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Contact: Jeff
Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov,
(515) 281-3858
(DES
MOINES) – The State Historical Society of Iowa
and local partners will commemorate the 150th anniversary
of the Abbie Gardner Cabin July 15-16 in Arnolds Park
with activities that include storytelling by members
of Native American tribes, several presentations about
the lives of pioneers, a barn raising, lodge encampment,
tours and more.
“While we’re using this sesquicentennial
event to highlight the history of Gardner Cabin, we’re
also using it as an opportunity to look back at more
than 10,000 years of Lakes history,” said Jerome
Thompson, SHSI state curator. “We’re including
activities that explore the early biological and archaeological
history of the Great Lakes and what the pioneers might
have seen when they arrived 150 years ago.”
The event coincides with the 150th anniversary of
the Gardner family’s arrival in the West Okoboji
Lake area. It was in the family’s cabin on the
site that daughter Abbie witnessed the 1857 Spirit
Lake Massacre. Nearly 40 settlers perished in the
skirmish, including everyone in Abbie’s family
except her sister Eliza.
Abbie later turned the site into one of Iowa’s
first tourist attractions. Since 1974, SHSI has managed
the site, and today visitors are invited to tour the
cabin, restored to its 1856 appearance, at no charge.
Events at the site this year include a variety of
perspectives on the area’s past. On July 15,
visitors can attend hourly presentations on area Native
American history. At 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., Matt
“Sitting Bear” Jones, a lecturer at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and member of the Otoe-Missouria
Nation, will present “Meet Big Knives”
to discuss the impact of the first two meetings Lewis
and Clark held with the Otoe-Missouria nation and
his tribe’s history. At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.,
Wynema Morris, a tribal historical researcher for
the Omaha Tribal Historical Research Project and enrolled
member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, will present
stories from traditional Omaha tribal history.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., representatives of the Arnolds
Park post office will stamp postal materials with
a special cancellation stamp created to commemorate
the sesquicentennial of the Gardner Cabin.
On July 16, visitors will experience history through
the eyes of the pioneers when Loren Horton, retired
state historian, presents “Through the Eyes
of Pioneers: Iowa Described in 19th Century Diaries”
at 2 p.m. The presentation explores diaries and letters
of hundreds of thousands of people who crossed Iowa
on their way west. The documents describe the land,
people, towns and the experience of traveling across
the prairie.
Also during the weekend, Thompson will join ARPOKE,
a women’s volunteer group in Arnolds Park, to
lead a barn raising activity for kids. Thompson and
Dickinson County Conservation volunteers will also
lead kids in an exploration of replica artifacts from
Iowa’s earliest residents (8,000 to 13,000 years
ago) and Oneota Lakes residents.
Jim Tuel and Jerry Festenow, historical re-enactment
performers, will demonstrate pioneer skills such as
flint knapping, rope making, and blacksmithing. Barbara
Tagami, an interpretive naturalist for the Dickinson
County Conservation Board, and Lynn Cargin, her assistant,
will present information on the edible wild plants
of Dickinson County.
Tours of the Gardner Cabin site will be provided
both days and, weather permitting, Dickinson County
Historical Society president LeRoy Koep will be on
hand with the society’s covered wagon.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 170 will serve buffalo
burgers 11 a.m.-2 p.m. both days and beverages all
day both days.
Away from the site, screenings of the documentary
The Iowa Great Lakes Remembers: A Look at the
Past, A Dream for the Future will be Saturday
at the Maritime Museum at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at
the Lakes Art Center at 1 p.m. The documentary includes
numerous interviews of longtime area residents recalling
life in the area and their hopes for the future. The
film is a project of the Friends of the Spirit Lake
Library with funding from Humanities Iowa, the National
Endowment for the Arts and the State Historical Society
of Iowa.
The State Historical Society of Iowa is a trustee
of Iowa’s historical legacy and an advocate
for understanding Iowa’s past. It identifies,
records, collects, preserves, manages and provides
access to Iowa’s historical resources. Its dual
mission of preservation and education serves Iowans
of all ages, conducts and stimulates research, disseminates
information, and encourages and supports historical
preservation and education efforts of others throughout
the state. More information about SHSI is available
at www.iowahistory.org
or by calling 515-281-5111.
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