by Bill Svendsgaard, Former Hennepin County 4-H Agent.

For nearly 100 years, 4-H Youth Development has been conducted in Hennepin County. It is Minnesota’s most populous county, including Minneapolis, Bloomington, and Edina. It also includes many rural areas that have been rapidly becoming urbanized and throughout history, both these rural and urban communities have hosted community 4-H clubs and many other innovative 4-H delivery models. It needs to be formally documented. There currently exists no inclusive chronological and interpretive written account that captures its history.

There are many people still living who can account for much of its history, and now is the time to collect their stories and their boxed records. This proposed history project was first announced at the 2010 Hennepin County Fair. About 20 names were collected from past 4-H adult leaders who were excited to become a part of it by helping to recover past 4-H history memorabilia. One current 4-H leader, Florence Larson, a 4-H leader for nearly 40 years, has consented to take leadership in collecting, sorting, classifying and authenticating found literature. Her mother, Florence Gaulke, was also a 4-H leader for over 50 years, one of the first charter 4-H leaders in Hennepin County.

They have boxes of valuable 4-H history. One 4-H alum, Amy Scherer, currently also a 4-H leader, has volunteered to help write drafts for this history, using her computer skills. I will enjoy working with all of these people while serving as author of this history as they were all active in 4-H while I served them as their Hennepin County 4-H Agent or Extension Educator between the years of 1976 to 2002, a total of about 1/4 of its total history. I have kept boxes of records from the years I served, and salvaged Hennepin County Agricultural Extension Annual Reports for the years 1914-1937, now saved in my basement. Documents from all other years have been destroyed, but those saved will reflect the earliest years.

All history is cherished, but Hennepin County 4-H history encompasses so much transitional 4-H; from rural to urban, from early days to present, from traditional to innovative programming, from all-white to very diverse participants, and from piloting many national 4-H curricula and employing various staffing formats over the years.

The time line of this projct begins in March, 2011, with proposed completion within two years, culminating in a book with a possible title: “Hennepin County 4-H History, the First 100 Years.”

If your county has produced a 4-H history book, or is considering doing so, we would like to hear about it: write to: info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com

# # #

4-H Quote–
“I was down to the Los Angeles Livestock Show, and saw these hundreds of farmer boys that had fattened and cared for a calf, or pig, or sheep, themselves. It’s a thing called the 4-H Club. Somebody was inspired when they founded that. It’s all over the country. By golly, they are a great bunch of kids, and they have some fine stock.”
— Will Rogers, 1934

From National 4-H History Preservation Program. 4-HHistoryPreservation.com

The National 4-H History Preservation team is planning to have a section on the 4-H Collecting website – http://4-HCollecting.com – relating to 4-H Heritage Quilts. If you have already made a 4-H Heritage Quilt, we’d like to hare your suggestions on planning and creating such a quilt. It can be a generic 4-H history quilt, a quilt relating to the 4-H heritage in your state, your county or your club. If your family has had active 4-H members or leaders for several generations; how about a family heritage 4-H quilt?

What we are seeking are the procedures, the thought process, types of materials, assemblage, the do’s and don’ts of how to create a personal 4-H heritage quilt “masterpiece”. Of course we’d also like you to share photos and any other hints that could help other create their 4-H Heritage Quilts.

Any assistance, suggestions or references would be appreciated. Send to: info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com

From National 4-H Heritage Preservation Program. 4-HHistoryPreservation.com

# # #

In 2007, Mississippi opened the doors on the Mississippi 4-H Learning Center and Pete Frierson 4-H Museum located on the grounds of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum complex in Jackson, Mississippi.

Susan Holder, Mississippi Youth Development, says “working on this project in conjunction with Mississippi State University Library and the Consortium for the History of Agriculture and Rural Mississippi (CHARM) program, we have accumulated artifacts and documents that are part of the collection of the library and rotational exhibits at the museum.”

Visitors are welcome to stop by and visit the museum.

From National 4-H History Preservation Program. 4-HHistoryPreservation.com

# # #