Halstad, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Halstad is a city in Norman County, Minnesota
, United States
. The population was 597 at the 2010 census.
, the city has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
U.S. Route 75
and Minnesota State Highway 200
are two of the main routes in the community.
The Highway 200 bridge that crosses the Red River was replaced in the early 1970s, after constant flooding found it under water and impassable. Directly across the Red River on the North side of Highway 200, a small pond called Grandin Lake has provided the only close example of a freshwater ecosystem that is not a river. The table top topography of this region is impressive. There are regions of the Red River that have a one inch change in elevation per mile.
The natural history of this area coupled with the widespread drainage of spring runoff, has created a perfect storm scenario. The Red River flows north, is part of a vast watershed, and when out of its banks adds to the overland flooding seen in very few places.
The northwest corner of Halstad was the location of a former creamery. A small hill on the west side provides the only resemblance of an elevation change in the entire town. This location, "Creamery Hill", was a popular spot to sled and ski.
In the 1960s Halstad was the home of an outstanding Amateur Baseball team. The grandstand, a classic 7 rows of green painted benches, was the site of games from May to August. During the late 1960s a hand operated scoreboard was used. Nine handoperated lights were used to keep track of the balls, strikes, outs, hit/error data.
The original high school, built in 1909, had short stairway to an atria of 4 classrooms. The steps continued up to the second floor with a similar layout. The elementary wing exended to the north of the high school, with windows that faced east, greeting the rising sun over the flat lands of Halstad Township.
The Class of 1952 will always be remembered for their success in basketball and baseball. The book, Pirates on the Prairie is an excellent history of those 7 months in which Halstad was the darlings of Minnesota. Ervin Warner, Ray Kerrigan and other Norman county personalities are described accurately by the author.
The Legion Recreation Center in Halstad, or LRC was the site of live music every Saturday night. Groups like the Uglies, Red Dogs, and the Unchained all played here. The Legionaires who staffed the dances included Johnny Johnson, a veteran of World War I, who dabbed the hands of a generation with an ink only visible under ultraviolet light. Because it was a popular gathering spot, Sunday mornings found some boys walking around the Legion, looking for money that may have dropped from the pockets and hands of the visitors.
The Legion had an active color guard that marched from the High School to a small cemetery northeast of the baseball diamond. Boys Scouts marched as well, decorating the graves of WWI and II veterans with poppies. The retort of the 21 gun salute was always followed with the scramble for the spent shell casings.
Larry Foley, a postal carrier, television repairman, and 1960s version of the Pied Piper, jammed kids of all ages, sizes and baseball abilities most afternoons for a trip to the baseball diamond. The kids traveled in the front, back and open trunk of his car. Each kid, most clads in stiff blue jean pants with cuffs as deep as their joy, would learn how to play "workup," the game that needed no teams nor clock. After an hour or two, the game would disband, the car would again fill up and the game would continue in the back yard of their home. From snowmelt to the start of school, their lawn had 4 spots that never had grass, but served as bases. The sounds of shouting kids, slamming screen doors and the impact of a wiffle ball on a well worn bat, were constants.
South of Holland's hardware store was the home of the Hansen bakery. It was just this a home that was a bakery. Customers were able to walk in the south door and simply pick their product off the table.
A bakery was located on the north side of the main street of Halstad, which was also State Highway 200. It also had a small grill and two great wooden booths along the east wall. Charge accounts were allowed and not always paid.
of 2000, there were 622 people, 249 households, and 154 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,131.3 people per square mile (828.1/km²). There were 295 housing units at an average density of 1,010.8 per square mile (392.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.37% White, 0.16% African American, 1.45% Native American, 2.41% from other races
, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.13% of the population.
There were 249 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 30.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $38,594 versus $21,354 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,918. About 8.9% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
was born Lyle Russel Henderson in Halstad to parents Joseph and Josephine Scheie Henderson, both of Norwegian descen
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 597 at the 2010 census.
