Introduction

“Suitcase of Memories” was created by Francine Guck and Carmen McCullough, sisters and descendants of the early Dutch settlers in Otter Tail County. The inspiration to create this book came from an assortment of vintage family photographs and newspaper clippings discovered in a worn, blue suitcase from their Grandmother’s past. The contents of the suitcase told the story of a group of Hollanders who came to the United States to settle in what is now known as Butler Township in Minnesota.

Carmen McCullough and Francine Guck

The worn, blue suitcase.

“Suitcase of Memories” was made possible through the Rethos: Places Reimagined - Otter Tail County Story Mapping Project. Much has been lost to time. However, as local Story Mappers, the sisters were able to share their account of the Hollanders’ settlement in Butler Township.

While the topic is historical in nature, it is also quite personal. The mixed media collage artwork throughout the book favors their ancestors specifically (Boogaards and Van Erps), and the Memory Lane section documents the sisters’ memories of this Dutch legacy, generations later.

“Marie (Boogaard) Van Erp and Barn,” mixed media collage.