Our second day in Minnesota had us going back to the Murray County Museum since it closed before I had a chance to walk around and see the exhibits and I wanted to do a bit more research. I dove into the plat maps and tried to see where my ancestors lived. I found some areas and thought it would be neat to drive around those areas along our route.
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| some old buildings in downtown Slayton |
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| old school house display |
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| The boys and I in front of an old Model T Ford |
The museum was wonderful! lots of neat historical displays and objects donated from people who lived in the area. I am glad I have sons who enjoy history like I do! Ryan is into the old electronics and when they were invented. He loved seeing an older television! Jacob loves old weapons like civil war guns and canons. Me, I love things with a personal touch. Clothing, shoes, hats, letters, photographs, books and accessories as well as antique furniture.
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| My Grandfather was born in Dovray... |
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| Civil war coat |
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| My Great Great Grandfather was a member of the Logan Post GAR in Slayton. |
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| Ryan finds a cool old TV! |
The museum had an old settler's cabin out back. It was amazing to see how thick those walls were!
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pretty old door design |
After we said thank you and goodbye to the museum staff, bought some books and loaded up our car, We set our sights on a very small town called Dovray. This it the town where my Grandfather Ole Haroldson was born. It is now the smallest of towns. If you blink you will miss it. If you listen to your GPS lady, she will miss it and try to make you drive into a corn field.
We found an abandoned park in Dovray. The boys enjoyed checking out the sad and lonely old equipment. My mind drifted off and imagined there was a day when children's laughter rang from that playground... the sound of parents and friends sitting together and cheering on their favorite small town team in the bleachers. I could almost see the dust fly as the kids ran around the bases when the ball was struck by an old wooden baseball bat.
Today though, the bleachers are lonely except for a little lost tree that has found itself growing up through the worn out and weathered seat benches. 
We discovered that the park hid a sweet artistic treasure as well. Inside a dusty old covered picnic area were paintings done by children for the centenial celebration of the town of Dovray. I truly do not think anyone has stepped foot inside that building since that celebration. Those Children would be grown up now.
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| mural created for their Centennial celebration |
We then found the Church that my Great Grandfather and family went to when my Grandfather was born. It was the Norwegian Lutheran church. In 1908 a cyclone tipped the whole thing over!
No huffing and puffing would bring this new brick church down... A very beautiful church!
My great great grandfather also lived in a very tiny town called Holly Township.
We found Holly Township.
It consisted of a Town Hall according to the GPS. If there was anything else to that township, we couldn't find it!
We turned ourselves around and headed out of the corn farms of Holly and ventured Northwest.
I was so pleasantly surprised that my relatives once lived along the same creek as Laura Ingalls Wilder! Yup! Holly Township is right by the banks of Plum Creek! As a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie fan, I had to drive through Walnut Grove!!! The museum there was closed but that didn't stop us from looking around outside. I had been there many years ago with my mom while I was looking at colleges. It is a neat little museum.
We made it to our final destination of the day... New Ulm! There were more adventures to be had in this town but they would have to wait. I needed a bit of sleep first. :-)
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