LOCAL HISTORY
Polka was king in Minnesota’s early years BY BRIAN HAINES Executive director of the McLeod County Museum
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n the McLeod County History Museum, there’s a plaque on the wall near the entrance to the west wing that reads “No power on earth has the ability to move people like the spirit of music.” The quote was written by two Minnesota musicians, Vern and Alyce Steffel, donors of the west wing, and though they did not hail from McLeod County, their quote speaks volumes when it comes to this area’s history. McLeod County’s history of music began in 1855 when three brothers of the famed Hutchinson singers decided to lay their roots along the edge of the Big Woods. Their first night in the county was spent in Glencoe, and as you might guess, they gave a free concert to the residents there. The following day they set out for the site that would later bear their name where they no doubt literally sang praise to the land around them. Though the Hutchinson brothers were the first famous singers of the area, they were by no means the only musicians. Those early settlers came from all parts of Europe and the United States, bringing key facets of their culture and traditions along with them — music among them. Music was an important aspect of everyday life. Living on the frontier could be tough and monotonous. Settlers had none of the modern conveniences we enjoy today, so idle time was often spent playing and listening to music. Instruments on the frontier were basic. Since most settlers traveled by ox cart, their instruments had to be somewhat portable. A popular instrument at the time was the small push button concertina, an instrument commonly referred to as a “squeeze box.” It was lightweight, portable, and a key instrument in a style of music that was fast gaining popularity in parts of Europe and the United States — polka.
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Chuck, Jason and Jacob Thiel — three generations — will be serving up polka music May 5 at the McLeod County History Museum’s first Whoopee Fest. Polka is said to have originated in Czechoslovakia where the term “pulka” was coined. According to legend, the word “pulka” means to “dance in half,” referring to the half tempo and half-step style of dance that accompanies the music. In Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas, where German, Bavarian and Czech immigrants arrived in droves, polka fast became the mainstream genre of music. Minnesota had become settled by 1900 and was changing fast. Over the next few decades, dance halls were constructed across the state. They needed musicians and musical groups to perform, and the “modern” polka band was born. They ranged from three people to 12 or more and typically consisted of drums; horns such as trumpets, trombones and tubas; woodwinds such as clarinets and saxophones; and of course the mainstay of polka music, the accordion or concertina. Music typically included polkas, waltzes and schottisches — each played with unique timing.
By the 1920s and 1930s, Minnesota bands like Whoopee John and the Six Fat Dutchmen became household names as radios broadcast their music in homes. It was at this same time that McLeod County saw its own rise of homegrown bands. A popular musician at the time was Jerry Dostal, who formed an eight-piece band in the early 1930s. The group frequented radio broadcasts all over Minnesota in the ’30s and even played in the Dakotas and Iowa. Another popular group was the Littfin Bros. Orchestra of Winsted. Local musicians regularly played in ballrooms and dance halls such as the Lake Marion Ballroom, Pla-Mor Ballroom, Archway Club, Stewart Community Hall and many more. Nationwide, polka began to lose popularity with the younger crowd in the 1950s and ’60s as rock ’n’ roll took over. Yet in McLeod County and other parts of the state, polka held onto its popularity. Local musicians such as Jerry Kadlec, a player in the original Polka to 10
MAY 2022 | ZEST 9
