk near the school building.]

Stedjes Cabin built in 1885.
[Well-chinked log cabin with a sloped roof creating a quasi-second level to the cbain.]

Inside of half of the Stedjes Cabin
[Well-chinked flat-faced logs and a fireplace comprised of ound stones. small talbe with two chairs and a sideboad, and a rug on the floor. Table set with dishes and also a tablecloth.]

Highchair on wheels
[Woodwn high chair with no tray. Front legs have small wheels while back legs have larger metal wheels.]

Artic Cat snowmobile model 450 circa 1964 (Polar Manufacturing Company)
[Large red sleigh with two large skies on the front and a conveyor belt like tread in the back. This snowmobile could seat two people side-by-side.]

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