The year 2003 marks the 150th anniversary of the formation of Polk county. A celebration of that historical milestone will be Saturday Aug. 23, at the Polk County Fairgrounds in St. Croix Falls, complete with food, demonstrations, and numerous displays from bygone years.
Following is one of several short stories on the county's history that will be published between now and the celebration. This article, by Mary Gaylord, was found in "Polk County Memories," published by the Polk County Historical Society in 1978.
The article has recently (February 26, 2003) been re-published by the "Osceola Sun" newspaper.
Dreams materialize for people like Mary Bering, who was born in Denmark in 1837. Even as a young girl, she wanted to become a doctor. However, after migrating to the united States, arriving in chicago in 1859, she met a carpenter and cabinet maker, J.P. Sorensen. They were married in 1863 and four children were born to them.
Her dream of working with medicine persisted and she entered Hahnemann college in chicago. After graduation she practiced medicine in Chicago and Racine. The family moved to Tocoma, Wash., but returned in 1877 to settle in taylors Falls, Minn.
She opened a doctor's office in Osceola, down the St. Croix River from Taylors Falls, and later the family moved to a farm in Polk County.
The little farming community called Patterson was located just north of where Milltown is now. It had a blacksmith shop, a store, a post office and a cheese factory.
In those years there were no telephones in Polk County, and when Dr. Mary was needed, someone came to get her with a buggy or lumber wagon, or perhaps on horseback.
Helpful husband that he was, Mr. Sorensen kept two teams of horses ready so that if it were necessary to drive his wife to visit a patient, he had a fresh team.
Dr. Mary Sorensen was exceptional in that she practiced in a day when "women doctors" were a rarity. Another thing that put her ahead of her time was that she wore her hair cut short. Years earlier she had broken her arm and found it difficult to keep long hair appearing neat.
Payment came hard in those days. Some of the bills for attending patients were paid with vegetables or furs. many times she received nothing.
She retired from the practice of medicine at 65, but remained active until her death at age 87.
Mary Bering was a descendant of Hans Vitus bering, the discoverer of the sea and strait near Alaska named for him.
Two of her sons went to medical school and a daughter graduated from the Chicago Conservatory of Music.
Mrs. Clara Sorensen of Luck is a granddaughter of Polk County's first woman doctor. Seward Nielsen, a grandson, taught in the Balsam Lake School during the 1940s.
Dr. Mary Sorensen's medical instruments are on display in the Polk County Museum in balsam Lake.
Volunteers are needed to make the county's 150th anniversary a success. Anyone who would like to be involved is encouraged to call Darrell Kittleson, (715) 483-3979