Wadena County Historical Society Receives Rex McDonald Studio Photography Donation – Wadena Pioneer Journal

WADENA — A collection of Rex McDonald Studio photographs was transferred to the archives of the Wadena County Historical Society in March.

The images were created over several decades by Rex McDonald, Sandford R. McDonald, Don Hoffmann and Kimberly Woods, all of whom owned the company at some point.

The owner of the building, Don Hoffmann, and the director of the Historical Society, Lina Belar, had been talking about it for some time, in the hope that the Historical Society could preserve this important part of local history. Recently, Hoffmann sold the building and everything stored in the basement had to disappear. The items included more than 600 boxes of photos and negatives of people, places and events in Wadena County, including many businesses in Wadena’s historic downtown business district.

Woods bought the files when she bought the company, which means the final donation is a gift from her. She is still in business and offers her clients the opportunity to own their session files that were previously ordered. Woods can be reached at [email protected]. The Historical Society will also continue to honor these requests.

The Wadena County Historical Society is open by appointment, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also submit search requests by phone at 218-631-9079 or email [email protected].