Exhibits

As villages grew in the late 1800's, our `village' has also grown. The Wheels Across the Prairie's buildings are real. The school house is furnished with genuine artifacts, the barber shop, summer kitchen and the post office are authentic. Replica buildings is the 1930 cottage. The collections are period pieces. We showcase some of the collections we own in the different buildings such as tractors, a wild bird collection, a car and various machinery.

C. & N.W.R. Engine & Depot

C. & N.W.R. Engine

Our signature attraction is our four-unit freight train. The engine is a 1915 American locomotive used in the yard of the St. Paul railroad system. The engine and the coal car were sold to a private owner in Rochester, MN and later sold again to the museum site.

To complement the engine we were able to obtain an immigrant box car from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and finally added the caboose which is the rolling workstation.

Tracy Depot

We found an original CNW depot from Volga, SD. Our train exhibit is also highlighted by the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder who took her first train ride from Walnut Grove to Tracy in the 1880's. Mrs. Wilder details the event in her book, “By the Shores of Silver Lake.” Tracy is also mentioned as a rail center in the book, “The Long Winter.”

St. Marks Episcopal Church

The Church Mission was begun in Tracy, MN under the care of Rev. C.I. Haupt, Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, on October 13, 1899. Later, the congregation rented a vacant building and used it until this church was erected in 1901-1902. Inside you will find authentic church memorabilia from the late 1800's.

St. Mark’s is available for rental for weddings, renewal of vows, baptisms, etc.

$100.00 Damage Deposit. $100.00 Fee

The John H. Low Cabin

In November of 1863 an expedition of 140 wagons, each drawn by two or three yokes of oxen, were sent out from Mankato to carry supplies to Fort Thompson, SD, on the Missouri River. John H. Low was a "Bull Whacker" (or teamster) on this expedition. They entered Murray County in what is now the township of Dovray on an old government trail.

During this time they passed by a lake they called Bear Lake. A good stand of timber was available and the brothers decided to stake out a homestead. The lake was also called "The Great Oasis". The men erected their cabins from the logs they harvested (The year was 1866).

District #91 - Established 1897

The Teacher usually lived with a family in the district and was responsible for the housekeeping and janitor chores at the school. The out buildings on the school grounds included the two outdoor toilets and a coal shed.

The teacher had to start the fire in the space heater every cold morning and keep it going to heat the classroom. The coal had to be carried in and the ashes out. Those whose desks were close to the stove were usually too warm, while those in the other corner were cold.

U.S. Post Office - Amiret, MN

The original post office in Amiret for several years, now used on the museum grounds, hold memorabilia of the Amiret Community Band, along with other artifacts of the Amiret community.

Monroe Town Hall

This building was a town hall in 1890 that was moved two miles west on Highway 14 to replace a school house that had burned down. It was used as a schoolhouse, known as the Muedeking School, and Pleasant View School, until 1954.

At that time, District 417 absorbed all country schools into the district. The town hall continues to function as an active part of the grassroots government in session, even though it has been moved to the museum property.

Veterans' Monument

This memorial is dedicated to the men and women veterans who served our country in times of peace and war. Especially those who gave their lives.

Helmberger/Holmboe

The Helmberger/Holmboe building is the largest building on our campus. This building hosts Tracy and Garvin memorabilia. One could say you're walking downtown Tracy, with all of the nostalgia we have saved, from several different stores, to the clinic, hospital, dentists, school, fire and police departments, don't forget the 1922 studebaker or the 1923 Luverne fire truck, even Luverne MN doesn't have a Luverne fire truck. We have many things to keep you entertained be sure to put the museum on your destination list for years to come.

The Summer Kitchen

The summer kitchen was a one-room building located close to the kitchen of the main house. It often was built near the well or over the cistern so there would be a source of water for the activities which were carried on in this room.

It was here the busy housewife would wash clothes, render lard, can fruits and vegetables and prepare meats for canning. It was in this room the heat and the mess of those chores were contained so the main kitchen would be kept clean and cool especially in hot summers.

Norwegian Hytt

Norwegian Hyttt, is a unique building on our campus. It is a building which inside is painted in Rosemaling by Viola Knott of rural Tracy, she and her husband Bob, donated the building to us a few years back, as they were getting ready to move off of the farm. Her entire family is pictured on the north wall, can you find the monster in the mountain? Above the bed is a train built by her brother, which Vi painted with rosemaling. It is a pure gem and one that you really need to check out when visiting us.

The Cottage

The move into the new century was a move into new ideas and new technology. Our cottage has some of the old and some of the new. Watch for these items as you check out the rooms.

Barbershop

"Barber" (from the Latin Barba beard). one who cuts and trims hair, saves beards, etc.

The barber shop was familiar institution in ancient Greece and Rome, and then, as now, was the center for exchange of gossip and opinion. For six centuries the barbers of Europe practiced surgery. This custom began when a papal decree forbid the monks to shed blood. They had been doing blood letting and other minor surgeries as part of their vocation. Now the barbers were given the tasks. Doctors were happy to turn such a trivial surgeries over. Eventually the barbers were allowed to lance abscesses and treat wounds. Thus the barber signs also carried the title of Chirurgeon and the barber pole carried the red and white striped pole which indicted that he could "bleed" and bind wounds.

Blacksmith

There are three essentials to a good shop: Plenty of Ventilation, A floor of gravel or concrete and A hot forge.

The blacksmith played a vital role in his community and was accorded his due respect. The shop itself was often a place where people socialized while waiting for something to be made or repaired. A trip to the blacksmith was a welcome break from plowing, logging or hoeing corn.

Main Barn

This land was a gift with two strings attached - One: That the Committee have a building on site in three years time and Two: That a public memorial honoring Martha Whitlatch Wixon's grandfather, S. S. Phelps, pioneer settler on this farmstead, would be built.

Military Building

Military exhibit, our newest exhibit is our military exhibit from the civil war to afghanistan, artifacts from these wars, along with pictures of local service men and women are on display.