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History in the Pines

Alumni stories

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History in the Pines

Alumni stories

Margaret Laurich waves to the crowd while walking to midfield for the pregame coin toss with Ty Cobb (76) and the Bemidji State football captains before the Homecoming football game against Minnesota State on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at Chet Anderson Stadium. Laurich, a 1963 Bemidji State College graduate, returned to Bemidji for the first time in 60 years for Homecoming weekend. (Micah Friez / Bemidji State)
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Brenna Pemberton ’20

Brenna is currently working at the Red Lake Department of Natural Resources pursuing research around HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) and Cyanobacteria. She is also pursuing...

Agusta Oakgrove ’06

Her youngest is a senior in high school which happens to be 30 years after her high school graduation.

Shannon Reyes ’17

Shannon Reyes completed a multi-artist mural in St. Cloud called Veterans Rock. It is located in Wilson Park and is in honor of all veterans...

John Tobie ’71

John Tobie retired after 36 years of public service. He now shares his time between Minnesota and Arizona and enjoys golfing, fishing and reading.

Tina (Tollefson) Carlson ’97

Tina (Tollefson) Carlson was named a 2024-25 Smart/Maher VFW Local Citizenship Teach of the Year, an honor bestowed by her colleagues in recognition of her...
Kathleen (Hetland) Vossen ’23

Kathleen (Hetland) Vossen ’23

Kathleen Hetland and Benjamin Vossen married each other on Oct. 26, 2024. The two met in high school and went to Bemidji State together before...

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Crossing Waters

You’ve seen the mound outside Tamarack Hall – and maybe even clapped on it – but do you know the story behind it?

Crossing Waters – derived from the Ojibwe word “bemijigamaag,” meaning “lake with crossing waters” and for which Bemidji was named – honors the history of our region.

When you stand on the top of the mound and clap your hands, the way the sound bounces off the surrounding buildings makes your clap sound like a beaver’s tail slapping the water, while everyone on the ground just hears you clapping. The red bricks on the mound make up the constellations that match what we can see on the summer solstice.

The iron branches surrounding the mound contain excerpts from the journal of Joseph Nicollet, a well known European geographer who was set on making a name for himself in the United States by accurately mapping the area surrounding the upper Mississippi River. He learned much about the Dakota and Ojibwe during his explorations and recorded Indigenous place names of locations on his maps of the region.​

The benches are shaped like canoes, representing the journey to Bemidji via the Mississippi River.

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