You’re Invited!
Come be part of history!
To celebrate its centennial in 2025, the Cook County Historical Society, which for the past 100 years has collected, preserved, and shared local artifacts, cultural narratives, and artistic heritage, is undertaking a special community-focused project. In the past, we have created an annual archival photo calendar. This year, we are inviting you, our community, to participate in the creation of a time-capsule calendar as a way to honor your stories and the history of Cook County and Grand Portage for future generations.
We would not be where we are today without the help of members of our community who have helped us compile and share the stories of our past. And while so much of what we do is look back in time, for our 100 year anniversary, we want to look forward to the future generations and give them something, a time capsule of sorts, that describes who we are as a community and place today.
Here’s what we’re asking from you:
Send us your original photos, drawings, or other 2D pieces of artwork with a short description to be considered for inclusion in the CCHS 2025 Community Time Capsule Calendar.
We’re looking for images that capture what Cook County and Grand Portage mean to you in the present day, and/or what, in your opinion, best represents the area and community. Imagine someone looking at this calendar 100 years from now and being able to imagine what life was like in the area in 2025.
Submissions will only be accepted digitally at this time. The Grand Marais Public Library has scanners available for use for free (you will need a flash drive to save the image).
The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2025. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any items after that date.
Need help narrowing down ideas? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What views, landmarks, or special locations would you like to remember?
What does Cook County and/or Grand Portage mean to you?
What tells a story?
What are you most proud of in Cook County and Grand Portage?
What do you think is important for future generations to remember in the next 100 years?
The fine print:
Photos, images, and artwork must be your own
Photos must be clear and in focus
Photos must be submitted as a JPEG or PNG
If using your phone, we ask that you adjust your settings to the highest resolution (you can Google how to do this for your type of phone)
Submitters must be willing to sign a release form (see below) to grant CCHS permission to publish the photo(s) in the 2026 Community Time Capsule Calendar. Submitter will retain all rights to the photo, image, or artwork
Photos must be family-friendly and not contain any inappropriate content. CCHS has the right to deny any submissions as it sees fit
Images should not contain people
CCHS staff will curate the calendar. Depending on how many submissions we receive, we unfortunately may not be able to include all submissions
At this time, all submissions will only be accepted digitally (see below)
Calendars will be designed and created by Cook County Historical Society staff and will be available for sale in August 2025.