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John and Ruth Heisick own a farm east of Upsala on Highway 238. Twenty years ago, there was a very special dedication ceremony at their home. A beautiful granite marker was placed on the graves of the “Lost Children of Two Rivers”.  Late in the autumn of 1870, Maria age 10 and Christian age 8, had gone out one evening to bring in the cows.  They did not return.  Family and friends searched for weeks, but no trace was found of them.  At one time there were over 100 men and women engaged in the search.

In the middle of December, a Native American who was hunting, saw some tracks in the snow and he found the girl.  She appeared to have been dead less than a day.  He went to a farmhouse nearby and despite some difficulty with language, he was able to communicate that he had found the body of a girl.  The body of the boy was found nearby.

The poem “Babes in the Woods” was written to reflect the tragedy of the story.  My grandmother Laura used to sing it to her children.  My mother hated the song. 

Thanks to John and Ruth Heisick, Peg and Brad Bellamy, and the Morrison County Historical Society for making this memorial possible.  Dan Hovland who was the President of the Upsala Area Historical Society for many years was the source for this story.  If you come to Upsala on Heritage Day on August 8^th and visit the Borgstrom House, the Upsala Area Historical Society will have a copy of the poem for you to take home.   Check us out on Facebook. 

“Hold a true friend with both hands.”   A Nigerian proverb