Day Trip Destinations

By Renee Berg

LaCrosse is a gem that sits on the Mississippi River on the western edge of Wisconsin.

La Crosse, Wisconsin, is uniquely and perfectly situated right on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. It’s surrounded by beautiful sandstone bluffs and the Mississippi River, which make for plenty of outdoor activities. Hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and so much more is waiting for you here.

Dyllan Griepentrog, admissions counselor for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, has lived in the city for six months. He said La Crosse is ideally located, with proximity to apple orchards, pumpkin patches and is only a short drive from Perrot State Park, where gorgeous views of the bluff and Mississippi River beckon.

“The city of La Crosse is absolutely a vibrant and lively area, especially our downtown,” said Neal Zygarlicke, chief executive officer of the La Crosse Area Chamber. “As a small city, we really do seem to have it all at our fingertips. What I mean by that is we have nearly immediate access to hiking, biking, and various river recreation, all while being only minutes away from fantastic restaurants, arts and entertainment, and nightlife opportunities.”

Each fall, La Crosse explodes with energy and excitement as 10,000 students return to the town’s three colleges: UWL, Viterbo University and Western Technical College. Griepentrog notes that La Crosse is vibrant and full of energy during the summer months, but there seems to be an increased number of events come fall.

“La Crosse is a perfect blend between a large metropolitan area and a small/medium sized town,” he said. “There are plenty of places for you to explore and immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of city living as well as numerous places for

The river is central to many leisure activities in LaCrosse.”

you to unplug, disconnect and take in the natural beauty of the driftless area.”

“Being home to three colleges definitely brings a youthfulness to our atmosphere,” Zygarlicke said. “You will often find people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying the same restaurant or park. The students do infuse the atmosphere. Every fall, when the students are beginning classes, there seems to be a renewed energy within the entire city.”

The city has a lot of history “which is on full display in our historic downtown district,” Griepentrog said. “You’ll find a handful of buildings that have been perfectly preserved and converted to meet modern needs, many of which are now restaurants, coffee shops and unique storefronts.”

If shopping, experts direct visitors to downtown to see “many different shops in a small amount of time,” Zygarlicke said. “Downtown has the antique, art and boutique shops all within walkable distance to each other and the hotels.”

From concerts to rodeos, movie nights and Okotberfest, La Crosse is bustling. Make sure to check out Grandad’s Bluff, the highest point in La Crosse, Riverside Park located a few blocks from the historic downtown, and the Pearl Ice Cream Shop, which is a must when visiting. An early 1900s-style ice cream and candy store, they make most, if not all, of their treats by hand at Pearl.

When it comes to lodging, plenty of great hotels are in perfect proximity to downtown, Zygarlicke said. “But if someone is looking for a different experience, they should try The Charmant Hotel. The Charmant used to be a candy factory but has now been renovated into a fantastic hotel with restaurant, bar and coffee shop.”

For a meal, a trip here isn’t complete without a stop into Rudy’s, where the waitresses are on rollerskates and chili dogs and homemade root beer are revered.

“We’ve been on skates since the ‘80s,” said third generation owner Gary Rudy. “It’s pretty darned unique. It’s fast, it’s quick, it makes it fun.”

At Rudy’s, diners can enjoy their drive-in fare in a variety of ways. You can dine inside, in your car, at one of the 12 picnic tables, or you can take your food to go and enjoy it at Riverside Park along the mighty Mississippi River.

Rudy’s is closed for the season now but will be open from about mid-March to mid-October.

Zygarlicke said people who visit La Crosse repeatedly tell the Chamber staff how accommodating and friendly the people are in the area. “I think many people underestimate all that La Crosse has to offer, not just for people traveling but also for people who live and work here.”

Dave and Sarah Braveheart.

For Dave Brave Heart, life is a sacred journey. And he’d like to believe he’s filled that journey with as much life as possible, on both the good and bad ends of the spectrum.

Golden Gloves champion. Addict. Community organizer. Activist. Mankato Wacipi chairman. Educator. Healer. Father. Husband. Animal lover.

And now: a victim of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS — which may color the final leg of his earthly journey.

Sitting in an easy chair in his Mankato home, Brave Heart acknowledged his diagnosis and what it means.

