Joseph Hancock

Title: Description of Red Wing
Type: Book
Date: 1893
Source: Minnesota Historical Society

Description: Hancock wrote a book about the history of Goodhue County. This is his description of the village of Red Wing.
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Activities:

1. In Hancock's first paragraph, he mentions that he doesn't need to describe the beauty of Red Wing to the readers. What does this tell us about the area?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Hancock doesn't find it necessary to describe the area because it has been described so often by other tourists and visitors, which tells us that Red Wing was a popular spot for vacationers or that he was writing the book for people who either lived in Red Wing or knew the area well.
2. What resources might we use to find out more information about the other missionaries that Hancock mentions in this book?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: We could use the resources of the Goodhue County Historical Society and books about the history of Red Wing to find out more about other missionaries in the area. Researching the records of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions might also give us some information.
3. What does this section of the article not tell us about the missionaries involved?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Hancock does not tell us where all of the missionaries came from or why they left. He also does not say anything about the specific things they did in the community.
4. Hancock wrote this book in 1893, after he had been in Red Wing for more than 40 years. How do you think his long life in Red Wing might have made his book more factually reliable than if it had been written by someone who was just a visitor to the village?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Hancock might have been able to see and hear about many events first-hand, which would help his story of the area be more reliable. He also kept a lengthy journal of his work and life. All of these things would help him to write a book that might be more accurate than one written by someone who had only visited the community for a short time.