Enterprise Dispatch Blog

A new exhibit, “What’s in Your Backyard?: A Collection of Paleo Indian Artifacts from the Dassel Area,” will open Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m., with a program and refreshments. There is no admission charge. The exhibit will be on the fourth level of Universal Laboratories, 901 First Street, Dassel, for several months.The exhibit deals with research that Bob Munter, with the help of Arnie Ruotsinoja, has conducted, documenting 25 Native American sites in the Dassel area, which includes hundreds of Indian artifacts. Twenty-two of the sites were assigned a Smithsonian number by the Office of the State Archeologist. This is significant research, since the state of Minnesota had only six recorded Indian sites in Meeker County.

The exhibit will focus on three of the sites that have the earliest artifacts dating back to the Paleo-Indian era, 10,000-1000 BCE (BC).  Artifacts from these three sites, as well as four artifacts which have been donated to the Society, will be displayed.  Information about these sites, the artifacts, and the Indians who hunted in this area during those early days will be presented in the exhibit.
Also, learn what to do if an Indian artifact is discovered in a backyard.  Members of the exhibit committee are Ann Isaacson, Michele Nordtrop-Madson, Mary Jensen, Dave Broesder, Robert Wilde, Joyce Aakre, and Ronette Doering.