“When I think about my sacred journey, I’m still asking ‘Why me?’ But I know there’s going to be a ‘Why not you?’ So you know, as I think about the journey, yes, there is going to be a time when I’m going to leave this world and go to the spirit world. And I have relatives on that side I know are going to welcome me. … But there’s a part of me that’s sad …”

With that, he paused — eyes wet with tears — and turned to his wife, Sarah, seated in a twin easy chair, who extended a hand to meet his. In that moment, with a passel of beloved dogs and cats milling about and a wife who wouldn’t break eye contact with him, it was hard to see Dave Brave Heart as anything but a man surrounded by love.

If ALS does indeed take him, it will do so with him firm in the knowledge that he’s lived a full life, collected scores of friends along the way and did everything he could to raise awareness of Native American culture. He’s battled addiction, learned to fight with his fists, and helped elevate an annual Mankato tradition that has educated thousands of school children about the history of this land.

His journey has been a sweet one. But it’s not over yet.

Brave Heart spent most of his childhood on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He calls himself “half” native. His father was 7/8 Dakota, his mom was ¼ Dakota.

“So I’m a little bit over half,” he said. “My father was a member at Pine Ridge.”

Brave Heart lived in a kind of limbo, he said. On the reservation, he was sometimes looked down upon for not being a full-blooded Dakota. Off the reservation, he experienced racism.

“I was kind of singled out. Not enough white, not enough Indian.”

He was picked on and called names. He remembers one in particular.

“They called me ‘iyeska,’” he said, which roughly translates to “speaks white.” It was meant as a slur. One day he decided to do something about it: He took up boxing. Not to start fights — to stop them from happening in the first place.

After a few years, he was so good he became the state champ. The next year, he did it again. Sarah keeps a picture on her phone of Dave. Holding two trophies and sporting the thick locks of a confident teen, Dave is smiling proudly and wearing his Gold Gloves letterman-like jacket.

It’s a time of which he’s proud and looks back on with fondness. But not all his memories from these days are positive.

As a teenager, Dave Brave Heart was a state champion in Golden Gloves boxing.

The first time Brave Heart got drunk took place when he was 9 years old. Angry at his father for coming home drunk again and worried that Dad would start yet another fight with Mom, he went out to the car and grabbed the source of the problem: a jug of wine.

He said he hated his father at the time, watched him fail at alcohol abuse treatment, watched him

bounce from job to job between Rapid City and the reservation.

Brave Heart said he’d planned to pour the wine out in disgust. Only, instead of pouring it out, he tried a sip ... and liked it. So he kept drinking and drinking until eventually the jug was empty. That episode — which concluded in ugly fashion with his mother forcing him to vomit — launched Brave Heart on a path of drug abuse and bad behavior.

“Like a lot. I was smoking marijuana almost every day. Acid, downers, speed. Did it all.”

His dad finally got sober, and that prompted Brave Heart to do the same. He remembers attending AA meetings with his father and brother where they’d listen to other people in recovery tell their stories.

“It was so weird to listen to all these people tell their stories of years of drinking and then they’ll look to us and say, ‘You guys are lucky. Don’t waste all your years drinking like I did,’” he said. “Getting sober was hard. How many young people do you know that don’t drink? It was really hard but we made it.”

When he sobered up, his father gave him a Native American name: White Clouds.

“He said, ‘The reason why I give you that name is that I see you connect with people from many different levels, different walks of life, no matter who they are,’” he said. “And that’s been true in my life.”

Dave and Sarah have parallel pasts. Both grew up in log cabins — Dave on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Sarah in northern Wisconsin. When they met in St. Paul years ago, each was looking for a partner with a Native background, someone who is

