Three Days - Three Men Part 3

Walton – The Walmart Museum is located in Sam Walton’s first store on the town square in Bentonville. While extremely informative and historically accurate, the museum is produced like Disneyland and clearly the product of Walmart’s Public Relations maestros. The museum has excellent displays and tells the story of Walmart and Sam Walton. Opinions on Walmart and Sam Walton’s leadership are controversial and vary widely.

My opinion is positive, and after viewing his story through the glowing corporate PR halo remain positive.

Samuel Walton was born in 1918 at Kingfisher, Oklahoma. His father farmed there for about five years after Sam’s birth. The father then relocated his family several times after taking a job as a mortgage broker and later as a fore closer on farms during the Great Depression. In the eighth grade Sam became the youngest Eagle Scout in Missouri history. The family eventually settled at Columbia, Missouri where Sam graduated high school.

He attended the University of Missouri on a ROTC scholarship supplemented by waiting tables in a dormitory dining hall. He graduated in 1940 with a degree in Economics. Sam was very popular in college and upon graduation, his class elected him permanent president of their class.

After graduation he went to work for J C Penney stores as a management trainee in Des Moines. In contemplation of Army induction in 1942, he took a temporary job at a DuPont munitions plant near Tulsa. When he entered the Army, he was assigned to the Intelligence Corps where he supervised security units at aircraft plants and prisoner of war camps, stateside. Sam married Helen Robson in 1943. They would have four children, one girl and three boys. Sam Walton was discharged from the Army in 1945 with the rank of Captain.

Walton started his first store in Newport, Arkansas. The Ben Franklin five and dime was a franchise store. Sam was an excellent business manager and great merchandiser. The store was well stocked always having what his customers wanted at the best price. When his short-term lease came due for renewal, his obvious success encouraged his landlord to ask for an exorbitant rent increase. After some negotiation, the landlord purchased the business lock, stock, and barrel.

Pocketing a quick profit, Sam purchased the Ben Franklin franchise for Bentonville, Arkansas. This was the first of sixteen Ben Franklin stores he would own. The second Ben Franklin was opened in 1952. In 1953 he purchased his first airplane. The plane would be a critical, tool, giving him the ability to be in his stores more often.  Sam also used the plane to scout out future store locations.

During this early business expansion period Sam proved to be an excellent manager. He was adept in hiring skilled store managers and headquarters staff, allowing him to spend time in his stores motivating and listening to the concerns of two important groups: his Customers and his Employees. Walton required daily sales reports from each of his stores detailing sales volumes and the items sold. These attributes would prove to be key elements of his phenomenal success.

Walton’s first discount store was opened at Rogers, Arkansas in 1962. At the suggestion of the store manager, Bob Bogle, the store was named Walmart. By 1967 Walmart had twenty-four stores and annual sales of almost thirteen million dollars.

The catalyst enabling this country boy to become the world’s largest retailer was a class conducted for prospective customers by IBM. At these classes, International Business Machines demonstrated the capabilities of their data processing equipment for retail sales management. Sam Walton immediately recognized the value and the potential computers and technology would have on retailing and distribution management.

On his return from IBM school, he hired five programmers away from IBM to implement a data processing system and strategy. Walmart would become the leader in adopting technology. In addition to the main frame computer, Walmart was the first retailer to use point of sale systems (faster and more accurate checkout) and satellite communications linking voice, data and video. Sam Walton understood future success depended on data and logistics.

Growth Timeline - Walmart was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972 when they had fifty-one stores and sales of seventy-eight million dollars. By 1980 they reached the sales of one billion dollars, two hundred and seventy-eight stores, and twenty-one thousand employees (Walmart refers to employees as associates.) Sam Walton died in 1992. At the time of his death, Walmart had one thousand, nine hundred and twenty-eight stores, and three hundred and seventy-one thousand employees. Shortly thereafter, in 1993 Walmart had their first one-billion-dollar sales week.

This past fiscal year (2018) Sam Walton’s little store reported annual sales of five hundred billion dollars, over eleven thousand, seven hundred stores operating in twenty-eight countries (over six thousand in the United States), over one million two hundred thousand employees, and serving over two hundred and seventy million customers each week. Walmart also has a vibrant if not dominant online presence.

Walmart’s PR emphasized that Mr. Sam, as he was known, prided himself or raising the standard of living for customers while lowering their cost of living; EDLP (Everyday low prices – Always.)  

Walmart’s success brought enormous wealth to the Walton family. They have accepted social responsibility and been generous in sharing their wealth. Walmart and the Walton Family established large foundations that support public and charitable activities. Walmart also is a leader in corporate disaster relief, mobilizing their resources quickly for the cause of public safety.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art exists because of the dedication and generosity of Helen and Sam Walton’s daughter, Alice.  Alice Walton, the richest woman in the world and the richest Texan, interest in American Art was cultivated by Ruth Carter Stevenson. Mrs. Stevenson was the driving force of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art where Alice Walton served as a member of the Board of Trustees for eleven years.

As Alice’s interest in American art developed she began acquiring the work of American masters. Logically she with the assistance of the Walmart Foundation and her family foundation constructed the beautiful and fabulous facility in Bentonville where it is stocked with Alice Walton’s collection. The building is spectacular!

Crystal Bridges is set in the woods and designed to be restful. When I arrived on Saturday morning it was anything but restful. The museum was packed - overcrowded - and loud! Admission is sponsored by Walmart, though admission to special exhibits carries an admission charge. I made my way through the galleries too quickly, as I could hardly hear myself think.

