Ogilvie Band Director since Fall 2001
Grad Student at SCSU, Fall 2004 to present
This paper written December 2004
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The quest of documenting the beginnings of school band programs proves to be a daunting task. The first documented school band was in 1848 at the Boston Farm Trade School. (Hansen, 43, 90) The second band that we know of was in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Christian Brothers School. (Hansen, 43) The origins of school bands started to intrigue me as I studied the development of American Wind Bands to the point that I became very interested in the specific history of my own school band program from Ogilvie, Minnesota.
Ogilvie has always been a one- building school district, even when the school moved into different buildings. The school serves the town of Ogilvie and its surrounding farming and rural community. The school district borders the districts of Onamia and Isle to the North, Milaca to the West, Princeton and Cambridge to the South, and Mora and Braham to the East.
The town is currently 474 members,
according to the 2000 census road sign as you drive into town. The number of people in the town has varied
much throughout the years, as has the number of students attending the school. The first graduates of Ogilvie High School
in 1915 numbered three. At this time,
many students did not finish school past the eighth grade, especially the farm
boys and many of the girls. Therefore,
the school held regular graduation ceremonies for
those completing eighth grade including the speeches and “the band”. (Erickson, 9) The oral history
in If These Walls Could Speak (Erickson) is not specific which
band played at the ceremonies – the town band or the school band. Most probably it was the school band because
there is some evidence, as will be shown later, that a school band did exist
once the 1917 building was constructed.
The number of graduates each year fluctuated between one and sixteen until the 1930s when the school population and the notion of completing a high school diploma actually started taking off. From 1932-1939, the number of graduates was consistently in the mid-twenties. The largest classes numbered close to 60 during the 1980s and 1990s. We currently graduate around 50 students each year.
The school buildings have changed a bit over the years. The school started out in 1895 as a one-room schoolhouse before the town was established as Ogilvie. In fact, the town was called “Groundhouse” for a time because of the in-ground houses used and dug by local Native Americans in the nearby river that is still named Groundhouse. The town was renamed Ogilvie in 1899. (1991 Ogilvie Yearbook) A larger, brick schoolhouse was built in 1902 with two rooms upstairs, and two downstairs. One room was for grades 1-4, another for grades 5-8, and one library. (Erickson, 9) The next move was to a large, three-story structure built in 1917. It was built to allow for growth of the town and school population, and the third floor wasn’t finished for twenty years. The 1917 construction was followed in 1918 by the building of the town’s water tower and the start of indoor plumbing for the school.
The town and surrounding area’s population grew in number along with the school’s population, and the third floor of the school was partially finished off in 1937 and completely finished in 1948. In 1948, the band room was on the second floor with the elementary classrooms and the superintendent’s office. (Erickson, 2) This is important to note because, staring in 1948, the superintendent was also the band director for eight years. It’s also possible that he was the director prior to 1948, as you will find out later.
The band room had many renovations throughout the years in the big brick building. There was an addition to the school in 1958 that added a stage and gymnasium. In 1966, a new elementary wing was added as well as various remodeling projects including the band and choir areas. In 1977, the kitchen and music area (close in proximity to one another) were demolished in order to create new areas for each. The new rooms included band, choir, practice rooms, and a kitchen, lunchroom and shipping dock.
In 1991, a new school building was opened to allow for the growth of the expanding school population. This is the building in which we currently hold classes. It includes four large hallways of classrooms, a large library, offices, a band and choir area, a theater, indoor pool, large kitchen and lunchroom, and spacious gymnasium areas. There was an addition built in 1999 to allow for the building of a multi-purpose area (that eventually became the current choir room), and a new gym used for elementary gym classes and junior high ball games. The current choir/multi-purpose room is also used by community groups for meetings in the evenings.
The Ogilvie town band existed and flourished before the start of the Ogilvie School. The president of the bank in Ogilvie formed this community band, but the date of establishment is unclear. Bill Niemann’s book guesses at 1916-1917, but there is a picture of the band in 1915 and an announcement of an event in 1913. Niemann recalls, “No one had any instruments, so we had to send away for them…We played Yankee Doodle at our first practice.” (Niemann, 12)
There were quite a few pictures that I found through the Ogilvie Museum and the Kanabec County History Center of the band playing in town and marching down the street. The group was called the Ogilvie Brass Band and had OBB lettered on their caps. But, like most “brass” bands of the era, the Ogilvie group also included woodwinds with its one clarinetist. The various pictures also show one to two percussionists.