Geography and cultural history
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Kittson County, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other side of a closed border crossing. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 30 and Interstate 45 in Dallas,...
and Minnesota State Highway 200
Minnesota State Highway 200
Minnesota State Highway 200 is a highway in northwest and northeast Minnesota,which runs from North Dakota Highway 200 at the North Dakota state line near Halstad, and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S...
are two of the main routes in the community.
The Highway 200 bridge that crosses the Red River was replaced in the early 1970s, after constant flooding found it under water and impassable. Directly across the Red River on the North side of Highway 200, a small pond called Grandin Lake has provided the only close example of a freshwater ecosystem that is not a river. The table top topography of this region is impressive. There are regions of the Red River that have a one inch change in elevation per mile.
The natural history of this area coupled with the widespread drainage of spring runoff, has created a perfect storm scenario. The Red River flows north, is part of a vast watershed, and when out of its banks adds to the overland flooding seen in very few places.
The northwest corner of Halstad was the location of a former creamery. A small hill on the west side provides the only resemblance of an elevation change in the entire town. This location, "Creamery Hill", was a popular spot to sled and ski.
In the 1960s Halstad was the home of an outstanding Amateur Baseball team. The grandstand, a classic 7 rows of green painted benches, was the site of games from May to August. During the late 1960s a hand operated scoreboard was used. Nine handoperated lights were used to keep track of the balls, strikes, outs, hit/error data.
The original high school, built in 1909, had short stairway to an atria of 4 classrooms. The steps continued up to the second floor with a similar layout. The elementary wing exended to the north of the high school, with windows that faced east, greeting the rising sun over the flat lands of Halstad Township.
The Class of 1952 will always be remembered for their success in basketball and baseball. The book, Pirates on the Prairie is an excellent history of those 7 months in which Halstad was the darlings of Minnesota. Ervin Warner, Ray Kerrigan and other Norman county personalities are described accurately by the author.
The Legion Recreation Center in Halstad, or LRC was the site of live music every Saturday night. Groups like the Uglies, Red Dogs, and the Unchained all played here. The Legionaires who staffed the dances included Johnny Johnson, a veteran of World War I, who dabbed the hands of a generation with an ink only visible under ultraviolet light. Because it was a popular gathering spot, Sunday mornings found some boys walking around the Legion, looking for money that may have dropped from the pockets and hands of the visitors.
The Legion had an active color guard that marched from the High School to a small cemetery northeast of the baseball diamond. Boys Scouts marched as well, decorating the graves of WWI and II veterans with poppies. The retort of the 21 gun salute was always followed with the scramble for the spent shell casings.
Larry Foley, a postal carrier, television repairman, and 1960s version of the Pied Piper, jammed kids of all ages, sizes and baseball abilities most afternoons for a trip to the baseball diamond. The kids traveled in the front, back and open trunk of his car. Each kid, most clads in stiff blue jean pants with cuffs as deep as their joy, would learn how to play "workup," the game that needed no teams nor clock. After an hour or two, the game would disband, the car would again fill up and the game would continue in the back yard of their home. From snowmelt to the start of school, their lawn had 4 spots that never had grass, but served as bases. The sounds of shouting kids, slamming screen doors and the impact of a wiffle ball on a well worn bat, were constants.
South of Holland's hardware store was the home of the Hansen bakery. It was just this a home that was a bakery. Customers were able to walk in the south door and simply pick their product off the table.
A bakery was located on the north side of the main street of Halstad, which was also State Highway 200. It also had a small grill and two great wooden booths along the east wall. Charge accounts were allowed and not always paid.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 622 people, 249 households, and 154 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,131.3 people per square mile (828.1/km²). There were 295 housing units at an average density of 1,010.8 per square mile (392.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.37% White, 0.16% African American, 1.45% Native American, 2.41% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.13% of the population.
There were 249 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 30.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $38,594 versus $21,354 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,918. About 8.9% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Famous residents
Skitch HendersonSkitch Henderson
Lyle Russell Cedric “Skitch” Henderson was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.- Biography :...
was born Lyle Russel Henderson in Halstad to parents Joseph and Josephine Scheie Henderson, both of Norwegian descen