There were important pieces by Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, Martin Johnson Heade, John Mix Stanley, Thomas Moran, Fredric Remington, Frederic Edwin Church, William Trost Richards, William Merritt Chase, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sergeant, and more.  I was not able to study or enjoy the art. Really Too Bad!

I escaped to a special exhibit: The Beyond Georgia O’Keefe & Contemporary Art. Admission was ten dollars though I was comped because of my Veteran’s status and thanked by the ticket seller for my service. The O’Keefe exhibit foremost was quiet, so I enjoyed it.

Gathered were important O’Keefe pieces from primarily galleries in the United States. O’Keefe’s use of the effect of light and her ability to work between reality and abstraction is truly a work of art (brilliance). There were about thirty of her works on display along with selected pieces from other artists the curator believed expanded on O’Keefe’s inspiration.  

The O’Keefe exhibition signature piece was “The Beyond.” Truly unique, “The Beyond” was captivating. O’Keefe painted it after she had lost her primary vision and using only her remaining peripheral vision.

Two years was a long time to wait to get to Crystal Bridges, and I would love to return but will have to understand how to assure a far calmer day. It could be a long time.

Three Days - Three Men Part 2

Rogers – The Will Rogers Museum at Claremore, tells the story not of the most famous but the most beloved man of his time.

William Penn Adair Rogers was born at Oologah, Oklahoma in 1879 to a prominent Cherokee family in Indian Territory. Oologah and Claremore are located in Rogers County, named for his father, Clem Rogers a rancher and local leader. Clem Rogers was a proponent for Oklahoma Statehood and in 1907 would be the oldest delegate to the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention before Oklahoma’s annexation as our forty-sixth state.

Variety was the essence of Will Rogers’ life story. He attended Indian boarding school in Missouri and later attended the Kemper Military Academy. While at Kemper he read the New York Times every day. Though a good student he dropped out of school in the tenth grade returning home to become a ranch hand.

When he was twenty-two, with a friend he left the Rogers ranch to start his own ranch in Argentina. The enterprise failed and not wanting to return home Will set out for South Africa to break horses for the British Army during the Boer War. Fortuitously the war ended shortly after his arrival. He quickly took a job with a circus / wild west show as a trick rider and roper. He named his act The Cherokee Kid. From South Africa his wanderlust took him to Australia.

In 1905 he landed in New York City and became a Vaudeville performer doing rope tricks, telling jokes, and talking about current events. Rogers was engaging with a dry sense of humor. Will possessed an everyman persona, was extremely engaging, He was a natural entertainer.

Will married Betty Burke in 1908 in Claremore. Rather than settling down in Oklahoma, the couple returned to Broadway where in 1915 he gained notoriety as a headliner in the Ziegfeld Follies. He starred and performed for Florenz Ziegfeld for seven years. In 1918 Samuel Goldwyn recruited him to act in silent films. Will Rogers quickly became a big star. America loved him. In many of his films he played himself. Amazingly the movie star performed in seventy-one films (fifty silent and twenty-one talkies.)

Knowing a winner when they saw one the New York Times first enticed Will to write a column for them. Rogers stories and commentary on current events were carried in four hundred newspapers and read by forty million people (in 1930 America’s population was one hundred and twenty-three million.) Will also became a radio personality with his own radio program from 1929 – 1935.

Rogers died in a plane crash with noted aviator, Wiley Post in 1935 at the age of fifty-five. During his life he excelled at many occupations: Indian Cowboy, Ziegfeld Follies, Newspaperman, Radio Pundit, Movie Star, and Philosopher.

The Claremore museum built shortly after his death was funded in part by citizens of Oklahoma in honor of their most favorite son. Near his grave is the statue, “Riding into the Sunset”, of Rogers astride his horse Soapsuds. The sculptor was Electra Waggoner Biggs. Electra’s other castings of “Riding into the Sunset” are at the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth and Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

The Museum is physically too big for what is on display - but not for the man who is memorialized. Beyond the display cases and the repetitious plethora of painted portraits the story is best told through the filmstrips and Will’s movies being shown in the main theatre, galleries, and nooks.

My biggest treat while there was meeting one of the costumed docents, Andy Hogan. Andy is pretty close to Will Rogers doppelganger. He was dressed like Rogers hat to boots. He talked like Rogers and he did rope tricks. Foremost Andy was a Will Rogers encyclopedia. It was like talking Jewish geography for a couple old guys from Cowboy Country. Obviously, we talked about Rogers, we talked about the Gilcrease, we talked Fort Worth, we talked Waggoner Ranch, we talked Big 12 Football. No matter what the subject Andy knew about it!

Rogers was the right man at the right time. America needed him through the Great Depression. While he dabbled on the edge of politics; “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat!” he was an Everyman. When twenty percent of Americans were unemployed, he made them laugh when they needed hope, reassurance, and laughter.

The two quotes, I liked best from this homespun philosopher were: “Tomorrow is a better day.” and “My forefathers didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.”

Will Rogers most famous quotation was, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” I came away from his memorial thinking, every man who saw or heard Rogers, liked him!

Three Days – Three Men Part 1

(July 19, 2018) Tulsa, Oklahoma

(July 20, 2018) Claremore, Oklahoma

(July 21, 2018) Bentonville, Arkansas

Two years ago, I promised myself to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Never seemingly able to find a time, yet determined, I finally soloed to Northwest Arkansas by way of Oklahoma’s Green Country between the Osage Hills and the Ozarks.

In addition to Crystal Bridges, I planned to see the Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art in Tulsa, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, the Walmart Museum in Bentonville, and a quick stop at Pea Ridge Civil War Battlefield east of Bentonville. I expected to see great art but came away more fascinated by the stories of three quite different exceptional men.

