Mahtowa, Minnesota

Mahtowah was a thriving community back in 1900 although it wasn't big enough to have its own newspaper like Barnum, Moose Lake and Carlton. Driving down I-35 from Duluth, you'll probably notice the billboard for TJ's Country Store - You never sausage a place!  Well, here is TJ's.


Sunday, there was a farmers market at TJ's and there seemed to be quite a few people in town.  This is a surprising meat market with a large processing facility attached and what a variety of sausages!  I stopped on the way back and picked up a package of Cajun Brats.  Ummmmmm, gooood!  We had some for dinner that night.  Worth getting off the highway to just pick up some meat.


And right next to TJ's you can find a used book store, Twice Told Tales.  Not open on Sunday but here are the hours.


I saw the steeple of a church from the trail and took a detour to investigate.


The church has a large, but cracked, bell mounted out in front.  If you read the inscription on the bell you might be puzzled by its meaning, but a nearby bronze plaque explains it all.




Well, maybe not all.  What about that "SW." in the inscription on the bell?  Swedish Evangelical Lutheran!  The Swedes, Norwegians and Germans all had their own idea of a proper Lutheran church back in 1900.