Hodgson Collection. Prior to accessioning, the number 179 was printed in white ink on bowl. Smoke Rings Hodgson notes: "Near Red Wing an old hermit lived for a long time in a tumble down log cabin. Years after his demise, Bob Anderson was "exploring" the old ruins and discovered these two ancient clay pipes, modeled to look like corn cobs. It would make a good story to say that they were petrified or preserved corn cobs. 1948." Note inside pipe: "From Bob Anderson January 2, 1949. John Avelsguard was a pioneer resident of Goodhue County and helped found Wanamingo around 1850. He died about 1923. These pipes were found in his old abandoned log cabin." Robert E. Hodgson (1893-1968) was superintendent of the Southern Experiment Station from 1919 to 1960. He promoted modern agricultural methods in Waseca and throughout Minnesota. From 1948 to 1964, Hodgson wrote a column for The Farmer Magazine, and his column “Bob Hodgson Talks” appeared in more than one hundred rural Minnesota newspapers for over 20 years. Hodgson was a member of the Waseca County Historical Society, the Waseca County Horse Thief Detectives, The Boy Scouts and other organizations. Among his many interests were history, nature study and pipe collecting. During World War II, Hodgson wrote a once a month letter to members of Boy Scout Troop 85 who were serving in the armed forces all over the world. The letters were published in the Waseca Journal with separate copies printed and mailed to any Waseca serviceman who wished to receive them. Hodgson’s letters maintained the home contacts, helped men keep up on the locations of friends and provided morale-boosting communications for those far away from home.