Gilcrease - I always thought of Thomas Gilcrease as just another what Texans called BOM (Big Oil Money). Gilcrease was a lot more than BOM! William Thomas Gilcrease was born in 1890 at Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana to an Irish immigrant father and a mother of Creek Indian ancestry and a member of the Osage Tribe. Soon after Thomas’ birth the Gilcrease family moved to the Creek Reservation where his father operated a cotton gin in nearby Mounds, Oklahoma.

Thomas being one-eighth Indian was enrolled as a member of the Osage Tribe. A result of the 1887 Dawes Allotment Act, in 1899 young Thomas was allotted one hundred sixty acres of land about 20 miles south of Tulsa. In 1905 the Glenn Pool oil formation was discovered, and Tom Gilcrease became a millionaire at age eighteen. Gilcrease had little formal education, however he proved to be a brilliant oilman. Unlike so many other native Americans he was not swindled out of his riches. Gilcrease would become one of the wealthiest men in Tulsa, then known as the “Oil Capitol of the World.”

Gilcrease business acumen and financial magic did not carry over to his family life. His two marriages failed, and both ended relatively quickly in divorce. Notably his second marriage was to the first Oklahoman to become Miss America (1926). Gilcrease Oil first maintained their principal office in San Antonio and later located in Tulsa. Gilcrease often traveled to Europe for business and pleasure. During his travels he became interested in art and was inspired to learn more about it and began collecting. His fortune provided him with an abundance of economic firepower and once he got the acquisition itch, he scratched intensely.

American art and American history were his dominant interests. His collection consists of painting and sculptures by primarily nineteenth and twentieth century American artists, an extensive collection of native American artists, thousands of native American artifacts including beautiful pottery, and Americana including many historical documents. In sum his collection includes nearly five hundred thousand pieces. The museum houses one of the two known hand-written copies of the Declaration of Independence. This alone is priceless.  The other resides in our National Archives in Washington, D. C. (see movie “National Treasure”.)

What distinguishes Gilcrease from other prominent collectors was his intense study of his collection. More than art appreciation, real understanding. Many people of wealth have large collections but few shared Gilcrease’s level of attachment and appreciation. The other aspect of Gilcrease that impressed me was his sponsorship of native American artists. His generosity allowed them to develop and guaranteed them a market for their works until they became established.

Mr. Gilcrease donated his entire collection and the museum real estate to the City of Tulsa. The Gilcrease Institute is operated by the University of Tulsa. In the early 1950s when the price of oil became severely low Gilcrease Oil experienced severe cash flow problems. In order to meet his financial obligation Gilcrease considered selling some of his treasured art. Fort Worth City Father, Amon Carter, offered Gilcrease over two million dollars for significant parts of the collection. Gilcrease though refused, telling Carter selling would be like deciding which of his children to part with.

The City of Tulsa came to his rescue, not wanting to lose the presence of significant and unique art in their community. To help Gilcrease get through his rough spot, the City passed a bond issue to pay the Gilcrease debt. A public bond issue to bail out a private business? Politically unbelievable! Gilcrease repaid the City from museum operations.

During my visit, on display were photographs by Blake Little of Gay Rodeo, still photographs from ’The Big Trail” (1930), John Wayne’s first credited motion picture role, several large galleries of masterworks from the Gilcrease collection, and a wide assortment of selections from the large native American collection. 

My favorite works were the John James Audubon painting of “Wild Turkey”, the massive and spectacular “Grand Canyon” by William Robinson Leigh, and the Abraham Lincoln death mask and castings of the Rail Splitter’s colossal hands. Among the native American artists, I particularly liked Woodrow Wilson Crumbo. The native American exhibits provided new curiosity and fuel for study of both the Taos Eight and Oklahoma’s Kiowa Five artists. 

A Sacred Place

(June 29, 2018) – Pipestone, Minnesota

Friday, I made an overdue trip to Pipestone National Monument. I drove the sixty miles off the beaten path to the historic site just outside the City of Pipestone, Minnesota near the South Dakota border.

The quarry has a deep-rooted history and my visit gave me greater insight into Native American religion and culture.

Managed by the National Parks Service the two hundred plus acres quarry grounds are well maintained and visitor friendly. The Monument has several service and headquarters buildings for staff and maintenance functions. The federal officials also oversee the quarrying of the pipestone by Native Americans.

My visit started at the Visitor Center. I am not sure why, but admission fees were temporarily suspended. The Park Ranger on duty at the welcome desk said during the summer tourist season they have two hundred to three hundred visitors daily.

First stop was a perfunctory yet informative introductory film, “Pipestone, An Unbroken Legacy.” The Center also had very informative exhibits on the site’s history, Native American culture, and the geology surrounding the unique red stone. The exhibits while educational, are worn out. They desperately need updating.

Pipestone is the unique rock found sandwiched between layers of Sioux Quartzite. The vein of pipestone found at the National Monument is very pure and red in appearance. Pipestone is a softer material than the very hard and sturdy Sioux Quartzite. I was delighted to learn the geologic name of pipestone is Catlinite. Catlinite is named for one of my faves, American Artist George Catlin. Catlin who traveled to and explored the Native American site in 1835 was fascinated with the different rock and gathered samples. Catlin sent them to natural historians for classification and study. Catlin was one of the early artists who painted Native Americans in their natural state before the arrival of American expansionists.

For several centuries prior to becoming American territory in 1803 (a result of the Louisiana Purchase from France) the pipestone deposits were holy grounds for bands and tribes of midwestern Native Americans. The red ground is believed sourced in blood. The pipes fashioned from the holy red stone were used in their religious ceremonies. Each year Chiefs and elders returned to the site to obtain the solemn material for their rituals.

