THE STURDY STONE STRUCTURE anchoring a corner in Deerwood drew my photographic and historic interest during a recent stop in this central Minnesota community in Crow Wing County.
How could it not? Buildings like this with a fieldstone facing hearken from a bygone era, from days when intense hands-on labor factored in to construction. Workers hauled 800 tons of fieldstones from the site of the Cuyuna Country Club to build the Deerwood Auditorium between 1935-1936.
That’s a lot of rocks. I understand, not because I ever hauled that much stone anywhere. But, as a child, I spent many a summer plucking rocks from farm fields in southwestern Minnesota and tossing them into a wagon. Picking rock is hard work. Darn hard.
I admire the tenacity, determination and ingenuity of our forefathers. They relied on local natural resources to build buildings. And, in the case of the Deerwood Auditorium, materials also from the old Meacham Mine machine building to incorporate into the structure.
Donations and Works Progress Administration funding and labor were also part of this project.
The completed building included village council chambers, a kitchen, locker rooms, library, space for fire fighting equipment and that all-purpose 38 x 80-foot gym with overlooking second floor balconies. Today the auditorium, on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as a community center and gathering spot for celebrations like weddings, birthdays and family reunions.
Back during construction, locals aimed to have the building finished in time for the community’s annual fall lutefisk dinner. It was completed for the event, which drew an estimated 1,000 diners to feast on the lye-soaked cod of Norwegian culinary delight.
On the July Saturday I paused to photograph this WPA building, I knew none of these historical details. I couldn’t get inside the Deerwood Auditorium, today home to city hall, the police department and community center. Oh, how I wish I could step inside. To take in the history of this place. To imagine locals packed shoulder to shoulder forking down slippery, smelly lutefisk, their conversations creating a deafening din.
I settled instead for appreciating the exterior workmanship, the talent and strength required to build this remarkable building. The craftsmanship. The hours and hours of labor. That shows in a structure that exudes strength, that honors those who work with their hands, for their work endures.
Please check back next week for one final (of three) post from Deerwood.
© Copyright 2021 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I am like you in wanting a peek inside. The work that went into this and oh so beautiful! My paternal grandfather was a mason and he mainly did concrete block, but every once in a while he got to be more creative. I still do not understand why he chose to be a farmer over being a mason – probably because that was the family trade with farming. I miss his handiness and just the patience he had to teach us things even if it slowed him down a bit. Happy Weekend – Enjoy 🙂
It sounds like you had a loving and talented grandfather. Thank you for sharing that with us.
I have looked this page over several times – I really enjoyed the rocks. They rock! And are so unique! But I had to stop and check out lye-soaked lutefisk. I did not know that lye was involved. But what a laugh – one of the pop-up google questions was ‘Is lutefisk legal?’ I am still learning.
Oh, Marilyn, I understand why you would investigate this. Lye and fish? Yup, seems pretty unbelievable.
This bldg is definitely a work of art. They probably just picked them off the top of a pile. The bldg size alone. Now tractors have a rock picker attachment they probably didn’t have and even with the rocks being close to the surface. I had a relative faced with taming some fields, was quite a discussion. He sold his rocks. Wonder if the inside is smooth or the rocks. I think the mortar would’ve had to be smoothed. Incredible. Glad someone got it on the national register, that process is quite extensive. Hope there’s a list of worker names! A deer and auditorium, proud little town.
In central Minnesota, where Randy grew up, there are wire rock enclosures in corners of fields. Rocks seem almost a crop in Morrison County.
That really is a beautiful building? There’s a lot of history in those rocks.
Yes, historically beautiful. If only those rocks could speak.