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Writer takes 'womb to tomb' approach By Nan Royce Author Bryce O. Stenzel's connection to the Maple River area runs generations deep. The 1986 Mankato East High School graduate can trace his family history back over a century, to a time when his great-great grandfather Wilhelm Urban called Minnesota Lake township home. Stenzel, an admitted life-long history addict, has made a name for himself by digging into southern Minnesota's past, and making it breathe again for his readers and students. "I offer the womb to tomb approach," he chuckles, noting he has shared area facts and lore with people of every age. His resume lists teaching experiences with adult and youth community education programs, as well as a two-year stint as an American History teaching assistant at Mankato State University. (Stenzel's own double major social studies and history BA, and history MA were earned at MSU.) Stenzel is frequently called upon to portray Abraham Lincoln, to whom he bears a somewhat striking resemblance. He knows his subject intimately, having researched the sixteenth president's life prior to writing a play about him. "Lincoln Lore," which Stenzel intends to publish soon, documents the great statesman's life from his birth until his assassination 56 years later. Right now, however, Stenzel's energies are centered on the publication of his latest book, "German Immigration to the Minnesota River Valley Frontier 1852-1865." "I wrote this book because I wanted to bring to life a group of people who are often neglected," he says. Stenzel suggests that the large insurgence of German immigrants in the Minnesota River valley created a can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees situation. "The German presence was taken for granted," Stenzel's book jacket reads, "because it seemed to have always been there." Stenzel further theorizes that the German's attempts to assimilate into American culture while retaining select portions of their own rich heritage caused them to be ignored. "They should not be forgotten," the author says, pointing out that German hard work brought gristmills, breweries and smokehouses to the region. The cover of "German Immigration" displays a picture of Mankato's Seppman mill, snapped by Stenzel during one colorful day last autumn. For the author, the mill is the most tangible remaining icon that illustrates the German presence in the area. It is also one of his own personal favorite destinations. Stenzel distinctly remembers the thrill of going inside the 1864 mill as a young child, accompanied by his father. He also admits he has taken a date or two there to gaze up at a harvest moon perfectly framed in the mill windows. The author is saddened that those brushes with history are not available to future generations, since the mill is now closed due to safety concerns. "Another little kid won't have the fun of going up there," Stenzel laments. "It's really just a glorified ladder - the top part is the coolest." Stenzel's new book explores the lives of those who worked at Seppman Mill, and also details the Shostag Mill, built along the north shore of Minnesota Lake in 1864. Stenzel spent many hours at the Kremer House in Minnesota Lake researching that area's German ties. "There was a heavy settlement of Germans in the Minnesota Lake area," he says. His time in Minnesota Lake felt much like a delayed homecoming. Stenzel says resident Norma Mensing offered indispensable research help, both on area immigration, and on Stenzel's own family history. Stenzel knew that his mother was the Minnesota Lake High School class valedictorian back in 1945, but until he walked in to the Kremer House he had never seen a Civil War commemorative plate emblazoned with the faces of area soldiers, including his own great-grandfather's. Although Stenzel's work has added to his knowledge of his own history, he says he still gets a bigger thrill from showing others how history connects to their lives every day. "I just like to bring history alive for people," he says. |
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