The Otter Tail County Historical Societys Mysteries in History series comes to New York Mills with the program, The Red Menace: Communists in Otter Tail County, April 6, 7 p.m. at the NY Mills Regional Cultural Center.
The farm crisis of the 1920s and 30s drove many area farmers to despair. Low prices and high debt led to foreclosures. Farmers were desperate for relief, and for some, communist ideology provided the answer.
A small, but active communist movement formed in the New York Mills area and in Newton, Leaf Lake, Blowers, Deer Creek and Paddock Townships. Here, predominately Finnish immigrants brought a brand of political radicalism that directly challenged the system.
New York Mills reputation for political activity was bolstered in 1930 when District 9 of the American Communist Party moved its headquarters of the United Farmers League from Bismarck, North Dakota to New York Mills.
In an overwhelmingly conservative region, the emergence of the radical left was a shock for many county residents. Retired Concordia College professor Clair Haugen has done extensive research into this obscure part of county history. His presentation will examine the Finnish influence on the communist movement, the activities they engaged in and the migration of area communists to the Soviet Union.
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Thanks to support from the Minnesota Humanities Commission in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities and Minnesota State Legislature, the program is free of charge.
For more information contact the Otter Tail County Historical Museum at 218-736-6038, or the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center at 218-385-3339.