The band played and marched at many town events, parades, and area festivals, and there is information about three different directors of the community band. It seems that the bank president, E. J. Palmer, started the group. [John] J. S. Anderson, a local department store owner, was listed as a director in later years. In 1929, the new superintendent of the school, A. M. Harris, took over direction of the group and also directed the beginner’s band at the school. (Niemann, 12) This may have been some of the beginnings of the school band program.
There were two main sources of information that were clear enough to make a timeline of the band directors over the years: the school yearbooks and the employment records. Some of the earlier employee information cards are incompletely filled out, so it is has been difficult to track the band directors prior to 1948. I have been able to establish that there was a band program started as early as 1936, but there are hints of a band program as early as 1930 and maybe even earlier.
There is an announcement or advertisement here and there that I have found that speak about an event at which an Ogilvie band will be playing. Sometimes it is listed as the Ogilvie Junior Band, and sometimes as the Ogilvie Band, which could possibly be the community band. One announcement from a 1916 Ogilvie Sentinel article shows that the Ogilvie Junior Band played at a basket social and dance in a local theater. It states, “Come out and help the band and have a good time.” This tells me that there was a possibility that there was a school band at this early date. But most likely, since the schoolhouse was so small, the community band had an ensemble for beginners.
In Bill Niemann’s book, it is stated that the new superintendent in 1930 also directed the beginner’s band in the school. This is the earliest date that I could find of an actual statement that there was a band within the school. Mr. Adolph M. Harris was the superintendent in Ogilvie from the fall of 1930 until the spring of 1933. What I wonder is, if Mr. Harris directed the beginner’s band, who directed the advanced band? Was there even an advanced band yet?
I also received an email from Mr. Niemann’s daughter, Juanita Niemann Peterson, a 1945 Ogilvie graduate. She stated that there was a fifth and sixth grade teacher, Miss Elness, who played the saxophone with the struggling band members. According to emaplyment records, Miss J. Alphia Elnes taught in Ogilvie during the 1936-1937 school year. This is the same year as the first band director, so I believe that Miss Elness assisted with the band out of interest and support of the program.
What I found very interesting was an email I received from an alumnus of Ogilvie School, Vernon Sando. The 1940 graduate believes that the high school band was probably started in the fall of 1936, and stated that he has no recollection of a high school band prior to that time. He recalled that there were many beginners that first year. He started to learn how to play the trumpet prior to ninth grade because the town band director (possibly Mr. Harris) would teach beginning youngsters how to play and included them in the community band. Mr. Sando also recalled that many of the members of the early high school bands and community band students also joined the county’s 4H band in the summers. The 4H band met in Mora under the direction of the Mora High School orchestra and band director, a Mr. Elzea. (Email from Juanita Niemann Peterson, class of 1945)
From emails and the school employment records, I have been able to piece together a bit more information about the impetus of the high school band. Erling Dyrstad was the director from the fall of 1936 to the spring of 1940. I was unable to determine who directed the band in the 1940-1941 school year. Norman Wendt taught band and mixed chorus in the 1941-1942 school year, at which time his employment record seems to end on his information card.
The clearest documentation of the band program is within the school yearbooks. The first yearbook was published in 1937. I have found access to a 1938 yearbook online, but there is no mention of the band program. The earliest yearbook with mention of the band is the 1939 book in which there is an article written about the band’s activities and progress over the course of the year. From the way that the article is written, one can deduce that the band program has been around for at least a few years prior to the 1939 yearbook printing and that the group is working towards more equipment and members. It also seems that this might have been the first year for a beginner’s band and an advanced band within the high school grade levels:
This year we have had two concerts, one was held in March 17, and the last one of the season was held on the evening of May 26. Both concerts were greatly enjoyed by all, and quite a large attendance was had. The proceeds of both concerts and also a large sum of the proceeds of the operetta was given to the band for new instruments, music and other necessary equipment.
A new baton was purchased and several of the boys tried out for drum major. After much consideration on the subject, Mr. Drystad chose Carl Wohlberg, who has proven himself worthy for the position. The advanced band has done a good deal of marching, and we have played for several ball games held here. Eugene Moren plays the Bass Drum in the marching band, and Carl acts as drum major. On Saturday night, May 13, the advanced band gave a free concert in the town band stand. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Many of our members have been requested by different organizations to play at their numerous activities.
