 By the Great Northern Depot in Bemidji is celebrating its 100th and fifth birthday today. Our own Cheryl Moore was there for the party and has a look at the building's history. You may know the Great Northern Depot as the home to the Beltrami County History Center, but this brick and mortar offers a ton more to history buffs. I was open to the public in 1912, actually under construction, 1911. And it was a key transportation hub for about 70 years. The 217-foot-long depot houses a basement and an extensive attic. It was restored into the Beltrami History Center in the year 2000. To celebrate the big anniversary, admission to the museum was only 105 cents. Guests were also given a tour. We had a lot of visitors, a lot of folks, families took advantage of the reduced price and we were so grateful for folks coming out to see the depot on the anniversary. There was a time when the building was almost lost, but thanks to a few activists, no one laid a finger on the historic site. It had historical significance and we got a tremendous amount of support from Beltrami County, the city of Bemidji, the citizens of the area, and then the state of Minnesota. So that kind of got it, the ball rolling in. It was restored to as you see it today. The great northern depot has served the Beltrami County community for over 100 years. For the next 100, they're actually hoping for more of the same. Many, many generations worth of items can be found here that truly help tell the story of Beltrami County, the surrounding region here in northern Minnesota. We have a number of Ojibwe artifacts, bead work, a dugout canoe. While they want more of the same, they're also listening to the thoughts of the community. We would love to have you come and see the exhibit. If you have an idea for an exhibit, a topic you want us to focus on, let us know. We eagerly want to work with the community. Reporting of Bemidji, Sheryl Moore, Lakeland News. If you'd like to visit, the center is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to four or by appointment. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.