A tourism based economy is a new idea in traditionally rural towns like Granite Falls.   I believe tourism is the future of our town and  we're positioned in the beautiful Minnesota River valley with great stories to tell the visitor. The features that attract visitors are also things that attract new residents that fill positions in our manufacturing, healthcare and education businesses. 

The Convention and Visitor's Bureau has a separate board but the chamber director works for both organizations.  The CVB's mission is to advertise our town to potential visitors and newcomers.  Funding comes from lodging tax and in our town we have only the Super Motel which contributes the tax.  With this small budget, the CVB has placed ads in the Explore Minnesota Guide, Southern Minnesota guide,  Prairie Water's Guide, Scenic Byway Guide, Senior Perspective, Midwest Living, South Dakota and local newspapers, radio, Facebook and other online ads.  With an increase in Chamber membership which would also increase the budget, we would have more money to spend on advertising our city.

Explore Minnesota is our state funded tourism organization.  Private businesses can also take advantage of their cooperative advertising opportunities and a free listing on their website for certain businesses, contact the chamber office for more details and help placing your listing.  Southern MN Tourism Association is also funded by county contributions while the state organization pays for its office staff in Mankato.  A new young  SMTA director was just hired, Lisa Havelka. She worked on the Main Street program in Owatonna and then in Northfield. I had a chance to have a long talk with her at the last conference and came away with some great ideas. I've attended their meetings since becoming director and learned a lot about marketing, especially the importance of our online presence. Granite Falls will host the SMTA meeting next May which will be a great opportunity to show off our town. I'm excited about the future of Granite Falls and the part tourism will play in it's development.

I'm excited to have this weekly opportunity  as a venue to go into more detail about businesses, events and the history of Granite Falls.  Since Our Prohibition Story is a unique opportunity to set our town apart from other small towns, I'm going to start with a very interesting part of our local prohibition history- the Women's Christian Temperance Union. 

Summer is the time for tourists and the chamber has had many visitors stop into the office looking for information and things to do.  I've distributed many copies of the Prohibition Story walking tour guide and also given some guided tours of downtown.  The latest Prohibition Story plaque to be mounted is on the United Church of Christ at 210 9th Ave, Granite Falls.  It was Andrew Volstead 's family church and the location of the first meetings of our local Women's Christian Temperance Union.

I was very excited to get a copy of the WCTU's original book on loan from the Yellow Medicine County Museum.  It contains their constitution, early meeting minutes from 1878, and a list of the first members.  The WCTU is one of the interesting stories around the prohibition era which empowered women and led to women's suffrage.  The national organization was founded in 1874, our local group in 1878 -  a year before Granite Falls became a city.   An interesting part of the book contains the pledge ,  "Be it with thee even as thou will I hereby solemnly promise, God helping me, to abstain from all distilled, fermented and malt liquors  including wine and cider, and to employ all proper means to discourage the rise and traffic in the same. " The WCTU also created the public library in Granite Falls and donated 39 volumes ; they also had a column in the local newspaper.  The organization was part of the Minnesota WCTU and a letter in the back of this book shows that a delegation was sent to Minneapolis in September,  1890 with delegates Mrs. J. S. Briggs, Mrs. S.D. Morrill and Mrs. R. M Barnes and officers were President, Mrs. H. J. Wilkinson, Secretary Mrs. J. S. Briggs and Treasurer Miss Bertha Wylie.  Mrs. Sam Morrill is my great, great grandmother and Bertha Wylie is my great grandmother.  I have a copy of the book in the chamber office if anyone would like to see more details.  The original book belongs to the Yellow Medicine County Museum .   From the website of the national organization, here are a list of causes this women's organization has supported -

• protection of women and children at home and work
• women's right to vote
• shelters for abused women and children
• the eight-hour work day
• equal pay for equal work
• founding of kindergartens
• assistance in founding of the PTA
• federal aid for education
• stiffer penalties for sexual crimes against girls and  women
• uniform marriage and divorce laws
• dress reform
• travelers' aid
• prison reform and police matrons
• women police officers
• homes and education for wayward girls
• promotion of nutrition
• pure food and drug act
• legal aid
• labor's right to organize
• passive demonstrations and world peace   

 

Our city's history contains some very interesting and strong women, the female part of history often has been overlooked.  This book is a fantastic glimpse into this important organization for women and their influence over Andrew Volstead and our local Prohibition Story. 

written by Mary Gillespie