Living Too Close To Progress

Our drive earlier in the week from Winnipeg to Tofte, Minn., was a loooooong one (466 miles or 751 km), so it was good that we had an engaging audio book to keep us entertained. We listened to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, which two different friends had recommended. It held the interest of all of us so well, the kids wanted to jump back into the car the next day to hear how it ended.

We also took a few G. Oliver-related breaks to break up the drive.

Our first stop was in Thief River Falls, Minn., where we had lunch. My dad was born there, and my grandfather Ronald Riggs taught and directed the band at Lincoln High School, so we got a photo of G. Oliver at the school, which is still used as the high school and was undergoing some brick work during our brief visit.

 

Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, Minn.

Our second stop was in Bemidji, where G. Oliver lived from 1919-1923. He directed the city band there and formed his famous Bemidji Boys’ Band, which performed at the Minnesota State Fair in 1922. The band performed summer outdoor concerts at Library Park, which is adjacent to the historic and endangered Carnegie Library and connects with Lake Avenue Boulevard – a popular place these days for people to bicycle and run. 

Library Park in Bemidji, Minn.

I had G. Oliver’s old address, 1213 Lake Boulevard, so we followed the road north from the park in search of the house. 

 

G. Oliver visits the building next to his former house.

There were some nice houses along that stretch of road, all with beautiful views of Lake Bemidji. But when we got to the 1200 block, we found … a parking lot. That was a disappointing discovery. The only redeeming part was we discovered that the parking lot was for Bemidji State University’s Bangsberg Fine Arts complex.

I guess that’s the danger of living on the edge of a college campus. It’s what happened to the house my dad and his siblings, Bob and Dana, grew up in next to St. Cloud State University – it was removed to make way for a university parking lot.

After a stop at the Wild Hare Bistro and Coffeehouse for beverages – which had nothing to do with G. Oliver, but everything to do with getting the driver some caffeine – we were back on the road and back into the book.