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Since this is my first article for the Anoka County Historical Society, I thought it would be appropriate to write a brief introduction about my own family history in Anoka. 

For over 20 years, my grandparents, Harold and Evelyn Dawson owned and operated a small grocery store on Ferry Street called Dawson’s Market. 

They specialized in all kinds of meat at the store and my uncle Brad, who was the butcher, recalled, “All the holidays were special - people coming in to get turkeys, rolled beef roasts, oysters and herring.” 

Grandpa even invented his own barbecue sauce called “Monee,” and it was always a treat to get a ham sandwich drenched in barbecue sauce (washed down by a miniature carton of chocolate milk). 

I remember being about six years old and helping mix the sauce in a 50-gallon barrel- with a canoe paddle! 

I was about nine when Harold passed away and unfortunately, I cannot remember much about him as a man. 

I know he was from Iowa, that he was in the Navy and that he used to run a farm in Big Lake. 

To a child however, people are not made-up of facts, dates, or achievements, and so what I remember of my grandfather was his hard work ethic mixed with smiles and jokes, and a stern kindness that you had to earn. 

The essence of a person is so much more than what history can account for in books. 

My last personal memory of Grandpa was at my old house in Anoka, playing catch with a football. 

After a while, he wouldn’t throw the ball directly to me, but instead he would throw it high or off to the side and make me run after it. 

I was getting more and more frustrated, because the better I got at catching the ball, the farther he would throw it away from me! 

One time he threw the football way over my head and behind me. 

I turned around and ran as fast as I could, trying to keep my eye on it and dove at the last minute to grasp his wayward pass. 

The ball hit me in the hands and bounced off the grass. 

When I looked back for his reaction, he just smiled and encouraged, “If you can touch it, you can catch it.” 

As the years go by, his voice continues to echo, and the simple wisdom in it guides me in chasing down all my dreams.

I would like to write about your family history as well.  Please e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Editor’s note: Ryan Dawson is an Anoka County Historical Society volunteer.