The Mower County Historical Society is making plans for its next speaker for the 2019 Lunchbox History Series, which will take place at noon Sept. 26 in the Pioneer Building at the Historical Society in Austin. According to a press release, the topic is “The Grand Meadow Quarry: Its Discovery and Special Importance,” presented by Tom Trow. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for the free event.

Trow and Lee Radzak, former archaeologists for the Minnesota Historical Society, investigated a report made by Mower County resident Maynard Green about deep holes in a 5-acre wooded area north of Grand Meadow. They found a large pre-contact Native American site that has been of special significance for thousands of years, the release stated.

Trow most recently worked at Twin Cities Public Television as the executive-in-charge of over 125 documentary productions for broadcast television, all created in partnership with Minnesota nonprofits and state agencies. Nine of those programs have won Emmy Awards for Twin Cities Public Television. Previously, Trow was the first outreach administrator at the University of Minnesota, where he served as the director of community and cultural affairs for the College of Liberal Arts. Before that, he was a professional archaeologist, working with the Minnesota Historical Society. As the field director for the Statewide Archaeological Survey, he brought a crew of researchers to southeastern Minnesota to investigate the archaeological history of the lands that drain through the Root River. He then came to Mower County and investigated the archaeological site there.

Mower County Historical Society Executive Director Randal J. Forster said he is thrilled to have Trow visiting the Historical Society, so he can share his knowledge about the Chert Quarry in Grand Meadow.

The Historical Society recently opened a new exhibit entitled “Prehistoric Mower County, featuring the Maynard Green Collection,” so the presentation will give visitors an opportunity to hear from someone who was there when the site was first explored in the early 1980s, he said.