Bernadotte woman has the world record for the largest collection of cows
By Patricia Buschette
Cows have been a way of life for Ruth Klossner of Bernadotte, Minn. Located in Nicollet County, Bernadotte encompasses four houses and a Lutheran church. It’s one of the smallest cities in the state, but it is home for a collection that has garnered worldwide interest. Ruth is the holder of the Guinness World Book of Records for the largest collection of cows. And she lives today close to the dairy farm where her fascination with cows began.
The collection starts at the mailbox with its black and white Holstein design that announces “The Moo-seum.” The garage stores her 1950 Ford 8N tractor that bears an appearance similar to her 21,650 collections of cows. The house contains a collection that has grown immensely over the years.
Ruth’s passion for cows has roots to her childhood. Like many young people, she was a member of 4-H. Her pet calves were named Midnight and Sally. Midnight was a docile calf who Ruth led, using a string for a harness. “Without the string Midnight followed me everywhere,” Ruth said.
At 12 years of age, Ruth wanted a pure-bred calf. “That summer, I worked hard on the farm because I wanted my folks to buy the calf,” Ruth said. She succeeded getting the calf named Delight, but it was Delight’s calf, “Klossner Princess Delight,” that was the prize winner. “The calf was gangly but in her second year blossomed. As a two year old, she placed 4th at the State Fair. As a three year old, she was Grand Champion,” Ruth said with pride.
Cows and the dairy industry were a part of her life, and in 1964 Ruth was named Nicollet County Holstein Girl. In 1967, her award as National Holstein Girl scored her a free trip to the national convention.
Ruth’s interest in agriculture, specifically cows, was not supported academically.
“I went to the high school principal and said I wanted to take an ag class,” Ruth said. “His answer was clear. ‘Girls can’t do that.’” She was not allowed to join the FFA chapter either. It wasn’t until 1969 that National Future Farmers of America allowed girls.
“After high school I attended the University of Minnesota, St. Paul where I majored in Dairy Science. My advisor told me, ‘As a woman in agriculture, you have two choices of work – lab work or journalism.’ Neither sounded interesting and I said, ‘I’m out of here,’ and changed my major to home economics, which I actually hated,” she said.
Home economics was not an area of interest, but Ruth had a plan. “It was the only way to get a job in county extension work, where I could work with 4-H’ers,” she said. She crammed all the home economics classes into two years, graduating in March of 1970.
“On May 1, 1970, I started my first job, a temporary position as an Extension Home Economist in Watonwan County,” she said.
From there it was a position in Sherburne County. “Again, I was able to work with 4-H’ers in dairy and horses. In January of 1973 I sought a more rural area and moved to Sibley County,” she said.
It was then that her interest in tourism inspired her to compile a document entitled, “Places to go and Things to see.” With Gaylord as the center, she used a compass to draw a circle with a 50 mile radius. She identified historical sites within that radius, and produced a 29-page mimeographed booklet of the historical sites. “Every spare minute I had, I went to historical places and developed a slide show used for Extension education,” she said.
Ruth took a one-year leave to go back to college to get a Master’s degree in animal science. “When my position in the county was eliminated, I collected unemployment benefits, requiring me to look for jobs,” she explained.
At that time Ruth was a wedding photographer, shooting 48 weddings in one year, and sought a part time job. “I stopped at the Lafayette Nicollet Ledger to fulfill the responsibility of making an application. A job was open. I thought about it overnight and went back. The job was for 15 hours a week, attending events and writing local news.” She started Feb. 1, 1984 and worked through November of 2011, explaining, “Journalism wasn’t so bad after all!”
“However, the 15 hours a week became 20, then 30, and in the summer of 1994, I worked full time as editor, and gave up the photography business.” When the new owner of the paper assigned 80 to 90 hours a week based on a 45-hour salary, I quit,” she said.
“It didn’t take long to get back into journalism. I flunked retirement in just a month.” Ruth began writing for River Valley Woman magazine and Dairy Star.
“At the request of parents, I continued to photograph Nicollet High School sporting events, providing CDs and then posting on Facebook. When the Ledger again changed ownership about four years ago, I offered to provide sports photos to the newspaper at no charge. The editor didn’t publish them as he didn’t have stories to go with them so I wrote sports stories on a voluntary basis.
“It’s been a fun ride, from rejecting journalism, to making it my life,” she said.
