Tickets: $5/person (online or at the door)
Presented by: Shelby Edwards
Though not originally from Hudson, Charles Ward spent the last 34 years of his life in the St. Croix River Valley and considered Hudson home for many of those years. Facts about his early life range from hazy to outlandish but a chance meeting with businessman Herbert Bigelow in Leavenworth Prison changed his trajectory. After arriving in the region, Ward quickly rose to leadership at Brown & Bigelow. His generosity, charisma, and dramatic rags-to-riches story made him a beloved figure in Hudson and caught the attention of national political leaders, especially during Brown & Bigelow’s wartime production efforts in the 1940s.
Shelby Edwards has nearly 20 years of experience in archives and libraries across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Her past roles, including Archivist at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls Area Research Center and Associate Curator of Manuscripts at the Minnesota Historical Society, have given her a solid grounding in 20th-century regional history.
Professionally, she has focused on building archival collections that reflect the lives and contributions of traditionally underrepresented communities. Personally, she’s drawn to the murkier corners of the past, with a particular interest in stories of transformation and redemption, which is one reason Charles Ward has stayed with her for over a decade.
Join us in September to hear more from Shelby Edwards about Charles Ward’s life, legacy, and connection to our regions history.
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