The Chinese New Year’s celebration started on Valentines Day this year. It’s the Year of the Tiger, still being celebrated. Were there Chinese immigrants in Waseca County’s history? We found one Chinese immigrant who had a laundry business in Janesville, and according to newspaper accounts, moved his business to Waseca in 1903 because of harassment by local boys.

In Waseca his laundry was located on South State Street just north of the old city hall where Quality Print is located today. He likely washed, starched and ironed most of Waseca’s businessmen’s white shirts of the time. Then he was drafted into the army to serve in World War I. On June 27, 1918, he was photographed with the other young men posed front and center against the south exterior of the Waseca County Courthouse. They left that day for training camp. He was a member of the 22nd Company 161st Depot Brigade, Camp Grant, IL.

His stint in the army lasted less than one year. Did he survive World War I? Yes, he did. He
came back to Waseca, but in 1920 he sold his laundry to Mr. Brownson of the Waseca Steam Laundry, and moved to Minneapolis.  We recently found his name in the 1930 San Francisco census. This photograph is his service portrait from the World War I book in our Bailey-Lewer Research Library. To see other photographs, join WCHS online, and search “Yep Lun.”

Waseca County History. It's unexpected.



Occasionally WCHS needs help identifying a photograph, and members of the community have been able to do that.



Recently we received an artifact representing part of the history of the Waseca Water &Light Board. It is a handsaw used to trim tree branches that interfere with telephone wires. The saw teeth are slanted in one direction so as not to let the workman lose his balance and footing as he used the saw! And this artifact reminded me of this photograph in our collection--Does someone know who is standing atop this telephone pole? The year is likely sometime between 1910 and 1925. We’re not even sure this is Waseca, but wouldn’t it be great if it is? 

Sometimes, Waseca County history . . .  is unexpected!

Remember when Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lyric said, “You’ll go down in his-tor-y!” Didn’t that sound strange to us as children, what did it mean? Well, in the history business it means you only have to live here to be part of the history of a place. You don’t have to be famous, or infamous, or have accomplished great feats to be part of Waseca County’s history.  But what is the evidence of your existence? Think about your photographs, stories, objects and documents. How do we remember what happens in this place called Waseca County, if the stories aren’t written down or recorded, the facts aren’t verified, the photographs not taken, the information isn’t made available to our children’s children, and their grandchildren’s grandchildren? My point is--care about the history of your place in time, here in  Waseca County, and all the parts of it—the towns, the farms, the townships, the businesses, the organizations, the objects, the stories, and especially the people. It’s all information and it’s all going to be history . . . some day. Care about it now.

Every community needs celebrations to pull us away from our computers and TVs and meet each other doing something together. The key word here is together! Being together as a community, watching, listening, dancing, playing, laughing and crying—it’s what keeps us together in this place called Waseca County. For many this is truly their birthplace. It’s my adopted hometown. That counts. So when there are celebrations, come out and participate. Maybe we can’t get to every one of them, but let’s try! The Leroy Shield Hometown Tribute’s Saturday Night Dance is this weekend on October 3.

So who is Leroy Shield and why is he significant to Waseca, Minnesota?

Leroy Shield was born in Waseca, Minnesota on October 2, 1893 and grew up to become a composer and conductor for Hollywood's popular Laurel & Hardy films and the Our Gang/Little Rascals films of the 1920s/30s. His music has become synonymous with these ageless favorites! Those films were created at the Hal Roach Studios. Movie-making was such a new medium, there weren’t any rules or copyright laws yet in those early years. In fact Shield wrote most of the music for the Hal Roach movies, receiving onscreen credit in only two of the dozens of films. Roach continued to use Shield’s music without the permission and use agreements required today.



Bernard Shield, who worked for the railroad, moved the family from Waseca when Leroy was a child. Eventually, though, Leroy Shield's talents took him to Chicago where he became the Musical Director of the National Broadcasting Company in 1931. There he composed and arranged symphonic music for radio dramas with millions of listeners. He was recognized in Who’s Who in Music in 1941; and received his Honorary Doctorate from the Chicago Musical College in 1942. In 1945 Shield became conductor for the NBC Orchestra in New York, working and touring with the renowned Arturo Toscanini. Leroy Shield retired in 1955 and died in 1962. His importance as a composer has rarely been recognized, but he was a major American composer. 



A Very Unusual Visitor

 “Unzie” was perhaps Waseca County’s most unusual visitor. He was an albino Australian aborigine who traveled with Barnum & Bailey’s Circus, and who is thought to have performed at the Chautauqua at Maplewood Park in the 1880s/90s.

Unzie’s real name was either Charlie or Danny Hadley, twins that were photographed by Charles Eisenmann, a Victorian photographer who specialized in photographing very unusual people, 1870-1890. At the time “Unzie” was thought to be a very handsome man. His snow-white hair grew very quickly, and of course, he attracted a great deal of attention. This cabinet card photograph was found in the WCHS collection, donor unknown. Waseca County history, it’s unexpected.

The show opened on May 17, 1894 drawing an initial crowd of 1500, but the second performance was rained out. Hitting the road, the Blakeslee & Stearns Circus traveled to Albert Lea, Waseca, Mankato, Waterville, Redwing and Minneapolis over the next three weeks.

On June 14, 1894, the New Richland Star reported, “Busted—The World’s Fair and Wild West Show organized in this place, has after an existence of less than a month . . . (was busted).”

On August 4, 2009 the circus once again came to New Richland, the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus—traveling not on the railroad, but on county roads and highways, in trailers, flat beds and vans. There were tightrope walkers, acrobats, high wire acts, jugglers, a clown, beautiful girls, lions, tigers, and even an albino python. What we experienced was most likely one of the last of the small traveling circuses where everything had to be set up—tent, concessions, bleachers, cages, riggings and more. And everyone had several jobs. The ticket-taker was also the stilt-walker and a juggler. The announcer was also a high wire act. The clown was also a trapeze artist. The python handler was also another trapeze artist, and so on. The huge striped tent was a little worse for wear, but one could still imagine its former glory and wonder how many trips it had taken across our country?

Another questions, when will we have another opportunity to experience another small traveling circus?

We feasted on the fun and daring, the music and the “extreme announcer,” the cotton candy and popcorn, the hard bleacher seats and dirt floor, the laughter, o-ohs and a-ahs, and the wonderment in the eyes of the children, parents and grandparents. Leaving, we were glad to have left the TV, Internet, iPods, cellphones and texting all back home. We enjoyed a perfect Minnesota summer evening as our minds tucked another memory away.

Were you there? What did you experience?

Blog-istory is written by Sheila Morris and Joan Mooney, co-directors of the Waseca County Historical Society. They can be reached at 507-835-7700 or director@historical.waseca.mn.us.