2024 HFHS Spring Dinner
Save the date for the Hill Farm’s Spring Dinner in May
The Hill Farm Historical Society (HFHS) hosts their annual Spring Dinner on Friday, May 17 at the North Oaks Golf Club, and you are invited!
The featured guest speaker for the evening is historian and author Jim Stolpestad. His book, Great Northern Iron, delves into the relatively unknown story behind the Great Northern Iron Ore Properties Trust, created by James J. Hill and his son, Louis W. Hill, to acquire, manage, and lease 67,000 acres on the Mesabi Range at the dawn of the twentieth century. The mines’ iron ore and taconite were in great demand during the Second World War, and the trust’s century-long existence paid investors $2.8 billion inflation-adjusted dollars.
In addition to learning about this unique moment in history, the annual Spring Dinner is the perfect opportunity to visit with North Oaks neighbors and friends while supporting HFHS, whose mission is to preserve and tell the story of The James J. Hill Farm located in the heart of North Oaks. By purchasing a seat at this local event, you are helping a small group of volunteers with a large and important responsibility—keeping the James J. Hill legacy alive in the form of the Hill Farm buildings, all three of which need restoration in order to stay structurally sound.
To the North Oaks residents who are already HFHS members, thank you for your past contributions; please confirm your financial commitment now by renewing your membership and considering a larger gift to our Restoration Project. To those who have not yet become HFHS members, your annual or lifetime membership (and any larger donation) will become a lifeline for maintaining our community’s place in history for generations to come. The Hill Farm site is on the National Register of Historic Places, but its future depends on the generosity of the people in North Oaks at this present moment. From our own properties, which were part of the original farm, to all of what North Oaks has become, James J. Hill made a huge impact on our lives. Help preserve his legacy by becoming a member of HFHS, renewing your membership, and considering a larger gift as able. Help preserve the original farm, which is truly a North Oaks treasure.
HFHS members enjoy a reduced-price entry to the Spring Dinner, coupons toward ice cream at June’s Ice Cream Social, free tickets for September's Farm Fest, and a free guided tour of the property that can be scheduled on our website.
Watch your mailbox for the Spring Dinner invitation. Register online or by mailing back your invitation. Any questions about the Spring Dinner can be directed to Martha Rice at martha.rice@comcast.net. Since HFHS is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your membership and any larger donation is tax-deductible in accordance with tax law.
We’re looking forward to celebrating Hill Farm at the annual Spring Dinner. Reservations are due by Friday, May 10, so be sure to secure your spot soon.