The little town of Bovey is famous. You have probably seen the famous photo/painting and didn’t even realize that it was The State Photograph of Minnesota. I knew about the painting..I have seen it many times. I just didn’t know the story..
Sometime in 1918 a peddler by the name of Charles Wilden posed for a photographer by the name of Enstrom. The photo was of an old man praying, it was meant to capture the simple things that we could be thankful for instead of pining away for the things that we didn’t have. In the photo are a Enstrom Family book, spectacles, a bowl of gruel, a loaf of bread and a knife, and of course the elderly gentleman praying. The photo was made into a painting and Enstrom put one in the window of his studio in Bovey, and every time he sold one he painted another. The photo was named “Grace.”
Now if you listen to the locals in Bovey..they put their own spin on this story. The elderly gentleman, possibly a hobo was nicknamed a “Swamp Angel” he came into town one day, got a shave and a haircut, bought a new shirt and had his photo taken. Then he disappeared back into the swamp..never to be seen again:)
Thank you for your kind comments and prayers for Trica, we appreciate them. She was released from the hospital and returned to her home yesterday afternoon.
