Water and Wood: Stories about the Lakes and Cabins of Otter Tail County

REGISTER

General Event Information

Take a look at the stories of Otter Tail County told by community members who know them best. Join us for two themed virtual events showcasing projects from the Otter Tail County Story Mapping Project and presented by the story mapping partners leading the projects.

Both events are expected to run an hour and a half and will feature presentations followed by short Q+A sessions, as well as virtual breakout rooms where attendees will be encouraged to share their own personal stories with the subject matter from throughout Otter Tail County. Stories shared may be collected by Rethos for inclusion in the digital map of the Otter Tail County Story Mapping Project unless participants choose otherwise.

Event #1: October 22 from 4-5:30 p.m.

The first event features two projects focusing on lakes and cabins from Steve Henning and Jan Smith.

Steve Henning's project, "The Wadena Beach Story," will be a documentary exploring the families who settled around Wadena beach with a particular focus of those on the north shore of Blanche Lake. His documentary will explore the history of seven families and how they came to settle around the lake.

"Otter Tail County's 1,000 lakes (and more ponds) Have Stories to Tell" by Jan Smith will collect stories from those who use lakes throughout Otter Tail County for a variety of reasons. By placing story collection boxes around Otter Tail County Jan hopes to elicit reflections on the relationships to lakes that so many, young and old, share throughout the county.

About the Story Mapping Project:

The Otter Tail County Story Mapping Project seeks to explore the stories, places, and culture throughout Otter Tail County by funding creative projects led by local story mappers (organizations, historians, artists, businesses, etc.). Through these diverse projects, we are exploring the tangible and intangible characteristics that define the many communities throughout Otter Tail County and what makes them special to so many. Project themes range from lakes, cabins, town history, business history, foodways, family, saunas, and many more. Once all projects are completed in the Summer of 2021 the information will be compiled into a GIS map to visually represent the projects, the stories, and the local assets throughout the county. This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Cover photo by Betsy Roder, Big Pine Lake.