clubs and clusters
I’ll Meet You At
The Depot
Left to right, some of the community’s early families are represented by the following women: Lynda Weiss Daughter of the late Herman Weiss and Clara (Hoplin) Weiss. Clara, born in 1926, has been a Pine River resident most of her life.
By ALISON AMY STEPHENS
H
Colleen (Cromett) Moser Daughter of the late C.W. (Billy) Cromett III and Iris (Engel) Cromett. Her paternal great-grandfather, C.W. (Billy) Cromett II traveled west from Maine in 1880 with the logging industry. He was described as “probably the most colorful founding father of the Pine River community.” Alison (Amy) Stephens Daughter of the late Clark and Amanda Amy, co-owners and publishers of the Pine River Journal from the early 1950s until 1990. Alison’s grandmother, Alice (Clark) Amy, along with her two sons, settled in Pine River in 1931. Pat Johnson Daughter-in-law of the late Arvid Johnson and Opal (Houg) Johnson. Opal, a one-room schoolhouse teacher, is now 104. Arvid, at age 9, arrived in Pine River in 1914, along with his family who traveled from Mora by 32
Fall 2014 | her voice
The Women’s Committee of Heritage Group North is enthusiastically preparing for this year’s “Tea at the Station – A Petticoat Junction Function,” scheduled for Sept. 4 at the Historic Pine River Depot. This is the kick-off event for Pine River’s Heritage Days. Heritage Group North (HGN) is an allvolunteer, non-profit organization based in Pine River. HGN’s mission is to gather, interpret and share history of the greater Pine River area, promote public appreciation of the past and stimulate Heritage Tourism. HGN relies on memberships, grants and the generosity of the public to accomplish its goals. HGN’s flagship project has been the restoration of the Historic Pine River Railway Depot. Through HGN’s efforts of restoring, protecting and repurposing this building, The Depot is now listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places. Last years HGN-sponsored “Tea at the Station” was a women’s fundraiser to sup-
port its annual Depot operations and growing project list. The ladies in attendance enjoyed Victorian High Tea, complete with scones, finger sandwiches and sweet treats, served by Miss Pine River and her court, dressed in authentic aprons and caps. The cloth-draped tables were set with flowers, fancy serving dishes and silverware. Many attendees donned vintage hats and clothing for the event. During the gala, the Depot was abuzz with music, laughter and conversation, often beginning with the phrase, “I remember…” Displays featured historic clothing, pictures and collections. The food was donated by local businesses and community volunteers. The program, including an illustrated presentation entitled “Her Story is History, Too,” was given by Douglas Birk, former Director of the Institute for Minnesota Archeology, a founding member of the HGN Board, currently serving as the board’s historian. Doug grew up in Pine River. The most exciting feature at last year’s tea was the introduction of the Volume I booklet of “Heritage: Stories of Women From the