sober, and, in Sarah’s case, someone who could butcher a deer. “Dave knew how to butcher a deer,” she said, “and that was important to me. I think those kinds of skills are helpful. My parents were hippies and I grew up with the idea that a guy should Brave Heart has led organization efforts for the have a Mahkato Wacipi for nearly a decade. pocket knife and be able to do handy things.” They joke about the MinnesotaWisconsin rivalry. Sarah uses the futility of the Vikings to poke fun at Dave. “I knew he was used to being disappointed,” she joked. “So I knew the bar was low.” The pair moved around a bit, spending some time on the Pine Ridge Reservation and Colorado. Eventually they returned to Minnesota, settling in Mankato. They knew the bloody history of Indigenous people in the Mankato area. Still, they felt called to come. “We landed on Mankato in part because we had gone to the powwow here many times and because we wanted our family to be part of the reconciliation and healing that was so active in this community,” Sarah said. “And we felt like we had some skills to bring to that.” Brave Heart got involved with the Mahkato Wacipi not long after arriving in town. He said the late Bud Lawrence, the man who started the Wacipi, took him under his wing and taught him about running the large event. During his first year, he was a volunteer. During his second year, he was elected treasurer. And since 2013, he’s been the chair. Financially, the organization wasn’t doing well when Brave Heart came on. But he said that, during the course of a few years — after scrutinizing and better managing gate receipts, merchandise sales and donations — they’ve landed on firm financial

footing.

He’s ever-present at the Mahkato Wacipi. This past year, when all the children were gathered in a circle, Brave Heart delivered the news — with compassion and empathy — that 4-year-old Natalya Ashes had been killed in a storm the night before. It was a sad, yet touching, moment that revealed his humanity and showed how deeply he cared for the people who attend the powwow.

Despite his diagnosis, Brave Heart said he’s hoping to preside over at least one more wacipi. At that time, they’ll rename the permanent powwow structure at Land of Memories Park after Natalya.

It was about a year ago when the Brave Hearts noticed something was off.

“It was things like ‘You’re kind of talking funny,’ but then he’d had some dental work done. So we thought, ‘OK, maybe it’s the dental work.’ And then his hand kind of hurt and the doctor thought, ‘Maybe it’s carpal tunnel,’” Sarah said. “We didn’t know at first. But by the end of summer, it was very clear. Something’s very wrong.”

As his disease progressed, Brave Heart had been doing his own research. Because he knew his own body best, his guess was ALS. And after a doctor’s examination in September, his suspicions were confirmed.

ALS is fatal, with most people living between two and five years; some people, however, live much longer. The famous scientist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed in his 20s and lived to be 76.

Brave Heart isn’t sure what the next few years will hold. And he’s not excited about some of the medications on the market to treat ALS. Where some promise three extra months, Brave Heart demands three years.

One thing he is excited about, though, is the support their family has gotten.

When Brave Heart’s employer, Tribal Tech out of Alexandria, Virginia, heard about his gofundme campaign (he works remotely), they offered to do a matching grant and ended up donating more than $5,000. This put the campaign over the top, which will allow the family to install a mechanical lift in their house.

Closer to home, people have been just as supportive.

“People who David worked with at the city for Indigenous Peoples Day, friends from things the kids have been involved in, and just the work that we’ve done here — it has built a great network of people,” Sarah said. “And so we’ve been having meetings every other Saturday morning planning a benefit for Feb. 19 at the (Unitarian Universalist) Church. … It’s about making those connections, and that’s what we want to keep doing.” Brave Heart has a realistic outlook. He’s willing to participate in clinical trials, and he very much wants to be around for as long as possible. But he also has a desire to intentionally appreciate everything happening around him. “I have my moments where I break down and cry. I try to say, ‘OK, this is really happening,’” he said. “But yeah, it’s hard to imagine down the road what it’s going to be like. I can’t dwell on it too much. The only thing I really can do is be in a moment.” MM

Joint Replacement Surgery Important Choice,

For quality care, close to home, it’s OrthoEdge. The OrthoEdge Joint Replacement Program features two of the most experienced orthopaedic care providers in the area, The Orthopaedic& Fracture Clinic and River’s Edge Hospital.

• 3,000 successful hip, knee and other orthopaedic surgeries • 245 years of combined orthopaedic surgery experience • 1 of 13 hospitals in the nation accredited as a hip and knee replacement center of excellence

Getting the care you deserve and trust, close to home, makes OrthoEdge the right choice for joint replacement surgery.

Learn more at OrthoEdgeMN.com Recognized for Being the Best!

