Annual Meeting

The 80th annual meeting of the Otter Tail County Historical Society will be held on Thursday, October 25, at the Underwood Community Center in Underwood. Stop by the Historical Society before October 11 to reserve your spot. Tickets are: $20.00/per person. Everyone must pre-register.

Our guest speaker is Ron Shebeck, President of the Farmers State Bank of Underwood, who has amassed an impressive collection of Underwood related photographs which he uses to tell the story of the community and its people. The meal will be catered by the Farmhouse Cafe.

Social Hour: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Dinner: 6:30 p.m.
Meeting and Program: 7:30 p.m.

Gerda Project Calendar of Events

Otter TAil County HistoRical SocieTy… ART lives in HistorySeptember 28-29, 2007 10 a.m.-5 p.m. – Lance Albers Studio, 112 South Mill St., Fergus Falls part of the Fergus Falls Art Crawl.October 25, 2007 5:30 p.m. - Otter Tail County Historical Society Annual Mtg., Underwood Community Center.

Gerda Project Calendar of Events

We have commissioned local artist Lance Albers to reproduce the oil on canvas painting we fondly refer to as “Gerda,” aka “Municipal Nude.” This painting has hung in our saloon exhibit for the past 20 plus years.To complete this project and get “Gerda” back on display we need your financial support. Creating a reproduction of Gerda will cost just over $3,000. Additional monies raised will be placed in our collection fund for future projects. Please consider making a tax deductible contribution to the Gerda reproduction project. Gifts over $250 will receive a limited edition print of Gerda.The painting was unearthed when workmen were knocking brick out of a wall in the old Fergus Falls city hall building on Mill Street in 1966. On the back of the painting are the words “Painted for Gerda H. DeJardin.” In the lower left front corner are the words “To my loving wife.”The old city hall building was built in 1883. A fire destroyed the top floor in 1927 and after that the first floor was roofed over.Residents of Fergus Falls were shocked when an article in the April 21, 1966 edition of the Fergus Falls Daily Journal announced that “a painting of a nude woman came to light for the first time in more than 80 years this week when workmen were knocking brick out of a wall of the old city hall on Mill Street.” The paper even included a photograph of the painting…with the bosom blacked out.Initially called the Municipal Nude the painting soon became known as Gerda in reference to words painted on the back that read “Painted for Gerda H. DeJardin.” On the front left corner was printed “To my loving wife.” The owner of the building, Warren Johnson, displayed Gerda in his furniture store and for some time was a point of community curiosity. Gerta was eventually given to the historical museum in the 1980s for display in a saloon exhibit. It was on display until the spring of 2007 when the pigment deterioration prompted its relocation from display into storage.Even though there is a name with the painting it remains a mystery in history. There is no record for a Gerda H. DeJardin. Who was she? Where did she come from? How did the painting find its way inside a wall in Fergus Falls.While Gerda remains a mystery we do know the painting is a copy of John Singer Sargent’s “Egyptian Girl” painted in 1891. “Egyptian Girl” has been described as having a quiet sensuality conveyed by a hint of bosom and bronzed, rounded buttocks. No wonder Gerda caused such a sensation when she was found! More about the artist who has been commissioned:Newly relocated to Fergus Falls, Lance Albers, is an artist of amazing virtuosity. His work can be categorized into fine painting and drawings, commissions for families, corporate and business art services, large-scale public and museum art, and prints and graphics. For more information about the Lance Albers Art Studio, visit his website: www.lancealbers.com

Home Brewers’ Festival

One of the summer’s more unique events is back with the Home Brewer’s Festival on Friday, August 17, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. at the Bigwood Event Center in Fergus Falls.

The Brewers Festival features home brewers providing samples of their finest wine and beer. As the reputation of the festival becoms known, more wine and beer makers ask to participate. This year brewers from Pelican Rapids, Fergus Falls, Underwood, Dalton, New York Mills and Buffalo, Minnesota will be on hand. Since they cannot commercially sell their wine or beer, the Home Brewer’s Festival is the only opportunity for the public to sample what they have made. If you do not indulge in beer or wine, Stumbeano’s locally roasted coffee will be served.

There will also be a silent auction of home made wine and beer throughout the evening.

If you are looking for an event that is fun and different then attend the Home Brewers’ Festival. Doors to the Event Center open at 7:00 p.m. Special thanks to sponsors Northern Lakes Dental and the Bigwood Event Center. All proceeds benefit the Otter Tail County Historical Society. For more information call 218-736-6038.

July-August 2007 Newsletter

Members of the Historical Society will soon receive the July-August 2007 newsletter in the mail. On page 3 we introduced Andrew Millard as our new Education Coordinator. Unfortunately for us, Andrew has taken a position with ISD 544 and will not be joining our staff as we had hoped.

Honor Your Loved Ones

Did you know that you can make a monetary contribution to the Historical Society in memory or in honor of a loved one? Memorials, birthdays, special gifts, governmental, and new and upgraded members are published in the newsletter which is published following the donation. In the July-August 2007 Newsletter memorials for the following individuals were received: Lola Drum, Gene Evenson, Cliff Haukebo, Anthony Johnson, Lillian E. Johnson, Robert Moore, Clarice Nye, Otto Olson, Richard Rorvig, Vern Skramstad, James Svendsgaard, Marguerite Thoen and Ruby C. Walkup.

River Otters

Want to know more about the animal for which Otter Tail County was named?

Try these links:
Canadian Museum of Nature - Northern River Otter
The River Otter (Lutra canadensis)
Oakland Zoo - North American River Otter
Wikipedia - Northern River Otter
National Geographic
Animal Diversity Web
Wisconsin DNR
Maryland DNR
OtterNet.com
Chesapeakebay.net
Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Looking for a copy of A Pictorial History of Fergus Falls

A member of the Otter Tail County Historical Society is looking for a copy of the book co-published by the Otter Tail County Historical Society and the Fergus Falls Daily Journal. If you would like to sell or give away your copy to a good home please contact me at kevavold@otchs.org.

ch/ad