Trending
The Lyon County Museum is having a Fall Reflections Series this month and next month. All programs are free will donation, open to the public and are at the museum.
• Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker will present on their book, "Dear Jacob: A Mother's Journey of Hope" at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19.
On Oct. 22, 1989, in the small town of St. Joseph, Minnesota, eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped at gunpoint. Twenty-seven years later, on Sept.3, 2016, Danny Heinrich led authorities to the boy's remains. What lies between is the riveting story of the search for Jacob Wetterling, told by his mother, Patty. In 2013, the Wetterlings were joined on their quest for answers by two unlikely allies-a local blogger and a plumber. Joy Baker convinced Jared Scheierl to come forward and share his story about being kidnapped from a nearby town and sexually assaulted the same year as Jacob. Together, these two uncovered a string of similar assaults that had never been fully investigated. The combined efforts of this foursome led to the breakthrough that solved the case.
Wetterling is a national advocate, visionary and educator on the prevention of child abduction and exploitation. Baker works as an independent marketing consultant, professional copywriter, and writing coach.
• Jay Grammond will present "Wind, Prairie, and Stone in Southwest Minnesota" at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Step into the windswept prairies and rugged stone country of Southwest Minnesota! In this fascinating presentation, we'll uncover hidden roadside curiosities, explore historic windmills; stone buildings and formations, and hear stories that bring the region's past to life, from railroad depots to churches, to Carnegie libraries and so much more. This presentation features 18 counties of prairie beauty and one-of-a-kind landmarks. You will see familiar landscapes in a whole new way.
Grammond is a Minnesota-based photographer, author, and public speaker known for capturing the essence of Americana, rural landscapes, remembering our veterans, and fading history through his lens. As the creative force behind J Grammond Photography, he leads photography workshops, speaks at cultural and historical events, sells Fine Art; and publishes books that preserve visual stories of the past. His work has been featured in galleries, healthcare spaces, radio, tv, and podcast programs; and educational programs throughout the region.
• Anita Gaul will present "Living (and Fighting) Together in the Bishop's Colony: St. Eloi's First Thirty Years" at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Bishop John Ireland of St. Paul established 10 Catholic colonies in western Minnesota from 1876-1883, including Ghent. Although the Bishop envisioned his colonies to be harmonious and prosperous settlements, Ghent's new St. Eloi parish experienced great turmoil as the Flemish and French-Canadian Catholics attempted to build a church. Gaul explores the fractious relationship between St. Eloi's ethnic groups and the reasons why they were able to continue worshipping together in the same parish.
Gaul currently teaches at Minnesota West Community & Technical College. Her work as an historian focuses on local and regional history. Her published works include "The Women of Southwest Minnesota and the Great War (2018)," "Homely Girls and Pretty Babies: A History of the Murray County Fair (2013)," and "Living in Perfect Harmony: A Multiethnic Catholic Parish on the Minnesota Prairie, 1881-1910" in the Journal of American Ethnic History (2010). She is the winner of the 2026 Minnesota Board of Trustees Educator of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching.
• Ka Wong will present "Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II" at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The forced eviction and confinement of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor in 1941 was one of the worst civil rights violations of the 20th century. In Minnesota, the impact was dramatic: the state’s Japanese American population grew from just 51 in 1940 to several thousand by war's end.
Drawing on personal interviews, archival sources, and historical literature, Wong explores the courageous struggles of trailblazers who left incarceration camps to rebuild their lives in Minnesota. The book illustrates how Japanese Americans transformed both the state and their own lives-- from college students and Cadet Nurses to soldiers training at the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Camp Savage and Fort Snelling. Despite wartime hostility, bonds of empathy developed between resettlers and local allies, demonstrating a legacy of solidarity that remains deeply relevant today.
Wong is professor of Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield. His book "Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II" (Minnesota Historical Society Press) won the 2026 Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction at the Minnesota Book Awards.
• Doug Ohman will present "Civic Pride: Historic Courthouses of Minnesota" at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20
Visit many of Minnesota's 87 counties through the eyes of the lens. He has photographed every courthouse in the state and has learned many interesting stories that are quickly being lost to time. Enjoy the beauty and elegance of our most treasured civic buildings.
Ohman has spent the past 30 + years photographing historic architecture and landscapes in Minnesota. His work has been featured in books, magazines and calendars. He has spent the last 20 years selling photography art at local art & craft shows. Along with being an independent photographer, heis also a historian and public speaker. His focus has been Minnesota history. He gives public presentations to over 300 groups per/year and has been the featured host of eight PBS television programs. His program: "Landmarks - Keeping history alive," was nominated for a PBS Emmy in 2019.