Times are rapidly changing, and those who actually remember the "good old days" are few.

Thanks to a group of area residents, many memories of Urness Township in southwestern Douglas County will now live on.

Several years ago, a group formed to compile a written history of the township. After hours and hours of work by more than 100 individuals, The History of Urness Township: 135 Years of Rural Community Life recently rolled off the presses.

The book contains more than 300 pages of stories, memories and historical information bout the township, as well as more than 400 photographs.

"One of the things that makes the book so good, I think, is the fact that it is the result of the work of well over 100 people," noted Kathy Sletto, project coordinator. "It is not presented from one individual’s point of view. We have tried to keep as much first-person narrative in as possible."

Sletto noted that the main goal of the project was to preserve the township’s history.

"Those who can actually remember the olden days of Urness are fast disappearing," she said. "We were afraid that much of the history would be lost if it were not gathered up now and published."

The book not only contains factual information, but includes numerous contributions from those who remember the early years — funny stories, photographs, old documents, etc.

"Much of the book is original material," Sletto noted. "It is the result of people going through boxes of pictures and papers that have been sitting in their attics for decades.

"This is not just a text book history," she added.

Sletto got involved with the project in 2000 when she was asked to compile the gathered information into book format.

"That sounded pretty simple, but it turned out to be a much bigger task!" she said. "Some things came in neatly typed, but most of it was submitted handwritten on scraps of paper. One even came in written on cardboard."

However the memories came, the committee gladly accepted them and spent countless hours putting them all together into the book.

The seven-chapter publication includes information about immigrants and original settlers, homesteading, household work and family life, area veterans, law enforcement, community organizations, churches, cemeteries, schools, farming and family histories.

The book also contains information on the vanished village of Urness. According to Sletto, this is the most extensive document ever researched and written on the former village.

A fair amount of humor can be found among the pages. One chapter, titled "Amazing and Amusing Anecdotes of Urness Township" tells the stories of quirky bachelors and includes plenty of horse tales — including the story of a horse that died of a broken heart and another who played cards and let the humans win!

The chapter also tells the story of a man who had the dubious distinction of being the only township resident to lose his life on the Titanic when it sank in 1912.

Bendetta (Hanson) Johnson, a lifelong resident of Urness Township, was born in 1903 and made daily entries in a dairy from the age of 14 until shortly before her death in 1989.

"The first-hand account, spanning more than 70 years, was invaluable in recounting the major events as well as the day-to-day life of the township’s residents," Sletto noted. "Bendetta’s informative and sometimes scathing comments on the advent of telephones, electricity, drought, depression, etc. add an interesting perspective."

Sletto credits the hard work of many in making this publication possible.

"Many people put in a lot of hours on this project," she said.

The Urness Township History Committee includes Janice Gudmundson, Brent Johnson, Jerry Johnson, Audrey Lerum and Suzann Nelson.

The book is actually dedicated to Lerum, "whose love of storytelling and Urness Township is contagious. Her enthusiasm, knowledge of local history, and genuine interest in the people of Urness Township inspired the creation of this book."

Urness Township lies in the southwestern portion of Douglas County. It was founded near the natural dividing line between the tribal areas of the Dakota and Ojibwa Indians.

The earliest recorded settler in the township was Nels O. Skattbo in 1862.

On March 22, 1869, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners set apart Congressional Township 128, Range 40 as a separate civil township to be known as Red Rock, named after Red Rock Lake which was named for the reddish boulders on its shore.

In February of 1871, county commissioners received a petition requesting the name of the township be changed to Urness to honor the area in Norway from which many of the township’s earliest settlers had immigrated.

Urnes, Norway, combines two Norwegian words — ur (a rock-strewn slope) and nes (a headland).

Following the Civil War, more people moved west and Urness’ population increased.

Eventually, a commercial trading center called Urness developed in the township. It consisted of a town hall, community hall, two general stores and a creamery.

The site was never incorporated and eventually disappeared.