In the fall of 1974, three young men trekked across the eastern half of the United States using nothing but a kayak named Molly B that had been bought at a garage sale.
Thirty-five years and 9,000 miles later, the boat has finally reached its resting place at the Anoka County Historical Society.
As part of the exhibit called "Tell Me a Story," the Historical Society has gathered various artifacts of the two-year trip -- including the Wheaties Box the trio was featured on -- to highlight the stories of Anoka County residents.
The tale of the kayaking friends struck a chord with Todd Mahon, the society's executive director.
"It's just [three] guys who went out and did something. I always admire people who find something that they want to do and they do it," Mahon said.
Starting in September 1974 in the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, Randy Bauer, Jerry Mimbach and Tom Anderson set off in their $40, duct-tape-covered kayak, hoping to make the Gulf Coast by the holidays. Though Anderson later turned back, Bauer and Mimbach eventually paddled the craft up the Atlantic Coast and later through the Great Lakes. They made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest canoe or kayak journey on record.
In the words of Bauer, "You don't take this journey -- the journey takes you."
Stories about local people
The "Tell Me a Story" exhibit is filled with such tales and the artifacts that illustrate them. There are courting quilts, baby dolls and war-thumping drums, with narratives that explain their significance.
At the opening of the exhibit last week, some of the visitors found stories about their own relatives -- like the exhibit about Anoka's "Gray Ghost."
Tucked away in a corner of the center were three sisters holding back their tears.
"It's a real honor," said Wendy Andberg, daughter of Bill (Doc) Andberg, also known as "The Gray Ghost." "I think this really meant something to him. He didn't want to be forgotten," she said.
Bill Andberg was many things to many people -- a veterinarian to large animals and, later, as Anoka County became more urbanized, dogs and cats.
He was also an avid runner who set more than 30 world and national records for distance running, leading to his moniker.
And he didn't begin running until he was 56 years old.
Featured in the exhibit are his running memorabilia and his animal examination table, which he fashioned himself.
Recording personal stories
The entire collection will be on exhibit for at least a year and half, said Vickie Wendel, the program manager at the Historical Society.
"Everybody's history is important," she said. "We don't have any presidents from the county, or a vice president for that matter. But we do have everyday people, and those are the stories that we want to get."
In addition to the collection of items, the society will be offering visitors an opportunity to record their own personal histories on a video camera in a sound room. "We want to get their stories. If they're not captured, they're never known," Mahon said.
Kathryn Nelson is a Minneapolis freelance writer.
Randy Bauer and Jerry Mimbach took this kayak on a two-year trip that broke the world-distance record.