This August I spent time in Lake Bronson volunteering with the Lake Bronson Archeological Survey. Recently, the lake was drained in the process of building a new dam. The dam had been built in 1936 as a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project and had been at risk for failure for a while. The Minnesota Historical Society took advantage of the draining of the lake to survey the lake basin to search for evidence of the past. When the project began in the 1930s, a house owned by the Bronson family was standing in the area that would later become Lake Bronson. Rumor has it that Mrs. Bronson refused to leave her home. She stood on the 2nd floor as the water rose and then was rescued by boat. That home and its contents crumbled into the lake. Almost a hundred years later, little is left of that house, but we did find some items. Remnants of the foundation of the house and outbuildings, a smashed thimble, pottery shards, and part of a pipe were some of the discoveries. We also found a bison horn and bones, fossils, and items that are considered pre-contact or before Europeans arrived in the area. An archeologist accompanied and led the volunteers during the survey. They also explained and identified items for us. After one of my volunteer days, some of us stopped by the Kittson County History Museum just down the road. We saw images of the Bronson Homestead and other visuals of what had been there. If you get the opportunity, to participate in an archeological survey, I’d highly recommend it.