"Living (and Fighting) in the Bishop's Colony: St. Eloi's First Thirty Years" Program

Description

Anita Gaul will present, “Living (and Fighting) Together in the Bishop’s Colony: St. Eloi’s First Thirty Years” at the Lyon County Museum, 301 West Lyon Street, Marshall on Tuesday, September 29 at 6:30 PM About the Program: Bishop John Ireland of St. Paul established ten Catholic colonies in western Minnesota from 1876-1883, including Ghent. Although the Bishop envisioned his colonies to be harmonious and prosperous settlements, Ghent’s new St. Eloi parish experienced great turmoil as the Flemish and French-Canadian Catholics attempted to build a church. Dr. Gaul explores the fractious relationship between St. Eloi’s ethnic groups and the reasons why they were able to continue worshipping together in the same parish. Dr. Anita Gaul currently teaches at Minnesota West Community & Technical College. Her work as an historian focuses on local and regional history. Her published works include The Women of Southwest Minnesota and the Great War (2018), Homely Girls and Pretty Babies: A History of the Murray County Fair (2013), and “Living in Perfect Harmony: A Multiethnic Catholic Parish on the Minnesota Prairie, 1881-1910” in the Journal of American Ethnic History (2010). She is the winner of the 2026 Minnesota Board of Trustees Educator of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching. The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Programs at the Lyon County Museum are sponsored by members. For more information, contact the Lyon County Museum at 507-537-6580.