The Community Quest: Communities Respond to Change

Chapter 1

Communities Respond to Change

Television came into homes in the early 1950's and changed the way people connected with the rest of the world. Vaccines were such an important discovery that schools held health clinics so all children had access to good health care. Change happens on a daily basis. Some of those changes that touch everyday life are results of science and technology. The computer and telecommunications allow you to link up with the Stearns County Heritage Center and Community Quest. Other changes affect the future of your community and even the world. How different would the world be without the discovery of a vaccine to fight a deadly disease or the invention of the cathode ray tube making television possible? Human interaction creates change, too. Local basketball games and the United States Congress are examples of people interaction that can cause change and affect you and your family's life. Change from interaction, whether in your own backyard or in another part of the world, can greatly impact the decisions you make within and for your community. Science, technology and human interaction have created changes that have shaped Stearns County. Let’s take three important aspects of Stearns County’s development - agriculture, industry, and environment - and explore the historic changes that have taken place over time.