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In the Midst

Use the Categories menu on the right to search through our many exciting articles on Cokato History.

Cokato & The Polio Epidemic

11/30/2020

 
From the Cokato Historical Society's newsletter In the Midst Of, July, 2020, Vol. 40 No. 2. ​
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Dr. Theodore Greenfield administers the polio vaccination to Cokato first and second graders. Also pictured from left to right are Paul Constenius, Sandra Boltz, Karen Boltz, and Keith Barberg.
From the 1920s-1950s, Cokato residents lived in fear of polio, a contagious disease that
particularly targeted Cokato’s youth. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, polio is a virus that attacks the nervous system, with symptoms ranging from asymptomatic, to paralysis, to death. Although most cases of polio were mild with little or temporary symptoms, the severe cases involved permanent paralysis, which was enough to cause panic when an outbreak occurred in the community. Adding to the anxiety, scientists at the time did not know how it spread and there was no known cure. In Minnesota, many severe polio cases were treated at the Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis.

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The Cokato Bugle

11/7/2020

 
Article  from the Cokato Historical Society's newsletter In the Midst Of, Spring, 1995, Vol. 15 No. 2. ​
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Marilyn Eastlund, Annamae Ryti, Alice Ekstrand, and Leora "Tory" Easton typing The Cokato Bugle.
For Cokato men and women who were off serving their country during World War II,
receiving news from home was a pleasure that brightened many dark days. The Cokato Bugle, a newsletter published by the Usher's Club of the Cokato Lutheran Church, provided that much-appreciated news. It was mailed to all the Cokato soldiers who were serving their country. Contributions from all the congregations in the Cokato area helped finance the Bugle's printing and mailing. Each edition included a spiritual message from Pastor Paul Andreen, along with news about life in Cokato.


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Altha Dokken: A Woman Before Her Time

11/7/2020

 
Article by Audrey Tack from the Cokato Historical Society's newsletter In the Midst Of, Winter, 1997, Vol. 17 No. 1. ​
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Upon first becoming acquainted in Cokato, a friend told me of an incident while she was grocery shopping in the Farmers Store. In walked a distinguished looking woman carrying a
canvas tote bag. The tote bag read "Foxy Lady".

Maybe some of you remember this lady carrying the tote bag as being Altha Dokken.


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  • History
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