Creating Fiction from History: 10/5/2022

Jakob Schmidt was born on August 5th in the small township of Eitzen, Minnesota. The year was 1871.

Jakob's parents, German immigrants, were some of the first settlers of this area of southern Minnesota. 1871 was, of course, a pivotal year for that noble savage, the American Indian. As such, the Schmidts, who were farmers by trade, raised their first and only son in the fields of Eitzen. However, when Jakob came of age, where he could make his own decisions, our young farmer boy chose to become a lawyer, instead of living and dying by the sweat of his brow like his father.

His parents, although not happy with his decision to leave the fields at first, came to support his chosen occupation pretty quickly, once they understood their only son's heart.

Having been born this fateful year, Jakob, though growing up in a sparsely populated area such as Eitzen, was still very much aware and concerned with the plight of the American Indian in turn-of-the-century Midwest America. Having ruminated for most of his young life in the fields of southern Minnesota on this issue, this young farmer, who might have been the forerunner of civil rights activists like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, in later years, decided to take up the gauntlet in defense of those who were being ill-treated thusly.

This old photograph might picture a 22-year-old Jakob, or J.J. as he became known, as he passed through Waukon, Iowa, on his way to the University of Dubuque.

If you would like to create fiction from history with one of the museum's photos, please contact the Ledger at (406) 287-5301 or email whledger@gmail.com.