These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 9:00 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
July 19, 2026
Since we’ll be enjoying the Roseau County Fair this week, I’d like to share a little story that was included in the Centennial Book by Hazel Wahlberg, with information from “Cap” Nelson. It was called “Round, Round Goes the Merry-Go-Round”.
The tune ‘School Days’ could be heard blocks away for it was Saturday night and Mr. Calhoun had just started the little engine that made the model horses begin to prance. It didn’t take long for the youngsters to begin to gather for their chance at riding the merry-go-round. This was no primitive machine, for it had the usual array of horses – roans, whites, and grays. There was also a pony for the small less brave children to ride.
Mr. Calhoun was the owner and ticket master. This was about the year of 1912, and Calhoun was also a civic minded man for he had held many offices in the little village and was also on the fire brigade. The price of a ticket was a nickel.
Cap Nelson was a good customer for the merry-go-round, and he saved his nickels all week for a chance to ride. His cousin, Alfred Nelson, was intrigued by the music; and even though he was just a young lad, he would go home from the evening of fun and play the tunes that he had just heard. He had to play them on a pump organ, and he was too short to sit on the stool, so he would stand and pump with one foot while he would play what he had just heard uptown.
Cap taught the kids a novel way of catching a few minutes of free riding time. He said, “See you jump on across from Mr. Calhoun and you jump off just when you see him taking your money.” Some of the kids didn’t jump soon enough, or weren’t prepared to run alongside of the merry-go-round for a few paces, and there were some scraped knees and elbows.
Kindly Mr. Calhoun often looked the other way when he saw how eager the children were, especially those who were short of nickels.
Some of the children besides the Nelson relationship were Forsbergs, Lindbergs, and Worschmidts. All these children had pleasant memories of the early merry-go-round. The Merry-Go-Round was where the Farmers Union was in 1995.
Now here’s a message from our museum director Britt Dahl:
Come spend a little time with us at the Roseau County Fair.
As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and look ahead to the Roseau County Historical Society’s 100th anniversary in 2027, we’re kicking off a new community project that celebrates the stories of our county.
Stop by to reminisce about the people and places that helped shape Roseau County, and take a look at what life here looks like today. If a memory comes to mind, we’d love to hear, but mostly, we hope you’ll simply enjoy looking back and sharing a few smiles.
The Veterans Wall will once again be on display, along with new gift shop merchandise and fun giveaways.
You’ll find us in the Arts & Cultural Heritage Building, next to the Magnusson Building featuring the school art exhibits. We’re open Tuesday afternoon through Friday before the fireworks.
Come say hello, take a stroll through Roseau County’s story, and help us celebrate the past while looking ahead to the future.
We look forward to seeing you at the fair!
Thank you to 
for letting us share our county’s history with your listeners by donating air time, studio time, and production staff every week.