Esko woman played role in two acclaimed books

Carlton County authors and books will be well represented at the 31st annual Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards program next week, with history books about the 1918 fires in Thomson Township and Hermantown among the nominees, along with a fiction book by Thomas Peacock and a photo book by Craig Blacklock and Walter Mondale.

The Pine Knot News interviewed Esko’s Connie Jacobson, who had a hand in both of the local history books.

“I feel like I won a prize just by being nominated,” said Jacobson, who was nominated in the nonfiction category for her book “Hellfire in Hermantown: The 1918 Forest Fires and How They Affected Hermantown.”

Jacobson also helped research the second history book nominated from Carlton County: “Thomson Township’s Night of Terror: The Great 1918 Fire.”

She confessed that she’d rather see the Thomson Township book win, to honor the book’s editor and one of its three writers, Davis Helberg, who died last fall.

“It would be such a fitting tribute to Davis — he’s so deserving — he was working on that book and editing it even in the throes of the chemo,” said Jacobson. She was also part of the team of researchers and writers who compiled the massive “Esko’s Corner” history book, which won an honorable mention in 2013 at that year’s Northeastern Minnesota Book awards.

Although she has lived in Esko for the past 36 years, Jacobson was immersed in Hermantown history growing up.

“I’ve always liked history, since I was a little kid,” said Jacobson, the only child of Helmer and Evelyn (Witte) Jacobson. “Mother was part of the original family that started Hermantown; my dad was a longtime resident too. I always heard things, especially about the 1918 forest fire and how things had been. I suppose you could say I’ve done a lifetime of research.

The author said she started writing stories for the Hermantown Star newspaper each year on the anniversary of the 1918 Fires. But she wanted to get the definitive story of the fires in Hermantown into print.

“I wanted to do something to commemorate and honor the people who died in and lived through the 1918 fire in the Hermantown area and beyond,” she said.

That included her great-great grandfather, Louis Archambault, who lost his life in the fire at age 90. Other family members affected by the 1918 fires included her great-grandfather Otto Witte, who lost his entire farmstead with the exception of some stock, along with his son, her grandfather Carl Witte, who lost his barn, every outbuilding and most of his livestock, but saved his house. On her dad’s side, her grandfather Karl Magnus Bernhard

Jacobson lost everything on the farm, including their livestock.

Jacobson recently learned that her book was accepted by the Library of Congress, and assigned its own Library of Congress number.

“To me it’s gratifying to see that the people will not be forgotten,” she said. “It’s a memorial to them.”

IF YOU GO

The Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards starts with a book fair and reception at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at Northland Country Club in Duluth. Author Margi Preus is the featured speaker at 6:30 p.m., followed by the awards presentation and another book fair and reception at 8:30 p.m. The program and awards presentation is free and open to the public.

Carlton County nominees include the following:

Fiction

“Beginnings: The Homeward Journey of Donovan Manypenny” by Thomas D. Peacock

Nonfiction

“Hellfire in Hermantown: The 1918 Forest Fires and How They Affected Hermantown” by Connie Jacobson

“Thomson Township’s Night of Terror: The Great 1918 Fire” by C. Philip Johnson, Rodney Ikola and Davis Helberg

Art, Photography

“St. Croix & Namekagon Rivers: the Enduring Gift” by Walter F. Mondale and Craig Blacklock, photographs by Craig Blacklock