Tag Archives: Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument | MN Buffalo Ridge

June 13, 2013 Dan Traun

MN Buffalo Ridge series [The To and From] [Gibbon, MN] [Pipestone National Monument] [Blue Mound State Park] [Morton, MN Monuments]

We had wonderful weather for our exploration of Pipestone National Monument in Pipestone, MN. It is amazing to see these quarries and the amount of Sioux Quartzite rock that was removed by hand with only hand tools to expose the pipestone. We were not fortunate enough to witness the actual mining of the pipestone, but did speak with the artisans inside that were carving pipestone and working with sumac to form the pipe stems.

I won’t ramble on with the complete history of this very interesting place. Just let you imagination wonder while viewing the photos of what it must have been like in a different time. If you want to know more, visit Pipestone, MN and see it first-hand. The National Park Services has a wonderful website about all things in Pipestone, MN.

Catlinite (also called pipestone or pipeclay) is a type of argillite, usually brownish-red in color, which occurs in a matrix of Sioux quartzite. Because it is fine-grained and easily worked, it is prized by Native Americans for use in making sacred pipes such as calumets (Fr: “hollow reed”) and chanunpas. Pipestone quarries are located and preserved in Pipestone National Monument outside of Pipestone, Minnesota, in Pipestone County, Minnesota, and at the Pipestone River in Ontario, Canada.
~Wikipedia

Destination, Photography

Gibbon, MN | MN South Central

June 13, 2013 Dan Traun 1 Comment

MN Buffalo Ridge series [The To and From] [Gibbon, MN] [Pipestone National Monument] [Blue Mound State Park] [Morton, MN Monuments]

Gibbon is situated along the Western edge of the Sibley County boarder. This small town of just under 800 has character much like others in the region. Most notable is its village hall that was built in 1895 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cyndie and I spent some time wandering about inDiana and Lyle Bad Dog Antiques and Other Attractions (1059 1st Avenue Gibbon, Minnesota 55335). This place definitely had some character. The proprietor was very proud of his wife’s enormous collection of watercolor paint tins. It was quite large. I never knew people collected such things. I guess you can collect just about anything.

The state bank sign also caught our eyes; not only for it’s eye-catching sea foam green color, but also it’s simple and clean design.

Destination, Photography

The To And From – Desitination Pipestone | MN Buffalo Ridge

June 12, 2013 Dan Traun

MN Buffalo Ridge series [The To and From] [Gibbon, MN] [Pipestone National Monument] [Blue Mound State Park] [Morton, MN Monuments]

After a short drive to drop off the furry kids at grandma’s house, we set out for Buffalo Ridge – specifically Pipestone, MN. I have wanted to make this in-state journey for some time now and just haven’t gotten around to it.

Back in-the-day, when I would travel anywhere, it was balls to wall (just recently learned the origin of this) with no time spent in between stopping for anything. These days, when Cyndie and I travel, I look for most any excuse to take a back road or generally deviate from the prescribed path the GPS has set forth. We stop for bakery’s, ice cream, antique stores, nursery & greenhouses, interesting small towns – we’ve managed to create an exhaustive list of excuses to stop. More often than not, we stumble upon fun, interesting, and often times tasty things. For all these reasons, if the route says 2 hours, you can count on it taking use at least 4 hours. After all, it is all about the journey.

This is the first of five post detailing our recent excursion to Buffalo Ridge and as the title states, these are the shots heading to and back home from our destination.

Destination, Photography, Wildlife

Abandoned Hunting: The In-Between | MN, SD & ND

April 6, 2013 Dan Traun

This is the follow up post to Abandoned Hunting | MN, SD & ND.

We were afforded quite a variety of scenery and subjects in our travels. The wildlife was plentiful and spectacular. The sheer number of geese that will congregate in one area can be quite the spectacle. We were reminded how nature can often be raw and brutal. We witnessed a bald eagle ripping away at a deer carcass and another that dispatched Fluffy on the side of a road and then proceeded to carry it away. The Whitetail deer were seemingly as numerous as grains of sands. There were three different occasions that we spotted entire herds milling about in the middle of the day. I very much enjoyed the small towns we passed through. I could have spent a lot of time photographing their character, but per usual, we were on a mission.

Abandoned, Destination, Photography

Abandoned Hunting | MN, SD & ND

April 6, 2013 Dan Traun 1 Comment

Cyndie and I had time last weekend to do some abandoned hunting. We drove through West Central MN (212), NE South Dakota and SE North Dakota. We were amazed at the number of abandoned farms and homes still standing. The first two images are two of many that “got away.” The snow was somewhat of a hindrance. Minimum Maintenance roads are nothing to mess around with this time of year. The roads to several properties where minimum maintenance or simply were just not plowed. GPS coordinates will come in handy for a return trip 🙂

The next few images are of an almost abandoned town in SD called Hammer. There was one home there still occupied – not quite a complete ghost town yet.

Further along you will see that we did find a couple of abandoned homes that we could actually explore (Montevideo and Big Stone City).

