08/28/06

Frontenac Methodist Campus, Old Frontenac, MN

A newspaper article of Thursday, May 16 1940

"Ministers Roll Up Sleeves in Work Bee at Methodist Campus"

Minnesota Conference Pastors Converge on Old Frontenac.

"Ministers at Work"

It wasn't there but during the past few days that sign could well have braced the entrance to the grounds of the former Frontenac Inn at Frontenac. which is now known as the  Old Frontenac Point-Methodist Campus.

Pastors of more than 60 of the churches of the Minnesota Conference of the Methodist  church - representing more than half of those  in the church group - went to work in various capacities Monday and continued on the job until yesterday afternoon in getting the old inn and other buildings at Frontenac Point in shape for what promises to be a busy season....

The church men found a big task ahead of them. In addition to the former inn, a large three story, rambling structure. there were five small cottages and a large one, a former barn and garage and about 5 acres of ground that needed attention.

Found the article in Genevieve's scrapbook.  No identification as to which newspaper.

Buses  meet at Mankato

Mankato District put together a bus route to transfer campers to Old Frontenac Methodist Campus.  This was the only way that they could get a lot of campers to go.  Because of many farming communities, our camps were in late June or July. 

Monday of the week of camp one school bus would start at Luverne, MN and stop at Churches on old Highway 16 and then from Blue Earth north on Highway 169 to Mankato to meet the other bus at Mankato Centenary Methodist Church.  Second school bus started at Pipestone, Minnesota  and would follow current Highway 14 and stop at each Methodist Church on the way to Mankato.  The third bus would start at Marshall, Minnesota and travel to Redwood Falls and down to Mankato.

We had one hour in Mankato, waiting for all the buses to get there and eat lunch. The Greyhound bus depot got a lot of business during those days.  Once all the buses were there, the loads, luggage and campers were evened out between the three buses and then we would start the journey together to Frontenac from there.

This trip was reversed on the return trip on Saturday.

Many of us looked forward to this so we could find our friends from last year and get re acquainted again.  Some of mine were Pat Angell and Maryls Johnson of Pipestone, Sharon Salsman, Bev Blegan, Lake Benton, Shirley Johnson, Shirley Kidder, Rollie Robinson (later a member of UM Conference) of Marshall. These are names I remember.  Oh yes, Jack Web from Fairmont.  

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