When historians want to compile the history of a community, they look for certain themes that identify that area. These themes (or categories) are called historic context. Historians use these themes to sort the information they find as they inventory a community. Historians in Stearns County have identified the following 11 major themes that identify or define the area:

1. Native Americans

This context identifies where and how Native Americans occupied this area. It is divided into two time phases: one, before written records (10,000 B.C. - A.D. 1650) and two, after the first contact with Europeans (A.D. 1650 - 1852) and settlers (1853 - 1870 when most tribal people left the area). Most of the information found in this theme is archaeological in nature.

2. Transportation and Shipping

This context focuses on the Red River oxcart trails, the Mississippi River, railroads, and several federal, state and local highways that have linked Stearns County with customers, suppliers, raw materials, immigrants, and ideas elsewhere in the nation and in Canada. The time frame for this theme begins when the first steamboat arrived in 1850 and continues to this day with air transportation.

3. Commerce

Commercial development of Stearns County, especially the trade centers for goods and services is addressed in this context. Banking, retailing, service industries, and professions are identified. Buildings included are from small storefronts with apartments above, hotels, automobile showrooms, office buildings, departments stores, to the residences built by business people. The time frame is from 1852 when settlers first arrived to the present.

4. Religion

The development of organized religious institutions in Stearns County is studied in this context. It provides evidence of the role religion has played in the lives of the residents of the County and how it shaped their social, cultural, and political practices. This time span begins in 1852 with the arrival of Father Francis X. Pierz to the present.

5. Agriculture and Industry

This context includes the production, harvesting, and processing of raw and manufactured goods in Stearns County. All industries except for granite are included in this study. The time frame is 1852 - present.

6. Natural Resources

Materials, such as mineral deposits and waterpower, that are native to an area and are supplied by nature are examined in this context. In Stearns County, granite and the granite industry dominate the natural resources. The time span is from 1867 when granite was discovered to the present.

7. Education

Educational institutions in Stearns County are the focus in this context. Included are colleges, vocational schools, nursing schools, preparatory schools, the parochial and public school systems, and libraries. Also included are the buildings associated with education, and the work and contributions of the people connected to these institutions. The time span is 1856, with the opening of the first school in St. Cloud, to the present.

8. Major Institutions

Both public and private institutions are identified in this context, especially hospitals, prisons, children's homes, and nursing homes. These institutions have impacted the social, economic, and physical development of the county. The time span begins in 1885, with the opening of the first hospital in St. Cloud, to the present.

9. Government

This context covers the development of government, politics, and public services in the County. It includes the activities, institutions, and organizations which represent the citizens of Stearns County in their efforts to achieve law and order, participate in politics at the local, state, and national levels, provide public health care, and organize other municipal services to ensure a healthful, safe, and smoothly running County. Included are civic leaders and representatives, programs like the Depression-era WPA program, military services, and the National Guard. The time frame is from 1852 when St. Cloud was settled to the present.

10. Cultural Development

This context encompasses the social, cultural, and artistic development of Stearns County. Included are the activities, institutions, and organizations which represent the Stearns County residents needs to create social interaction and to bring physical beauty, culture, art, music, entertainment, sports and recreation into their lives. Fine arts, journalism, and ethnic culture are included. The time span is from 1852 to the present.

11. Residential Development

This last context focuses the formation of communities, settlement patterns, and housing development of residents in Stearns County. The time span is from 1852 - present.

Community leaders and planners rely on this information to help them set goals and make plans about the future of the community. These 11 historic context themes are the framework that you can use organize the information about your community.

This Community Connection is designed for you to determine the historic themes of your community. There are four goals in this activity:

1. identify the historic context of your community;

2. rank the contexts from 1 (the most important) to 11 (the least important);

3. explain the historical significance of your community; and

4. summarize how this information can be helpful in planning the future of your community.

Directions:

1. Start by listing as much information as you can about each one of the contexts.

2. Once this information is listed, determine which context is the most important (1) and rank the contexts (use the line next to the context number to place your rank) from 1 - 11.

3. Justify your rankings by explaining the historical evidence you found about the events, people, or buildings within that context.

4. Explain what is historically significant about your community that needs to be preserved. What changes do you think need to be made for future growth and development of the community?

5. If you could bring your grandchildren back to this community in 60 years, what would you want to find preserved in this community? What kind of changes would you like to find?

Historic Context Inventory

_____ 1. Native Americans a. village site b. burial sites c. battle sites d. trading sites e. archaeological sites f. other g. none _____ 2. Transportation and Shipping a. roads, trails, highways b. bridges c. gas stations d. motels/hotels e. truck stops, drive-in restaurants f. roadside attractions g. rivers h. shipping offices i. warehouses j. railroad tracks k. railroad depots l. other _____ 3. Commerce (business) a. retail stores - clothing, grocery, hardware, farm implement, feed, jewelry, lumber yards, etc. b. services - auto dealers and repair shops, banks, business offices, entertainment [dance halls, theaters], funeral homes, gas stations, restaurants, etc. c. professional - clinics, medical offices, law offices d. wholesale distribution (Fingerhut, Nash Finch Co., Apperts Foods, etc.) e. other _____ 4. Religion a. churches b. cemeteries c. parochial schools d. religious offices e. other _____ 5. Agriculture and Industry a. agriculture, marketing, and processing - barns, breweries, canning factories, creameries and dairies, farmhouses and farmstead structures, flour mills, grain elevators and bins, farm offices, seed and nursery companies, stockyards, etc. b. industries - auto factories, brickyards, candy factories, cigar factories, furniture factories, tool manufacturers, iron works and foundries, sawmills, industrial warehouses, labor union buildings, etc. _____ 6. Natural Resources (granite, timber, etc.) a. natural resource site or location (quarries, forests, etc.) b. company offices connected to the site or location c. factories using resource d. distribution centers e. warehouses for the resources f. other

_____ 7. Education a. parochial schools b. public schools c. public libraries d. college/university campuses e. business colleges f. trade schools _____ 8. Major Institutions (public and private) a. hospital b. Children's Home or orphanages c. Minnesota Correctional Facilities (prisons) d. nursing homes e. other _____ 9. Government a. city hall, b. court house c. fire station d. jails and/or police station e. post office f. sewage treatment plants, utilities, waterworks g. dams h. sidewalks and streets with unusual paving stones i. statues and monuments j. other _____10. Cultural Development: social, cultural, artistic a. ethnic groups b. journalism and communications - newspaper offices, radio and TV stations, telephone company offices, etc. c. social and fraternal organizations - auditoriums, culture halls, meeting halls d. sports, recreation, and entertainment, athletic fields, sports arenas/centers, movie theaters, parks, bowling alleys, pool halls e. fine arts, literature, museums, theaters, and music halls f. architecture and the building trades _____11. Residential Development a. apartment buildings b. driveways c. fences d. gardens e. garages f. houses g. sidewalks h. alleys i. townhouses j. etc.