In the Midst |
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Mike Worcester, "Lost Cokato: The Cokato Street Fairs." In The Midst Of, Cokato Historical Society (Fall, 1997) vol. 17 no. 4.  Young children trying to eat an apple on a string without the use of their hands. Cokato Street Fair, early 1900s. Early each October, from 1903 to 1915, downtown Cokato was transformed from a retail center into a thriving street fair. People came from miles around to see carnival entertainment, play games, and see huge displays of farm crops and home crafts.
Revised Version: Mike Worcester, "The Silent Policeman." In The Midst Of, Cokato Historical Society (Winter, 1997) vol. 17 no. 1.  By the early 1902s, Cokato had become a village full of automobiles. The recently completed Glacial Highway 10 (now Highway 12) had given area car owners a way to travel further than ever before. And while trains were still the main mode of transport, cars were here to stay.
But with these cars came new problems for city leaders. Parking difficulties, horse owners complaining about the new-fangled machines scaring their animals, and excessive speed, were just some of the hazards that arose. Of particular concern was proper etiquette for cars at intersections. While city ordinances specified that all cars must keep to the right of center and six miles per hour was the maximum speed allowed while making a turn, close calls and fender-benders abounded. Mildred Nelson, "Rambling Down Broadway 1920s & 30s." In The Midst Of, Cokato Historical Society (Winter, 1993) vol. 13 no. 1.  Broadway looking north, circa 1930s. Ascending mission hill from the south we enter Broadway. There were the stately residences of C. A. Swanson, Frank Swanson, A. P. Peterson and A. L. Thelander The Elim Mission church, although changed in design, has been there for "ages" (1916.) At an evangelistic meeting, as a child, Reverend Glen Nelson, the pastor, scared me "near to death."
Across the street the Cities Service Station was erected where formerly stood the brick home of Emil and Julia (Klingenberg) Berg. He was a Lutheran church organist and she was my first Sunday School teacher. Nels Dokken was a gas truck driver. A miniature golf course for a short time was next to G. A. Jorgenson’s one-pump gas station. |
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