In 1858 in the Treaty with the Yankton Sioux, the U S Government took possession of the site, but all Native Americans were promised the exclusive right to the pipestone. Native Americans were furthered guaranteed access to the pipestone under the Religious Freedoms Act passed by Congress. These promises have been honored.

I don’t connect with nature very often but ventured outside to explore the site and see the quarry. Thankfully while it was warm (93 degrees) it was also breezy (15 – 20 mph.) The breeze kept me cool and kept the insects away. The thirty minutes three quarters of a mile hike was worth it. Overabundant recent rains made everything green. The grasses and wildflowers were beautiful. Pipestone Creek was full and the Winnewissa Falls waterfall rapid. Several of the rock formation were enchanting.

Before my departure, I checked out the gift shop and could not get too excited. There were two Native American craftsmen in a makeshift studio adjacent to the gift shop who were crafting pipestone artifacts for sale. They were very willing to stop and chat with the tourists.

I enjoyed my Friday afternoon getaway and would recommend it if you have the time and are off the beaten path.

End bar – Pipestone was referenced by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in “The Song of Hiawatha.”

On the Mountains of the Prairie,
On the great Red Pipe-stone Quarry,
Gitche Manito, the mighty,
He the Master of Life, descending,
On the red crags of the quarry
Stood erect, and called the nations,
Called the tribes of men together. 

Bdote - Historic Fort Snelling

(May 26, 2018) – Saint Paul Minnesota

On a seasonally hot Memorial Day weekend Saturday, I made an overdue visit to historic Fort Snelling. The Fort is located out of sight but just across the highway from the Minneapolis – St. Paul hub airport.

Fort Snelling was located in 1818 at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, a junction known by the Sioux as Bdote. Bdote for many years prior to U. S. possession had cultural significance to the Sioux people.

Brigadier General Zebulon Pike (whom Pike’s Peak was named for) in 1805 led an expedition to explore the Mississippi River. Pike’s exploration while not directly sanctioned by President Thomas Jefferson took place the same time as the Lewis and Clark expedition of the Missouri River and the Pacific Northwest.

During his exploration Pike concluded a treaty with two Sioux Indian Chiefs and concluded as history records “Pike’s Purchase.”  The Treaty that was never ratified provided for the sale of about one hundred thousand acres of land (within U. S. territory) to the government. Inside the boundaries of Pike’s Purchase were Bdote and also the junction of the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers (today: Hastings, Minnesota.)

Colonel Josiah Snelling, the Commander of the U S Fifth Infantry Regiment in 1819 was dispatched to Bdote to build a military fort. Named Fort Saint Anthony, the fort’s mission was to establish the United States’ presence in the territory, provide protection for settlers, and facilitate the fur trade. Fort Saint Anthony became the furthest western outpost in U. S. territory at the time. In 1825 Fort Saint Anthony was renamed Fort Snelling.

Fort Snelling remained operational with many different missions until it closed in 1946. The Fort was turned over to the State of Minnesota in 1858 when Minnesota was granted Statehood.  During the Civil War, Fort Snelling was used for recruiting and training exercises by both the Minnesota State Militia and Union Army. The federal government also maintained an Indian Agency there. After the Civil War the U S Army regained possession. During World War I, the Army built a contemporary facility for the U. S. Calvary adjacent to the historic fort. Over three hundred thousand soldiers mustered out at Fort Snelling in World War I. In 1944 the Army relocated their Foreign Language Training School to Fort Snelling for the teaching of Japanese and Korean languages. Minnesota being one of the few states willing to accept the school with its Japanese-American instructors.

Fort Snelling throughout its history never came under attack. On a very few occasions the battery did fire warning shots across the bow of boats traveling up river that would not stop for identification. While only four of the original buildings remain intact, the historic compound has been accurately reconstructed to its 1820s provenance. The original buildings are the Watchtower, Commandant’s Home, Officer’s Quarters, and South Battery.

In addition to the aforementioned buildings, the Garrison included the barracks, the half-moon battery overlooking the junction of the rivers, the Fort’s store, the commissary, the magazine, the school which was also used as a chapel and warehouse, the guard’s office with sleeping quarters and jail, and the shops. The shops included kitchen, bakery, carpentry, and blacksmith. The perimeter of the fort is surrounded by a high stone wall rising high above the rivers. The buildings encompass the large parade ground.

The Batteries were seriously cool. Their commanding position and construction provided great protection yet retained the flexibility to quickly maneuver and sight their guns. The Commandant’s Home including the Command headquarters in the basement were a great snapshot of how garrison operations are carried out. The Command headquarters included Commanding Officer’s office and map room, Adjutant’s office, and clerks’ office.

Historic Fort Snelling is a wonderful learning opportunity. This well maintained historic site gives a first-hand look at the daily life of a soldier on the frontier. The Minnesota Historical Society has done a comprehensive job with this historically significant venue. 

The attendants, guides, and reenactors are extremely welcoming and knowledgeable. Their expertise is caused by the fact many are teachers. Working at Fort Snelling is a compatible second job because public tours are available only during the summer months and on special weekends.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a first-class Minnesota government agency. I appreciate Minnesota’s commitment to history. Each of their other sites I have visited (James J Hill House and Mill City Museum) are tops!

The Historical Society’s presentation of Fort Snelling goes beyond its military and American history. They place an added emphasis on the treatment of minority peoples including relationships between the First Americans (Sioux and Ojibwe) African Americans (Dred Scott), and Japanese Americans (the Foreign Language School).

