Hansons were drawn to iconic home's character

As a longtime former member of the Society for the Preservation of Minneota Heritage (SPMH), Bonnie Hanson is familiar with both sides of the coin when it comes to fundraising.
"It's hard work trying to raise money," she said. "But preserving history is very important."
The current SPMH members have been relentlessly trying to raise money to repair and renovate the historic Big Store building, which now houses the Minneota Public Library. That includes the second floor Opera Hall, which contains many historical items and research material. The group mailed out letters to hundreds of individuals and families to inquire about donating to preserve the iconic Big Store building (see separate story in this issue).
Hanson, who was an SPMH member for over 20 years, received her letter recently and fully intends to donate toward the cause. She also wants to donate an item that came from her parents to the local historical museum's collection.
Hanson has a connection with the Big Store. The home she and her late husband Don purchased in 1988 was built by Otto Anderson, who operated the Big Store for many years after the death of original owner Olafur G. Anderson in 1903 at age 44 from tuberculosis.Although many people in Minneota think Otto was O.G.'s son, they actually were unrelated, according to Claire Eckley, the granddaughter of Otto Anderson.
"My family used to buy a lot of things at the Big Store," Bonnie noted. "It had just about everything you need. I remember my mom and dad (Hazel and Albert Hanson) trying on clothes in the dressing room. And there was an alteration room."
Bonnie also recalls the elevated cashier's area in the northeast corner, which is now the children's reading area at the library. Photos show how store clerks would take a customer's money for a purchased item, send it in a capsule on a wire to the cashier, who would then proceed to make change and send it back on the wire.
The home in which Bonnie still resides at 501 East Lyon Street was purchased from Virgil Gislason Sr. and his wife Mary Helen Gislason, who purchased it many years before that from Otto Anderson.
Bonnie was born and raised on a farm west of Minneota. When they were married, Don and Bonnie moved away for a number of years and taught school (Don was also a coach) in Cyrus before returning to Minneota in 1987. Don also spent many years as a sales representative for John Deere. They had three children; Bruce, Barb and Eric.
"We were looking for a house that had character and had a lot of rooms," Bonnie said. "As you can see, this house has a lot of little rooms ... and a lot of character."
After Don's death several years ago, Bonnie has remained living in the home.
Other than the Hansons having the kitchen redone and adding a breakfast nook, the home still features many of the original furnishings from 101 years ago, including the dining room chandelier and large china cabinet, fireplace, woodworking and floorboards, and cast iron radiators.
"They used to have a coal truck come and there was a chute to unload the coal into the basement," Hanson said. "The radiators still heat the house, but t's propane now."
The original house also only had one bathroom upstairs and the Gislasons added a small second bathroom on the main floor.
"I really like it here," she said. "It has a lot of history and it feels like home."