FOREST CITY —  The Winnebago Historical Society kicks off the 2015 summer season with an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. June 7. The star of the show will be a meteorite that landed in Winnebago County in 1890, a gift from the Carroll Dahl family.

In May, 125 years ago, about 2,000 fragments of a meteorite landed in eight square miles south of Thompson in Winnebago County. Witnesses from Des Moines to Chamberlain, South Dakota, saw the white vapor trail that lasted for 20 minutes in the clear May skies. Travelers waiting to board the train at Algona heard the incoming fireball cracking and exploding as it headed toward the Thompson area. The fragments ranged from 81 pounds to a few ounces. One newspaper said, “God was actually aiming at Minnesota and missed.” The Dahl family farm was hit, but it was 20 years later that a 3-pound specimen was unearthed when a Dahl family member plowed a hog pasture with horses. Visitors are also encouraged to enjoy the many other displays at the museum.

The Mansion Museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. every Sunday during the summer. Special tours are also available for reunions or groups interested in local history. To schedule such a tour call 641-585-2308.

The Winnebago Historical Society’s mission is to educate children and adults through the Mansion Museum, reintroduce families to their past through the Leibrand-Whiteis Historical Center and recreate the lives and livelihoods of their ancestors at Heritage Park of North Iowa.