Cooperative Commonwealth: Co-Ops In Rural Minnesota 1859-1939 [Hardcover]

Steven J. Keillor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2000

In this groundbreaking work, Keillor examines how rural Minnesotans used the principles of co-operation in their attempt to gain control of local economies and to exercise that control according to democratic principles. More than 600 co-operative creameries, 150 township mutual fire insurance companies, hundreds of rural telephone associations, and 270 farmers' elevators were impressive proof of the power of co-operation before World War II. Minnesota became known as one of the most co-operative-minded states in the Union. Many of these types of co-operatives have never been studies, and none has been adequately analysed. This is a collective biography of Minnesota's rural people, told in their own words through newspapers and minutes of local meetings.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven Keillor

Product Details

• Hardcover: 472 pages
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873513770
• ISBN-13: 978-0873513777
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,291,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An original, seminal, ground-breaking examination., May 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooperative Commonwealth: Co-Ops In Rural Minnesota 1859-1939 (Hardcover)

Cooperative Commonwealth: Co-ops In Rural Minnesota 1859-1939 is an original, ground breaking, and seminal work examining how rural Minnesotans used the principles of cooperation and collaboration to try and gain local control of their agricultural economies in accordance with democratic principles. More than 600 cooperative creameries, 150 township mutual fire insurance companies, hundreds of rural telephone associations, and 270 farmer elevators give documented evidence of the strength of pre-World War II cooperatives. This superbly assembled collective history is told through newspaper articles and minutes of local meetings giving authentic voice to the men and women who made rural Minnesota a "cooperative commonwealth". Highly recommended for students of Minnesota history, American agriculture communities, and the rural cooperative movement.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cooperative Commonwealth, March 17, 2001

By 

J. Lindner (Gem Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cooperative Commonwealth: Co-Ops In Rural Minnesota 1859-1939 (Hardcover)

Cooperative Commonwealth is an important book that serves two primary purposes. First, it demonstrates the Minnesota Historical Society's extensive collection of farmer cooperative papers and local newspaper archives. Since MHS published the book, it is a quasi-advertisement for future researchers. Second, the book's theme traces the development of farmers cooperatives not as a response to prevailing capitalist principles, but as a completion of economic networks into remote rural regions. Author Steven Keillor demonstrates how Minnesota's Scandinavian farmers established co-ops based upon English and eastern United States models instead of Old World Scandinavian models.

The earliest attempts at establishing union stores failed in part due to inexperience but also because their scope was too broad. But in time farmers learned that the more specific their objectives, the more likely they succeeded. Creameries were the first resounding success. A creamery was established at a crossroads that served local farmers and was soon followed by a store and church. This hamlet seemed to provide all the local farmers needed. Fire insurance mutuals and wheat elevators soon imitated the creamery example. Railroads attempted to piggyback onto successful grain elevators, but farmer control many times prevailed. Farmer movements such as the Grange and Farmers Alliance aided co-op development, but were not instrumental. The fact that co-ops outlived national agrarian movements says more for the local institutions than for national organization. Co-ops eventually bloomed into full-fledged corporate entities such as Land O' Lakes and CENEX. These organizations played important roles in Minnesota politics.

Keillor's book is well written, though the reader will encounter a myriad of acronyms that are seemingly unavoidable. Keillor's writing style can be difficult to follow at times, but he manages to regain the reader's attention often enough so not to spoil the book. The primary issue with the book is its reliance on a handful of sources.

There are specific examples Keillor puts forth to illustrate his points, but perceived generalizations lead the reader to wonder if these examples were true representation across the state. To emphasize his point on anti-county set politics, Keillor points out that the county seats of Yellow Medicine, Brown, and Otter Tail counties came under fire by co-ops because their seats were not centrally located within the counties. However, none of the seats were moved in response. Also, were there anti-county seat movements of co-ops in counties where the seat was centrally located? Keillor does not say. He also uses Freeborn County as his case history for cooperative creameries. But did the same circumstances happen in other counties? By design the book intentionally omitted data from counties where other economic endeavors outpaced agriculture, but many agricultural counties were neglected as well. There is no mention of Stearns, Houston, Nobles, Jackson, Chippewa, Cottonwood, or two dozen other agricultural counties. What are their stories?

One final flaw concerns the last two chapters. Up until these chapters, the primary focus was on the farmers, not the politicians. But by the end of the book, Keillor's emphasis is entirely on the governors and legislators and how they interacted with federal programs of the New Deal such as the Rural Electrification Administration. Farmers become role players in their own economic development.

But there is much to be learned from this important historical work. Keillor sets the stage for future scholarship to either prove or disprove his thesis, and given the extensiveness of Minnesota Historical Society collections, there is plenty of opportunity to expand on the work started here.