This turn of the century village is in the town of Owatonna, MN, about 1.5 hours south of the Twin Cities, right off I-35. The circular village has 10 or so buildings that are what one would see in a small town in the early 1900s. The house in the top picture was built by Mark Hill Dunnell, a U.S. representative from Minnesota. The lower picture is of central park, where all the buildings surround.
You meet the tour guide and other tourists at the nearby Steele History Center Tuesday through Sunday at 1:30 pm in the summer. Our tour guide was very informative and made the tour interesting, telling us little tidbits of trivia throughout the village, without boring us with too many details. It was a nice day trip to do on a weekend, and I enjoyed it. I had been through other like villages in the country but I was pleased to find one so close to home. I was amazed at how much the community has given to this project, with both time and donation of antiquities. There is a community feel there, and I was glad to be a part of it for a time. If you like to see what life was like for your ancestors, I highly recommend this place. I think the more I learn about life back then, the more I appreciate life right now! We are rather spoiled here, I know I am! I never would have survived in those days!
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