Hinckley - More Than Just a Casino!

So, I have been on hiatus with this blog because (unfortunately) we haven't been able to travel because of the issue with our slides (they come out when we drive - Scary).  We have (fortunately) been able to stay with Brooke & Johnny, so have had a good time visiting and helping out when we can.  It's been great to see Alycia when she has time & to catch up with a lot of friends and family.

We did spend 2 weeks in Hinckley when we did some farm sitting for our friend, Noah Falconer.  Noah has spent the last two years working (slaving!) at cleaning and rehabbing a show arena just south of the Hinckley casino. The hard work shows.  The arena has been renamed Double F Arena and has hosted a number of barrel races and breed shows.

Kind of a dorky photo of Noah (sorry, Noah) but I wanted to show the logo for the arena (I've been sporting my t-shirt, Noah!)

Brooke & Noah are good friends and she tries to get up and help whenever she can.  She also moved her horses up so they can ride together.  Besides running the arena, Noah also has a small, select group of broodmares and young stock with the bloodlines of the best barrel horses in the country.  His first foal crop is just getting started under saddle and looks very promising.

 

One of the things I remembered hearing about regarding Hinckley was the great fire, so when I saw that there was a museum in town, off we went.

In 1894, Hinckley was a thriving logging community of over 1,400 people.  There had been a two month drought, and on September 1st the firestorm began.  Because loggers left behind debris, there was a lot of fuel for the fire.  The fire burned over 200,000 acres and killed at least 413 people.  Inside the museum is a great collection of memorabilia including items that survived the fire.

There were also lots of personal stories from survivors.  One popular one is about a train engineer, John Root, who was headed south from Duluth.  He couldn't make it through the fire, but he picked up over 300 people and backed the train to Skunk Lake, where they ran into the lake.  They had to duck under the water while the firestorm passed over and said they could feel the heat from under the water. 

This mural was painted to try to capture some of the stories of the day.

There was also an area that explained what a firestorm is.  How the high surface temperatures held down by cooler air above caused a temperature inversion that trapped the gasses from the fire.  This created a fire tornado, complete with thunder and lightening.  The ground temps of over 2,000 degrees melted barrels of nails & fused the wheels of trains to tracks.

 

After the fire, Hinckley residents were determined to rebuild, but winter was coming.  The governor of MN, Knute Nelson, was able to raise $90,000.00 in relief.  By November 21, they had built over 300 houses and helped 450 families. 

This is a replica of a house that would house a family of 4!

Just looking at how devastating a fire like this can be, and in light of what is happening in California today, you have to feel humbled by the power of nature.