On This Date in Minnesota History: December 4

December 4, 1867 – Oliver Hudson Kelley, considered the "Father" of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry (more commonly known as "The Grange"), helped found the organization on this date in Washington, D.C.

The Oliver H. Kelley Homestead in Elk River, Minn., is maintained by the Minnesota Historical Society as a living history farm with interpreters giving people a taste of what Oliver Kelley's life was like on the farm in the 1850s frontier.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2D9H_Grange_Shrine_Oliver_Hudson_Kelley_Home

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Grange Shrine at Oliver Hudson Kelley Home in Elk River, Minn., reads:

The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was founded in Washington, D.C., on December 4, 1867. This date marks the birth of organized agriculture on American soil. Oliver Hudson Kelly first advanced the idea of a farm fraternity. As first secretary and one of the founders of the National Grange he maintained official headquarters here until 1870. This farm has been preserved in honor of our founders.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2D9H_Grange_Shrine_Oliver_Hudson_Kelley_Home

“Guide to historic markers erected by the State Highway Department cooperating with the Minnesota Historical Society”

http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/BookView.aspx?dbid=25816&iid=dvm_LocHist010819-00006-0&sid=&gskw=