The Great River Regional Library Bookmobile is shown parked in front of the Royalton Community Library, a branch of the Great River Regional Library in Royalton, Minnesota.
Site of the grave of Hole-in-the-Day, chief of the upper Mississippi band of Ojibwe who was assassinated by fellow Ojibwe in 1868. This image is by Arthur Adams, Minneapolis high school teacher, local historian, and photographer. Adams traveled throughout Minnesota, taking photographs to augment his lectures. His studio was located at 3648 Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis.
In this oral history by David H. Overy, Carl F. VanderHaar details his service experiences in the Minnesota National Guard and U.S. Army from 1931 to 1952. VonderHaar was born in Albertville, Minnesota on June 21, 1913, and was raised in Little Falls where he spent his adult life. His service includes early surveying and construction at Camp Ripley, motor repair during World War II, and later quartermaster duties in both World War 2 and Korea. VonderHaar served overseas in Ireland, Africa, France, and the Philippines. In Minnesota, he ran several successful businesses between his terms of military service. VonderHaar also discusses Japanese internment, Vietnam and the Gulf War. The father of four he died on April 27, 2014, at the age of 100 in Little Falls, Minnesota.
Clem Miller was born on May 5, 1922 in Duluth, MN. He joined the Minnesota National Guard in 1939 and was inducted into the Army in 1941. He and his unit, the 125th Field Artillery in the 34th Infantry Division, were sent to the European theater, and he saw action in North Africa and Italy. Miller directed artillery fire on the battlefield as a surveyor had a wide variety of combat experiences including artillery barrages, air raids, sniper fire, minefields, and friendly fire. In North Africa he patrolled the battlefield after the Allied victory and guarded POWs. In Italy, he served with the 100th Infantry Division and the 92nd Infantry (segregated units of Japanese Americans and African Americans, respectively). Throughout the interview, Miller gave his opinions on the quality of American troops as well as the German and Italian soldiers, their respective armaments, and the civilians he encountered. Miller wrote about his military experiences in a book entitled Some Things You Never Forget. He died on August 27, 2008 in Hermantown, MN.
This interview was conducted on October 30, 1990 and January 21, 1991 by David Overy. Joseph Plakut was born in Swan River Township, Minnesota, on March 17, 1921. He entered the Army in October 1942. Plakut was trained as an airplane mechanic and .50 caliber machine gunner on a bomber plane in England. On his first mission, his plane was shot down while trying to bomb a German plant at Bremen and he spent the remainder of the war in a German prison camp. During a camp evacuation march in 1945, Plakut and the rest of the surviving prisoners were liberated by the American 3rd Armored Division Plakut married his wife Anna Maciej on June 11, 1946 and they had four children: Richard, JoAnn, Kathleen, and David. Plakut concluded his oral history with a discussion about how his treatment as a prisoner and the treatment of prisoners in Iraq were very different experiences. Plakut passed away on June 24, 2005 at the VA Medical Center in St. Cloud.
Neal Tholen was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, on March 20, 1919. He graduated from Little Falls High School in 1939 and was drafted into the U.S. Army in April, 1941. He trained for the infantry and, while stationed in Ireland in the early months of the war, transferred to a Military Police Platoon within the 85th Division. He served as an MP throughout the war in Ireland, Tunisia, and Italy before being discharged in 1945. He described the arrest procedures and his personal philosophy of what his role was for the soldiers. He also describes the organization of his particular MP platoon, the procedures for directing large convoys of traffic, policing soldiers on leave, and guard duty. Tholen shared stories about how locals in Tunisia and Italy interacted with the troops and various raids to local "cathouses" he participated in. Tholen also described the effect his service had on him after the war and his appreciation for the friendships he made there. He returned to Little Falls, married and raised seven children. Mr. Tholen worked at Camp Ripley as a member of the National Guard for 36 years before retiring. He died in Little Falls, Minnesota, at the age of 81 on July 12, 2000.