The band of next year should be even more improved over that of this year as we are only going to lose two members; both of [whom] are graduating. Both play Trombones, Charlotte Tepper and Edwin Isackson. Mr. Dyrstad encourages all who can possibly do so to come out for band next year but he conditions it to no coronets. As the band at present is practically over-run with coronets he requests that more basses and reeds come.
It seems that Mr. Dyrstad was very progressive in acquiring new music, new equipment, and new members while working to develop a more balanced instrumentation. Both the 1939 and 1940 yearbooks document his purchases of instruments, music, and a class set of band books. “A large number of students purchased instruments this year and composed a beginner’s band. They soon advanced rapidly and were placed in the advanced band” (1939 yearbook) Under Dyrstad’s direction, the band went to St. Cloud in 1940 for a district music contest at which they received a C rating. The author of the yearbook article stated “Although we received a C rating, the trip proved to be very educational and interesting for every member.” The band also went to the District 16 Music Festival in Isle that year. The Ogilvie band received a B rating and joined in a massed band and massed chorus concert in the evening.
The following is the instrumentation of the 1939 and 1940 bands:
Piccolo - 1
Flute – 1
Clarinet – 5
Saxophone - 1
Coronet – 5
Trombone – 2
Bass – 1
Snare Drum – 1
1939 Advanced Band (32 total)
Clarinet – 8
Coronet – 10
Alto Horns – 2
Trombone – 4
Baritone – 1
Bass – 3
Snare Drum – 3
Bass Drum – 1
Flutes – 1?
(hard to tell in the picture)
Clarinets - 9
Saxophones - 2
Cornets – 11
F Horn – 2
Alto Horns – 2
Trombone – 3
Baritones – 2
Bass – 1
Snare Drum – 4
Bass Drum - 1
Norman Wendt was the next band director, although the only definite date I could find on his employment was that he taught during the 1941-1942 school year. The band was active as a pep band marching unit for school events and marched at several fairs and celebrations. They won first place at the Cambridge Rodeo, second place at the American Legion Parade in Princeton and led the Milaca Parade. They also “maneuvered” at the Braham Coommunity Fair “where moving pictures were made taken of the band waltzing to the immortal Casey”. (1942 yearbook)
Multiple concerts were also given that year including an active set of small ensembles and soloists. The small ensembles included: First Clarinet Quartet, Second Clarinet Quartet, The Brass Sextet, and The Horn Quartet. The picture indicates that instrumentation is much more balanced. This is also the earliest picture that I have found in which the band has uniforms.
There are many missing yearbooks between 1942 and 1950. A 1944 graduate recalled that [Chester] C. B. Holje was the superintendent, band director, and football coach. Mr. Holje is on record as arriving in Ogilvie in 1943. There were many teachers who taught a combination of two subjects, but not many who had that many after school duties. This multiple assignment was due to the shortage of male teachers during World War II and the difficulty of attracting teachers to a smaller town and school. (Erickson, 24) It is very possible that the missing band director names that I have been unable to fill in from 1942 through 1948 could be completed with Mr. Holje’s name. There are much more accurate records of Mr. Holje and other directors from 1948 on.
Mr. C. B. Holje continued as the band director, bringing the students to an All-District Festival every year. Concert bands from around the area would perform for each other in the afternoon and form a massed band and massed choir for an evening concert. The seniors usually participated in the massed ensembles. The band also performed as a marching band and pep band throughout Mr. Holje’s tenure as band director. He also led a beginner band every year to keep building the program.
Mr. Holje created two new opportunities for the band students just before he hired on a new band director. 1995 is the first mention of any students competing in a solo-ensemble contest. A few students each year would compete in these early years. He also created the first jazz “orchestra” in 1957 just before the new director came in.
Mr. Leo T. Burley came to direct the bands and teach tenth grade World History in the fall of 1957. This is the first year that a third band is documented as having existed, so the band program was really starting to grow. Mr. Burley started a new tradition of having two student directors each year. (I would love to know how he used them!) The 1961 yearbook staff dedicated the yearbook to Mr. Burley for his fine teaching in history and music.
