Tales from the deep North

Hiram Walsh came to Mansfield Station (later Bruno), Minnesota, in the summer of 1888.  He hoped to make a stake in the logging camps but he quickly found out that the pineries held more dangers than bitter winter cold, tons of falling lumber, and runaway log skids.
Using the story of real-life pioneer Hiram Walsh, I teach classes about how a lumberjack lived in the early days of logging.  Not only did he talk about the food, the conditions of the shanties, the terrible cold, and the lack of medical care, he also talked about meeting The Doyle Brothers and Blackjack Dawson.  These men constituted another grave danger of the pines.
My song “Three Little Drops” crystallizes this time and allows me to describe in great detail the life of this man at this moment in time.  It brings history immediately into the present and makes it live and breathe.
Hiram lived to see Bruno, MN, become a town, he lived to see the Doyle Brothers and Blackjack Dawson leave town, he lived to see farmers settle in and law and order prevail.  But his story is the story of logging in Minnesota.  His story shows the dangers, the characters, the will and drive of these folks in a fresh, new way.
I am Fred Keller the historian, the story teller, the musician, and the songwriter.  I bring these tales of Minnesota to classrooms, libraries, and homes all over Minnesota.  The songs make the stories “stick,” and the stories make the song unfold.
Call me to schedule a unique experience for your students!

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