May 2010
“Howdy, partner.” With that simple greeting, International Falls native Len Millard has introduced himself to thousands as part of his own odyssey that has spanned decades and forty-states and much of Canada. Millard is a self described photographer, historian, journalist, traveler, wood worker, and raconteur.
On a recent visit to his “seasonal” home in International Falls – one that has been in his family’s name since the early beginnings of the community – Millard shared just a portion of the journals, photos, and memorabilia from an interesting life of travelling, meeting people, and documenting his passing in history.
Starting with his own family history in the community that brought his great grandfather to the area in 1904 to help his classmate and friend E.W. Backus build a paper mill and dam. Millard shared early pictures of the dam under construction, the first rail crossing from Ontario into Minnesota, construction of the mill itself and photos of the family home. He has archived a vast library of photos, postcards, and correspondence relating to the history of the community. A 1965 graduate from Falls High, Millard, came of age in the turbulent 60’s where his interest in politics and current events played out and he began writing daily journals of his experiences and acquaintances. He attended his first Democratic National Convention in 1972 and has attended every one since, credentialed as a reporter for the local newspaper and has attended every Republican National Convention since 1992. He has photos and correspondence from news icons Dan Rather, Ellen Goodman, and Charlie Rose as well as national figures like Jesse Jackson from his reporting experiences. His political reporting culminated with the coverage of the Obama inauguration for the local paper. From his vantage point, he took several hundred pictures of the event that he said at times made him feel like Forest Gump. “I couldn’t believe I was part of this historic event.” His photos became part of a display at the Falls Public Library.
In the 1970’s he converted an old school bus into a custom home and meeting place that he used as part of his travels across the country. Asked where his favorite place is he said, “Every place has something interesting or good about it. It’s about taking the time to find those good things and good people.”
During this time he also became an accomplished wood carver, creating custom bar stools with a chain saw to resemble a horse’s rear end that he used to finance his travels along with his photography. His bus also became a novelty that attracted people and made for easy conversation.
His love and skill with the camera and his love of music combined to document some of the era’s music giants including the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings (to name a few). Millard has concert photos from famous venues from across the country and stories of encounters and close encounters to match. In addition, he’s contributed in his own way to the entertainment industry. He and fellow Falls native Brian Toder recorded their own in 1976 - on vinyl in a 45 rpm format. Now, they’re re-issuing the record on CD and as Millard says, “we hope to be better than 41 on the top 40 this time around. He and his bus also enjoyed a brief scene in Sam Peckinpah’s 1978 movie,” Convoy” along with another Falls native John Zeipen.
These days Millard splits his time between International Falls and further travels across the county. He continues to make custom wooden furniture and archiving photos. He’s also working on restoring his bus to highway worthiness.