In an oral history conducted by David H. Overy on July 16, 1992, Paul V. Meyer discussed his experiences as National Guardsman during World War II. He was born on May 18, 1918 and raised in Mankato, Minnesota. In 1935, Meyer graduated from Mankato High School and enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard. He attended Mankato Business College and graduated from Mankato State College. Meyer married his first wife, Wilda Gifford, in 1940, they had four children. Meyer spent most World War II stationed in Kodiak, Alaska. In this interview, Meyer described his experiences in the Minnesota National Guard as an infantryman during World War II. He enlisted in 1935 and was inducted into the Army in June 1941. He discussed his unit's duties at Fort Greely in Alaska - to defend the most northern U.S. military base and to build infrastructure. In addition, he described the day to day life on the base, along with living conditions, road construction, hunting, and leisure activities, as well as the boredom. Meyer also discussed his interactions with civilians, natives, and regular army personnel, adding that each relationship was more different than the next. Meyer stressed that his experience in the National Guard was positive and his only regret was not staying in longer. He retired from the service in 1974 at the rank of major general and as Commander of the 47th Infantry Division, ending 39 years of service to his county. Outside of his military career, Meyer partnered into the family business, Meyer & Sons, an appliance business in Mankato, Minnesota. After Wilda's death in 1997, Meyer married his second wife, Doris Beyer, in 2000. Meyer died on January 10, 2016, at the age of 97.
Vernon A. Bigalke was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, on February 18, 1917. Before the war, he served in the Minnesota National Guard and then was drafted into the Army in 1941. For the first years of the war, Bigalke was part of an anti-aircraft artillery unit that guarded American shores. He was reassigned to the 259th Infantry in Mississippi and sent to Le Harve, France in December 1944 as part of the 65th Infantry Division. While at the Seigfried Line he was captured by the Germans in January 1945 and held as a prisoner until the end of the war. He described his treatment by the Germans, his survival mechanisms, and his experiences as a POW until liberation, which included a brief stop at Dachau concentration camp. After the war, Mr. Bigalke became a farmer and raised a family. He died in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 22, 2007.
William Cheeseman was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, on April 22, 1918. He enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard in 1938 and was called to active duty in 1941. Mr. Cheeseman was part of a transportation company that was attached to the 34th Infantry Division when it was deployed to Ireland for training. Sent to North Africa in 1943, he participated in the North African campaign including the retreat at Kasserine Pass. Cheeseman was given a field promotion and was the supply officer with the headquarters battalion when it moved to Italy in mid-1943. There he experienced frequent artillery bombardments and served on the court martial board. Cheeseman made several comments about the various nationalities he came into contact with including international allies, German and Italian opposition, and civilian population in Ireland, Italy, and Africa. He also made observations about the quality and efforts of the Nisei Regiment and the African American 92nd division. As a junior member of the court martial board, Mr. Cheeseman speculated about the motivations of the many offenders that were tried, the severity and effectiveness of their punishment, and shared some notable cases. He observed the action at Monte Cassino before being shipped home in 1944. He remained with the National Guard and eventually rose to the rank of general. Mr. Cheeseman married and raised a family in St. Paul before retiring to Little Falls. He died in Little Falls, Minnesota, on February 4, 2014.
In an oral interview conducted by David Overy on October 1990, William "Bill" Faber discussed his twenty years of military service in the National Guard, Navy, Air Force, and Army from 1937 to 1962. Faber was born on January 15, 1921, in Anoka, Minnesota, where he was raised. Faber enlisted in the National Guard in January 1937 as a member of the 125th Field Artillery, then joined the Navy in 1940, and later the Air Force as a sergeant first class. He would then transfer to the Army as second lieutenant. Faber"s military career spans multiple wars, he describes his role in the Battle of Midway in June 1942 during World War II and later his time as a member of the Korean Military Advisory Group after the Korean War. Throughout his various military roles Faber detailed daily life, food, foreign civilian interactions, and fond memories of his time in the service. In 1962, Faber retired from the Army as a major. He returned to Anoka and worked from the Telect Company as a quality control director. On January 18, 2008, Faber died in Little Falls, Minnesota.
Exterior view of the Little Falls Public Library, housed in a Carnegie building built in 1904, in Little Falls, Minnesota. The library is a branch of the Great River Regional Library headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Librarians Bill Hecht and Cheryl Seelen assist a patron at the circulation desk of the Little Falls Public Library. Housed in a Carnegie building built in 1904 in Little Falls, Minnesota, the library is a branch of the Great River Regional Library headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Exterior view of the Little Falls Public Library, housed in a Carnegie building built in 1904, in Little Falls, Minnesota. The library is a branch of the Great River Regional Library headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Interior of the Little Falls Public Library. Librarian Bill Hecht assists a patron using the card catalog. Housed in a Carnegie building built in 1904 in Little Falls, Minnesota, the library is a branch of the Great River Regional Library headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Patrons checking out materials from the Little Falls Public Library. Housed in a Carnegie building built in 1904 in Little Falls, Minnesota, the library is a branch of the Great River Regional Library headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