River’s Edge Hospital has been recognized as a DNV GL Healthcare certifi ed Orthopaedic Center of Excellence for:

• Hip & Knee Replacement • Shoulder Surgery • Spine Surgery Plus, River’s Edge Hospital is top rated for patient experience!

By Pat Christman

it just makes us more foolish. MM

Dakota and Ojibwe riders arrive in Mankato for an annual commemoration of the forced march of Dakota people to a concentration camp near Fort Snelling after the U.S. Dakota War. The annual journey was started in 2005 to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and nonIndigenous people.”

By Natalie Rademacher | Photos by Free Press archives

Acrowd gathered at Reconciliation Park the day after Christmas. Kids ran around and people huddled to stay warm. The statue with the names of the 38 Dakota Akicita – warriors – who were hanged near there following the U.S. Dakota War stood tall over everyone.

As the Dakota and Ojibwe riders rode their horses down Riverfront Drive, completing their long journey from South Dakota to this site, the crowd welcomed them with cheers and song. At the park, they met with runners who ran all the way there from Fort Snelling in St. Paul as a way to remember the forced march of

Dakota people to a concentration camp near the fort after the war.

The annual journey was started in 2005 to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and nonIndigenous people. It is part of a larger movement to educate about Dakota history and show that while the Dakota were forcefully exiled from the state after the 1862 conflict, they are still here today.

Todd Finney, a Wahpekute Dakota, spoke during the ceremony about the importance of knowing about this history from the perspective of Dakota people.

“We just want to know our history. We want others to have the availability to know an accurate history of who we are and what we do,” he said. “Because for each one of these nations, we have histories, but unfortunately a lot of the history books are written by victors who want to look like heroes. They did many great things, but we would also like to tell the tale of our people and the many great things they did.”

Providing accurate accounts of Dakota history and culture can be challenging because most written records were created by white people who visited Dakota communities, often for brief periods of time.

These records are often clouded with the writer’s biases and perceptions. The Dakota have kept their history alive for thousands of years by passing on and repeating oral stories about events, lessons and why things are the way they are.

Strides have been made in the last couple of decades to document Dakota history and share these stories with others through books, exhibits and events such as the reconciliation ride to Mankato, but some people doing this work say it can be hard because many don’t seek out the information.

The Nicollet County Historical Society is one of the organizations working to educate the community on how the land that today makes up southern Minnesota is Dakota homeland and was ceded to the U.S. government through treaties with the Dakota. A permanent exhibit in the Treaty Site History Center in St. Peter dives into what led up to the signing of the 1851 treaty and what the treaty entails.

The exhibit was created almost a decade ago, with help from Joe Williams, Sisseton Wapheton Oyate, and Tom Ross, Upper Sioux Community Pejuhutazizi Oyate. Both Dakota elders have died since the exhibit opened.

The exhibit explores how the U.S. government encouraged trading with Indigenous people so they would acquire debt and need to cede their homeland to the U.S. to pay off the money owed.

“We shall push our trading houses, and be glad to see the good & influential individuals among them run in debt, because we observe that when these debts get beyond what the individuals can pay, they become willing to lop th(em off) by a cession of lands,” wrote Thomas Jefferson in a letter to William Henry Harrison. This letter is part of the Nicollet County Historical Society treaty exhibit.

Kate Martens, president of the board of directors for the Nicollet County Historical Society, said when the United States became a country, the government did not have much money and saw acquiring and selling Indigenous homeland as a way to make a profit.

A U.S. law was created stating that the only entity that could buy Native land and sell it was the U.S. government. The process of

This painting by Frances Davis Millet depicts the signing of the treaty at Traverse des Sioux.” Courtesy Nicollet County Historical Society acquiring Indigenous homeland through treaties and then selling it to speculators is what made the government wealthy, she said.

By the time the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands met U.S. government officials to negotiate and sign the treaty at Traverse des Sioux, they were desperate. Excessive hunting had decimated the populations of animals the Dakota relied on for food and trade. The annuity payments from the U.S. for the ceded land could help the Dakota feed their people and ensure they could stay on part of their homeland.

The Dakota bands ceded much of their land in the treaty for about 7 1/2 cents an acre and retained a reservation that stretched 10 miles wide on either side of the Minnesota River, a reservation that would later be halved by the U.S. government.

