ONLINE PROGRAM: Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 7pm

Please join the team from 1855 as they share their latest documentary on the Orinoco Company.

In the late 1800s, Faribault tycoons set out to colonize Venezuela in the pursuit of fortune. They banded together to invest in The Orinoco Company, led by the larger-than-life former Mayor of Faribault: Donald Grant.

Logan Ledman and Samuel Temple, the team behind the documentary series 1855, are excited to premiere their latest episode about The Orinoco Company and how the calamitous actions of Faribault investors nearly sparked a war between much of Europe, South America, and the United States. It is a story about imperialism, wealth, and the farcical effect of ambition.

A discussion with the creators will follow the online premier.

For more information contact RCHS at 507-332-2121 or check www.rchistory.org.

The online program will be held using Google Meet. You can access the event here: https://meet.google.com/ipp-kyxr-vds

With Susan Hvistendahl

Thursday, January 21, 7 pm

Local author and historian Susan Hvistendahl will present “Historic Happenings of Rice County”, an online program for the Rice County Historical Society on Thursday, January 21, at 7 pm.

Hvistendahl, who wrote a “Historic Happenings” column for the Entertainment Guide of Southern Minnesota from 2007-2016, will speak on four topics: Heisman trophy winner Bruce Smith of Faribault, the early bicycling craze in Rice County, the history of the St. Olaf Band since 1891 and Northfield’s iconic Archer House, ravaged by fire last November.

For more information contact RCHS at 507-332-2121 or check www.rchistory.org. You can join the meeting at 7pm using this link: https://meet.google.com/tby-vsmc-xyu

Thursday, January 14, 2021

7:00 pm

(Please note that this program has been changed from January 7 to January 14, 2021.)

Please join Susan Garwood, RCHS Executive Director, for this online program about navigating state-wide research sites.

Local historical societies are the go-to places for local research but, with limited access to museums and libraries due to Covid-19 you need to look online for your research sites. Of course, free sites such as Family Search and WikiTree as well as paid sites such as Ancestry are very good at finding census, birth and death records, and so on. But if you want to know more than their names and basic their vital statistics, you need to dig deeper.

The Rice County Historical Society has given a number of workshops on using Rice County-focused resources but during this online program, Garwood will demonstrate and share some tips to navigating the state-wide resources such as the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub, the Minnesota Official Online Marriage System, and Minnesota Reflections.

Reservations are not necessary. However, to get a link emailed to you directly, please contact the museum at rchs@rchistory.org or call the museum at 507-332-2121.

This program will be held online using Google Meet at https://meet.google.com/gkz-fjfw-dtp.

As mandated by Minnesota Executive Order 20-99 and 20-100, the Rice County History Center closed at the end of the business day on Friday, November 20th, and will remain closed until at least January 10, 2021.

In Minnesota, Museums are classified as “Indoor Entertainment” and so, during this Dial-Back period, we are closed. For more information on the Executive Order and details about the Stay Safe Plan, click here.

In the meantime, watch our social media feeds and website for digital programs and more!