Detectives to hold annual meeting number 162

In 1864, a team of horses was everything to a typical farmer: tractor, truck, and personal transportation. If the horses were stolen, it could mean the year’s crops would go unharvested, the family would be hungry, and the farm might be lost.

 

Knowing that, it’s no surprise Waseca County farmers formed a society dedicated to investigating thefts and recovering the stolen animals. The depth of their determination is made evident by the statement in the Waseca County Horse Thief Detective society’s (WCHTD) constitution which states plainly that, if law enforcement was not assisting with the investigation, the group was willing to take justice into their own hands.

 

Fortunately, over the first 30 years or so of the society, the threat of horse theft declined and the efficacy of law enforcement increased; meetings went from being held monthly to quarterly to yearly. What was once hundreds, if not thousands of similar organizations carrying out justice around the country dwindled to dozens, and now, probably, only one.

 

Current WCHTD president Scott Roemhildt points out the group officially touts itself as “the longest running protective society west of the Mississippi,” but shares he can find no evidence the two long-running groups east of the big river which formed before WCHTD are still meeting and carrying out business.

 

Instead of the declining membership one might expect, the Waseca group continues to meet and has the support of hundreds of lifetime members located all over the world. And in all this time, no member’s stolen horse has gone unrecovered.

 

The Waseca County Horse Thief Detectives will mark year 162 of their organization’s existence by gathering at Northeast Park in Waseca on July 4. Live music will begin about 11:30 a.m. Chicken and bottled water will be provided for the noon meal; all who can are asked to bring a dish to share, as well as their own plates and utensils.  Roemhildt stresses that the event is meant to center around family fun and fellowship, and so if it works better for some families or groups to pack their own lunch and eat independently, “that’s okay, too.” The meal will be followed by a brief business meeting, and then old-fashioned games and contests at which competitors of all ages may be on even footing: Roemhildt mentions bubble gum blowing contests, an egg toss, sack races and–a crowd favorite–a pie eating contest. He recalls past years when as many as three generations from a single family took part in the competitions.

 

Roemhildt points out that the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. meal, meeting and family merriment leave plenty of the holiday for other celebrations and activities. He shares that, depending on the weather and the timing of the Fourth of July holiday, attendance at meetings over the past decade or so has ranged between 40 and 75.

 

“We would take more, of course,” he observes. “But we’re pleased that we can be so active and bring together that sense of old-fashioned community.”

 

Those attending the picnic on July 4 do not have to be WCHTD members. Lifetime membership is highly affordable, though, at a mere $3.00 a person.

 

Anyone who wants to join, get further information, or purchase some of the group’s eye-catching merchandise can get more information at horsedetectives.org.