Today we visit the city of Cokato, Minnesota. Another contributor to the "Star Tribune Crossword Corner," cokato (I guess she just used her hometown as her blog name), is from there. I know they just had the 59th Annual Cokato Corn Carnival August 11th - 13th.

The photos are: 1) The 2008 Corn Carnival Reigning Royalty, 2) a photo of the four Post Office snowmobiles used to deliver mail in 1930, 3) Railroad Park, know to most as "Horshoe Park" because it is host to the Cokato-area horseshoe league, and 4) a view of Cokato Elementary School.

Cokato is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,727 at the 2000 census.

First settlement: The first settlers came to the Cokato area in 1858, settling just south of Sucker Creek. At the time, all of southwestern Wright County was called Middleville Township. Cokato and Stockholm Townships were established in July 1868.
Coming of the railroad: The First Division of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company (later Great Northern) built a line west from Howard Lake to Willmar in 1869. A station was built at the 59-mile mark. Samuel Jenks, a pioneer settler of the area was named first stationmaster.
What does "Cokato" mean?: The name Cokato is a Dakota language word. Roughly translated from co-ka-ta, it means "in the middle of" or "in the midst of." This area was once the geographic center of a region called The Big Woods, which stretched from the Mississippi River to about Willmar. So we can safely say that the name "Cokato" meant that we were in the middle of the Big Woods.
When did Cokato begin?: After the building of the rail station in 1869, settlers began arriving. Businesses sprung up virtually overnight to serve the stream of people, including hotels, general stores, saloons, blacksmith shops, and a post office. The Village of Cokato was officially founded by a vote of the young settlement's residents on March 9, 1878.
Cokato's population: 1880 - 274 1980 - 2056 2000 - 2727
Who came to Cokato?: The first settlers were Yankees, people from states like New York, New Hampshire, and Maine. They came to speculate (buy and re-sell) land and establish businesses. Soon, waves of immigrants from Europe began to arrive. They were mostly from Sweden and Finland, but also included Norwegians, Germans, Poles, and Bohemians. Today, Cokato is still known as a Swedish and Finnish community.
Schools: The first school building was built in Cokato either 1871 or 1872. This one-room structure was soon outgrown. A new two-story brick structure was built on the site of the present Cokato Elementary in 1884. The first graduating class was in 1904, with 3 people. In 1969, Cokato and Dassel voted to consolidate. A new high school was built between the two towns, opening in 1972. Each town's old high school is now an elementary school. In 2003, total student population for Dassel-Cokato was about 2247.
Newspapers: Cokato's first paper was the Cokato Republican, in 1878. It lasted less than two months. In 1884 a group of businessmen provided money for the Wright County Republican. Five years later, a new owner changed the name to the Cokato Observer. In 1892, after a short break, the Cokato Commoner began printing. The Commoner lasted until March 1896, when new owners changed its name to the Cokato Enterprise. In late 1986, the Dassel Dispatch and Cokato Enterprise merged to form the Enterprise-Dispatch.
Canning factories: The Cokato Canning Company was started in 1904. It was the second canning factory in Minnesota. It was sold in 1924 to Minnesota Valley Canning Company (later Green Giant). Another factory, Northland Canning, was established in 1924, giving Cokato the unusual distinction of having two canning plants. Green Giant closed the Cokato plant in 1978. Northland was bought by Faribault Foods in 1969 and continues to operate year-round.
Street Fairs: Early in each October, from 1903 to 1915, the Cokato Street Fair attracted crowds from miles around. Carnival rides like the merry-go-round, entertainment, including jugglers and knife throwers, displays of locally grown vegetables, and exhibits of sewing, cooking, and canning were all featured. The town band entertained in the street. Politicians, like Governor Adolph Eberhart and U. S. Senator Moses E. Clapp spoke to the crowds.
Corn Carnival: The annual Cokato Corn Carnival began in August 1950. It has run every second Tuesday and Wednesday of August since. Through 1988 the grand prize was a new car from a local dealer. Fresh corn-on-the cob, provided by local canneries, has been a favorite. Children and adults enjoy the midway. Since 1987, the Cokato Queen has been crowned at the carnival. The carnival has become the favorite time of year for class reunions also.
Mail delivery: A post office was established in the home of Josiah Mooers near Sucker Creek in 1857. When the railroad arrived in 1869, the office was moved to the station. Later, a more spacious office was built on Millard Avenue, one block from the station. Mail arrived by train and was carted to the post office. Rural delivery began in October 1900, when Peter Danielson became the first rural carrier in the county. By 1915, there were five rural routes. During the 30s and 40s, before snowplowing, converted cars sporting skis and metal tracks ("snowmobile cars") kept the mail moving. The Cokato Post Office moved to its present location in 1960.

