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Congratulations to Markus Krueger! On January 8, 2024, the Moorhead City Council and Mayor Shelly Carlson presented him with the MoorHeart award.

Markus is an employee at the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County and has been committed to learning about and spreading knowledge about the rich, diverse history of Moorhead. Markus’ work has brought to light that Moorhead has always been a diverse community, and that history needs to be celebrated. Markus’ nomination includes the following statement:

“Markus is a historian at the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County.  A few years ago, he discovered that Felix Battles, one of Moorhead’s first Black citizens, was a veteran of the Civil War.  Markus dug deep into Mr. Battles’ past and discovered that he had been enslaved as a child, fought as a Union soldier in the Civil War, and ended up settling in Moorhead and working as a barber.  In order to honor Mr. Battles’ life, he designed a statue that could be placed in a public space and raised money to build and erect the statue at MSUM. Felix Battles’ story inspired Markus to learn more about the Black history of Clay County.  He organized a display at the Hjemkomst Center, providing information about other Black citizens of our area. The exhibit contained information about the first Black students at Moorhead High School and MSUM; other Black families who lived in Moorhead in the early years of the 20th century; and Black faculty members at MSUM, Concordia and NDSU. Markus’s work is tremendously important in the way that it demonstrates how Black people have been an important part of Moorhead’s history from its earliest days. The statue and the exhibit at the Hjemkomst invite all Moorhead residents to feel like they belong here as members of a dynamic, diverse, and welcoming community.”

For highlighting the rich, diverse history of the Moorhead community, the MoorHeart selection committee chose Markus to receive the MoorHeart Award.

The MoorHeart award is an opportunity to recognize individuals who go above and beyond to demonstrate community within our City by their actions and service. A team of volunteers from city boards and commissions selects award recipients. The MoorHeart award is commemorated with a piece of art commissioned from local artist Dennis Krull especially for this purpose.

It's easy to nominate individuals and organizations for the MoorHeart award. Contributions large and small are worthy of nomination!

(Photo of Markus Krueger with drinking water can courtesy The Extra.)