Cokato Museum
Cokato is a small Minnesota town rich in history, and the Cokato Historical Society and Museum are dedicated to keeping that history alive.
The museum, a cooperative effort between the City of Cokato and the historical society, features a variety of permanent exhibits displaying remnants of the past, along with featured exhibits throughout the year.
Past exhibits have included “Weavings of Charles Benson,” featuring handspun rugs made from recycled fabrics by the Cokato native, and “60 (Y)ears of Corn,” which honored Cokato’s long tradition of its hometown festival, the Cokato Corn Carnival.
In 2010, the exhibit “One Era Ends, Another Era Begins,” looked back at the final years of Cokato High School and the early years of Dassel-Cokato High School.
The Gust Akerlund Studio, located on the corner of Broadway Avenue and Fourth Street, is open for viewing and features original cameras, equipment, and furnishings used by the early 20th century photographer.
Visitors of the museum are able to view what life used to be like in Cokato, with artifacts from some of its most significant historical landmarks, such as the post office, bank, pharmacy, and dentist’s office.
Cokato’s first settlers arrived as early as 1858, and the museum captures the lifestyles during the town’s early days by featuring period clothing, furniture, and farming equipment.
In summer 2011, the Cokato Museum will feature the exhibit “In the Summertime, We Would...,” looking back at how folks from the area have enjoyed their summers throughout the years.
Along with the temporary and permanent exhibits at the museum, the Cokato Historical Society also hosts an annual New Year’s open house with tin melting, a Finnish custom used to “predict” what will happen in the coming year.
A relatively new event hosted by the Cokato Historical Society and the museum is the Upper Midwest Model T Snowmobile Rally, featuring several early models of Model T automobiles on skis. The first year of the event, the rally attracted news coverage from KARE 11, because the temperature that weekend did not rise above 0 degrees.
The fifth annual Model T Snowmobile Rally is set for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 14 - 15, 2012, in Peterson Park, located across from the museum.
The museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and is closed Sundays, Mondays, and major holidays. Tours are available by appointment. Check out the Cokato Museum’s website, www.cokato.mn.us. for more details, or call (320) 286-2427.