Footnote – There were two important residents of Fort Snelling. Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Taylor served as Commanding Officer from 1828 to 1829. Taylor would later become a Major General and hero in the Mexican War and our twelfth President. Dred Scott lived there with his family from 1836 to 1840 as a slave owned by the Post Surgeon. Scott later returned to Missouri a slave state. Claiming his four years in Wisconsin Territory (Fort Snelling) made him a freeman, he sued for his freedom. Ultimately the United States Supreme Court decided against him. The Dred Scott decision in 1857 fueled the flames of public divisiveness on the slavery issue leading up to the Civil War.

Historic Turnblad Mansion

(May 24, 2018) Minneapolis, Minnesota

A recent lecture and exhibit at Siouxland Libraries prompted an escape from the store for some pre-Memorial Day holiday R & R in the Twin Cities. The lecturer in early April at Siouxland was Curt Pederson, the principal curator of the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Mr. Pederson delivered a very informative offering on Swedish culture and folk art. The lecture was accompanied by an engaging exhibit of Swedish woodcarvings.  His presentation was intriguing.

Afterwards Mr. Pederson was very patient in answering my questions about both Swedish culture and the artistry. Because of my interest, and one of his reasons for coming to Sioux Falls was to promote the Institute, Mr. Pederson extended an invitation to see the ASI sometime when I come to Minneapolis. 

I accepted his invitation

My experience was altogether different from what I expected. The American Swedish Institute is the engaging story of a man’s love and pride in his native country with a cultural twist.

Swan Johann Turnblad was born in Sweden in 1860 and immigrated to Goodhue County, Minnesota when he was eight years old. Growing up on a farm, Swan learned the values of hard work. After high school he became a teacher though he continued to help on the family farm. Swan was ambitious and a very private person.

In pursuit of a better life, Swan moved to Minneapolis in 1878 where he found work as a typesetter at a Swedish American newspaper. In Minneapolis Swan met Christina Nilsson, another Swede who moved to Minneapolis by way of Slayton, Minnesota. Swan and Christina were married in 1883 and had one child, Lillian.

Swan in 1887 became the manager and part owner of Svenska Amerikanska Posten. The newspaper was written entirely in Swedish. Swan was a good businessman. He possessed excellent marketing skills and vision, was technologically progressive, and was adept in the field of finance and investment. In today’s terminology he might have been considered a corporate raider, unusual for a modest Swede.

From 1865 until 1915, one and a quarter million Swedes moved to the upper Midwest region of the United States (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas.) Swan Turnblad recognized this market and at its height, Svenska Amerikanska Posten (SAP), had nearly fifty thousand subscribers including some in Sweden. An outstanding publisher, he excelled in his selling advertising and adapting the latest innovations in printing (technology.)

Importantly Swan through financial and legal strategies consolidated his and Christina’s ownership of SAP. Swan Turnblad amassed a financial fortune as a result of the newspaper’s success and other investments.

In 1903 Swan began construction of a mansion for his family on the corner of Park Avenue and 26^th Street, south of downtown Minneapolis. Park Avenue was known as Minneapolis’ “Golden Mile”. The mansion was among several other mansions on the Golden Mile belonging to the wealthy and socially elite of Minneapolis, including several of the famous millers. Park Avenue was the first paved street in Minneapolis.

The Turnblad mansion was unique, constructed on a framework of steel. Sixteen carpenters three woodcarvers and untold number of masons built the home. Included were all the modern conveniences including electricity, gas heating, indoor plumbing, and telephone. Because of the steel super structure, the home is very open employing several pocket doors. The craftsmanship is spectacular and the décor ornate. The home was built on six lots with a cost over one million dollars. 

What makes Swan’s story fascinating is this thirty-three-room massive Chateau structure, was built for a family of just three very private people. They were known to have entertained there only once, a few years after they no longer permanently occupied the mansion. The Turnblad’s occupied the home for about five years.

Swan, Christina, and Lillian moved to an apartment built adjacent to his new offices and printing plant constructed downtown. In 1915 the Turnblad’s relocated again to a luxurious apartment house located directly across Park Avenue from their unoccupied but still maintained mansion. Swan would reside in the apartment the rest of his life.

In 1930 Swan established the American Institute of Swedish Arts, Literature, and Science. He gifted the Mansion to serve as its headquarters and made a large financial endowment to his Institute. Swan died in 1933 and daughter Lillian who never married moved to a small farm south of Minneapolis. Lillian left her estate to the Institute, later renamed American Swedish Institute.

The large and beautiful Turnblad mansion, the center for American Swedish culture is a paradox.

Swedes are a modest and humble people. The hallmark of the Swede is expressed by the Swedish word lagom – translated moderation. Why then did this practical businessman build a mansion he essentially did not desire? The anomaly was to not so subtlety tell his Norwegian and German neighbors there was a Swede in their elegant neighborhood!

ASI Today –

Today the ASI carries out Swan Turnblad’s vision of promoting his native pride, telling the story of the Swedish culture in America, and fostering Swedish and American relations.

The mansion serves primarily as a stand-alone attraction, though Swedish art and design are displayed within the home’s spacious rooms. The Institute’s other undertakings are located in the adjacent next-door Institute property, the Nelson Cultural Center.

Nelson Center was opened in 2012 and includes a Nordic themed café, FIKA (in Swedish meaning to have coffee and meatballs are always on the menu), an art gallery for exhibitions of Swedish art, an art studio for classes, storage archives for ASI’s collections, and an event space. The Nelson Center highlights Swedish design and I was impressed by the fact there are five classes each week for Swedish woodcarving. Gustavus Adolphus College located in St. Peter, Minnesota founded in 1862 by Swedish Lutherans rents office space in the Nelson Center.

Curt Pederson and the staff were welcoming hosts and it was two and a half hours well spent getting new insights to not just Swedish but Minnesota culture.

