Ed's Museum • Wykoff, Minnesota

For five decades, two fundamental forces of the universe squared off against each other in the tiny town of Wykoff, MN, and few have known about it.

The first of those forces: Messiness. Its champion: Edwin Julius Krueger. A lifelong Wykoff resident, proprietor of the Jack Sprat Food Store, carefree spirit, and a man who never threw anything away.

The opposing force: Tidiness. Its champion: The ladies of the Wykoff Progress Club. Lovers of order, neatness, and no-nonsense adult responsibility.

For almost 50 of his 91 years, Ed lived like a slob and got away with it. He moved into the small Jack Sprat Food Store in 1933 and otherwise did nothing particularly important in his life. He was beloved as Wykoff's most colorful character, but after 1940, after his wife died, he became a very, very, very messy man.

The women of Wykoff bided their time. When Ed died in 1989 he left his store, and its decades of accumulated debris, to the town with the stipulation that it be turned into a museum. Perhaps he thought his messiness would outlive him? But the women of Wykoff, mostly German-American and all very tidy, had other plans.

Connie, a proud member of the Wykoff Progress Club, gave the tour. "His dream was to have a museum. He kept everything." Although the place is ostensibly a showcase of a half-century of stuff that most people threw away, Connie shares his story and describes all of his "trash" with pride. ;)

THIS IS ED'S DEAD CAT, SAMMY! YES HE IS IN THE BOX!!!

CONNIE & SAMMY