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The Big Top in a Small Town.
Imagine the excitement when a circus comes to town. In the days before flyers are posted on poles and buildings, and appear on kitchen tables, having been brought home with eager hope for a trip to the Big Top! Children hum with anticipation, pulling out any possible coins they may have saved over the year. […]
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Ah! The Fair Days of Summer.
As a child I remember street fairs in the small town where I was raised. These street fairs were magic. Ferris wheels reached to the sky, cotton candy, games of chance, little ducklings in ponds, watermelon eating, pies, produce, tables of sparkling jars of canned goods and preserves, and barns full of farm animals. The […]
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Oh, That Mushroom!
The first time I drove through the town of Dassel I immediately noticed the tiny little gas station on the north corner of First Street and Highway 12. The building was built back in 1931 by Lewis (aka Louis) Belin. Lewis began operating the station with a lease from White Eagle Oil Corportation. Lewis was […]
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Lake Washington was hopping
Recently someone asked me if I knew anything about Lake Washington in Meeker County. I had to say, “nope, I know nothing’. From The Lake Washington Improvement Association I learned some geographical facts. “Lake Washington is located between the cities of Dassel and Darwin in Meeker County, Minnesota. The lake covers 2,639 acres with 10.6 […]
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Take me out to the ball game
News that three games of the town ball state championship will be held at our Dassel Ball Park in 2022 brought visions of sunshine dancing in my head. Our team, then called the Dassel Nine, started out in 1880. Baseball of the time was typically held between local teams. It was just too darn hard […]
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That Canoe.
Way before European settlers came to the Dassel area, way before Dassel, back in 1030 or so BCE this area was inhabited by the Woodlands People. The Woodlands People were a creative and civilized group who created small, sometimes temporary, settlements along the waterways and lakes of the area. Among their talents was […]
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Dassel’s First Flag & Seven Sisters
1869 was the year of many firsts for Dassel. Our small settlement was platted this year by the St Paul and Pacific Railroad. St. Paul and Pacific railroad known known as The Great Northern reached Dassel this year. James H. and Chas A. Morris opened our first general merchandise store. James H. Morris built a […]
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The Kingston Foot Bridge
Now this is not quite Dassel although Dassel township boarders Kingston’s’ so I am taking a liberty here. A few years ago, I met a wonderful gentleman named Oscar, who lived on his family’s farm along the Crow river in his youth. His best friend, Lloyd, lived across the river, also on his family’s farm. […]
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Where is Dassel anyway, and what about that corn?
Dassel is located in Meeker County Minnesota, just off the intersection of Highways 12 and 15. We are about 30 miles south of St Cloud, 60 miles west of Minneapolis, and 15 miles north of Hutchinson. So, we are situated in a prime location. Dassel was platted in 1869 by the St Paul and Pacific […]
Views From an outsider
learning about Dassel and it's glorious history
Views From an outsider 