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Frederick Manfred. A Visit to Fred’s Home Near Luverne, Minnesota. Text and Photographs by Professor Thomas Gasque. Who was Frederick Manfred?.
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Frederick Manfred A Visit to Fred’s Home Near Luverne, Minnesota Text and Photographs by Professor Thomas Gasque
Who was Frederick Manfred? • Frederick Manfred was a novelist who wrote about Siouxland and the greater Midwestern and Western regions. He lived near Luverne, Minnesota. The following pictures represent a small part of his years there when he was writer-in-residence at the U. • Photo: 6/24/73
The Man Himself • Frederick Manfred looks over his estate on Blue Mound, near Luverne, Minnesota. There is a spectacular view of the surrounding prairie from the mound, a major landmark for early fur traders, who called it “The Rock.” Nearby flows the Rock River, named for this prominent feature. • Photo: 6/1/73
Fred at His House • Fred designed the house that he and his family lived in for many years. It is built into the hill, and the glass front allows a wide view of the landscape. An outcropping of Sioux Falls quartzite forms the back wall of the house. Above the house is a small tower with glass all around. Fred used that space as his writing studio. The building is now the Interpretative Center for Blue Mound State Park. • Photo: 6/1/73
A Visit with Fred Manfred • In May 1973, a group of students studied Manfred’s novel Lord Grizzly and other books about Hugh Glass’s experience and then hiked a large portion of the Hugh Glass Trail in Northwestern South Dakota. Glass, a Mountain Man, was wounded by a bear and crawled nearly 200 miles. Pictured here at Manfred’s house in Minnesota are John Nagel, Gregg Rhodes, Cathy Flum, Manfred, Jean Husat, and Prof. GervaseHittle, who directed the class. • Photo: 6/1/73
Manfred & the Hugh Glass Trekkers • Fred examines a map with the hardy academics who had just followed the Hugh Glass trail across western South Dakota. Clockwise: Manfred, Gregg Rhodes, John Nagel, Cathy Flum, Jean Husat, and Prof. Gervase Hittle. • Photo: 6/1/73
Viewing the Landscape • Prominent American Indian poet Paula Gunn Allen came to Vermillion in 1973, and we took her to visit Manfred. Here Manfred, Allen, Gervase Hittle, and Jean Husat look at a row of stones that Manfred believed had been set out to mark the equinox sunrise. • Archaeologists have examined the stones and have determined that they were placed there and are not a natural formation. • Photo: 6/24/73
Fred, Jean, and Paula • Fred and University of South Dakota English graduate student Jean Husat among the grass and granite outcroppings on Fred’s property. In the background is poet Paula Gunn Allen. • Photo: 6/24/73
Flowers at Fred’s Home • Blooming cactus at Fred’s place on Blue Mound. • Photo: 6/24/73
Fred and English Faculty • On a cool, windy day in May 1974, members of the English Departments of the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University and their families held a joint picnic at Manfred’s home. Here, some of the participants look at the property. • Photo: 5/5/74
Manfred with Susanna Gasque • At the English Dept. picnic in 1974, Fred carries 19-month-old Susanna Gasque against the cold wind on Blue Mound. • Photo: 5/5/74