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Museum Staff, "Lost Cokato: Flour Mills & Grain Elevators." In The Midst Of, Cokato Historical Society (August, 2025) vol. 45 no. 2.  Before the diversification of farming, wheat was king in Cokato. J. E. Jenks built the first grain house in 1869. William Davidson and F. R. Delano built Cokato’s first elevator in 1876, right along side the railroad tracks. The second elevator was a circular elevator that was erected in 1879 by local farmers. Unfortunately, the structure burned down shortly after in May of 1881. That same year, Bull Edmonds & Co. and L. Cotfield & Co. each built an elevator. By 1890 there were four elevators in Cokato.
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The following article uses parts of interviews with Cokato historian Audrey Tack (age 92) during the early spring of 2024.  Ryti family getting their photograph taken by Gust Akerlund around Thanksgiving, 1941. Back Row: Carl Lloyd, Harold. Middle Row: Annamae, Marion, Alice. Front Row: Audrey, Carl Henry, Wendla, and Caroline. Audrey Ryti Tack grew up in Cokato primarily in the house that was next to the Green Giant Canning plant (today it sits between Dollar General and ProCare along Highways 12). The Ryti family moved into the house around 1930. Audrey stated that most families in the area had boys, with only the Bergstrom girls that were nearby for her to play with. Audrey remembered having to cross the railroad tracks on her walk to and from school. At lunchtime, she would have to return home because there were no lunches served at school. Girls at that time wore saddle shoes, skirts, and occasionally slacks. They also did not wear T-shirts, mainly blouses and sweaters with dickie collars. Jeans did not come into fashion until after World War II.
Written by former Cokato Museum Director Irene Bender  Margaretha Hedblom The Cokato Museum has lost a wonderful friend. Margaretha Hedblom used wonderful to describe everything about Cokato. She gave meaning to Ha'lsa Dem Darhemma (Greet the folks at home). Margaretha Hedblom, a teacher, researcher, genealogist, tour director and director of the Kulture Center in Malung, Sweden, became the best ambassador for the Cokato Museum. Most of all, as director of the Cokato Museum, I was privileged to become her friend for forty years as she connected local people to their relatives in Sweden and brought many tours to the museum. She had endless energy as she made the heritage, we share come alive. She passed away January 31, 2024, Malung, Sweden.
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