Patch Picks: Five Great Books About Hudson History

When it comes to Hudson's storied past, there's no shortage of books written about the subject. Here are our five picks for taking a literary leap into the past:

Hudson In the Early Days

Don't worry about being able to find this book on the shelves—Hudson Library has not one, but five copies of this Genevieve Cline Day publication. Day interviewed some of Hudson's earliest residents for her novel. The book is filled with first-hand accounts, facts, illustrations and photographs of Hudson in its infancy. Day covers topics such as the English occupation, the formation of St. Croix County, Hudson's earliest business and homes and the advent of the railroad.

Hudson, 1900-1909: A Rail-river Town

Written by Glenn C. Schreiber, Hudson, 1900-1909: A Rail-river Town details the history of turn of the century Hudson. At the time, most Hudsonites were grandchildren of the original pioneers who settled in the St. Croix Valley in the 1850s. Schreiber's novel draws from the Hudson Star-Times and the True Republican, as well as other archives and photos from area residents.

Fifty Years on Petticoat Lane: A Collection of Columns From the Hudson Star-Observer Written by Catherine L. Johnson

Edited by LaVonne McCombie and Jackie Bradham, these archived columns of Catherine L. Johnson feature a distinctly female style. Johnson, who was reluctant to write the column, went by the psuedonym "Agnes" before writing under her own name some years later. Though originally written with a much broader scope, the column went on to focus on women's issues and interests much closer to home. This book contains exerpts of Johnson's column that chronicled the changing lives of Hudson women in the second half of the 1900s.

Hadeland to Hudson

Marjorie Lee Huizenga penned the first part of this book as a high school English class assignment in 1939. The subject interested her so much that nearly 40 years later, she completed her work on "Hadeland to Hudson" and published it. Huizenga tells the tale of her grandfather, a Scandanavian farmer, and his journey from Hadeland in Norway to Hudson.

Postmarked Hudson: The Letters of Sarah Andrews to Her Brother J.A. Andrews

This list could hardly be complete without at least one of the numerous works of prolific Hudson historian and writer Willis Miller. Miller edited this collection of letters written between 1864-65 by Sarah Andrews to her brother J.A., a Union Army soldier in the Civil War. Through the letters, often begun with the greeting "My Dear Brother Jimmie," readers can catch a glimpse of Civil War-era Hudson.