Mr. Burley continued on the tradition of bringing the band to large-group contest, the All-District Festival, and solo-ensemble contest. He also was able to bring the band up to an “A” rating for contest his third and fourth years in Ogilvie. The solos and ensembles continued to flourish under Mr. Burley and in 1962, 12 students won star ratings at district contest, and 2 won at the state contest. There were some strongly established ensembles by this time, including: a clarinet quartet, saxophone quartet, saxophone duet, clarinet trio, and trombone trio. The band made a recording in 1961 on a vinyl record.
Mr. Burley’s last year in Ogilvie included a new pep organization called a pep band. The 1963 yearbook is the first picture of a true pep band instead of a marching band, although they still had a marching band at the time. There was also a pep club created that year. Some of the students worked together with Mr. Burley to create our current school song, Felis Untamed. It is really a great little march complete with a nice melody, rousing percussion, and trumpet fanfares.
A series of band directors came through in the following five to eight years. Paul Carlson, the director in 1963-1964, had an elementary band. He also had 15 district contest winners and six at state. John Oosterhuis won a spot as an All-State Orchestra trombonist that year as well.
Donald Jordan was the band director for the next two year: 1964-1966. There is very little information on what the bands did during his tenure. Michael Rounds was only here for one year in 1966-1967 without much documentation of the events of the band.
Mark VanBeusekom directed the bands in Ogilvie for three years in 1967-1970. Pat Fredrick, a band alum and current school board member, recalled that the first band trip was in the spring of 1968 to Winnipeg, Canada, under Mr. VanBeusekom’s direction. 1970 was the first year that I found mention of any awards given to students in that there was a Senior Award for Band. The following director, William Peacock, was only here for the 1970-1971 school year. There is a quick mention of an elementary band, three soloists, and the All-District Honor Band.
Zane Schaefer came to Ogilvie in the fall of 1971. This is when we first see a consistent representation of the jazz band. Mr. Schaefer also advised the Pom-Pom girls in 1973. There were multiple ensembles and soloists who received star ratings at state in 1974 under Mr. Schaefer’s direction. This was also the first year that the yearbooks chronicle the awarding of the John Philip Sousa National Award for Band. In 1974-1975, a flag corps was added to the marching band. Mr. Schaefer is currently teaching in Annandale, Minnesota.
Tim Jarnot taught band and general music from the fall of 1975 through the spring of 1979. Mr. Jarnot took the bands on overnight trips to perform for other Minnesota schools and explore the state. In 1976, they performed in Upsala, and in 1978 they performed in Isle. In 1977, the school built a new band room which was very spacious with a flat floor. 1978-1979 brought an expanded auxiliary group to the marching band in the form of a “drill team”. Mr. Jarnot also had a solo clarinetist get a star rating at contest that year.
Robert Henstein was only in Ogilvie for one year and taught both choir and band. This may have been where the marching band fizzled. He took the students to Chanhassen Dinner Theaters to see Carousel.
Dave Enyart was here for eight years and really built up a lot of the program. Starting in the fall of 1980 when he arrived, he changed the concert schedule from three per year to four. He also brought in three professionals woodwind players to do clinics with the students and present an evening recital. The jazz ensemble went to contest for the first time. The band also started playing at graduation ceremonies again. (The band was conspicuously absent from the programs for many years.)
The solo-ensemble contest participation spiked quite high while Mr. Enyart was in Ogilvie. There were so many participants each year that the yearbooks usually didn’t list specific names or events. The jazz band continued to go to contest and do well. In 1983, Gail Visser won a spot as an alternate for the All-State Band as a Baritone player. In 1986, the jazz band also participated in the Rum River Jazz Festival. In 1986, the band toured and performed for Browerville High School, had a clinic at The College of St. Benedict’s, and performed at the Minnesota Academy for the Blind.
Cyndi Gritzmacher was here for the 1987-1988 school year. She reduced the concerts to three per year again. There were two soloists who received superior ratings at contest. The band went on tour to Minneapolis in the spring to perform at the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.
When Jeanne Strand came in the fall of 1988, she took the position of band and choir director. Numbers dwindled a bit at first, but then built again so that the band nearly doubled in size in 1990-1991. Ms. Strand spent six years as the dual choir and band director. In 1991, the new school building was opened and the band played at the dedication ceremony.
The Music Boosters formed a non-profit organization around 1992 in hopes of running fundraisers to help the band and choir students take meaningful trips. These trips include a high school performance tour every other year, and yearly trips to Chanhassen for the junior high students and Orchestra Hall for the elementary students.
