History through the eyes of Don Samuelson

History through the eyes of Don Samuelson

BRAINERD If anyone knows the history of the Brainerd lakes area, it’s Don Samuelson.He was born and raised in Brainerd, still calling it home after 91 years.He recalls the giant Paul Bunyan statue that used to sit on the corner of Highways 371 and 210, remembers the day the survivors from the 194th Tank Battalion came home from Bataan, and recalls the time when the paper mill, railroad and state hospital made up thousands of jobs for lakes area…