Cokato Through Audrey's Eyes

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.

Audrey remembered that growing up in Cokato was very secure, which is why “In first grade I would have never thought there would have been a fire in the school.”  In 1937, Audrey attended a school program in the auditorium with her mom and sister. “We were waiting for the program and Mr. Kranbering, who was the Janitor for the Jr. and Senior High school, opened up the door and he said very loudly ‘There is fire in the school.’” Audrey said, “I saw mothers grabbing their kids, really, and running out of the auditorium. But mother said ‘We are not going to do that, we are going to just go slowly and

Cokato Public school, circa 1950.

 we’ll be okay.’” The fire was in a closet in the  Senior High School. It had been started by a 14-year-old kid, who had also started two prior fires in the Junior High. “The next day the school started at 8:00. And mother said ‘Now after last night you do not need to go to school if you do not feel easy going into the building.’” Audrey said she went to school, but her sister, a 6th grader did not go.​

 ​Audrey joined the Cokato Girl Scouts when she was a young girl. Her troop would meet at the school and learn how to folk dance, build a fire, and to cook on open fire.  Audrey particularly remembers cooking stew.

​When Audrey became a senior in high school, she worked for a time at the telephone company in Cokato operating the switch boards. The station was run by Spurt Anderson and Charles Keilig, in a building on Broadway Avenue (where Lake Region Insurance is now). The 24-hour station ​ had a cot downstairs for the operators to sleep on

Audrey Tack and her Girl Scout troop.

 while they were waiting for a call to come in during the night shift. Audrey said that when she worked that shift she would bring her school clothes with to change into for the next day. The need for telephone operators did not last long after Audrey finished working there as they soon converted to dial phones.