The band and choir started taking trips again in 1994 when they went to Chicago to participate in a Heritage Music Festival. The 1994-1995 school year brought an expansion of the music department in the form of a choir director in order to relieve Ms. Strand from some of her duties. In 1995-1996, the band performed in a Veteran’s Day program as well as toured to Nashville. This also seems to be the year that Ogilvie students started participating in our current Rum River All-Conference Band.
Heather Goehring was the band director from the fall of 1997 until the spring of 1999. The band numbers dwindled a bit again at another change in directors. In 1998-1999, there were only 24 member in the high school band, and six members in the jazz band. The junior high was very woodwind heavy. What I do recall from her students, is that they were very well trained musicians.
Laurie Lorenz is the last director that precedes me. She taught in Ogilvie from the fall of 1999 until the spring of 2001. The band numbers seemed to increase a bit while she was here, and the young jazzers started by Ms. Goehring were really taking off.
While my concentration in this paper is on the development of the concert band program, an integral part of any band program is its extracurricular ensembles. These are the ensembles most seen by the public, especially the marching and pep bands. Fortunately or unfortunately, a band program is often judged by members of the public on a one-time viewing of one of its peripheral ensembles. This creates a challenge for any director to present these ensembles in a way that is representative of what the students have learned and are capable of doing. One should therefore create as many learning opportunities as possible within each experience to keep each side ensemble meaningful for the students.
The marching band seems to have come into existence at about the same time the band program in general was started. The 1939 yearbook article clearly talks about the advanced band’s practice and performance as a marching band. The thought of the concert band and the marching band being separate entities was not entertained in these early stages, although the various performances were separate in nature. The band as marching band served as entertainment and a source of pep at ball games. The band as the concert band presented concerts in the town band shell or in the school auditorium.
There were always auxiliary units that marched and performed in front of the marching band. At first, it was the majorettes. Next came some coordination with the Pom-Pom girls. In 1974-1975 a flag corps was added. By 1978-1979, there was a drill team consisting of rifles, flags, and the American flag.
The marching
band was in existence until the 1979-1980 school year. The 1979 yearbook is the last one with any
mention of a marching band presence in that it had a picture and roster of the
drill team. I’m not sure why the
marching band fizzled, but note that it happened when Mr. Jarnot left and there
were three successive years of different band directors. Rapid changes like that are very hard on
band programs.
After the marching band ceased to exist, there was still a need for a pep band. This group was then drawn from the high school concert band. I know that many of the directors also included advanced junior high students in the pep band. Currently, we require all high school band members to be at all pep band events in which they are not competing the game itself. Junior high band members are invited to participate for extra credit.
The jazz band is first documented in a yearbook photo, complete with jazz fronts, in 1957. The group consisted of three saxophones, one trumpet, one trombone, and a drum set player. The jazz group was first termed an orchestra, then a jazz orchestra, a stage band, and finally a jazz ensemble or jazz band. The jazz band is not consistently shown in the yearbooks until 1972, when there was a full-sized big band. New jazz fronts with an “O” were shown in the 1973 yearbook.
The Jazz Ensemble first went to contest in 1981 and started receiving star ratings under Mr. Enyart by their second year of attending contest. 1982 brought about the first annual jazz concert for which the director brought in a guest saxophone soloist from the Twin Cities. In 1983, the jazz band attended the University of Minnesota – Morris jazz festival. Later that same year, the Morris director brought their Jazz I group to clinic at Ogilvie and perform with the Ogilvie students in the evening.
A second jazz band was added in 1997 when some ambitious fifth and sixth graders lobbied their band director, Heather Goehring, to start a beginner’s jazz band. The students had to write an essay explaining why they should have a beginner jazz band. Out of those students grew the Junior High Jazz Band, which was quite large by 2001. Most of these students are currently playing in my top jazz band.
We currently have Jazz I and Jazz II because of that 1997 plea. Jazz I is a full jazz band, except for only having two trombonists, and is audition or invitation only for seventh graders and older. We currently have two eighth-graders in the group who are our “jazzers in training” and the rest are ninth grade and older. Jazz II is a come-one-come-all jazz band for sixth graders and older. The instrumentation and numbers vary greatly each year depending on interest and who moves up to Jazz I. In other years, Jazz II has been almost as large as Jazz I. Currently, we are a “mixed bag” combo sized group.
