In Focus: World War One Exhibit Renews Interest In Beltrami County History

One hundred years ago, the United States became involved with World War One and brought troops from across the nation to the battlefield.

The Beltrami County History Center has pulled together photos, apparel, books and other artifacts for its ‘When Beltrami Went to War’ exhibit.

Many Beltrami County residents were deployed to the front lines, some returned while others did not. Nurse May MacGregor Given survived her service and had some of her stories about chemical warfare recounted in the exhibit.

Tony Nicholson enjoyed looking at these artifacts and how the nurses had to treat those suffering from the chemical attacks.

The center was able to comb through their achieves filled with donated items to create the exhibit. They also received many items about Ralph Gracie, a Bemidji man who died in battle, from the local American Legion Post.

Joseph Puchalski says that people are starting to lose interest in this war and have moved on to more recent conflicts.

The center hopes that by having the artifacts that the war will be more tangible for attendees.

The Beltrami County History Center would like to thank its sponsors for their contributions: Sanford Health, Raphael’s Bakery, American Legion.