After signing two copies of the treaty, the leaders were directed to sign a third document, which allowed the government to pay off various debts of traders using the treaty payment. The document was not translated for the Dakota and accounts say the Dakota leaders thought they were just signing another copy of the first treaty.

These deceptive practices and a delay in annual payment of money and food from the government to the starving Dakota people led up to the Dakota uprising in 1862 and the eventual hanging of the 38 Dakota men in the middle of present-day Mankato. The Dakota people were exiled from the state, despite many not agreeing or participating in the uprising. Martens dives into the deeper context of this as a tour guide as a way to share this history and provide clarity about what happened on this land. “Nobody else has that local perspective,” Director Jessica Becker said of the exhibit. “We are able to keep that story alive.” A challenge is getting more people from the community to visit the exhibit and take the time to learn about this history, Becker said, adding that so much history occurred in this area and there are a lot of people who don’t know much about it. “Many don’t realize (the exhibit) is here,” she said. The historical society works to ensure the stories around the treaty are not forgotten, but there is much history beyond the Dakota people’s interactions with white settlers that people are trying to share too — the stories of Dakota culture, people, their relationship with this land and their influence in everyday life, including place names such as Mankato, a word derived from the Dakota words: Mahka to. They mean greenish blue earth. Glenn Wasicuna, a Dakota elder and a Dakota language professor at Minnesota State University, said people need to look beyond the treaties because there is much more history there.

This drawing by Frank B. Mayer done in 1851 depicts the camp at the treaty negotiation site.” Courtesy Nicollet County Historical Society

He said the way to learn is by listening to Dakota people and not solely relying on the historical records and books written by nonDakota people.

“We have to tell that story,” Wasicuna said.

He said young people will be the ones sharing these stories of Dakota history and culture because they can do the research and they know history is incomplete when it’s told from only certain perspectives.

Gwen Westerman and Bruce White, in their book “Mni Sota Makoce,” said part of learning about this Dakota history involves “reading between the lines” of the written records of missionaries and government officials who visited Dakota communities. These records have shaped people’s perception of Dakota people, but often don’t tell a complete story.

“The dominance of a non-Dakota master story about the Dakota people continues to pose challenges today as Dakota people seek to reclaim the legacy of their history and their places,” said Wasicuna in the introduction to “Mni Sota Makoce.”

“The answer to many of the problems presented by Dakota history as it has been written in the past is to try to achieve a more complete account, one that gives full appreciation to the Dakota oral tradition but also makes a concerted effort to read between the lines of written records to search for Dakota points of view and Dakota meanings.”

“We’re just trying to educate. Just trying to make people understand. That’s all we are trying to do,” Wasicuna said. MM

Mankato Mayor Stan Christ, Politician Kathy Sheran, and Mankato State University president Richard Rush at Otto Recreation center on October 30,1992. Image courtesy of the University Archives at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

By Michael Lagerquist

The strong connection between Mankato and what is today Minnesota State University was forged in the school’s first years in the late 1860s.

A stipulation of the 1858 Normal School act required the host city to contribute $5,000 toward its establishment. This was a large sum of money during a difficult time in the state’s early history, but state lawmaker Daniel Buck, of Mankato, was able to take advantage of the Legislature’s optimism to bring forth

Image courtesy of the University Archives at Minnesota State University, Mankato. the second Normal School. Mankato and St. Cloud joined the first school in Winona.

The $5,000 was raised by the sale of bonds issued by the growing town’s officials. Buck, for whom one of the first Mankato dormitories was named, made this happen.

Thus began a relationship that has lasted more than 150 years and continues to evolve. Although it would be easy for each entity to grow on its own without regard for the other, Mankato and the university have found they make a great team and that by joining forces they can weather difficult times.

Conversations with several people who were involved in the accomplishments reveals that the university has increased its prominence not by trying to outshine the city, but by partnering with it and sharing resources for mutual benefit.

Richard Rush, who started as president at what was then Mankato State University in September 1992, is credited for many accomplishments, including the name change to Minnesota State University, Mankato, and taking the university from the quarter system to the semester system.

