| Strum, Wisconsin Unity (now Elm) Street |
| We are looking west on what is now Elm Street. At the very end of the view is Strum's main street. Note the steeple peeking above the trees to the right. That is the West Beef River Church, the church building that was kept as a result of the merger of the two Lutheran churches in the 1950s, and is still being used as Strum's Lutheran Church, now called Immanuel Lutheran Church. The West Beef River Church building in this picture was built, or at least dedicated, in 1915. According to "Story of a Lutheran People", Strum, Wisconsin 1872 to 1972, "The entries will show the original name (of the church) at time of organization on January 7, 1873, to be Hurdal, but on April 16 of the same year changed to Immanuel, then on September 16, 1874, to the present West Beef River congregation." (from a record of the West Beef River Congregation, January 19, 1895). So, after all these years, Immanuel Lutheran Church it is once again. But this time the name is for a combined church, the name for Strum's lutheran church. Note what appear to be brand new power poles on the left of this street. Note the new sidewalk on the left. I believe that before U.S. Highway 10 (running east and west north of the river) was constructed on the north end of town that this street (Unity) was the main road and the most direct route from Strum to Osseo. Early pictures of the White Church that set right along U. S. Hiway 10 on the north end of town, show no road of any sort running east and west. The road (Unity and Elm Street) that extends back of us and east toward Osseo was known as the Prairie Road when I was a kid in the 1950s. The area was nothing but sand. The name made sense. It was difficult to negotiate a sandy road with a Schwinn 3-Speed Lite Weight bike. Somewhere along the way it was paved and during the 1950s, hundreds of evergreen trees were planted. Those trees are 40 feet tall plus today. 24 January 2003 update 17 November 2004 Fred Matson |
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