A Couple of Chicago Drive Byes

(March 30, 2018) Chicago, Illinois

I joined my family in Chicago again this year for Passover Seder. Having some personal time on a Windy City Good Friday I soloed into the city to scout out some history.

First stop was at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library directly across Michigan Avenue from the Art Institute of Chicago. I was aware but not familiar with the PMML. Several months ago, when surfing the Internet stalking my Gettysburg battlefield guide, Ed Bearss, I found an enlightening video interview of Ed by author – historian, David Hackett Fischer. The video was produced by this unique museum. The Bearss’ interview was first class.

Upon investigation, I learned the video was among an archive of nearly eight hundred videos the PMML has produced. Access to the videos is largely limited to Museum members. Entry level annual membership is $25.00 and well worth the investment. Besides Internet access to the videos, the basic membership includes free admission, borrowing privileges, frequent newsletters, and admission to some lectures and events. Admission without membership is $5.00, though complimentary to students, members of the Armed Forces, and Veterans

The museum's website indicates that free tours of the museum are offered at 11:00am each day. I presented myself for the tour and was instructed a guide would join me shortly. My guide was Paul Grasmehr, a reference coordinator. Paul was knowledgeable, a Bobby Britannica. The museum and library was founded in 2003 and endowed by Colonel Jennifer Pritzker, one of several heirs to the Hyatt Hotels. The museum and library are first class and reflect the deep pockets and deep character of the Colonel. My guide pointed out financially the goal was to make the institution self-sustaining over time. 

Physically the exhibits and library are located on the second and third floors of the historic Monroe Building. The building was constructed in 1912 primarily for use by doctors and architects. Because of those occupations need for light, the building’s dominant architectural feature is large windows. The penthouse of the Monroe Building was first occupied by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural firm; though Wright personally worked out of his home and studio in Oak Park. When the Pritzker interests purchased the building, they completely restored the Monroe Building. The finishes are beautiful. The library’s environment is elegant in a pristine kind of way yet comfortable and inviting for study.

The museum and library “is dedicated to improving the public understanding of military history.” Their mission is to collect, preserve, and share this history. Their scope includes the entire history of military engagement and affairs, though there is an added emphasis on Colonel Pritzker’s Illinois National Guard.

The Library’s initial collection of about 7,500 volumes related to military or historic subjects was contributed by the Pritzker family from their private libraries. Today the collection includes 32,000 volumes, 33,000 artifacts, and an extensive collection of 3,000 military posters.

Putting my family aside being in the library is practically enough to make me want to move to Chicago. What a great place to hang out. The welcoming and beautiful reading room with many current periodicals relating to history, a research room with carrels, a staff librarian to assist you with research requests, and a library at your disposal with thousands of volumes. 

The good news is you can almost fully utilize the PMML remotely. In addition to their wonderful video archives, you can access the library’s excellent website that includes extensive digital materials. Physical books can be checked out to members through interlibrary loan with your local public library, excepting their rare book collection. Research assistance is also available by telephone and I presume email.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention an important service the PMML offers, their Veterans Information Center. The center has information services available to assist Veterans. These services include: Leadership opportunities, resources for families, information on benefits including health and education assistance, career opportunities, with a special focus on information services for women veterans.

My tour lasted over two hours and was extensive. Hitting the highlights: The facilities include a fully equipped oral history studio, a beautiful intimate 116 seat auditorium, rare books storage, an event space that doubles as display space, a kitchen to service special events, library stacks, rare books storage, and offices to support their mission. The PMML has 23 employees. My guide informed me the most popular subjects of interest by patrons are the Civil War and World War II.

Displayed throughout the library are many of their artifacts, posters, paintings and photographs.

The Museum has a permanent display honoring America’s Medal of Honor recipients. Currently their primary exhibit is “Lest We Forget” commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the end of World War I. The event space contained an interesting exhibit detailing Illinois role in World War I. Future exhibits being researched and planned are: World War II Prisoners of War with a focus on downed aviators and an exhibit spotlighting Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, Bill Mauldin. Mauldin who had a strong Chicago connection was famous for his World War II reporting containing depictions of Willie and Joe, two average GIs. 

My personal favorites were a beautifully focused print of the famous photograph of the Marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima inscribed to Major Pritzker by the photographer, Joe Rosenthal; an autographed first edition of “Heart of the Antarctica – Volume 1”, autographed in 1911 by Sir Ernest Shackleton; and the Journals of Captain James Cook’s Voyages.

If you have an interest in the military or American history, the Pritzker Library is a great resource.

After a quick lunch, I stopped at a quaint depository of American history, the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, in Chicago’s River West neighborhood, just west of downtown. 

The shop is an affiliate of a frequent blog I visit, Author’s Voice. This showroom of rare books is a stronghold for anyone interested in American history and more specifically Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. The shop also has a large selection of Lincoln collectibles and memorabilia (which they term Lincolniana) for sale.

The book shop is essentially a suite of offices located on the first floor in a contemporary small office building. To gain access to the temple you must be buzzed through two security checkpoints. Their space contains three large offices on the perimeter for their staff of combination sales agent / appraiser / curator / administrators. The center of the space is dominated with a large approximately 1200 square foot for display. Most of the space is occupied by shelving with books they have for sale. The balance of the sales floor contains photographs, prints, documents, sculpture, and other Lincoln, political, or historical memorabilia.

Many of their books are out of print, many are first editions, and many are signed (occasionally personalized) by their authors, subjects, or someone connected to the subject. My estimate is they have 3,000 volumes, maybe more. Their primary subject of course is the Railsplitter. Lincoln sub categories include the Assassination and Mary Todd Lincoln. The Civil War section is extensive with special sections for U. S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Other principal subject areas include the Presidents and Americana.