Following in the footsteps of Margaret Preska, who established many partnerships during her tenure as president from 1979 to 1992, Rush led the university through an impressive period of building facilities and reputation.

From his home in California last month, Rush said he had been providing ideas to Glen Taylor, owner of the Taylor Corporation printing businesses, at the rate of three to five a year for a major enhancement to the university. Taylor would think about it, Rush said, and then say, “Well, no. This isn’t it.”

Eventually, Rush approached Taylor with the idea for an arena, which could be done in addition to massive renovations to Otto Arena and the Myers Fieldhouse to vastly improve athletic facilities.

Rush had just one month to formulate the idea and present it to the Legislature, with the hope of leveraging a $10 million commitment from Taylor into a total of $24 million. The risk paid off. “Over the years,” Rush said, “I think it has stood the university in good stead.”

Taylor Center includes not only the Bresnan Arena, home to Maverick basketball, wrestling and volleyball, but also the Admissions Office. It creates an impressive front door to the university. And that unusual but effective combination played a big part in attracting the first hire by Rush’s successor, Richard Davenport.

“That was part of my inspiration (to take the job), when I interviewed and took the campus tour,” said Kevin Buisman, director of athletics since 2002. Within two minutes of starting the tour, he got a look at Taylor Center. “It’s like, ‘This place has more resources than Northern Iowa (where he was working at the time), and Northern Iowa is supposed to be Division I.” His thought immediately was, “MSU Athletics is on the launching pad,” he said. “Somebody’s just got to put the countdown sequence in motion.” MSU’s emergence as “The other great public university,” a phrase coined by Rush, involved the right people forming the right partnerships that led to a series of successes. Rush’s first week in the new position wasn’t easy. The State University System under Terrance MacTaggert announced then that Mankato would not be going to Division I with its hockey program. Rush received hate mail, and the entire men’s hockey team made an appointment to see him in his office, wondering what was going to happen with the future they had been promised. “So, I went up to St. Paul and I

“All the credit there, in my said to the chancellor, ‘Give me a year. I’ve just gotten here, I don’t mind, goes to Starr Kirkin,” know what the issues are. Give me Rush said. “The development a year.’ And I said, ‘I can take this of the civic center, I think, was program to Division I, but you have to give me the chance to do instrumental in Mankato’s it.’” evolution and maybe an As luck would have it, at nearly incremental leap forward.” the same time the city of Mankato was considering a referendum to build a civic center downtown, in part as an effort to re-energize a dying city center. Former U.S. Bank President Starr Kirklin was hired to help make the civic center a reality by rallying university students to vote “Yes” on the referendum. When they did vote yes, it provided Rush with what he needed to achieve Division I status. “All the credit there, in my mind, goes to Starr Kirkin,” Rush said. “The development of the civic center, I think, was instrumental in Mankato’s evolution and maybe an incremental leap forward.” Added Buisman: “The hockey team went through the dorms knocking on doors saying, ‘Go vote! Go vote!’ It happened. It really happened.” Creating partnerships with people within the community has always been a part of the president’s job, Rush and Davenport said. In fact, Davenport goes so far as to say that’s the reason he was hired. Image courtesy of the University Archives at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Even Buisman, who breaks the mold of traditional athletic directors by having earned his Master of Business Administration instead of coaching credentials, was hired to bring a business approach to athletics.

When Davenport arrived in Mankato, he embarked on a mission to visit all of the two-year colleges in the state, starting partnerships that proved to be invaluable when enrollments started dipping across the state years later. Those relationships, he said, helped Mankato maintain enrollments when other state universities were dropping. Students from those two-year schools were encouraged to come here to complete their four-year degrees.

The university had built up strong bonds through a “TownGown” council that Rush established. He met regularly with government, education and business leaders to set a direction for growth. Often, the university provided expertise through its faculty to move these efforts forward.

Consistently a Top-Producing Agent in the Greater Mankato Area

507•345•4040 510 Long Street, Ste. 104 Mankato, MN www.MankatoRealEstate.com

Broker ABR, CPS, GRIKarla Van Eman,

ABR, CRS, GRI Owner/Broker

• Numbness in your feet and legs? • Painful burning, tingling feet? • Night-time discomfort? • Pin-like sensations with each step?

