The Water Tanks

The Water Tanks

The Water Tanks Jeff M. Sauve Tanks A Lot! Nestled in Norway Valley are two domed water tanks which were constructed in the spring of 1961 for the city of Northfield. As early as 1904, the city placed its first water tank on Manitou Heights to take advantage of the...
The St. Olaf Elm

The St. Olaf Elm

The St. Olaf Elm Emily Hoar Until its removal in 1921, the St. Olaf Elm stood for decades at the jog where West Third Street and Forest Avenue meet. Although long-gone, in its heyday, the elm was considered one of Northfield’s most beloved trees, according to...
The Mighty Caesars

The Mighty Caesars

The Mighty Caesars Jeff M. Sauve Salad Days of The Mighty Caesars In the mid-1930s, ten St. Olaf fellows boarded off campus at 914 West Second Street. They called themselves “The Mighty Caesars.” This name was derived from a “liberated” brash red and white-lettered...
The Chemistry Shack (1919-1925)

The Chemistry Shack (1919-1925)

The Chemistry Shack (1919-1925) Jeff M. Sauve The Manitou Messenger headline, “Test Tube Wielders Storm Chemistry Hut” (November 18, 1919), announced the latest and by far the quickest building ever erected on the St. Olaf College campus. The unpretentious...
Shakespeare Among the Vine and Pine

Shakespeare Among the Vine and Pine

Shakespeare Among the Vine and Pine Jeff M. Sauve “St. Olaf Shakespeare Cast Give Play in Real Forest,” stated a newspaper headline for the 1924 spring inauguration production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Over the next seventeen years, until 1941, Norway...
Rolvaag Memorial Library Cornerstone

Rolvaag Memorial Library Cornerstone

Rolvaag Memorial Library Cornerstone Emily Hoar The cornerstone of Rolvaag Memorial Library, now shrouded in a curtain of ivy, conceals an interesting past. Built entirely through the efforts of alumni and friends of St. Olaf College, the library held its cornerstone...