Directions to Bertram
DIRECTIONS TO BERTRAM CHAIN OF LAKES
TO 90th STREET ENTRANCE – PUBLIC PROPERTY
From Monticello:
Head west on Chelsea Road. Take a left onto 90th Street NE. Follow for 1.8 miles. Bertram Park entrance is on the RIGHT.
From the North:
94 East to Exit 193, MN-25. At the top of the exit turn RIGHT onto MN-25 S. Go .2 miles and then turn RIGHT onto Chelsea Road. Go .7 miles and then turn LEFT onto 90th Street NE. The Bertram Park is on the RIGHT.
From the South:
94 West to Exit 193, MN-25. At the top of the exit turn LEFT onto MN-25 S. Go .2 miles and then turn RIGHT onto Chelsea Road. Go .7 miles and then turn LEFT onto 90th Street NE. The Bertram Park is on the RIGHT.
TO BRIARWOOD ENTRANCE – PRIVATE PROPERTY (owned by the YMCA), but used on FAMILY FUN DAY
From Monticello:
Head west on County Road 39 from Broadway Street West. Go 3.1 miles to Briarwood Ave NE. Go South(left) 1.5 miles. Entrance is on your left.
From the South:
Head north on State Highway 25. Go west (left) onto County Road 37 for .7 miles. Turn right (North) onto Cahill Ave NE and follow to 90th Street NE. Take a left and the 1st right is Briarwood Ave. Entrance is on your right.
From the West:
Head east on County Road 39 to Briarwood Ave NE. Turn right (South) for 1.5 miles. Entrance is on your left.
From the North:
Take 94 East to Exit 193, State Highway 25. At the top of the exit turn RIGHT onto State Highway 25 South. Go .2 miles and then turn RIGHT onto Chelsea Road. At the intersection to County Road 39, turn LEFT onto County Road 39. Follow to Briarwood Ave NE. Turn left on Briarwood (south) for 1.5 miles. Entrance is on your left.
Sioux Uprising of 1862
Jim’s History Corner – Sioux Uprising of 1862
The Civil War usually dominates American History from 1860 -1865. But in 1862 the Sioux Uprising had a very strong effect on the residents of the Monticello area. With many men away at
war in the South, their rural families were left feeling very insecure in 1862 when the Sioux rose in revolt to their treatment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Though much of the uprising took place south and west of the Monticello area, fear became rampant throughout Wright County. In reaction, most rural families fled to Monticello for protection. A “fort” of upright logs was built around the then Monticello “academy” to help protect the families.
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Hatchet Harry Halloween Story
Hatchet Harry – A Halloween Story
Thanks to Colleen Allen for the following story . . . just in time for Halloween . . .
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There was a boy named Harry who grew up on a farmstead in what is now Bertram Park. His house is gone now, it burned down, but there is still an old stone foundation and grainery there. Harry was born at the farm in the 1940’s where he lived and he stayed there until… well we will get to that.
Harry helped out on the farm as all kids had to do back in those days. He did chores around the farm like take care of animals and pick rocks. His dad was really mean to him. He would call him stupid and other much worse names. He also beat him terribly. Once his dad took him out on the tractor to pick rocks and harry slipped and his right foot got run over by the tractor tire. For the rest of his life, Harry walked with a slight limp.
To take out his frustrations when his dad called him names and beat him, Harry would go out to the grainery and beat things around. He would kick buckets and milking cans. He would take a shovel and knock stuff off the wall. He was just so angry. Once when he was out in the grainery, his dad came out there to get him, and Harry took a hatchet off the wall and killed his dad with it. Then Harry felt bad of course. He stayed out in the grainery all day until his mother got worried and came looking for him and his father. Harry was afraid, and remember he wasn’t very smart, so he did the only thing he could think of at the time. He took the hatchet and killed his mom too.
Well, harry ran off after that and nobody really knows what happened to him. Some people say that he was captured and sent to a mental institution in Wilmar where he was locked up until he died in there. Others swear they still see Harry wandering around Bertram Park.
There have been many sightings and strange occurrences that just can’t seem to be explained. You see Harry always wore bib overalls, a patterned shirt and a baseball cap. One day at YMCA camp, some of the kids saw a strange man over by a gate with, bib overalls, a patterned shirt and a baseball cap. This was the area between the two lakes where there is only one way in, and one way out. He entered the area and one of the counselors used a walkie talkie to call down to the other counselors on the other side. Guess what, no one ever came through…. On either side. They went looking for him but didn’t find anyone.
