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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Koochiching County Family History Book was compiled and published
under the name and direction of the Koochiching County Historical Society.
The decision to undertake this project was made at a meeting of the
Historical Society in the fall of 1982. A short time later Pat Nash
and Ray Anderson took on the job of putting together a committee to
get work started on the book.
This committee of volunteers consisted of: Joan Barkovic, Gwen Sackrison,
Olive Wagness, John Ettested, Truman Lindvall, J.C. Kohlhase, Paul A.
Anderson, Florence Grotberg, A.J. (Shorty) Carew, Arthur Holmstrom,
Stephanie Nagurski, Kelly Langton, Tom Barthell, Hermoine Schwankl,
Shirley Nelson, Florence and John Bergvall, Bill Antin, Leonard Kucera,
Mrs. Urban Rent, Bernice Englund, Mrs. Joe Burdis, Mrs. Merriam Ollikkala,
Roxanne Siats, Henry and Eleanor Elhard, Faye Estabrooks, Mrs. Mille
Foss, Mrs. Francis Haney, Kelly Morin, Beatrice Fry, Effie Hanover,
Katherine Schwark, Lucille Anderson, Florence Plank, Jack Briggs, and
many others who helped. We would also like to thank School District
361 for the use of two different school rooms rent-free for office space,
and the use of desks and other equipment, and the County Board for the
use of a room in the Court House.
The first step in getting started was to publicize the project and invite
public participation. A mailing list was compiled with the help of the
local electric companies — Minnesota Power and North Star Electric
Co-Operative — the Historical Society's membership list and an
alphabetical list of county residents supplied by theAuditor's office.
There were two mailings of a brochure which fully explained the project
and invited family members and leaders in all walks of life to submit
their stories and photos without cost or obligation. About 6000 brochures
went out in the first mailing, and another 9000 in the second. Our newspapers
and radio stations generously helped to advertise the project and explain
how the ordinary citizen could be a part of it. The entire undertaking,
the committee feels, was well-publicized.
Close to 700 family histories were received but in other areas of our
history the response was not completely up to expectations. As a result,
a number of organizations and activities that are important in county
history are not represented as they should be. The committee regrets,
too, that space limitations did not permit the use of all pictures received.
A few written contributions had to be shortened for the same reason.
We sincerely hope that the Koochiching County History Book will provide
hours of enjoyment for purchasers and family members for years to come.
We hope, too, that the book will help in a substantial way to preserve
the exciting history of our home county.
Finally, a cordial thank-you to all for their written contributions
and to the many volunteers who helped in other ways to assure the success
of this undertaking.