‘Shetek Revisited’ highlights the history, culture of early Lake Shetek people

Lake Shetek State Park will again be hosting several programs and a bus tour highlighting the history and culture of the people living at Lake Shetek in 1862.

During August of 1862, there were nine families numbering about 50 people living along the eastern and southern shores of Lake Shetek. They had big hopes for a new settlement and a new life on the southwestern prairies of Minnesota. There were also a number of Dakota Indians living around the lake much as their people had been for centuries. At Lake Shetek, these two groups of people learned to get along and live as neighbors.

All that changed on Aug. 17, 1862, when four Dakota Indians, driven by starvation and broken promises, killed five settlers at Acton, near present day Grove City. They sparked a war that would last six weeks in Minnesota and for many more years in the West. Fourteen settlers at Lake Shetek would also lose their lives as a result.

On Friday at 7 p.m., “Sweet Dreams” will be presented at the picnic area council ring. The Native American dream catcher, according to legend, is supposed to capture the bad dreams coming from the sky and allow the good dreams to pass through onto us as we’re sleeping. Participants can learn how to make one.

On Saturday, Aug. 17, take a bus tour journey back in time to Aug. 20, 1862, as you are guided through the events on that fateful day. Learn about the settlers’ lives before and after this deadly conflict. The meeting place is the park’s picnic area parking lot so that participants can leave promptly at 9 a.m. for a driving tour of the cabin sites, visiting Slaughter Slough, and ending at the Shetek Monument. The cost of the tour is $5 per person. Reservations are required by either calling the park at 507-763-3256 with the number of people attending or stop in at the park office to sign up. Reservations must be made by Friday.

Also on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the picnic area council ring, a “Visitor from the Past” Mrs. Eastlick, one of the settlers at Lake Shetek, will tell about her experiences during and after the conflict that took place here in August of 1862 when 14 of her friends and family were killed.

Bicycle thefts hit 5-year high in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Bicycle theft in Minneapolis is at a five-year high.

Police Department data obtained by the Star Tribune showed almost 4,300 bikes reported stolen since 2017.

The rash of thefts frustrates cyclists and police, who don’t always have time to track down stolen bikes amid other more serious calls. But for thieves, selling stolen bikes can be a quick way to make hundreds of dollars.

Bike thefts peak from April to September, the most desirable months to ride.

Police department data show the most reported thefts in downtown Minneapolis and surrounding neighborhoods.

Data showed Minneapolis police recovered 346 bikes in 2017 and 2018. But recovered bikes often don’t come back in the same condition.

Woman killed after crashing car into tree in Pequot Lakes

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say a 25-year-old Brooklyn Park woman crashed her car into a tree in central Minnesota and was killed.

The Star Tribune reported the wreck occurred about 7:35 p.m. Saturday on southbound Hwy. 371 in Pequot Lakes.

Authorities have yet to release her identity or reveal any of the circumstances leading to the crash.

DNR: Zebra mussels discovered in Minnesota mine pit

VIRGINIA, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is trying to figure out how damaging zebra mussels ended up in a mine pit on the Iron Range.

The agency said Friday it has confirmed zebra mussels in the Rouchleau Mine Pit near Virginia in northeastern Minnesota.

DNR invasive species specialist Richard Rezanka told the Star Tribune the pit is closed to the public and its waters have seen little, if any, activity.

Cleveland Cliffs, the mining company that owns the property, had been pumping water from the pit into a drainage ditch. Rezanka said after discovering the mussels, the company notified the DNR and immediately stopped pumping the water.

The DNR will inspect the surrounding waterways to see if any zebra mussels were able to establish a home downstream.

Man dies after semi splits his car in half in North Dakota

OXBOW, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Highway Patrol said a man is dead after a semi pulling a baler sheared his car in half.

Authorities said 38-year-old Christopher Bauer of Puposky, Minnesota, was driving a Chevrolet Malibu on a county road south of Oxbow on Friday afternoon when he drove off the road and into a ditch. The car re-entered the road and spun into the path of the semi, which struck the car on the passenger side.

KFGO reported the crash split the car in half and ripped both axles off the truck.

Bauer died at the scene. The truck driver from Kindred was taken to a Fargo hospital with minor injuries.

Fargo firefighters rescue woman from Red River

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Fargo firefighters have rescued a woman from the Red River.

Firefighters responded Saturday afternoon to a report of a woman who was in the river and could not climb the steep shore. She was found about 75 yards downstream from where she entered the water, and was about 25 yards from shore and struggling to stay above water.

A firefighter entered the river as the woman slipped under the water, swam to her and brought her to shore. She was turned over to paramedics on the scene for an evaluation.