We both would have liked to get inside the 1911 brick schoolhouse in Louisburg, MN, but that just wasn’t possible.

A few more abandoned places we encountered.

It was a great few days to get away and capture rural decay and commit historic visions to pixels. The post to follow will include all of the photos of all points in between the abandoned places.

Photography, Wildlife

Shooting Swans | Central MN

March 24, 2013 Dan Traun 2 Comments

This is an absolute site to see. The $10/hr./photographer for private deck access just off the water was more than worth it.

swandeck — View from the Private Observation Deck

Reservations: Rich Thurman | 201 Mississippi Drive | Monticello, MN. 55362 | richthurman@fnmmail.com.

There is a public area to observe the swans adjacent to the residence with the private deck if you would rather go that route – Monticello Swan Park. Either way, please consider making a donation to carry on what Sheila Lawrence stared.

Between my two camera’s I have a little bit over 1000 frames to look through. I’ve gotten better at trashing the obvious non-winners. Here are the 37 frames I kept.

Private observation deck

Private observation deck – 4 slots

Public observation area

Destination, Photography

Schech’s Mill, Established 1876 | MN Southeast

June 27, 2012 Dan Traun

Schech’s Mill

The Beaver Creek Valley mill was constructed 1876 by John Blinn. The substantial brick mill is powered by an arrangement of four different water turbines. Master miller Michael Schech, an immigrant from Bavaria, worked at a large mill facility in Minneapolis. Hearing that the Blinn Mill was for sale, Schech and his family jumped at the chance to work for themselves. Schech’s brother operated the mill until the family could relocate to the Beaver Creek Valley.

Geography

Schech’s Mill is located in southeastern Minnesota; situated right next to Beaver Creek Valley State Park. This section of the country is known as the Driftless Area, a 16,000 square mile area covers portions of Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Noted for its deep river valleys, this area suffers periods of flooding, proving disastrous to stream-side mills.

Flour

I’ve seen all the different kinds of flour in the store, but I guess I never really had given much thought to what the different types where all about. Ed explained it all, and more, in great detail with demonstrations right before our eyes. A sample bag of corn meal and flour are provided as part of the tour too. Cyndie made very tasty cornbread to go with the BBQ ribs we had the following evening – yum yum. This mill was by far my favorite of the two. It was a fantastic tour and I highly recommend it to anyone that visits the area.

To say that Schech’s Mill is a hidden treasure is an understatement. You can feel the history oozing from its walls and milling equipment. The mill owner/operator, Ed Krugmire, gives an amazing tour. Having been in his family for 120+ years, he knows every detail about the mill and its history. It is Minnesota’s only water-powered flour mill still in operation today.

Please visit the Scheck’s Mill website for more details.

Destination, Photography

Pickwick Mill, Established 1854 | MN Southeast

June 27, 2012 Dan Traun 1 Comment

Pickwick Mill in Southeast Minnesota is located in the town of Pickwick on the banks of Big Trout Creek. Travel a few miles South of Winona on Hwy 61 and hang a right onto County Road 7; you will run right into it.

It took three years to build this mill with construction beginning in 1856 and concluding in 1858. All six floors materialized from locally quarried limestone and timber. This mill is considered one of the largest of its kind in Minnesota. The 20-foot water wheel is still operational today. It is quite a site to see it spin.

The interior is filled with 6 floors of machinery that were used throughout the life of the mill. Antique roller mills, separators and flour dressers can all be view by visitors today.

After supporting the Civil War effort, it went on to serve Southern Minnesota and portions of Iowa and Wisconsin. The mill produced flour and/or livestock feed until 1978. Nearly 120 years of operation, a flood damaged the dam and spillway and the mill itself sustain heavy water damage.

The lighting was difficult most of the time, but interesting non-the-less the entire tour. The sunlight pouring in through the deep-set windows was quite captivating. Here are some shot from our tour.

Months the mill will be open:
Open Weekends during May, September, and October Open Tuesday through Sunday during June, July, and August *Other time by appointment
Admissions: $3 adult, $2 12-18 & $1 Children

Destination, Photography

One Day; Two Mills | MN Southeast

June 27, 2012 Dan Traun

This last Saturday (6/23) Cyndie and I headed to Southeast Minnesota to tour two historic mills. The one I have known about for a while and the other we recently learned about from the Innkeeper at the Jailhouse B&B in Preston, MN when we stayed there this past March.

It was another one of those gorgeous early summer days with 300+ miles of back roads out in front of us and a 12+ hour day. Our first stop was at the Pickwick Mill in Pickwick, MN (just South of Winona, MN); the second stop was Schech’s Mill located between Caledonia, MN and Houston, MN. Both offered great tours chocked full old belt-driven machinery. Pickwick was more of a self-guided tour whereas Schech’s was more of an intimate tour with fascinating history and demonstrations from the proprietor.

I am working on the photos from each location and will post soon. For now, though, the following shots are from all points between home, the two mills and back home again.