Harkin Store likely to stay open

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

WEST NEWTON -- Opal Dewanz remembers the last time the Harkin Store had to close because of budget problems.

It was in 1986, when the state had its last big cash crunch, that the door was locked and the store, which sat deserted for so many decades before the state bought it, was shut tight.

The Harkin Store could be in a unique position because with a $8 million cut proposed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, it is one of the few historical sites around the state that could remain open regardless of the outcome of this year's legislative session.

The Jeffers Petroglyphs are another site that will probably stay open throughout the season.

Sites at Ft. Ridgely and the Lower Sioux Agency would definitely close. All of Minnesota's historical sites are expected to remain open until July, site managers said.

If a closure comes, it could hit right at the peak of tourism season. The road that connects the Harkin Store to Ft. Ridgely and the Lower Sioux Agency was recently feted in Fairfax in hopes to bring greater visibility to those sites and the nearby towns. Dewanz said most of the tourist traffic comes through the Harkin Store in between July and August. The sites along the Minnesota River Scenic Byway feed off each other because of close proximity.

Nearly 200 full-time and part-time employees would lose their jobs if the governor's cuts to the Minnesota Historical Society were made.

Ft. Ridgely and the Lower Sioux Agency are on the MHS's list for sites that will close indefinitely on July 1, the beginning of the society's fiscal year. The society would still provide maintenance and security for those sites.

Twelve other sites like Ft. Snelling, the Jeffers Petroglyphs, the Minnesota State Capitol and the North West Company Fur Post would operate on reduced hours and have fewer programs. The Birch Coulee battlefield would stay open to the public.

The Harkin Store is expected to stay open because of its unique situation with both the MHS and Nicollet County. The state owns the site, but the county manages it and hires the people who hire the volunteers that work there.

Dewanz said the cuts are "not for certain yet, but we're preparing for that."

She said the Harkin Store attracted about 8,000 people last summer, which was an increase from the year before.

The state budget is an issue that affected the Harkin Store once before, but Dewanz said Brown County stepped in and took over for the state and the site passed to Nicollet County three years ago. She said the site's gift shop and admission fees have helped keep the site afloat.

"I'm confident we'll stay open unless they cut some more," Dewanz said.