• You have Neuropathy or Plantar Fasciitis? • You must live with the pain, because nothing can be done?

1706 Lor Ray Drive, North Mankato, MN 11 Chestnut Street East, Trimont, MN

Southern Minnesota Advocates was formed by Rush and Paul Stevens from Mankato Citizens Telephone Company (now Consolidated Communications) in an effort to make sure outstate cities got their fair slice of the pie. State growth in the metro area was diminishing outstate influence.

“Another thing we did that put us right in front of the Legislature was the Center for Rural Policy and Development,” Rush said. After recognizing issues that were confronting outstate Minnesota, they produced reports that were shared with decision-makers. Sitting on the desk of every legislator was a book titled, “The Center for Rural Policy and Development at Minnesota State University.”

In addition to visits to two-year institutions, Davenport made frequent trips to St. Paul, photographer in tow, forming mutually beneficial relationships with the people who made decisions on who would get funding for projects.

Legislators knew of Minnesota State Mankato through these visits. Their respect for Davenport’s efforts kept Mankato at the forefront for new projects such as new residence halls, and enhanced the campus appearance and work to attract students.

With the help of marketing hire Jeff Iseminger, and through its “Big Ideas. Real World Thinking” campaign, MSU reinforced its presence throughout the state.

“We said, first of all, our goal is to have our name recognized everywhere in the state,” Davenport said.

“At that point it was billboards, and it was also television ads.” They took the campaign right to the doorstep of other colleges, drawing some ire but also lots of respect from state university board members for their aggressive marketing.

All of these efforts were getting MSU noticed. And it was also getting them students.

The arts also were strengthening the university’s presence and contributions. The Department of Theatre and Dance, drawing on past chairman Ted Paul’s focus on producing popular musical theater, was building a reputation for attendance and quality. When Paul Hustoles succeeded Paul, he

Dedication of Consolidated Campus - Mankato State University. Image courtesy of the University Archives at Minnesota State University, Mankato. recognized he had a good thing.

“I was amazed at the ‘popular’ emphasis on theater at MSU,” said Hustoles, who retired after about 35 years as COVID-19 was shutting down theater performances everywhere.

“As a producer, I did not believe the box office clout of this place –until I looked at the books. That amazing revenue goes directly back to the students in the form of supplies, equipment, guest artists and, of course, scholarships.”

In 2000, the department opened the Andreas Theatre, which was made possible through a relationship and donation Rush and Hustoles had nurtured with donors Lowell and Nadine Andreas. The theater was just one of the contributions the local couple made to the university.

The same was happening in the Art Department, said Brian Frink, who retired in 2021.

“Over the years, as our community became more interested in art and its role in our culture, the relationship between the university and the community deepened,” he said. “I guess what I’m saying is that, increasingly, Mankato and North Mankato began reaching out to cultivate a relationship.”

A strong relationship has existed between the Mankato Regional Airport and the university. Fred Lutz, retired businessman, pilot and longtime member of the Mankato Airport Commission, said the closure of the state’s other academic training program and a local recognition of the program’s value led to a resurgence here. The university was ready to drop the program in 2010 when enrollment plummeted. Stressing the need for pilots, the Airport Commission contributed money and local pilot and developer Kyle Smith began providing the aircraft, buildings and maintenance through a business relationship. “Now there’s 40 airplanes out there and around 600 students,” Lutz said. “In the state now they know Mankato is a busy airport (third behind Minneapolis-St. Paul and Flying Cloud, which has its own teaching program). They’re glad to see that because they’re keeping students here and they’re being trained in Minnesota,” he said. Through such efforts as hosting the now-defunct Minnesota Vikings Training Camp for more than 50 years, the university kept itself and the city prominent in the state. Although MSU often rises above the city in promotional value, benefits are mutual. Perhaps Buisman summed up the relationship between the university and the city best: “We just want to kind of weave ourselves into the fabric of the community and be something that people can be prideful about.” This has been happening on several fronts for more than 150 years. MM

1404MADISONAVE.,MANKATO 507.344.0607|laterrazamankato.com Open:Monday–Thursday11–10 Friday&Saturday11–10:30;Sunday11–9