I was assisted by an extremely well-informed staff member, Bjorn Skaptason, who made many suggestions, and was more than gracious indulging my questioning. Bjorn also is the executive producer of Author’s Voice.”

There were many intriguing items but unfortunately, they are a commercial establishment not a lending library. The least expensive item I had an interest in was a biography of poet Carl Sandburg authored by Harry Golden. The first edition was signed by both Sandburg and Golden. The asking price for this gem was $145. As we say in South Dakota, “spendy.”

Other items catching my eye were “Beauregard in Mexico” written by T. Harry Williams and “Partisan Life with Col. John S. Mosby” written by John Scott in 1867 ($495.)

The Lincoln Book Shop was a small cherry garnish on top of my large Pritzker ice cream sundae.

Mi Tierra de Encanto

(February 1-4, 2018) Santa Fe, New Mexico

New Mexico is indeed a Land of Enchantment.

Susan and I took a mid winter escape to Santa Fe. On arrival we were greeted by beautiful New Mexico sunshine and temperatures in the high fifties. Santa Fe is the State Capitol of New Mexico and tourism, state government, and retirees power her economy.

Super Bowl weekend is a good weekend for travel. Airfares and lodging are generally discounted.

From our connection in Denver we flew directly to the throwback and almost quaint Santa Fe airport (four scheduled flights per day two gates, and deplaning and boarding on rolling stairs). Santa Fe has major money and the Santa Fe County Municipal Airport shows it. The airport has a hundred or more private hangars in addition to private planes anchored on the accommodating tarmac.

Santa Fe has many lodging and restaurant choices. We made a good lodging choice staying at the Drury Plaza Hotel next to the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi. The Drury is conveniently located less than two blocks from historic Santa Fe Plaza, Palace of Governors, and several art and history museums. Our hotel included many amenities; the hospitality was tops, and the room comfortable. Highly recommended.

After settling into the hotel, we headed to check out the neighborhood. This was a return trip for us both. Thirty years ago we traveled for a Republican Governor’s Conference with only limited time to take in the many cultural attractions. Santa Fe was settled in 1610 and is one of the oldest settlements in what is now the United States.

Our first stop was for a mid-afternoon snack at Plaza Café directly across from the Plaza. A pleasant family owned restaurant whose menu offered a variety, we settled on splitting an appetizer of nachos and soft drinks. The nachos were average at best but it was convenient.

Leaving the restaurant we spent the next hour in the glorious New Mexican sunshine, walking among the galleries, boutiques, jewelry, curio, and tee shirt shops. Artifacts and merchandise selection ranged from the luxurious and very finest one-of-a-kinds to pacific-rim massed produced imitations. We saw beautiful things but many more knockoffs and tchotchkes.   

The merchants and grinders in the high rent tourist district posed a contrast to the laid back native Indian and Mexican natives basking in the sunshine showing their arts (primarily jewelry) spread on blankets on the sidewalks across from the Plaza.

The next morning our first cultural stop was Museumof International Folk Art located on Museum Hill, a 10-minute Uber ride from our hotel. Like Folk Art this museum is unique. Not only unique but because of its international scope extremely diverse.

We arrived as the museum opened. After viewing the interesting exhibit on Tramp Art we went to the Girrard gallery to join the public tour. We were the only patrons who showed up and received a private showing. For an hour and one-half the docent, Sylvia, was exclusively ours.

Sylvia was friendly, experienced, knowledgeable, and well practiced. We were lucky. Sylvia explained the museum mission was showing “the art of craftsman acting as a bond between the peoples of the world.”

A Chicago heiress, Florence Dibell Bartlett, founded the MFIA. Miss Bartlett was a collector of folk art. The MFIA contains the world’s largest collection of folk art, nearly 135,000 pieces. The extensiveness of the collections makes the museum first class. The largest component of the museum is the mind numbing and unbelievable, if I hadn’t seen it, Girrard collection.  

The Girrard collection of nearly 110,000 pieces was a gift of Alexander Girrard. In viewing the Girrard wing you wouldn’t have believed Sandro Girrard had any time in his life other than to make acquisitions. That was not the case.

Girrard was a renowned American designer; raised in Florence, Italy who studied architecture at the Bedford School in England, and received his degree from the Royal School of Architecture in Rome. Among his many noted accomplishments were being the head of fabric design for Herman Miller textiles division for nearly two decades, designing the “end of the plain plane” for Braniff International Airways, designing the eight foot by one hundred eighty foot object mural for John Deere headquarters near Moline, Illinois, accomplishing special table setting designs for Georg Jensen, and designing the penthouse apartment for Hallmark Cards at the Hallmark Building in Kansas City.

I found it interesting; Girrard’s father, a French-Italian, was a collector of American Sampler needlework and American stamps.

Girrard’s collection is global and included woodcarving, ceramics, icons, toys, dolls, and many dioramas. This exhibit is truly one of a kind. My favorite was the Helen Cordero “Storyteller Doll.”

Other galleries at the MFIA included the Hispanic Wing and the Lloyd Cotsen – Neutrogena Wing.

Our next stop was to (supposedly) trendy Canyon Road. I was disappointed and felt Canyon Road with its profusion of art galleries and restaurants bordered on tourist trap. During our walk down the road, we chanced upon one of the city’s fine dining restaurants, The Compound. We had lunch deserving of its reputation for fine dining. It was good if not quite wonderful $$$$. Susan thought it was excellent.

After lunch we walked from Canyon Road back to the Plaza area where we separated. Susan headed to the shops and then back to the hotel and I hightailed it to the New Mexico Museum of Art.

