‘History Mystery’ Brings Bemidji Story to Life at Beltrami County History Center

It was History Mystery time at the Beltrami County History Center in Bemidji last weekend. On both Friday and Saturday, attendees were treated to a live-action drama mystery to gather clues from suspects and discover the fate of Emma Davids more than a century ago.

“Emma Davids was part Native, and she was a traveling person,” said Emily Thabes, Executive Director of the Beltrami County Historical Society. “She was born in Wisconsin, and she moved to Colorado, then got married and her husband died in a mine fight between the union and the miners. She was trying to make her way back home to Wisconsin, and she kind of got waylaid in Minnesota.”

In 1906, Davids was found dead in a hotel room at 209 Minnesota Avenue in downtown Bemidji.

“We’re not sure if it was foul play, like murder from the bartender [at the saloon] downstairs, or some lumberjacks who were in the area,” Thabes said. “So there are a lot of potential suspects.”

It was up to attendees to gather clues and discover who, or what, killed Emma Davids. The “what” in question was laudanum, a legally prescribed opiate that Davids was taking at the time of her death.

“It was said that Emma had one ounce of laudanum at her disposal,” said Isabella Schaefer, the owner of Bemidji’s The Recovery Space and History Mystery volunteer. “The big question of the evening was, ‘Was that enough to take the life of Emma Davids?'”

“We’re not sure if she was taking it for pain or if she was just sort of self-medicating,” added Thabes.

The Beltrami County Historical Society wanted attendees to understand that the opioid epidemic has been an issue for quite a long time, especially in Beltrami County.

“[We want to] just remind folks that it’s still a problem in Bemidji and that there are things that we can do about it to help out,” said Thabes.

The Beltrami County History Center has hosted Mystery History nights for about 12 years now, but this was the first year they incorporated true events from Beltrami County history into the game.

“Typically we use characters from Bemidji’s past, but we make up a mystery,” explained Thabes. “It just so happened that we had the perfect mystery right in front of us with very real characters that were easy for us to access and name. [We] just added some details that weren’t available in the newspapers, and it made it come to life very easily.”

The Beltrami County Historical Society also has a new book, “North Country Journal,” for sale that shares more about the life and tragedy of Emma Davids and other stories of former residents of the area. It was published thanks to a Beltrami County Development Grant.

Correction October 28, 2025: This story originally stated the hotel Emma Davids stayed at was above what is now the First City Antique Mall. She was actually in a hotel on 209 Minnesota Avenue in what was last the Bar 209 building.