'Red River Valley'

Did you know that East Grand Forks was originally known as Nashville? It was named this after William C. Nash, fur trader and government mail carrier between Abercrombie and Pembina, in 1874. Nash was born in Pennsylvania, but came to the area in 1863. He built the first house (of a White man) at the fork of the Red and Red Lake Rivers, waiting for the flood of settlers he was sure was coming to buy land.* 

Before this, the land was inhabited by the Ojibwe people, who freely ranged across the areas that would become Manitoba, Minnesota, and North Dakota. In October of 1863, they signed the Treaty of Old Crossing under duress, ceding 11 million acres of Ojibwe domain to the United States Government.

Before the Ojibwe were established, there’s disputed evidence that a group of Norsemen visited the area in 1362. Three miles from Kensington, MN, Farmer Olaf Ohman and his two young sons found a nearly 200 pound stone inscribed with what appeared to be runic characters stating:

“8 Goths and 22 Norwegians on a journey of discovery from Vinland westward. We had a camp by 2 rocky islets one day’s journey north from this stone. We were out fishing one day. When we returned home we found 10 men red with blood and dead. AVM save us from evil. Have 10 men by the sea to look after our vessel 14 days’ journey from this island. Year 1362.” 

Supposedly at the command of Magnus Erickson, ruler of Norway and Sweden, a band of Vikings traveled across Hudson’s Bay, up the Nelson River, across Lake Winnipeg and then entering the Red River of the North until navigation became impractical (around where East Grand Forks now sits). After a march overland, 10 of the party were killed; the survivors then carved the stone, buried it and moved on to parts unknown.**

* The name was officially changed to East Grand Forks in 1883.

** Modern scholars believe the Kensington Stone to be a forgery, likely carved by immigrant farmers with expertise in stone cutting and the runic alphabet – a hoax created for entertainment during the long Minnesota winters.

References:

• "Avenues for Ladies Only: The Soiled Doves of East Grand Forks 1887-1915." [PDF] by Stephen G. Sylvester
• "Before Minnesota" from Ruby on the Red: East Grand Forks, MN by Stephen G. Sylvester, excerpted in A Meeting of the Reds: East Grand Forks 1887-1987 volume 1
  (This book is available in the Red River Valley section at the library!)

10/11/2021

R.A.L.F. - Random Awesome Library Fun - is back! All students in grades 6-12 are welcome to attend. R.A.L.F.'s next meeting is October 19 at 4 pm. More information

Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

A Memoir // This memoir steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. As Ashley battles her body and her environment, she provides a poignant coming-of-age recollection that speaks to finding the threads between who you are and what you were born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.

305.48 FORD

Unbound by Tarana Burke

My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement // This is the story of an inimitable woman's inner strength and perseverance, all in pursuit of bringing healing to her community and the world around her, but it is also a story of possibility, of empathy, of power, and of the leader we all have inside ourselves. In sharing her path toward healing and saying "me too," Tarana reaches out a hand to help us all on our own journeys.

362.883 BURKE

Make Good the Promises edited by Kinshasha Holman Conwill and Paul Gardullo

Reclaiming Reconstruction and Its Legacies // An incisive and illuminating analysis of the enduring legacy of the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction--a comprehensive story of Black Americans' struggle for human rights and dignity and the failure of the nation to fulfill its promises of freedom, citizenship, and justice.

305.896 CONWILL

Sister Secrets by Anne Frasier

A Brother's Reveal // Regional Author // The farmers of the Red River Valley of rural North Dakota and Minnesota don't often talk publicly (or privately) about mental illness. Lutheran pastor Matthew Valan's two sisters were diagnosed too late with bipolar disorder. One is dead. The other is in prison. Trying to understand what may have led his beloved sisters to act in the ways they did, Valan examines dark family dynamics he didn't fully comprehend when younger -- an often-absent father involved in politics, and sexual abuse. As he made his way through these dark places, a measure of wholeness and healing came to him, unearthing a passion to help people unlock the secrets of their own lives.

616.89 VALAN

If you need help accessing any of these titles or using front door pickup, email or call us and we will be happy to assist you!

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