Another time there was a kid named Tom who went to camp there for a lot of years. He knew the camp better than just about anyone. He lived nearby so when he was in high school, he used to come out and go fishing. One day he saw someone, wearing guess what, bib overalls, a patterned shirt and a baseball cap. He was over by the pump which is where Tom had parked his truck. Tom hadn’t locked his truck so he was worried about it and he came into shore to check on it. Guess what, no one was there. And if you have ever been by the pump, you will know that it is really sandy right there. Tom found that it was really spooky because, there were no footprints in the sand where he had just seen the guy.
There are other stories too including ones about cats. Some say that the spirit of Hatchet Harry lives on, in a black cat. Many black cat sightings have occurred amongst YMCA campers through the years. Many were by the old grainery where you know what happened. Black cat sightings have also happened by the chalet. Sometimes, a cat would walk along the rail of a building and spook all the kids in the class.
Once, someone was out by the old grainery trying to clean up the place because there was a lot of old junk out there. He took an axe, much like the old hatchet that harry used, and he cut off a branch of an old tree. He pulled on the branch because it didn’t come all the way off, and guess what happened? The branch left a mark in the tree in the shape of… a cat. That mark is still there today! I found it last year! And while I was looking at it, I felt a little prickle at the back of neck, like someone was watching me! Next time you are out at Bertram, keep on the look out for black cats and say hi to Harry if you see him!
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Treaties of 1851
Jim’s History Corner – Treaties of 1851
Two treaties had major impacts on the settling of Monticello/Bertram Lakes area.
The first was the Traverse des Sioux Treaty of 1851. Due to the defeat in the Black Hawk War and other treaties, The Wapitan and Sissitan bands of the Upper Sioux felt the need to cede over land for monetary payments along with the land along the Minnesota River from Fort Ridgely to the Dakota’s for reservations (Upper & Lower Sioux). Because of this, land became available to Eastern settlers through grants by the U.S. Government.
The second treaty was the Mendota Treaty of 1851 which was between the U.S. Government and the Mdewakanton and the Wahpekute bands. It stipulated that for $1.4 million dollars the bands would move to the Lower Sioux reservation (near present day Morton, Minnesota).
As a result of these treaties the U.S. Government received 24 million acres of land – nearly 40% of present day Minnesota. Problems with compliance with the treaties by the U.S. Government would eventually result in the Dakota War of 1862.
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Great News! Another YES Vote!
Great News! Make Sure to Write a Thank You Email . . .
Today the County Board voted 3-2 (Sawatzke, Thelen and Eichelberg), to provide the County share of the local match to complete a phase 3 acquisition at Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park, this phase includes the area between Long and Bertram Lakes.
Now we will be working with the YMCA on a closing date, survey of the property, appraisal, update to the MOU, and purchase agreements. The goal is to complete the purchase by the end of 2011.
We’d like to encourage you to write and email thank you to each of the three commissioners supporting the Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park. Please take a minute to write (sample text provided below):
patrick.sawatzke@co.wright.mn.us
elmer.eichelberg@co.wright.mn.us
Sample Text: “Thank you for voting YES to provide the county share of the local match to complete phase 3 acquistion of teh Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park.”
We know they would love to hear from you! Thanks so much for your continued support!
Win $100,000 and The Title of “America’s Favorite Park”
Win $100,000 and The Title of “America’s Favorite Park”
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We could win $100,000 for Bertram Chain of Lakes, but we need your help! Please go to this site to vote . . . www.LivePositively.com.
This could be huge for Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park and so we’re hoping you’ll tell your friends and spread the word! All the details are below in this message from the National Recreation and Park Association.
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Does one of your parks need money for much-needed improvements? Well now it only takes the click of a button!
This summer, Coca-Cola is kicking off the second annual America Is Your Park campaign that encourages families to get active outdoors in parks across the country.
Encourage your citizens to vote on www.LivePositively.com for a park in your area to win the title of “America’s Favorite Park” and a 100,000 recreation grant!
America Is Your Park was developed by Coca-Cola in collaboration with NRPA. The Coca-Cola Live Positively initiative will award a $100,000 recreation grant to the park with the most votes, a $50,000 grant to the second-place park, and a $25,000 grant to the third-place park. These grants can help buy new equipment, restore activity areas, build trails, or simply make your park an overall better place for your citizens.
Get active and vote on www.LivePositively.com by Sept. 6, 2011, so one of your parks can be crowned America’s favorite this summer!
Last year’s winner, Bear Head Lake State Park in Ely, Minn., beat out hundreds of others to be named “America’s Favorite Park.” This small park received more than 1.6 million votes.