The reason for my wanting to travel to New Mexico is my increasing interest in and study of art. Observing light and its effects is an increasing component of my art appreciation. The effect of the sun and light especially shows in the art of New Mexico and the Southwest.

The museum has an excellent collection, is well curated and displayed. Funding is by the State of New Mexico and support from the local arts community.

New Mexican art reflects the intersection of traditional styles and modern art. Marsden Hartley when he first visited New Mexico and observing the distinctive Southwest Art in 1917 reacted stating, “I am an American, discovering America.”

A wide variety of art mediums are displayed, with an emphasis on pottery. Respecting the variety of art mediums, the art of GustaveBauman, delighted me. Bauman a German American settled and was an anchor of Santa Fe Art for over fifty years. Learning about Bauman alone was worth the modest $12 admission.

The museum was celebrating their Centennial with an extensive exhibit on their history. The best pieces of their permanent collection were displayed including wonderful masterworks by Peter Hurd and Georgia O’Keeffe.  In leaving one of the topical galleries on Creativity and Vision was an engaging quote, “The best teachers teach you where to look but not what to see.”

Leaving the art museum, I headed across the street to the New Mexico Museum of History. This was going to be a three museum day. On Friday, State Museums stay open until 7pm and the History Museum benevolently waives the $12 out of state admission for Veterans.

The history museum is large, befitting the lengthy history of New Mexico. The exhibits chronologically begin in the Palace of Governors and are connected by courtyard to the larger contemporary museum. The museum covers the history but the exhibits are generally dark and while historical facts do not change technology does.  You don’t expect Smithsonian quality, but it would have been nice to have more videos and perhaps oral histories.

I don’t want to be Johnny Rain Cloud; my visit was worthwhile and I learned a lot! New Mexico’s history puts into perspective the role of the Spanish and Mexican colonization in US history.  I enjoyed learning about the southwest territory from the American Civil War to New Mexico statehood in 1912.  Not to be left out is New Mexico’s part in the development of nuclear warfare.

There are many exhibits and artifacts. I marveled at a diorama of the Taos pueblos created by the great photographer of the American West, William Henry Jackson in 1875.

The most memorable exhibit for me was on the mezzanine of the larger history museum telling the history of Fred Harvey and the Fred Harvey Company. This exhibit was world class. It was well done and extensive.

Wikipedia reports Harvey “was an entrepreneur who developed the Harvey House lunch rooms, restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels, which served rail passengers on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, the Kansas Pacific Railway, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway and the Terminal Railway Association of St. Louis.”

Harvey’s story is that of an immigrant who was in New York City washing dishes and conceived the idea of offering meal service to travelers on the railroads that were rapidly beginning to dominate transportation.

The exhibit is fantastic and should be in a transportation museum or the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Why this exhibit is in the New Mexico Museum of History I am unsure. Harvey a native of England lived in Kansas though Fred Harvey Company had a strong business presence in New Mexico. Perhaps the Harvey Company donated the extensive collections of photographs, historical narratives and many pieces of exclusive Harvey memorabilia.

Fred Harvey died in 1901 and was succeeded in business by his son, Fred Harvey, Jr. The Harvey Company wound down their operations through the 1940’s and 1950’s as personal rail transportation diminished as it was increasingly replaced by air transportation.

After my third museum of the day and a brief very late siesta, Susan and I headed out to the Blue Corn Café for dinner. Susan had her dinner of cheese enchiladas with a couple of Margaritas (no salt please) and I had a cheeseburger with roasted green chills. The burger with peppers was excellent and the service very good.

We saved the best for last. Saturday after sleeping in we headed to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. My awareness in O’Keefe is a result of studying her husband.  Alfred Stieglitz was a famed photographer and art dealer at the turn of the twentieth century. He championed photography as art, and had the pre-eminent art gallery, 291, in New York City.

O’Keefe, a Wisconsin native, artworks came to Stieglitz’s attention and he recognized her vision and expression immediately. She became a pioneer among women as a noted artist. Independent in both her art and spirit, Okeefe’s works incorporated the land and modernism. Her art embraces the wonder of the world. Her modernistic landscapes are wonderful; though she is widely know for her large flowers.

Prior to her being “discovered” by Stieglitz who was twenty-four years her senior, O’Keefe worked as an art teacher in west Texas. After several years of living with Stieglitz in Manhattan, Georgia relocated, primarily in the winter and spring to New Mexico at her Ghost Ranch while Stieglitz remained in New York. They summered together at his family home in Lake George, New York.

The O’Keefe Museum is modern and first class. The galleries are sharp, well lit, and the art spectacular. With the exception of Stieglitz’s gallery, she always staged her own exhibits. The museum echoes O’Keefe’s keen understanding of gallery presentation. This skill in part attributable to her artistic talent, but certainly the showmanship of the impresario Stieglitz had its effect as well.

Another aspect I found interesting was in large part the museum was funded by her charitable foundation. This is understandable as she was an astonishing financial success. Besides retaining ownership to a large part of her own works, she had inherited the works and photography negatives of Alfred Stieglitz

Georgia O’Keefe was also expert at art conservation and experimented widely with presentation materials and frames.

On our last night we dined at Mucho Gusto, a small New Mexican diner near our hotel. The food was very good, and we enjoyed the so-called New Mexican food. I say that because I found New Mexican cuisine at best just a marketing differentiation. Other than colored tostadas and an emphasis on do you want your chili sauce red, green, or Christmas, I couldn’t tell any great difference from the pre Tex-Mex Mexican food of my Texas childhood.

Our trip was a nice get a way and if you have not been to Santa Fe, Give it a try.