When she left that newspaper business, Ruth’s skills served her well and she became a sought-after photographer for weddings and graduations.
Ruth and her camera are well known at the Minnesota State Fair. She has spent decades memorializing the experiences of 4-H exhibitors. She has been a friend and supporter of young people and her home has many remembrances presented to her by young people she has championed.
But through all of this, how did the cow-themed collection get started?
“That started at a household auction in 1973,” she said. “I never looked back. It just started by accident and kept growing.”
Her favorite cow came through a connection with a family from Lafayette. “Patty Davis, who had grown up in Lafayette, called and asked for help introducing her children to the town where she had been raised. Ruth, the exemplary hostess, invited the family to stay at her house. Patty’s sister, Tippi Hedren, film actress of the 1960s, was invited to “come home,” and be the Grand Marshall of the 2000 centennial parade. Tippi asked Ruth if she could stay with her.
“Don’t worry about anything,” the two told her. They filled the refrigerator with snacks and wine. “We sat around in the evening laughing and carrying on, drinking wine, eating snacks and having a good time,” Ruth said.
Tippi Hedren returned to Minnesota to present at a storytellers program in New Ulm. “She told me that she would leave a cow to me for my collection in her will. Later, I received a call. Tippi said, ‘The cow wants to live with you now.’” The cow, a sterling silver creamer named “Tippifina” had been a wedding gift to Tippi in the 1950s. “It was likely made in the 1890s in the Netherlands,” Ruth said.
What is in the collection and how does one find room for such a collection? It includes, among other items, porcelain figures, Beanie Babies, wall hangings, cookie jars, plaques, stuffed animals, books, towels, signs, framed prints, Department 56, prints, teapots, canister sets, puzzles, signs, pins, pillows, salt and pepper shakers, and toys. Simply said, her house is wall to wall cows.
“The collection got out of hand,” Ruth said, “so I built an addition.” Not only is her house filled with the unique and fascinating collection, but Ruth does a masterful job of exhibiting them, creating a number of interesting and pleasing displays.
“I never intended that the collection would grow like this,” she said. “It just started and kept growing,” she added.
“I had been told that I should make an application to the Guinness World Book of Records,” she said. “I didn’t think much about it. Once when I looked it up, I decided that it would take too many hours.”
In order to qualify, Ruth was required to photograph her collection, as her worksheet was not sufficient. She needed letters of authenticity. “I worked with Nicollet County Sheriff Dave Lange. He found someone to help him – a theater director who created a video.”
Ruth also worked with her friend District Court Judge Tom McCarthy. She explained to him that Guiness would not accept her documentation telling her, ‘It ain’t gonna happen’. He responded, ‘It’s gonna happen.’ He retired that summer and he and his wife Patti came to the house and counted all of the pieces, she said.
“Relief was the major thing,” Ruth said when asked how she feels about her achievement, adding, “I think it means more to others. The greatest satisfaction was getting it accomplished,” she said. “The hunt for new pieces is half the fun. The other half is sharing it.”
Ruth’s volunteer work is legendary. In addition to work with 4-H, Ruth donates her time to organizations including school and churches, Nicollet County Holstein Association, Nicollet County Fair Board, Nicollet Public School, Lion’s Club, New Ulm Farm-City Hub Club, Nicollet American Legion Auxiliary, and others, as well as her church across the street. She has photographed the National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison, Wis. each year since 2018. With no newspaper, Ruth takes photos in the area.
Always welcoming of guests, Ruth sponsors an open house.
“Neighborhood kids serve as tour guides and there is help directing traffic and parking cars. The year I received the World Book record, 500 attended. There were calves to pet, tents with music provided by friends, horse-drawn wagon rides, and we served ice cream sundaes. I get help from the businesses with whom I work. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon.”
“That day I put out about 100 duplicate items on a table and invited people to take what they wished. Only two or three were left,” she said.
Visitors from around the world have visited the “Moo-seum,” she said. Her guest book started in 1993 and has 7,000 entries from 27 states and 30 foreign countries. Her collection has been featured in articles in Danish and Polish newspapers.
The collection represents a large financial investment. “Before I built the addition, I said that it was worth more than the house. Now with the addition, it may be running even,” Ruth said.
The climb for Ruth from a student barred from activities that were important to her, has been steep. However, she has found a remarkable victory.
“I’ve made my own world,” she said. “It’s full of cows.”
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