My Hometown of Hanska: 52 Ancestors 2020 Prompt “On the Map”

A Small Speck on the Map: Hanska, Minnesota 

            My hometown, Hanska, Minnesota, is truly a “small town”. According to the most recent census data from 2018, the population is only 375, smaller by about 70 people than when I lived on a nearby farm in the 1970s.

            While it may be a tiny dot on a Minnesota map, Hanska holds a large place in my heart. My father’s side of the family all immigrated from Norway to the area around Hanska in the late 1800s. I don’t know why the Petersons and Seversons selected the Hanska vicinity, but they established and proved up homesteads in this flat, marshy area that was radically different from the mountainous area of Norway where they were born. They built homes, farmed land, and established families in this new world. They were part of the founding of this town of Norwegian immigrants. Many of my relatives still live nearby in other southern Minnesota communities. Our family remains inextricably bound to this tiny town.

Unlike my usual post this one will be primarily pictorial. I was delighted to recently discover a series of historical photos of Hanska from around the time of its incorporation in 1901 through the period around my childhood.

Farmer Store Hanska 1900--Minnesota Historical Society

I am just going to post the photos, and a map of the town as it appeared early in the twentieth century. The photos give me a glimpse into the Hanska my ancestors would have known and loved.

Early 1900s photo of Hanska--Jorgenson photos

Independence Day Celebration Hanska 1903 Jorgenson Photo

            

Postcard Collection Lakenwoods

Hanska Train Depot 1912 MN Historical Society Photo

                                   

Before 1920 Hanska Postcard

Horse and Buggy in front of Hanska homes around 1909

I love this photo. There was no paved street or sidewalk. Lawn mowers weren't being used yet, so the lawns were overgrown and wild. And look at the buggy couple's companions: not just the white dog, but there's a cat on the lady's lap! And the photo also features an early photobomber--the homeowner peering at the goings-on. This photo is from the Lakenwoods postcard collection. This photo was made just eight years before my father's birth.

Winter storm in 1917--Minnesota Historical Soc. photo

1920s Hanska school classroom--Minnesota Historical Soc. Photo

Aerial map of Hanska from 1939

Hanska Main Street in 1962--Minn. Historical Soc. Photo

I think this last photo is my favorite. It was taken the year I turned three years old, so this is the way the town looked when I was a small child. There it is: my hometown.

Sources:

Minnesota Historical Society. https://www.mnhs.org/

Lakesnwoods Website: Hanska Minnesota Gallery. http://www.lakesnwoods.com/HanskaGallery.htm

http://www.jorgensennotes.com/ Michael and Bonnie Jorgenson. Photos accessed from Lakesnwoods.