Through a SoMinn LENS

This aged building, home to Hopefull Treasures, holds treasures awaiting discovery.

A place called HOPE

In many ways, I consider myself a documentarian of small towns, of rural character, of those places often passed by, overlooked. Hope, an unincorporated community a dozen miles south of Owatonna and just west of Interstate 35, fi rst drew my interest in July 2011. I remember well that visit, particularly photographing two cats lounging outside Hopefull Treasures. The scene seemed idyllic, peaceful, Americana. It was. Revisiting this town 10 years later, the tabby and the longhaired orange cat were not to be seen at the antique shop.

Instead, I spotted a black-and-white feline inside while perusing merchandise. Much can change in a small town in 10 years. Even a year. And especially during a pandemic. Bars and other businesses come and go. Yet, the essence of these places remains in a sense of community. In a defi nitive rural-ness. The local grain elevator still towers along the train tracks in Hope, defi ning the area’s ag-based economy. Krause Feeds & Supply, an agricultural cooperative/gas station/convenience store on the south edge of town meets local needs with gas, pet food, bird seed, farm store and feed supplies, Hope butter, cold pop and other merchandise. You can even order chicks here for spring pick-up. The post offi ce remains open. Hope, MN. Zip code 56046. Across the street, Dale Wilker opens on Fridays and Saturdays (or by chance) to those interested in record albums, books and countless antiques, collectibles and treasures at Hopefull Treasures. A bit north, skilled butter makers craft small batches of butter using fresh cream sourced from area farmers, just as they have done in this same building for 102 years. Award-winning Hope Creamery butter is coveted by metro restaurants and so many others in a world of automated, mass-produced butter. This is Hope. A community many pass by while traveling at 70 mph along I-35 in Somerset Township. Hope, just down Steele County Road 4. A place which, by name alone, draws me in—to explore, to document, to appreciate. To experience a bit of Americana in rural southern Minnesota. 

A native of the southwestern Minnesota prairie, Audrey Kletscher Helbling creates from Faribault, her home of 39 years. She’s grown to love this region and encourages locals to explore what’s right here in their backyard. You can fi nd more of her writing and photography on her blog at mnprairieroots.com.

The building on the right houses Hopefull Treasures.

On a summer Sunday in July 2011, a pair of cats laze outside Hopefull Treasures.

Photographed in 2021 in a storefront window in Ellendale.

Glassware for sale includes a glass from The Flying Monkey in Hayfield.

BOTTOM: Merchandise crams shelves and floor space inside Hopefull Treasures. Music in a massive record collection and also in a vintage radio, for sale at Hopefull Treasures

Filling up with gas at Krause Feeds & Supplies in 2021. A vintage Pepsi-elevator sign spotted in 2011 on a building.

“The butter that betters the bread!” themes a Hope Creamery mug photographed in Ellendale in 2021.

FAR LEFT: Book lovers will find a large selection of books inside Hopeful Treasures.

LEFT: Hope School Park, a Steele County park in Hope.

Set in the midst of farm land, Hope centers on agriculture.

A vintage Pepsi-elevator sign spotted in 2011 on a building.

Interesting signage on a vacant building. TOP: Hope calendars are among items for sale. MIDDLE: Spurgy’s Bar & Grill closed in April 2020. BOTTOM: Finch’s Pub closed during the pandemic in June 2020.