Today's Jumble (8/15/08):

WHASA = AWASH; VEYHA = HEAVY; MOONID = DOMINO; NERVAG = GRAVEN

CIRCLED LETTERS = WSEAYDOOGAV

A deposit at the blood bank is a - - -

"GOOD WAY (TO) SAVE"

Today is National Relaxation Day.

Other things on this day in history:

778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, in which Roland is killed.
927 - The Saracens are conquered and destroyed Taranto.
1040 - King Duncan I is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth. The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland.
1057 - King Macbeth is killed in the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada.
1185 - The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.
1248 - The foundation stone of the Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, was laid. Construction eventually completed in 1880.
1261 - Michael VIII Palaeologus is crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.
1309 - The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island, and rename themselves as the Knights of Rhodes.
1461 - The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmet II. This is the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.
1517 - Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.
1519 - Panama City, Panama, is founded.
1534 - Saint Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates took initial vows that would lead to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September of 1540.
1537 - Asunción, Paraguay, is founded.
1540 - Arequipa, Peru, is founded.
1549 - Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: July 22, 1549).
1599 - Nine Years War: Battle of Curlew Pass - Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, were sent to relieve Collooney Castle.
1760 - Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz - Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst von Laudon.
1824 - Freed American slaves form Liberia.
1843 - The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, it is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
1843 - Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1863 - The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).
1869 - Meiji government establishes six ministries below Pardication (ja:民部省) in the bottom of Cabinet, officer-of-Shinto-Worship, and jurisdiction of Cabinet.
1891 - San Sebastian Church in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
1914 - A male servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright set fire to the living quarters of the architect's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, murdered seven people, and burned the living quarters to the ground. It is unknown if the servant was arrested or not.
1914 - The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship Ancon.
1920 - Polish-Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw - Poles defeat the Red Army.
1935 - Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.
1939 - 13 Stukas dive into the ground during a disastrous air-practice at Neuhammer. No survivors.
1942 - World War II: Operation Pedestal - The SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island defenses.
1944 - World War II: Operation Dragoon - Allied forces land in southern France.
1945 - World War II: Victory over Japan Day - Japan surrenders.
1945 - World War II: Korean Liberation Day.
1947 - India gains independence from the United Kingdom and becomes an independent nation within the Commonwealth , Jawaharlal Nehru addresses the nation with the Indian Declaration of Independence and takes office as the first Prime Minister of India.
1947 - Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor General of Pakistan at Karachi.
1948 - The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th parallel north.
1950 - Srikakulam district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India.
1952 - Devon, United Kingdom A flashflood drenches the town of Lynmouth, killing 34 people.
1960 - Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) declares its independence from France.
1961 - Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.
1961 - Keiyo Road is specified to be the first driveway in Japan.
1962 - James Joseph Dresnok defected to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, running across the Korean DMZ. Dresnok still resides in the capital, Pyongyang.
1965 - The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, marking the birth of stadium rock.
1969 - The Woodstock Music and Art Festival opens.
1971 - President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.
1973 - Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends.
1974 - Seoul Subway Line 1 opened, between Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni Station
1974 - Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea is killed amid an apparent assassination attempt upon President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee, during the anniversarial ceremony of the Liberation day.
1974 - Turkish invasion of Cyprus continues, and the 37% of the island is now under Turkish control.
1975 - Military coup in Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman killed along with all family members, except Haseena Wajid.
1975 - Miki Takeo makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by a sitting prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.
1977 - The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by The Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "Wow! signal" for notation made by a volunteer on the project.
1984 - PKK, Kurdish people in Turkey gain arms and start a Guerrilla warfare campaign against the Turkish military
1995 - In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel, but drops out in less than a week.
1998 - Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, becoming the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles
1999 - Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria; some 29 people killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco.
2007 - An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.