So get your park supporters active outdoors spreading the word, conducted voting drives, and energizing online social networks!
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Thanks for all of your help in getting the word out! Let’s see another small park in Minnesota win this year too!
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Family Fun Day 2011 A Success
Thanks for Participating in Family Fun Day!
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Saturday was a picture perfect day for exploring the planned Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park.
The Family Fun Day is an opportunity for visitors to experience the full breadth of what is planned to be a 1200 acre regional park cooperatively owned and operated by Wright County and the City of Monticello.
The park saw close to 900 visitors on Saturday – a mix of new and returning visitors from across the County and beyond.
To see the public photo album, follow this link:
Among the host of activities:
A Narrated horse-drawn carriage ride around the north side of Long Lake.
Buckthorn walking sticks, made with the help of the Friends of Bertram Lakes Regional Park
Fishing off the docks at Bertram – and the sunnies were biting!
Face-painting by Monticello Royalty at Bertram Beach
Kayaking and Canoeing at Long Lake – with kayaks and canoes courtesy of Clear Water Outfitters
Critters including snakes and lizards from the MN Herpetological Society
At the amphitheatre – Animals Nobody Loves and Raptors from the Wildlife Science Center.
Thanks to the many volunteers, sponsors and organizations that make the event so successful – Xcel Energy, Cargill Corporation, Clear Water Outfitters, Moon Motors, FiberNet Monticello, theMonticello Lions, New River Medical Center, Veolia, Wright County Sheriff’s Dept (mounted patrol), the MCC staff, the Friends of Bertram Lakes and last, but certainly not least, the Park Departments of the City and County, who ready the park for the event and make it look effortless!
The Friends of Bertram Lakes, the City of Monticello and Wright County continue to work to make this park a reality. We invite residents to visit the 370 acres of public park this summer and we thank you for all of your support!
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Please leave your comments and stories below!
Family Fun Day 2011
Family Fun Day is June 11th!
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It’s that time of year again . . . Family Fun Day is less than two weeks away! This is a special opportunity to spend some time at Bertram Lakes Regional Park and so we hope you can all join us. Here are the details:
When: Saturday, June 11, 2010 from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM
Where: Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park, 9910 Briarwood Ave NE, Monticello, MN
Directions: Directions are available at www.mapquest.com, but the easiest way is to take CR 39 West to Briarwood Ave. Go South on Briarwood Ave for 1 mile and the park is on the left side.
Activities: Ampitheater Events (Beginning at 11:30 with Animals Nobody Loves, followed at 1:00 p.m. with Raptors of Minnesota), lunch served at the beach, horse drawn wagon rides, make your own walking stick, hiking, canoeing, swimming, shore fishing, face painting, and presentations by the Wildlife Science Center.
This is a great way to spend time with the whole family and enjoy this beautiful land. It’s the Bertram Lakes EVENT OF THE YEAR! You do not want to miss out!
We look forward to seeing you all there!
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Wright County Trail and Bikeway Plan
Wright County Trail and Bikeway Plan Ready for Review
Wright County is unveiling the Draft Trail and Bikeway Plan at two community meetings this June. The first meeting is Wednesday, June 1, 2011 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Clearwater City Hall (605 County Road 75, Clearwater, MN 55320). The second meeting is on Monday, June 6, 2011 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Wright County Public Works Building in Buffalo (1901 Highway 25 North, Buffalo, MN 55313). A summary of the plan will be presented at 7:00 p.m.
The goal of the Trail and Bikeways Master Plan is to improve county-wide connectivity and to foster active living. The Wright County Plan is a guide to future bikeway and trail development, operations,and implementation. The Plan was funded by a grant from the Statewide Health Improvement Program and Live Wright.
The public is invited to view the Plan, hear a brief presentation and provide their ideas and suggestions. The Plan can also be viewed on-line from May 27th onward. Input from the public, County officials and County staff will help shape the final plan which is likely to go before the County Board in late June.
Important Call to Action
CALL TO ACTION – May 17, 2011
Friends of Bertram Chain of Lakes would like to put a call out to anyone who can attend the Monticello Parks and Trails Public Meeting.
What: Monticello Parks and Trails Public Meeting
When: Tuesday, May 17th at 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Where: Monticello Community, Mississippi Room
We need bodies in the room. It’s very important supporters of Bertram Lakes attend this meeting to show their support.
You don’t need to speak, but if you do have questions about the park you can ask them at this meeting. However, if you can even be in the room and show your support of the Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help!
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