Currently, this 2004-2005 school year is my fourth year as the director of bands at Ogilvie. We have the following bands: Fifth Grade Band, Sixth Grade Band, Junior High (7-8) Band, and Senior High Band (9-12). We also have two jazz bands: Jazz I (auditioned for seventh grade and up), and Jazz II (non-auditioned for sixth grade and up). Each fifth through eighth grade student receives a fifteen-minute lesson each week. The small-group lessons are grouped by instrument.
The elementary bands perform in two concerts each year while the secondary bands perform in four concerts each. In February of 2004, we started a jazz/pops concert tradition. The concert is for our jazz bands, show choir, and any soloists or ensembles that would like to perform. The jazz band also participates in an annual jazz festival with the Rum River Conference. The festival also includes an honors jazz band that usually includes one or two Ogilvie students. The honors jazz band was started in my first year here at Ogilvie.
Our junior and senior high band members are active in pep band, musical pit bands, ensembles, and solos. The high school students also participate in contest each year for large group (concert band), jazz band, and solos and ensembles. High school band students can also be nominated by their director to be a part of the Rum River All-Conference Band. This is a full-day event on a Saturday in February in which a guest conductor works with this honor band to produce a concert that evening. The band also performs at commencement each year.
I am seeing very good things happening in the Ogilvie Band Program during my fourth year here. There are steady numbers and progress in my fifth through eighth graders with more and more students sticking with band. These are all of the students that I’ve started. I am getting better at training the beginners to be able to handle high school music by the time they get to ninth grade. That is the biggest challenge of teaching 5-12 band – the multiple levels for which you have to plan.
The 2005-2006 school year should see the first significant increase in the high school band size in over six years. We have been at a steady 40 members every year that I have been at Ogilvie. With the frequent changing of band directors between Ms. Strand and myself, there were many students who did not stick with band. We have six members graduating this year, and we should see 16 new ninth graders next fall. That means our band should be closer to 50. From there, even with the usual attrition as the students get older, our high school band should grow by 5 to 10 members each year for about four years. That is such a positive trend to see happening, and I am excited to start planning.
Right now I don’t have time in my schedule for this, but I would really like to see the program expand in chamber music opportunities. The students are so overextended, the only way that I see chamber music growing is if we offer it as an elective class during the school day. Due to all of the required classes, only juniors and seniors would be able to exercise this option. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because those would be the students most likely to take their chamber music groups seriously. It is possible to work this as an independent study option, but I would truly like to have a class period in my day dedicated to a small wind ensemble and/or chamber music hour.
My hope for the future is that the administration, parents, and community stay as supportive as it is right now. The support of the band and music program in general is tremendous. The band and/or choir positions have been on the list of possible cuts for the past five years or so, except for last year. Each time this issue came up, a storm of parents went to the board meetings to chare their concerns about cutting the teachers wince that would mean cutting the programs down. There is a great Music Booster group in town that runs all of the fundraisers for the bi-annual trips that the band and choir take together. These trips have been so beneficial for the growth of the students as musicians and as people.
I also hope that whoever comes in to direct the band in Ogilvie after me works hard to continue the amazing growth and efforts that the students have shown they are capable of. I can’t wait until I see that first student that I started in fifth grade walk across the stage at their graduation ceremony. What a sense of accomplishment that will be.
Erickson, Joan, et al. 1991. If These Walls Could Speak: A History of the Ogilvie School.
Ogilvie, MN: self-published.
This book was compiled by Ogilvie English teacher Joan Erickson through a class she taught entitled “Oral History”. The students in the class interviewed multiple graduates from Ogilvie and even taped most of them. The book was compiled into this final product one year in celebration of the centennial of the town.
Hansen, Richard Kent. 2003. The American Wind Band. Doctoral Thesis, University of
Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Niemann, William H.
1998. Bill’s Book: A Collection of Narrated Stories About a Life
Begun in 1898 and Continuing in 1998. Ogilvie, MN: self-published.
This book was compiled by Bill and his children based on his stories and recollections of his life. It has valuable information on early life in Ogvilie and its development. Mr. Niemann was also on the school board for many years.
Ogilvie High School Yearbook Lion Tales. Ogilvie, MN. Yearbooks used:
1939, 1940, 1942, 1949, 1950, 1952-1967, 1969-1976, 1978-1997, 2000-2004.