This flagpole is dedicated to the memory of a woman who not only helped form Heritage Park into what it is today, but who also had quite a bit of a connection to several of the installations here. Doris Ilene Baker Krebsbach was born in 1930 near Coleharbor, a town across the lake from Garrison. If you’ve checked out some of the other buildings around Heritage Park, you may recognize the names of Doris’ parents, Henry and Alice Baker. Henry “Hank” Baker built the log cabin at the northwest corner of the park with the help of his friends and family in nearby Minot, North Dakota. Doris played a significant part in bringing the log cabin here to Heritage Park. If you haven’t already, go take a closer look at the cabin to learn more about Hank.

Doris came north to Garrison for high school, graduating as the salutatorian of her class in 1948 and receiving her teacher’s certification. She took a job teaching at a rural school near Douglas, similar to the Country School featured here in Heritage Park, before marrying Francis Krebsbach and moving to their farm north of Garrison. With Francis, Doris raised nine children, cooking, gardening, and making clothing for them, all while maintaining an active role in her church and community. See the Pioneer Church to learn more about a church’s role in rural communities.

Doris loved this area and enjoyed learning about the history of its residents, including her own family, so it’s no surprise that she would also have a role on the board of the Heritage Park Foundation. She helped curate and preserve that history so that we could also have the chance to glimpse back into the past. After Doris’ passing in 2001, her family established this flagpole at Heritage Park in her honor, a tribute to a woman who exemplified hard work and kindness to the benefit of her community.